Back from the Future: MADE FOR THE MOVIES Fantasy Romance, #2

By JUDY ANGELO

When the past becomes your future…

Megan Hailey is a physicist assigned to a very unusual project – perfecting the process of traveling through time.  She's pretty good at what she does, but here's the problem – her co-scientist, the lead physicist on this project, Carter Kincaid.  How dare he be so disarmingly handsome that he keeps distracting her and making her mess up?  When that distraction makes her throw them back into the time of the pirates, it is then that she realizes that he's just too much…definitely bad for her business.  She will have to find a way to end this rocky professional relationship, and the sooner the better.

Carter Kincaid has always found working with feisty little Miss Megan Hailey a serious challenge.  It's bad enough that she's a cute one, a co-worker he must keep at a distance, especially because of the effect she's having on him.  On top of that, though, she's not the easiest person to lead, rebel that she is, always quick to challenge his instructions.  But then she makes a monumental mistake – she throws them five hundred years into the past without the tools to get them back to the present.  As the pirates of the past put their lives in peril, Carter must decide on the depth of his love.  Would he willingly sacrifice himself to save the life of the woman he secretly loves?  Before he knows it, the question is put to the test. 

Which is more important – your life or your love?  It is now time to find out.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Phoenix Publishing Limited
• Release date: Feb 14, 2017
• ISBN: 9781386597902

JUDY ANGELO

New York Times & USA Today best-selling author, Judy Angelo, considers herself a ‘traveling writer’. She currently resides in Ontario, Canada but prior to that she called New York and then Illinois home. She has also spent considerable time in the Caribbean, Latin America and Europe. She loves to travel as it provides her with interesting and diverse settings for her stories.   Judy fell in love with romance novels as a teenager and has never lost her passion for these stories of love and life, conflict and reconciliation, relationships and family. For her, it was a natural progression from reading romance novels to writing them. So far, she has written over 70 romance novels, including the best-selling Bad Boy Billionaires series. Her other series include The Billionaire Brothers Kent, The Castillos, and the Comedy, Conflict & Romance series.   She hopes to continue entertaining her readers with intriguing stories for many years to come.   Website - www.judyangelo.blogspot.com   I would love to hear from you! [e-mail]

Book preview

BACK FROM THE FUTURE

When the past becomes your future...

Megan Hailey is a physicist assigned to a very unusual project – perfecting the process of traveling through time.  She’s pretty good at what she does, but here’s the problem – her co-scientist, the lead physicist on this project, Carter Kincaid.  How dare he be so disarmingly handsome that he keeps distracting her and making her mess up?  When that distraction makes her throw them back into the time of the pirates, it is then that she realizes that he’s just too much...definitely bad for her business.  She will have to find a way to end this rocky professional relationship, and the sooner the better.

Carter Kincaid has always found working with feisty little Miss Megan Hailey a serious challenge.  It’s bad enough that she’s a cute one, a co-worker he must keep at a distance, especially because of the effect she’s having on him.  On top of that, though, she’s not the easiest person to lead, rebel that she is, always quick to challenge his instructions.  But then she makes a monumental mistake – she throws them five hundred years into the past without the tools to get them back to the present.  As the pirates of the past put their lives in peril, Carter must decide on the depth of his love.  Would he willingly sacrifice himself to save the life of the woman he secretly loves?  Before he knows it, the question is put to the test. 

Which is more important – your life or your love?  It is now time to find out.

CHAPTER ONE

Why should we go to the year 2050, anyway?  2100 would provide more insight, I’d bet.  Megan raised her eyebrows as she watched Carter swiping the computer screen, deliberately ignoring her.  As usual.

Unfazed by his obvious lack of interest, she pressed on.  2050 isn’t that far off.  Only twenty years away.  How much more advanced in technology do you think we’ll be by then?  I don’t know if it would even be worth the visit.  We may not learn that much.

For almost ten seconds, silence...like Carter was planning to totally ignore her.  Then, in no hurry at all, his royal highness turned his dark-eyed gaze toward her.  Let’s not overdo this, he said, his voice grave, like it usually was.  We’re only testing this technology.  We don’t want to go so far forward in time that our technology will be totally obsolete when we get there.  You never know, that may mess with the controls.  2050 is good enough.

Megan shook her head.  So boring.

Carter gave her a smug smile.  Thank you, Miss Hailey.  I aim to please.

Scowling, Megan turned away, almost wishing she could smack the smirk from his lips, or at least say something biting that would wipe the smile off his face.  Of course, she couldn’t.  Carter Kincaid was the senior researcher in this operation.  She reported to him.  The fact that she had a PhD in quantum mechanics meant nothing.  Having an advanced degree in physics certainly didn’t give her anywhere near the level of control she wanted, in this research lab.

She muttered silent curses as she turned her attention to her own computer screen, pretending to be busy.  So she couldn’t defy the man who was practically her boss. But that didn’t say she couldn’t needle him.

Her eyes still on her computer screen, not glancing at him at all, she spoke again, casually, like she was discussing the weather.  I’ve heard it said, she paused, waiting for him to start listening, that under your supervision we won’t make much progress with this project.  Plays it too safe.  That’s what they say.

That did the trick.  It got his attention, enough for him to glance over at her again.  He raised an eyebrow.  They?

She shrugged.  You know, people around the research lab.  We’d be farther ahead on this time travel project if you would take some risks.  Now it was her turn to smirk.  Like I do.

That got her a snort.  Like the risk you took last time and almost got us stuck in 2025?

She cut him a defiant glare.  That was only five years ago.  Would it have been the end of the world if we’d gone back five years and lived there?

His look was one of annoyance.  Are you listening to yourself?  Then he shook his head.  May I remind you that this is not a game?  The whole idea is not for us to get stuck anywhere.  We’re physicists, Megan.  We’re here to test and perfect the technology of time travel.

Which requires care, patience and a good dose of caution.  I know, I know.  She was rolling her eyes as she repeated the words he’d been hammering at her for the past year, for as long as they’d been working together on the time travel project.  She’d heard them so many times that she felt like, if she heard them one more time, she would reach out and strangle him.  Well, maybe not literally, but goodness. Would he get off his soapbox, already?

Now come over here, he said, turning back to the computer screen.  Let me show you what’s going on with these atoms.

In an obedient mood, Megan went.  What she saw made her raise her eyebrows. They’re moving faster than I’ve ever seen them go.

Exactly.  You know what that means, don’t you?  If we can transfer atoms this fast we’ll soon be able to travel to the third millennium if we want.

Megan flashed him a wide smile.  Cool.  Party like it’s 2999.

The look he gave her told her he was not amused.  Will you be serious, just this once?  When his glare silenced her, he gave her a satisfied nod.  This is a real breakthrough for us.  It’s the first time that the velocity of the atoms has increased to the point that it could break through multiple time warps.

She nodded.  Sounds good.  She’d been about to say, ‘awesome’ but she decided against it.  Young though he was, Carter was an old fogey at heart.  She bit back a smile, thinking about it.  She’d been trying to change him for the past year, with no luck.  If she were to have any hope of it she would definitely have to step up her game.

And step it up, she would.  Not because she wanted to annoy the heck out of her work partner...although that was a perk...but because she wanted to normalize him, just enough that he would move away from the computer screen for just a little minute so he would take the time to notice her.  Here she was, working by the side of one of the most handsome men she knew, and he hadn’t even spared her a glance.  Not once.

And here she was...idiot that she was...so aware of him that every morning that she walked into the lab and saw him there, her nipples would go pebble-hard in her blouse.  Dammit!

She shook her head.  Time to get her thoughts out of the clouds.  Time to focus on the work at hand, at least for now.

Again, Carter glanced over at her and this time he was smiling.  Time to take the atomizer for another test run.  Not too far, mind you.  I’m encouraged by what I saw with the atoms but we have to take it slow.  Caution is key.

Megan had to fight to keep from rolling her eyes.  Now why wasn’t she surprised he’d said that?  Caution.  His favorite word.

She headed over to the atomizer machine and pulled the door open.  How far forward? she asked as she stepped inside.

Let’s stick with 2050, he said.  Once we’re comfortable with that we can try a bit farther.

She would have wanted to be a bit more adventurous but she wouldn’t fight him.  Not this time.  She shrugged.  You’re the boss.

She entered and walked over to the interior screen where she began to swipe.  She wasn’t surprised when Carter entered the chamber and stepped forward to stand beside her, his gaze glued to the screen.  It was just like him, to come over to watch, to make sure she was doing exactly as he’d ordered.  She gave herself a mental shrug.  How could she knock him for that?  She’d been known to take initiative from time to time, a minor veer from plan.  It would make him go ballistic.  Her lips curled in a secret smile as she remembered the last time she’d been too adventurous for his liking.  He’d really chewed her out that time.

Well, not today.  She wouldn’t give him that pleasure.  Today she was in an obedient mood and would follow his orders to the letter.

Now he was pointing to the map on the screen.  Okay, he said, this time we’ll take her to Australia.  Let’s see what our mates will be up to in the next twenty years.

Done.  She immediately set the locator then in one smooth move she slammed on the button to close the door while reaching out to activate.

Hold on, Carter said as he started turning toward the door.  Let me grab the-

Too late.  Megan’s hand was already on its way to pressing the activation button.  Mid-move, the momentum carrying her forward, there was no way to stop.

Immediately that her palm pressed the button the air began to pulsate, the signal that the atomization process had begun.  

She heard Carter’s sharp intake of breath.  I told you to hold on, he yelled.  Why don’t you ever listen?

She was not going to take that sitting down.  It’s not my fault you were so slow, she yelled back.  You take so long to say things.

The air in the internal cabin was pulsating faster now, sucking in and out, pushing them closer together.

You never wait.  He sounded totally pissed.  Now we’re in deep shit.

Megan’s heart jerked.  Carter using profanity?  Something was definitely wrong. What do you mean? she yelled back.

That thing I wanted to grab? he shouted, as his body began to vaporize in front of her eyes.  It was the atomizer remote.  I’d left it on the desk.  How the hell are we going to get back without the remote?

Megan’s heart did a serious back flip.

Oh, shit.

***

Where are we?

Annoyed beyond words, Carter didn’t bother to answer.  Megan and her impulsiveness.  It was enough to drive a man insane.

When he finally answered, it was through gritted teeth.  How should I know? he grated.  In case you hadn’t noticed, the place is totally dark.  He dug into his back pocket and pulled out his cell phone.  A quick swipe, scroll, and then a tap and then a beam of light lit up Megan’s face.  She looked confused and just a little bit scared. That was a first.

Wanting to determine where they’d landed, Carter swung the beam of light away from her face and toward their surroundings.  What he saw made him frown.

Piled around them were large wooden boxes and packed beside those were huge canvas bags. His best guess was that they contained something like flour.  His frown deepening, he swung the beam of light even wider, revealing roughly hewn planks sealed together to create a solid wooden wall.  He swung the beam of light wider still, and what he saw made his jaw drop.  Whatever building they were in had chains with cuffs hanging from hooks imbedded in the wooden walls.  They hadn’t landed in the friendliest of places, that was for sure.

Intrigued, he got up off the floor and, moving away from Megan’s side, he walked over to the unwelcoming walls.  He was reaching a hand out to touch the chains when the room began to