towel tightly. “I can’t believe you intend for me to go through with this!” Yes, she’d told him that all she’d wanted was one night, but she couldn’t believe after the intensity of what they’d shared …
Chuck stood there, dressed only in jeans. Her scent still clung to his skin, his hair was still disheveled from her fingers, and his body was still responding to her nearness.
He was her lover. He was the man she had letsteal her heart. But while her eyes may have been filled with tears, his were dry, his face set in an expression of determination.
“We have no choice,” he said quietly.
“I’m not going to do it.” Her lip was trembling, so she lifted her chin defiantly, hoping the one would cancel out the other and she would look as determined as he did.
He took a step toward her. “Maggie, he’s
me
. It’s not as if I’m asking you to be with some other man.”
“He’s
not
you. He’s only a part of you. He doesn’t even know me!”
He drew his hand through his hair in a gesture of pure frustration. “He
is
me. The same way you’re still the same Maggie I’ve cared so much about for the past seven years.”
That stopped her. Was she? Was she truly the same? Chuck had mentioned that the Maggie he had known had changed—that time and a lousy relationship had made her quieter, less sarcastic, perhaps more compassionate and understanding. When Chuck looked at her, did he see a mere shadow of the woman she was to become? Did he miss the maturity and growth that seven extra years of life had surely brought?
Was she nothing more than a poor substitute for the Maggie he truly cared about?
She sank down onto the bed. “Chuck, please. I don’t want to be with Charles. I want to be with
you
. Why can’t we simply let events play themselves out?”
Chuck didn’t reach for her, didn’t try to comfort her. Instead he slowly sat on the other bed. “We can’t.”
Maggie wiped at her face, trying to push away the flood of emotion that threatened to overwhelm her. “Why not?”
He gazed at her. “Because in approximately fifty-one hours, Wizard-9 will be able to reactivate the Runabout. They’ll make another jump—to just a few days into the past this time. And this time they’ll get here before me. They’ll be waiting to kill me. And then you won’t find a naked man in your backyard. You’ll find a naked
dead
man.”
“Oh, my God! Only
fifty-one
hours …?” Maggie fought a wave of panic.
“The clock’s ticking, Maggie. We’ve got to get moving.”
“But …” She stared at him, her mind whirling. “Maybe we’re going about this all wrong. Maybe instead of trying to keep Charles from developing the Wells Project, we should be trying to find where Wizard-9 has the Runabout. If we could destroy it—”
“That wouldn’t be enough. If I’m allowed tocontinue with my work—” Chuck broke off, shaking his head.
She waited for him to explain, but he didn’t say anything more.
She moved toward him then, taking his hands and kneeling on the floor at his feet, prepared to beg if she had to.
“Please.
Why
wouldn’t it work? Tell me what you’re thinking! Talk to me, Chuck! Tell me what you’re feeling! I want to know.”
His eyes were a blaze of intensity. “I can’t. There are things you shouldn’t know about the future.”
“I don’t give a
damn
about the future. It’s all going to be different now anyway,” she said, gesturing toward the bed where they’d shared such incredible love just a few short hours before. “I don’t know about you, but
I’m
never going to be the same!”
The sadness in his eyes only deepened, and his words seemed to catch in his throat. If Maggie hadn’t known better, she would have thought he was going to cry. “It’s not going to be different enough.”
Her towel fell off her as she moved up and onto his lap. She held on to him, needing to be closer to him, her arms locked around his neck. “I don’t
Chuck stood there, dressed only in jeans. Her scent still clung to his skin, his hair was still disheveled from her fingers, and his body was still responding to her nearness.
He was her lover. He was the man she had letsteal her heart. But while her eyes may have been filled with tears, his were dry, his face set in an expression of determination.
“We have no choice,” he said quietly.
“I’m not going to do it.” Her lip was trembling, so she lifted her chin defiantly, hoping the one would cancel out the other and she would look as determined as he did.
He took a step toward her. “Maggie, he’s
me
. It’s not as if I’m asking you to be with some other man.”
“He’s
not
you. He’s only a part of you. He doesn’t even know me!”
He drew his hand through his hair in a gesture of pure frustration. “He
is
me. The same way you’re still the same Maggie I’ve cared so much about for the past seven years.”
That stopped her. Was she? Was she truly the same? Chuck had mentioned that the Maggie he had known had changed—that time and a lousy relationship had made her quieter, less sarcastic, perhaps more compassionate and understanding. When Chuck looked at her, did he see a mere shadow of the woman she was to become? Did he miss the maturity and growth that seven extra years of life had surely brought?
Was she nothing more than a poor substitute for the Maggie he truly cared about?
She sank down onto the bed. “Chuck, please. I don’t want to be with Charles. I want to be with
you
. Why can’t we simply let events play themselves out?”
Chuck didn’t reach for her, didn’t try to comfort her. Instead he slowly sat on the other bed. “We can’t.”
Maggie wiped at her face, trying to push away the flood of emotion that threatened to overwhelm her. “Why not?”
He gazed at her. “Because in approximately fifty-one hours, Wizard-9 will be able to reactivate the Runabout. They’ll make another jump—to just a few days into the past this time. And this time they’ll get here before me. They’ll be waiting to kill me. And then you won’t find a naked man in your backyard. You’ll find a naked
dead
man.”
“Oh, my God! Only
fifty-one
hours …?” Maggie fought a wave of panic.
“The clock’s ticking, Maggie. We’ve got to get moving.”
“But …” She stared at him, her mind whirling. “Maybe we’re going about this all wrong. Maybe instead of trying to keep Charles from developing the Wells Project, we should be trying to find where Wizard-9 has the Runabout. If we could destroy it—”
“That wouldn’t be enough. If I’m allowed tocontinue with my work—” Chuck broke off, shaking his head.
She waited for him to explain, but he didn’t say anything more.
She moved toward him then, taking his hands and kneeling on the floor at his feet, prepared to beg if she had to.
“Please.
Why
wouldn’t it work? Tell me what you’re thinking! Talk to me, Chuck! Tell me what you’re feeling! I want to know.”
His eyes were a blaze of intensity. “I can’t. There are things you shouldn’t know about the future.”
“I don’t give a
damn
about the future. It’s all going to be different now anyway,” she said, gesturing toward the bed where they’d shared such incredible love just a few short hours before. “I don’t know about you, but
I’m
never going to be the same!”
The sadness in his eyes only deepened, and his words seemed to catch in his throat. If Maggie hadn’t known better, she would have thought he was going to cry. “It’s not going to be different enough.”
Her towel fell off her as she moved up and onto his lap. She held on to him, needing to be closer to him, her arms locked around his neck. “I don’t
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