Free Time After Time by Kay Hooper Page A

sun shone down on her blond hair, reminding him of golden wheat in a rolling field….
    Noah woke abruptly, feeling disoriented. Dreaming, he thought. But whose dreams? Rebel soldiers and a blond woman? He shook his head, puzzled, only then becoming aware of the warm woman whose head rested on his shoulder. He looked down at blond curls and then rested his chin in the softness, vaguely aware that the power was back on and a couple of lamps lighted the room. He could barely hear the hum of the central heating, and wondered when the fire had gone out.
    Not that it mattered. They were warm. He tightened his arm around the slender body at his side, marveling that he was able to sleep while holding her. He wanted her. Dear heaven, how he wanted her! Just the sight of her made his body ache, and his mind … His mind! He couldn’t think straight in her presence, and it always surprisedhim that he could string words together to make a coherent sentence.
    He felt like a teenager tripping over his feet and over his tongue, uncertain of himself and awestruck by her. His blood pressure skyrocketed and his pulse hammered like a machine gun when she smiled at him, and every instinct he could claim shrieked at him to grab her and hold on forever.
    Noah had never felt so strongly before. His own emotions washed over him like an ocean’s relentless waves, nearly drowning him.
    How much longer could he pull on a cheerful smile or dredge up teasing words when he wanted so desperately to groan out his love and his need and carry her away somewhere?
    For as long as it took.
    A blue-ribbon affair? She was that to him. And so much more. She was the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Spring after a harsh winter. The lovely, rain-washed quiet after a storm.
    He wanted to tell her that, but caution held him silent. She was a woman who believed life wasbuilt on change; how long could he hold her? How could he dare to hope this lovely, wandering sprite would choose to remain at his side?
    Noah swallowed hard and felt the harsh rasp of his dry throat. Determination welled up inside of him, easing the ache born of fear. He’d find a way. Somehow, he would convince her to stay.
    If it took forever.
    He held her close and shut his eyes, holding her for now.
    When Alex woke to find herself clinging like a limpet to Noah’s sleeping body, she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. It was encouraging to realize that he was holding her rather tightly, but the possibility of him awakening to find her so close made her feel oddly shy.
    She had never in her life slept in a man’s arms.
    Carefully, gently, Alex moved away and slipped from beneath the quilt, pausing only when he murmured something and followed the words with a curiously broken sound. She knelt gazing at hisface for a few moments, absorbed by the shadow of his morning beard, the long lashes that were dark crescents against his tanned skin.
    After a while she rose and silently left his loft, going down the stairs to her own. It was nearly dawn, a chill, silent dawn, and she felt as if she were the only living soul awake and aware. It was a very lonely feeling, and it surprised her because she had always gotten up early and alone.
    In her own loft she found a Windbreaker and took Cal out for his run, leaving his small friend lapping milk in the kitchen. She was more cautious than usual, eyes and ears straining to catch any indication of trouble. Whoever had reported seeing a lion, she thought, must have been up late at night or early in the morning; she would have to be doubly watchful from now on. She took special care to hide or erase all signs of her pet’s morning romp.
    She looked up just as they turned back to the building, and saw Noah silhouetted by the lamps behind him as he stood at his balcony doors. It was dawn, and she was sure he could see them. She lifted a hand and watched him acknowledgethe gesture with a wave, then she headed for her loft.
    Back inside, she fed Cal and then