The setting sun cast a soft glow across the bed, filtered by the flimsy drapes. He watched her face as he brought her to the edge of her climax, and then beyond. When she uttered her final cry, her body arching against his hand, he felt a deep sense of wonder and fulfillment that almost matched his own release. It amazed him that he could feel so complete just by pleasuring her.
But now it was his turn. His body quivered at her touch, and the control he’d held on to for so long snapped like a weighted bough. The heat of his hunger unleashed into a fiery storm of touch and taste, kiss and caress, until he could restrain himself no longer.
The moment he sank into her warm body, the driving need began, filling his mind and his soul with a fierce, hot yearning that had to be satisfied. He felt her fingers digging into his back with an exquisite pain, her silky thighs clamping around his hips in passionate bondage.
Now he was close...so close. His back arched as he drove harder, deeper, striving to release his body from the torment. His hoarse cry mingled with hers, then finally, he was free, soaring with pounding heart and aching limbs to that moment of euphoria, before drifting with her to that quiet place where he could rest at last.
“Granger.”
Corie’s soft voice aroused him from a doze. How long had they been lying there, content in each other’s arms? Some time, judging by the fading light and the growling in his stomach.
She must have read his thoughts, as she turned her head and gently nipped his shoulder with her teeth. “You hungry?”
“Yep.” He cupped her breast, loving the soft weight of her warm flesh. Leaning over her, he gave her a firm kiss. “Ravenous, in fact.”
“It’s way past dinner time.”
“I know. My stomach is reminding me of that.”
“I can hear it.” She sat up, pushing her silky hair off her face with both hands. “How about we order in a pizza?”
Puzzled by the unfamiliar term, he frowned. “Pizza? What’s that?”
She burst out laughing. “You haven’t lived until you’ve tasted pizza. I’ll order it. What would you like on it?”
He fell back on the pillow with a mock groan of despair. “I don’t even know what it is, much less what I want on it.”
“Typical male.” Lightly, she punched him on the arm. “All right, I’ll order a supreme. That way you get a little of everything.”
He watched her climb out of bed, his heart stirring at the sight of her naked body. She turned to look at him, laughing down at him with that mischievous look he found so appealing.
“Don’t look so worried,” she said, tugging the covers from his body. “You’ll like it, I promise.”
He sat up and made a grab for her, but she sidestepped out of his reach. “I’m going to put on some clothes and order the pizza. It will take about half an hour to get here so you have plenty of time to make yourself decent.”
Blowing him a kiss she left the room, and he sat for a moment hugging his knees, his mind still spinning with the thrill of their passionate union.
How could he have lived so long and not known how beautiful lovemaking could be? How could he have lived so long without meeting a woman who could set him on fire the way Corie Trenton did so easily?
Perhaps it was just as well that he hadn’t met her in his own time and world. If so, he would have had to make some difficult choices. As it was, the choices were already made. He wasn’t surprised that the thought failed to comfort him.
* * *
Corie put down the phone, smiling in anticipation of Granger’s reaction when she sat a pizza down in front of him. It was hard to imagine an adult never having seen one, let alone eat one. She couldn’t wait to see his face.
Hearing him on the stairs, she turned to face him. He was wearing jeans and the dark blue shirt she’d bought for him. She’d pulled on white jeans herself, and added a denim, sleeveless shirt.
They looked like a typical modern American couple, she thought, watching him move toward her. Her gaze fell on his bare feet and she shook her head. “We have to get you some sneakers,” she said, “you can’t go around in bare feet, and those shoes you borrowed will look odd with jeans.”
“I am going to look odd no matter what I wear when I return to the battlefield,” Granger said grimly. “I’d like to know what they did with my clothes.”
Corie stared at him. “I never thought about that. They have to be somewhere. I hardly think the scientists would destroy something of that value. I’ll have to look for them when I go back on Monday, though I doubt they would risk keeping them in the lab.”
“I don’t want you taking any risks—”
She interrupted him with an impatient wave of her hand. “I know. I promise I’ll be careful. But in any case, I wasn’t talking about how you look when you go back.”
Her pulse skipped as the thought hit her that she would look even more strange in her modern clothes. There wasn’t a lot she’d be able to do about that.
Granger was looking at her with his familiar puzzled expression. “I don’t understand.”
For a moment she’d forgotten what it was she’d said. “Oh, I was talking about tomorrow. I have a surprise for you, but you’ll need sneakers if you’re going to walk the boardwalk with me.”
“And what exactly is a boardwalk?” he asked carefully.
She grinned at him, pleased with her idea. “You’ll see. The boardwalk is not exactly a modern invention, but what modern technology has put on it will grab your attention. I think you’ll find it very intriguing.”
Granger looked unconvinced. “What about the work on the house?”
“Never mind the work on the house. We’ve both earned a rest.” Emphasizing her point, she flopped down on the couch. “Besides, you need to get outside and get some fresh air into your lungs. You’ll need to be in excellent shape for your trip back.”
He came and sat down beside her, his face creased in worry lines. “I thought we’d decided that it wouldn’t be safe for me to go outside. What if someone sees me and recognizes me from the picture your Dr. Richards is passing around?”
“We won’t be walking around this town. We’re going to Wildwood, and it’s at least six miles away. No one will think of looking for you there, and besides, there will be so many people, no one is likely to see you in that crowd. I’ll buy you a baseball cap and sunglasses.”
She laughed at his astonished expression. “You’ll see tomorrow. Just trust me.”
His face changed, registering a warmth that she could feel right down to her bones. “I do trust you, Corie. I don’t know what I would have done without you. You are probably the only woman in my life I have ever been able to trust.”
“Except for your mother.” The words had slipped out before she’d given any thought to what she’d said. He’d told her he’d grown up without parents, for pity’s sake. How could she have forgotten that? “I’m sorry,” she said quickly, “that was incredibly thoughtless of me.”
He reached for her hand, and rubbed his thumb across her fingers. “There’s no need for an apology. I never knew my parents. From what I’ve been told, my mother died giving birth to me. I was her first child. Apparently my father drowned while attempting to cross a swollen river to find a doctor. I was taken into an orphanage and later sent to a military school. That’s about all I know.”
“Your parents didn’t have any family?”
Granger shook his head. “According to the records, there were no living relatives to claim me. Or none that cared to take on the added responsibility of a baby.”
Her heart ached for the lonely life he must have had. Lifting his hand to her mouth, she pressed a light kiss on the back of his fingers. “I’m sorry,” she said softly.
“It wasn’t a bad life. Military school was hard, but it taught me a lot of valuable lessons.”
She studied his face, wishing she knew more about the kind of life he led. “Did you enjoy being a soldier?”
“It’s all I’ve
ever known, since I was old enough to handle a gun.” He paused, obviously dwelling on the question. “I suppose I enjoy being important to someone,” he added quietly. “I never had that as a child. I enjoy being responsible for the men in my command, of having someone look up to me for guidance and knowledge.”
“You must be very proud of what you’ve achieved.”
“Proud?” he shrugged. “If I’m proud of anything, it’s the fact that my country relies on me to protect its people to the best of my ability, and to maintain the rights that we believe in.”
Tears dimmed her vision as she looked at him. “That’s an impressive testimonial,” she said softly.
“This is an impressive country. No other country in the world offers the freedom that the American people enjoy. That kind of liberty is hard won and even harder to maintain. It is well worth fighting for. And dying for, as many men have proved.”
She felt her throat tighten. “You’ll be happy to know, that in spite of all the turmoil that this country has had to suffer over the past hundred years or so, and even though men are still dying to preserve those rights, that freedom still remains.”
His smile spread over his face. “So I understand. Your newspaper is very informative. It’s quite enlightening to read so much about foreign countries. There are many things I don’t understand, and some of the phrases and descriptions I read muddle my mind, but underneath it all that one truth still stands out, as clearly defined as it was when the Declaration of Independence was first enacted. This country was, and still is, governed by the people.”
“And so it should be.” She smiled, pleased by the thought. “There might be a lot wrong with the way the country is run at times, but the basics haven’t changed. That’s really all we can ask for in this day and age.”
He looked at her, his smile in his eyes. “You are a very intelligent woman, you know.”
She laughed, feeling a little self-conscious. “I’m not sure I deserve that compliment. I’m just well-informed, that’s all. With all the media available to everyone today, there is no reason why everyone shouldn’t at least know what is going on in the world.”
“But not everyone can analyze it the way you do, I’m sure.”
“Thank you.” She glanced up at the clock to avoid the awkward moment. “The pizza should be here any minute. Would you like a beer with it?”
“Beer? That sounds good.” He looked around the kitchen, an expectant look on his face. “Where does the pizza come in?”
Now it was her turn to stare at him in puzzlement. “Come in?”
“I assume it arrives by some kind of machine. I just wondered which one.”
She laughed, enjoying the idea. “God, I wish it did. No, I’m afraid we still have to do it by the old-fashioned method. I call the pizza shop, they send someone out in a car to deliver it.”
“Hardly old-fashioned. If you want food in the house in my time, you have to prepare it yourself. No one will bring it to you unless it’s a gathering of some kind where everyone’s invited.”
“Well, rest assured, no one is going to join us to eat this.” She rose to her feet as the front doorbell rang. “And that should be our pizza.”
Opening the door, she smiled at the young man who stood waiting with the flat square box in his hand. Thanking him, she handed over the bills, then carried the warm box back to the kitchen.
Granger’s expression when she opened the box surpassed her expectations. Staring at the colorful mix of pepperoni, sausage, ham, green and red peppers, and a sprinkling of mushrooms, he muttered, “Great heavens, I’ve never seen anything like this in my life.”
“Sit down and eat it before it gets cold,” she told him, pulling the slices apart.
He sat down, watching her take a bite out of her slice before reaching for one himself.
Corie prepared to enjoy herself as she watched him tackle his first slice of pizza. A medley of expressions crossed his face while his jaws worked on the food.
Finally he swallowed the mouthful, and she leaned toward him. “So, how is it?”
“It tastes every bit as good as it smells.”
“I told you you’d like it.”
His answering smile warmed her. “So you did. But then I like everything you tell me. Everything you do. Everything you are.”
She looked at him, her pizza forgotten. “Just wait until tomorrow,” she said unsteadily. “You are going to love the boardwalk.”
* * *
Early the next morning Corie awoke with a start, her mind instantly registering Granger’s arm lying heavily across her waist. She lay still for a moment, enjoying the sweet intimacy of sharing her bed with the man she loved above everything else.
He lay still, his shoulders lifting evenly in his sleep, and after a while she slid out of bed, careful not to waken him. Drawing back the curtains, she looked out onto the tree-lined street, delighted to see the heavy clouds that had layered the sky the day before had disappeared, leaving behind a hazy blue sky.
Pleased at the prospect of good weather for their outing, Corie turned back to the bed. Granger lay watching her, his gray eyes narrowed against the sunlight. “Did I wake you?” she said quickly.
“I’m glad you did.” He propped himself up on one elbow and blinked sleepily at her. “I wouldn’t want to waste the vision of you wandering naked around the bedroom in front of my eyes.”
She grinned at him, no longer self-conscious under his burning gaze. “It’s getting to be a habit,” she said, walking back to the bed.
“I like it.”
Leaning across the pillow, she pressed a kiss to his mouth. Immediately he folded his arms around her, trapping her against the warm comfort of his body.
“We have to get up,” Corie protested, trying to wriggle out of his grasp. “We have a long day ahead of us and I want to make the most of it.”
“So do I.” With a hand at the back of her head he pulled her mouth down to his. By the time he let her go she was breathless.
Looking down at him, she murmured, “I guess a few minutes won’t make that much difference.”
“That’s what I wanted to hear.” With a low growl he pulled her under the covers, and spent the next few minutes making her forget why she was in such a hurry to leave.
An hour or so later, Corie showed Granger how to fasten his seat belt, then switched on the ignition in her car, and did her best to reassure the apprehensive man seated next to her.
“I promise you, it’s perfectly safe,” she said, as she backed out onto the road. “No one will notice you in the car if you keep your head down, and I’ll stop and get you a cap and sunglasses at the store, so no one will recognize you.”
“I’m not so worried about someone seeing me,” Granger said, holding on to the dashboard with both hands. “I’m more concerned about surviving the journey in this contraption.”
She glanced at him, thinking he was joking. When she saw the bare bones of his knuckles sticking out from his clenched hands, she finished backing out, then brought the car to a halt. “I’m a good driver,” she said, feeling a little put out by his lack of faith in her abilities.
“I’ve no doubt you are,” Granger said, sitting back stiffly in his seat. “But this is my first time in one of these things. The speed is unbelievable. The fastest I’ve ever traveled is on the back of a horse, when I’ve been in full control of the animal.”
“You’ve traveled a great deal faster than that,” Corie said dryly. “Faster than anyone else in the world, in fact. I don’t know of anyone else who has traveled through time.”
He looked at her with a pained expression. “I was unconscious at the time. Right now I am fully awake, and just a little concerned about my safety.”
Immediately she was contrite. “I’m sorry. You’re right. Of course you’re nervous. It must be like a first flight in space to you.”
She waved a hand at the road ahead of her. “Look, everyone drives these things nowadays. It’s quite safe,
I promise you. It’s no different really to riding in one of your carriages. I won’t go any faster than we absolutely have to, if it will make you feel better.”
“It will make me feel better,” Granger said grimly.
She put the gear in Drive, and let off the brake. “You’ll soon get used to it, I promise.”
He nodded, in a tight-lipped way that told her he was unconvinced. Nervous herself now, she pulled out onto the road and set off at a snail’s pace, conscious of Granger sitting tense and silent next to her.
They hadn’t gone far before someone honked at them from behind. Granger shot up in his seat. “What was that?”
She was beginning to think she’d made a mistake bringing him out today. But he would have to survive the ride to Philadelphia, which promised to be far more hair-raising than this sleepy little town.
“It’s just some impatient devil wanting me to go faster or let him pass,” she said gently. “I’m sorry, Granger, but I really will have to speed up a little. We’ll be at the store in a few minutes and you’ll be able to relax for a while.”
He sent her a look that was supposed to reassure her. “Please, don’t let me hinder you. I am quite relaxed now. I’m even beginning to enjoy the experience.”
Hoping he meant that, she carefully pressed down on the accelerator, and reached the magnificent speed of thirty miles per hour. Granger still seemed tense, but now he was looking around, his attention caught by what must seem very strange sights to him.
Answering his rapid-fire questions, Corie did her best to explain the various miracles of modern technology. She almost laughed at his bug-eyed expression when two young boys streaked down the sidewalk on skateboards, each of them executing a smart flip around at the curb in order to stop.
She was explaining the traffic lights system when three motorbikes passed them, the riders in black leather jackets and helmets leaning back in their seats, their feet encased in studded leather boots.
Right behind them a pickup truck, impatient at the delay, honked loudly, then cut in front of Corie to get around the bikes.
She slammed her foot on the brake, and Granger jerked forward with a muffled exclamation. “How in the hell do you all miss each other?” he muttered, righting himself.
So Little Time Page 16