Romancing a Stranger

by Shady Grace

  His heated stare made her pulse quicken. Maybe being in this house with him as her husband, and a house full of staff to do as she pleased, wasn’t that bad after all. Besides, what she had in the future was pretty sad compared to this.

  “Any time, my sweet wife…any time.”

  She left him there at the foot of the stairs, and, as she took the steps slowly, Milli felt the heat of his gaze on her ass.

  Chapter 3

  Nearly a week had passed since she woke up here, and she still didn’t know why she ended up in the past. Had she been sent here for a purpose? Was she supposed to solve something?

  So far nothing drastic had happened, and her new “family” was growing on her, especially Josephine, who made her feel loved. She had always wanted a sister. Somebody to chat with, laugh with, maybe even cause some trouble.

  Not once did her sister act as though anything was wrong. She treated Milli as if she meant everything to her, and that made her feel special. Milli was excited about the baby to come as well.

  Soon she’d have a nephew or niece. Even though they wouldn’t really be related, because Josephine wasn’t really her sister, the thought of holding the little baby in her arms gave her a sense of belonging. She would love it no matter what.

  But this evening, as she sat at the foot of her bed, wearing one of those gaudy dresses, a million questions about Warden chased each other in her mind. How long had they been married? Did they make love often? Because if they did, she wanted to take advantage of this marriage and fuck the hell out of him.

  If he only knew what dwelled inside her, they’d never spend a night apart.

  A random image of Warden bending her over the edge of the bed made her hunger for his touch. Nearly six months had passed since her last sexual encounter, and she was never a one-night-stand kind of chick. But Warden was different, and, in this day and age, he was her husband. Why not enjoy each other during her time here?

  At dinner, she caught him staring at her on more than one occasion, and when she accidentally swore during a visit with some of their friends, he chuckled and told them her “new” attitude was refreshing. She’d given him a knowing smile then, and the look he gave her was nothing short of sexual.

  She felt the heated tension between them as if it was a living thing. And every time he looked at her body, like he wanted to eat her, she felt like butter on a hot frying pan.

  It was clear to her now that the original Mrs. Blackwood wasn’t a happy person and wasn’t intimate with her husband either. She knew it by the way Warden stared at her with open hunger and desperation. But what if she found happiness in his bed, his arms, or in his life in general? Would she be suddenly thrust back to the future? It would break her heart to come to love these people only to be taken away.

  Tonight, she’d canvassed the bedroom, searched under the bed, opened drawers, but discovered nothing to answer her questions about the old Mrs. Blackwood. What happened to her? Would she come back and demand answers?

  She was about to leave the room when something made her look back at the bed. There, discreetly shoved between the mattress and pillow was a piece of paper. Surprised she’d never noticed it before, she walked over, slid it out from beneath the pillow and unfolded it.

  You must hold time dear to your heart. If you do not give your heart to the one you want by dawn on the fourteenth day, all will be as it always was.

  Milli’s hands shook as that same line jumped out at her: Hold time dear to your heart. Did the old Mrs. Blackwood write the note for her? And what did it mean—in fourteen days she’d go back to her old life if she didn’t give her love to Warden?

  Whatever the case, she had to find out what it meant.

  Determined to start in her quest right away, she opened the bedroom door and peeked down the hallway.

  Silence and darkness loomed before her. The paneled walls were dark, giving the upper corridor an eerie vibe. She tiptoed down the carpeted floor until she found the sprawling staircase. Below the stairs, moonlight glinted through the tall windows flanking the front door, giving her just enough light to see. Carefully, she inched her way down the steps. It was late, and she knew the servants would be retired for the night.

  A thought came to mind. If she was married to Warden, they should be in the same bed. If she was going to be somebody’s wife, she expected to wake up to morning wood against her ass.

  She found the main hallway and continued to the end where a particular door had caught her curiosity before. She’d seen enough movies to know a door that was the same color as the wall, without a proper door knob, would reveal some great mystery.

  Excited about what she might find, she slid her fingers along the door until she felt a small indent. She pushed her fingers into the indent and heard a distinct click. With a little push, the door swished open. Chancing a last glance down the deserted hall, Milli entered the mysterious room.

  From what little moonlight trickled in through the windows, she could tell it was a study or library. All three walls were covered with bookshelves, the fourth encasing a fireplace. She walked around the room, splaying her fingertips over the backs of the two wingback chairs and then over the mantle. The room smelled like cigar, brandy, and Warden. She might be in a strange place, in a completely different time, but for some reason the scent of him kept her sane.

  Maybe he—

  A beam of moonlight glinted off something round sitting on the desk. It reflected like light off a purple mirror. Purple.

  The amethyst ball!

  How could this be? Did the globe come back to the past with her? Would it bring her back to the future?

  She rubbed it. Nothing happened. No glowing light, not a damn thing. The prickle of tears made her blink rapidly. She may have come to enjoy her time here, but she still had the urge to go home. She wanted to see her friends, wanted to get back to work writing her weekly newspaper columns.

  She rubbed it harder this time, desperate for the globe to save her.

  Nothing.

  A sob wrenched from her throat.

  “Be careful. You might disturb its purpose.”

  Milli spun around with a gasp. The silhouette of a tall man stood on the threshold, leaning casually against the door frame. She knew, even without seeing his face, it was Warden.

  “Its purpose?”

  Warden stepped into the room and gently closed the door behind him. If it wasn’t for her instant attraction to the man, and the knowledge that he was her husband in this time period, she might’ve been scared. A beam of silvery light bathed his face. His dark-angel looks made her heart pound harder. He was so tall and broad and deliciously sexy, but at the moment he looked deeply troubled.

  “You don’t remember? Ah, that’s right. Josephine mentioned that you have forgotten everything, including me.”

  She ignored his sarcastic tone. “I asked you a question.”

  Warden stared at her, his feelings unreadable. “Saska’s globe is given to the one you love. If that love is returned, all of your dreams come true.”

  Saska. Another piece of the puzzle.

  “Where did you get it?”

  “From the leader of the traveling Finnish Romas. Saska himself.”

  “Why would you give it to me?”

  In two strides he was in front of her. Milli had to crane her neck to gaze up at him while his dark eyes singed a burning path up her arms. His hand cupped over hers holding the globe.

  “It took weeks for me to find you the perfect gift. When I gave it to you before the party, you barely glanced at it. Do you know how hurtful it is to love someone, to give them everything they want, only to have them act as though you do not exist?”

  “I’m not who you think—”

  “Why did you come to the study, Millicent? You never come to this room. In fact, you never come near me.” His piercing gaze made her skin tingle and heart pound. “What do you want from me?”

  Milli fought for some explanation, some kind of reasonin
g. The things he said about her were confusing. “I—I was looking for my globe. I want it back.”

  He stood so close she could feel the heat of his body and smell the booze on his breath.

  “How about I give you another gift instead?”

  “Another—?”

  Warden seized her wrists. Startled, she dropped the globe and it rolled away. He pulled her roughly against him and sealed her mouth with his. The kiss was demanding, meant to hurt, to punish. She whimpered as their mouths met in a heated battle. Caught between the urge to push him away and her body’s hot reaction, she felt light-headed and nervous, but most of all, wanted.

  His kiss was so good, so tantalizing. Aching with need, Milli pushed up on her tiptoes and arched her back, pressed her chest hard against him. Warden groaned and slid his tongue in her mouth, deliciously sliding along hers. Hot and cold shivers rushed through her, making her pulse between her thighs. She wanted to take him in, deep and hard, and forget about this craziness.

  She may not know exactly where she was, or how she’d get home, but she was sure this tension between them could be eased by one thing.

  Milli wanted to show him that whoever Mrs. Blackwood was before was not the same woman standing before him.

  Abruptly, he shoved her away, his face wrought with anger and confusion. “Why? Why now?”

  Stunned by his sudden withdrawal, she searched for the right words, something to ease his frustration. “Whatever I was before is not me now, and you know it. Something happened to me on my birthday.” That was a vast understatement. “And then I woke up.” She stared up at him, pleading with her eyes, hoping he could at least try to understand. Could he not see she was confused and desperate for some kind of acceptance?

  He looked like he was fighting some inner demon, too.

  For Milli, knowing she was his wife turned her on more than anything she’d felt before. She’d always felt alone, like nobody cared. She’d had enough disastrous dates to know she didn’t want to test those waters again. She wanted to learn everything she could about this mysterious man. This man who clearly wanted her.

  She stared at his clothes, every contour of his body. He wore a black jacket and matching pants with a crisp, white shirt. A long, black coat hung from his wide shoulders down to his knees. He looked as if he’d just come in from a night of highway robbery.

  “Where were you?” she asked, trying to change the subject. “You smell like you’ve been drinking.”

  “I was out.”

  She folded her arms over her chest. “Where?”

  “Outside.”

  His sarcastic tone pricked her nerves. Obviously he wasn’t going to share his nightly escapades with her. And why should he? As far as she’d figured out, Mrs. Blackwood was a cold bitch.

  It didn’t mean a rat’s ass to her what happened before she arrived, or that she was a stranger in this house. Right now, she wanted only what Warden could give her. She wanted to feel alive and needed and wanted. She’d deal with the rest tomorrow.

  “Do you want to make love to me, Warden?”

  His gaze widened, then narrowed suspiciously. “Why now?”

  “Because I’m lonely, and I want you. Should I beg?” Her hands went to the front of her dress—

  “No. Leave it on.” He closed the distance between them in two strides.

  His big hands cupped her face as his lips descended on hers, turning her body to mush with his devastating kiss. She whimpered as his bold command of her mouth made her tingle with anticipation, right from the tips of her toes to the top of her head.

  “Yes…keep going,” she whispered. This need inside her was more powerful than any desire she’d felt for a man before. Every other man stood in Warden’s shadow. She’d had her share of encounters in the future, and those men did not touch her like this. Warden held her gently, but possessively, tantalizing every nerve ending as though touching her was a rare opportunity—not a given right.

  In this fiery moment, she wanted to be his, for he was the only rock in her unsteady world that stood its ground.

  And she seriously needed to get laid.

  Warden’s lips trailed softly down her neck, while his hands coaxed and squeezed her body to excitement. She trembled, whimpered, as he nibbled on her breasts through the dress. Though the old-world dress was bunched like a comforter between them, she felt the heat and need of his body against her.

  Warden gripped her hand and brought it between them. She gasped as the turgid bulk of his cock filled her hand.

  “See what you do to me, Millicent? You make me lust for you like an animal.” He trailed a hand up her spine, gently guiding her to lie over his desk. “You toy with my mind, my heart, and then you leave me with unrequited lust.”

  “Tonight you can have me as hard and fast as you want. I won’t break.”

  He groaned and made quick work of bunching her skirts around her waist. When he found no undergarments, his grin could’ve lit the room.

  “No drawers? Again you surprise me.” He chuckled. “One might think you are not Mrs. Blackwood at all.”

  Milli decided to ignore that comment, not wanting the bitter truth to ruin the moment. She rested on her elbows, her gaze fused to Warden unfastening his trousers. Her eyes bulged and her pussy ached when he pulled out his thick cock.

  “Yes…I want you inside me. Hard and fast. Hurry up.”

  Warden shook his head. “You will get it slow and steady.”

  His cockhead nudged her damp pussy, and she shuddered.

  “I like it when you speak those naughty words. Only for me.” He growled. And then he surged in with the power of his need, electrifying every nerve in Milli’s body. She moaned and shuddered, gripping the edge of the desk as he filled her, spread her, and made her throb in primal ecstasy.

  He penetrated deep, letting her feel the force of him, the size of him, then pulled out slowly, repeating the motion while his hands gripped her hips. For the first time in a long time, Milli knew she was doing something right.

  Warden hadn’t seduced her; hadn’t fed her meaningless words to get her naked. He’d pushed her over the desk and penetrated her body, and she didn’t want it any other way.

  Every thrust, every moan and groan bonded them, not just physically but emotionally as well. She knew it, felt it, as sure as she felt him.

  Her thighs began to shake, and the heat sluicing through her body threatened to explode into bursts of light. She felt light-headed from the rush and deliciously aroused. All the sexual encounters she’d had before, put together, didn’t compare to this.

  Their bodies came together explosively.

  She moaned when he groaned. When he surged forward, she pushed back.

  With their gazes and bodies connected, Milli felt like she belonged to him, and Warden held onto her as if she were his lifeline. She felt his need, his passion, his desperation, and she basked in the passionate joy he gave her.

  “Come for me. Come inside me,” she coaxed, reaching down to toy with her clit. She rubbed it fast and hard, eliciting shivers of heat and tingling spasms.

  Sensing her orgasm approaching, Warden filled her to the hilt, harder, nearly moving the desk from the impact.

  And then it hit her. “Ah—oh!” The orgasm blazed through her, and she couldn’t contain the scream that burst from her lips. Milli trembled and pulsed, clamping down on his driving cock. After a few more pumps, Warden’s body stilled. He glided upward, deep inside, coming inside her with a pained growl.

  Warden leaned over her, panting. He kissed her neck and shoulder, still pulsing inside her. “After all this time…my god.”

  Milli gasped as Warden pulled away from her. On trembling legs, she managed to stand up and smooth her dress. A hot blush stung her cheeks. She averted her gaze, which halted on the globe lying on the floor.

  It was glowing.

  She rushed over and knelt down, forgetting about Warden standing behind her. Forgetting about what they just did. “Take me hom
e. Take me home,” she chanted.

  “Millicent?”

  Chapter 4

  Warden stood powerless behind Millicent. After what they had just shared, he was shocked and surprised by what she was saying to the amethyst ball. Take me home? What was that supposed to mean? Home is right here, right in front of her.

  He should have been angry with her. After all, he felt like she had simply given him what he wanted and would now go back to her old ways. But he could not be angry with her. He was concerned by her behavior, by how she held the globe like her life would end without it. Why?

  “Millicent, are you all right?”

  She turned and looked up at him. Seeing the tracks of her tears made his emotions come dangerously close to the surface.

  He had gone to another woman’s home. Had planned to use her to fulfill his baser needs. Would have kept her until he grew tired of her. But when he had arrived at Vivian St. Claire’s apartment a week ago, and the tall, dark-haired vixen raked her gaze over him like he was fit to be eaten, he could not do it. He turned away instead, pretending to have the wrong address.

  Some men may be able to tumble under the bed sheets with another woman, but he was not that type of man. Millicent meant too much to him. Now that they had come together in a fiery explosion and he felt the power of her ecstasy, he was glad he had turned away from Vivian St. Claire. He was determined to make Millicent see how much he loved her, no matter how long it took or how many of his hairs turned gray from it.

  “I’m sorry if I hurt you,” he whispered.

  Millicent looked at him like she did not understand. Then her eyes widened, and she shook her head. “You didn’t hurt me. I just…” She looked down at the globe in her hands. “It was glowing.”

  A strange feeling overcame him as he stared down at the globe. In the study, before he had gone to Vivian’s apartment, he too thought the globe was glowing. And now she saw it. Could that crazy old gypsy be right, that the amethyst ball brought love to two lost souls?