Palm up, he extended his hand. Her light touch seared him as her fingertips glided across his palm and grasped his hand. With his other hand, he placed the hat on her head. He adjusted the brim, covering her face so that only her kiss-swollen lips were viewable. They left.
Chapter Eleven
Lovemaking exhilarated Willow.
The heat of bodies joining set her aflame. Her dear friend often hinted at the wonders of married life. Anders’s presence always put Eva in good spirits. The touch of his hand made her friend blush and her face glow with excitement. Laying beneath Thor with her nails digging into his perspiration slick backside, Willow understood the fervor of the bond between a man and a woman.
The pace of Thor’s thrusts increased. His firm muscles contracted underneath her palms. The rapid strokes brought a low, tingling ache to her thighs, but the pleasure was worth the slight pain. His throbbing member pulsed inside her, sending her closer to the delirious heights of fulfillment. Another hard thrust jolted her straight to ecstasy. She soared through the ceiling high above the clouds and straight to heaven.
“Blessed be!”
Ragged breathing filled the silence as Willow slowly returned to earth. Peace and contentment enveloped them. He rolled onto his back and rose from the palate. The loss of his body heat made her shiver as cool air tickled her bare flesh. He pulled her to her feet and drew her into the bed with him, positioning her on top of him. His hands squeezed her bottom, holding her in place, and she shivered despite the warmth of his touch.
“Cold?” Heavy lidded eyes pierced her and gleamed with satisfaction. He kissed the tip of her nose and didn’t wait for her response. Grabbing the crisp cotton sheet, he pulled it over them. “Is that better?”
“It wasn’t bad before, but I imagine it wouldn’t be seemly to have my bare bottom high in the air without hide or hair of modesty.”
His finger twirled a lock of black hair before brushing it against her cheek. “You’re modest enough,” he murmured. “I had a helluva time getting you into this room with me if I recall.”
Their disagreement upon entering the guest room came to mind. Nervously, she chewed her bottom lip. “Are you sure Davis wasn’t upset when he saw us coming upstairs? I didn’t like the look on his face.”
“I think it was customary for a guest to have his . . . um, servant—”
“His slave. I do not like the word much, but that is what I am pretending to be. Your slave. You may as well call me such.”
“We’re pretending when we have an audience,” he responded gruffly. “There’s only the two of us right now. You’re not my slave, and I wouldn’t want you to be.”
“Not even in bed?”
The whale-oil burning lamp cast a faint light over the room, but it wasn’t so dim that Willow couldn’t see Thor’s face darken. He stiffened and moved from under her. Concern swept through her.
“What’s wrong?”
He sat up and put his back to her. She slid her hand across his muscled flesh. He flinched. His rejection stunned her. She dropped her hand. “Thor?”
“I thought you knew me better than that,” he muttered.
“Better than what?” She shrugged to hide her confusion. “I was teasing you.”
“It’s not funny, Willow.” He abruptly stood. The bed creaked upon the loss of his weight. His fingers fumbled with the lantern, filling the room with light and then dimming the flame. “I wouldn’t force a woman into my bed. I wouldn’t make her submit to me for any reason.”
She slid across the bed and stood just behind him. The desire to run her hands over his hard back and broad shoulders was a strong temptation. Fear that he would flinch again compelled her to keep her hands at her sides. “I know you’re an honorable man.”
“I don’t feel honorable,” he grunted. He stopped adjusting the lamp’s glow to face her. His mouth twisted, and his brow furrowed. He avoided her gaze and took her hands. “Making love with you was wrong.”
“Why? Because of amalgamation?”
“What?”
“Because I’m not white and you are,” she explained. “Your honor has been compromised because you bedded me.”
“My honor has been compromised because I let the wrong head guide me!” His features darkened with disgust. “I wanted you and seduced you even though I knew it was wrong. Hell, to make matters worse, I did it twice! The first time could be written off as plain stupidity, but this second time . . . That’s just recklessness that neither of us can afford, especially you.”
“Why especially me?”
He pressed his hand against the flat plane of her lower belly. “A life could be forming there as we speak. A helpless baby could be trapped in a cruel world.”
“My baby wouldn’t be helpless. I would protect my child from this cruel world and teach it like the Browns taught me.” She jerked away from him and sat on the bed. “I would love my baby, and I wouldn’t expect anything from you.”
“Well, you should, dammit!” He dropped onto the bed beside her.
Her bottom lip trembled. Tears choked her voice. “If you d—didn’t want to raise the ch—child with me, I wouldn’t want you to . . .”
“Willow.” He grasped her chin, turning her head to look at him. “I would want nothing more than to raise our child with you. I would move heaven and earth to do it. In fact…,If I knew how to return to the twentieth century, would you join me? I want to take you with me and not look back.”
He wants me with him.
Air lodged in her throat. Her heart swelled, and the tears dried. Endless possibilities swept through her mind. His view of the world filled her with hope for a better future. What if everyone was as open minded as him? How wonderful and perfect would a world like that be? Her thoughts returned to the present. Running away was not an option right now. She had obligations and a serious responsibility to reunite three homeless children with their father.
“What about Big Nat?”
“We’ll finish what we started with him and get him back with his kids,” he said, “and then it would be you and me, lady, in 1985.”
“How?” The question had been on the edge of her thoughts since the moment of his invitation. “Do you know how to return to nineteen hundred and eighty-five?”
He stood and padded across the floor to the wardrobe where he removed the suit jacket. “I’m not sure, but maybe this is it.” The garment lay across his arms like a treasured heirloom. When he returned to the bed, he reached inside the interior pocket. “My father gave this watch to me the night before I woke up in 1860. Pop said that Anders found the timekeeper, and it brought him good luck. Cal and I had never seen the timepiece before Pop gave it to me.”
Willow took her spectacles from the other pocket of Thor’s jacket. After she adjusted the wire-rimmed frames on the bridge of her nose, she reached for the timepiece. The gold covering, intricate design and poetic inscription took her breath away. The beautiful artistry revealed a dedicated person. Light reflected off the covering in a peaceful, yet energetic glow. If this watch held the secrets of time travel, the knowledge would not come as a surprise.
“Love lasts forever,” she whispered. “Beautiful.” Wonder coursed through her just from holding the watch. Reading the inscription aloud only intensified the sensation. She felt his gaze on her. With a moment’s hesitation, she handed the watch back. “How does it work?”
“What do you mean? Can you read a watch to tell time?”
She nodded. “Miss Olivia taught me. I meant how did the watch send you through time? Did Anders tell you how to make it work?”
His forefinger dipped and curved around the words. “Anders doesn’t know. He found it in the woods. I don’t know how it works or even if it’s what brought me here.”
The Bible warned that magic was the work of the devil. Was that always true? Mystical forces brought Thor Magnusen to her world. He was a good, kind man, too compassionate to be capable of evil. But that timepiece. . . as easy as drawing water from a creek, the watch brought Thor to her, and it could just as easily take him away. A bucket of dread poured over her. She shuddered.
His large hand closed around her shoulder. “I’ll figure out how it works, and when I do, I want you to come with me.”
“Would I fit in your time?” Her uncertainty about the watch’s powers made her uneasy. Yet, Thor’s invitation piqued her interest in his world, and knowing that he wanted her to return with him only fueled her curiosity all the more.
“Nineteen eighty-five is nothing like 1860.” He curved his arm around her shoulder and pressed her close to his side. “I have no doubts about you, Miss Willow Elkridge. You would have no problems fitting in. You’re so smart and inquisitive. There would be no roadblocks in your way. Nothing would stop you from being whatever you wanted to be or doing whatever you wanted to do.” He tilted her chin until their gazes met. “If you could do whatever you wanted, what would you do?”
“I don’t know. I suppose I would go to Oberlin College. It doesn’t matter if you’re Negro or white, or male or female. What about you? What are your dreams, Thor?”
A series of white lines suddenly stretched from his mouth. “My dreams aren’t important anymore.”
“It’s important to have dreams.”
“I’m learning that there are other things more important than dreams.” He brushed wispy strands of hair from her face. “You’re more important than any dream I’ve ever had. If I could figure this time travel thing out, would you come back with me? I mean it, Willow. Would you?”
Words failed her. A world without Thor saddened her, yet she could not imagine leaving the Browns or her dear friend, Eva. Besides, what would she know about nineteen hundred and eighty-five? Living in 1860 was difficult enough. He said she would fit in, but what if he said that to appease her?
She pulled away from him, straightened her back, and hugged her knees to her chest. “I have to see Big Nat safe with his children.”
“And after he is, will you answer my question then?”
“Can’t you stay here?” Her breath locked in her chest. Waiting for his response seemed to take forever.
He shifted on the bed until he sat up straight beside her. His legs crossed and he laced his hands together. “We couldn’t be together here, at least not safely. I have a family waiting for me. A brother and a father who are probably worried sick. I couldn’t just leave them.”
“I understand.”
“No, you don’t.” He took her hand and wrapped both of his around it. His warmth spread through her from head to toe. “If there was a way I could let them know I was okay, I’d feel better about staying here. However, the most important thing that sticks in my head is you.
“We can’t be together like this without fear or censure. I really don’t give a damn what others think of me. I never have, but I do care about your safety. Being together in this time period just isn’t safe, and I don’t want to be here if I can’t be with you.”
He raised her hand to his mouth. His lips kissed each fingertip. “Think about it, Willow. You’ll have your choice of colleges and not have to limit yourself to just one. Freedom you’ve never imagined is waiting for you. Besides, this could be your destiny.”
“My destiny?” She smiled at the twinkle dancing in his eyes. “What do you mean?”
“Returning to 1985 with me could be the reason why I’m here. I’ve already saved your life once. Maybe I’m supposed to take you back with me.”
“But you’re not sure if the watch brought you here or why. How can you be sure my destiny is to return with you?”
“Gut instinct,” he said softly. “It feels right when I say it.”
“Would you mind if I asked you a question?”
“I’m an open book.” He fell back against the pillows and spread his arms. A sensuous flame sparked in his eyes. “You can read me to your heart’s content.”
Heat flooded her cheeks. His bold, flirtatious manner made her giggle. The laughter only lasted for a short moment. Her question held no mirth. She pointed to the thin, white scar on his right collarbone. Lightly, she pressed her fingertip against the healed wound. His body jerked upon contact, and then he grew still. His eyes became dark and haunted.
“What happened to you?”
“My collarbone was broken.”
“I thought as much,” she murmured. Her fingers traced the outline of the scar, carefully so as not to cause distress. “How did it happen? Were you in an accident, or did someone do that to you?”
His mouth tightened into a thin line. “Does it matter?”
“It doesn’t matter, but you should have warned me that some chapters were sealed shut.”
“It’s not that,” he said quietly. “You can ask me anything. It’s just that…well, it’s just a scar. I was working and it got broken.”
“I never considered what you did for a living,” she said with a smile. “What is your trade? Are you a carpenter like Mr. Anders?”
“I built my house, but no, I’m not a carpenter; at least not a professional one. I don’t have a specific trade anymore, but once upon a time, I was a quarterback for the NFL.”
This sounded interesting! All sorts of images flashed through her mind, but none of them stayed for very long. She couldn’t really imagine what a quarterback was or what the NFL did.
“I don’t understand. Could you tell me? Would knowing change things?”