Sneak Peek at Everything In Its Time
the first novel in Dee Davis’s
Time After Time Series!
DUNCREAG, SCOTLAND
KATHERINE STRUGGLED TO consciousness with a sigh. The room was dark except for a soft orange glow emanating from the fireplace. Coals, she thought sleepily. Stretching, she listened for a noise, something that might have awakened her. The room was quiet.
As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she surveyed her hotel room.
It was fairly large, nice in an antiquated sort of way.
It had been late when she'd arrived. So late, in fact, that she had hardly noticed her surroundings.
Bed had been her first priority. Now awake, she sat up, pulling the covers with her.
Pale moonlight spilled in through the window's archway, making its small diamond panes glitter.
The room was certainly charming by moonlight.
The beams danced along the walls creating intricate patterns of light and dark, complimented by the glow coming from the fireplace.
She frowned. Surely there hadn't been a fireplace?
Instead, she remembered there being a rusty-looking radiator in the corner.
Of course, she had been exhausted when she'd arrived. Maybe she'd just imagined it.
What she needed right now was a glass of water.
Cautiously, she stuck a foot out of the pile of blankets.
The room was cold. She glanced at the fireplace and wondered if poking it would revive the dying fire.
She'd been a Girl Scout, but that was years ago and besides, she had never really mastered the art of fire making.
With a groan, she left the warm comfort of the bed.
The stone floor felt icy under her bare feet.
Odd—she would have sworn there was carpeting.
Padding over to the fireplace, she grabbed what looked to be a poker and prodded randomly at the glowing coals.
They scattered and dimmed slightly. Okay, so she wasn't a fire builder.
Giving up, she dropped the poker with a clatter. Where was the bathroom?
There was a large ornately carved door on the adjacent wall that obviously served as the entrance. Rejecting it, Katherine spotted a second door next to the fireplace. It was set into the wall under a stone archway that echoed the style of the larger arch over the window.
With a sleepy yawn, she stepped into the recess, waiting a minute for her eyes to adjust to the deeper shadows of the alcove.
She squinted at the door. It was made of heavy wooden planks with iron hinges, a hammered metal ring serving as a doorknob.
All in all, it was a heck of a door, especially for a bathroom.
Katherine's sleep-clouded mind struggled again with the vague sense that the room was different from what she remembered.
She certainly hadn't noticed this door or its accompanying stone archway.
In fact, now that she thought about it, she wasn't sure she remembered the window's being set into an arch either.
She frowned. Obviously her exhaustion had dimmed her powers of perception.
With a mental shrug, she pushed the heavy door open.
The room beyond was darker than her room.
Moonlight seeped around the corners of some sort of drapery hanging from a window.
The dim light kept the room from being pitch black, but still relegated its contents to deep shadow.
She took a hesitant step into the room. There was carpeting here, at least. Her toes curled into the warmth.
She tried to figure out where she was. She wasn't in the hallway or the bathroom.
Biting her lower lip, she ran her fingers through her long hair, absently combing out the tangles.
Confused and uncertain, she wondered if she was dreaming.
Slowly, cautiously, she stepped farther into the room.
If this was indeed a dream, she was safe from harm; and, dream or not, her curiosity was aroused.
She made out the shape of a bed within the shadows.
A bedroom. In her hurry to sleep, she must have overlooked the connecting door last night.
With cautious steps, she crossed to the foot of the big bed.
She reached out to touch a bedpost, stopping in mid-motion when she heard a noise.
Heart pounding, she looked into the blackness of the bed itself.
Was someone there? It was simply too dark to see.
She strained into the darkness, listening intently. Silence surrounded her.
She let out her breath with a whoosh and laughed at herself. Of course there was nobody in here. This room must be a part of her own, the second room in a suite. If not, the adjoining door would have been locked, wouldn't it? Calmed by the fact, she moved around to the side of the bed.
"If you're going to invade my chamber, why no' join me in the bed?"
Katherine froze. The dark voice was warm, like brandy or whisky.
It filled her, caressing her with its smoky resonance.
She peered into the shadows, trying to find its source.
Faltering, she took a step back, her eyes locking on the dark shape moving within the confines of the bed. Her heart was pounding again.
"Excuse me, I?—"
The sound of her voice sent a shiver chasing down Iain's spine.
What manner of bewitchment was this? He'd seen her for only a moment, illuminated by the moonlight filtering in from the adjoining room.
It had silvered her long hair and caressed the soft curves of her body.
But then she had moved, disappearing into the shadows.
He'd thought her a figment of his imagination.
The last vestiges of a fantasy. But now she stood by his bed.
A living, breathing thing. His body tightened, responding to her nearness, to the sound of her voice.
He needed to touch her. To assure himself that this wasn't a dream.
Katherine swallowed and took another step backward, but before she could retreat, he was standing in front of her, his strong arms encircling her waist. She sucked in a breath, inhaling the spicy scent of male.
With a start, she realized she was pressed against hard muscle and velvet skin.
Even as she thought to be afraid, she felt a curious warmth spreading through her body, an aching, tingling feeling.
She looked up, trying to see his face. It was shadowed in darkness, but she could feel the warmth of his breath on her cheek, see the white of his teeth as he smiled.
She opened her mouth to speak, but her words died as his mouth found hers.
He brushed her lips with his and then tugged softly at her lower lip.
She tensed, thinking to push him away, but her body rebelled at the thought, and of their own volition, her lips opened to his kiss.
It began as a curious exploration, slow and invading, but as their tongues met, sparks ignited and the kiss deepened.
Iain's arms tightened around her. She was so soft.
Her hair felt like silk where it brushed against his skin.
He had only meant to touch her, to see if she was real.
He had wanted to stop her retreat. But the feel of her breasts against his chest had stirred a longing deep within him, a hunger that increased in magnitude as the kiss they shared deepened.
His hands, with a will of their own, traced the line of her shoulders and back, reaching down to cup her buttocks and pull her closer against the hardness of his groin.
He felt her hands on his face. Then they moved to tangle in his hair.
Katherine pressed even closer to him, a whimper escaping from deep in her throat.
She felt the hard muscles of his chest and arms and the harder bulge that pulsed against her thigh.
This was crazy. She should be afraid, or incensed, or something.
Instead she was on fire. She couldn't get enough of him.
Dream lover. The thought ran through her mind even as she pushed it away.
Iain wanted more. Still kissing her, his hand found the soft swelling of her breast. He cupped it gently, feeling it react to his touch.
She arched against him. He growled low in his throat and bent to touch her with his tongue.
He circled the rosy crest through the fabric of her night shift, feeling the nipple harden into a tiny taut bud.
She moaned, trying to push her breast into his mouth.
He smiled slightly and greedily began to suck, drawing in more of it.
He felt the ache in his groin grow deeper, hot fire singing through his veins.
God's blood, he needed her—wanted her. Without moving his mouth, he swung her into his arms and carried her to the bed.
Katherine knew she should move, say something, but the fire inside her was spreading too fast and the bed was so cool and soft.
In contrast, he was all hardness and heat.
He moved against her, his body touching hers.
She ran her hands down his back, massaging, pressing.
Her heart slammed in her chest. She felt him kissing the pulse at her throat.
Again she wondered what madness had overtaken her.
She felt his hand on the inside of her thigh, warm and strong.
Where was her nightgown? She struggled to remember.
Suddenly, his fingers found her. All rational thought fled as she rocked with sensation.
Never had she felt like this. She moved against his hand.
He stroked her slowly. She wanted more, but wasn't sure exactly what it was that she wanted.
She felt a long finger slide deep inside her, moving in and out, in and out.
His mouth again found her breast. She felt wild as the fire continued to spread and an inner throbbing seemed to overwhelm all her senses.