Creighton Manor (16 page)

Zachary turned to her. “Do you mind?”

She shook her head. He fumbled with the fabric, but finally he managed without pricking her skin. He met her gaze still smiling. He wished she didn’t look so damn
beautiful
with her hair loose from the pins and trailing down her shoulders. Her gaze caressed him, set him on fire. He gripped her shoulders. He wondered what she’d say if he claim
ed
his prize and kissed her. One way to find out. He leaned down.

“Hey, you two.”

Zachary cursed under his breath and turned to see the lanky looking man waving them down. “We need another bloke for the pie-eating contest.”

“I don’t think—”

“Oh come on.” Gillian nudged him.

“Fine. Where do we go?”

“Follow me.”

Unbelievably, the lanky looking man, whose name they found out was Henry Simmons, won. Where he had put nine pies, they couldn’t even begin to imagine.

"So, do you want to get something to eat?" Gillian teased.

Zachary rolled his eyes and rubbed his stomach. "I do hope you are joking?"

"You don't want to try the meatloaf?”

"Please don't mention food." He took her hand. "Let's check out the game booths."

They talked and mingled and later on in the evening, they did try Mabel’s meatloaf. It was just as delicious as Mr. Bowyer claimed it would be.

As soon as the sun had set, the torches were lit and the band took the stage.

“Now this is what I miss.” Gillian smiled.

“What? Music?”

She looked at him. “Yeah. I’m used to having music at my fingertips
.”

His brows drew together. “How is that possible?”

“There are CDs, I-pods, and radios. With a flip of a switch, you have a song.”

He smirked. “I don’t know what those contraptions are, but live music cannot be beat.”

“I’ve been to concerts. Perhaps, you’re right.”

“Perhaps?” He shook his head. “Stay right here.” He headed for the stage.

“Zachary, what are doing?”

He didn’t look back. He jumped on the stage and drew aside the band member with the guitar. The man had gray curly hair and a contagious smile. He wore bright red suspenders that he liked to snap. He nodded to Zachary and handed him his guitar.

“What are you up to
,
Zachary?” she whispered.

“Lad
ies
and gents,” the gray-haired band member shouted. “We have a surprise tonight.”

There were catcalls and whistles.

The man waved his hands to settle everyone down. “Mr. Creighton will
be
honor
ing
us with a song.”

“Hey, he’s cute!” A pretty blonde shouted. “Are you taken, honey?”

Gillian glared at her.

“Afraid so, Ora Ann,” the man on the stage told her. “This here fellow is going to serenade his bride.” He pointed to Gillian. She knew she must have turned three shades of red as all eyes turned her way.

She met Zachary’s gaze. His shoulder lifted in a shrug as he strummed the
guitar. He really was going to sing to her. Her hand went to her chest at the sweet gesture.

“Dear sweet lady, come dance with me in the moonlight, come dance with me
.”
His deep voice
touched her like a car
ess as he sang the sweet ballad
.
“Let me hold you cl
ose as we let the music sway us… C
ome dance with me in the moonlight, come dance with me.” When the song ended, everyone cheered and clapped.

Tears sprung to Gillian’s eyes.

He made his way back to her with a twinkle in his striking blue gaze.

“That was beautiful, Zachary.”

“Better than the DC-pod.”

She chuckled but didn’t correct him. “So much better. Thank you
.”

“Do I deserve a kiss?” He pointed to his cheek.

“Absolutely.” She leaned forward to plant a kiss on his cheek but he turned his head and their lips met. She smiled. “Sneaky aren’t you.”

“You bet.” He slid his hand to the nape of her neck, bringing her closer. Slowly, lazily and never taking his eyes off her, he lowered his mouth to hers with a sweet kiss, an unhurried kiss that set her toes curling within her shoes. When
he
released her, he caressed her cheek with the back of his hand. “Do you want to dance pretty girl?” A wicked smile spread across his face.

Oh yeah, she’d love to
dance
… in the
moonlight
… She shook her head and took a deep breath, while she reminded herself again why she shouldn’t sleep with her gorgeous husband.
You don’t belong here.
She cleared her throat. “Yes.” She looked toward the dance floor. “I’d love to dance.”

On the dance floor, she
leaned against him as the band played a slower tune. His arms slid around her making her feel safe. She didn’t want to fight with him. She didn’t want him to mistrust her. Maybe, she could manage both with patience. Maybe she could make him understand why she would have to leave him in the end.

Later, they walked back to the hotel hand in hand, but once the door to the room shut for the night, awkwardness blanketed their actions.

Gillian sat on the edge of the bed completely lost for words. They were married and they
’d
had sex, but they hadn’t slept in the same room. Nervously she played with the threads of the comforter and thought how ridiculous that sounded.

Gillian enjoyed Zachary’s company tonight.
He had a carefree nature when he was
away from his obsession with Creighton Manor. How she wished he could be the guy she longed for, the man who would love her. She knew he desired her. She felt it in the way his gaze lingered over her like a caress, but desire and love weren’t the same thing.

Zachary cleared his throat. "If you want to get ready for bed first, I'll look the other way."

Gillian knew her cheeks turned pink. “Sure, thanks
.”
What was the point? He’d already seen her naked. She swallowed the lump in her throat. She had seen him:
L
ean, muscular, his broad chest tapered nicely down to slim hips. She looked away. They were going to sleep. Nothing else was going to happen. She took a deep breath, forcing her feet to walk over to her suitcase. Before she started to undress, she glanced over her shoulder. Zachary was good to his word. He stared out the window. He clenched his teeth. The telltale sign throbbed at the sides of his jaw. This situation was uncomfortable for him as well.

She dressed and jumped into bed, pulling the blankets up to her chin. “Okay, I’m done.” She watched him like a hawk.

He
turned to face her and
frowned. “I won’t take advantage of you.”

“I know.” His gaze lande
d
on
her clenched hands and she loosened her grip.

He took the pillow she wasn’t using and tossed it on the floor. "I'll snuff out the light."

"Sure." Gillian glanced at the empty spot on the big comfortable bed and felt a stab of guilt. How could she let him sleep on the hard floor, while she slept in comfort? “Zachary
.
”

He had leaned down to blow out the light,
but hesitated
when she spoke his name. He didn't turn around, but waited for her to continue.

“You know
…
if you want to
…
I don't mind
…
I mean we’re adults, right
?
Just because we’re sleeping in the same bed doesn’t mean we have to have sex. You don’t have to sleep on the floor if you don’t want to.”

He looked at her meeting her gaze. She recognized the desire there for it mirrored her own wants. She opened her mouth to say she changed her mind, but he extinguished the light. "Thank you.” His voice was a hoarse whisper. “I would appreciate it
.”

She couldn’t see him clearly in the dark, but she could definitely hear him undressing. She rolled onto her right side so her back would be toward him. Her heart pounded in her chest. She felt his weight on the other side of the mattress.

"Goodnight, Gillian
.”

"Goodnight." Her voice cracked and she closed her eyes, hoping he hadn’t noticed.

They were silent for a long time, neither one able to sleep as they became acutely aware of how close they were, yet they might as well
have
been in another room. They wanted desperately to reach out, but the intangible bridge they had created couldn’t be crossed.

An agonizing half hour or so had passed. Zachary knew that Gillian hadn’t fallen asleep either. He decided he couldn’t take it anymore and broke the silence. "Tell me about the future. What is it like?"

Gillian didn’t say anything at first and Zachary thought that maybe he had been mistaken. Maybe she had fallen asleep after all, but then she spoke. "Do you believe what I told you? I mean about me coming from the future?"

"Honestly, I don't know if I believe you or not. Maybe, I’m just afraid that it could be true. Can you blame me for that?"

"No. I guess not." She cleared her throat. "Where to begin? The future is
a
faster pace than it is here, but when I want to get away from all the bustle of the day, I head to the beach. I love to go there just to watch the waves and the sun set over the water. I wish you could see it."

"Maybe you can show me one day."

"Maybe,” but they both knew it was highly unlikely.

"Do you live with family?" Zachary asked nonchalantly, while hoping she wasn’t going to say she lived with Jerry.

"I live alone."

He hadn’t realized he held his breath until he let it out. "You don't need a man in your time?” 

She chuckled. “We find men useful for a few things. We marry for love in my time at least, I think, most people do.”

"I see. Not like how we ended up married, forced into matrimony."

She sighed. “In my time, no one would have thought my reputation tarnished. It’s a shame, but I believe one’s honor and reputation doesn’t matter anymore.”

“But love does?”

“It matters to me.”

He thought about this for a moment. Gillian wanted to marry for love. So why wasn't she married? He had assumed someone held her heart. At least, that was what she had led him to believe. Before the night was over, he would know the answer. "You said you lost both your parents. Is there any other family you left behind?"

"No family. I’m an only child." He didn’t miss the sadness in her voice.

"You must have been lonely."

"Sometimes. That's why I want to have a large family. Well not now! I mean … well, you know what I mean
.”

"I would like a large family too," he confessed graciously ignoring Gillian's awkwardness.

"Really?"

"You sound surprised."

"No
…
Well, I guess a little. I know you take care of Tyler and all but with your pursuit of
...
"Her voice trailed
off and she changed the subject
.
"How did your sister and her husband die?"

"A riverboat accident.”

“Were you close to your sister?” 

“She was a thorn in my side at times
,” he said with affection. “Lotti claims my mother died of a broken heart. Who knows maybe it’s why she fell ill. She died from typhoid fever when we were young, and our father abandoned us for the bottle. I suppose Sarah and I were close because of it, knowing we only had each other. Then Lotti stepped in to rescue us.”

“She raised you then?”

“With an iron fist; nothing gets past her. She made us come home on time and made us attend school. Later, she sent Sarah to a school in New York, while I went to Connecticut. Lotti hoped I would become a doctor like my grandfa
ther, and not
follow my father’s path.”

“What happened with being a doctor?”

“Life, the war.” He sighed. “I interned, studied and then foolishly joined the war with Ellery and Sarah’s husband Ty. They were only married two weeks before we left. We were young, stupid and had no idea what we were getting into. I patched up men, boys really and sent them to be butchered all over again. I cut off so many limbs I had nightmares for years of the men that died, haunting me, demanding I give them back their missing appendages.”

Gillian rolled over so she faced him. She put her hand on his arm. “I’m sorry.”

He took her hand and intertwined his fingers with hers. “Not your fault. We survived and came home. Lotti was furious with me for not listening to her and staying put, and she was angry with Sarah for marrying when she couldn’t be there. She didn’t stay angry long. When Sarah handed her the first great-grandchild, she melted into smiles.” Zachary
stretched out on his back, but
still
held
her hand. "
Tell me about your
friends?" He wanted her to bring up Jerry's name again, so he could find out who he was and what he meant to her.