Eddie’s Prize Read online

  “Dane,” Eddie said in a hard voice. “What can I do for you?”

  “That’s a cold greeting for a friend,” Dane said, his smile widening as his eyes went again to Lisa. “You can introduce me to the lady.”

  Lisa couldn’t see Eddie’s face, but his back was stiff. “Lisa, this is Dane Overdahl, from the settlement northeast of town. Dane, this is my wife.”

  Lisa gave him one of her habitually flirtatious smiles and nodded. Dane was very tall and lean, dressed almost like a cowboy in worn jeans, a leather vest over a flannel shirt, and cowboy boots. Unlike so many of the men in this backward future world, Dane’s smile showed perfect teeth. His hair was lighter than Eddie’s golden mane and hung in thick shiny waves an inch below his shoulders. Dane’s good looks were those of a man, not a boy. She guessed his age between thirty and thirty-five, several years older than Eddie. His mouth was a little too hard for her taste, even when he smiled at her. Maybe he was curious, but she had seen that look in enough men’s eyes to know he was scoping her out and liked what he saw. She faced that every day of her life since she was fifteen. It didn’t bother her. But Eddie shifted in front of her, like he didn’t want Dane to be able to see her.

  “It’s good to meet you, Lisa,” Dane Overdahl said easily. “I didn’t get word about the Bride Fight until it was too late for me to enter. But you have a good man in Eddie. He and I have plans for making the world a better place in the future. I work with the technology from the Times Before. I’d like to learn what you know about it.”

  Lisa’s smile turned doubtful. “Well, I’ll help any way I can. But I don’t know much about how things work. I’m a blonde,” she joked brightly.

  Dane seemed puzzled. “Yes, your hair is lovely.” His smile was sensuous when he reached a hand as if to stroke her hair.

  Eddie pushed her behind him with one arm. “She’s my wife.” His voice was flat, oddly uninflected. “We have plans for the evening, so we’ll be leaving now.”

  Dane laughed and nodded to Eddie. “Congratulations, you’re a lucky man. I hope to see you both soon.”

  Eddie nodded back and started forward. It seemed for a minute Dane wouldn’t move out of the way, but he eventually did. Lisa could almost feel his eyes on her back as Eddie swept his arm around her waist and pulled her alongside him toward the gate a man was opening for them. Lisa looked at Eddie’s set face with confusion.

  “Is Dane one of your friends?” she whispered.

  “Never speak his name again.”

  “What?” Lisa stumbled as Eddie picked up his pace. “Hey! Isn’t he your friend? He said you were.”

  Eddie stopped so suddenly she tripped again and fell against him. He steadied her with a grip on her shoulders so tight it almost hurt. “You smiled at him,” he accused.

  Lisa blinked, trying to free her hair from where it was stuck between his hand and her shoulder. “Well, yeah. I was being polite.”

  “You think he’s handsome?”

  Lisa was blonde, not stupid. The thought he was jealous struck her. “Not as handsome as you are.”

  His fierce eyes searched her face for several breathless moments. She shivered. It might have been from the cold air, but she didn’t think so. “I won the Bride Fight. You belong to me. Don’t ever forget that.”

  Like she could? She hurried alongside when he took off again. The men inside the gate called happy congratulations, but Eddie just nodded tersely. He was jealous. Lisa wasn’t sure if she was flattered or annoyed. Honestly, she had only been polite! Eddie’s long strides made her have to stretch her legs to keep up. It was dark now, so she couldn’t really see where they were going. They passed the mansion she and Carla had left this morning and followed the cracked, pot-holed road to a smaller house behind it. Maybe it had been the coach house a hundred years ago? Eddie let her go long enough to say a few quiet words to his friends, who grinned, slapped him on the shoulder, and walked off.

  Eddie turned to her and smiled, apparently having forgotten about Dane Overdahl. “This is our house. Isn’t it tradition for the groom to carry the bride in?”

  Lisa smiled as her heart fluttered in her chest and nodded. Eddie lifted her against his chest and walked up the steps. She shrieked and giggled when he almost dropped her while trying to turn the doorknob. But he managed, and carried her over the threshold, kicking the door shut behind him. She met his lips halfway when he bent his head to kiss her. Under his shirt, the muscles in his chest were bunched from holding her weight. She stroked them as she slid her tongue along his. Desire dampened her panties, a familiar craving she knew this beautiful man would satisfy. The moment was ruined by her stomach growling loudly, followed immediately by the entrance of his mother and sister from another room of the house.

  “Edward, put her down!” said Mrs. Mason sternly. “Bree and I have your supper on the table. You let that girl eat before you—” she broke off, glancing at her teen-aged daughter, “—show your new wife your house.”

  “Oh,” said Bree too innocently. “Is that what he was doing?”

  Lisa slid out of Eddie’s embrace. “Um, well…” she said lamely.

  Mrs. Mason gave her a no-nonsense hug. “Welcome to our family, Lisa. Bree and I will get your meals for the next week so you and Eddie can have some time to get acquainted without bothering about that. If you need anything, just let us know.”

  “Thank you.” Lisa waved good-bye while her new in-laws left. Then she gave Eddie her best come-hither smile. “Where were we when we were interrupted?”

  His eyes were hot, but he shook his head. “You’re hungry. And you’re too thin to miss a meal. I’m pretty hungry myself. All that fighting works up an appetite, you know.”

  Lisa’s appetite was for something besides food. And she certainly didn’t need to gain any weight. Overweight models did not get jobs. But he must be starving. “Okay. We have all night, so let’s eat first.”

  His fingers tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “All night. I like the sound of that.” He twined his fingers with hers. “I’ll show you around. This is the living room. Through here is the kitchen. The door on the right leads to the pantry. The dining room is past the pantry, but it’s closed off to save fuel. You don’t mind eating in the kitchen?”

  No, Lisa didn’t care. The house was small and might have been considered plain in 1900, but the woodwork was gorgeous. Even in the kitchen the floors were hardwood, and the cabinets glowed with polishing. “I think it’s beautiful, Eddie.”

  Eddie brushed his lips lightly over hers. “And it’s private,” he murmured in a husky voice. “The perfect home for newlyweds.”

  Lisa wanted more than a light kiss, but Eddie continued his tour. “To the left is the washroom. There’s a section for showering behind that wall, and a washbowl here. The outhouse is about fifty yards that way.”

  “A shower!” Lisa’s smile was beatific.

  Eddie couldn’t seem to resist a quick kiss. “Anytime you want a shower, let me know. I’ll fill the water tank for you. We can even heat a stone and put it in the tank so the water won’t be so cold.”

  Ugh. No indoor plumbing was one of the worst things about this new world. She hid her grimace under a return kiss.

  “In the back of the house are the two bedrooms. I’ll show you our bedroom after we eat. I am going to wash up now. You should stay here, because if you come with me…” His charming grin was depraved. “Well, then we won’t be having supper ‘til later. Much later.”

  Lisa turned resolutely back to the kitchen. The table in the windowed nook was set with what would have been antique china even during her time, and a vase of autumn chrysanthemums was in the center. It was very pretty. A covered dish sat at one end of the table, little tendrils of steam escaping from under the lid, and a basket covered with a cloth was beside it. Maybe she was hungry after all, and not just for Eddie. Although, she smiled to herself, Eddie would make a great dessert.

  She could hear Eddie splash as he washed and allow
ed herself to visualize his lean muscled chest and narrow waist. His face was arrestingly handsome with its high cheekbones and perfect lips. But at the moment, it was the rest of him she was interested in. She had slept with several men in her life. Her lovers ran the spectrum from high school classmates to jaded Hollywood movie stars. Whoever they were, her lovers had one thing in common—she cared for each of them, if only for a little while. Eddie was no different. She had only known him for a day, but she already liked him. Tonight she would go to bed with him happily. He was, after all, her husband. A handsome husband with a body so sexy a movie star would envy it. Lisa closed her eyes to savor the slow burn that spread through her body. She wanted his sexy body pressing into hers in the worst way.

  Eddie came back into the kitchen with his hair damp and tousled, wearing a fresh shirt and a smile. He put a light hand on her back and seated her at the table with the grace of a gentleman. He smelled of strong soap with a hint of lavender. Lavender was not a scent she ever associated with a man, but it was good on him.

  Eddie looked at the place setting at the opposite side of the table with a small frown. It wasn’t a big table, but he seemed to mentally measure the distance between their plates until he pushed the serving dishes to the middle and moved the other plate setting close to hers.

  “Our first supper,” he breathed, picking up her hand to kiss the back. “Let me serve you this first time.”

  Lisa thought the roast beef in gravy with potatoes was a bit fatty, but warm and filling after a long day. There were corn and biscuits, which seemed like over-kill on starch, and the apple pie for dessert brought the calorie count way over her limit. When she tried to take only small portions, Eddie piled more onto her plate, telling her she didn’t need to stint. This was their wedding supper, and she couldn’t expect so much food at every meal. Eddie wasn’t the sort of guy to chat while eating. He ate neatly but steadily, devouring what was on his plate without talking. Looking at the mound of food he consumed and comparing it to his lean narrow belly, she couldn’t imagine where he put it.

  As soon as he was done eating, he offered to help with dishes.

  “Because I don’t want us to waste any time,” he said meaningfully.

  “We could let them sit until morning,” she suggested, wondering if her foot was too cold to slide into his lap.

  Apparently he liked rules and schedules because he shook his head. “Better do it tonight so we don’t need to worry about anything except us later. Right? I’ll heat the water.”

  Right. No dishwasher in 2064. It took a while for the kettle to heat, and while it did, Eddie showed her where their cold box was and how to store leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch. Lisa shuddered. No refrigerator and no microwave. Did he expect her to be able to cook?

  Together they washed the dishes, dried them, and put them away. That was sort of fun. Eddie talked to her about the animals he worked with. She thought it was interesting Eddie was a veterinarian who loved his job. When the last plate was put away, Eddie took her towel from her hands and leaned in for a gentle kiss.

  “Why don’t I bank the fires while you get ready for bed,” he murmured into her ear.

  An eager quiver went through her. She kissed him back, letting her tongue glide against his. A matching quiver shook him. Lisa giggled a little.

  “I’ll hurry,” she promised.

  Eddie lit a lantern and handed it to her. “I’ll be waiting.”

  Lisa tramped through the dark to the outhouse. The lantern made her feel like she was Laura from Little House on the Prairie. Or maybe, since she was heading for her wedding night, Ma Ingalls as a bride. She used what passed for the facilities, and then paused in the washroom to wash her hands and her face and brush her teeth. Normally she would take forty-five minutes or so brushing her hair, taking off her makeup, and applying lotion and eye cream. Tonight, she was back in the kitchen in less than ten minutes, face pink from scrubbing and excitement.

  She and Eddie faced each other for a few moments. He raised a tentative hand to stroke her face and then her hair. “You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,” he said in a husky, quiet voice. “I don’t know how I got so lucky, but I’m glad I did. I promise to cherish you all my life, no matter what the future holds.”

  It sounded like something a bridegroom said at his wedding, and as wedding vows went, those words were perfect. If he thought she was beautiful without a smidge of makeup, then he was just about perfect too. Lisa sniffed back a tear. “Kiss me,” she whispered.

  Eddie didn’t need a second invitation. His lips started out soft and gentle but turned demanding in a moment. The crack at the corner of his mouth didn’t seem to bother him at all. He maneuvered her down the hall and into the lamp-lit bedroom, shedding clothes with every step, without taking his lips away. He kissed her face, her throat, and her lips. When he used his teeth on her earlobe, she made a sound that made him raise his head.

  “Did I hurt you?” he asked.

  “No, do it again,” she ordered.

  “Yes, ma’am,” he murmured, wickedly obedient.

  He pushed her onto the bed and fell on top of her. Everything after that was a confused blur to Lisa. Without any further play, he used his knee to pull hers apart, and then his cock surged into her almost violently. If her body hadn’t already been primed for him, it would have hurt. He had no finesse. Enthusiasm, yes, but not finesse. He rocked desperately inside her for only a minute before groaning explosively. After his orgasm passed, he pulled out.

  “Thank you, Lisa-love,” he murmured, and kissed her before reaching to blow out the lamp. “Good night, wife.”

  Eddie curled around her, sweaty and satisfied, and dropped into sleep.

  Chapter 7

  Lisa lay on her back, arms folded over her chest, staring up at the dark with disgust. Didn’t it figure Eddie would be a Minute Man? He looked like a sex god, but he was a wham-bam-thank-ya-ma’am type of lover. He made Brent look slow. Maybe she should count her blessings. At least he hadn’t hurt her.

  A tear snuck down her cheek. She impatiently brushed it aside, but it was joined by another and then another, and she shocked herself with a small sob. Shoving the edge of her hand into her mouth didn’t help. All she could do was try to be as quiet as possible.

  She wasn’t quiet enough. Eddie sat up with a jerk. “Lisa? Are you all right?” A match flared, and the lamp was lit. He held it up to look at her. “Did I hurt you?”

  “No! I mean, yes, I’m okay, and no, you didn’t hurt me.”

  “Then what’s wrong?”

  How embarrassing. She clamped the blanket over her breasts. “Would you mind putting out the lamp?”

  He turned to set it back on the nightstand, but didn’t blow it out. His face was worried when he turned back to her. “Lisa-love, tell me what’s wrong. Was I too rough?”

  She hesitated, wiping her eyes again. “You weren’t too rough. It was…” She broke off and nibbled her lip.

  “Tell me.”

  She steeled herself. “It was too quick. I didn’t get a chance to come.”

  Eddie’s brow furrowed, and he mouthed the word “come” soundlessly. Then his eyes flared with comprehension. “Oh, hell, my dad told me about that, and I completely forgot.”

  Lisa’s mouth dropped open. She struggled up on an elbow. “You forgot? How can you forget something like that?”

  “Well, I was busy feeling things I’ve never felt before,” he said defensively. “It was pretty overwhelming. But I’m sorry, love. I promise I’ll do better next time.”

  Things he had never felt before? He was a virgin? That explained a lot. “Next time is now, Eddie.”

  “But…” He glanced down at his blanket-covered lap. “I can’t yet.”

  “Eddie, that’s not the only thing you can use. You have a mouth and hands, don’t you?”

  “Uh, yeah. But I’m not exactly sure how.”

  The lamp light glowing in his hair and gilding his chest rendered hi
m into a life-like golden statue of a god. Lisa thought the almost shy eagerness on his face made him seem boyish, but even more handsome.

  “I’ll show you what I like, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  Lisa lay back and folded the blankets down to expose herself from her knees up. Her nipples tightened to hard points in the cool air. Eddie watched avidly.

  “When your nipples do that, are you aroused? My dad said that’s how I could tell.”

  “Sometimes.” Lisa pinched one nipple gently between her forefinger and thumb and rolled it. “Sometimes it means I’m cold. Right now it’s both. My breasts are very sensitive. See what I’m doing? Now you do it.”

  Eddie seemed fascinated with her breasts. He cupped them in his hands, petted them, and pinched their nipples. “You don’t mind me touching you? My dad said some women just want sex over with.”

  Really? Poor Mrs. Madison! “You can lick them too,” Lisa suggested. “Suck on them.”

  “Suck on them?” Eddie’s eyes narrowed as he examined her breasts. “Like a baby?”

  Her laugh escaped before she could stop it. Eddie sounded like a teenager. He really was a virgin! “I would like it. Why don’t you try it and see if you like it?”

  The muscles in her belly clenched when he delicately licked a nipple. His hair, clean and dry now after his shower, brushed over her chest as he leaned over her. It tickled in the best way. Combined with his mouth closing over one breast, it made her gasp. He jerked his head up.

  “Am I hurting you?”

  “No. It feels so good. Eddie, don’t stop.”

  “Are you okay?” he asked. “You’re panting.”

  “Eddie.” She grabbed his hair. “That means I like it. Keep going!”

  “That’s what I thought.” He grinned and allowed her to pull his head back to her breast. He took his time licking both her breasts and sucking on them. Lisa encouraged him with soft moans. She was aching for him to do the same thing to her clit. It was feeling a bit neglected down there, drowning in the slickness of her desire. She lifted her knees and spread them wide, planting her feet against the bed. She tested herself and found she was wet. Very wet. No surprise. Her clit practically quivered for attention. Just her own touch sent a jolt through her. Eddie lifted his head and turned it to watch her fingers pressing and rubbing.