Karen D. Badger - Yesterday Once More (17 page)

Andi looked at Kale and then at the tarp. She narrowed her eyes. “What are you trying to hide?”

“Nothing,” he said.

Andi crossed her arms. “I don’t believe you.” She walked a few feet away and then turned to face him. “I don’t want to start this relationship by keeping secrets from each other. I feel like you don’t trust me.”

Kale ran his hand through his hair, frustrated. “Andi, I really wish you’d wait until I have it working. Otherwise, I’ll feel like a loser if it fails.”

Andi closed the distance between them and stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. “You could never be a loser in my eyes. You can trust me.”

Kale sighed and dropped his chin to his chest. “All right.” He lifted the edge of the tarp and slowly pulled it off the machine.

Andi’s eyes grew wide as she slowly circled the device, inspecting it very closely. Finally, she approached the console and reached for the piece of paper sitting on top. As she read the complicated mathematical formulas written there, her hand crept up to cover her mouth. She looked again at the contraption and then at Kale. She seemed awestruck. “It’s a time machine, isn’t it?”

Kale was stunned. “You know what it is?”

Andi’s eyebrows arched. “I’m a physicist. Of course I know what it is. My God, I’ve always wanted to build one, but I never had the time or the resources.” She walked back to the machine and touched the rings. She looked back at Kale. “Have you tested it yet?”

Kale nodded. “Just diagnostic runs. I made an adjustment to the design about a week ago, but I haven’t had a chance to test it yet. Jordan and I were about to do that when she landed back in the hospital.”

Andi’s head whipped toward the door of the new lab. “Jordan!” she exclaimed. “I almost forgot about her. She’s probably awake by now.” She turned to Kale once more. “We need to go fix dinner. Promise me we can talk about this after Jordan goes to bed for the night?”

Kale grinned, an ecstatic feeling filling his breast as he realized he had found someone who shared his dream. “You bet. How long did you plan to stay tonight?” 

Andi looked at him coyly. “Who says I’m going home?”

* * *

Jordan parked the truck in front of the barn and climbed out. She brushed the dust from her jeans and stamped her feet to loosen any dirt she might have gotten on her boots after mending the fences in the north pasture. She headed toward the house and climbed the two steps leading to the porch. She removed her cowboy hat as she pushed the kitchen door open and stepped inside. The first thing she noticed were the freshly-baked cookies cooling on the countertop.

“Jordan, is that you?”

Jordan turned. “In here. In the kitchen.” She threw her hat on the table and reached for a cookie just as the kitchen door swung open.

Maggie scolded her. “Hey, you’ll ruin your dinner.”

“No chance of that happening. I’m famished!”

Maggie approached Jordan and tried to wrap her arms around her waist.

Jordan took a step back. “Whoa. I’m dirty and sweaty from working in the field.”

Maggie crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Well then, get in the shower. Dinner will be ready soon.”

“Yes ma’am.” She leaned in and kissed Maggie on the cheek. “I’ll be back shortly. Then maybe you’ll let me sample your cookies.” Jordan winked at Maggie and headed to her bedroom. She stripped off her dirty clothes and threw them into the hamper.

Jordan pulled the shower curtain back and stepped into the water, soaking her body. She stood there for several long moments, basking in the feel of the needle-like spray massaging her worn muscles. She took a step out of the water and washed the sweat and grime from her body. After she rinsed the soap from her limbs, she soaked her head, lathering honeysuckle shampoo into her hair.

Jordan remained under the spray for a long time with her eyes closed and her hands braced on the sides of the shower as the water rinsed the soap from her hair. She felt a presence behind her. She willed her eyes to remain closed as she felt hands slide across her hips and abdomen while a soft, supple body molded itself against her from behind. One hand slipped downward, finding a home below her navel, while the other hand pressed firmly on her abdomen. She was a willing captive of this creature as she softly moaned her pleasure.

Jordan turned around, took Maggie’s face firmly between her hands, and devoured the redhead’s mouth. “I love you,” she whispered.

Maggie gasped for breath as she broke the kiss. She turned her head so that Jordan could have access to her neck. She realized Jordan had turned the tables on her as she closed her eyes and savored the feel of Jordan’s lips sliding down her neck.

Jordan lowered herself to her knees, leaving a trail of kisses from the hollow of Maggie’s neck to the triangle of curly red hair above Maggie’s treasure. Maggie pressed herself against the shower wall and braced her hands on Jordan’s shoulders as Jordan’s tongue slipped into her curls and massaged her already swollen bud.

“Oh, my God,” Maggie gasped as her abdomen convulsed of its own accord. “Jordan... harder, baby... please.”

Jordan obliged as she captured Maggie’s engorged clit between her lips and rhythmically sucked, flicking the end of it with her tongue.

Maggie was wild with desire as the tension mounted deep within her core. Jordan slid two fingers into her lover’s center and repeatedly thrusted upward as Maggie returned the motion with downward lunges. Maggie tightened around Jordan’s fingers as her orgasm began to crest.

Suddenly, Maggie’s nails dug deep into Jordan’s shoulders as her body first stiffened, then began to convulse uncontrollably. “I’m coming! Baby, I’m coming! Don’t stop,” she cried out as orgasm weakened her knees and forced her to lean heavily on Jordan for support. Jordan wrapped her free arm around Maggie’s waist as she pinned Maggie against the shower wall. She pressed her cheek against Maggie’s abdomen and held her there until the spasms subsided and Maggie was able to regain her senses. Jordan released her hold on Maggie, lightly taking the quivering woman into her arms. The two women clung to each other for several moments before pulling apart. Jordan kissed her tenderly then leaned her forehead against Maggie’s. “I adore you,” she whispered.

Maggie smiled. “You are a beautiful lover. That was wonderful.”

A buzzer sounded in the kitchen. Maggie looked at Jordan, her face tinged with regret. “That would be the oven timer. Sorry, baby, but if I don’t take the casserole out of the oven, we’ll be eating burnt cardboard for dinner.” Maggie stepped out of the shower and wrapped a large towel around her. She grinned at Jordan and then stood on tiptoe to place a kiss on her lips. “I’ll make it up to you tonight, lover,” she promised.

Jordan watched as Maggie spun around and left the bathroom. She then reached for her towel and completely covered her face to mute the scream of frustration she felt rise in her throat. She forced herself to take long deep breaths to calm her nerves. Finally, she realized she couldn’t spend the rest of the day in the shower. She toweled herself dry. Moments later, she donned clean clothing and sat on the edge of the bed as she combed the tangles out of her wet hair. Her mind was never far from Maggie. Jordan moaned and threw herself back onto the bed.

“Jordan, wake up. Dinner’s ready. Come on, hon, time to get up.”

Jordan fought off sleep as she forced her eyes open. “Andi?”

Andi smiled at Jordan. “I hope you’re hungry. We’ve got a tuna casserole waiting for us.”

Confused, Jordan raised herself onto her elbows and looked around. “Where’s Maggie?” she asked. Her mind felt cloudy as anxiety settled in her chest.

Andi frowned. “Maggie?”

Jordan lay flat on her back again and rubbed her eyes with the heels of the hands. Her heart was beating wildly as she remembered the passionate encounter in the shower.
Calm down, Jordan. Take a deep breath. You were obviously dreaming again.
She opened her eyes once more. Andi was still standing there, clearly confused. Jordan sought to defuse the situation by grinning broadly. “Did you say dinner was ready? I’m famished.”

Andi smiled. “Dinner is indeed ready. Kale is dishing it up right now.”

A voice boomed from the doorway. “Jordan, are you hitting on my girlfriend?”

Jordan feigned innocence. “Would I do that?”

Andi interrupted the banter. “All right, you two. Enough of that.”

Kale grinned. “Dinner’s ready. When should I bring it in?”

Andi lifted her face to Kale and accepted a quick kiss. “Right after I check the incision. Peter wanted to make sure the dressing is changed every day. Give us a couple of minutes, okay?”

Kale glanced at Jordan over Andi’s shoulder. “Hey—no fair. You wouldn’t let me look at your butt.”

“That’s because you’re not a hottie. Only hotties can look at my butt.”

“I thought you said I was cute?”

“You might be if you would learn to comb your hair.”

Andi laughed as Kale looked offended by Jordan’s comment. “We’ll be there in a minute,” she said to him again as she pushed him toward the door. When he was gone, Andi turned and grinned at Jordan. “You are so bad!”

* * *

After dinner was finished and the dishes cleared away, Kale carried Jordan to the living room and placed her on the couch in a semi-reclined position. When Jordan was settled comfortably, Kale pulled the Victorian settee closer to the couch, and Andi refilled their wine glasses.

Jordan asked about the new lab in the barn. “What does it look like?”

Kale sipped his wine. “The end of the barn that contains the machine has been finished with new synthetic wallboard, new lighting, a raised floor, and a drop ceiling. It’s pretty well-insulated to keep the equipment in a clean, stable environment. The entrance to the barn still opens into the livestock area. None of that has changed.”

Andi became animated. “Speaking of livestock, Jordan, your horses are absolutely magnificent.”

Jordan smiled. “Thanks. Do you ride?”

“I did as a child, but it’s been many years. Kale has agreed to go for a ride with me when it warms up.”

Jordan looked at Kale, shocked. “You’re going to ride? You swore you’d never get on a horse again when you stiff-legged it back to the barn after that ride with me.”

Kale shrugged. “Hard to say no to the boss,” he joked.

Andi patted his leg. “That’s right.” Jordan chuckled. “Is your project inside the new lab, too?” she asked tentatively, not sure if Andi was privy to Kale’s experiment.

“You mean the time machine?” Andi asked.

Jordan was surprised. “You told her about it?”

Kale grinned. “Actually, she guessed. Apparently, Andi has had an interest in time travel for a long time.”

Andi interrupted the conversation. “Hello, I’m in the room, you know!” She turned to Jordan, who was trying hard to hide a smile. “As a matter of fact, I’ve been studying time travel theories for quite a while. I’ve just never had the resources to build a machine of my own. I recognized what Kale’s machine was as soon as I saw it.” Andi turned to look at Kale. “I’d be happy to give you a hand with it if you’d like.”

Kale nodded. “Your degree in physics certainly won’t hurt. If you’d like to help, that would be great.”

Jordan finished her wine and placed the empty glass on the coffee table. A loud yawn escaped as she reclined once more. “Boy, who would have thought just lying around could be so tiring?”

Kale sat up. “Are you ready for bed?”

Jordan yawned again. “Yeah, I guess so.”

“All right, then.” Kale lifted her from the couch and carried her to her bedroom.

A short time later, as Jordan fought to keep her eyes open, Kale and Andi both kissed her and wished her a goodnight. By the time Kale pulled the door closed behind them, Jordan was nearly asleep.

Andi and Kale straightened up the living room and carried the wine glasses to the kitchen. As Andi loaded the last glass into the sonic cleanser, she said, “Who is Maggie?”

Kale was caught off guard. He looked around nervously. “She told you about Maggie?”

Andi leaned against the cabinet and crossed her arms over her chest. “Actually, no. When I woke her for dinner, she looked around groggily and asked where Maggie was.”

Kale frowned. “Humph. I wonder if she realizes she did that.”

“Who is she, Kale?”

Kale rested his hands on his hips and took a deep breath. “It’s complicated, and I’m not sure I understand it myself.”

“Maybe I can help you to understand.”

Kale held Andi’s gaze for several moments, unsure about whether he should share Jordan’s private world with his new love.

“Is Maggie her girlfriend?” she asked.

“Yes... and no,” Kale replied hesitantly.

Andi frowned. “Yes and no? What do you mean?”

Kale rubbed his face with both hands and sighed. “Okay. I’ll tell you about Maggie, but you have to promise not to judge Jordan. Like I said, I don’t quite understand this myself, but I’m willing to give her the benefit of a doubt. Let’s go for a walk while we talk.”

Kale slipped his jacket on and then helped Andi with her coat. Once outside, he offered his arm as they walked side by side in the brisk dusk.