Sea Panther (Crimson Storm) (24 page)

The gentle glide transformed into a frantic race. Two hearts
pounded a tattoo together. A growl erupted from deep within Robert’s chest, the
vibration making her shiver. It wasn’t the yowling of the panther but a very
human, very masculine declaration of ecstasy.

Kimberly lost all control and plunged over the precipice to
experience a bursting exhilaration greater than she could have imagined. When
she finally floated back to earth, Robert gently held her within his embrace.

“Wow,” she said when able to breath and speak again.
The
single word summed up the experience nicely
.

“Indeed.” Robert’s exhale whispered over her damp skin.

They held on to each other, even after their pulses slowed
to a normal pace. Robert didn’t seem to want to let the moment go any more than
she did.

When he did pull away, a chill teased her moist thighs
before she dropped her wrinkled skirts. With a couple of tugs, she adjusted the
bodice of the gown back into place.

Robert fiddled with the silly looking breeches, and a new
blast of lust shot through her system. He took a good look into her eyes and
stepped back. She caught the smile he tried to hide.

“We had better return to the party. They will have missed us
by now,” he said, his husky tone echoing the desire bulging against the fabric
at his groin. He pulled her tight against him and gave her a hard hug before
releasing her.

Robert cleared his throat and clasped her hand. They walked
across the lawn, swinging arms, to where Kimberly dropped the shoes.

“I must look a wreck,” she said. Hair had fallen from its pins
and she tucked a wisp behind an ear. “They’ll all know what we’ve been doing,
won’t they?”

Robert dropped her hand and slid a heavily lidded gaze the
length of her, sending a lick of desire coursing through her body yet again.
Geez. No matter how sated she was, a mere look from him made her all hot and
bothered. She fanned herself.

“You look exquisite in dishabille. But you are right, ’tis
obvious what we were doing.”

Robert leaned in and kissed her. A quick peck then he
released her. “Do you think you can sneak to your room without anyone seeing
you?”

She bit her lip. “A maid told me there is a back way.”

“Good.” Robert reached down and picked up the discarded
shoes and stockings.

“What is the meaning of this?” His Excellency, Lord
Hamilton, and Lady Anne stepped from the shadows. “Captain MacLachlan, I
expected better from you. You dishonor your clan, your father’s good name, your
position. You take advantage of my hospitality.”

“I intend to make amends.”

“Then you will wed?”

“Aye. ’Twill be my honor to wed Mistress Kimberly.” Robert
raised his chin and stared into Lord Hamilton’s hard eyes.

Kimberly had never meant… She glanced at Lady Anne, hoping
she would intervene. The woman shook her head. Crap. She’d only wanted to be
with Robert. Kimberly couldn’t let him alter the fabric of time. Endanger their
quest.

She pinched his arm. “No, Robert.”

The look he gave her made her close her mouth and swallow
hard. Hurt flickered in his eyes before all emotion disappeared. “Dinnae you
wish to marry me?”

“Yes, of course, but I thought if we married, you know…” She
pleaded with her eyes, hoping for understanding. “I always thought I would get
married at home.”

“’Twill be a long time before we can return to Scotland.”
Robert continued to play the role. “I believe Lord Hamilton suggests we marry
now to save you from ruination. And I must concur with him on the matter.”

“I demand it,” Lord Hamilton blustered. “I might not ken who
your father is, my dear, but I am sure, no matter his station, we would be in
complete agreement on this matter.”

“Oh.” She attempted to wrap her mind around the situation.
If they married here, in the past, their marriage wouldn’t be real. Maybe it
wouldn’t affect the flow of time. They would only be play-acting. Robert would
be free once they returned to the twenty-first century, if he wanted to be.
“Well, then, Captain MacLachlan, I accept your proposal.”

A secret smile played on Robert’s lips. He was probably
thinking of the wedding night. She bit her lip so she wouldn’t grin.

“Good. Good. All settled,” Lord Archibald said in a gruff
tone then turned to his wife. “Can we make arrangements for tomorrow?”

“Yes, husband.” She clapped her hands close to her chest. “I
believe we can.” A twinkle of laughter lit the woman’s dove gray eyes.

Kimberly snatched her shoes from Robert, curtsied, and fled
for her room, leaving Robert to deal with Lord and Lady Hamilton and
the
arrangements
. She briskly strode across the lawn to the manor house and
then slowed to walk along the length of the back wall. Where is it? She knew
the door the maid mentioned had to be there somewhere. She ran a hand over
smooth stone. Even though it was hard to see in the shadow from the building,
her fingers felt the change in texture indicating the wood panel.

As she found the metal door handle, she detected movement at
the edge of her peripheral vision. She twisted to look and glimpsed a man
stepping from behind a large palm tree about a hundred yards away. She froze in
place until the thought occurred to her that she was acting foolish. She sucked
in a breath and moved closer to the house, hoping to hide in the gloom.

The large man paced a short distance toward the garden at a
different place then from where she’d come from. When he stepped into the
moonlight, she choked on an intake of breath.

Holy shit. Could he be Robert’s pirate nemesis?

All she needed do was open the damn door to find safety
within the manor house, curiosity had her staying put. She shrank against the
wall when he turned. The man certainly looked like a swashbuckling pirate.
Heavy muscle flexed beneath the tight fabric of light colored breeches as he
walked. His booted stride ate the distance back to the palm, a long sword
swinging at the hip. He twisted, shifting his weight, giving a better view. He
wore an ivory shirt, open from waist to throat, beneath an elegant dark-colored
coat with huge turned back cuffs. A large gold medallion hung from a chain
around his neck. She shivered at the sight of the harsh features carved into
his face. Power and danger.

Was it a play of the moonlight or did the man have red hair
tied back with a ribbon? Robert had said LaRoux was known for the flaming color
of his hair. Without thinking, Kimberly almost stepped from the shadows, but
caught herself when a guest of the governor exited the garden and walked across
the lawn to join the stranger.

The men spoke in loud whispers, the words unclear, though it
was obvious by the emphatic gesturing the one from the party was angry. Then
the governor’s guest returned to the garden the way he’d come and disappeared
from sight.

Kimberly stared for a moment at the one who remained, but as
the moon slid behind a cloud, the manor grounds went dark. When the light
returned, the stranger was gone.

Her hand shook as she eased open the heavy wood door.
Kimberly hesitated. Was that the swish of a silk skirt? She squinted into the
gloom and shook her head. Must have been palm fronds rustling in a puff of air.
Feeling exposed, she rushed inside and slammed the panel shut. No other female
had been there; the breeze had caused the sound and it had been misinterpreted
by her imagination.

She leaned back against the closed door and inhaled a deep
breath, wishing there were a lock. Her pulse raced, as did her thoughts. What
had she seen? Should she report the meeting to someone? Maybe something illicit
was taking place.

Should she find Robert and tell him? Or should she go to her
room and forget the whole affair? She hated indecision. Kimberly pushed away
from the door and walked along the dimly lit passage toward her bedroom. The
sense of urgency faded.

She didn’t feel up to facing any of the guests’ disapproving
stares while she searched for Robert. She could tell him tomorrow. Besides they
weren’t supposed to alter history, only stop the curse. Surely, the conversation
about whatever it was she’d seen could wait until morning. She didn’t know for
sure the man was a pirate.

When she reached the bedroom, she focused her thoughts on
the mundane activity of undressing and preparing for bed with the help of a
maid. The young woman gave Kimberly shrewd glances and complained at length
about the crumpled and soiled condition of the borrowed gown.

Fearing her cheeks were scarlet, Kimberly slid between the
bed sheets. The maid continued to grumble under her breath as she straightened
the room. The glare the girl gave the stained gown before leaving had Kimberly
biting her lip to keep from laughing.

Kimberly burrowed deeper into the soft mattress. It didn’t
take long for thoughts to return to what she’d seen in the moonlight. Had the
purpose of the clandestine meeting between the two men been criminal? Had she
seen a pirate? More specifically, LaRoux?

She punched the pillow to plump the down filling. She’d tell
Robert first thing in the morning. With a twist, she rolled onto her belly and
sought sleep, but she stayed awake for hours, tossing and turning, and worrying
about tomorrow and the wedding.

T
he bright
tropical sun glared over the gathering from a clear cerulean sky and a constant
ocean breeze rustled nearby palm fronds. Kimberly startled when someone coughed
and she returned her attention to the clergyman.

“Captain Robert Iain MacLachlan of Strathlachlan, son of
Archibald, fifteenth Chief of Clan MacLachlan, and brother to Lachlan
MacLachlan, sixteenth Chief of Clan MacLachlan, wilt thou have this woman to be
thy wedded wife to live…”

Lack of sleep made Kimberly’s mind fuzzy. She clutched and
released the peachy-pink fabric of the overskirt to her wedding gown. Words
blurred in her mind and a tremor whisked down her spine.

Robert clasped her hand and gave the moist fingers a gentle
squeeze. His touch soothed. She remembered to breathe and inhaled a deep
breath. The sweet scent from the flowers woven through her hair tickled her
nose and she sniffed back a sneeze.

The lanky clergyman’s somber eyes peered from over the pages
of the prayer book, and the man frowned, though he continued to speak the words
without missing a syllable, “…as you both shall live.”

“I will.” Robert inclined his head.

Kimberly tilted her neck and stole a long look at him from
the side. God, he was magnificent. He wore a cottony ivory shirt under a great
kilt of red and green plaid. Muscular calves wrapped in fawn leather below the
hem, broad chest and wide shoulders above. The ornately handled knife in the
sheath tucked into the thick belt was a bit ominous yet added to the masculine
effect. No wonder, romance authors wrote about Highlanders.

What mattered most, though, was what shone on his handsome
face—an open expression of love. Her heart did a joyous leap.

“Repeat this promise before the Almighty Father and these
witnesses: I, Robert Iain MacLachlan, take thee Kimberly…” The man’s monotone
voice went silent and he looked at Robert in confusion.

Robert cupped a hand to his mouth and leaned forward to
whisper.

The clergyman cleared his throat, making an abrupt sound.
“Highly irregular,” he glanced at Lord Hamilton—lord and lady stood as
witnesses—his lordship nodded, “yet I will proceed.”

Although the preacher continued, his shoulders sagged. “…to
be my wedded wife, to have…” His voice droned on.

When he finished, Robert repeated the words, ending with, “I
pledge thee my troth.”

Kimberly swallowed compulsively. All of a sudden, the
marriage felt way too real. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to marry Robert. She
did. It was just…she’d hoped to marry him in her own time after she’d cleared
her name.

The clergyman stared. She ventured a glance at Robert. His
intense gaze was on her too. Self-consciously, she bit her lip. He smiled encouragingly.

“Kimberly.” Again, the clergyman made an unpleasant noise in
his throat, clearly displeased he didn’t have a list of names for her. He
continued anyway, “Wilt thou have this man…”

When he finished, she said the expected, “I will.”

He spoke the words she was to repeat, and she began her vow.

Back in December, when at the B&B in Cape May, she never
imagined she’d be standing on the steps of a small, whitewashed church in 1715,
reciting wedding vows. Her voice hitched and tears threatened as she gazed into
Robert’s cinnamon eyes, full of longing.

“…and thereto I give thee my troth,” she finished, meaning
every word.

The clergyman laid aside the prayer book, picked up a silver
tray containing two gold rings encircled with Celtic etchings, and held the
plate out to Robert.

Robert picked up the smallest, stepped and turned to face
Kimberly fully. “With this ring I thee wed, with my body I thee worship, with
all my worldly goods I thee endow.”

A thrill raced through her, and she picked up Robert’s ring.
When she placed the gold band on his finger, she said, “With this ring I thee
wed, with my body I thee worship, with my heart I thee love.”

The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end and she felt
as if she’d received a blessing from
fate
. Robert was her destiny. Now,
if only they could make things right here and return to the future.

The clergyman scowled. She ignored him and grinned at
Robert. He bent his head and kissed her deep, curling her toes in the flimsy
borrowed shoes she wore. She swayed, and he braced her with an arm to keep her
from falling. They turned in unison to face the assembled and descended the
steps.

A rag-tag group of seamen from Robert’s ship and a couple of
their host’s acquaintances offered congratulations as they passed. Lady Anne
squeezed Kimberly’s hand when she reached the bottom step. “He will keep you
safe.”

Goosebumps pricked Kimberly’s upper arms and she glanced at
Robert who stood several feet away, speaking with Lord Hamilton. Then she
smiled at Lady Anne, even though the woman’s comment was unsettling.

“I’m sure he will,” Kimberly murmured.

Over Lady Anne’s shoulder, she noticed Jane Chalmers
speaking with the man she’d seen in the garden the previous night with
the…pirate. Shit. She’d forgotten to mention the meeting to Robert. Oh well, it
would have to wait. There were too many people around now to broach the
subject.

She accepted well wishes from one of the seamen and waited
for Robert to finish his conversation. The morning ceremony might not have been
the wedding of her dreams with Sarah as the maid of honor. Nevertheless, with
Robert as the groom…well, the wedding ceremony was more special than any she
imagined. And exceedingly better than the one  planned with Jason.

Damn, she didn’t want to think of that jerk, his betrayal,
or the mess she needed to face in the twenty-first century. She wanted to
concentrate on Robert and share her happiness. Tomorrow, she could worry about
the future. About pirates, a Voodoo priestess, and an ancient vampire. About a
lying ex-fiancé, trumped up charges, and proving her innocence.

Today, she would live for the day.

Robert joined her. She raised her chin and smiled at the man
who held her heart. He lowered his head and branded her with another scorching
kiss. “I have a special surprise for you.”