by Lea Kirk
But she’d needed to escape the stifling confines of her tiny cottage. Kai had called twice today, already, and both times she’d let it go to voicemail. How could she face him, talk to him, knowing she’d come so close to having dream sex with him? What if something she said gave it away and he guessed? Wouldn’t that be humiliating?
As humiliating as losing your job?
God, she didn’t even want to think about that. It was easier to pretend Jordan wouldn’t be in her office in about forty-eight hours to fire her. And what would happen to Adam once she was gone? Maybe Jordan would promote him to fill the vacancy, which would be great. For Adam.
She swallowed against the lump in her throat. All her high hopes for her future were on a collision course with the side of Mt. Jacinto.
More like Mt. Everest.
Becoming an agent for the Silverstar Agency had been a daring step out of the nondescript, vanilla comfort zone she’d built for herself. Dad’s affair with the wife of his political rival had pushed her and Mom into the center ring of a circus she’d never wanted to attend, and she’d spent the rest of her life trying not to be noticed.
Until Efrem. Too bad he’d never know how much his calm and steady confidence in her had given her the courage to apply for a job she loved. A job that’d given her so much joy.
“Thanks, babe.” The steady drum of rain against her yellow rain slicker muffled her murmured words, but that was okay. They were only for her and Efrem anyway.
She slapped through the puddles that had formed in the low spots on the sidewalk as a resigned sense of inevitability settled over her. It seemed only fair that she give Adam a head’s up about what she’d done.
A low grumble of thunder rumbled in the distance—her cue to head home, even though she still hadn’t figured out what to do about Kai or the feelings he had raised in her. Feelings that had somehow managed to cross over between her dreams and real life.
She tugged the hood of her rain slicker forward as she turned onto her street. A couple of minutes later, she trudged up her front walk and let herself inside. Warm air floated over her like a hug from an old friend. She peeled off her layers, pulled off her boots, and laid out her raingear to dry.
Now what? There were plenty of little piddly projects she could be working on, but she felt so…uninspired.
She moved aimlessly into the kitchen and drew back the curtain to stare through the gray evening light at the covered patio. Rain dripped down the brick chimney and puddled at the base of the built-in barbeque.
Between dream-Kai, real Kai, and her looming meeting with Jordan, it was a wonder she didn’t have a migraine. Well, there was always tomorrow for that, especially since she was not going to sleep tonight. What did she have to lose anyway? Besides the first job she’d ever loved, of course. And the old guy from another planet who she wanted to bang in the worst way, even though he didn’t seem interested in her. Not in that way, at least.
Screw it. She dropped the curtain back into place. Time for dinner.
A bowl and a half of lentil soup and a slice of sourdough bread later, she snuggled down on the couch with a book. A medical thriller, because the goal was to stay awake all night. By the second chapter, her eyelids drooped.
I should make some coffee….
“Something has you worried.”
Kai’s voice, from right behind her. He stepped up next to her and lowered himself to sit at her side on the pond’s stone embankment.
Dammit. I fell asleep anyway.
The walk in the rain, soup, and reading on the couch had conspired against her. Relaxed her too much. She should’ve taken a hot bath and crawled into bed for all the good fighting sleep had done.
She lowered her gaze to the surface of the pond, to her bare toes visible under the tepid water. “I may lose my job on Tuesday.”
He turned his head sharply toward her. “Why?”
“I did something stupid.” A little humorless laugh slipped out. “Actually, it comes down to not being as careful as I should’ve been. About seven months ago, Silverstar updated their application process. As usual, I did a faux dry run of the process to make sure I understood it, because, you know, I’m not the most computer-savvy person in the world. If any of my clients had questions, I wanted to be able to help them.
“Anyway, I really shouldn’t have worried; the whole thing is incredibly user friendly. But, when I went to delete it, I somehow submitted it instead.”
“I do not understand.” He frowned. “Your actions were driven by responsibility. What is the problem?”
“I filled it out with all of my personal info, and downloaded and tested the bio-scan app. And that’s against company policy. I have no idea why it’s taken so long for my supervisor to figure it out, other than I used my full name, not my nickname. That might have thrown her off because everyone calls me Nixy.” She covered her face with her hands. “I don’t know what went wrong, but I’ve been trying to delete it ever since.”
“What is your full name?”
Of everything she’d said, that was what he focused on? “A stupid name my wanna-be-trendy parents picked out that always got me teased in school. Never mind.”
She caught the motion of his nod in her peripheral vision, and silence settled between them like an unspoken agreement. Nothing but the two of them, the breeze in the willow tree, and the burbling fountain in the opposite end of the pond.
And that damn burning sensation under her skin, yearning for more. It was like she couldn’t escape it, even in her sleep.
So, why not go with it?
She frowned and drew her brows together. Would it work? If she had dream sex with Kai, would it make the need go away?
Kai coughed. “Nixy…your clothing….”
She looked down. Holy moly! Her T-shirt and crop pants had turned into her red negligée this time. She shifted her gaze to Kai’s pants, now the same ones as last time—because apparently she’d liked them that much. And, oh my, that was one obvious hard ridge under the crotch fabric.
She swallowed hard against the nervous anticipation in her throat. Well, this was her dream after all, and she could do anything she damn well pleased.
And the idea of doing Kai sounded delicious.
She drew her feet out of the water and turned to meet his gaze. Desire that matched hers glowed in his gorgeous eyes, and that was all she needed to see. She launched herself at him and he caught her, his red-feathered wings flaring out before he landed on his back on the grass.
Then she was on him, in him, exploring his mouth with her tongue. God help her, he even tasted of cinnamon.
Of course he does, because that’s what you want.
“Nixy.”
Dayum, the way he moaned her name against her mouth was sexy. His hand over her breast was sexy. His fingers tweaking her hard nipples was sexy. The friction of his hard cock against her girly bits through two layers of clothing was sexy.
“Kai, you’re the sexiest fucking man alive. And you smell so good.”
Kai surged up, flipping them so she was under him. “I want you. In your dreams, in reality…I. Want. You. Nixy Vogel.”
She spread her legs until he was nestled against her. “Then take me.”
The man didn’t need to be told twice. He rose up enough to help her bunch up her negligée to her hips and tug his pants down. Then he surged into her, hard and hot.
His groan of pleasure matched hers, long and low, then muttered words she didn’t catch. And even that was sexy.
“Nixy.” He touched his forehead to hers. “I never expected…never knew….”
“Move Kai, now. In and out.” She nudged him with her hips, and he moved. Awkwardly at first, then with more confidence. “Oh, my God.”
She bucked up to meet his thrusts, panting as a fluttering sensation stroked the walls of her channel with exquisite pleasure. “Oh…Jesus…what…?” Her entire body was electric, riding the cusp of the
fastest orgasm she’d ever had. “Harder, Kai. I won’t break.”
And bless him, he did, rocking her world with a grunt accompanying each plunge.
“Nixy…I….” His face scrunched as if he was trying to hold back.
“Come with me, Kai. Let it go. Hard.”
He slammed into her once, twice, and a wave of pleasure shattered over her. “Yes!”
Kai shouted as she clamped down around him, buried inside her to his base as she pushed up to meet him, milk him for everything he gave. He shuddered once, twice, three times, then sighed as his body relaxed over her.
She drifted in a haze of well-being, cradling Kai in her arms and between her legs. One thing was for sure: dream sex just might be better than real sex.
Chapter 11
Nixy strode off the elevator like a woman on a mission. Not a saving all humanity/fireworks and glory kind of mission; more like a self-preservation mission. A mission to keep her dreams to herself.
Especially last night’s dream. Good God, give her an air-conditioner cranked to full arctic blast mode. Just thinking about it was as bad as having a hot flash.
Mom always said you have a vivid imagination.
Adam looked up from whatever he was doing on his computer. “Happy Monday, boss. You’re in early.”
“If Elder Kai shows up, do not let him in.” I can’t face him now.
She stepped into her office and the door slid shut behind her.
Alone, finally. And she’d made it without getting grilled by Adam.
Swish.
“You can’t just do that.” Adam swept into the room.
Crap. So much for a clean escape. “Do what?”
She shrugged off her jacket, then slid it onto a hanger and hung it in the tiny closet.
Oh, look. The fire extinguisher.
Ack. Was everything going to remind her of him?
Adam placed his hands on that same desk and leaned forward. “I’ve known you long enough to figure out when something’s going on.”
Yeah, something was going on all right. Heat rose in her cheeks.
Adam inhaled an exaggerated gasp. “You didn’t have sex with him, did you?”
The heat flamed to something just a degree or two shy of a fireball.
“Oh. My. God.” He plunked his skinny butt into one of the chairs. “It’s just you and me here, and we’re not on the clock for another fifteen minutes. Besides,” he shrugged. “I have something to talk to you about too. But you go first.”
“What’s going on?”
“Ah, ah, ah.” He shook his head like a disapproving parent. “Spill.”
“Fine.” She raised her hands in an I give up gesture. “There’s not much to tell. We had a nice dinner, he walked me home, and kissed my hand like a gentleman. And, then I had very intense and graphic dreams about him.”
“Ooh.” Adam waggled his eyebrows. “No wonder you don’t want to see him.”
Oh, she wanted to see him all right. Clothes on. Clothes off. In nothing but his flying leathers.
Can I get one of those in my size?
Nope. No way. None of that wasn’t going to happen.
She cleared her throat and folded her hands on the desk in front of her. “Your turn. What’s up?”
His smile dimmed a fraction. “Well, I have good news and bad news—”
“Stop.” She raised one hand. “Most important thing: Are you leaving me?”
“No.”
“Good.”
“Not yet.” He caught his bottom lip between his teeth and wrinkled his nose.
Dammit. “A-dam.”
“Okay, okay. Here’s the deal.” He shifted in the chair and licked his lips. “My thirtieth birthday is coming up next year, and it hit me a couple of months ago that I’m not getting any younger and maybe I should think about settling down. So, I submitted an application to the NebulaX Agency.”
“The LGBTQ matching agency?” Not a direct competitor, per se. “That’s really smart.”
“Not really.” Adam’s shoulders sagged as though he’d deflated. “I think that’s why Ms. Jones is coming to talk to you.”
“What? Because of you?”
“It’s one thing to apply to NebX, and another to get word that they found half my triad match.”
Oh, now that would be a problem. “Triad mate unions aren’t recognized on Earth.”
“Not yet. And I have a little time, at least.” He grinned. “Korob, my male mate, is due to arrive next month.”
“That’s wonderful.”
“That part is. But the part that Ms. Jones might have found out, not so much.” He sighed “I suppose getting fired would leave me with plenty of free time to get to know him while we wait for our female partner match. But being unemployed isn’t the most ideal way to begin a relationship.”
No, it wasn’t. “You know I’ll always have your back.” Even if she wasn’t still around. She leaned back in her chair. “But I don’t think you’re going to have to worry. I’m pretty sure you’re not the reason Jordan is visiting.”
Adam frowned. “Why? What’s going on?”
Time for some truth. “I accidently submitted a false application with all my personal info on it.”
“To Silverstar?” She gave him a nod and his eyes went as round as she’d ever seen them. “What the hell, Nixy? How did that happen?”
She explained the situation as succinctly as she could, then shrugged. “So, now do you see my point?”
“Yeah.” He rubbed the scruff on his chin. “Want me to take a look at it?”
“If you were a techie, I would’ve asked you months ago.” There was no one else she’d trust to handle this more than Adam, if he had the skills.
“Right, there is that.” Adam sighed. “Well, if you think of anything, I got your back too, you know.”
“I know.” Most reliable guy in the universe.
Kai lay still in his bed, wings stretched out on the Bezchian-sized mattress, head turned to one side. Mid-morning light glowed around the edges of the black-out drapes as the numbers on the nightstand clock moved forward another minute.
It was nice to be back in the suite. It was nicer that Prime Advisor Rol seemed to have disappeared. Now Kai could dedicate all his focus to the bigger issue: the ever-present crippling sense of doom weighing on him.
A long, low groan rose up from the deepest trenches of his being. They had had sex. In the dreamwalk. But phoenixes could not copulate with anyone but their soul mate. So, what did it mean?
She could be your soul mate.
Pah. It was a dreamwalk, and she was human, so that was not possible.
Are you sure?
He was not.
Yet, the evidence of his body’s response was stuck to the sheet under his belly. There was no denying that what happened in the dreamwalk had been mimicked in reality. So, what did it mean?
It means you failed…again.
Uri would want to know, but what would be the best way to present it to him? Greetings, Most Esteemed. I had sex with a human in a dreamwalk, and enjoyed it. I want to do it with her again, but in reality next time. Has this ever happened to a phoenix before?
The answer of course would be no, followed by a lengthy monologue about the duties of a mate-matcher. At this point, the only thing that might save him was to prove Silverstar was a sham…and that was something he no longer believed. He squeezed his eyes shut, then blinked a couple of times. Besides, there was no way he could hurt Nixy.
Ah, and Nixy…. The memory of her soft body moving under him, the taste of her full, coral-tipped breasts on his tongue, the way her female parts had clamped down on him as he had exploded inside her. It had been glorious, exquisite, intimate. Life-defining.
She must be at work by now. This, her possibly last full day at a job she was passionate about. It would crush her to be terminated, and that he could relate to, having been denied the privilege of
mate-matching for at least as long as she had been alive.
Wait. If he was doing the math right, his matching problem started around the time Nixy was born. Coincidence?
The clock numbers advanced again. Now he understood what an Earth minute was. It was all at once a short increment of time, and it was an eternity. More so when it seemed like he would have to choose between his heritage or Nixy.
He turned his face into the soft pillow and let out a howl. The release of his inner turmoil in this manner brought his thoughts into sharper focus.
What he needed was a plan. First, seek counsel from the most esteemed elder. No, wait. First get out of bed and clean up, then see if he could reach Uri on the deep space communicator, and this time he wanted to see the most esteemed’s face. After that, make a plan based on that discussion. Not a perfect strategy but it was a start.
He levered himself up with his arms and stared at the wet mark on the sheets. If the situation had not been real enough before, it was now. Something was happening between him and Nixy, and the only one who might confirm it was Uri.
A female’s chuckle came from his left and he snapped his head up. Fia stood at the side of the bed, a bemused expression on her face.
This was an unexpected development. He sat back on his heels. “Another timeslip, Most Esteemed?”
“Aye, youngling—the last one, I promise. And I am not your most esteemed elder any longer.” Her gaze flicked to sheets, then back to him. “It seems you are at a crucial point in your life, Kai.”
He lowered his gaze to the wet spot. “It is difficult to comprehend what any of this means.”
“I know. And I cannot make the choice for you.”
“Can you advise me?” He gave her a pleading look.
“If you ask the right questions.”
This would be more difficult than he had hoped, but there were so many unanswered questions that had haunted him for so long. “Why have I failed in my duties?”
