Evolving Man, page 6
Zach was probably a head taller than the time-traveler, but Gareth was bulky with muscle and outweighed him by a good forty pounds. Besides which, Zach had never been in a fight in his entire life unless one included getting beaten up on the playground a few times in elementary school. “I don’t know,” he answered the unintelligible question. He struggled to raise his hands to show his surrender, but they were trapped against the wall by Gareth’s torso. “Let me down.”
Slowly Gareth released his hold, letting Zach slide down the wall until he was on his feet again. The warrior backed off a step, taking his arm away, but clearly ready to apply pressure again if he made any sudden moves.
Rubbing his throat, Zach coughed and drew in a deep breath of air, smelling the musky odor of sex emanating from the man. Adrenaline coursing through his body left it shaky and at the same time perversely horny as he remembered the erotic sounds that had drifted up through the grate.
Just then, a woman with tangled, red hair burst out of the door next to the bathroom. She was wrapped in a sheet and, Zach deduced from her naked shoulders, nothing else. When she saw him, she froze. “Oh my God, who are you?”
“Lila’s friend, Zach. She called me to come help with your situation here.” Zach nodded at Gareth. “You must be Chrissy.”
Lila clattered down the stairs from the third floor and flipped on the hall light making all of them wince and squint. “What’s going on? What happened?”
“Your barbarian just tried to kill me,” Zach snapped, feeling unaccountably irritated with Lila. She was looking at him as if he’d done something wrong.
“Mecklin,” Gareth snarled, taking a menacing step toward him.
“Whatever, dude.” Zach straightened to his full height and tried not to look intimidated.
Chrissy approached Zach. “Are you all right? I’m so sorry about that,” she said as though her dog had escaped its leash and attacked a neighbor.
Gareth stepped between them, turning to the half-clothed woman and gesturing toward the bedroom. “Friste enlar,” he ordered.
“Don’t tell me what to do!” Chrissy frowned.
“Everybody calm down.” Lila approached the trio and spoke to Zach. “Gareth doesn’t know any better. He probably thought you were an intruder. Why don’t you go back upstairs? Chrissy, get your caveman boyfriend under control. Make him wear his translator, for God’s sake, so he knows what’s going on. I know sex is the universal language, but don’t be ridiculous.”
“That’s love,” Zach corrected. “Love is the universal language.”
Lila glared at him. “Whatever!” She turned her attention to Gareth. “And you…chill out. We’re doing everything we can to get you back home again, all right?”
Gareth frowned. “Zgradia.”
Lila sighed and shook her head. “Never mind. Just get him back to bed, Chrissy.”
“Chrissy, ain.” Gareth declared.
“No, I’m not yours,” she protested and turned beseechingly to Lila. “He thinks we’re wed now or something. What am I going to do?”
“Shoulda thought of that before you let him in your pants,” Lila snapped unsympathetically. “Get the damn translator back on and explain that you’re not.”
Zach turned to head upstairs then realized he’d never had the chance to pee, and needed to more than ever after his alarming experience. “Hey. I’ll catch up with you. I’ve gotta…” He nodded toward the bathroom. He didn’t take his eyes off Gareth as he walked cautiously past him.
The warrior met his gaze. “Lila, tura?” Gareth gestured back and forth between Lila and Zach. “Tura?” he repeated with a questioning lift of his eyebrows.
“No, man, she’s definitely not mine.” Zach walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind him.
Lila retreated back upstairs, ridiculously flustered by Gareth’s assumption that she and Zach were an item. Why in the world did it bother her so much? Maybe because the idea wasn’t completely unwelcome. Throughout the evening she’d found her computer buddy sexier than she wanted to. Zach might not have a testosterone-fueled physique, but she could imagine that long, lean body wrapped around her. His face was attractive in a genial, boy-next-door kind of way. And his eyes…were riveting. They were the fresh green of new leaves and fringed by thick, brown lashes that would feel incredible batting against a person’s skin in a butterfly kiss.
“Shut up,” Lila murmured to her libido. She sat down at her laptop, called up the site from which she ordered components and began placing her order. By the time she’d chosen Fed-Ex twenty-four hour delivery and snapped her notebook closed, Zach was back. Lila spun around on her chair to face him. “Hey, sorry about you getting attacked.”
He shrugged. “It’s okay. No harm done.”
“I don’t think Gareth’s dangerous. You just startled him.”
“I know. And threatened his woman.” He gave a lopsided smile and leaned against the desk next to her, his long legs crossed before him. “When I got done peeing my pants about being choked and actually processed the fact the man is from the past… I mean, wow, time travel! I can hardly believe it. And those translating devices? Absolute genius! How did you come up with them?”
“Something you said during in one of our chats. Trying to translate language word for word makes zero sense, but transmitting a visual concept from one brain to another—that’s logical. It was actually easier to make than you would expect.” Lila proceeded to explain the process.
Zach nodded, perfectly in sync with her idea. He punctuated her words with “Of course” and “Absolutely.” And when she was finished, he exclaimed, “Genius!” again.
His appreciative reaction warmed and pleased her. She’d kept her work to herself for so long it felt wonderful to share everything with someone who understood. “Well.” She stood. “We should get some rest.”
“Oh…yeah… I should probably get going.” Pushing off the desk, he straightened and glanced past her toward the door.
“Or you could rest here. I don’t want you driving home and falling asleep at the wheel.” Lila flushed. “Unless there’s something you have to do tomorrow, you could hang around until the parts come in and…”
“I’d love to help. Not that I did much tonight.”
“Yes, you did.” She impulsively took his hand. “Just having you here was a big help. I felt so overwhelmed and when you arrived you gave me a fresh burst of confidence. I couldn’t have made it through tonight without you. Thanks.”
He smiled. The dimples flashed.
Her heart flipped. She cleared her throat and let go of his warm hand. “I’ll make a pallet on the floor here if that’s okay. Unless…maybe you’d rather sleep down on the couch. I don’t think you have anything to worry about from Gareth.”
“No,” Zach said quickly. “Here’s fine.”
“All right then.”
After using the bathroom and getting a pile of cushions, blankets and pillows, Lila climbed the stairs to her attic room once more. She was exhausted. It felt like this had been the longest day of her life and when she checked her watch she realized that was because it was the next morning. Four-thirty.
“I hope you’ll be comfortable,” she said as she arranged the cushions for Zach and covered them with linens and blankets. “Sorry we don’t have any sleeping bags.”
“It’s great,” he said.
Lila straightened and froze for a second.
Zach had taken off his flannel shirt and was wearing only his T-shirt. The biceps it revealed were much more sculpted than Lila had expected—not beefy, but sinewy. His jeans hung low on his narrow hips, revealing an inch of white underwear. When Zach lifted his arms to stretch and yawn, Lila glimpsed flat stomach and a trail of hair leading from his navel down to the fly of his pants. His body was long, lean and graceful…not gawky after all.
He glanced at her and caught her staring at his torso.
Lila quickly turned away and walked toward her dresser. It was a pain to have her workplace and bedroom all in one space, making it hard to sleep sometimes when her brain was really revved up over a new idea. But she’d learned to separate work and relaxation and the bedroom half of the open loft reflected her traditional tastes. The piece of carpet she’d placed to delineate the area was a deep royal blue. The furniture was a mix of periods, but all antiques. She’d lovingly shoved the heavy bureau and pieces of bed up two flights of stairs much to the moaning dismay of her helpers, Chrissy and Taylor. The bed was covered with a colorful wedding ring quilt, the showpiece of her little room.
“Could you, um, look the other way for a minute?” she asked Zach.
He obliged.
She took a good look at his blue jeans-clad ass and the long line of his back then stripped and pulled on a tank top and sweatpants. “Okay.” She walked past Zach to turn off the light and felt his eyes watching her in her skimpy top and loose pants. At least, she thought he was looking, but when she glanced over her shoulder, he was pulling back the covers of his makeshift bed to lie down. She must be transferring her own fevered longings onto him.
Lila turned off the light then re-crossed the room and climbed into bed. Her pulse and her mind raced a mile a minute both from the day’s stress and from having Zach lying on her floor. She didn’t think she’d ever be able to sleep. She rolled over with her back toward him. “‘Night.”
“Goodnight.” His low, disembodied voice drifted through the dark room.
It made her feel warm and safe. Actually more hot than warm and more aroused than safe, but close enough. Despite her doubts and worries, she fell asleep in only a few minutes.
Chapter Four
Chrissy woke from a dream in which she was wrapped in the embrace of a giant black bear. Her eyes flew open, but the snuffling breathing in her ear didn’t stop, the big arms clasping her didn’t disappear and the tickling fur against her shoulder kept on tickling.
Gareth’s face was nestled into the curve of the back of her neck. His muscular arm draped over her body and his naked leg wrapped possessively around hers. His morning erection pressed between her ass cheeks. Good God, the man had stamina. She wouldn’t have imagined he was capable of another hard-on after last night.
Last night. She winced and sucked in a breath through her teeth. Had she really done all that? And why? Oh right, because it felt so damn good at the time. Seriously, what had she been thinking having sex—repeatedly—with this primitive man? It was so wrong and could lead nowhere. But although she and Gareth could barely communicate, Chrissy had felt more of a connection with him than with any of the guys she’d ever dated, which was frightening. Inexplicable and frightening.
He moaned and murmured something then rolled away from her, releasing her from the grip of his heavy arm.
She crept out of the warm bed and stood beside it a moment looking at the ripped abs and massive biceps of the sleeping man. She gazed at his black eyelashes fanned against his cheeks, the strong jaw emphasized by the fringe of beard and generous lips accented by his moustache. Damn, Taylor had done a good barbering job. Gareth was absolutely stunning.
Tearing herself away from the memory of how that facial hair felt tickling her inner thighs, she headed for the bathroom to shower. She felt like the smell of sex was oozing out of her every pore and stood under the steaming spray for a long time. When she returned to her room, clean and moist and wrapped in a towel, Gareth was awake.
He lay on his back, arms behind his head, his nude body provocatively displayed, and grinned at her. “Barndia en hach, Chrissy?” Removing one hand from behind his head, he stroked the hard length of his cock enticingly. “Ragrarran?” He rolled his r’s in a suggestive rumble.
“Uh, no. Not again.” Chrissy forced her gaze away. His deep, cajoling voice was as seductive as his body. “I have to go… Hold on a sec.” She raised a finger before trotting out of the room. She went to Taylor’s room, glad it was empty because she didn’t want to deal with her teasing, and got the translator from the nightstand. Placing it in her ear, she returned to Gareth and motioned for him to do the same. When his translator was in place she said, “I’m going out for a run. I’ll be back soon.”
“Run?” He sat up, watching her put on her tennis shoes.
“Yeah. In the park.” Chrissy glanced at him, careful to focus on his face and not his still-straining cock.
“Why do you run?” A puzzled frown creased his forehead.
She tried to imagine how strange it would seem to someone from his time to run for no other reason than the pleasure of it. “Exercise. To keep my body fit.”
He gave her a long look from head to toe as she stood. “You are already fit. Very fit.”
“Yeah, because I run. My job doesn’t allow me much time to get outdoors and move around.”
“What is your job?” He moved to the edge of the bed, his long legs stretching to the floor.
“I work at a bank. That’s a place where people’s money is kept safe. My job is a loan officer. I decide who can borrow money from the bank.”
Gareth stared at her blankly. “Borrow money from the other people?”
Chrissy sighed. “It’s kind of complicated and I’ll explain it to you later, but right now I want to go on my run.” She gathered her hair into a ponytail and slipped an elastic band around it.
Gareth stood up. “All right. I will run with you.”
“Oh.” The last thing she wanted was Gareth’s company. She needed to get away from this man and regain some perspective, but she couldn’t find a way to tell him no. “Fine. Get dressed. I’ll wait for you down in the kitchen.” She turned to go.
“Come here first,” Gareth ordered, reaching out to her. “Come.”
She couldn’t resist his extended hand and walked over to him. He enfolded her in his hard embrace, pressing her against his over-heated body. “The sex last night was very good.” He kissed the top of her head and played with her damp ponytail. “We should have more now.”
Chrissy pushed against his chest and wriggled out of his grip. “Maybe later. Run first.” She quickly left the room.
“Good God, I’ve created a monster,” she whispered to herself as she hurried downstairs.
Taylor was in the kitchen, leaning against the counter eating a Poptart and looking at an issue of Cosmo. She looked up with a mischievous grin when Chrissy entered the room. “Hey, hellcat, I heard you going at it last night. Man, you were a wild woman. I had to take a sleeping pill and wear my Ipod headphones to get any sleep and even then I had erotic dreams all night. Do you ever have the one where a guy makes you come just by licking your toes?” She waited for Chrissy’s answer with an expectant look and when she didn’t reply, Taylor shrugged. “No? Just me then, I guess.”
“I’m sorry about…the noise.” Chrissy felt her cheeks flaming. “I didn’t mean to get so, uh, carried away.”
“It’s good for you. You should do it more often.” Taylor popped the last bit of pastry into her mouth.
Chrissy exhaled loudly. “I had no idea I was going to…I didn’t mean for this to happen. Gareth’s not like…”
“Not like what? Not like supremely hot and pumped full of juicy male hormones? I’d do him.”
“It’s almost like he’s a child in our world. I feel like I took advantage of him, like I shouldn’t be messing with someone so innocent.”
“Didn’t sound innocent to me last night. I think he handled it just fine.” She closed her magazine and tossed it on the kitchen table. “Jeez, you’re such a worrier. You and Lila. How’d I end up rooming with you two neurotic chicks?”
Chrissy listened for Gareth, then leaned forward and lowered her voice. “I think he has a crush on me. He keeps calling me ‘his’ and acting attached, like we have some kind of bond now. What should I do?”
“‘His’? Sounds sexy, very caveman-possessive.” Taylor mock-shivered and grinned. “Lucky you.”
“Stop it. It’s not funny. I think this is going to end very badly. What do you think a barbarian does when he wants something? He takes it. And what’s going to happen when he realizes he can’t have me?”
Taylor had no chance to reply before Gareth entered the room. He was dressed in the same shirt and jeans from yesterday, not really suitable clothes for a jog. “Hello, Tay-lorr,” he rumbled.
“He says, ‘hello’,” Chrissy translated since Taylor wasn’t wearing a translator.
“Yeah. Kinda got that. Look, guys, I’ve gotta split for work. I’ve got a shift today. See you later. Enjoy your run and anything else you find to do today.” She winked and bounced out of the kitchen.
“What kind of work does she do?” Gareth asked.
“Taylor is a physical therapist. Um, that’s someone who helps people recover after they’ve been sick.”
“Ah, a healer.” He nodded. “And the dark witch, Lila? What is her purpose? Why does she conjure people through time?”
“She didn’t conjure you. It’s not magic like you’re thinking. Lila is a lab technician. That’s her day job, when she’s working, but she’s really an inventor. What she used to bring you here was a machine she invented, not magic.”
“What about her lover? What does he do?”
“Lover?” For a moment Chrissy was at a loss. “Oh, Zach. He’s one of her online friends. She called him to come and help with the time machine.” Reminding Gareth he was stranded here didn’t seem like a good idea. “Look, we can talk later, but first—”
“We run,” he supplied.
“Yes.”
The sun burned down hot, making Gareth’s shirt stick between his shoulder blades as he jogged alongside Chrissy. He glanced over at her tits bouncing up and down slightly in the halter contraption that held them in place. It was an ingenious device. He imagined it kept a woman’s breasts high and firm long after her youth. Perhaps when he returned home with Chrissy she could show the other women in the village how to sew something like that.
He looked around at the tall trees, green grass and colorful flower beds in the park. It was hard to believe how bereft he’d felt here yesterday. With Chrissy running by his side, the park seemed a beautiful place. He hoped she would be happy living with him. She would have to be, because, after last night, he was not going to let her go.
