Her eyes flashed with a mixture of surprise and something else. She tensed beside him, and he didn’t have to wonder why. An invisible force radiated between them, he could feel it press against every nerve. Curious, he watched her. Her breath caught, and her throat worked on a difficult swallow.
She felt it, too.
She turned her attention back to the phone. “Uh...I know this is a lot of information to absorb, but I want you to believe I’m from the year 2025.”
Using her index finger, she touched and clicked through screen after screen of colorful images. Seconds later, she stopped and held the device up for him to see.
He looked down at an image of Miss Edwards. Her clothing was different, she had an air of confidence and humor, and she wore a strange pair of dark spectacles on her face. He bit back a moan. She was wearing light blue trousers, which encased her long, lithe legs in tight fabric. Her blouse was held on with only a small bit of string over her shoulders. He couldn’t wrap his mind around the amount of skin on display, but he didn’t want to look away, her olive-toned flesh an enticement he didn’t want to ignore.
She held the screen closer, and grinned. “See, this is a picture of me taken two weeks ago. That thing behind me is my car.”
He had to admit he hadn’t noticed anything else in the image. He’d been drawn to her. Only her. Glancing at it again, he spotted a large blue object perched on thick black wheels.
Interesting.
He cleared his throat. “Forgive my ignorance, but what is a ‘car’?”
Her lips twitched, and she narrowed her eyes in a silent rejoinder. His own lips twitched in response. The last thing he needed was this acquaintance getting complicated. When had their level of familiarity grown to acquaintance in the first place? From thief to house guest to time traveler to companion.
To lover?Desire, hot and unforgiving, shot through him.
“A car is basically a motorized carriage. Instead of being drawn by horses, it runs under its own power.” Her gaze gauged his response.
“I see.” He didn’t know what else to say. She showed him proof he couldn’t disregard. He’d never witnessed something so ingenious.
He handed her the cell phone and took a seat.
She clutched the device to her chest and sat in the chair opposite.
“If you’d like more proof, I have some other things I can show you. My Kindle library, speakers….” She listed off items with a careless wave of her hand.
Like a knife to his gut he realized she had done the impossible. She’d traveled through time from the future. How was he supposed to ally this knowledge with everything he’d learned about the universe, and the linear aspects of time?
“No further proof is necessary.” Turning the fullness of his gaze on her, he said, “Thank you for showing me this...cell phone. It is a marvelous device.” He forced a smile to his lips and stood, extending his hand for hers.
She stood, hesitating a second before placing her smaller hand in his. Circling the desk to stand before her, he bowed over her hand. He couldn’t help it; he brushed his lips across her knuckles and immediately regretted it. Her skin was warm, smelled of wildflowers, and she trembled.
Fighting back a groan of utter male satisfaction, he released her, and smiled down at her, the perfect host.
The awkward conclusion of their conversation was interrupted by the not-so-surprising appearance of Aunt Mildred dressed for dinner.
Was it time for dinner already?
He glanced at the clock. It was indeed. His interview with Miss Edwards had flown by, her very presence encouraged time traveling in his own study.
“Haven, my dear, if I had known you were with Logan, I would have raced right down to lend my support.” Millie’s concerned expression twisted into one of annoyance.
“You haven’t been provoking the young girl, have you? I’ll not have you pestering her.” She stepped forward, putting herpetite body between him and Miss Edwards, her bearing that of a lioness protecting her cub.
Miss Edwards placed her hand on Millie’s shoulder. “Millie, His Grace was just welcoming me into his household.” She swallowed and jutted her perky little chin. “I showed him my proof, and now he knows I was telling the truth about being from the future.” She turned the fullness of her mischievous gaze upon him. “He was just apologizing for treating me so badly.”
She was a bold one.
He threw a look of irritated pride her way but met her fiery challenge. Excitement surfaced, invading his blood. Again, she’d thrown down a gauntlet, and he was hard pressed not to snatch it up with gusto.
Chapter Twenty-Three
The duke’s expression darkened.
