“Did I hurt you?” Very Rez, always wanting to make sure she was okay.
“Of course not. It was … spectacular.”
She slid her arms around his neck and pulled him close. He was heavy on her, all that muscle. She loved it. She savored the sensation believing it would be the last she would ever experience with him.
~ ~ ~
Rez knew something was bothering Holly, but he had no idea what it was. He could see she was overcome, yet not in a bad way. On the other hand, he sensed her despair, but over what?
Maybe him.
He stayed put until at last her arms relaxed and he could draw back once more. He’d expected her to want to talk. Instead, she seemed oddly distant.
She didn’t stop him when he slowly pulled out of her. He left the bed but returned to hand her a washcloth. She thanked him but didn’t meet his gaze. She seemed distracted. “Anything on your mind?”
She rocked her head on the pillow. “I’m fine.” Eye-contact this time, yet he could tell she wasn’t present. “We can talk in a few minutes.”
He headed for the shower. When he was done, Holly was no longer in bed, but he could hear the shower from the other bathroom. Her clothes were gone as well.
With a towel around his hips, he experienced a strange shot of sorrow as he gazed at the empty bed and the absence of clothes. Her wonderful scent had dimmed as well.
How strange to think she wasn’t more than thirty feet away, but he was missing her.
He rubbed his chest and took a deep breath. What the hell?
He squeezed his eyes shut and reminded himself why he’d resisted Holly from the beginning. Maybe his opinion of her had changed. Okay, it had transformed into profound admiration for the time-pather.
Even so, what did he have to give? Not a damn thing. He knew the state of his heart and he was sure Holly did, too. In fact, her behavior convinced him she understood him perfectly.
Yet, making love with her had been extraordinary, full of realm power and tremendous passion. He wished their circumstances were different since he wouldn’t mind sexing her up every night for about the next year. Hell, the next decade.
The train of his thoughts dispelled the odd sense of sadness he’d felt and he changed into some regular leathers, boots and a tank. When he left the bedroom, he was surprised to find Holly dressed in something completely different. She wore a gray tunic over black pants. She had on flat shoes with small leather ties. Odd he would notice her shoes, but then she shopped on the black market. Her shoes reflected the truth of who she was. Somehow, that seemed important right now, though he wasn’t certain why.
He felt confused as much by the distance he felt from her as by her change of gear. “You took the time-path home.”
“I did.”
Even her words sounded clipped, very much unlike her. “So, what’s going on?” He moved in her direction, but she seemed changed, unapproachable. He drew close and searched her eyes.
There it was again. Tremendous resolve.
She took a deep breath. “I saw your daughter, your mother and your wife at the cavern auction just before we left.”
He knew his mouth fell open, but he couldn’t lift his jaw to close his lips. “What are you talking about?”
“Your daughter was in one of the glass enclosures. But your mother told me to get you out of there. Your wife backed her up.”
“I’m not getting this. You’re talking about ghosts.”
“Yes. I am.”
He stared at her for a long, hard moment. “But we could have gotten to Isobel and taken her out of there. What right did you have to make that call? We could have done something, used the time-path.”
“Your daughter was naked like all the other captives. The truth is, Rez, the moment you saw her, in that condition, you would ha
ve lost your mind. Marion knew that and I’m of the same opinion.”
He took a step toward her, his jaw now clenched. “It wasn’t your call or my mother’s or my wife’s. It was mine. She’s my daughter.”