“Of course I will… I mean, yes!”
Relief flooded Sebastian. He wrapped his arms around her. “You, my sweet angel, have made me the happiest man alive.” He stood back up, lifted her up in his arms, and spun her around in the air. Her gown swirled out around her ankles as he kept spinning her in circles.
I held on, hugging him closely as I tried to tell myself that it didn’t matter that I traveled to the past to find him, if it was meant to be, it was meant to be…right? A feeling of dread passed over me but I quickly squashed it down.
He set me on the floor finally and kissed me once more before reluctantly letting go.
“Let us leave this place. We have a wedding to prepare for.” And with that, he took my hand and led me from the room he was supposed to share with another.
EVEN THE GOOD MUSH COME TO AN END
RAVENHURST
DEVLIN gathered the last of his belongings and made ready for his departure after the wedding.
Grayson and Isabelle were kind enough to let him stay on at Hawthorne until he fully recovered from his injury. They planned to drop him there on their way back to Radcliff Manor, the neighboring property. He had no idea how he ended up so fortunate.
He was not going to question it overmuch as he did not want to tempt his own fate. Maybe, just maybe, life was looking up for him. He smiled, looking about the room the ceremony was to be held in.
The decorations were simply beautiful, exactly what Katherine deserved. He knew if it had not been for her kind heart, he would not be headed to Hawthorne Manor after the wedding. Instead, he would most likely be on his way to the gallows for the horrendous things he had done. There was hope for him, though. She saw it, and it seemed the others did now too.
Devlin whistled a happy tune, quite content with the way things had turned out for him. His thoughts drifted to Judith for a moment. Where had she taken her scheming self-off to?
SECOND CHANCE
THE DREADED RAVINE
“GET AWAY!” Judith screamed crazily and lashed her arm through the empty air.
There were nine dreadful, nasty buzzards flying around her head, diving, circling, and waiting for her to fall to her death.
With raw, bleeding fingers, she held fast to the rock that jutted out from the ledge. The weight of her stolen cloak made her progress slower than necessary, but she would not take it off. She would be damned before she did that. It did not matter that it was the cause of her falling into the ravine in the first place…well that, and of course, her insatiable greed. But if not for the cloak, she would not be here now. The hood snagged on a branch wedged in the rock-faced wall and snatched her away from an untimely demise. And while the storm raged, it kept her warm. That was already two marks in its favor.
Her stolen bag of jewels clanked loudly against the rocks as she climbed higher. She was almost to the top, but there was another rock that jutted out just above her head. How in the hell was she to make her way past that? She almost lost her resolve…almost.
Judith Alexandra Beauchamp may have been many things, but a quitter was not one of them.
She climbed away from the safety of the ledge, moving sideways. She looked up, and little pebbles started to rain down on top of her head. Dust was in her eyes. OH Bloody hell! Was a rockslide starting? She let out a desperate cry, her bloodied fingers slipping.
“Why me?” she sobbed loudly, clawing at the rock, struggling to hold on, her body shaking. “I do not want to die,” she cried out helplessly and then suddenly, Judith did something she never thought to do before.
She prayed.
If she made it out of this pit in one piece, she would change. She would find a nice man and settle down, be a better person. Become an asset to society, not a detriment. Tears streamed down her face, and she was still slipping. “Please Lord, forgive me. I can change, I swear. Please help me,” she cried out as her fingers slipped completely from the rock.
Weightless, her body fell towards the jagged bottom of the ravine as her short life over too soon—flashed before her eyes. And when she thought all was lost, she came to an abrupt halt.
“Lassie, I got you,” Kinsley McGregor said as he held tightly to the girl’s cloak and pulled her up to safety. “Sweet lass, are you all right?” he asked worriedly, and pulled her the rest of the way up over the ledge. Holding her tightly, he took her into his embrace.
Judith kept her eyes shut a moment, not convinced her feet were resting on the solid ground once more. She listened to the strong brogue of her savior: he was a Scotsman.
Judith was not a big fan of Scotsmen, but a deal was a deal.
She kept her eyes closed, squeezing them tightly together, thanking the good Lord over and over in her mind for sending this man to save her. She knew it was more than luck; it was a sign from above and she would not let Him down.
Calming her features to make sure her repulsion did not show. She knew what to expect, nothing short of a troll with beady little eyes and tufts of red, wiry hair poking from a nearly bald head. She would be lucky if he had teeth.
Yes, she knew it was her due and she should be thankful for it. She would make it work though. She had to.
After all, she would not go back on her word to the Good Lord. Not after he gave her another chance.
She forced her eyes open. Her breath caught in her throat. Her knees went weak and she fell forward.
The man holding her was without a doubt the most attractive man she had ever seen.
She closed her eyes quickly. Please be real. Please be real. Opening her eyes, she peeked out from under her lashes at her savior’s rugged profile. She quickly shut her eyes again. Oh thank you! Thank you, Lord! She reached out and wrapped her arms tightly around the brawny man in front of her. She would not let him go…ever.
Yes, Judith knew there was more to a man than good looks, but if she had to be saddled with one for all eternity, it was a hell of a good start. Tears of relief ran down her face as he opened her eyes again.
Kinsley’s heart fluttered as he looked down at the girl. Her eyes glittered like jewels, brimming with tears she had yet to shed. He smiled down at her and glided his thumbs over her cheeks.
Judith swallowed hard. She was able to do naught but stare. He was a large man with long, reddish-brown hair that barely touched his broad shoulders. Her fingers itched to intertwine themselves into the curling ends. She couldn’t believe how handsome he was. A slight growth of beard covered his hard square jaw, accentuating his full lips that quirked slightly up at the corners in a ready smile.
He was not like Devlin in the least. No, this was a man.
Judith could have fallen over in gratitude and kissed the very ground he trod upon. As shock pierced her heart, her knees buckled and she would have fallen over if he was not holding her upright.
“Thank you for saving me.” She stood on her toes and gave him a gentle kiss on his cheek.
Kinsley stared down at her. “Sweet lassie you warm my heart with your beauty and kindness.”
Judith blinked and her mouth dropped open, forming a perfect oval. He just called her a beauty. No man had ever told her she was a beauty before.
“I feared I may not have gotten to you in time,” he said, each word rolling off his tongue with his heavy brogue.
“How…?” Judith uttered the barely inaudible word.
“I saw the green from your cloak; it reminded me of the greenest grass of my homeland. I espied you from across the ravine, barely hanging on. You were a beacon, calling out to me like my own home, against this bleak, desolate landscape.” He lifted his hand and waved it out to encompass the giant crevice in the ground.
Judith shook her head, again at a loss for words and hugged him tightly. That was three for the cloak. It was a good thing she kept it on. She stayed in his embrace and leaned her cheek against his warm, hard chest. His worn plaid was rough against her face.
Kinsley leaned forward and kissed her gently, just above her brow.
J
udith shivered deliciously. His kiss was sweet…tender, but she could certainly do better than that. She pressed her body against his, lifted up off her feet onto the tips of her toes, and pulled his face down to her own as her mouth covered his. She kissed him with all the experience and gratitude she had. The kiss was utterly perfect, the one she had waited her entire life for.
A sad smile played on his mouth as he pulled away. “Lass, surely you are an angel sent from the heavens above for my arms alone.”
Judith’s knees gave out again. She had been called many things in her life, but an angel was not ever one of them. It warmed her from the inside out and touched her very soul.
He rested his head on the top of hers. “I only wish I could stay and get to know you better, lass. It would have warmed my heart to spend time with you.”
“What? You can not leave.” Judith started to panic. “You saved me. I owe you,” she argued as she searched her brain for something else to say.
“You owe me nothing, sweet lass,” he assured her as he rubbed the palms of his hands on her arms.
“Oh yes.” Judith bobbed her head up and down with conviction. “Yes I do. I owe you my life. I take this very seriously. I am indebted to you until I can repay the debt.” Judith had no idea where all this rubbish was coming from, but she was desperate. She would have said anything. “I will have to go with you,” she added quickly, grasping.
He laughed lightly. “You do not know what you are saying. I am to be on a ship far from this place soon. I was on my way when I spotted you.”
“A ship?” she squeaked. Judith hated ships; she had an aversion to water too. Of course, that was before. She had an aversion to Scotsmen too, until a few blessed moments ago. Maybe she needed a change. Yes, that was it. She promised to change and this certainly looked like a good change…a welcome change.
Kinsley cleared his throat, going on his gut, as he always did. “Sweet lass, if you have a mind to see a different place, I would love to take you with me,” he said.
She blinked up at him unable to find the words she needed to say. She was not sure if she should look too eager. What would he think of her? Men always had a way of losing interest…
“I understand…” His face fell. You do not even know me. How can you begin to want to leave your home?” he rushed out, backtracking.
Judith stopped him. “Oh no, I will go. I mean, I would love to go with you,” she said with sincerity.
“You would?” he asked, disbelief sounding in his voice.
“Try to stop me,” she nearly yelled, then clamped her mouth shut. She tried to read his expression, afraid she already gave too much away.
Kinsley breathed out a sigh of relief. “I have prayed for someone like you and it seems the Good Lord has answered my prayers.” He threw his head back and laughed. It was a boisterous sound and it made her warm all over.
Judith looked up towards the sky, as the man who was surely sent from above held her tightly in his arms.
Yes, it would seem Judith Alexandra Beauchamp had a little bit of redemption left in her as well.
KEY TEN
TIME FLIES WHEN YOU ARE HAVING FUN
RAVENHURST
SEBASTIAN’S naked body was sprawled out in the middle of my borrowed bed with his head pillowed on his muscular arms. He was to be my husband tomorrow and I still couldn’t believe it. I still felt like an imposter, and was in constant fear the other shoe would drop and ruin my dreams of becoming Mrs. Sebastian de Winter.
Sebastian watched the play of emotions on her face through the reflection in the mirror. He still had a hard time accepting her story about traveling to the past. It sounded like rubbish to him but Milford, Devlin and even Grayson seemed to give credence to the story. Still, it was hard to accept. Then there was the story of his ancestor, the Raven Knight, and his true love, Marguerite, his former betrothed. Hell, it was almost easier to believe Katherine had indeed traveled to the past than to believe Marguerite was the long lost love of his ancestor from a few hundred years ago.
Exhaling, he looked up at one of the fat-belly cherubs on the bedpost. He made a face.
It sneered at him.
He blinked and sat up. Rubbing his hands over his face, he looked again. It now looked normal. He shook his head, chalking it up to stress and worry. Once the wedding was over everything would be perfect…or so he hoped.
“Katherine?”
“Yes.” I turned from the mirror.
“I was wondering about the necklace?”
“What about it?”
“Would you do it again? I mean, if you knew the consequences of your actions?”
“Do what again?”
“You know, take the necklace.”
“Oh that,” I let out a sigh of relief, then turned back towards the mirror. “Hmm, let me see. If I were told that borrowing an antique necklace could land me in another era of time, betrothed to a handsome, dashing, albeit sometimes insufferable Earl, would I have worn it still?”
“Hey!” A look of mock horror crossed his face and then a crease of worry formed between his brows. He waited and waited. His stomach knotted. “Would you?” he asked again, pressing her for an answer.
I turned to look at him once more. “Hmm, could you pull the sheet away?”
Sebastian obliged and sat up fully. The sheet fell completely away and revealed his incredible body.
Instantly I felt the familiar tug towards him and stood up from the dressing table. Untying the belt on my robe, I walked slowly towards the bed. “What do you think?” I asked, trying to be coy, seductive…. I dropped the robe from my shoulders and it slid to the floor.
“Tell me.”
My legs were like jelly as I crawled onto the bed and slid my shaking hands up his chest and pressed him back into the pillows. Leaning forward, I barely touched his lips with my own. “You better believe I would.”
Sebastian let out a low, throaty growl, rolled her onto her back, and braced his hands on either side. His long hair fell forward as he dipped his head down and barely touched her lips with his own. “I wonder if I would.”
“What?” I pushed against his chest.
Grabbing hold of her hands, he easily lifted them over her head. He hovered above her.
“Well?” I frowned.
“I am not sure,” he answered finally, then a sly smile lifted the corners of his mouth, and he began moving his hips back and forth. He released her hands and settled his body between her thighs.
“You…you…fiend…” I pummeled his chest lightly.
“There, there love. If you do not want to get burned you should not position your sweet body so close to the flame,” he said jokingly, and then slid his hand down between her thighs.
I arched upward as I trailed my fingers over the taut muscles on his back and scratched him with my nails a bit harder than necessary. “What are you waiting for,” I panted breathlessly. As my hips rose to meet his hand, he slid his finger in and out of my body faster. I burned from the exquisite torture.
Still smiling, he lowered his mouth and nipped at her lips, then her neck, eliciting a moan of pleasure in response. Then he stopped and pulled his hand away. Feigning a yawn, he rolled over onto his back and shut his eyes.
“You’re stopping?” I gaped at him.
“What’s the matter sweetheart?” He pushed a wayward curl out of the way.
“Why did you stop?”
“Payback.”
He gave me a boyish grin.
“Would you like me to continue?” His brow hitched upward.
“No.” In a huff, I crossed my arms.
Caressing her gently, he trailed his fingers back down, so close he could feel the warmth. “You sure?”
“Yes,” I gasped. “Please…”
“Please what?”
“Do not stop!”
Sebastian let those words slide over him, warming him from the inside out. He was no stranger to those words. In fact, he had heard them many, many tim
es before. Each woman begging for him to satiate the fire he knew was building deep down inside. Now, she was saying those words to him as well. A surge of smug satisfaction filled him. She was now the one begging for his ministrations in bed, just like all the others before her. However as he looked down into her passion filled eyes he knew deep down this time was different. She was different. The one exception to the rule, his rule. He did not want to drive into her body and then leave her. No, with her, he wanted to stay, get to know her, be with her for the rest of his days and even then, he did not think he would tire from her. This realization shook him to his core and spurred him to claim her for his own.
Reaching out, he wrapped his hand around her neck pulled her closer and seized her mouth in a hungry kiss…scorching her, branding her for his own. In moments, he was inside her, claiming her body as well. In and out, he glided into her wet passage at a rigorous pace. Her hands slid over his buttocks…squeezing. He groaned in pleasure. This, what he was doing to her was so far beyond anything he had ever felt, it staggered him completely. Ripples of pleasure shot through him.
For once, instead of letting his mind rule his actions he let his heart take control.
“Oh God…that’s it love,” he coaxed her onward and plunged deeply as he gave her exactly what her body craved. Lifting her thighs, he spread her legs wider.
“Sebastian!”
Immense pleasure poured over him hearing his name from her lips. A few more swift thrusts and he quickly took them both to the edge and then he stilled his body as he waited for her to say the words out loud he so desperately wanted, no, the words he needed hear her say.
“I love you Sebastian…”
Finally.
A low growl sounded from his throat. He gripped her hips tighter as she exploded around him. Thrusting deeper, harder…he slid in and out of her body, until he too finally lost every ounce of control and slipped over the edge into the abyss.
A Knight Such as This: Enhanced with Interactive Content: (Time Travel Romance) Book 1 & 2 (Ravenhurst Series) Page 32