The Sunstone Brooch : Time Travel Romance Katherine Logan (no david read aloud TXT) 📖

the time Charlotte, Meredith, Elliott, Austin, and Ensley returned to the car park to meet Gangchu, the group had voted to go straight home and not tour Bhutan. Since everyone was exhausted or in pain, all they would do was sleep anyway, so why not do it on the plane?

But overall, there was a profound sense of relief mixed with a coating of sadness. JC was safe now. They had to believe that.

Twenty hours later, they arrived back at Mallory Plantation.

Ensley planned to go to New York for a couple of days to see Barb and George and close up her apartment.

Austin decided it made more sense to return to Colorado to handle several business concerns before Ensley moved in. Later in the summer, they’d invite Barb and George to the ranch for a long weekend.

Charlotte planned to take both Ensley and Elliott to see specialists at the hospital.

Meredith planned to research Australian wineries to find one for Elliott to buy.

And Elliott planned to go to Scotland for a few weeks to get away from Charlotte.

But after JL discovered Braham, David, and Kenzie had arrived at the farm to relocate a treasure found in a cave, she pitched a fit and demanded they all meet to discuss the plan. She didn’t want the Illuminati anywhere near the farm and insisted that moving the treasure would trigger the evil force and endanger her family.

So nobody got what they wanted—except JL. Funny how that happened.

Austin and Ensley returned to the mansion last because Ensley wanted to stop by the mall to shop for a few outfits instead of depending on the women’s closet.

Mostly she wanted a sexy nightie to wear when she went to bed with Austin for the first time. Nothing like that was in the closet, and even if it had been, she wouldn’t feel sexy wearing another woman’s nightgown for their big night.

They headed toward the adult wing to shower before figuring out what to do for dinner and stopped by the kitchenette to see which rooms were available. Kenzie and David were in Room Three, and Meredith and Elliott had already checked into Room Four. Ensley decided on a return visit to Room One and signed her name.

“You don’t want to check out the décor in another room?” Austin asked. “That’s sort of a tradition.”

“Not tonight. I want familiarity. But, if you have a favorite room”—she shrugged—“it’s no big deal.”

“Makes no difference to me. I just want a bed and a bathroom that accommodates people taller than six feet.”

She opened the door and dropped her duffel on the upholstered bench at the end of the bed. “Why don’t you shower first?”

“Sure. It won’t take me long. I’ll hurry up and get out of your way.” He sat at the desk to untie his athletic shoes with the built-in support for his dropped foot, and his phone blasted a drum beat ringtone. “That’s Remy.”

“Oh, good. Find out how he’s doing. I haven’t heard anything new.”

“Since Charlotte left him in charge of his care, he’s probably in Lexington warming up for his gig.”

“Not exactly. Emily was with him until this morning.”

“Yeah, but Emily doesn’t have Charlotte’s take-no-prisoner bedside manner. If he wanted to leave, Emily couldn’t stop him.”

Austin answered the call. “Yeah… How’re you feeling… Really… I’d thought for sure you’d be back in Lexington… Well, good for you… When… Hold on. Let me ask Ensley.” Austin muted the phone. “Remy’s grilling steaks, Penny’s making appetizers, and Amber’s cooking side dishes. Do you want to go out back and eat with them? If you don’t feel like socializing, we can raid the fridge or order in.”

“Are you kidding? I’ll eat anything Remy cooks.”

Austin unmuted the phone. “Count us in. You want me to get some beer… No… Okay… We’ll be there in about forty-five minutes.”

He put down the phone and finished taking off his shoes and socks. Then he sat there and cocked his head, looking at her as if he wanted to say something. She gazed into his eyes and found herself immersed in the same hot, green depths she always found there, and she fell into them again, growing breathless as somewhere out in the yard, the crooning sounds of Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me To The Moon” breezed in through the open garden door.

And Austin sang over Sinatra…

“Fly me to the moon / Let me play among the stars / Let me see what spring is like / On Jupiter and Mars / In other words, hold my hand / In other words, baby, kiss me…”

Ensley walked toward him, mesmerized by his eyes and his voice. And when she reached him, he pulled her close until she straddled his lap while he sang to her.

“Why don’t you fill my heart with song? / Let me sing for evermore / Because you are all I worship / All I long for and adore / In other words, please be true / In other words / In other words / I love you…”

Then, with one hand on her ass, he pulled her even closer. “Can you feel how much I want you?”

She rubbed against his erection. “Hmmm. You want me a lot!”

He pushed his fingers up into the roots of her hair and kissed her. His lips were demanding, and his sandpaper whiskers rasped her chin. She fisted great wads of his shirt in her hands and clung to him, kissing him back with pent-up desire and longing. Their clashing lips and tongues stirred passion so thoroughly hot that it was a wonder she didn’t spontaneously combust.

He nibbled on her bottom lip. “I want you more than I’ve ever wanted a woman, and if we don’t stop, we won’t leave this room for forty-eight hours.”

“I don’t want to stop.” There wasn’t an ounce of fear in her soul. Austin was just what she wanted. All of him. Every inch of him. And she wanted him—now!

But her stomach had a funny way of competing with her desire. The memory of living off dandelion tea and walleye fillets was still so fresh in her