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  About A Time Traveler’s Valentine

  IN LOVE, TIME IS RELATIVE, UNTIL THEY RUN OUT…

  Regulations limit time digger Ish and time cop Kabal, born years and worlds apart, to two dates a year, making every date precious. But when Kabal announces his retirement at their tenth anniversary, what should have been a happy occasion might be their last night together.

  Blaine D. Arden

  A Time Traveler’s Valentine

  Copyright © 2014 Blaine D. Arden

  ISBN: 978-94-92678-00-3

  Digital edition

  Edited by Tami Veldura

  Cover Design by Cayendi Press

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used, reproduced, or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from Cayendi Press, except in the case of brief quotations in critical articles and reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  First Edition, February 2017

  Cayendi Press

  Zutphen

  The Netherlands

  [email protected]

  Table of Contents

  About A Time Traveler's Valentine

  Copyright

  A Time Traveler's Valentine

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author

  Also by Blaine D. Arden

  KNEES ON A soft pad, left upper hand clasping the edge of the scaffolding surrounding my section, both right hands resting on the supports to the side, I carefully brushed sand away from the lonely skull with my lower left hand. It stuck upright out of the sand, cradled in between the feet of the body lying beneath it, and I was close to uncovering the jaw. The rest of the skeleton was comets-knew-where. All the bodies we’d found so far had been complete, except this one. And we were all eager to find out what was so special about this skull.

  As the LEDs placed around my work area brightened to compensate for the retreating daylight, I moved my lower right hand to cradle the skull while I brushed sand away from the jaw. I could do this for hours. I did do this for hours, even with the whole site in scaffolds to keep the porous ground from collapsing beneath us. Aura ordered me to take longer breaks at least once a day, but for me, breaks were going home at night or gobbling up a quick sandwich for lunch. Nothing was more fun than spending my days on my knees on the strangest surfaces digging for history. An image of Kabal’s pale skin and inquisitive, violet eyes flitted through my mind. Well, maybe not nothing.

  My time chip chimed. Half an hour before I needed to leave. I smiled, but kept brushing. I could finish this. If I dug the skull out before lights out, Aura could catalogue it before she left.

  A shrill whistle echoed across the site. “Ish. Get out of that section and clear off. Now!”

  Or maybe not. With a sigh, I gathered my tools and secured my section. “Sorry,” I whispered to the skull as I pulled the netting across it. “Guess you’ll have to wait until tomorrow.”

  Aura was leaning against her desk as I entered the tent, pointing at her time chip. “As much as I hate losing a bet to Ziggy, I promised your boyfriend I’d kick you out on time.” She glared when I huffed. “Your boyfriend is scary when he’s angry.”

  Scarily hot, that was, but I didn’t say that out loud. “Ziggy’ll be thrilled,” I said instead. Bless his romantic heart for still believing I’d ever leave a dig on time. Good thing I always reserved a forty-minute slot at the station. “The skull budged, Aura. I could have gotten it out.”

  Aura raised her eyebrow. “In half an hour? I doubt it. Now, scoot. Change into your fuck-me outfit and get your black arse over to the station.”

  I blew Aura a kiss and sauntered to the back of the tent. The blower in the entrance took care of all the dust clinging to my onyx-colored skin. It wasn’t quite as cleansing as a shower, but I wasn’t risking the heater giving out on me mid-shower again. Once was more than enough. I undressed in record time and threw my work clothes into the bottom half of my locker before grabbing my date clothes—or fuck-me clothes as Aura had called them. My trousers were dark brown, faux-leather—the stretchy kind—and my shirt was a simple, pale orange, V-necked tee. I always thought I looked too wiry in them, and I couldn’t hide my lower arms in them like I did with my sweaters, but Kabal liked them... a lot. Liked tearing them off me even more.

  I glanced at the cracked mirror glued to one of the lockers. My mohawk needed no work, not after the rubbish I’d put into it that morning. I had no idea what Kabal liked so much about my hair. It was bright orange and made me look like a burning matchstick, which was why I’d always shaved my head. But Kabal did like it, and since he made the effort of appearing for our dates in the form that made me drool in the worst ways, I was willing to please him by growing my hair and wearing tight clothes. My time chip chimed as I slipped into my boots—fifteen minutes till takeoff—and made my way to the station.

  Old Remo, the resident travel tech, shot me a surprised look as I arrived with five minutes to spare. “I’ll be damned, Ish. You’re on time.”

  I shrugged. “Aura kicked me off the site. Apparently my boyfriend put the fear of the comets into her.”

  “I have no doubt.” Remo glanced at his panel. “It’s going to rain in Orynt, tonight.”

  I winked and stepped into the cabin. “All the more reason to stay in our hotel room.”

  “If you say so. Enjoy your stay, and don’t miss your return slot!”

  “I never have.” Though I’d been tempted many, many times. If Remo replied, it was lost in the whirring and whizzing as the machine started up. The cabin door closed and I was cut off from my surroundings, and when the door finally opened again, I was at Orynt station on Earth’s Valentine’s Day in the year 2414. Our tenth anniversary.

  THE LITTLE CAFE down the corner from Orynt station was a stone’s throw away from the dig site where I’d met Kabal exactly ten years ago. He’d appeared as a big, burly human, then. Hairy, large hands, and a piercing gaze that made me melt every single time, no matter what his eyes looked like.

  Nondescript, Kabal liked to call the average hair color and average appearance. Though why Kabal ever thought big and burly looked average, I’d never know. He’d only shrugged and grunted when I’d asked him.

  A waft of beer and a cacophony of voices enveloped me as I scanned the low-lit cafe. The atmosphere was nineteen seventies Earth style—oranges and browns like my clothes—which fitted the fact that humans had been the first to migrate here. There, in the back, in ‘our’ booth, Kabal’s sandy blond hair stood out against the brownish walls. I ordered a beer at the bar—some homemade brew—and made my way to our booth.

  Kabal had already spotted me—of course he had; his work instincts were hard to beat, even during downtime—and slid out to greet me as I reached our booth. We were about the same height if my mohawk counted, and I had to rise to my toes to kiss him. Though not Mister Big and Burly, he was still tall and at least twice my width. One gorgeous hunk of muscle.

  He grinned against my mouth as our lips met. “Rockets, Ish. You’re making me hungry.”

  It was a good thing that blushing didn’t show on my skin. Kissing him shut him up effectively, and it gave me the chance to reacquaint myself with all Kabal was to me. He tasted of beer and those licorice candies he loved so much, and he smelled of wet earth and gun oil. Beer sloshed over the rim of my glass, but I didn’t care. It had been too long... again.

  Whooping and whistling echoed through the cafe, making us pull apart. If they wanted a show, they’d have to go next door
to the intergalactic strip club. “Happy Anniversary, Sweetheart,” I whispered in Kabal’s ear as we sat down again, backs toward the wall so Kabal could keep an eye out for anything fishy, despite being off duty.

  “Ten years, Pet, ten years. Did you walk past the site?”

  I shook my head. “I thought we could do that after dinner.”

  Kabal grinned, his slanted, catlike eyes sparkling. “We’re definitely doing that. I hear they took the fence down, though.”

  That stopped me short. “They sold the site?”

  “Guess so. But don’t worry, I’ve got my shield with me.”

  “How did you pull that one off?” I asked, though the visibility worried me less than the idea that this might be the last time we’d be able to sneak onto the site. It was like a bad omen.

  “Later, Pet. Wanna eat?”

  I flexed the muscles in all four of my arms. “Need to keep my strength up, don’t I?”

  Kabal laughed and raised his hand. No doubt, he’d ordered before I arrived. It was simple food here; nothing but meat sandwiches with fried egg, and meatballs with gravy. But the food didn’t matter. Us being together mattered. We’d had so little time together. Due to time regulations, neither of us was allowed more than two recreational trips each year, and, aside from that one time—stumbling across a murder victim on my dig—our jobs didn’t sync up.

  Dinner arrived soon enough. With the way we stared at each other as we ate, it was a miracle the food actually ended up in our mouths. Kabal was aging so gracefully. His pale skin showed barely any wrinkles. Plenty of scars and tattoos, though. He had to be nearing fifty, in human years, but didn’t look it. Maybe it was his shape-shifter nature, but he never had looked his age. He was simply gorgeous.

  I, on the other hand, was forty-four going on seventy sometimes. Nimble enough, but the long digging days were slowly getting to me, even if there was no place I’d rather be than at a dig site unearthing centuries-old treasures.

  Kabal’s gaze heated as I cleared my plate and licked my lips.

  “Want to get out of here?”

  I winked and got to my feet. “I thought you’d never ask.”

  LAST YEAR, THE site had still been an abandoned, fenced-off lot. With the grass covering up the former murder scene, it looked more like a friendly piece of wild land. I barely even recognized the spot where we’d met each other. Purple flowers grew where the old, hidden grave had been.

  Kabal pulled me close to him and wrapped his arms around me. I rested my upper hands on his shoulders, the lower ones on his hips as I basked in his heat. “Any word on who bought it or what they’re going to do with the site?”

  Kabal shook his head. “Only that it was bought by some developer or other.” He trailed his lips across my jaw and mumbled, “Does it matter?”

  I didn’t know. The ‘for sale’ sign made me shiver. “I’d hate to think we won’t always be able to visit this place on our anniversary.”

  “We could cheat,” Kabal said as he nipped my jaw, but he knew we couldn’t. Time regulations meant we couldn’t go back to where we already were. Those were the rules. It was sweet of him to suggest it, though.

  “I’ll miss this place when it’s gone,” I said before brushing my lips against Kabal’s.

  He tipped my head up and stared into my eyes. “But we’ll still be here.”

  I didn’t know what I’d do if we weren’t.

  Kabal crashed his mouth against mine in a bruising kiss. A promising kiss. A good start. I grabbed his arms with my upper hands before sliding my lower hands down to his firm butt and teasing him with the light caresses I knew drove him wild. We were in plain view, and I didn’t care whether Kabal had activated the sight shield or not; this party was well on its way.

  We mauled each other; grabbed, pinched, caressed, kissed, and licked, until we were both out of breath and getting far too hot in our clothes. We parted reluctantly, and I smiled as Kabal took a small device out of his trouser pocket and pressed its button. Now the shield was up. Time for the main show.

  Kabal smirked as he unbuttoned his purple silk shirt slowly, button by button, swinging his hips to a beat only he could hear. I swallowed, my hands clenching—all four of them—as it took all of my willpower to stay still and watch him. He loved to tease as much as I did. There were a lot of things he loved to do as much as I did, which always made our meetings interesting. Explosive was probably a better word. I’d be sore as hell at work tomorrow, and the rest of the week if Kabal had his way.

  Fully naked, Kabal kept dancing, swinging his hips and his cock enticingly, taking one step closer with every move until his body was flush against mine. Comets, I felt as though even the tiniest bit of friction could set me off. I shivered as Kabal wrapped his hands around my neck and kissed me, hard. Our tongues dueled and our teeth clashed as we writhed against each other. I slid my lower hands across his body and down his back until I reached his butt. Kabal trembled and bit my lip as I dragged a thumb along his crease. I needed my clothes off. Now.

  But Kabal had other ideas. He swiped my legs from under me and I went down into the grass, hard, with Kabal landing on top of me. Air whooshed out of my lungs, but I still managed to turn us around—I might have been lean, but I had four arms against his two—pushing into Kabal as I rolled on top of him. He closed his eyes and moaned, and, for a moment, stilled. But only for a moment. I’d barely gotten my air back when Kabal bucked me off him, or tried to. We rolled and shoved and pushed around in the damp grass, all the while staying lip-locked. Comets, how I’d missed Kabal.

  And I was still fully clothed. I wanted them off, but Kabal had never been one for convention—or logic—if it didn’t concern work. When he’d finally managed to turn me onto my stomach, all he did was push my trousers and briefs down. Where he retrieved the lube from, I could only imagine, but I heard the snick of the cap only a second before his cold, slippery fingers circled my hole.

  “Hurry up,” I burst out. It had been too long since I’d had him—since he’d had me. I didn’t give a fuck who fucked whom, but I didn’t want to wait any longer. I wouldn’t wait any longer. “Hurry the fuck up, Sweetheart.”

  Kabal chuckled, deep and rough, and wholly unapologetically. “We have all night, Pet. Remember?”

  “Yeah, to do this several times over. Or are you getting too old to get it up more than once?”

  Another chuckle was the only warning I got before he shoved his fingers inside. It felt like he rammed two in at once. I let out a shocked scream as I clenched all my hands into the grass and pushed back against Kabal’s fingers. He slid them deeper, brushing my sweet spot, and I saw stars. Unfortunately, my poor cock was still trapped inside my briefs, and unless Kabal helped me free it, there was no chance of any friction whatsoever. Kabal meant to torture me, knowing I’d pay him back later.

  He teased me, both verbally and physically, but nothing he said registered. The moans and groans weren’t all mine, but I sounded more desperate by the minute. My cock was trying to drill its way through fabric, and I kept pushing back into Kabal’s ministrations.

  “Enough!” Well, that was what I’d meant to scream, anyway. I had no idea if Kabal understood the garbled rubbish I was spouting. He released me.

  Deprived of any touch, I screamed again, something about hurrying up and taking me. Not that it mattered; Kabal wouldn’t hurry on my account, just like I wouldn’t hurry on his.

  That moment when he finally pressed his cock into me felt like time stood still. I was caught between breaths as I froze. Kabal stilled as well. Despite the lube, it burned a little—he was a big man, and it had been a while—but the sensation was one I needed. I needed to know Kabal had me, owned me. I never let anyone fuck me in the in-between times. Kabal wouldn’t mind, but I did. My arse was his alone.

  I closed my eyes as I reveled in the feeling of Kabal inside me, wishing we could have this every day, not just a couple of times a year. “Move!” I yelled.

  When he finally
moved, the slide of Kabal’s cock inside me overwhelmed my senses. In and out, and in and out, and— I moaned, pushed back against him, and screamed, grabbing the grass so tight I was tearing it out of the ground.

  I welcomed Kabal’s chilled body on my damp, clothed back as he draped himself across me. He scratched his nails across my groin as he wormed his hand inside my briefs. I yelled something to stop him, knowing I would burst if he— Stars exploded in my skull, my whole body went rigid, and my hoarse cries echoed around me as I came. And I was still wracked with waves of pleasure when Kabal screamed his own release.

  THE HOTEL ROOM hadn’t changed since our first night here. Same curtains, same bedspread, same crooked chair in the corner, same door-less bathroom. As crappy as it appeared, it felt like home. This was where we had first made love. And then there was the site. I shivered as I remembered our shenanigans in the grass. That had been nothing less than perfect.

  Kabal snored as he rolled onto his back, sheet pooled around his groin. I placed a hand on his chest. The cold had done him no good; he was still a tad chilly, even after the hot, hot shower. I didn’t cover him up, though. I dragged my pillow closer to him, afraid laying my head on his shoulder would wake him up. I didn’t want that yet...

  I hovered my upper left hand above the tattoos on his chest. Tattoos for every case he solved. Little codes that would’ve meant nothing to me if he hadn’t told me about every single one. Nothing I wasn’t supposed to know, but enough to show me the rough career he’d had. He had started out as a beat cop, patrolling the streets of a planet that hadn’t even been inhabitable when I was born.

  And wasn’t that weird? He was six years older than I was, but born at least two thousand years after me. Sometimes I was more than jealous of him. He got to go places I wasn’t cleared for, since time regulations prohibited traveling to the future. We could only visit the past. Of course, for a digger, the future didn’t hold as much fascination, but I’d have loved to visit some of the more beautiful places he’d described to me over the last ten years. Would have loved to meet his parents.