“I am not unhappy.” Xavier said firmly.
He was lying, and Alex had never loved him more. He was the kind of man a woman could never hope to find in the twentieth century.
Sarah hugged herself. “I want to be free,” she whispered.
William gasped. Alex was as astonished. She glanced at Xavier, who was pale, unmoving. “I beg your pardon?” he said, his tone somewhat strangled.
“I am not ungrateful for all that you have done,” Sarah said, tears filling her eyes. “To the contrary. But I want to be free.”
It was a moment before anyone spoke, and then it was William, as Xavier seemed incapable of speech. “Is there someone else you wish to wed, my dear?”
Sarah hesitated. “I think so.” She swallowed and looked Xavier in the eye. “Recently I met someone. He seems … special. I think he might reciprocate my feelings. Of course, he knows that I am wed to you, but he also understands the circumstances of our having married.” She was flushed.
Xavier spoke after a moment. “My dear, if you have found a young man that attracts your desire and your love, than I am very, very happy for you.”
Sarah’s face crumpled. She began to cry.
Tears filled Alex’s own eyes as she watched Xavier hand her a handkerchief. In that brief instant, she had never loved him more. His nobility and compassion left her breathless and shaken.
And then she realized exactly what was happening. Ohmygod, Alex thought, frozen, wishing desperately for the fulfillment of her dreams. She glanced up at Xavier. He returned her glance briefly, and in that small moment when their eyes met, Alex saw that he was as stunned and hopeful as she.
“Do you wish a divorce?” Xavier asked carefully.
Sarah shook her head. “I do not think a divorce would be acceptable here in Boston, Xavier. Why do we need a divorce? Our marriage has never been consummated. I believe we can attain an annulment easily enough.”
Xavier stared.
Unthinkingly, Alex leaned against his side, and his arm went around her. She closed her eyes, beginning to breathe. An annulment. Sarah and Xavier would have their marriage annulled.
Please, dear Lord, she thought, allow me to love this man properly, as his wife, forever. Please.
And Xavier said, “Yes, I do not see why we cannot annul this marriage. I do not know why the thought has never crossed my mind before.” But his gaze was on Alex. And it was moist.
Alex turned her face against his arm and wept. This time, only with the joy.
43
ALEX PAUSED INthe center of the withdrawing room in the hotel suite Xavier had rented for her, barely noticing the rich brocades, silks, and velvets adorning the furniture, the stately, gleaming European antiques, or the portraits and landscapes on the walls. Through the open door leading to the bedroom, she saw a magnificent four-poster bed, draped with royal blue silk and crimson velvet, set against a red and gold upholstered wall.
She turned.
Xavier stood on the suite’s threshold, staring at her. His eyes were amazingly soft, yet so very intense. “Alexandra,” he said.
They moved toward one another simultaneously as the door closed with a click. They embraced in the center of the room. “I can’t believe this is really happening,” Alex cried huskily.
“I am beyond words, beyond dreams,” he agreed tenderly.
They looked at one another for the barest of instants, and then his mouth was on hers, hard and hungry. Alex accepted his tongue, explosive feelings building inside of her heart, her chest, inside of her body. She slid her hands under his jacket, vest, and shirt in order to explore his hard, sinewed back. He moaned, ripping her denim shirt out of her jeans.
Alex heard the worn fabric tear. As he slid it off of her shoulders, she did not care. It flashed through her mind that she did not want any mementos of the twentieth century—maybe without them, she would never be able to time-travel again.
“Good God!” he exclaimed.
Alex smiled against his cheek. She was wearing a black lace push-up bra from Victoria’s Secret—and a matching thong. “There’s more,” she whispered, untying his queue and threading her fingers through his thick hair. “I promise you.”
His gaze lifted, seeking hers—his eyes were blazing. Alex quickly found herself in his arms, being carried across the salon and into the bedroom. Xavier began kissing her eyes, her nose, and her mouth before he even laid her down in the center of the bed. He began kissing her cleavage, then her breasts, while he undressed the upper half of his body with one hand. His other palm found its way unerringly between her legs.
Alex gasped, reaching out, quickly finding the fly of his pants. She stroked the extremely hard bulge there.
