Games (Timeless Series) (32 page)

Jake
headed for the tack room and came out carrying an armload of items. “You might need these,” he said. “It’s getting worse out there. If you find Giselle, you may not have the chance to make it back. About a mile down the road from the track there’s a big boulder. You’ll know which one I’m talking about when you see it.” He handed Simon the stuff from his arms. “I packed a compass. Go about an eighth of a mile due east from the boulder. You’ll find shelter—a small barn for the animals and a one-room cabin filled with enough firewood and food to last out the storm. We have several of these on the farm for a situation just like this, cut into the hillside for protection from tornadoes or ice. If you can make it there, you’ll be safe. Zeus will take you to Asapurna. He’ll scent her out. She’s his favorite mare.”

The bundle Jake handed him included a rain slicker and a hat with a broad brim
. Putting the garments on, Simon hurriedly repacked the other stuff in Zeus’s saddlebags. When done, he pulled the horse behind him, saying over his shoulder, “Thanks, Jake.”

“Not to put any undue pressure on you, but you have the fate of three of Colin’s best thoroughbreds in your hands.”

“It’s not the horses I care about, it’s Giselle. If I have it in my power, I’ll bring them all back safely.”

“
Which is why I gave you Zeus. Go. You’re wasting time.”

Simon was out of the stable and along the trail, galloping at a good clip minutes later
. The wind and freezing rain kept his pace slower than he wanted, but it wasn’t much longer when he passed the track. He spurred the horse faster, fighting the elements as best he could.

Simon
eventually rode past the boulder Jake had told him about and he forged ahead, praying he’d see some sign of Giselle.

The sky darkened and the temperature fell
. The rain, which was now turning everything into frozen shrouds, continually worsened. The ground was icy and slippery. Simon knew he had to find them soon, if he was going to be able to make it back to the boulder and from there to the shelter before conditions became too treacherous.

When he rounded the bend, he spotted them
. Asapurna was off to the side, standing patiently while Giselle tried to pull Fortuna out of a deep ditch. The horse couldn’t get out and both were covered in icy mud.

Giselle looked over and
met his gaze, hers desperate. He leapt off Zeus and was by her side helping her in the next instant, but not before pulling a small shovel Jake had given him out of the saddlebag.

“Thank God you
have come,” she whispered. “I had no idea how I was going to get Fortuna out of the hole by myself.”

“Shush
. I’m here now, so save your strength,” he said. Underneath the mud, he spotted blue around her mouth. She appeared to be on the verge of exhaustion.

He quickly dug a path in the rain
-soaked earth, giving the horse a foothold. Once done, it took them more time, with Giselle leading and Simon keeping her from going backward, before they dragged the horse safely out.

Simon put Giselle on Asapurna
. “Can you hold on for a little longer?”

She nodded and flashed him a wan smile
.

“I knew you could
.” Simon grinned at the determination in her eyes. Though thoroughly drenched, frozen to the bone and depleted of her energy, his arrival seemed to give her a new energy source. He was definitely happy with her using some of his if it kept her alive.

Simon led, trying
to block the worst of the stinging blows from the icy rain, with Fortuna in tow. They made the miserable journey to the boulder. He stopped and pulled out the compass. Following Jake’s directions, he soon saw the shelter up ahead and sighed in relief.

Giselle was near the end, total fatigue clearly evident in her mannerisms
. He headed for the barn, a dry, cavern-like room about thirty degrees warmer than outside. Now out of the elements, he jumped off Zeus and hurried to help Giselle.

She looked down with a wan smile on her
white face. “I knew you’d come,” she whispered before collapsing.

“Giselle?”
Halting her fall, he lifted her completely off Asapurna. “You’ve got to stay awake for me.”

She opened her eyes and moaned
. “I am so cold.”

“I know you’re cold.” He left
the horses to fend for themselves and carried her back out into the frigid air toward the small structure. “Just hang on and don’t go to sleep. Stay with me, honey.”

The cabin was larger than it appeared
, furnished with a table and chairs on one side, a big fireplace in the middle, and a bed on the other side of the room. He sat Giselle on one of the chairs while he bent to check the firewood. Two small rockers were perched in front of the fireplace, which had wood and kindling in the grate, ready to light. Thanking God for Colin’s foresight, he quickly lit the kindling and in moments the room was awash in firelight. Simon also lit a couple of candles on the table before turning back to Giselle.

Her lifeless form
distressed him. He undressed her as quickly as he could, but the sodden woolen garments were like a second skin and didn’t peel off easily. He pulled the split skirt of her habit away from her legs and noticed the bulge in the pocket. Fishing out the small weapon, Simon bit back a laugh. Shaking his head, he put it along with the file on the table. He should have known she’d be armed. Anyone who underestimated this woman/child was a fool. He was beginning to realize just how deadly she could be if pushed.

He finished undressing her
and carried her to the bed. Simon grabbed the feather tick and placed it over her cold, naked body. Giselle shivered uncontrollably and moaned. Simon quickly shed his wet clothes.

“Simon?” she whispered
. “I am so cold.”

“I know, honey
.” He climbed in beside her and drew her closer. “I’ll help warm you. The fire should heat the room in a bit.” He pulled the comforter around them both. She was frozen to the touch and the fact that she was lethargic worried him. He began rubbing her skin, kneading it to get the blood flowing. As he warmed up, he used his body to effectively warm her faster. It took him a while before he could tell his actions were having any effect.

Eventually, Giselle’s whispered voice broke the silence of the small cabin
. “I am warmer now, but I am so tired.”

Simon pushed the hair off her forehead and kissed it
.

“
That’s all right, sweetheart. I think it’s safe to go to sleep now if you want to.”

It too
k another fifteen minutes before he felt satisfied she was warm enough for him to leave her. After slipping quietly from the bed, he began searching for spare clothing. He found a pair of trousers and a shirt, and donned them before pulling on his wet boots.

Simon spent the next hour grooming the horses, and making sure they were fed and watered
. With that out of the way, he went back inside the cabin. After hanging their wet, mud-sodden clothes to dry by the fire, he began the task of finding something to eat. He got their makeshift dinner ready to cook, set it out on the table for later, then shed his clothes and climbed back into bed with Giselle. In no time, he too was fast asleep.

~~

Giselle woke to a darkened room. The fire had long died. At first she was not sure of her surroundings, but glancing around, her memory returned. She felt so comfortable right then, safe with Simon’s arms around her; she really did not want to move. Unfortunately, nature called. Easing out of bed, careful not to disturb Simon, who was still slumbering, she dressed in his discarded clothes, rolling up the overlong sleeves and pants legs. She pulled on her boots, then went outside to take care of her business.

Simon was just sitting up when she
reentered the cabin. His warm green gaze captured hers, and the heat in its depths caused her to look away. Embarrassed, but not knowing why, Giselle felt the heat rush up her face.

She licked her lips nervously and stammered, “Um…
thank you…um…for helping me.” She turned and added logs to the embers of the fire. Poking the logs, she added, “I do not know what I would have done if you had not come when you did.”

He put his feet
on the floor and stood.

Giselle noted his actions and shrieked, “What are you doing?”

“I think it should be obvious.” Simon glanced up at her. “I’m getting out of bed.”

“But you
are naked!”

Simon laughed. “Yes, Giselle, I’m naked
. And since you have the only dry clothes in the place, I’m likely to stay naked until my clothes are dry.”

I
n all his glory he padded naked across to the middle of the room where his clothes hung. He checked them, turned to her, and shrugged. “Sorry. They’re still damp. I have no desire to don damp clothes, so you’re out of luck. You’ll just have to make do.”

Giselle watched
him strut around the room, fiddling with different things, totally oblivious to the fact that he was naked as the day he was born.

When he started preparing the items on the table, she said in a disgusted voice, “Oh, for heaven’s sake
.” She stood up and took off first the boots and then the pants she wore. Her shirt covered her to her knees, so she felt decent enough. She handed him the trousers. “Put these on, you are distracting me.”

Simon chuckled
. While putting them on, he said, “Most women don’t mind it when I
distract
them.”

Giselle grinned
and shook her head. “I am not like most women.” It was then that she remembered Caroline Hillier. The memory of the woman kissing Simon shot through her right then. Her smile faded and she turned to stare at the fire.

“Don’t I know
it!” The laughing reply hung in the air. “Giselle?”

She turned at his question
and couldn’t keep the sadness out of her eyes when she met his inquiring gaze.

He’d put on the trousers
and now rushed to kneel beside her.

“My God, Giselle, I never meant to hurt you
. You have to know that,” he said in a fervent voice full of contrition.

“I know
, Simon. It is not something I want to think about right now.”

When he started to talk, she used a finger to silence him
. “Shush. A wise man once said to me, ‘No regrets,’ and as long as we are here in this cabin together, I want no regrets. We will not talk about it and we will not regret what goes on here. You were there when I needed you most. And for that I owe you my life.”

“But Giselle
—”

She placed her finger on his lips again
. “No regrets.” She then replaced the finger with her lips, bending and framing his face with her hands and bringing him closer. Needing no further encouragement, Simon unleashed kisses over her face and neck, nuzzling, sending thrills in the form of goose bumps along her spine.

When his mouth journeyed to her ears, leaving a wet trail of sensation in its path, she moaned in response, unable to resist what his lips were doing
.

He whispered, “What have you done to me, Giselle?
I have no will where you’re concerned. All I can think about when you’re near is to be inside you.”

He quickly picked her up and carried her to the bed
.

Giselle knew what would happen when she kissed Simon, and she knew she
would have to deal with the consequences of loving him later. More than anything, she wanted what only he could give her. She was determined to take as much as she could while here, in this secluded spot where life could not intrude. She realized right then, she had lied earlier today when she told Simon she would refuse to take less than what she wanted. She would take whatever he gave, and keep the memories of loving him forever. While in this cabin, he was hers and she could pretend that he always would be.

After shedding his trousers and joining her on the bed, Simon pulled her to him and his lips lowered
. Giselle opened herself up to his lovemaking. She loved his kisses and wanted more. His mouth was gentle and coaxing. When his tongue traced her lips, sliding inside once she opened, pleasure surged through her. She met his thrusting tongue with hers, and the game of seduction began.

Without knowing if she was being seduced or if she was doing the seducing, she planned to fully participate in their lovemaking this time around
. She stroked him as he’d done to her earlier, letting her hands roam up and down his naked body. She grazed over his manhood and it leaped in her hand. Her breath caught in her throat as heat built in her core, exciting her. She felt decadent and bold…almost powerful…feeling him flex under her fingers, hearing his labored breathing. More sensation filled her, spreading from her center to all her extremities.

Greedy for more of him, she met him stroke for stroke
. Her touch seemed to inflame him and cause his lips to grind into hers. In a split second, his movements went from gentle and soothing to rough and demanding. The shirt she’d been wearing somehow flew off her body and Simon had her flat on her back, ready to enter her. She reveled in the fact that she had pushed him to the point where he lost his restraint. Another thrill shot through her. Then he thrust inside her. All coherent thought was stripped from her mind, only to be replaced by pleasure and sensation. Meeting his thrust, she couldn’t stop from moving with him, as out of control as he. Their lovemaking became as wild as the winter storm howling outside their refuge.