Ancient Ties (37 page)

“Marek is mine.”

The words reverberated through the air. Mars’ handsome face morphed into an evil, feral grin, his lips pulled back from his teeth.

“Not even you shall interfere!”

Venus hissed, her eyes flashing fire at Mars.

Janney, stupefied, gaped at the goddess of love and the god of war, everything else forgotten at this sight of the two powerful celestial figures squaring off against each other. So engrossed in this showdown, she jumped when two very real, very earthly hands closed on her shoulders and pulled her back against a familiar body.

“Don’t move,” Marek whispered into her ear.

Janney jerked her head around. Whatever happened now, they would be together. Over his shoulder, she spied a young man in a tunic.

“Leonidas,” Marek explained.

Of course. Leonidas was beautiful. A younger version of his father. Marek’s hands trailed down her arms and fastened around Janney’s waist. Melting back against him, Janney finally felt safe and protected.

“A mere woman will not defeat me.”

The air around the three mortals turned ferociously black and dense with Mars’ anger. His visage contorted in rage, his eyes bored into the golden Venus, his white-knuckle grip tightened on the jeweled hilt of his sword.

Venus patted with long, ringed fingers, at his gleaming armor. It was obvious that she would not let him intimidate her.

“Come with me, my lord Mars. A new military academy has opened in Rome, and only you can decide who is the best of the lot.”

She leaned into him, crawling her hand up over the hard surface encasing his chest to caress the firm line of his lips. Her other hand, behind her back, waved at the three mortals, shooing them away.

Janney stiffened in Marek’s arms. She almost laughed aloud.

Hysterically. Venus turned Mars completely around and, with a quick look back, she sent a silent message.

“Back up slowly,” Marek’s voice directed. He slid one arm around Janney’s waist and the other around Leonidas’ shoulders.

“We’re all going together to your time, but quietly. We’ll let Venus take care of her business.”

Mars could turn back at any moment, and Janney hardly dared to take a breath. Leave it to the goddess of love to use her unique talents to lure Mars away. The arm at her waist brought her mind back to Marek and their own future. Would the portal open for them? It must. They couldn’t fail now. At the very least, the goddess was on their side.

Janney knew they had to hurry through the villa, past the entry. She’d thought that it had become daylight, but now she realized that it was only the dazzling effects of the gods that had brightened the peristyle. She took a quick peek at Leonidas. Did he really wish to go with his father to the future? As if sensing her inspection, Leonidas looked back at her and winked. Janney stifled a laugh. God, he was going to be a danger to Twenty-first Century girls. He already charmed her, and she hadn’t even heard him speak.

The portal. Her heart was in her throat. She blinked her eyes. Did she see it? Yes. Her thumb slipped into the belt loop at Marek’s waist. He was still in his Twenty-first Century clothes.

She intended to hang on to him with a death grip, if necessary.

The portal wasn’t wide enough for all three of them together. They’d have to go through one at a time. Janney was shaking with fear that they’d be separated. “Marek,” she hugged his side tightly. “I love you.”

“Don’t worry, sweet,” Marek responded, breathing the words into her ear. It was as if he understood her fear. “Venus won’t let us down now.”

Marek’s sudden smile, broad and victorious, was what Janney focused on just before he stepped behind her and Leonidas, pushed the two of them through the portal and followed instantly. She turned, threw her arms around man and boy, and held them tightly. Janney couldn’t believe this had worked.

The sky was dark and studded with stars, and all three were shocked to hear the angry clap of thunder. None of them were in any doubt what it meant. Mars had figured it out. Realized he’d been duped by none other than his beautiful Venus.

Could he follow them into the future? Janney feared that he could. She hoped, though, that he’d find some other soldier to mentor and leave hers alone.

All she knew was that she couldn’t let Marek go. This was one time when she had no intention of letting another man go if she anything to say about it. Now she had both of them. Marek

and his son. Marek and Leonidas. Life was going to be very interesting.

Ben Marrick snuck into his own home, quietly closed the front door, and climbed the stairs to the second floor. As full-time professor of Ancient Civilizations at Mission River University, he had a free afternoon and planned to take advantage of it. At the doorway to their bedroom, the sight that greeted him was the reason he’d come home in the middle of the day. His wife had obviously not heard him come in since she was still bent over the bed, muttering to herself.

“Where the heck did that pillow go?”

Ben knew where the pillow went. They pushed everything off the bed in their wild lovemaking, the memory of which was what brought him home. He gently clicked the bedroom door shut and crept toward his wife. Her little shriek was short lived when she backed up, her round bottom pressing into him. He couldn’t keep his hands off her. Ever. It was a struggle but one he didn’t need to fight right now.

The gentle swell of her belly, he loved it more than he’d ever thought possible, filled his palm. He slid his other hand up to encompass a breast. Janney’s breasts hadn’t started plumping out quite yet; it was still too early in her pregnancy. It was so early that they hadn’t even told Leonidas. Leo as he was known now. They would. Soon. Maybe tonight. Gods, he loved her.

“Marek, you scared me,” she said, but he wasn’t convinced.

She’d melted so quickly into his embrace, her head falling back on his shoulder. She must have heard him come in. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to check on you. I know you’re tired these days.”

“Mmmm. I’m fine, darling.” Her hands covered his, encouraging them to explore further.

Marek slid his hand from her belly down only to discover that she wasn’t wearing anything under the big T-shirt she liked to wear to bed. “Wonderful,” he mumbled as his lips roamed from her shoulder, up her neck, to nibble an earlobe. He dipped his other hand under the T-shirt and continued fondling her breast. He growled when she ground her bottom against his lengthening erection. “Take this off,” he ordered.

“Leo?” Her voice was a breathy whisper.

“He’s out.”

“Door?”

“Locked.”

The T-shirt flew to the floor.

Marek dropped his trousers, more than ready to love her.

Turning her and pushing her down gently onto the bed, he slid between her thighs. Janney rocked against him for a second or two, coating him with her cream, before he entered her. He wanted her more than he’d ever wanted anyone or anything in his life. Her husky, tortured moans proved to him that she felt the same. He closed his eyes as her hips ground and writhed against him. He couldn’t stop his deep, long groans.

Marek made love to Janney, his wife, his love. Long, slow, measured thrusts until she sobbed, begging for release. Long and fast until they collapsed hot and sweaty, and happy.

Dropping to her side, Marek hugged Janney against him.

What more could he want in life? Marek had another chance at love, he had his son again, and a new child on the way. He didn’t miss the army life; the life he always thought was his destiny. As wonderful as Janney was, he thought the best part of this was that he had another chance to know his son. Marek wanted to give him what was most important, his father’s presence in his life. The boy he’d killed in battle didn’t have a chance, but Leo would. He’d grow up in safety and love, and have the kind of life that he deserved.

Leo had enthusiastically entered into his new life as a modern teenager. The boy had also become close to Janney’s mother. Georgia Forrester had come out of her shell and took to her son-in-law, and especially, to her new grandson.

As for Marek, he wasn’t sure what he deserved, but he was sure of what he had. His arms tightened around his wife and her warm, soft, fertile body. At times, he worried that he might lose Janney the way he lost Mellona.

“I’ll be all right, darling.”

“How do you know what I’m thinking?”

“History won’t repeat itself. Nothing will go wrong.” She curled against his side.

“I couldn’t bear to lose you again.” He brushed his fingers over her hip.

“Venus would never allow it. Not after all the trouble she went through to bring us together.”

“So, now you believe in the Gods and Goddesses?”

Janney laughed. “You forgot that I saw them with my own eyes? It’s pretty hard not to accept that they exist at a time like that.” She leaned up and rested her chin, balanced on crossed arms, on his chest. “I’m healthy. We have good medical science now. It’s not the same as it was for you. I want you to enjoy my pregnancy with me. Be with me in the delivery room.”

His eyes widened in horror.

“Oh, yes, you’re going to be there to hold my hand or put ice chips on my lips.”

“Are you afraid of the pain?”

“Yes, of course I am, but I want this baby. I want to hold him in my arms.”

“Him? Do you know that?”

“No, not yet, but soon we can find out if we want. Do you want to know before the baby’s born?” Janney sat up, then lay down with her back against him.

He turned to his side and spooned her, cupping his palm over the baby. He knew that holding her this way made her feel safe. He wanted to give that to her. He wanted to give everything to her.

“Did you tell Leo about safe sex?”

Marek chest shook with his laughter. “You bring that up now? When I’m about to ravish you again?” He leaned forward and tickled her neck with his tongue.

She giggled. “I just wondered. I’ll bet that information blew his mind. What a different life for him now.”

“A different life for all of us. A wonderful life.” Marek caressed her face, tracing her lips with his fingertips. “I love you, Mrs. Marrick.”

“I love you, Marek, and I can’t wait to see our baby in your arms.”

His response was to kiss her. To promise her his life and his love. He was one lucky bastard. That Russell Crowe fellow will just have to get his own woman.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jane Leopold Quinn has been writing stories in her head for years and finally realized that she should be writing them down on paper. She discovered the professional romance writing world and jumped right in, penning a couple of Westerns and a contemporary suspense. Because of several trips to Bath, England, a life-long love of ancient Rome, and drawing on her own teaching background, she was inspired to write a time travel romance. Like her heroine, she grew up and taught third grade in a small town in Iowa but has lived in the Chicago area for years. She had her own mid-life romance and is now happily married. Her husband proves to her every day that romance and happily ever after are real.

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