Hearts Out of Time Read Online Free PDF

her?
    Heat burned inside her while she stayed rooted to the spot, the walls and furniture receding in the background, the tips of his thumbs invading her field of vision. She parted her lips, pulse vibrating, legs tensing as though braced against starting blocks before a hundred-yard dash.
    “I’d love to leave you two alone but I’m famished.”
    Weedon’s comment shattered the awkward moment. Her thighs turning to jelly, she took a step back as a weird expression crossed Garrett’s features. What the heck almost happened? He didn’t touch her face but tangled his fingers into the strands of hair framing her cheeks before gently pulling on them.
    “Sprigs,” he explained.
    Oh, really? He let her amble around the whole Palace with twigs in her hair but now that they stood in a private room the unseemly sight bothered him?
    She didn’t need to glance at Weedon to see a grin stretching his mouth. A second later, he slumped onto the nearest armchair. “Sure, old chap. Did you take Tracy to a forest before meeting me? I want to know all about your little adventure in the woods.”
    Brow furrowed, Garrett shot him a dark look but remained silent. Had Garrett truly meant to kiss her? Why now, in front of his friend and a waiter?
    Her pulse slowed, yet the hunger in her belly didn’t abate. If she could just eat something, she might fill that emptiness gnawing at her guts.
    The attendant drew back an armchair with an expecting air. Fingers twitching, Tracy sat down slowly before she smiled to thank him.
    He then turned to Garrett still standing next to the table. “Sir?”
    “The usual, please. For the three of us.”
    “Right away.”
    The waiter took off, the sound of his shoes hardly noticeable on the thick carpet, while Garrett sat down.
    Beside her, Weedon poured water into her glass. “I never realized before how grand this hotel is. Thanks for initiating this very interesting tour, Tracy.”
    “You’re welcome.”
    His offhanded comment cleared the air despite the fact that her stomach hardened when Garrett chose the seat to her left. She needed to trust him, like her dad asked. If he did, so could she. Yet how was she supposed to do that when the man’s mere presence raised the fine hair on the nape of her neck? Why did she desire this snobbish stranger who didn’t appear to think a lot of her?
    When her companions started a casual conversation, she stayed out of it, letting her gaze drift around the room, relishing the sensation of breathing in a supposedly inaccessible time and place.
    She dug in as soon as the waiter came back to place three plates in front of them. Meat laden with a rich, brown sauce along with crispy, fresh greens and a spoonful of rice. Delicious meant little compared to the awesome quality of the food but when the three of them finally sighed with fulfillment, she couldn’t hold her questions any longer and tilted her head toward Weedon.
    “How did you meet my dad?”
    “Through my friend here, but I’m certain that’s not what you want to hear.”
    Weedon raised his glass while jabbing his chin at Garrett, who took a deep breath before beginning his tale.
    “I was born and raised in London, where my family still resides. I came into the company of your father five years ago, a few months before I graduated from Cambridge. During my last year in residence, William expressed his desire for a new assistant. He was exploiting the resources of the University, pursuing extensive scientific research.”
    The muffled sound of a wailing siren outside interrupted his telling for an instant, but Garrett soon resumed.
    “He dismissed his former assistant for incompetence. I studied mechanical sciences and physics, therefore this open position proved a splendid opportunity for me. I believe I was worthy of his trust for he quickly revealed to me he worked on the possibilities of time traveling.”
    That must have happened when her father went mystical for a while, and left on a religious