Out of Time 01 - Out of Time

in someone’s judgment,” he added darkly. “It won’t happen again.”
    The cold resolve in his voice reminded Elizabeth exactly why she should avoid this man. He turned to her and bowed slightly, extending his hand. Reluctantly, she gave him hers. When he leaned down and kissed the back of her hand, she nearly gasped. His lips were ice cold.
    His eyes fell on her wedding ring as he released her hand. “Mrs. Cross,” he said, the enigmatic exterior once again fully in place.
    Without another word, he gave her his back and left. Elizabeth was still recovering from the shock when she felt Simon come up behind her. Funny how she could feel his presence now without looking.
    “That was quite a display,” he said.
    She turned around and did her best to push away the skin crawlies she felt lingering from King’s touch. “He was just being theatrical,” she said.
    “That’s one word for it,” Simon said, shooting daggers at the door.
    She placed her hand on his chest, and he covered it with his own before looking down. His face was clouded and he seemed to struggle for words. “I... I don’t like his touching you.”
    “It didn’t mean anything.”
    “To you perhaps. But it did to him and most assuredly to me.”
    Elizabeth felt a rush at his words. Proprietary and jealous. It was silly, but the threat he exuded made her feel safe.
    She smoothed his lapel and leaned closer. “Do you know how sexy you are when you’re jealous?”
    “Elizabeth...”
    “I can’t help it,” she said with a breathy sigh and whispered in his ear, “if I want you.”
    She felt his body surge closer to hers, his hands gripping her hips, even as his hands shook. “We’re in public,” he managed in a rough voice.
    But he didn’t pull away, as she slipped her arms around his neck. “But we have all day off tomorrow. Raid,” she said and blew a soft breath onto the flushed skin of his neck. “Any ideas?”
    He pulled back to see her face, and she felt a thrill at the passion in his eyes. “A few.”
    Heat flooded her body and she brushed a tempting kiss against his lips before leaving his embrace. She picked up her tray and looked back at him over her shoulder. “Only a few?”
    “Dozen.”
    Tomorrow could not come soon enough.
    * * *
    They spent the next morning and an indecent part of the afternoon in bed. Simon would have gladly stayed where he was, but Elizabeth’s growling stomach reminded him they hadn’t eaten in nearly twenty hours. Truth be told, he needed a little sustenance himself.
    He went out alone and found a small deli down the block and bought roast beef sandwiches, two bottles of some strange lemon cola and an afternoon paper. He’d only been gone fifteen minutes and already he missed her. How quickly he’d grown accustomed to having her by his side. It seemed that everything before her was merely an echo. Life was suddenly vibrant, colors sharper, the world alive around him. Even the people on the street seemed different, or perhaps he was only really seeing them for the first time. The smudge of newsprint on the paper boy’s cheek. The apple vendor’s stern concentration as he meticulously scrawled a new sign for his cart. The grin on a small girl’s face as she was pulled down the sidewalk in a little red wagon. They’d all been there before, he simply hadn’t bothered to notice. Simon tucked the newspaper under his arm and started back to the apartment.
    When he returned, Elizabeth was still in bed, although she had gotten up long enough to put on one of his shirts. She looked absolutely adorable, sitting on the rumpled sheets, swimming inside his shirt. It was so oddly familiar, he had to remind himself this wasn’t the way it had always been. A wave of nervousness coursed through him, suddenly far too self-aware. He forced himself to ignore it.
    “Aren’t you ever getting up?” he asked, as he set down the paper bag.
    She pouted theatrically. “Don’t wanna.”
    “Lunch is served.”
    “In that case,” she said and walked over to the table. But she ignored the food and slipped her arms around his neck and kissed him.
“I thought you were hungry?”
    “Oh, I am. Starved,” she said and insinuated her body against his. “Sex makes me hungry. And I’m very hungry.”
    “Elizabeth...”
    With a grin she eased out of his arms and plopped down into a chair. “What’d ya get?”
    “Cold sandwiches and warm soda, I’m afraid.”
    Elizabeth peered inside the bag. “Sounds