"What if it wasn't my birthday? Could I see a previous life then, too?"
The shopkeeper shook her head. "Only on your birthday. I can see it in your eyes. Your doubt. The chances of it being your birthday and walking by the store on the same day."
Was she a mind reader as well?
"So it's like a birthday gift, this one night?" This one night of sex. Was the guy going to be naked with a bow wrapped around his cock?
"It was meant to be," she added with a confident nod of her head.
I was meant to go back in time and have sex? Why couldn't I be normal and have sex with a perfectly nice man from the present? "Why couldn't this have happened years ago?" Frustration boiled to the surface and the woman could hear it in my words. "I would have liked to have met this... eternal mate... a little sooner." I'd forgotten I still held my shopping bags and put them down on the floor. Crossing my arms over my chest, I felt a jolt of longing as I bumped my nipples before quickly dropping them back to my sides.
The woman smiled softly. "It wasn't the right time. Now it is. You may go back and meet him."
Now was the right time? I wouldn't have minded finding out about all this on say, my twenty-fifth birthday. Was this why I hadn't met Mr. Right before now? He was out there, somewhere? I could just walk out and know that he was out there. I didn't need to go back in time. God, was I even considering this?
I eyed the smiling woman with plenty of skepticism. She sat there quietly, patiently waiting for me to decide. Decide to believe her, the feelings the ring brought about, the existence of an eternal mate, and go back in time. Or walk away.
Perhaps she was just an elderly woman who had succumbed to dementia and was nonsensical. Her words certainly didn't make sense. Of course, finding Mr. Right and falling in love never made sense. Ali, Tracy and Hannah hadn't found their Mr. Right. Others had, and their love stories were absolutely ridiculous, like my friend Sarah. She met her now husband when they were both hooked to IV's and throwing up in the ER after they'd eaten at the same restaurant and gotten food poisoning. That was not the premise for a romance novel.
What did I have to lose? I had no plans besides a nap and this was way more interesting. In fact, it was the craziest thing that had happened in a while. The woman was too frail to harm me. Worst case scenario, I humored an old woman and went home. Best case, my eternal mate brought me to orgasm. If I had one night, hopefully more than once. Tough decision. At this point I'd do anything, including going back in time, to finish what the ruby had started.
I was insane. I was insane. I was insane! "All right. I'm game. What do I have to do?"
The woman's smile reached her eyes. Softened them. "Put the ring on. That's all. You will be transported back in time for one night from a past life with your eternal mate. When the sun rises and your birthday is over, you will return."
"That's it?" I was surprised. It didn't sound too bad. Then I paused, looked cautiously at the woman. "I can't get stuck there, can I?" Wherever there was.
The shopkeeper laughed, her head tilting back. "No. But you must keep the ring on, however, to stay the night." She pointed a gnarled finger at me. "Otherwise, you'll be brought back immediately."
I ran my fingers over the blood red ruby, felt the craftsmanship, the detail. How far back in time would I go? Where would I go?
My body hummed, screamed with need. A need I knew deep down only the ring could give me, and I didn't want to give it back. I wanted to meet this eternal mate. If the woman wasn't crazy, he was the only one who could satisfy me. If putting on the ring brought me to him and an orgasm, I had to do it.
"This is crazy, you know," I said to the woman, giving her a pointed look. She only smiled in return.
Taking a deep breath, I sat down in a comfortable armchair across from her. Glancing her way, she nodded with what I hoped was reassurance as I slipped the ring over my finger. If nothing happened, I'd yank off the ring and head home and spend time with my battery operated boyfriend. It was warm against my skin, then I felt the gold almost singe my skin before my world went dark.
CHAPTER THREE
Lexy
"I now pronounce ye are man and wife. What God has joined together, let no man put asunder."
I stared down at the ruby on my slim finger as I processed what I'd just heard. Man and wife. Man and wife? I whipped my head up to see a man in long black robes standing before me. He was smiling at me, then looking to my right. Oh shit.
I whipped my head around to look at the man who stood beside me. No, make that loomed over me. He was so close, near enough I could smell his clean male scent. Spicy, dark. He was large, well over six feet as I barely came to his shoulder. His broad, thick, very masculine body was covered in a crisp white shirt. He had inky black hair, wavy and unruly, yet short enough to fall recklessly over his forehead and brush the back of his neck. A day or two's growth of dark whiskers covered his rugged jaw. He had the deepest brown and brooding eyes, yet a quick smile. Clearly, he was pleased with the clergy's words.
My gaze shifted lower and took in the rest of him. Holy shit, he wore a kilt. A kilt! A real one, cinched about his hips by a wide leather belt, a long strip of it tossed up and over his far shoulder. My mouth fell open. A man in a kilt. A very hot man in a kilt. I couldn't help but lick my lips.
Cheers and applause broke through my ogling. Spinning around, I took in my surroundings. Thick stone walls, dark tapestries, solid wood furniture in a large room. I felt like I'd stepped into the great hall at Hogwarts, for at the long rows of tables laden with food were people clapping. This wasn't Hogwarts. It looked like I'd stepped into the movie set from Braveheart. Um, double holy shit, I was in Scotland!
The man beside me took my hand in his. It was large and warm, engulfing mine. And the man before me was a Scot. In a flipping kilt! A Highlander.
"Ye may kiss yer bride."
The man's sexy smile widened and I caught a quick glimpse of straight white teeth. I couldn't do more than take a deep breath before he tugged me close. I had to place my hands on his chest for balance. While his skin was warm through his shirt, it felt like he was made of bricks. All I could feel was hard slabs of muscle. His gaze dropped to my mouth as he lowered his head.
He was going to kiss me! I thought that for a split second before his lips touched mine. This wasn't a dream! I felt the warmth of his lips, scented cinnamon and felt the zing of his touch go straight to my pussy. This wasn't a quick chaste kiss, but deeper and with some serious heat. Some serious tongue. This was possession, pure and simple. The scorching heat I'd felt when I first touched the ring was nothing compared to this. My need, desire, only escalated, seeped through my body to my bones. I couldn't help but gasp at the incredible sensation. Power, domination, need, all coalesced in this one kiss. One quick… incredible invasion and he was gone. He pulled back and I felt bereft.