A Matter of Time: Book 4 of The Thistle & Hive Series Read online

  Angelina couldn’t speak. Her body was tingling, from head to toe and her breaths were coming in tiny gasps. She wanted to turn and be held in his arms, to experience his lips engulfing hers in passionate kisses, but how could she? They’d agreed to be friends and now, he was saying all the things she so desperately wanted to hear. Finally managing to inhale a deep breath, she spoke. “Richard, I can’t do this right now.” She pushed her way past him and practically broke into a run as she headed for her bedroom and closed the door behind her. Leaning against it, she did her best to get a grip on herself, to ensure she wouldn’t run out and throw herself at him.

  * * *

  Richard watched in disappointment as Angelina ran away, shutting the door on him as she went into her bedroom. He stood outside her door, not knowing what to do to make the situation better. “Angelina. I’m sorry,” he apologized. “Please, come out. We can talk about this later if you like, but I don’t want it to spoil your day. Please…”

  “I’ll be out in a minute. I’m just getting changed,” she said through the door. “I’m not angry with you, I’m just confused. I need time to think.”

  Resting his head against the door, he closed his eyes in relief. Perhaps she would think about what he was offering, and come to him. Since he had no choice but to wait for her decision, he walked into the living room where everything he saw was so very Angelina. Beautiful photos of the coast and framed photos of people he assumed were members of her family were set here and there on bookshelves, end tables and the fireplace mantel. One in particular caught his attention and picking it up, he recognized Dylan, standing on the beach next to a large, oddly shaped board. Next to that was a photo of a young lady he’d also seen before. She had been with Cormac that day when he’d crossed the bridge from Glendaloch back into his own time. He smiled, realizing it wasn’t merely a coincidence that he had ended up here with Angelina. “Edna,” he said out loud and then he laughed at the absurdity of it all. Edna was the keeper of the bridge, and as such, she obviously decided who could travel through time and where they would travel. Everything that had happened over these past few months had been carefully orchestrated by her and Richard knew she must have a very important reason for sending him to this particular time and place. He was certain both Angelina and Nick were a part of the plan, but that was all he knew. The rest would reveal itself soon and he decided he could relax and let events unfold for themselves. He still had to learn the lessons Edna had spoken of in order to return home, but he knew she would present him with opportunities to do just that. All he had to do was wait.

  The smell of Angelina’s perfume announced her presence behind him.

  “I was just looking at your photos.” Richard wondered if he should mention Dylan. He decided it might be best to keep that information to himself and when he had the chance to speak with Edna again, he’d ask her about it. “Are these all members of your family?”

  “Not all of them. This is a photo of my mother,” she said, pointing to a woman who looked a lot like herself.

  “She’s a beautiful woman, as is her daughter.” He smiled as he glanced from the photo to Angelina, who still seemed uncomfortable.

  “This is my cousin, Jenna.” She held up the photo of the young woman he recognized. “And this is Dylan. He’s not really related to me, but I still think of him as a cousin.” She stared lovingly at the photo. “Both of them went off to Scotland and they haven’t even called me to tell me they’re okay.” She sounded both angry and worried as she spoke about them.

  “I’m sure they’re fine,” he said, trying to reassure her. He knew, of course, that they were both doing well and were happily living their lives in his medieval world. Angelina, on the other hand, must have felt as if she’d been deserted. “If there were something wrong, I’m sure you would have heard by now.”

  She nodded, but still seemed quite sad. “I guess I thought they were the family members I could count on, and now I see that may not have been the case at all.”

  Without thinking, he wrapped her in his arms, doing his best to soothe her hurt. He stroked her hair and her back with his large hands and her muscles gradually relaxed. “Come. This is to be a happy day, is it not? The pies smell wonderful, I can hardly wait to try them.”

  “You’ll have to wait a while.” She smiled up at him as he held her close. “Estella wouldn’t be happy with us if we had the pie before our Thanksgiving dinner.”

  * * *

  The day couldn’t have been any better. Estella’s family included her two sons and daughter, their adult children and their spouses, along with her great grandchildren. Everyone gathered in the adjacent field to play a game of touch football while they waited for the food to be ready. Nick and Richard listened intently as Estella’s son, Sean, explained the finer points of the game and then divided everyone into equal teams. The great grandchildren, ranging in age from about four through to eight were excited to be included and jumped up and down as they waited for the game to begin. Angelina and Nick were on one team, with Sean, his wife, their two sons and their wives. Richard was on the other team with Brian, Estella’s other son, along with his wife, their son and daughter and their spouses. Estella’s daughter, Bella, and her husband were acting as referees, and the youngest children were divided evenly between the two teams. The game was a lot of fun and the children were all given opportunities to score touchdowns. The smallest girl had taken a shine to Richard, and tailed him wherever he went. Brian threw the ball his way and Richard reached up and plucked it out of the sky, handing it to little Sienna. He lifted her into the air and ran with her across the goal line. She squealed in delight the whole way and when he finally put her down she did her very own version of a touchdown dance. Richard ruffled her hair and laughed at her antics.

  “Dinner’s ready,” Estella called and everyone headed into the house. No one cared who had won the game, it had all been in good fun and it had been an enjoyable way to pass the time before their meal.

  * * *

  “Thank ye so much for a delicious feast, m’lady Estella.” Nick bowed low and kissed the elderly woman’s hand. Estella beamed at this, seemingly enamored with Nick’s actions.

  “Nick, if you keep that up, I don’t know how I’ll compete with you,” Harry chuckled.

  “Have no fear, Harry. I would not rob ye of yer own true love.” Nick was beginning to slur his words, after a long day of feasting and drinking.

  “Thank you for having us, Estella. It was a pleasure meeting all of you - I guess I don’t have to tell you what a special woman your mother is,” Angelina said, addressing Estella’s children.

  “We know,” Sean assured her, putting his arm around his mother’s shoulders and giving her a gentle squeeze. “She’s the best. Dad’s not so bad either,” he teased.

  Harry appeared embarrassed by this proclamation, but chimed in, “I’m a very lucky man. I have the best family in the world.”

  Everyone said their goodbyes, with hugs and kisses all around and then Nick, Richard and Angelina made their way back to her little cottage.

  “I need to sleep,” Nick announced.

  “I’ll get you set up in the guest room.” Angelina unlocked the front door and led them inside. “Follow me.”

  Nick dutifully followed her down the hall, Richard right behind him, making sure that Nick made it down the narrow hall without incident. She barely got the covers pulled down before Nick face-planted himself onto the bed, one arm and leg hanging off the side, and passed out. She couldn’t help laughing at the comical way he had landed. “Help me get him all the way onto the bed.”

  Richard turned Nick onto his back with little effort, which solved the problem of the dangling arm and leg. He removed Nick’s boots and covered him with the blanket, before they both stood for a moment watching Nick sleep and then exiting the room together. “He’ll sleep well,” Richard said, closing the door.

  “He’ll be sorry tomorrow though, I think,” Angelina added.
/>   Richard chuckled and followed Angelina back into the living room, where she started a fire in the fireplace. The setting sun had brought quite a chill to the air and the fire would warm the small room nicely. They both sat in silence, staring into the flames, each lost to their own thoughts. The soft glow of the fire was the only light in the room and the mesmerizing popping and crackling of the wood the only sound. As they sat down, Richard drew Angelina’s attention to a light outside that seemed to be moving from left to right and back again.

  “What’s that?” he asked, getting up to look through the window.

  “That’s odd. I don’t know what it is.” She joined him at the window. Before she could utter another word, Richard had turned swiftly and darted for the door, opening it and silently heading out into the darkness. What is he doing? she wondered. She followed him but as she got to the door, she heard someone curse. Glancing back towards the window, she noticed the light they’d seen suddenly disappear and then she heard the sound of someone running through the brush. She made it outside, just as Richard disappeared from sight. It was a new moon, so there was no ambient light to help her see what was happening. She tried to follow Richard, but only got as far as the edge of her property when he came back, carrying a flashlight.

  “Someone was outside your cottage. They dropped this light stick when they ran off. I was unable to catch up with them before they got to their car and drove away.” Richard took her by the arm and led her back toward the house. “You shouldn’t have followed me out.”

  “What?” Angelina bristled. “Why not? I’ve told you before that I can take care of myself!”

  “I’m very aware that you can take care of yourself.” Richard gave the area one final scan before joining Angelina inside. “I’d like it if you’d allow me to take care of you this time. Call it my male pride, or whatever you’d like, but while I know you are completely capable of besting most men when you have a sword and dagger in hand, what is the harm in allowing me to do what I do best?”

  The hurt expression on his face had Angelina thinking carefully about his question. Hadn’t she recently been thinking about how nice it would be to have someone who wanted to take care of her and here he was, standing right in front of her, offering her his protection and she’d been angry about it. That was no way to treat him. “I’m sorry, Richard. You’re right. I guess after all these years of fending for myself, I have yet to learn how to let someone else do it for me. I’ll do my best to allow it.”

  “I don’t want you to stop being who you are, because that’s what makes you so beautiful to me. I love your independent nature and the fact that you don’t need anyone’s help, but every now and again, let me take care of you. Allow me that small joy on occasion.”

  How could she possibly refuse him? He was the fairytale knight in shining armor that she’d dreamed of as a child, and he’d come to rescue her from herself.

  “Do you have any idea who that might have been?” Richard peered through the window into the darkness and then turned back to her for an answer.

  “I don’t know, but I don’t think it’s the first time they’ve been here.” Angelina sat on the sofa and Richard settled beside her.

  “Do you mean to tell me that this has happened before?”

  “Several days ago, I found footprints in the damp dirt near the spot where that light was coming from and I’ve had the feeling recently that someone is watching me, but I can’t imagine who it would be, or why they would bother.” Angelina had to admit to herself, that this was becoming more frightening as she added all the little incidents together.

  “And you didn’t tell Nick or me about it?” Richard sounded as if he couldn’t believe his ears.

  “No. I thought it was my imagination at first, but now I know it wasn’t.” She searched his face for any sign of his mood. “You’re not mad at me, are you?”

  Richard shook his head in apparent disbelief. “Angelina, if anything had happened to you, both Nick and I would be devastated. Please, don’t allow this to happen again. At the first sign of anything unusual, I expect you to tell us.” The concern on his face touched Angelina’s heart. He really did care about her and she knew now that she could definitely count on him to be there for her, no matter the situation.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, as Richard put his arm around her and pulled her close. She snuggled up against him, the warmth of his body reassuring her that everything was going to be all right.

  Chapter 15

  Angelina savored the comfort of being wrapped in Richard’s arms, the steady beat of his heart against her ear, his manly scent enveloping her senses. The soft sounds of the burning wood, crackling in the fireplace was the only other sound intruding on this special moment and Angelina found herself overwhelmed by the intense desire to have Richard make love to her. They had danced around their attraction to one another from the first day they’d met, but in this moment, Angelina made up her mind she was going to have him. When she wriggled out of his arms, Richard groaned in protest, but she grabbed his hand and drew him along the hallway toward her bedroom.

  “Angelina?” Richard posed her name as a question as she drew him into her room. She remained mute, closing the door behind them. Coiling her arms around his neck, she drew his head down, and proceeded to kiss him with every ounce of the passion that had been building up for days. She nipped at his lips with her teeth and he picked up on the cue, answering her, kiss for kiss. His arms were vise-like, holding her firmly against his chest. Their tongues entwined, hungrily tasting one another, learning each other. Angelina lowered her arms from his neck, slipping her hands between them to unbutton Richard’s jeans. Unzipping the fly, she found him ready and waiting for her. She wasn’t about to let the fact that he was so much taller than her be a hindrance, and she pulled his shirt up and over his head. She had wanted to do that since meeting him and she came to a standstill for a moment, admiring what she had revealed. He was beautiful. Angelina greedily ran her hands over his chest and down to his abs.

  Richard, for his part, had managed to do some undressing of his own. Angelina wasn’t sure how it had happened, but she was standing there, completely naked. Richard was kissing her neck and nipping at her earlobe. The sensations she was experiencing under his gentle touch were unlike any she’d ever had before. Maybe this is what it was like, when you really cared for the other person. Moans escaped her lips when Richard reached between her thighs and slid his fingers through her warm, wet slit making contact with her sensitive pearl. Angelina’s legs trembled as she opened herself up to him, riding his hand as he slid his fingers in and out of her slick sheath. Her breath came in small gasps and the sensations were building with every passing second. Angelina grasped Richard’s shoulders when he dropped onto his knees. He gripped her thighs with his hands and used his mouth to lick and nibble at her nub, sending her soaring into ecstasy and she collapsed across his shoulder, calling out his name on a sigh.

  * * *

  Richard lifted Angelina into his arms and laid her across the bed, trailing kisses from her neck to her breasts. First one, and then the other, was lavished with his attention and he marveled at the way Angelina’s body responded to his every touch. This was the woman he wanted, and this was exactly how he wanted her. Seeing how much she enjoyed his caresses made him grow even harder. Every moan brought him to the brink and the way she bit her lip and writhed beneath his touch was more pleasure than he could bear. His body strummed with tension and he couldn’t wait a second longer. Dragging his attention away from her breasts, Richard levered himself over the top of Angelina, settling between her thighs. He ached to enter her, but first he teased her entrance with the tip of his manhood, ensuring she was ready for him. She squirmed beneath him, her desire to have him inside of her written plainly in her rapturous expression. He could not deny her and in one pulsating beat, he entered her fully. As he moved inside her, he marveled at the soft, velvety walls holding tightly over his rigid length. The need to spil
l his seed was overwhelming, but he wished to wait for Angelina to join him in climax. They would reach for the stars together. As highly sensitized as they both were in this moment, their bodies hummed and pulsed together, erupting in a crescendo of ecstasy.

  They lay entwined in each other’s arms, legs twisted together and panting from exertion. Angelina gently kissed his chest and his heart almost burst with the love he held for her. “Angelina…” he began to speak, but she covered his lips with her finger, stopping him.

  “Shhh. Don’t say anything. This is perfect without words.”

  * * *

  Held securely in his arms, Angelina didn’t want to hear any false declarations of love. Didn’t men always say they loved you, after they had sex? Saying it now would mean nothing to her and besides, she had made it clear she wasn’t looking for love. Richard had a body as close to physical perfection as she had ever seen and she was certain she wanted to be with him because she was drawn in by sheer animal magnetism, not by love. Now that she had experienced his lovemaking, she was certain she could move on from the heated desire she had been experiencing when she was around him. They would be friends, as they’d agreed, but nothing more. She wouldn’t open her heart to him, not when she knew he would no doubt move on, as soon as the next-best-thing came along. Experience had shown this was always the case.

  If she examined her emotions more closely, Angelina knew she was the one who sabotaged her relationships – in every single instance. She’d never given any man the opportunity for more than a casual dalliance, because she truly believed, deep down, that no man would stay with her for the long haul. Why should Richard be any different? Because he is, her mind quietly whispered.