“Kara, wait.” He stopped before they reached the bedroom.
“Sorry, sailor.” She slid up against him. “I’m done waiting.”
“I need to give you something.” He reached for his blazer, balled up on the sofa, and pulled out the envelope and key.
“Can’t this wait?” Her body ached to be naked and pressed against his.
He took a step back. “It’s important.”
She nodded, wondering what could be more important than having him inside her.
“I picked this up at my dad’s lawyer that day in 1967. The key’s for a safety deposit box and the letter gives the holder of the key access. If you have problems, George will help.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Everything my dad left me is in that box. There’s a whack of gold bars, stock certificates, a few other valuables. According to George, it’s worth quite a bit now.”
She leaned into him, drew a deep breath and his scent made her eyes flutter shut. “What do you need me to do?” She pressed her lips into his throat.
He ran his hand up her back, and waves of electricity shot through her like welding sparks.
“The key and envelope might be gone when you wake uptomorrow – might follow me. If it does, go see George. He can get you access to the deposit box.”
“But why?”
“I want you to have it. All of it. It’s no good to me. George doesn’t need it or want it. It’s yours.”
Her throat squeezed. “No. You’ll need it, for when this ends.”
“Kara, this is never going to end.” He kissed her and banished her will to argue.
Battling his better judgment, Jake let Kara pull him into the bedroom, let her tear off his clothes and watched with heat as she removed hers. He let her press hot kisses into his chest, into his belly, let her grasp and stroke him. How could something that felt so good be the cause of so much future pain – for them both?
Crazy with desire, he found the strength to pull away, panting, aching, heart shredding.
“What’s the matter?” She reached for him. “Jake.”
He forced his gaze away. “This is wrong.”
She tugged on his shoulder to pull him around. “Wrong? It isn’t the sixties any more, you know. I want this. I want you.” Her back stiffened. “Or do you still see me as a kid?”
He cupped her face with his hand, hating that he’d caused the hurt in her eyes. “Kara, I’ve never wanted a woman more.” He dropped his hand. “That’s the problem.”
“I don’t get it.”
“I’ll be gone in the morning. It’s not fair.”
“You idiot.” She smiled as she placed her hand on his chest. “I get to decide what’s fair for me. I seduced you, remember?”
He looked into her questioning eyes, even more disappointed and angry than Kara. How could he possibly explain something he barely wanted to admit to himself?
He turned from her. “If we make love, it’ll kill me.”
She gasped. “What haven’t you told me? Will you get sent to the Ice Age or something? What’s happened the other times you’ve had sex?”
He turned to face her and the look in her eyes constricted his chest. “If I make love to you, my life will be unbearable.” Bad enough now. He couldn’t face jumping from year to year with such a huge piece of his heart ripped out and left behind, withknowing she existed on some different plane in time, inaccessible. Torture.
She crossed her arms over her luscious body, still glowing pink with arousal.
