“No. Too much information to process. Come here, woman.” He grabbed her hand as she passed and hauled her onto his lap. Her light, citrusy scent wrapped around him and he nuzzled the downy-soft side of her neck just under her ear. Shauna’s groan tore through Mike. He wrapped his arms around her, slid his hands up and down her and kissed her temple. “I love you.” The words were said simply but Mike felt them deep in his soul. “I need you.”
Shauna turned in his lap and placed her hands on either side of his face. “I love you too. I’m so in love with you, I’m afraid.”
“Ah, love. What is there to be afraid of?” Mike kissed her lush, bottom lip. He licked it, nipped it, tugged on it. Shauna squirmed on his lap, rubbing him to an excruciating hardness. “I want you. Now.”
“I want you too.” Shauna ran her hands up under Mike’s sweatshirt. She lingered at his hard nipples lightly tugging on them.
Mike groaned and croaked, “Don’t. Not yet. I won’t make it to the bedroom.”
Shauna laughed and the sound raced through him sending shivers running up his spine. He hauled her from his lap, dragged her by the hand to his room and shut the door with his foot. “Now I can ravish you to my heart’s content.”
“Ravish away.”
He lowered her to the bed, kissing her on the way down. Her lips parted and Mike thrust his tongue inside, sinking into the moist warmth. He tasted mint as he swept the inside of her mouth. Shauna’s groan blended with his and he covered her with his body. His hands roamed from the hollow in her neck to her breasts, lingering there long enough to hear her gasps and feel her squirm under him.
How did he tell this woman his love for her consumed him? How did he show her he was hers forever? Mike felt a connection with Shauna that overshadowed anything he’d ever felt before. His heart pounded so hard he thought it’d come out of his chest. He kissed her ear, her neck and followed an invisible line down to her perfect breasts. He licked and laved, leaving a shiny wetness as he moved lower along her body. His fingers skimmed her flat stomach and dipped between her legs. Shauna reared up, her eyes dilated, her mouth parted, gasping.
Mike loved her more at that moment than he thought possible. Shauna’s short, golden hair was matted to her face, her stunning acorn-colored eyes were unseeing, yet filled with heat. He stroked the soft wetness between her thighs and felt Shauna’s breathing ratchet up. He inserted one finger inside her and stroked, feeling a liquid warmth flow over him.
Stretched to the breaking point, Mike’s body hardened to a painful arousal. The glide into her was perfection. Wet warmth surrounded him and he knew he’d come home.
They were a perfect fit.
Mike started slowly, straining against the overwhelming desire to race to the finish. Sweat glistened on Shauna’s forehead as she met him thrust for thrust. Her eyes were heavy with desire. Their breaths mingled when Mike lowered his mouth to hers. He tugged that lower lip into his mouth sucking the sweetness from it. Shauna’s guttural groan galvanized Mike. He pushed the pace faster, felt her body stiffen, heard her hoarse breaths and knew she was on the brink of orgasm.
His body responded with blazing desire. He’d never felt so hard. His muscles quivered, strained to the limit. His mind went blank and all he knew was Shauna’s scent, her warmth, her love.
They reached their peak at exactly the same moment. Oceans of warmth, rivers of ripples and thunders of heart beats crashed upon them. Mike cried out and Shauna screamed. They rode the thundering waves until they subsided. Weakness flowed through Mike. He collapsed on top of Shauna, breathing raggedly. He tried to collect his thoughts but only one thing ran though his mind.
He loved her. He loved her. He loved her.
Chapter Nine
“You are now officially members of our underground group, The Subversives,” Louise said to Shauna and Mike the next morning. “We’ve been tunneling our way into the Fearsome Foursome’s secret files, locked warehouses and old computer logs. We’ve inserted spies into their organizations and some have made it quite high into their ranks.” She spooned a mouthful of oatmeal from a clear plastic bowl with purple and blue striations. “This is delicious, Shauna.”
“I didn’t make it, Mom, Mike did.” She beamed at her lover. Last night’s confessions still rocked her. He loved her. This amazing, handsome, loyal man loved her. Shauna wanted to pinch herself to make sure it was true but she knew it was. She wouldn’t dwell on the complications. Not now. Not yet.
“Well, Mike, I haven’t had real, old-fashioned oatmeal in twenty years. It’s wonderful.” Louise scraped the bottom of the bowl making a ringing sound.
“Thank you, Mrs. Wentworth,” Mike said. He finished his plate of fresh fruit, already having finished the oatmeal.
“Oh, please…call me Louise.”
“Well, thank you, Louise.” Mike nodded his head. “What’s next on our agenda? How do we find out what the CEOs are up to? I’m sure you have everything well organized but what can Shauna and I do?”
Douglas spoke up. “Since you’re on the Global Guardian’s most wanted list—number one for that matter,” Douglas had a look of pride on his face at that fact, “you’ll have to stay undercover. Both of you.” He gave Shauna a stern look. Her mouth opened to say something but Douglas cut her off with a wave of her hand. “I know. I know. You hate being stifled. But you have to remember that this is a long-term project. We have been insidiously inserting ourselves over a period of twenty years. We are getting close and can’t give ourselves away at this point. It would all be fruitless.”
“But Dad,” Shauna protested, “what can I do in hiding?”
Louise scraped her chair away from the table. She gathered the dirty dishes and put them in the dishwasher. “Dishwasher on.” The machine clicked, then the faint sound of water splashing inside told them the dishes were on their way to antibacterial cleanliness. “You can dig through computer files. You’re a scientist. You know your way around old and new computers and we need someone who can work the old ones.” Louise’s face lit up, her eyes widened. “Mike, you really know the old computers since you came from the twenty-first century. You can help Shauna navigate the old programs. We salvaged a few that had been in a scrap yard. We know they’re from Circle Planet Com because they still have the name emblazoned on the outside of them. They might think they erased the programs but you never know what we’ll find.”
“I’ll be happy to help, Louise,” Mike said.
“Honey,” Douglas said to his wife, “I have something I want to work on with Mike first. He can start the computer programs in a day or so.” Douglas pushed back his chair and stood. “Come with me, Mike.”
As the two men left the house Shauna said, “Well. I wonder what he’s up to.”
“If I know your father, he’s going to show Mike his ancient weapons. He’s gathered quite an arsenal over the years.”
“Really? What for?”
Louise straightened the living room, fluffing pillows, folding throw blankets. “He says it’s a hobby but I think he has an ulterior motive for those old weapons. It’s funny how sometimes newer isn’t better. Those old guns can stop an attacker like that!” Louise snapped her fingers. “Plus, the noise alone will scare them away.”
Shauna laughed. “Well, Mike’s a police officer from 2004. He’ll have good knowledge about old weapons. They’re new to him.”
Louise stopped her fussing for a moment. She turned to Shauna. “What’s it like? The twenty-first century. I knew you were working on time travel. Even as a little girl you had a romance for the old days. You always found the oldest stories online, looked for the old hard covered books and even loved that ancient wooden picture frame your father found for you that held your picture of Rover.” She laughed, lost in thought. “He paid so much money for it at the time. I wanted to kill him. We didn’t have a lot then and were just starting The Subversives. I wanted all our money to go into the rebel group, your father wanted to pamper you.” She turned, the fond memory
lighting up her face.
“Mom, it’s so amazing. I traveled there at Christmas. The stores were lit up with multicolored lights. Strings and strings of them. Windows were painted with frosted scenes of old Christmases past. Like the 1800s.” Shauna sighed. “Christmas trees were decked out everywhere. Outside parks covered in snow had pine trees with lights and decorations on them. People even put bows and wreaths on the front of their automobiles. The smell of wood smoke, exhaust from combustion engines, pine scent and baking cookies was everywhere. I loved it!”
Louise took Shauna’s hand and pulled her from her chair at the kitchen table. She led them to the sofa and sat down. She turned and stared at Shauna. “Okay. I’ve not said anything. I’m sure your father knows too. You and Mike became lovers last night, didn’t you?”
“Mom!” Shauna jumped up her hands covering her flaming face. “What kind of a thing is that to ask?”
“A motherly thing.” She stroked one of Shauna’s hands. “Look, I know I’ve been out of your life for years but mothering is permanent. And it comes back immediately. I’m concerned for you.”
“You don’t like Mike?”
“I love Mike. I don’t like the century he’s from.” Louise sighed and hugged her daughter. “What are you going to do about that?”
Shauna kissed her mother’s soft, lined cheek. “Nothing. There isn’t anything to do. For now we fight the CEOs and let the rest take care of itself.”
“Shauna, you have to think this through. Your man lives over a hundred years in the past. He has family, friends, a job. You can’t expect him to leave all that for you.”
“I don’t. I would never ask him to give up everything. Just as I wouldn’t expect him to ask me to give up my life. Everything will work out.”
“That’s my always optimistic daughter.” Louise shook her head. “You found the positive in everything when you were younger. Sometimes it drove your father and me nuts.”
“I didn’t find anything optimistic when the Global Guardians told me you were both dead.” The flatness of the statement hung in the air. Shauna felt tears form and brushed them away.
“Oh, honey. You have no idea how I’ve kicked myself for not telling you from the beginning what we were up to. Your father and I argued about it and I won. The day the Guardians took us away I knew I should have told you.”
“You told George. He was younger than I was.” Shauna didn’t hide the hurt. She’d always wondered if her parents hadn’t loved her enough to tell her their secret.
“I was thinking like a silly female. I’m sorry.” Louise stroked a short lock of golden hair off of Shauna’s forehead. “Can you forgive me?”
“Will you answer one question?” Shauna knew she had to ask this, wondered if she’d like the answer. “Truthfully?”
“Of course, darling.” Louise sat back on the sofa. “Here, sit.” She patted the cushion beside her.
Shauna gathered her courage. She felt all of eighteen again, with the vulnerable core of a twelve-year-old. “Did you love George more than me? Is that why you told him and not me?”
Tears fell from Louise’s eyes. One hand flew to her mouth while the other formed a fist at her stomach. “Oh, honey. No. I loved you both equally. Well, maybe not. I think I loved you more because you were my daughter. I felt I had to protect you. I’m so sorry I caused you this pain, this agony.” Louise pulled Shauna into an embrace. She hugged her while they both cried.
Relief poured through Shauna. She’d never put into words her fear that her mother hadn’t loved her enough to tell her about their mission. Now she knew, deep in her heart, that her mother had really cared. Only a deep, abiding love would cause a mother to keep such a secret. And considering the way society was now, it might have been the right thing to do.
Shauna wiped the tears from her face and pulled back. She stroked her mother’s hair, feeling the coarse silver threads in it. “Then thank you. Thank you for your love.”
The two women hugged and swayed together. No more words were necessary.
* * * * *
“Hey look at this!” Mike said. Douglas had given him a laser weapon. He turned it over in his hand, studying the strange plastic-like material. The color was deep blue with white specks in it. The weapon was very lightweight, about four inches long by two inches deep by one-half inch thick. It looked like the size of a slim cell phone from his day. He didn’t know how lasers worked but this gun had a button on the side that was white.
“Laser guns are deadly, Mike,” Douglas stated. “They fit in the palm of your hand and are easily hidden in clothes and luggage. Actually, they can be hidden anywhere. They pass through every security device developed because the material they’re made from is a secret. No one has ever developed a machine to detect it. It’s the most advanced hand weapon ever made.”
“Does everyone have these?” Mike felt the lightness of it in his hands. He saw the pin hole on the top of the thin edge and knew the laser beam radiated from there when the button was pushed.
“No. They’re zealously guarded by the Global Guardians. They are the only ones who can carry these weapons. Special training is required and it takes a year to get a ‘laser qualification’.” Douglas took the weapon from Mike’s hand. “Let me show you how it works, then you will get started on training with it.”
“How come you have one?”
“We have contacts, Mike. Just know that we have Subversives hidden everywhere. You never know who is with us and who is against us. You can’t even be sure with the Global Guardians. Some of them are on our side.”
“Great. I don’t want to hurt the wrong guy.”
Douglas laughed a hollow sound. “You won’t have to worry about that. There’s a secret code that each Subversive knows. He or she will say it when the time is right.”
“What’s the code word?” Mike asked.
“Not now. Later. When you’re proficient with this weapon, then I’ll tell you. First you have to pass the laser test. That’ll take intense training for some time.”
Curiosity wormed its way through Mike but he didn’t say anything. “Okay, let’s start the training.”
* * * * *
“Now…let’s see what we can dig up on this old computer,” Shauna said. She and her mother sat at a table in a building set away from the house. This was the headquarters of The Subversives. The building was large took up a block the size of an apartment building in New York. One story, nothing was higher in the hidden valley. It reminded Shauna of the storage areas found in the twenty-first century where people kept their belongings when they didn’t have room for them at home. Public storage, she thought it was called. This building was square with areas divided into four sections. Each quarter had rooms off a hallway shaped like a plus sign.
This room was the largest. Old computers sat on desks while new, modern computers lined the walls. Years ago, someone decided that to maximize space things should be recessed. The walls were a foot thick for that purpose but it also kept them insulated from heat, cold and noise. People sat in chairs, stood at wall units and bent over old documents.
“Where’d you find this piece of junk, Mom?” Shauna asked. Excitement filled her face and her eyes sparkled. Her fingers flew over the old keyboard as she pulled up documents. “Look at this! It’s amazing. Documents from 2065. Rosters of utility bills, bank account numbers, social security numbers and every kind of personal information collected at that time. This is great!” She bent forward as the computer scanned the old files. “What am I looking for again?”
“Anything that points to a diversion of funds or information. If something doesn’t look right or fit, it’s probably the beginning of a trail to some hidden document.”
“Um-hum.” Shauna was already immersed in the research and never felt her mother’s light pat on the shoulder telling her she was leaving. She didn’t think about her fingers typing on the old-fashioned keyboard. The qwerty keyboard wasn’t used anymore. A version that had been modi
fied when text messaging became popular was the norm now. Typing was a lost art, almost like an ancient language. With everything voice-activated there was little need for typewriters. Holographic keyboards were the new, modern way to communicate and typing a sentence nowadays, rarely used anymore, was similar to the old shorthand from the twentieth century.
Shauna loved typing. She’d taken it up for fun when she was a child. Her teachers and schoolmates thought she was nuts and now her skill was in demand at her job with Travel Planet Com. And all because of her penchant for old things. She happily typed away on the keyboard humming to herself. The clicking was a satisfying reminder of days past. Pages scrolled by and every once in a while Shauna stopped to peruse something that caught her eye.
She’d been at it for three hours and her neck hurt. Bent forward, her eyes strained to catch the smallest hint that something had been deleted or stored in an unusual file.
“Find anything?” Mike asked. He’d come up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders, kneading the bunched muscles.
“Oh…that feels great. Don’t stop.”
Mike leaned forward and whispered in her ear. “Talk to me like that and I’ll take you right here on the floor.”
Shauna’s blood boiled. Her palms sweated and her fingers fumbled on the keyboard. She laughed. “Well, that’s the way to get my attention.” She swiveled in the chair, stood and threw her arms around Mike. She hadn’t seen him since breakfast. How had he gotten better looking since then? His hair was windblown and a jet-black lock fell over his broad forehead. His eyes danced with a tawny, cat-ate-the-cream look and crinkled at the corners. “You look mighty happy for a man out of place and time.”
“I am.” A boyish sound came through his infectious laugh. “Your father is teaching me to use a laser gun. What a weapon! I feel like a kid at Christmas.”
Shauna cocked her head. “What does a kid at Christmas feel like?”
“Oh, right. Gee, I forgot. Only private celebrations. Didn’t you get presents for Christmas?”
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