Chapter 5

Making love with Lance  never ceased to be a special and exciting experience.  Just the mere touch of his hand would send tiny electrical currents through my body that extended far beyond my erogenous zones. 

Like a typical male, he’d always fall asleep almost immediately afterwards.  I didn’t hold it against him.  I had the idea to research why men did this years ago when I got offended by my partner continually falling asleep right after sex.  I learned that men release a cocktail of brain chemicals, including norepinephrine, serotonin, oxytocin, vasopressin, nitric oxide, and the hormone prolactin during their orgasm that makes them tired and sleepy.  I wasn’t able to find research stating that women released the same type of cocktail, so I forgave the opposite sex for what appeared to be a lack of romance long ago.

I listened to his steady breathing as I lay next to him.  Peering through the darkness, I focused on the tiny particles of dust that danced about in the thin stream of pale moonlight that managed to find its way through the joint of the heavy window drapes and pondered on what it was that made me feel so ill at ease.

I had no doubt of my love for Lance.  We were finally together again.  I felt a bit of remorse over keeping from him the fact that I’d developed feelings of love for Killian that went beyond friendship.  I also kept it a secret that I’d given up on our marriage because of the false visions of him making love to Lilith that Marduke showed me and had an abundance of sex with Jason. When it surfaced, my rational mind was able to squelch any sense of uneasiness whenever it came forth by reminding me of the circumstances behind my actions and that these circumstances gave me a pass that didn’t require I share the information with him or anyone else and the guilt would quickly dissipate.  So, what was it that lingered and nagged at the recesses of my mind?

Maybe it had nothing to do with Lance.  Maybe it was something else and I simply couldn’t shake it while I was with him for some reason.

I thought back on the day.  It was a fairly normal day.  We’d met with and accepted a new client.  I’d had a small, unwanted interaction with Killian, and then I’d spent a lovely evening with my husband.  Certainly, nothing occurred that would cause this nagging sense of dread that refused to leave.

The faint sound of people chatting and laughing downstairs caught my attention.  I immediately recognized Nora’s laugh, but the male laughter that blended with hers wasn’t as easy to discern.  I thought I caught a bit of brogue in the muffled conversation and suspected it was my cousin Anton come to pay another visit, but I just couldn’t be sure.  He’d admitted that traveling to the future was taxing on him, so he only did it when it was absolutely necessary.  As far as I knew, there was no reason for him to come.  Perhaps it wasn’t Anton.  Perhaps it was a voice that was similar to his in tone.

Since I wasn’t able to sleep, I decided to go downstairs and join them and clear the mystery of the male laugh firsthand.

Slipping my robe on over my naked body and slippers onto my bare feet, I smiled as I recalled Nora’s insistence that I wear pajamas.   Of course, that was before I had Lance in my bed to protect me from further kidnappings.  The thought of dressing for her benefit briefly crossed my mind, but fear of waking Lance vetoed it almost immediately.  I couldn’t explain why, but I wanted to join them solo. Since my robe was big and fluffy, I felt certain that it would expose minimal flesh.  I tied its belt as tightly as I could around my waist, making sure to fasten both the small inner tie and the thick outer one.  Once satisfied that I was properly covered, I headed downstairs.

I’d reached the bottom step of the broad, winding staircase before I understood why I couldn’t decipher the owner of the male laugh.  It was because there was more than one male enjoying Nora’s wit.  I had no idea what was entertaining them so, but their laughter made me feel light and happy for the first time in so long that I couldn’t remember when.  A broad smile consumed my lips as I made my way with a surprising light bounce into the room that Lance insisted on calling the parlor, but Nora and I labeled the living room.

To my dismay, all laughing stopped at the sight of me.  It was so quiet, had there been a mouse scurrying across the floor I was sure I’d have heard its little feet on the polished wood.

Anton’s thick brogue was the first to break the uncomfortable silence. “You look a vision of loveliness, cousin.  Be this a different place and time I ken I might challenge my cousin for your affections.”

I could feel the blood pool in my heated cheeks as I looked from Nora to Killian and then to Anton.  I’d been in such a hurry to exit my bedroom without waking my husband that it hadn’t dawned on me to comb my hair after a serious romp in bed with him.  One look at me and there was no guessing what I’d been up to.  Mortified, I quickly used my fingers to do my best to make sense of the wild mane on my head.

“I just woke up and didn’t know you’d be down here,” I lied as I pulled my robe closed at the crook of my neck.  Moving into the room with as much regal grace as I could muster, I poured myself a brandy.  “It’s a nice surprise to see you, Anton.  What brings you to the future?”

“Your husband does, lass,” he replied.

I gulped just enough of the burning liquid at his remark to cause me to choke.  Killian immediately came to my aid.  Instead of patting my back, he stood before me and pulled my arms high over my head. To my surprise, it quickly opened my passageway and the choking stopped.  Unfortunately, his actions also brought him in close enough proximity for the protruding nipples of my abundant and naturally perky breasts to lightly brush against his chest.  I couldn’t tell for sure if he reacted to the contact in the same way my fickle body did, but some small part of me hoped that he had. 

I missed his friendship.

I missed his touch. 

I missed his smell. 

I missed his love. 

I missed him.

Disgusted with myself for the way I felt about Killian when my loving and very handsome husband was upstairs sleeping and recovering from a vigorous sexual romp with his wife, I quickly turned away and headed for the safety of an armchair.

“We need Lance to return,” he explained after he was certain that I was fine.  “There has been a wee bit of trouble with his brother that only he can correct.”

“What kind of trouble?” I snipped with a touch of contempt.  It wasn’t intended for Anton.  It was just that the mere mention of Jason brought feelings of rage and hate to the surface that I had difficulty holding back.

“’Tis a long story, but it has to do with the family fortune.  Jason being the lad that he is has managed to tangle it up and without Lance to correct it we might all end up paupers,” he continued.

“I’m not understanding,” I persisted.  “Jason is back in time?”  I looked directly at Killian. “I thought he’d been captured by the society.”  Then, before Killian could reply, I turned back to Anton and asked, “How is it that only Lance can correct it?  What about his father?”

Anton looked at me with surprise.  “He did not tell you?  His father went to our maker.  Lance is now in charge of the family and its fortune.”

I couldn’t believe that I’d been reunited with my husband for several weeks and not once did he share with me the fact that his father had died.  I didn’t know how to feel about this bit of information.  I thought that Lance and I shared everything.  Or at least that he shared everything with me.  Forgetting that I was equally guilty for keeping secrets, the investigator side of me immediately began to question why he wouldn’t tell me such news and what else he might be hiding or holding back. 

“No,” I said in a soft tone.  “I didn’t know.”

“He probably didn’t want to burden you,” Nora said in  a level of voice that matched mine.  “You’ve been through so much.  Maybe he didn’t think it was the right time.”

“I didn’t know his father well.  He was always kind to me, but I wasn’t around him long enough to really develop a strong affection for him,” I said.  “This may sound terrible to admit.   I feel bad for Lance but, otherwise, I’m not really affected.  He could have told me at any time.”

Anton cleared his throat.  “I nay know if he was trying to protect your emotions as much as waiting for the right time to tell you that he was the head of household and couldna stay.  ‘Tis my understanding that he came to fetch you back with him.”

I sucked in air at the thought.  “Back?  Back in time? Again?”

“The danger is no more,” Anton assured me.  “Lilith has found another match.  She no longer seeks to wed Lance… or Jason, for that matter.”

That wasn’t the point.  After all that I’d endured in alternate dimensions, the fact that a jealous woman had tried to kill me seemed minor.  It was that I just didn’t know if I wanted to leave my time and go back.

“I’m not suited for that time,” I said with a panicked tone.

Nora moved to the front of my chair and knelt down.  “I only found this out this evening when Anton arrived.  It’s been planned that Lance bring you back.  Anton came to fetch him when a worrisome amount of time passed.”  She looked at Killian and smiled. “We filled Anton in on the dirty that Jason did to Lance and why he’s been delayed in returning home.”

“I can’t go back there,” I choked out.  “It’s not for me.  It’s too antiquated.  I enjoy my life of modern amenities too much to give them up.”

“’Tis your original time, lass,” Anton said in a gentle tone.  “’Tis the time of your birth.”

“Maybe so,” I practically hissed, “but it isn’t the time that I remember and relate to.”  Standing straight and tall, I moved to the archway that separated the room from the grand foyer.  “I think I need to return to my room.  Anton, please forgive me.”  Looking at Nora, I asked, “Do you have a room set up for him or should I help before I retire?”

Nora gave me a reassuring look.  “I have it under control.  You just go get some rest and we’ll talk about it tomorrow.  Everything looks better in the light of day.”

“Really?” I said with a sarcastic chuckle as I headed for the stairs.