“I would never hate you, because I don’t think I could. I don’t know how to be a wife, but I will grow to be your wife, Jack, simply because of you. There is something in you that I recognize,” she admitted, feeling silly using Eve’s same words and realizing how true they actually were. The magnetic feeling was strong between them. The puzzle piece association that Eve had used seemed right. Their pieces just clicked into place. The energy, the attraction was there… but it had to be the person, the soul, too. Jack’s personality, his soul, called to hers when he let himself open up.
He didn’t say a word. He just swallowed hard and nodded, pulling her hands to his lips and kissing them tenderly. Sabine wiped her eyes and smiled warmly. “We should eat while the food is hot. This is lovely,” she said quickly, trying to break the tension. She felt his eyes on her and knew whatever it was that had hurt him before was too close to the surface right now. She was curious to know what had happened, but not at the expense of his pride. Taking a big bite, she smiled as she chewed.
“Snake or possum?” she asked suddenly, swallowing the large bite. Seeing the side of his lip curl upwards in a smile, she winked at him and quickly cut off another piece of steak. “Eat up, Husband. You’ll need your energy,” she said boldly, popping another bite into her mouth and sighing as the flavors hit her tongue.
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, taking up his fork and knife, quickly digging in. They ate silently for some time until finally, Sabine was growing full. Sitting back, she grabbed the bottle and topped off both their glasses. Sipping slowly, she watched him finish his meal. The golden sunset was filling the room with orangey hues that complemented the brandy swishing around in her glass. This was peaceful. Perfect.
“Why don’t you get a bath?” she asked. “We could have more warm water sent up for you. I feel bad that I took a hot bath and you are getting a lukewarm one.”
“It’s probably a good thing right now,” he admitted with a grin. “If you only knew half of what was going through my mind right now, you’d probably insist on a cold bath.”
“Probably,” she confirmed and took another sip of brandy nervously.
“Don’t get drunk or pass out on me, Wife,” he said affectionately. Standing, he unbuttoned his shirt. The skin underneath was tanned from hours in the sun and rippled from muscles he had built over the years. The sip of brandy she had taken stuck in her throat at the sight. As it went down the wrong way, it burned a path into her lungs causing her to gasp and cough wildly. He patted her strongly on the back until she had caught her breath. The knowing grin on his face made her want to crawl under the bed. She liked that he had a proud expression once again. This was the Jack she had met that had protected her. He stood confidently and untied his pants, turning and allowing them to drop the moment he walked up to the screen. Sabine got the barest glance of his rear and almost choked again once she realized he was tan everywhere. Fanning herself, suddenly needing air, she wondered if it was the same for him when she had been changing.
“That’s why I waited for the bath to cool down,” he called out from behind the screen. “I needed to cool off.”
“What?”
“You asked if I felt the same when you were changing?” he said, laughing. Sabine blushed. “I said that aloud?”
“Yes, ma’am, you did.”
“Oh, whoops,” she admitted. Hearing him laugh made her feel so warm and fuzzy inside. She got up from the chair and felt the room spin. “The brandy is really strong, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. A little will help you relax. A lot will knock you off a horse. Are you okay, Sabine?” he asked suddenly.
“Oh yes, just a bit tipsy. I think I’m done with it.”
“Good idea. I’m almost done, Princess.”
“Okay,” she said lying down on the bed. It gave a loud squeak as she sat on the bedsprings. “Um, the bed squeaks.”
“Is it comfortable?”
“Yes, but it squeaks.”
“Is that a problem?” he asked, laughing.
“They are gonna know what’s going on up here,” she whispered, mortified.
“Princess, I really hope they do know. I hope they hear it squeak a lot tonight, darling.”
“Really? How am I going to walk out of here without being embarrassed at us… you know?”
“Well, I hope you walk out of here proud to be my wife and grinning from ear to ear.”
“You have your work cut out for you, don’t you? It’s going to take a lot not to make me think that they are all staring at me.”
“Yes, ma’am, I do,” he said confidently, walking around the screen. The cool bath had done nothing to damper the enthusiasm he felt and it was evident.
“Holy smokes, Jack! You could warn a girl,” she said quickly, staring at him.
“Princess, you have nothing to fear from me,” Jack said warmly, staring at her. Sabine was in the middle of the small bed as he stood next to her. She felt very delicate and fragile when compared to his large, muscular body. Shutting her eyes nervously, she felt the bed dip and heard the telltale squeak.
“Sabine,” he asked quietly. “Have I ever hurt you?”
“No,” she replied, cracking open at eye. He was lying beside her in the bed, propped up on one arm. His other hand was laying possessively on her stomach, branding her through the material. Swallowing hard, she realized that his hand felt right. Like a rubber band snapping back into place.
“Do you think I intend to?”
“No, but…” she countered and stopped, feeling her face redden in embarrassment.
“Shhhh,” he admonished and kissed her tenderly. He dropped several kisses along her jaw and nuzzled her neck again, causing her to laugh aloud.
“That tickles!”
“I plan on tickling you in a few more spots, sweetheart. And I want the same honest reaction from you. Laugh, if you feel like laughing,” he said warmly, pulling her into his arms. “And if you feel pleasure, I want to hear that, too.”
Sabine sighed happily, shutting her eyes. He laced his fingers with hers and worked his magic, kissing her until she was short of breath. She hadn’t even realized that he had released her hands until his mouth touched the bare skin of her breasts. Her fingers laced into the dark, wet hair on his head as he tasted her, drawing each bud into his mouth. She found herself squirming to get closer to him, arching off the bed. As he licked her belly button, she found herself giggling happily and heard his laugh.
“My ticklish little bride,” he chided tenderly. “I wonder where else you are ticklish?” He then proceeded to find out, causing her to gasp in pleasure. Sabine grabbed the iron tubing of the bedframe, holding on for dear life. Her body was surging with sensations she had never felt before and thrumming with a fire she knew only he could create in her.
She faintly heard the bed squeak distantly as he climbed between her legs, wrapping his arms around her limp body. His hands pulled the remainder of the chemise over her head, freeing her from the material. Opening her eyes, she saw his heated look and the tenderness it held. Wrapping her arms around his waist, she pulled him down to her. His kiss was desperate and driven.
“Do you want this as much as I do?” he asked, his voice cracking as he pulled away from her lips. “I need us.”
“I do, too,” she whispered and groaned as he slowly took her. He held her body tight as he pushed through her barrier, claiming her.
“No regrets?” he whispered against her neck, trembling as he held himself in check. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Regrets? You’re talking too damned much,” she whispered, laughing. Sabine was itching to have him move. She knew the ins and outs of making love, she just hadn’t done it. Jack pulled away from the crook of her neck, his face taut as he looked at her, confused.
“I know you are taking it easy on me. But seriously, Let’s get to it, Husband. I said you had work to do,” she teased tenderly with a smile, pushing his hair off his forehead.
“Yes, ma’am
!” he said emphatically and thrust inside of her causing them both to groan in unison. Unfortunately, the bed gave a godawful squeak at the same time causing Sabine to giggle wildly.
Squeeeeeeek!
“Jack, wait a second,” she protested, laughing as he lunged again. Squeeeeeeek!
“Jack, wait!” Squeeeeeeek! “They are going to hear us downstairs!”
“Jack!” she yelled, laughing. Squeeeeeeek!
Squeeeeeeek!
Squeeeeeeek!
Squeeeeeeek!Squeeeeeeek!Squeeeeeeek!
His tender gaze and grinning face only made her heart burst with joy. She laughed each time the bed squeaked and hugged him adoringly. His laughter mingled with hers as he increased the intensity causing the squeaking to become rampant. Pretty soon, their laughs turned into a different sound altogether. Passion. Neither one of them heard the squeaking anymore as they became focused on each other.
Sabine felt like she was coming alive for the first time. She could only imagine this was what falling in love felt like. She had felt death claim her in the shuttle and it had felt crushing. But this? This was perfect. Good. Blossoming. Glowing. His essence was filling her body with his aura. His soul.
When her body exploded in pleasure, it was the craziest sensation. She felt like she was floating in space again. She felt almost bodiless, like there was no end to her and no beginning to Jack. Linked. It was like two dancing flames in the darkness, twin beams of light, two stars that suddenly fit into one. Binary stars dancing around each other creating a bright light. It was so beautiful having him touch her. It brought tears to her eyes.
“Shhh, Princess,” he whispered, kissing the edges of her eyes as if he were taking her tears in himself. “I’m so sorry I hurt you.”
“You didn’t, Jack.”
“But you’re crying,” he said, confused.
“Only because that was so perfect with us,” she admitted softly, kissing his shoulder. “That was beautiful. Thank you.”
“You’re the beautiful one, my little wife,” he replied tenderly. He proceeded to make the bed sing once again as their combined laughter and sounds of passion filled the air.
Chapter Nine
Early the next morning, Sabine woke to the sun streaming in the window and Jack holding her tenderly against him. She could not think of a more perfect way to wake up. She stared at his relaxed face as he slept, marveling at how lucky she was to have found him.
So, I didn’t screw up after all? Eve asked suddenly.
Well, good morning to you, too.
Tsk! Tsk! Jack might not like a grumpy wife in the mornings.
Well, he might not get one if I have a chance to cover up before having someone barge in my room and see me. We’re naked, you know.
Oh, I can see that. That is awesome to have a guy that is tanned everywhere. And I mean eve. ry. wh. ere! I had no idea! I have never seen a tanned peni-
DON’T! Don’t go there, Eve! she thought, mortified, yanking up the sheets over their bodies.
I’m just simply saying that I envy you right now. He’s hung like a-
DON’T SAY IT. Jeez, don’t you have any limits, woman?
A few. Limitations are simply guidelines that should be followed.
Kinda like curse words?
Exactly!
So, by me cussing at you in frustration, I was tiptoeing over the guidelines?
Precisely!
And you ditched me for cursing, right? So, you seeing my new husband’s naked body is okay, even if it crosses my guidelines?
Point made. Are you sure you were an astronaut and not a lawyer?
Positive. Now, how can I help you? I’m sure you were wanting something. You surely didn’t show up to gloat that you were right and I was wrong. Did you?
Well, maybe a teensy bit. Everyone likes praise, you know.
I know, Sabine said flatly. You could have given me a bit of help or let me not make an uh, arse… out of myself. Arse is okay, right?
Not really, but it’s better than the other word. Acorn, apple, astronaut. Oh hey! You could make an astronaut of yourself. Actually, you were a huge astronaut all the time before I met you, too! Sheesh girl, how did you have friends?
Funny.
I’m humorous. I’m the best, honestly. I get that all the time. So, let’s talk about ol’ Jack. What do you think? Jack is nimble, not too quick- eh? Eh? Eh? Y’all had fun for quite a while last night! He’s got quite the candlestick!
Ewwww! Dirty nursery rhymes? Really? Shall we talk about boundaries and guidelines again?
No, I understand them. You married him, so he must be doing something right for you. Feeling like he is your soulmate yet?
I prefer to keep my thoughts to myself.
C’mon! I need to know if I did the correct placement. Home office wants to know if giving you a choice was a better solution rather than just placing you.
Honestly? You want my opinion? I think it was complete crap getting offed without warning. The home office sent you to kill me? What kind of “home office” is that? Heaven? Hell? You never really answered what, exactly, you are! I also think it was awful to get pushed into a situation I didn’t want, in order to choose a partner for life that I wasn’t prepared for. I had an awful selection to choose from and the only real choice was… wait a minute!
Sabine gaped as Eve preened discreetly. Yes, dear?
You put me in a situation where you knew I would pick him, didn’t you?
Moi? No! I can’t pick for you. You had to pick for yourself.
But you knew! You knew that I wouldn’t pick the snaggletooth redhead or the serial killer. How were those even really choices? You already had me paired with him, didn’t you?
Is it so terrible?
No.
I didn’t think so. By the way, that bed was squeaking last night something fierce. You should have heard the commotion you two were making.
Quiet!
I’m glad you enjoyed yourself, Space Cadet, Eve said genuinely. A lot of times, people fight the pull because it scares them. But once the magic is there? It’s all-encompassing. It will only grow stronger with time. You become two halves of the same whole.
How did you know it was him?
Magic.
Seriously? That’s the answer you’re going to give?
Would you prefer voodoo? Ouija board? I flipped two cards and you matched?
Well, no. You know, sarcasm doesn’t suit you.
No, but I do believe Jack suits you. And you’re welcome.
Thank you, Sabine said feeling ashamed she hadn’t said so yet. It was so hard to hold a conversation with Eve. You know his real name is Wilfred?
Yeah, Eve said chuckling. I definitely like Jack better. Ohhh! Wilfred, right there, baby! Um yeah, Wilfred, give it to me good! Just doesn’t have a ring to it, does it?
No, not at all. He doesn’t seem like a Wilfred in the slightest. The name Jack fits him.
Just like Sabine Noble fits you very well.
Thanks again. So, what happens now?
Now? Well, now you need to spend time with your new husband and find your purpose.
My purpose?
Yes. Yes. Everyone that gets selected has to bring something to the table. You didn’t think that you were going to get plucked out of your time period and get a handsome fella with no effort, did you?
No effort? Hello? I had a heart attack-
No, if we are going to be detailed, you had an aortic rupture. Not technically a heart attack. More like a tear in a precious place.
Regardless, you killed me and put me here.
I didn’t.
You didn’t what?
I didn’t kill you. Your thread was torn and it was time to weave you another. You were an anomaly. Now? You are fitting in.
What do I bring to the table? And what happens if I don’t bring something?
Well, that’s not really an option, is it? I mean, how do you refuse to cooperate? Do I need to yank you from him
into another time period to start over again?
“No!” Sabine shouted aloud, waking Jack. She already couldn’t imagine not meeting him or having him in her life.
“Princess? Are you okay?” he asked gently, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her back down into the bed with him.
“Just a bad dream,” she said quickly.
“I’ve got you. Just relax and get some sleep. You were up quite a bit last night,” he teased, kissing her brow.
Nodding, she stared at Eve’s face across the room. I’m not leaving this time period. Not yet, anyway. Sabine watched her nod eerily and then fade away. Creepy woman. I hate being threatened. Expecting a response, she lay there in Jack’s arms tensely. After a while, she finally relaxed and went back to sleep, fitfully.
They woke later in the day to knocking at the hotel room door. Jack addressed it quickly. It was comical to see him race to the door naked, jerk it open unabashedly with orders that he was paying for the room for another day. He then insisted that they bring up a hot meal for two and shut the door promptly. He walked back towards the bed, a playful glint in his eyes.
He jumped onto the squeaky mattress with fervor making Sabine laugh aloud. He certainly could be mischievous at times and it was enchanting. This was nothing like she had ever dealt with before in her life. The intimate way they laughed and smiled made her feel like they were a true couple. Not thrown together a week ago by some odd woman and a twist of fate.
They spent the day making love repeatedly, over and over again. She adored his sensitive side that he was revealing to her. Jack treated her like she was infinitely precious and it made her feel special. Like there was nothing he wouldn’t do for her, which shocked and surprised her. He was an extremely good-looking man. Why had he not married before?
As they sat in a fresh bath together, she asked him as much. His hands had been massaging soap into her back as he traced the delicate bones of her back. At her question, he hesitated and she knew she had struck a nerve. Turning away from him, she sat back on the far side of the tin slipper tub to look at his face. His expression could reveal so much or close down, telling nothing. Right now, he looked almost annoyed or embarrassed.
Enchanted by You: Timeswept Soulmates (Timeless Brides Book 3) Page 11