Revealed (10 page)

“As long as
you’re enjoying it, that’s all that matters, Riley. Not every woman, or man for
that matter, is comfortable relinquishing his or her control in such intimate
situations. I’m glad that you do enjoy what we’ve done so far. There’s much
more for us to explore. In time, we’ll know just how far both of us are willing
to go at any given moment.”

She nodded. “I
want to learn more, explore more with you. If it’s half as good as it was when
you made me wait to orgasm, I’m sure I’ll burn up and pass out,” she teased.

“That’s only the
beginning,” he said. “We’ll talk more about it when we can actually do
something. It’s pointless to get worked up on the topic when neither of us will
have relief for several more weeks.” Shifting in his chair, he pulled out a
pill bottle and passed it to her. “Take your pill halfway through eating so it
has time to take effect before we get in the hammock.”

“Can I sleep in
your bed tonight? I don’t want to stay in medical.”

“I don’t see why
not. I have a feeling the doctors may have something to say about it, but since
you’re no longer hooked up to the IV, it’s very possible. We’ll talk to them
and get their thoughts on it.” He reached over to cover her hand with his. “If
they say no, I’ll threaten their very existence.”

“If they say no,
I’ll do the same,” Riley told him with a grin, turning her hand so that she
could squeeze his fingers. “So, talk to me. What is the single, most exciting
thing that you’ve seen in your life? The things that you’ve experienced
firsthand have to be incredible.”

“It was just
life, Riley. At the time, I didn’t know it was going to be significant. The
things I saw and did were day-to-day events. But I suppose there have been a
few highlights to it all, over the years. One thing that I’ll never forget, not
even on the day I cease to exist, is the memory of a child saving her parents from
a fire.

“It was a couple
hundred years ago. We were coming through a village on the way back to our base
from a mission, and we could smell the acrid scent of smoke on the air. You
have to remember, back in those days there was no fire department to come out
and save your home. And everything was built with extremely flammable
materials. The little girl, no more than seven, maybe eight, was dragging her
mother out of their burning house as we raced toward them.

“Before we could
call out, she ran inside and dragged her father out too. There was not a mark
on the little girl, and she was as calm as could be. She got water from a
trough nearby to wipe the smoke and ash from her parents’ faces while we poured
some onto their home as fast as we could. When we’d gotten the last of the
flames, she brought us something to eat and wet rags to clean up with. Then she
thanked us politely, gave a little curtsy, and skipped off to sit with her
parents. Damnedest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”

“Wow, that’s
incredible. That child. The determination. That is an amazing story, Hector.”
Riley was in awe. “I can see why that moment would stand out in your mind. Do
you know if she and her parents were able to rebuild their home and lives? If
this was before fire departments, it was also before the Red Cross and all.”

“They did
rebuild. We actually ended up helping them out from time to time. The child
grew up to be a lovely young woman, married a good man, had six children,
twelve grandchildren, and even a great-grandchild before it was her time to go
on to the afterlife. She lived well and never knew a stranger. Her husband
passed a few days after her, actually. According to her oldest son, their love
was so great that he couldn’t continue to live without her. Like all good love
stories, his heart knew what his heart wanted.”

“Aww, that’s so
sweet.” Riley’s romantic heart melted with that thought. “I love that they had
that kind of connection. It’s good you were able to help them too. I’m sure
that with such burly men’s assistance, the home was stronger than it was
before.”

“We ensured it
would survive for a few more years. Though they protested, we insisted on
making part of the house stone, mainly around the hearth. It seemed the wisest
choice, given the fire was caused from something falling into it and catching
on a wall. With the kitchen and main room in stone, there was no chance of it
coming down. Unfortunately, we were a little less hopeful about the roof since
we still had to work with thatch. Took us a long time, but they were happy with
it when we were done.”

“I forget that in that day and
age there weren’t wood or shingle rooftops.” She shook her head and grinned.
“And you were raised in a castle. That just amazes me. What’s one thing about
this time that you couldn’t live without if you had to go back, now that you’ve
experienced it?” For her, it would be indoor plumbing.
There’s no way in hell I could survive without that.

“One thing,”
Hector murmured. He tipped his head to the side and appeared to be deep in
thought, and she wondered if he’d even answer. “Well, if I had to go back to
that time and could only take one thing. I’d have to take you,” he decided
quietly. “I couldn’t live without you now that I’ve gotten to know you, even as
little as it’s been.”

If she wasn’t
before, she fell in love with him even more with that statement. She sighed.
“God, I’m so in love with you,” she whispered. “I couldn’t live without you
either. But I was thinking of anything other than me, because where you go, I’m
following.”

“Oh.” He
grinned, his cheeks a little pink as he dipped his head. “Well, hell. That’s a
little tougher. I suppose, if I could only choose one thing, I’d take back
about nine thousand pounds of coffee beans and the knowledge of how it’s
properly brewed. Is that technically two?”

Riley laughed
and shook her head. “I love the way you think. You didn’t have coffee then? I’m
so sorry for you. That’s a terrible thing to be without.”

“No, there
weren’t caffeinated beverages back then, at least not in Troy. There may have
been elsewhere, but we were a fairly insular society. We traded with others for
things like silks, furs, and such, but nothing like coffee. And given how hard
it was to get sugar, and our limited milk options, I don’t know if it would
have been the same as today.”

“Good point.
Okay, well, I’ll buy into that one.”

“What about you?
What could you not live without if we were shot back in time? Not that we will
be, but you have me curious about your answer.” He was watching her now, his
attention off his food and fully on her.

“As long as I
have you with me, then the next thing I couldn’t deal without would be indoor
plumbing. I happen to really love my showers and being able to flush the toilet
and all that fun stuff,” Riley told him without hesitation. “Speaking of, I
really would love to be able to share a nice, large bath together. Think we
could have that?”

“I’m sure we
could have one installed in our suite. We have the space in the bathroom for
it. We’d have to move the shower, I’m sure, but that shouldn’t be too much
trouble. Finding the time and the laborers, though, will be the issue. It’s a
lot harder to have things built around here than in the early days. Damn
computers and video on every corner make our jobs easier, but those same
computers make our lives more complicated.”

“Oh yes, I can
imagine that it would be difficult to explain why you have a Facebook page, but
are several hundred years old.” She giggled. “Social media is something that
would really get you guys in trouble. Then again, they might think that you
were a larper.” She saw the question on his face and explained, “Live action
role player. A person who dresses up as a fictional or historical character.”

“Why would I
pretend to be someone I’m not? I mean, beyond making my job easier, I suppose.
I am who I am, and I always use my own name, even with the various IDs we’ve
had to use over the years. I have to say—some of the strangest people have come
about in this day and age. I thought there were weird ones in my day, but the
people in this time are damn fucking bizarre.”

“Yes, that they
are. I don’t understand why some people do the things that they do, but maybe
they have things to play out. I don’t know.” She shrugged. She didn’t
understand a great deal of stuff, thus why she typically stayed far from people
and why she had checked herself into a mental institution.

He nodded slowly
as he started to eat again. “You mentioned before that you needed to make
contact with your lawyers,” he said after a few minutes had passed.

“Oh crap, I forgot
about that.” Riley sighed and nodded. “Yes, I do need to get in touch with
them, so they know I left on my own and wasn’t forced and also to make certain
that my wonderful mother isn’t able to take any of the money that’s in my trust
or touch my father’s company.”

“We’ll do it as soon as we go
back inside. Where are the lawyers located?” he asked. At her questioning look,
he explained, “So we call them before their end of business day. We shouldn’t
waste any time. Especially if your mother is as…” he looked unsure of what word
to use, “
determined …
as you’ve
suggested.”

“She’s a
complete bitch.” Riley didn’t mince words. “My mother is a woman who lives for
money and status. She’s one of those social climbers that wants to go on to the
next biggest and better thing. If she could, she would marry into royalty so
that she could say she was a queen or duchess or whatever.” She rolled her
eyes.

“You probably
shouldn’t mention that you’re with a prince, then,” he said. His lips were
curved a little as he shook his head. “Though how the hell we’d explain exactly
who I am and what I’m the prince of, I have no clue. Not like Troy is still
around and kicking. Even if it were, I’m two thousand years outside of it all
and the monarchy.”

“Good point.”
She had forgotten that easily that he was a prince. “Well, you’re mine. I don’t
care what your status in life is. You’re the other half of my soul and that’s
what’s important to me.”

“As you are
mine.” Reaching out, he popped the lid off her pill bottle and set one into her
hand. Then he set the bottle aside and looked pointedly at her plate. “I know
there’s still a lot we need to talk about, but it can wait until you are
stronger.”

“Thank you for
thinking about me.” She took the pill and swallowed it with the water he offered
her. “Okay, more food.” She watched him, then winked.

“I’ll always
think of you,” he told her. “You’re my other half, my heart, the reason to
continue forward with the seemingly never-ending days. You give me hope. You
give me happiness, and you give me peace. If you’re not happy, then I’m doing
something seriously wrong, and that’s unacceptable.”

Riley did the
only thing she could think of in that moment. She reached out and pulled him
closer to her. She laid a kiss on him that held all of the emotion she couldn’t
express. When she parted from him, she licked her lips.

He smiled, slow
and with heat in his eyes. “What was that for?” he asked, his voice deeper and
showing the emotion he felt for her. “Not that I’m complaining. But damn,
woman, what did I do to earn that?”

“You just
reminded me how much I love you, and more than that, you showed me how much you
loved me,” she said simply.

Nodding, he
leaned in and gave her a light kiss in return. “I love you, Riley. And I hope
to show you how much every day of our lives together.” Hector gave her another
quick kiss before withdrawing to his seat. He went back to eating, as did she,
and when they were done he tidied up while she finished off her water. When
he’d put the basket of dishes into the wheelchair for later, he helped her to
the hammock.

Which was when a small
complication arose.
How the hell am I
going to get into it without hurting myself?

She frowned as
she looked at the hammock, then at him. “Well, hell,” she grumbled. “Even
though I’m kind of floating right now because this pain pill kicked in, I have
a feeling I’ll regret it if I climb in there, won’t I?” She frowned.

Hector was
looking from her to the hammock and back again. She could practically hear the
wheels turning as he worked through the problem.

Finally he
walked off, returning with the blanket. He proceeded to wrap her in it, lift
her into his arms, and ease her down onto the hammock. “Don’t move,” he warned.
Walking around, he eased onto the far side and, in a quick move, was soon horizontal,
just as she began to roll toward him due to his greater mass. He stopped her,
then rearranged the cover so she was a little less like a piggy in a blanket.

Riley grinned
and snuggled in closer to him. “You’re good,” she praised. “Okay. Nap and then
we’ll go back downstairs.”

“You never did
say where your attorney is located, Riley. So I know how long we can stay up
here. It’s just after noon now, local time.”

“They’re in
Seattle. So, depending on what state we are in? There’s also an office in New
York, but I can’t stand large cities. I can barely tolerate small ones because
of being able to see all that I see.”

“We’re in
Washington State,” he told her quietly. “We can rest for a couple of hours.
Then you can make your call. We’ll do it from the control room, so we can
guarantee the call is untraceable. No reason to allow anyone to figure out
where we are, after we’ve gone to so much trouble to keep our home a secret all
these years.”

“I couldn’t
agree more. Thank you.” She yawned and rubbed her cheek to his chest. “I love
being in your arms. I know I’ve told you that before, but I wanted to remind
you. I especially love when you stroke your hand over my back.” Another yawn
had her eyes closing. “I think I might fall asleep on you, though. I’m sorry.”