Return to Me - By Morgan O'Neill Page 0,52

and kissed him with wild abandon. Nothing mattered beyond this moment, nothing.

Tugging at her clothes, freeing himself, he lifted her onto his hips. With a groan, he thrust into her as far as he could go, filling her completely, body and soul.

His mouth closed over hers, his kiss savage, demanding and relentless. She held on as he pounded her, taking her to a raw, surging precipice, the point of no return. Her body arched with an explosion of pleasure unlike anything she’d ever known.

Limp and liquid, she fell against him, just as he stiffened and groaned at his finish.

Breathing heavily, they clung to each other. A beautiful warmth surrounded Gigi, and she felt her heartbeat slow, in shared measure to his. She didn’t want to let him go.

Tears filled her eyes. This wasn’t the last time. No!

“My sweet, sweet wife,” he finally said, kissing her brow. He gently let her down and smoothed her hair.

Gigi settled her shift, then rested her head against his chest, his next words a soft rumble against her ear.

“We know better than most, that history is a vicious master. We may dare to play with it, but it will force its way toward an inevitable end. We have tried. We shall continue to try, but if we cannot change history, we must still survive it.”

She drew back and looked up at him. “Then you promise, whatever else happens, you will save yourself?”

Magnus’s face shifted away, but Gigi drew him back, demanding an answer.

“I am in no history books, so it follows that I had no lasting impact on history. I think that if I should perish in trying to save my friend, then you could come back again and — ”

“No, no! You cannot count on that!” Gigi insisted, tears falling freely. “We have no control of when we arrive, but we’ve never gone to an earlier time. You must save yourself, Magnus. You have to. I could not manage … ” She let her emotions run free and started sobbing.

Magnus rocked her, allowing her to cry. Then, as she regained control, he spoke softly, “I will come back to you, and together we will save the children. At the very least, we’ll save them.”

“I know.” She swiped at her tears. “Keep me informed as to what’s going on. Use the walkie-talkies. We’ve had these things with us for so long, we can’t forget to use them. Please, Magnus, send me a beep once in a while, just to let me know you’re all right. Two beeps if you need to tell me something. If anyone hears it, they’ll think it’s a bird … a mouse … whatever. I can always break away and find a place to talk, or find you.”

“Yes, my sweet. Promise you’ll do that, promise you’ll find me.” He pulled her close, his kisses feather soft. “I love you,” he whispered as he released her.

Before she could respond, he walked off, disappearing into deeper shadows. She heard the squeak of a door and briefly saw him backlit in the patch of light coming from the hall, but then the door shut and blackness again shrouded the courtyard — and her world.

He was gone. She leaned against the wall, the cold stone as much a shock to her senses as the wild heat she’d experienced in his arms. She could still feel the depth of his passion, his power upon her: the aching pleasure between her legs, the chafed skin on her chin. She touched her lips and felt tenderness there as well. He had taken her so completely.

This wasn’t the last time …

Tears threatened once more, a lump rising in her throat, but she forced everything back.

Gigi frowned into the darkness. No more self-pity. No more weeping and worrying. The time had come, and she had a job to do.

She headed off to find Placidia.

Chapter 16

Moving slowly to avoid unwanted attention, Eberwolf followed the bucket brigade as they reached the end of the great hall and started into a corridor. Bringing up the rear, he followed as they walked single file past the guards posted at the entrance to the royal chambers.

He kept his gaze down as he crossed over the threshold, walked through the antechamber, and into the king’s bedroom, the guards letting him pass without so much as a second glance. The women had begun taking turns pouring water into a copper bathtub. He glanced around, assuring himself no one was watching, and then assessed the room. There were