Joey stood and walked to his stereo and turned
a knob. The music became a little louder. He set down the bottle
and held out his hand. "Dance with me."
****
He loved this song, 'Nights in White Satin' by
the Moody Blues. Even though he brought up the subject of the
carriage, he wanted to dance with Cathy and hold her close more
than he wanted to talk. She had been in his life only a little more
than twenty-four hours and he could not imagine his life without
her. He didn't know what love was, not in any form. Never felt
love. Was it the feeling of wanting someone with you for as long as
you live? To protect them, to share everything, even jokes, dirty
talk, music, and Pepsi?
Cathy stood and walked toward him. Yes, he
wanted her. She was beautiful, brave, funny and sexy. Just the
slightest touch of her hand on his chest had the power to arouse
him. He had no clue what the future would bring. Joey never thought
about the future when he was a kid and he wasn't thinking of the
future now. He just wanted Cathy in his arms.
He pulled her close. Her arms slipped around
his waist and she laid her head on his chest. Cathy's touch was
like nothing he had ever experienced. They slowly moved about the
room in time to the music. Dancing with her was magical. Never had
a woman felt so right or fit so well next to his body. The song
ended and faded into another without a commercial break. 'Cherish'
by The Association. He kissed her forehead.
"Listen to the words, Cathy."
When the song ended he stepped back and he
cupped her cheeks. She blinked away a couple unshed tears. "I
cherish you, Cathy. You're a gift."
He more than cherished her. He was falling for
her.
Hard.
****
Joey headed uptown to McGonagall's tavern on
the corner of Charlotte and Union. This conversation couldn't be
put off. He parked out front but slipped in through the back
entrance. The tavern was not yet open for business. The stale
scents of cigarette and cigar smoke blasted him when he opened the
door. Out front he could hear 'Time Has Come Today' from The
Chambers Brothers playing over the speakers. Reaching the office,
Jack, McGonagall's brute of a bodyguard, nodded him
through.
Liam McGonagall sat at the table, a mug of
coffee in front of him. He was in his late forties with thinning
strawberry blond hair. He wore a black silk shirt and expensive
black dress slacks. His leather coat was draped on the back of a
nearby chair.
"Joey, got the money?"
McGonagall didn't waste breath with
pleasantries or small talk and neither did Joey.
"No. He never showed up. I went to his dingy
room. McKeen pulled out in the middle of the night and left the
landlord owing more than five weeks rent."
McGonagall reached for his coffee and took a
sip. "I am very disappointed in you, Joey. You let me down." He
lowered his mug then reached in his shirt pocket and he pushed a
slip of paper across the table. "Here are a couple more names.
Don't fail me."
Joey began to burn in anger.
Christ
.
This was the first time in the six years since he'd been collecting
that he had failed to get the money. Joey snatched the paper off
the table and stuffed it in his jeans without looking at the
names.
"McKeen couldn't have got far. He has no
money. We'll find him and when we do I'll call you to finish the
job."
Joey wasn't sure what McGonagall meant and he
wasn't in the mood to ask. "I'll find the bastard. You'll either
have his money or his head."
McGonagall waved his hand in dismissal so Joey
turned on his boot heel and left the room. He stormed down the hall
and out the back entrance and slammed the door behind
him.
His life just became more
complicated.
Chapter Seven
Domesticity was a foreign concept to Joey.
Sharing his space and his life was not something he even considered
doing with anyone. Yet here he was playing house with
Cathy.
Each day passed quickly and he fell a little
harder for her. The attraction that flared between them that first
night they danced increased with every minute. Other than his
collection duties for McGonagall, he spent every waking moment with
her.
That afternoon they drove uptown. Joey thought
Cathy might enjoy a walk through the City Market. He bit back a
groan as she slipped her arm through his. Her breast brushed his
arm and sent a burning sizzle straight to his prick.
Walking through the wrought iron gates they
were immediately inundated with the aroma of freshly prepared food
and baked goods. The market was alive with the sounds of shoppers
and clerks conducting transactions at the various
stalls.
"Joey, this is similar to the market in Truro.
How long has this been here?"
"1876. Hasn't changed much I hear." He pointed
to the ceiling. "See how the inside resembles the keel of a ship?
Those beams are almost a century old."
She followed his gaze. "I do not quite see
it."
Joey stepped behind her, his hands trailed up
her arms seductively. He leaned down to whisper in her ear. A
tantalizing whiff of herbal shampoo filled his senses and the
sizzle to his cock snapped and crackled. "Look closer; see the
rounded design of the beams?"
He slipped his arm around her waist and pulled
her against him. His tongue darted out and licked the whorl of her
ear. Cathy moaned and leaned her head back against his chest. He
began to nibble on her ear lobe while his hips moved provocatively
against her ass. "It's a homage to the shipbuilding history of this
city," he whispered. Joey's voice was harsh and raspy from desire
and his vision blurred from the sensation of having her body flush
against him.
Cathy rubbed her ass against his erection and
Joey could swear he heard sexy little mews escape her lips.
Jesus!
Did she even know what she was doing?
He was
so close to leading her outside into the alley to lean her against
the bricks and kiss and fondle her until she begged for more.
Reluctantly, he stepped back. They were in a public place and
starting to attract attention. He shook his head to clear the lust
fog that had settled in his brain.
Cathy turned and squeezed his arm causing
another bolt of desire to curl around his spine. "How do you know
so much?"
He shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm proud of my
city. It has a great history."
Cathy glanced around then leaned up and kissed
his cheek. "You're adorable, Joey Indelli."
God, how those words jolted his heart. The
sensations were unknown and scared the shit out of him.
His
reaction to her nearness ignited his worst fears. Joey wanted her
and realized there was more to his feelings than just being horny.
He found her adorable and maybe falling in love with her ramped up
his passion. But what terrified him was Cathy not returning his
feelings. No, it was more than that. If by some chance she found
her way home, he would be alone again. Joey had enough of being
alone. He took her hand and they walked to the meat
counter.
"I can fry up a great steak. I'll get some for
supper."
Cathy looked up at him and smiled. "I would
like that, Joey."
Thing was… so would he.
****
Back at Joey's apartment, Catherine watched
him hang his leather jacket and put the steaks in the
fridge.
What a wonderful afternoon they spent
together. Her fingers traced over her bare arm. Joey's touch made
her skin come alive. When he pulled her close in the market such
wicked sensations covered her. There was much Catherine did not
understand. The feelings and emotions and the physical response of
her body when she was near Joey.
Her thoughts turned to her
situation.
In many ways she was surprised, impressed and
overwhelmed by this time. Regardless, she still wanted to go home.
Catherine missed her home, her family, and she adored her quiet
country life. Her father was a viscount and could easily live in
Truro, but he and her mother preferred living in St. John and she
grew to love the serene estate as much as they did.
She could not give up hope she would return to
her time. Before they went to the City Market they stopped by the
mill and the carriage was still there sitting patiently and
waiting. Catherine was more and more convinced the carriage was the
key. Whether it was enchanted by some mystical spell or it simply
became a tool in a scientific anomaly, she knew in her heart the
carriage was the way home. She could hear Joey puttering about in
the little kitchen. He had been patient, indulgent, sweet, and
caring this past week. He even showed her how to make tea. But what
she wanted more than anything was for Joey to kiss her and hold her
in his arms again. Several nights ago when they danced she felt
reminiscent of a fairy princess at a ball with Joey the handsome
prince. Joey popped his head into the room. "Want a
Pepsi?"
"Yes I would, thank you."
He snapped on the music and turned it down low
so they could talk if they wished.
Joey handed her the open bottle and she
immediately took a drink. If there was any way she could fill the
carriage with bottles of Pepsi to take back with her, she would.
Why not, indeed?
A giggle escaped her lips. The thought was
absurd or was it? What she really wanted to stuff into the carriage
to take home with her was Joey.
She glanced at his profile. He was utterly
stunningly, handsome, and masculine. Was it possible for someone to
become besotted on such a short acquaintance? She never thought so
but she was being inundated with feelings she could not even
understand. Catherine dismissed her thoughts. It could not be love.
What she felt was a physical attraction, nothing more. She moved
closer to him. Her hand reached under his shirt and laid it flat
over his heart. His skin burned with fire and his rapid heartbeat
joined with hers, making a connection more intimate than anything
she could imagine.
Joey leaned back his head and moaned.
Oh
heavens
. He felt the attraction as well.
"Kiss me, Joey."
He turned to look at her. His expressive eyes
made a leisurely sizzling appraisal of her face and body. She wore
'jeans', one of the bits of clothing he’d acquired for her. They
felt glorious and she loved how Joey assessed and admired the way
they fit.
"You want to make out then?" He
smiled.
"Make out? Is that another slang word? Is it
the same as fu–"
He laid two fingers on her lips briefly.
"Don't say it babe, unless you want me to lose control. Make out is
slang for kissing and touching, nothing more."
Her hand roved across his chest, the feel of
his muscles and crisp chest hair stoked her desire. "I would like
to make out, sounds– groovy."
Joey laughed and pulled her close. "Have I
told you you're adorable?"
"Yes, a few times. I never tire of hearing you
say so."
Joey turned and laid her down flat on the
couch while he positioned his body on top. He moved his leg between
hers and spread them apart so the very male part of him pressed
against her hip. He loomed above her, his wide shoulders and broad
chest all but took up her entire view. Catherine felt overwhelmed
by his presence but not in a threatening way.
"You never have to fear me." His voice was low
and husky. The deep, dulcet tones sent fresh waves of heat coiling
about her spine down to the feminine part of her.
She reached up and cupped his cheek. "I do not
fear you Joey, only the feelings you stir inside me."
Joey growled and then captured her lips in
his. The kiss was devastating. Her senses were flooded with
covetous desire. Every kiss from him grew in intensity. Catherine
could not deny her emotions. A useless endeavor for she thirsted
for more. Her hands ran down his back in encouragement and her
fingers dug into the valley of his spine. Hard, unyielding muscle
moved under her fingers. His kiss was forceful and his tongue
obstinate in its plunder of her mouth.
She wanted to experience everything. Catherine
wanted to feel desire, lust, yearning, and she wanted to feel it
all with Joey. She wanted him to show her all the ways to love,
fuck, and make out. To be able to explore his naked body, kiss, and
touch every inch of his skin. But most of all, the sensation of his
cock inside her appealed the most. Catherine blushed, she was a
wanton thinking these thoughts and saying those words, but she just
did not care.
Catherine moved her hips to get closer to his
hardness. Joey broke the kiss and looked at her in astonishment.
Was she shocking him? She hoped so. He lowered his torso until his
impressive rigidity was right where it should be. She had many
naughty dreams the last few nights. Catherine had always possessed
a vivid imagination. Nothing in her dreams had prepared her for the
raw lust that made her body hum and tremble with such
intensity.
Joey ground his hips into hers in answer to
her sensual movements.