Read Online TimeSlip by Caroline McCall - Free Book Online Page A

Strom stifled a groan, taking another deep gulp of wine from his glass.
Ingrid must have filled it up again. She was beautiful in the candlelight. Her
eyes were mesmerizing and her mouth… He took another sip of wine and tried not to
think about that—the way she had kissed him, the feel of her skin under his
hands. Sweet merciful stars, would this evening ever be over? He finished his
meal as quickly as he could without behaving like a savage. He was relieved
when she disappeared for a few minutes.
    “And I have a surprise for you.”
    For him? A surprise for him? Ingrid was smiling
expectantly at him and he nodded his head in agreement. She offered her hand
and led him toward the bedroom. He had to stop this. Ingrid paused outside the
bathroom and opened the door. Every surface was covered with tiny scented
candles, and the giant tub was full of bubbling water.
    “Don’t you like it?”
    “I love it,” he replied sincerely. He really did love it. He
could hide in here for at least an hour and hopefully she would be asleep by
then. He knew that he was acting like a coward, but he couldn’t tell Ingrid
that he was leaving, not yet. He would have one more night to hold her while
she slept. One more night when he could pretend that she loved him and that
they would spend the rest of their lives together. He rested his forehead
against the cool surface of the mirror. Before he went to her bed, he would
need a very long, very cold shower.
     
    Ingrid closed the bathroom door behind her. She couldn’t
understand it. The whole evening had gone exactly as planned. Dinner was
wonderful. She had flirted outrageously with him, touched him at every
opportunity and poured quite a lot of expensive red wine into him. But there
was no reaction whatsoever from the viking. Nothing, nada, zilch. Oh he had
looked, all right. It was hard not to miss that dark, hungry gaze, but he
hadn’t laid a finger on her. Strom cared about her, she was sure of that. He
slept beside her each night, so why wouldn’t he touch her?
    He had been delighted with her surprise. She knew Strom
coveted the big tub, and she had no idea what a sonic shower was, but it didn’t
sound very pleasant. She had pocketed the bathroom door key when he wasn’t
looking. If he wouldn’t make a move, then it was up to her. This was the
twenty-first century, after all. She hurried along the corridor to her bedroom.
It was time to put Plan B into action.
    Ingrid looked nervously in the mirror and took a deep
breath. She was really going to do this. Removing her clothes and makeup, she
slipped into the pale-blue negligee. She knew he liked that one. “Rose petals,”
she muttered. “Where are the rose petals?”
    Taking a handful from the box, she sprinkled them over the
bed and took a last look around the room. Perfect. Now all she needed was the
viking. Her fingers clutched the handle of the bathroom door. It was now or
never. Ingrid stepped into the steamy room. She watched the emotions play
across Strom’s face, surprise, a hint of lust, followed by a big dollop of
regret. His muscular arm reached for a towel.
    “Ingrid, please don’t. I mean we can’t…”
    Shame flooded through her. She had offered herself to him on
a plate and he had rejected her. What a complete idiot she was. How could she
have ever thought that Strom wanted her?
    “Why?” she snapped. “Are you part of some virgin space
cult?”
    That made him laugh. “No, Ingrid, it’s nothing like that. I
just don’t want to have an affair with you.”
    And there it was, utter humiliation, adorned with scented
candles. Strom didn’t want her. Ingrid raced to her bedroom and hastily pulled
on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Strom appeared at the door with a towel
around his hips, dripping water all over the carpet.
    “Ingrid, wait, please, we need to talk about this.”
    Talk. He wanted to talk? She wanted to kill him. Ingrid
pushed roughly by him, hurrying toward the door. If she didn’t get out