Time Bound

by Lora Andrews

  “I have not.” Daniel threw the soiled gauze into a trash bin under the sink.

  “Is that normal? MacInnes doesn’t seem like the kind of guy to fall off the face of the Earth.” Not that she wouldn’t mind him disappearing from her life permanently, but she had to make sure her parents were safe first.

  “No, it isn’t.” Daniel tore the top of another package with his teeth. He struggled to remove a pad from inside the wrapper.

  “Let me do it.” Caitlin rose from her perch on the toilet and yanked the package from his hands. An empty wrapper from the last gauze lay on the side of the sink across from the first-aid kit. Hoping the interior of the package was sterile, she spread it open waxed side up, and laid the pad, which was still tucked inside its wrapper, on her makeshift triage tray so she could rub hand sanitizer onto her clean hands. Blood oozed from inside the ragged puncture.

  Wincing, she applied the medicated pad over the torn skin on the outside of Daniel’s triceps. “Turn your arm, please.”

  The skin around the smaller, symmetrical hole was discolored. She ripped open the dressing and placed the pad over the second injury. Two sets of male eyes watched her ministrations. She ignored them and reached for the roller bandage inside the nylon pouch open by the sink. A tourniquet, clotting sponge, and a host of other first-aid items most normal people would never use, were stuffed inside its mesh pockets.

  “You guys are ready for anything, huh?” She carefully wrapped gauze around his arm then secured the end with a metal clip. “All set.”

  Daniel grunted a thank you and rolled down his sleeve. “We have two rooms. This one and the other across the hall. Stay away from any windows and don’t try any heroics.” He zipped the pouch closed.

  Ewen backed out of the doorway and followed Daniel into the small bedroom. Caitlin bypassed both men to stand by the bed. The guard’s face was pinched way more than normal. He didn’t strike her as the type of guy who’d let a bullet wound affect his mood. Something was up.

  Something serious.

  Ewen settled into his normal warrior stance, arms folded across his chest, head tilted, observing Daniel through half-lidded eyes.

  Shoving the nylon bag with the first aid supplies under his unhurt arm, Daniel cleared his throat and met Ewen’s stare. “Thank you. For earlier.” He swung his head in her direction. Something clicked in his eyes. “If I don’t hear from MacInnes by the next check-in, I’ll tell you all I know about your parents.”

  Caitlin’s heart dropped. Had she heard right? The last thing she expected from him was an offer to divulge information.

  Daniel started to say more, but stopped. With a stiff nod, he turned and left the room.

  Caitlin slumped onto the bed, her hand over her mouth. By the next check-in? Wait. When was that? An hour from now? Two?

  Launching off the bed, she started for the door. The not knowing was killing her, but having the exact time would be torture. She’d watch each minute tick by in agonizing slowness. Shoot. She halted before reaching the door. She’d waited this long, she could wait a few more hours. Either way, she’d finally have her answers. Plus, now they had the advantage. She had the stone and the bargaining power that came with it.

  “Oh god, I forgot to tell you.” She whipped around to face Ewen. “I found the stone.”

  “What?” His mouth fell open. “In the crypt?”

  “Yeah.” Shoving her hand into her pocket, she pulled out the luminescent stone and cradled it in the fold of her palm. Her skin warmed. She swore the stone hummed in her hand.

  “May I?” Ewen asked.

  Light pulsed from the stone’s center. “Sure, Go ahead.”

  Ewen reached for the stone and examined the half-dollar-sized rock with the awe of a man seeing the sun for the first time.

  A part of her wanted to snatch the stone from his clasp and shove it back into the sanctuary of her pocket where it would be out of sight and free from human touch. She shrugged the possessive feeling aside. No way would she become the modern version of Gollum, foaming at the mouth, calling for her “precious.”

  “I found another impression of the triskele inside the room.”

  He weighed the stone in his hand. “So this is the infamous Tempus Stone. It looks no different than a piece of unpolished ore.”

  “A glimmering piece of ore. Does it feel warm to you?”

  He shot her a wary glance. “Nay.”

  “Oh.”

  Ewen frowned and placed the stone in her open palm. She hadn’t even realized she’d stuck out her hand. Magic glowed from the stone’s interior.

  “Now that we have it, it’s not too hard to understand why MacInnes spent a lifetime searching for it, huh?”

  “He must no’ learn of its discovery, not until your kin is found unharmed.”

  “I know.”

  “Do not forget the man is without honor. Under duress…”

  She cringed. The slim torture tool flashed in her mind. “He’ll force the truth from me.”

  “Aye.”

  Oh, she’d put up a good fight. The real question was how much pain she could endure before MacInnes broke her and ripped the truth from her. With the stone in his possession, they had nothing. But the solution was standing right before her eyes.

  Caitlin opened Ewen’s strong hand, dropped the stone, and folded his fingers with her own. “Will you hide it and keep the location from me until I know my parents are out of harm’s way?”

  “You would trust me with the stone? With the lives of your kin?” His hot blue eyes searched her face. Gone was the war god façade, the savage warrior expression he wore like a shield. In its stead was a man. A solid, living human man who’d saved her life. A man with scars, hurts, vulnerabilities. A man who touched the part of her soul hiding the same fears. The same doubts. The same need to be loved.

  He’d grown to be more than a protector. Maybe more than a friend. And despite her trust issues, she had no doubt Ewen MacLean would lay down his life to protect her family. To protect her.

  “Yes,” she breathed.

  Shock rolled across his handsome features followed by a heated mix of gratitude and lust that stole her breath. He shoved the stone in his pocket.

  “You honor me, lass.” His voice vibrated with emotion, wreaking havoc on her senses.

  He stroked his thumb down her cheek. A surge of fierce loyalty crashed through her defenses. His breathing deepened, claiming what little bit of her sanity remained. If she leaned in, just an inch, she’d feel his body against hers. She could splay her hands across his massive chest. Feel the muscle ripple beneath her touch. Shove him against the wall and claim his goddam sexy mouth once and for all and satisfy her intense need to know how those lips felt against hers. To taste. To…

  His nostrils flared.

  Heart hammering against her ribcage, she released his hand and stepped back. This isn’t me. She had to think, not act on impulse, although every inch of her wanted to act.

  Wanted to feel.

  Ewen’s mouth was on hers before she could take her next breath. Powerful hands wove into her hair. He devoured her. Hot. Heavy. Plundering. She wrapped her arms around his neck and crushed her breasts to his chest. Her own mouth moved hungrily over his, all her pent-up desires demanding more. Roaming hands swept down her back, cupped her rear, and clamped her against his hardness, exciting her beyond anything she’d ever felt. Then those strong, male hands were back in her hair. Tight. Possessive. Mouth capturing hers, tongue dominating, melting her will to his.

  With his chest heaving, he pulled back. She was up against the wall, hands gripping his shirt. Dark, hooded eyes bore into hers and what she saw in those smoky orbs—hunger, stark and raw—sent fire racing to her core. His eyes roamed her face like a man starved.

  This was the stuff of fairytales. The brawny warrior completely taken by the common woman. The indulgence would be worth a little heartache, wouldn’t it? To be the center of the ravenous fire burning in his eyes? But touchi
ng him now would open a door she could never close.

  This thing between them wouldn’t stop at just a kiss. She had to be sensible.

  “Christ, woman, I want you. I want you now. Here, against the wall, but I’ve no right to claim you.”

  Sensible sucked when the idea of being ravished by an out-of-control warrior brought a smile to her lips. “No good would come from it.”

  “Aye.” He blew a breath and touched his forehead to hers. “Push me away, then. Tell me to go.”

  “What if I don’t want to, warrior?” She couldn’t believe the words coming out of her mouth. Was this what she wanted?

  A slow, sexy smile spread across his lips. “I’d be beholden to honor your wishes.”

  Oh god, yes. Her heart skated up her throat. “I’ve never done anything like this.”

  “You’re untouched?” Shock tempered his voice.

  “No. I’m….” Divorced.

  All her old doubts came crashing forward. Her sexual experiences were tied to one man who’d left her for another woman. And not just any woman, a friend, someone she had deemed “safe.” Not a bombshell, but an ordinary woman, with an everyday figure who’d snuck in and stole her husband’s heart. And if the rumor mill held true, her dispassionate ex had gone from once-a-week Friday-night-after-a-beer-and-ESPN sex to an enthusiastic lover panting after his new wife. After twelve years with Caitlin, he’d walked away without even a backward glance.

  God, maybe she sucked in bed.

  “He was a fool, the man who hurt you.” Ewen cupped her face. “You’re beautiful.” He kissed her eyelids. “Kind.” Trailed butterfly kisses along her cheek and nose. “Brave.”

  The words purred in her ear, and her defenses crumbled beneath the assault of his tender kisses. It was a risk, but for once in her life, she wanted to know real passion. She wanted to know what it was like to be loved with savage abandon by a man completely lost in her. And only her.

  No more hiding or taking the conservative path.

  Taking the scary road meant releasing her fears. When had fear become her friend? The consoling confidante who had provided comfort during the darkest hours of her life. Who became the nosy neighbor chiding her for daring to pick up the pieces of her life and shaping them into one she sought.

  But to move on, she had to let go.

  Hot, calloused hands burned a path up her arms, sending tingles down her spine. His palms moved along her neck, rested against her cheeks, and angled her face to meet his piercing stare, a soul-searching look that sucked the air right out of her lungs.

  “Will you have me?”

  Nothing prepared her for the onslaught of emotion she felt in that second. Hers, his, all of it, tangled in one rush of feeling that drenched her soul from the inside out and filled each bleeding scar. All of it heartfelt.

  Her tattered self-confidence whimpered “Yes.” It would be different with him.

  But who was she kidding? This man had a life in another time. A life he wouldn’t sacrifice for a kiss, or a roll in the hay with a freaked-out twenty-first-century woman he’d just met. In the end, he’d leave. And her fascination for Ewen MacLean would lead to one thing—a broken heart. Hers.

  Her freaking eyes stung.

  “What’s this?” He ran a strong finger along the side of her face. “What saddens you?”

  Everything.

  “‘Twas just a kiss and will go no further unless you long for more. I would never force you to my bed, Caitlin. The choice is yours.”

  “I know.” Ragged breaths fused to the broken sound of her voice. “We can’t. We just can’t.”

  He eased back “I don’t know your customs, but if you fear retribution, I would honor you, lass. You’ve my word. None but god can judge what grows between us.”

  “You’re not at all what I imagined a medieval man to be.”

  “Aye? And ye’ve met many, have ye?”

  She laughed. “Nope, you’re a first.” Thank god, because her heart couldn’t handle another Ewen MacLean. Honorable. Sexy. Grantor of killer smiles.

  It was now or never. She bit the edge of her bottom lip. The motion drew his eyes to her mouth. He leaned in. The delicious heat of his body trapped her against the wall in exquisite torture. She couldn’t think this close to him. All she could do was feel, and feelings led to dark places.

  “Ewen,” she said, finding her voice. “This thing between us is physical. It’s a reaction to everything that’s happened to us. It’s not real.”

  “A reaction, is it?” He braced one muscular arm against the wall, caging her in then grazed his cheek against hers.

  And inhaled.

  Her body shuddered.

  “Aye lass, I’m reacting, and I’ve the evidence to prove it.” A disarmingly boyish grin lit his face, but the look in his eyes was savage.

  “God, it’s so hard to think when you look at me like that.” She focused on the hollow of his throat and then the pulse point at the side of his neck. She imagined her tongue licking that most sensitive of spots, then tasting his skin.

  Heat flushed her cheeks.

  Sheesh. She was sending all the wrong signals. What the hell was wrong with her? “Ewen, let me go. Please.”

  He hesitated, then reluctantly stepped back. Cool air swept between their bodies, the beginning of the invisible barrier she was about to build to protect herself from her Knight in Scottish Armor.

  Another damn wall.

  “There’s research that explains what’s happening between us.”

  “Is there now?”

  “Yeah.” She gulped a fortifying breath. “When people are exposed to life and death situations similar to what we’ve experienced, an…um…an attraction can develop that’s the result of the danger they faced together. It’s called frenetic lust.” She thought back to what else she could recall from her psych days in college.

  “Caitlin.”

  “What I’m trying to say is that this isn’t real.” She let out a sad sigh and wrapped her arms around her middle. “It’s hormonal and completely stress induced. Look, I’m not trying to offend you. You’re a very attractive man.”

  “Verra attractive?” he purred close to her ear.

  Oh yeah. Verra.

  Catching herself mid-swoon, she blurted, “No…yes.” Ugh. “Your physical appearance is irrelevant. I don’t want to hurt you, Ewen. We just have to be smart. There’s too much at stake.”

  “The truth comes out,” he said softly.

  Caitlin leaned her head against the wall, feeling more exposed than she had in a long time.

  “Your excuses prove one thing, lass, and one thing only. You fear this.” He waved two calloused fingers in the space between their bodies. “I willna make slight of what you proclaim to feel. But make no mistake, what I feel is real.” All pretense left his face. She didn’t need her psychic abilities to tell her he believed every word he spoke. “Very real.”

  And unlike her ex, Ewen MacLean wasn’t afraid to call her out on her bullshit. She didn’t know if she should be glad or mortified.

  “Maybe you’re right and I am scared”—she held out a hand and stopped him before he could argue his point further—“but that’s not what’s important here. We need to stay focused to fight MacInnes. We can’t let our feelings cloud our judgement or, if we’re not careful, we’ll end up hurting each other and, I—I just can’t risk it.”

  Something in her demeanor gave him pause. He ran a hand through his dark hair, his expression shifting, becoming unreadable. A muscle jumped at his jaw. And when his eyes met hers, they were guarded. Closed.

  A piece of her heart cracked.

  “I appreciate your honesty,” he said taking a step back. “And I’ll respect your wishes.”

  “Thanks. For understanding.”

  They stood in silence for what seemed like forever. Ewen scanned their surroundings until his eyes settled on the elephant in the middle of the room. The single full-sized bed. He tipped his chin to the bathroom. “
Bathe. Then sleep. We’ll plan our strategy later. Lock your door. Let no one enter but me, not even Daniel. Understood?”

  She wanted to cry. “Understood.”

  Ewen turned and headed for the door, those powerful shoulders slumped. Hesitating, he reached a hand out to the small writing table pushed up against the wall near the door. Glancing over his shoulder, a frown drew his dark brows into a crinkled vee.

  “It would appear,” he said, turning to face her, “Daniel has had a change of heart.”

  The Murray’s cellphone was clasped in his hand.

  TWENTY-EIGHT

  “Oh, my god,” Caitlin gasped. She eyed the foreign device in his hands as if it were a viper ready to bite. “Why would he leave the phone behind?”

  “Remorse?” Ewen handed her the slim instrument. The room shrank as she moved closer, her fingertips grazing the flat of his hand. He swallowed, his body hard as a rock.

  She bit her lip. “Maybe, but if this is some kind of test, I’m about to flunk.” A laugh strangled the droll undertone of her strange words. Probably for his benefit. To lighten the mood. To ease the memory of the kiss saturating the air.

  Damn…the rejection hurt. More than it should.

  “I just don’t get him.” Caitlin shook her head. “A henchman with a code of ethics. What a contradiction.” She paused. “He’d be dead if it weren’t for you.”

  Or freed from his torment. Ewen wasn’t sure he’d done the man a favor.

  “You could have let him die, but you didn’t. Why?”

  “Daniel is no’ the enemy. He’s caught in the same war and bound by the same chains fettering us to MacInnes.”

  “I hope you’re right. Let’s see if we can chip away at those chains.” Eyes fixed to the phone in her hand, Caitlin pressed a finger to the top edge of the device and started pacing along the narrow strip of flooring between the bed and the bathroom.

  Ewen smothered the urge to erase the crease from her brow. Could he blame her for fearing the passion brewing between them? What kind of life could he provide her? He had no trade. No wealth. No kin. Hell, he wasn’t even of this time. He had nothing of worth to offer a twenty-first century woman who was more than capable of surviving without a man at her side.