by Unknown
He sobered and caressed the scar on her face with one fingertip. “I’ll fight a dozen saber sharks for you. That includes the ones that are only in your mind. Give me a chance to prove myself.”
Elandra was skeptical, but how could she refuse when he said something like that?
“How do you plan to fix this?” she asked curiously.
His smile was back. “With proper motivation. We’ll start with this.”
He reached for the knot that held her sarong dress in place. She didn’t have time to protest before he loosened it and bared her body to his gaze. He kept hold of the ends so that she was trapped between the fabric and him.
Her nipples instantly beaded in the cool night air, even as his hungry gaze scalded her. She resisted the urge to cover herself, not sure whether she wanted to preserve her modesty or cover the semicircle of scars that ran from her hip all the way to the slash across her face. The lust she saw on Dorian’s face stopped her. It was clear he was pleased with her body, which bolstered her confidence.
He finally let go of her dress and let it flutter to the ground. Then he untied his own clothing and dropped it off his hips. His cock was already hard and flushed, standing up straight from his body. She shivered as she grew wet and slick between her legs.
“Come to me.” He offered his hand.
She immediately took it, and he gently pulled her forward, facing her the whole way as he backed toward the water’s edge. Her anxiety spiked, but she refused to balk—at least not yet. She could handle getting in up to her knees, especially when Dorian looked at her with such pride. When he reached out to cup her breast and rub his thumb over her erect nipple, she sighed and pressed herself closer. Hot tingles coursed through her and grew stronger when he captured her mouth again. It had been so long since anyone had touched her like this, and she soaked up the sensations and demanded more. His lips were firm on hers, his tongue quick to slip behind her teeth to tangle with hers.
He had her so lost in the taste and feel of him that she barely noticed when the waves crawled over her knees to lap at her thighs. It wasn’t until the water reached her sex—already soaked with her own moisture—that she tensed.
“Grab on to me,” he told her.
He slipped his palms beneath her bottom and boosted her up so she could wrap her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. This placed her right above his straining erection, and she felt him nudge her entrance when he lowered her a fraction. There was no reason to deny him. She wanted this as badly as he did, and the same concoction that regulated her lunar cycles would also prevent conception. She gasped as he pushed the head of his cock past the tight ring of her sex.
“Slow,” she warned him. Elandra hadn’t been with anyone in a long time, and Dorian wasn’t a small man.
“I won’t let anything hurt you,” he promised. “Relax and trust me.”
He lowered her onto him, slowly and inexorably filling her. His cock stretched her to the maximum, but she was so slippery with excitement that he glided right in. He rocked gently until he was nice and deep. The feeling of him inside her was exquisite, as was the press of his wet body against hers. She felt like she was being licked by hundreds of soft tongues as the surf touched her naked skin and the undersides of her breasts.
Wait. The water was up to her chest? Dorian must have taken several steps backward while she’d been distracted by the feel of him penetrating her. Now that she was aware of it, she tensed.
He groaned and used one hand to support her while he swept a tendril of hair away from her face. “Much as I enjoy the feel of you tightening around me, I’d much rather have you at ease. Don’t worry, my love. I have you.”
His words calmed her a bit, but she still cast nervous glances around her. Anything could be lurking beneath the dark water, waiting to strike. Like that swish of water over there. Was that just a wave breaking or—
“Oh!” She cried out as Dorian withdrew his hips and thrust hard inside her.
The movement was jarring, but it had rapture cascading through her sheath. His second thrust was smoother, though equally powerful, and then he was moving inside her in a steady rhythm. He plucked at her nipple and sent kisses down her neck and along her shoulder.
“So beautiful. Pay attention to me. Only to me.”
She had no choice. He had full command of her body and her pleasure. By the time the water reached her chin, she wasn’t sure if any of her trembling was due to fear, or if all of it was from the bliss he gave her. His body was strong and hard and tireless, and this was Dorian—the boy who had smiled at her with that beguiling dimple, now returned to her as a man. A man who had trained to protect his people and had sworn to keep her safe. One who thought she was beautiful, not despite her scars but because of them and what they represented.
Although her fear didn’t disappear, it suddenly became inconsequential in the face of their passion. In fact, it made their lovemaking seem like something daring. He claimed her mouth right before they went under, and she felt magic burst through her to keep her from drowning. It felt like being wrapped in a liquid blanket, all cozy and intimate and hidden from the rest of the world. The moonlight fractured on the water’s surface above them and glittered while her warrior took her with the dedicated focus that seemed to define him.
Ecstasy pulled her like a riptide, locking her on to his plundering cock. Her cry of completion vibrated against his lips as great convulsions racked her sheath. She dug her hands into Dorian’s shoulders and held on for dear life as she came apart in his arms. Her orgasm didn’t stop until he thrust deep and joined her in climax.
After that, they drifted for a while, rising and falling with the motion of the waves. He finally pushed them back to the surface and withdrew from her body.
“Swim with me,” he said. His words were simple, but his tone was so tender she knew he didn’t just mean here and now.
He kicked backward and away from her, his gaze never leaving hers. Her nervousness returned now that he wasn’t touching her, but she concentrated on his green eyes. Then she gasped when she swam after him and felt the way the water sluiced over her naked body. He had her so sensitive that even that fluid touch was erotic. The sensation made her desperate to have Dorian’s hands on her again.
She supposed that was all the motivation she needed to swim after him into deeper water.
THE END
Did you enjoy this story? Allie Ritch is the author of several hot romances, which are available on Amazon, B&N, ARe, Kobo, Google, iBooks, and other sites where e-books are sold. Find out more by visiting her website and author pages at the links below.
Website/Blog: https://allieritch.wordpress.com
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Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/allieritch
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Dreamwalker: This Time
Pamela Moran
A scream tore from Tessa Logan’s throat.
She had to get away.
Her lungs burning and her legs weak from the mad dash she’d made across a darkly exposed, barren landscape, she scrambled over the top of a rocky embankment and slid several feet down the other side before she grabbed an exposed and gnarled tree root with both hands.
The sudden stop jerked every inch of her body. Tremors spasmed through her wounded arm and across her shoulders. Her legs dangling, she hung over a yawning black hole.
Oh, Lord. How long could she hold on? Her strength was gone. Nonexistent.
Light from a full moon scudded across pebbles that rolled over dirt and jutting stones, only to be swallowed by the blackness of the widening crevasse beneath her hanging body.
She had to hold on.
Silence echoed. Mocked.
Crap. How deep was that hole?
Her heart pounded in her aching chest.
Dirt dribbled onto her head. Dirt from movement above her.
Oh no, oh no, oh no.
That thing was up there.
Coming for her.
Still.
The deep breath she sucked in scalded her lungs.
To hell with letting it grab her.
She let go of the root. Her scream echoed against the crevasse walls as she fell into the black abyss.
Cole Pierce sat on a sun-drenched boulder and let his gaze linger on the slight swell of each mini wave the gentle breeze lapped against the mountain lake’s shoreline.
Peaceful.
Calm.
Needed.
That last Dreamwalker case had taken a toll on him.
Left him edgy. At odds.
Now, alone in his own dream, he eased the perimeters of his guard down several clicks. He slowed his breathing, and absorbed nature’s restorative balm deep into his soul.
With his arms around his bent knees, he closed his eyes.
This was what he needed.
A woman’s scream ripped across his peace.
Hands in fists and elbows tight against his side, he pushed off the boulder and spun towards the scream.
And the woman suddenly sprawled on her ass at his feet.
She shook her head once before lifting her chin to stare up at him. Her eyes, deep brown and wary, widened in recognition.
“Tessa.” He scanned the immediate area even as he set his guard firmly in place. Widened his shields. He squatted beside her and rested his palms on his knees. “What the hell are you doing here?”
With a slight tremor to her hand, she scooped all that glorious, wavy dark hair back away from her too pale face. “Cole.”
He arched an eyebrow.
Even with his guard down, people didn't simply drop into his dreams.
But this was Tessa.
He slid a finger down an escaped lock of her soft hair and rubbed the ends between his thumb and forefinger before he shook his head once. “Why are you here?”
She blinked those dark eyes several times then turned her head to pull her hair away from him.
“Tessa.”
With a shake of her head, she scrambled to stand several feet away. Her gaze darted around the area, coming back to him several times.
He stayed where he was, in a squat, and watched.
While she’d always taken his breath away, the girl he’d known in high school and college had matured into a knockout. Those worn jeans hugged her curves and that white T-shirt had a fresh bloodstain along the left sleeve.
What the hell?
“Tessa.” His eyes narrowed, he slowly pushed himself into a standing position. “You’re bleeding.”
She shook her head then followed his gaze, and lifted her arm. “Oh. Maybe I am.”
He took a step forward. She held up her hands, palms facing him, so he stopped. “Sweetheart, what happened?”
Moisture welled in those dark eyes. She blinked several times. “No one has called me sweetheart since you —”
Everything stilled inside him.
Tessa didn’t cry.
Ever.
In two steps he had her wrapped in his arms with her hands splayed over his chest and her face pressed to his shoulder. “Sweetheart. I can’t fix it if you don’t tell me what I need to fix.”
“I know.” The words were muffled against his shirt.
He brushed his cheek over her hair. “And?”
Her shoulders stiffened, and her soft sigh breathed over his neck. Still in his arms, she leaned back to stare up at him. Moisture still coated her eyes, hung on her lower lashes. “And something is after me.”
“In your dreams?”
“Nightmares.” She shuddered. “Someone’s been following me. For at least a week now.”
“Following you into sleep?”
Her eyes closed for a quick moment. “Following me when I’m awake. From home to work. Back home. Even to the grocery store. At first I thought I was imagining it. There’s never anyone there. Just a sense. I thought the nightmares were brought on by anxiety over the whole situation.”
With one arm still around her waist, he pushed the sleeve of her T-shirt up to examine the wound. Blood oozed from a jagged cut. “This happened while you were awake?”
She shook her head. “I was asleep. Something grabbed at me. My arm burned. I ran.”
“To me?”
Her gaze shifted to his chest. Again she shook her head. “Across some kind of flat landscape. Lots of dirt. Sand, maybe. Rocks. It kept coming after me. I made it over some kind of embankment, but there was nothing on the other side except a bottomless hole.”
Cole waited.
“That thing came over the top and —” She lifted her gaze to his. “I let go and fell.”
“Into my dream.”
“Safety.” Her lips in a flat line, she shrugged and moved out of his arms to stand and stare out over the lake. “Where are we?”
“Someplace I saw in a magazine article.”
She stood at a right angle to him, her face lifted to the sun. “And you decided to visit it in your dreams?”
“Something like that.”
The side of her mouth twitched. “Exactly like that.”
“Tessa, whatever is after you —”
“Is none of your concern, Cole.”
“You made it my concern.”
“Well.” She faced him. “I certainly didn’t mean to do that. I apologize for inconveniencing you.”
“Dammit, Tessa. That’s not what I said.”
A small, fake, smile flitted across her mouth. “I was scared. I overreacted. I’ll leave now.”
“No —”
But his words fell on flat, suddenly still, empty air.
Cole stood alone, in the sunshine, along the shoreline of the mountain lake he’d seen in a magazine article.
“Dammit, Tessa.” Cole slammed the receiver of his home phone into its cradle on his home office desk. He paced to the wide windows lining the opposite wall. Dawn broke over the top of the distant hills with faint shafts of pale light stretching across the dark valley. Hands fisted on his hips, he stared through narrowed eyes. “Where the hell are you?”
And why wasn’t she answering what he now knew was her cell phone number?
She had to be okay.
Safe.
Unharmed.
His research had yielded unexpected results.
She lived less than ten miles from where they’d grown up. Was considered a top-notch, well respected scientist in the field of sleep research.
Researching dreams.
How ironic.
They used to share their dreams. Once upon a fucking time. Before she’d quit visiting his dreams. Before she’d blocked him from entering hers. Before she had no more use for him or their shared future.
Well, now he had her address. Less than fifty miles from his own house. He’d had no idea she’d returned to the area, had thought she was still out east. Somewhere.
He also now had a cell phone number he could ping. And an ex-lover to make sure was unharmed.
Then he’d be the one walking out. Walking away.
This time.
Fog swirled in the gloominess, its tendrils stretching and wrapping around Tessa’s legs. She stood on a hill overlooking a wide valley littered with dim lights in the distance.
This was a dream.
Only a dream.
She rotated her shoulders and tried to ignore the throb in her left arm. In daylight hours, the gash had appeared as an old scar. But she’d never been hurt there. Except in last night’s nightmare.
Now, the wound ached as if new.
Only a dream.
This didn’t mean a damn thing.
She settled on the ground, arms around her bent knees. High ground. Above everything. Away from everything. The better to see anyone or anything approaching.
At least that was her working theory.
Her regular day had been intense. That sense of being followed had strengthened to the point she’d wondered if she’d picked up y
et another stalker. In spite of what she’d told Cole in his dream the night before, she didn’t feel as if she’d overreacted.
Someone or something followed her.
And she had no idea why.
Sleep terrified her.
She’d kept the lights in her bedroom on and had stayed awake as long as she could, but obviously had succumbed.
Just a dream.
A low growl from somewhere behind her sent shivers up her spine and coursing through her blood.
Wake up.
Not working. Okay, then. She was a damn researcher. Find the logic.
This was a damn dream and whatever owned that growl couldn’t hurt her.
Her arm throbbed.
Right.
Logic didn’t work in dreams.
The fog thickened. Coiled around her body. Coldness seeped through the thin fabric of her T-shirt and even the heavier denim of her jeans.
She swallowed once. Wake up.
Fur, rough and bristly, brushed her right arm then slid behind her to rub against her left arm.
Crap.
Her movements slow, she angled her head to glance at the ground to her side.
Yellow eyes blazed from the darkness, held her gaze. A warm wetness scraped her arm, like damp sandpaper. Or a big cat’s tongue.
Cole! The scream stuck in her throat.
She squeezed her eyes closed.
“Shh. You’re okay, sweetheart.” Cole’s words whispered against her ear. His arms tightened around her. “I have you.”
Brightness pressed against her eyelids and she opened her eyes a slit. Light shone from a lamp in the corner. No shadows. No fog. No big cat, or whatever the hell it was, wanting to devour her.
Shakes racked her body.
“Hey.” Cole rubbed his big hands up and down her arms. “It’s okay. You’re safe.”
Safe. She nodded. Kept nodding. Lord, she had to move. Adrenaline spiked. She pushed out of Cole’s arms. Shoved her hands through her hair.
Swung around to face him.
God, he was still so damn handsome. So appealing. So hard to resist. Those shadowed eyes. So full of concern and caution.
