Six days might as well have been an eternity for Rebecca. It was wearing on Devon too. They spent each evening together, laughing, cooking, dancing on the patio after dinner. Each night, he would walk her to her bedroom, pull her into his arms, and kiss her tenderly. But it could never lead to more, and it was killing her. After nearly losing control the first time, they’d agreed not to go to bed together, even for just her pleasure. It was too much of a risk and she didn’t want anything to happen to him because she couldn’t resist temptation.

On the evening of the sixth day, Rebecca lingered by the kitchen, watching Devon do the dishes. He was still amused by the novelty of putting dirty dishes into a the dishwasher rack and turning it on, then allowing the machine to do the rest. Rebecca couldn’t help but stare at those jeans that hugged his ass. The man was temptation wrapped in sin and coated with desire, and she wanted him more than she wanted anything in her life.

“Devon.” She spoke his name softly.

He turned, dark hair falling into his eyes. “Yes?”

“Tonight at midnight will be seven days. You’ve given me everything I’ve desired. Aphrodite would have to agree, right? Do you think we could…?” She couldn’t resist smiling when understanding glinted in his eyes.

“I would like nothing more.” But his smile faltered. “Aphrodite?” he called out.

Silence was their only answer, and he sighed.

Rebecca looked around the room. “Maybe she can hear us anyway? I can’t imagine she’s forgotten about you.”

Devon spoke louder. “Goddess! Have I passed your test? Is Rebecca’s request something I may grant after midnight?”

Again silence. Then the doorbell rang.

Rebecca frowned as she left the kitchen to go answer the door. “Who could that be?” Devon followed her, the heat of his body warm behind her as she opened the door and he put a hand on her waist. No one was there.

Devon looked over her shoulder and pointed down at the doormat. “What’s that?” Rebecca picked up a small gift bag and dug through the tissue paper, finding a box of extra-large condoms.

“What are those?” Devon picked up the box, studying it with interest as he mouthed the words “ribbed for her pleasure” written on the side.

“Oh God!” She grabbed him and dragged him and the bag back inside the house, slamming the door.

“There’s a note.” Devon turned the box over, where a little white card was taped to the side. He opened it and read it aloud. “At midnight, you are free. But not a moment before. Enjoy this little gift. —A.”

“The goddess of love sent us a box of condoms?” Rebecca’s cheeks burned with embarrassment, but she was also on the verge of laughing.

“What are con—doms? It sounds familiar.” Devon tested the word, smiling as he seemed to notice her blushing.

“They’re um…here.” She smacked the box against his chest and fled back to the kitchen. He was a man—he could figure it out.

She busied herself with pouring two glasses of wine, and when she looked up, he’d entered the kitchen, grinning as he waved the box of absurdly large condoms in his hands.

“Ah, now I remember. They were more commonly referred to as French letters in my day.” He studied the box intently. “Are they still made of sheep intestines?”

“Sheep intestines?” Rebecca echoed faintly. Oh holy mother of— “No, they use latex. It’s not made from any part of an animal.”

“Latex?”

“Thin rubbery mat…oh, never mind. It’s better, trust me.”

Devon chuckled. “What luck! I always hated using them. A man had to soak them in a jar for hours before he could get them on. Terribly messy things.”

The mental image made her wince. Talk about an ick factor.

“Let’s not talk about old-fashioned condoms anymore, okay? In fact, let’s not talk about any of them again until we get a chance to use them.” She took the box from his hand, opened a cupboard, and shoved them inside.

She turned back to Devon. He had his arms crossed and was biting his lip as though to keep from laughing. “I do love how modest you are, but come midnight, I want the other Rebecca, the one who will scream my name.” His voice had turned husky. “Because I wish to be inside you until dawn, giving you pleasure over and over until you cannot leave the bed because you’re drunk with ecstasy.”

Her mouth ran dry, and she struggled to think coherently past the explosion of heat inside her. The thought of making love with him for hours, from midnight to dawn? To think about him making her come over and over…

Rebecca gripped the shreds of her self-control. She had to find a way to distract them both before midnight.

“We still have four hours. Why don’t we find something safe to do far away from my bed?” She handed him a glass of wine and then took a sip of her own. “And I have an idea.”

* * *

The internet was a most fascinating thing, Devon decided. Any question he’d ever had could be answered in seconds. The mysterious Google that Mrs. Lesley had told him about turned out to be something Rebecca had called a search engine. You could put any question in the box and it would provide a hundred answers.

He and Rebecca settled down on the couch with an object she called a laptop, probably because it sat on her lap. It had a flat glimmering face that she could make change instantly, much like the TV and cell phone.

“Look.” She pointed at what she’d called the screen, and he read the words “Ancestry Registry” with a picture of a tree, the leaves and branches slowly growing.

“What is this?” he asked, peering closer.

“I thought we could research your family, find out what happened to them.” She watched him hesitantly, as though she was afraid it might upset him.

His throat tightened, and he nodded. “Thank you, Rebecca. I mean that, from the bottom of my heart.” He watched her as she filled out the various forms on the screen, and it asked him questions about his ancestry.

In a short time she beamed at him, tapping her fingers on the little square at the base of her laptop. “Yes! We found them! Your family is still around.” She zoomed in on a large tree structure that had leaves with names and dates on them. His brothers, Rhys and Colin, were there, the branches splitting down over the years until they reached their modern-day descendants. The title was still in the family name, it seemed, with the oldest male son directly from Rhys’s bloodline.

Rebecca nestled back against him, and he could see her face reflected on the screen. “It looks like both your brothers married and had long lives with lots of kids.” She looked happy, but there was a wistfulness about her eyes and mouth, as though something she desired was not quite within her reach.

In that moment he felt the same. Neither he nor Rebecca had asked the goddess the one question that haunted them both. After midnight, what would she do with him? Would she leave him here in an era that wasn’t his? Would she return him to the past? He closed his eyes and held Rebecca close, nuzzling her cheek. She murmured something so softly that he didn’t hear what she said until she was tugging on his shirt.

“It’s half an hour till midnight,” she said, turning in his arms.

“I’m quite aware,” he murmured back, smiling down at her. He didn’t want to move from here, from this moment. The woman of his dreams, the woman he’d never known he should have been searching for in his life, was right here where she belonged.

He lowered his head again and pressed his lips to hers in a slow kiss. He took his time, feathering her lips with his, teasing her with the tip of his tongue before she opened her mouth and he took possession of it. Rebecca moved the laptop onto the table so she could crawl onto his lap, straddling him on the couch.

He gripped her jean-clad arse, loving how her bottom filled his hands. Bless the man who had decided women should wear pants. It was far more arousing than a mess of skirts and petticoats. She could ride his body just like this, torturing them both with the pleasure that would come just after midnight. He pulled her tighter to him, letting her slid up his body and back down as they kissed, mimicking penetration until his body was hard and aching but he didn’t want to stop. It felt too good. Devon gripped her back, fisting one hand in her hair so he could pull her head back slightly and leave little kisses on her neck and throat.

“How do you know just what to do? It’s like you…are perfect.” Rebecca moaned, squirming on his lap.

“I spent years perfecting my technique,” he whispered before biting her earlobe and she whimpered, grinding her pelvis harder against his. She gripped his shoulders, digging her nails in.

“Come upstairs with me,” she begged. “We can do everything but…you know…until midnight.”

“So modest, Lord, you are the sweetest creature,” Devon chuckled and kissed her again, his mouth rougher as he couldn’t help but picture finally claiming her as his, possessing her in the most primal way.

She climbed off the couch and he wanted to protest.

“Let’s go, show me how bad a rogue you were.” She winked at him and he laughed. She had no idea how bad he could be…

“Very well, I’m more than happy to provide a demonstration of my skills,” he wiggled his fingers in the air and she laughed.

They headed silently upstairs, but he froze as he realized they were missing one crucial thing. He rushed into the kitchen and grabbed the box of condoms from the cupboard. When she saw what he was carrying, she grinned.

“Race you!” She challenged.

He darted up the stairs after her, laughing as he caught her by the waist as they reached the bedroom. He set the condoms down and she opened the box, pulling a small flat packet from it and setting it on the bed.

She turned back to him. “We’ll get to that later, but first…” She curled her arms around his neck and kissed him. He took his time, learning her lips all over again as though he’d never get another chance. The lingering shadow of worry that this could be his one and only chance to make love to Rebecca filled him with a bittersweetness he’d never felt before. He threaded his fingers through her hair, reveling in the silky texture and the floral scent that clung to the strands.

They stripped out of their clothes, leaving a pile on the floor beside the bed.

“What time is it?” he asked between their fevered kisses. They lay close together, holding each other, their bodies fully skin to skin for the first time. She looked at the clock by her bed.

“Still fifteen minutes to go,” she whispered, stroking her hands down his arms and back.

He felt dizzy with the strength of his desire for her. What would it be like to see her come apart in his arms while he was inside her? Being with a woman had never felt so intense before. Certainly it had always been a delightful pleasure to indulge in, but now it felt like so much more. Everything was magnified a thousand times because he knew this woman, knew her dreams, her hopes, her deepest desires. In more ways than he could imagine, he felt she was an equal, not like the pretty young ladies from his time. None of them compared to this beautiful, complicated, perfect woman.

“Then I know just how to spend that time.” He pushed her back on the bed, parting her thighs so he could gaze down at her. She blushed a dark red and closed her eyes.

“Look at me, darling,” he growled softly as he pressed a kiss to her inner thigh. She lifted her head and stared down the length of her body at him. He knelt between her thighs and kissed a slow trail down to her mound. Her belly quivered.

“I don’t think I could stand it if you did…that…again,” she panted.

“Oh, you can, my love, you can,” he promised. Then he inserted two fingers into her, stretching her. Lord she was so hot and tight, it made his cock ache, but he pushed down his own feelings and focused only on her. He stroked inside her, and she hissed as he found a hidden spot of pleasure.

“Oh God!” She arched her back, trying to escape his hold, but he gripped her waist with one hand.

“Feel that?” he murmured. “Right there?” he stroked the spot with the tips of his two fingers again and again until she cried out and went limp beneath him. Then he withdrew his fingers and licked them. She watched him through hooded eyes, shuddering a little.

“You’re the devil,” she laughed, shakily, her body still trembling with aftershocks.

“I do love to indulge in sinful behavior,” he agreed with a knowing smirk and then he lowered his mouth to her folds which glistened with her desire.

“You’re going to kill me!” she tried to buck her hips but he held her down as he feasted upon her, licking her until she couldn’t breathe.

Only after she’d come apart again did he finally relent and let her rest for a moment. He sat back on his heels at the foot of the bed, watching her beautiful body bare and waiting for him. She was stretched out like a woman ready to be sacrificed to a lusty god and he wanted to be that god who claimed her body, taking pleasure and more importantly giving pleasure right back to her. He finally understood now what it meant to care about someone else, not just in bed. He’d spent all week thinking of ways to please her, from washing the car, to dishes, to cutting flowers from Mrs. Lesley’s flower beds and forming lovely bouquets. The hard work was worth it to see her smile, and each time he saw that expression on her face it hit him hard right behind his knees.

Rebecca struggled to sit up, face flushed and hair adorably mussed as she curled her arms around him and slid into his embrace.

“It’s one minute past midnight.” Rebecca nibbled his ear, and a bolt of fresh arousal shot clear through him.

One minute passed. He was safe, he could give his woman what she wanted and find his own pleasure with her at last.

“Thank God!” They reached for the shiny packet at the same time, and she tore it open with her teeth. Then she removed the condom and pushed him onto his back. He watched as she showed him how to roll it over his hardened shaft. Far better than a sheep’s intestine, to be sure. She was skillful and seductive, batting her dark lashes as she stroked him.

“You’re killing me!” he gasped. Before he could stop to think, he switched their bodies so she lay beneath him, her legs parted, and he settled into the cradle of her thighs.

“Are you ready?” he asked, nuzzling her throat.

“I’ve been ready for six days.” Her giggle turned into a moan as he thrust into her. He made sure she didn’t have breath for anything more than soft, languid sighs and hushed moans of encouragement as he rode her. He clasped her hands in his and pressed their joined hands into the mattress on either side of her head as he showed her just how good a lover he really was.

As she came apart a minute later, he groaned and felt himself explode apart. It was too intense, too glorious—

Then a violent pain struck him, and he rolled off Rebecca, coughing as he fell off the side of the bed. Thunder crashed outside, and an angry voice filled the room.

“You had your chance, Devon Blake, and you had but a few minutes more before I would set you free. Now you face eternity in stone.”

White light blinded his eyes as he struggled to get up on one knee. Everything went dark and cold…stone cold.

* * *

For a long moment Rebecca couldn’t move. She stared at the statue of Devon on one knee, one hand raised above his eyes as though to shield himself from a bright light no one else could see.

“But we waited! Aphrodite, we waited until after midnight!” she shouted at the ceiling, her heart breaking as she tried to understand what was happening.

“No. It has only just now turned midnight.” A woman appeared in the corner of the room, dressed in a black cocktail dress with killer red heels. It looked as though Aphrodite had just popped in from some fancy party.

Rebecca pointed at her nightstand. “Look! It’s ten minutes past.”

The goddess shook her head, the honey-colored ringlets of her hair bouncing around her shoulders.

“You humans have always believed you could bend the universe to your will. Do you think that when you travel through a time zone a whole hour magically jumps by? Or that these zones conform to the shape of your states and countries? As far as this planet is concerned, your clock is fast by ten minutes.”

Rebecca’s head spun. “But I made him—it was my fault. We thought it was midnight.” She got out of the bed, clutching the sheet around her like a toga.

“That is not my concern. My terms were very specific.”

“But you’re a goddess. Can’t you change your mind? Please?”

Aphrodite raised one eyebrow, coolly watching her. “And why should I do that? What is so special about Devon that he deserves my mercy a second time?”

Rebecca stared at Devon’s stone body, and her eyes filled with tears. “I thought you were the goddess of love. How does this serve love? I have been looking for love, for the perfect man, the perfect relationship. I’d given up, but then you sent him to me.”

She tried to still her racing heart as she sought the right words. “I didn’t want to give him a chance until you told me his story was true. But he showed me what was in his heart. He showed me that there is a man out there who is perfect for me. And I don’t mean he did everything right all the time. I mean that he treated me the way I wanted to be treated, as a woman worthy of love and respect. As an equal. He gave me my sense of value back. He gave me love. That was my greatest desire. My only desire. Surely you out of everyone should know how much that matters?” She kept her gaze fixed on the goddess.

Aphrodite considered this, though she seemed far from convinced. “The gods all have rules. Rules which must be followed. The conditions of his release were broken, but the fault was not Devon Blake’s. It was yours. Therefore, if I show mercy, it will be to send him back to his time, not to stay here with you. Is that what you want?”

Rebecca swallowed and stared at the statue of Devon. She’d lose him forever regardless, but only one choice would give him a chance at life again.

“Yes. Please. Give him his life back.”

Aphrodite sighed. “Very well. In the name of love, I shall return him.” She snapped her fingers, and both the statue and the goddess vanished. The final beating pieces of Rebecca’s heart turned to dust.