Edge of Time (Langston Brothers Series) Read online

  The older woman let out a long breath and her pale eyes clouded as though she had drifted faraway. “Oh, Marissa. I’m afraid that it is not a question I can fully answer for you. I didn’t tell Jim until after we’d been married for almost 17 years. I was always afraid he wouldn’t believe me or, like you said, think me mad.”

  “But didn’t you feel as though you were being dishonest? Lying to him?”

  Again Genie cocked her head, thoughtful. “No.” She shook her head. “No I never did feel that I was lying. I told him about my family. Memories from my past, I just omitted details that would have put me through the door of an asylum.” Pain clouded her pale eyes as she continued. “I told him a couple of years before the war started. I was hoping to get an early start on convincing him not to join the military.” A wan smile crossed her lips. “I should have known better. He was a proud southerner. It took a long time for him to believe what I was telling him, if he ever really did, despite the future artifacts I showed him, but in the end it didn’t matter what I knew or what I told him. He refused to accept that the south had lost and, in the end, he died anyway.”

  Without a word Marissa stretched a hand out to cover that of her friends.

  After a moment Genie’s face brightened with a dazzling smile. “Enough of this depressing talk.” She squeezed Marissa’s hand. “There is a wedding in our very near future and we still need to find you something to wear to the engagement party.” The wedding was scheduled for the following Sunday and while Craig would have marched her straight to the nearest justice of the peace his grandmother had insisted on a proper church wedding and at least one week to prepare.

  With her wedding only a week away Marissa couldn’t help but think of how drastically her life had changed. What if she had actually married Brian? Would she have been thrown back in time regardless and still met Craig, her soul mate? The thought of Craig as her soul mate put a smile in her face. What she felt for Craig surpassed any measure of love she had ever dreamed possible and now she was forced to realize that Brian had probably never truly loved her. For that matter, had she ever really loved Brian?

  Rifling through the third trunk in the space of an hour, Genie finally pulled a simple but elegant creamy gown from a trunk. “What about this?” The gown was champagne in color, the arms would be left bare, with only thick satin straps to cover the shoulders, the neckline was modest with just a splashing of lace and the skirt fit snuggly against the hips before flaring just above the thighs.

  “It’s perfect,” Marissa grinned reaching for the satin dress. “Now we have to decide what to do with my hair.”

  * * *

  Floating on air—or so it seemed, Marissa descended the stairs the evening of their hastily arranged engagement party. Craig waited at the bottom, looking particularly dashing in his sharp dress uniform complete with red sash and intricately handled saber. His sandy blond hair was combed neatly beneath his cap and the handsome angles of his face were clean shaven. His wonderful eyes assessed her and her cheeks grew hot at his perusal.

  “You are beautiful, Marissa.” Craig bent to kiss her cheek and ran a hand through the silken length of her hair that draped unbound over her shoulders. “You’re certain I can’t convince you to elope?”

  Marissa bit back a smile and shook her head.

  “Pity.” Craig clapped a hand to his chest, feigning a dire wound.

  Marissa laughed, stopping two steps from the bottom so that she’d be as tall as he. She reached for his hand, pulling him to her for a kiss. “Only six more days to wait.”

  He sighed. “Ah, yes, six days… More like six eternities.” He took her hand and she descended the last two steps. He tucked her hand into his arm. “Shall we be off then?”

  Forty minutes later Craig escorted her into the impressive plantation house owned by his family. She recognized the mansion from her own time and knew it was one of few such buildings to be spared by Yankee invaders. “This place is magnificent,” she murmured in awe. “You grew up here?”

  “Yes. Now my grandmother, my mother’s mother, lives here with a few servants and when my father isn’t in Virginia serving as a presidential aide, he lives here with my two younger brothers.” As if on cue a huge golden lab lumbered happily across the yard toward Craig. “Hey boy, oh no, down! Down!”

  Craig held his arms up to shield himself from the massive paws of the hulking animal. Planting a slobbery tongue across Craig’s cheek the beast sat back on his haunches looking markedly pleased with himself. Wiping a hand across his drool slimed cheek, Craig snorted in disgust. “Damn dog.” He gestured between the dog and Marissa. “This beast is Jake. Jake, this is Marissa, but you are not permitted to jump and slobber all over her. Understand?”

  Laughing, she leaned down to scratch the ears of what was undoubtedly the biggest Labrador she had ever seen. “Isn’t your brother named Jake?”

  “Yes,” Craig drawled casually. “There is a pretty good story behind that.”

  “Would you care to share it with me?” Marissa grinned, enjoying the pleasant interlude before she was shoved front and center into the festivities. This was a moment with Craig, one she would cherish, one that would appear ordinary in any age.

  “Five or six years ago, my brother Jake found this puppy down by the river and brought it home. My pa has a pretty soft heart when it comes to animals and as you can see we kept him. At first we named him Howler but no matter what we did we couldn’t get the dog to answer to his name.”

  Absently he stretched a hand down to rub the dog’s ears. “So anyway, Jake and the dog were absolutely inseparable and after a while we started to realize that every time we called for Jake the dog would come running. One day my father had some really important men coming for dinner to discuss plantation business and somehow the entire venison roast, um, disappeared and Pa had nothing to serve his guests for dinner. Pa knew who to blame for the missing roast and was so mad he hollered for Jake, who was supposed to be responsible for his pet. My brother, who was about sixteen, came flying down the stairs looking guilty as sin. The dog came galloping in from outside as well. Even with meat juice all over his chops he didn’t look guilty at all. Ever since then we’ve just called the dog Jake, too.”

  Marissa’s lighthearted laughter warmed his heart. “Where are your brothers now? Have you heard from them recently?” Craig rarely talked about his brothers and Marissa seized the opportunity to learn more about them.

  “As you know, Curtis was reported missing a few months ago, but the other two are somewhere in Northern Virginia. I haven’t seen or heard from them since I was reassigned to Charleston.” Craig’s drawl thickened. “Let’s not talk about the war tonight.” He smiled down at her. “I want to think about my beautiful bride and the wonderful future we are going to have together.”

  The evening was a whirlwind as Marissa was introduced to age-old friends of the family and accepted their good wishes with Craig. As the evening progressed, however, it became painfully obvious that in light of the vicious rumors which had been circulating, a fair percentage of Charleston’s “society” believed the good Captain Doctor Langston must be marrying as a matter of honor after having “gotten the girl in trouble.” After all, war or no war, this was planned to be an indecently short engagement.

  Gotten the girl in trouble. Marissa heard that particular phrase muttered more times than she cared to count over the course of the evening and the scrutiny piqued her ire to no small degree. She came from a world with very different standards. On more than one occasion she physically bit back retorts to some snide comment or another. Fortunately, Craig never left her side and he gave no cause for anyone to believe he was less than enamored of her—or she of him.

  At long last the party came to a close. She and Craig bid the last of the well-wishers goodbye and left his grandmother in the sitting room. Alone in the front hall Marissa sagged against his chest. “I have n
ever been much of a social butterfly and after tonight I am exhausted! Thank goodness I don’t have to be at work tomorrow.”

  “You may not be accustomed to acting as a ‘social butterfly’,” Craig said with a grin. “But no one would have guessed it. You’re every inch the gracious lady, my love.” Craig touched his lips to her hair and breathed deeply. “You always smell of roses.”

  “Well it’s a good thing the party ended when it did because I was going to punch the next person who intently scrutinized my waistline.”

  Craig threw his heart back in hearty laughter. “I have no doubt that you would have made good on your threat. Your feistiness is only one of the things I love about you.” He looked down at her for a long moment, pulling down one of her manicured curls. He released the hair and it sprung back into place. “I suppose I must take you home now.” The gleam in his eye told her it was the last thing he wanted to do and it made her blood run hot.

  “I suppose.”

  * * *

  Craig handed her up into the cart he would use to deliver her to Carolyn’s house and settled himself in the seat beside her. The stars twinkled in the late night sky and the air had a bite to it that hinted of autumn. To guard against the chill Marissa pulled a pale blue woolen shawl more tightly around her shoulders and leaned into Craig. “I wish we were married now,” she whispered, her voice soft and wistful.

  Craig’s entire body tightened at her words. He was more than ready to have her properly wedded and in his bed. If not for having promised his grandmother the social event of a church wedding, he would have spoken the vows already. “We could go get married right now,” he said, looking down at her mischievously. “I don’t think I can wait another week to have you again.”

  “Your grandmother will be devastated if we don’t wait. She wants to see you married in a church. If it weren’t for the war, I think she’d have insisted on a longer engagement so she and Genie could properly prepare for a huge wedding.”

  Craig’s broad shoulders lifted indifferently. “So we won’t tell my grandmother or anyone else. We’ll get married tonight, keep it a secret, and then have a big wedding next Sunday.”

  She turned teasingly accusing eyes to him and opened her mouth, likely to protest further, but… she hesitated, lending a bit of foolish hope that she might accept his proposition. “What is it going to be?” he asked softly. The carriage approached a crossroads, he slowed the horse slightly. “Your cousin’s house or the justice of the peace?” Bathed in the silvery moonlight, Craig knew she had never looked more beautiful than in that moment. The love he felt for her was the most intense emotion he had ever known. He needed her. She was more important to him than food or air. “Marry me tonight?” His voice was soft, pleading.

  Marissa turned sparkling eyes to him. “Yes. Although I don’t think the judge will be very happy about us waking him up this time of night.

  “He’s not asleep.”

  “How could you possibly know that?”

  “Because Judge Peterson left our engagement party all of five minutes before we did.”

  * * *

  “Welcome home, wife.”

  Beneath the blanket of twinkling starlight Craig opened the door of his—their—townhouse and swept Marissa up into his arms, carrying her ceremoniously over the threshold.

  Marissa giggled, curling her arms around his neck, unable to slow the rapid tripping of her heart. The mere thought of an entire night in wedded bliss with Craig, a night with no guilt or rushing, thrilled her. “What about the servants? Are they here?”

  “No. It’s just us.” He kicked the door shut, nipping teasingly at her ear. “They only work here during the day, but if you like I will hire some to stay around the clock.”

  Marissa shook her head, threading her fingers through the hair at his nape, brushing the tip of her nose against his. “No, I would prefer to have the house to ourselves at night.”

  “Mrs. Langston,” his lips covered hers for a dizzying moment, “I couldn’t agree with you more.”

  Mrs. Langston. Mentally Marissa savored the words Mrs. Langston—there was something erotic about the way he said it. Mrs.? Erotic? Who’d ever believe she’d think so?

  In record time Craig mounted the stairs, sweeping her into the bedchamber. Marissa laughed as he tossed her playfully onto the thick feather mattress. She rolled to her back, wrapping her arms around his powerful shoulders as he leaned over her reclining form. With a self-assured grin he caught her lips in a long, savoring kiss that left Marissa disconcerted and breathless. Without warning he stood up and backed away, leaving her utterly bereft. She reached for him, but he caught her wrists, preventing her from pulling him back.

  Marissa sat on the mattress, watching in eager anticipation as her new husband tugged the gold buttons at his throat loose and dropped the heavy uniform tunic to the floor. Blood roared deafeningly in her ears and she rose up on her knees, watching him quickly unfastened the white shirt still covering his strong, swarthy chest. His suspenders hung in twin loops down beside his thighs.

  He closed the distance between them and reached for her, drawing her to the edge of the bed until her breasts brushed the hard expanse of his chest. Electric shivers shot up her spine as he cupped her face between his palms, smoothing his thumbs across her cheeks and jaw, breezing them softly down her throat to the edge of her bodice. It was sweetest kind of torture as he held her on the precipice, her entire body tingling and straining, reaching, for him with every inch of her heart and soul.

  Marissa reached behind her back, deftly unclasping the round pearl buttons holding her gown in place. Craig’s broad hands peeled the champagne fabric from her shoulders, revealing the thin cotton chemise beneath. Their eyes locked and he slowly he bent down to sweetly capture her lips. Their mouths danced erotically as he deftly peeled the remaining layers from her creamy skin. He pressed her back onto the bed and slipped off his trousers and under drawers, leaving them in a heap on the floor. Marissa shivered as he settled against her, skin on skin. His tongue traced an invisible line down the gentle slope of her throat. And she trembled. This was better than anything she could have possibly imagined.

  “I love you,” she whispered softly.

  * * *

  “I know.” Settling more fully on top of her Craig could hardly believe the goddess before him was his wife. Her hair spilled over the pillows in rivers of molten butter and her skin glowed like a magnolia in what meager light the moon lent. He roamed every inch of her body with his hands and lips, learning, exploring, until every last curve and crevice was embedded in his memory. Marissa trembled beneath his gentle caresses, answering his every stroke by tracing his body with her soft hands until he fairly vibrated with wanting more.

  “I can’t take this anymore,” she groaned, wiggling beneath them until her hips nestled flawlessly beneath his. He grinned against her throat, slowly tracing the curve of her thigh with his palm. “Don’t make me wait,” she gasped.

  “Your wish is my command, wife.” He needed no further urging and positioned himself above her, more than ready to plunge into her heat. To hell with slow. He needed her now. Fast and hard.

  “Oh, yes!” Marissa cried out when he entered her, and it was near to his undoing. The shudder that coursed from her body and into his was a sensual experience he would remember for the rest of his life. Never had he realized that this act of joining two souls as husband and wife through a love and devotion and mutual giving and taking of pleasure could usher forth a fulfillment that only those truly in love could appreciate… encompass… achieve...

  If Craig had believed he understood love before making love to a woman who’d promised herself body and soul to him and no other, he was mistaken.

  In the early hours of the morning he collapsed on top of her, breathing deep the scent of rosewater that seemed ever-present in her hair, and enjoying the slick of their damp s
kin pressed intimately together.

  “You’re amazing,” he murmured, raising her hand to press a soft kiss upon the palm.

  Marissa smiled with satiated contentment. “You’re not so bad yourself,” she teased, rising on an elbow she pressed a loving kiss to his forehead. She gazed into his eyes she sighed wistfully. “I suppose I should get back to Carolyn’s before the entire town realizes I’ve spent the night here.”

  Craig flopped onto the pillows with a discontented groan. “No.” Rolling to face her he dropped his head onto his hand, watching as she rose from their bed. “Stay. Let us scandalize the entire town.” He grinned mischievously.

  “Getting married early is supposed to be a secret,” she reminded him, fumbling with her under garments. Dragging fingers through her long hair in an attempt to reassemble some form of order, she turned back to face him.

  Craig’s mouth physically dropped. She looked glorious standing in the pale moonlight with her magnificent curves scarcely concealed by the soft fabric of the chemise. Pale hair swirled erratically about her head, and she appeared mouthwateringly wanton. Reaching out he snared her about the waist, pulling her back into bed. “I don’t care if it’s a secret or not. You are my wife and I want to spend the night with you in our house in our bed.” He rolled on top of her pinning her arms above her head.

  “Craig, let me go.” She laughed, squirming playfully beneath him, but she did not resist when he bent to kiss her. She parted her lips, deepening the exchange. He loosened his grip on her arms, more than ready to get her back out of that chemise, and—