Wild Dreams

by Dawn Pendleton

  “I have no idea. But I know I’m not happy and if I have to be miserable, then he can be, too, dammit,” I seethed.

  “You tell him! Okay, here’s the number,” she said, rattling off his number. “That’s his cell. He has international service, so even if he’s not in the US, he’ll get your message.”

  Her comment had me questioning myself. “What do you mean? Why wouldn’t he be in the states? Is he back in Africa and no one’s telling me anything?”

  “Will you stop being a girl? Jesus, Nic, you’re turning into a little school girl. As far as I know, Dallas is in Nashville. He’s not here, certainly, so don’t let your mind wander.” She sounded pissed off.

  “Sorry. I’m a little on edge,” I admitted.

  She sighed. “Have they told you anything about Tyler?”

  “Not a thing. I’m beginning to think there’s something going down and I’m going to be the very last person to know about it.”

  “Try not to stress too much about it. And remember, the moment you’re ready, you have a job waiting for you,” she added.

  After Leanne got her hands on my photos from the elephants and then the leopard family, she hounded me almost daily, offering me a job. Apparently, the photos were good. But it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered until I knew Tyler was safe and healthy. The last thing I wanted to think about was work.

  And I didn’t have to go to work. The money my parents left me was more than enough to support me for years on end, so paying for my hotel stay near the base was nothing. I hated spending their money on something as frivolous as a hotel, but I knew they would want me to look out for Tyler. They adored him when they were alive. He was more than a cousin to me; he was like my brother.

  I said my goodbyes to Leanne and then stared at Dallas’s phone number for a full hour before I decided to text him. It was less formal, and if he wanted to ignore me, I could save face by not actually having to embarrass myself by trying to speak.

  I plugged his number into my phone and then opened up a new text. A million thoughts ran through my head. I wanted to ask him how he was, if things in Nashville were okay, and what he was doing. The longest I sat on the edge of the bed, the angrier I became, until all that remained was anger.

  How dare he not be worried about Tyler? Some friend he was. Suddenly, I knew exactly what I needed to say.

  Nicole: D, it’s Nic. Thanks for calling to check on Ty.

  Satisfied, I pressed send.

  There was a knock on the door less than ten seconds later.

  Nineteen

  Dallas

  Nashville was hot as fuck. Not nearly as hot as the jungle, I supposed, but at least in the jungle, I could look at Nicole. She was gorgeous. In Nashville, I had to tolerate Stone. He was making his move, quickly proving his love for Ember and she was head over heels for him, even if she wouldn’t admit it.

  I worried about her, but Baker also threatened me within an inch of my life if I interfered. So I smiled and nodded a lot, without saying much. Seeing the two of them perform, though, changed my mind. They completed each other. Their voices flowed and enhanced one another, to the point it almost brought tears to my eyes. I didn’t want to admit it, but they made beautiful music together.

  I was actually in awe of Ember’s raw talent. When Baker told me about their performance, I was less than enthused, but Ember just took over the stage. She was more than capable and she seemed to enjoy the spotlight. I imagined big things would start to happen for them if they stuck together.

  I was more than proud of her, and Rainey would be, too, if she were alive. It hurt to think about Rainey, which was part of the reason I was so hard on Ember. I liked Baker, but he stole my baby sister out from under me, occupying all her time, and I was able to admit I was jealous, in a way. History was repeating itself, too, with Ember. Stone obviously had her heart, and I didn’t want to lose, her.

  It was hot in California. Even in October, the heat was scorching. I couldn’t wait to move somewhere cooler, maybe back to Maine, even though my mother was crazy. She loved me, but she suffocated me, too. She was needy and I understood why my dad left her for good, finally. At least Rainey was able to get away from her.

  I had to schedule lunch with my kid sister two weeks in advance, she was so busy. I hadn’t seen her in nearly a year. I was ashamed of it, but we’d been taken in different directions in life and I knew she was strong enough to deal with Mom.

  “Hey stranger,” a blonde bombshell greeted me in front of the restaurant.

  I blinked at her for a full minute before I realized she was Rainey. “Rain?” I pulled her in for a hug even as I marveled at her size. She had to have lost fifty pounds or more. She looked fantastic, if a little malnourished. I hoped California wasn’t forcing her to starve herself.

  Her arms wrapped around my back squeezing me tight. “Missed you,” she mumbled into my shirt.

  “You too,” I returned. When I went to let go, she held on, so I hugged her again. “You okay?” I asked when I was finally able to pull back. There were big tears in her pretty green eyes.

  “No, I’m not okay,” she admitted, staring at her feet,

  I waited until we were sitting at a table in the back of the restaurant before I questioned her. “Tell me what’s going on.”

  She let out a heavy sigh, the weight of the world on her thin little shoulders. “I got some bad news a few weeks ago.”

  “What kind of bad news?” I didn’t want to assume the worst, but I knew it wasn’t going to be something small.

  She glanced up at me, her eyes filling with more tears. “I have leukemia.”

  My heart stopped. I couldn’t even speak, I was so astounded by her words.

  She closed her eyes. “I don’t know what I’m going to do, Dallas.”

  Finally, my over-protective, big brother machoism kicked in. I took her hand in mine. “You’re going to fight, Rain. We’re going to fight this together and you will overcome. You are too young, too beautiful, and far too smart to die young. You’re going to be just fine.” My words were mostly lies, since I had no fucking idea what would happen, but I knew she needed to hear the words.

  She drew a ragged breath. “Love you,” she whispered.

  I smiled back at her. “I love you, too.”

  There were few people in the world who could make me smile like Rainey did. She was my baby sister, but she was a tough woman, too. She fought for so long; she held on for herself and for those around her, especially Baker. I had no idea how he did it. He was fully functioning, walking around and keeping himself busy. If I were him, I’d be lost, unable to even think, let only function in society.

  He was living proof that time healed all things. He might never actually get over my sister, but he was living, and that was an accomplishment in itself.

  After almost two weeks, I was miserable. I missed Nicole and I didn’t want to lose her. I had no idea what would come of our relationship, but I knew I had to at least see where it would go before I gave up.

  Nicole’s text only justified my thinking. I needed to get back and check on both of them, make sure they were alright.

  “Will you just go back?” Baker asked me later that night at dinner. Ember and Stone were practicing all the time and didn’t have time for me unless I imposed on them, so Baker stuck around to keep me company.

  “Huh?” I asked, pushing the food around on my plate.

  He snapped his fingers in front of my face. “Will you wake up? You need to go back to Africa.”

  “What? No. Ember needs me here.”

  “Oh yeah, she needs you, alright. Will you stop worrying about her and go deal with Nicole? I know she’s been on your mind.”

  “Well, she did text me earlier today,” I admitted.

  Baker rolled her eyes. “Is she pissed? Because she should be. You’ve ignored her and she’s probably sick of it.”

  He was right. “Are you sure I should leave? Shouldn’t Ember and Stone be supervised?”


  “You’re kidding, right? You think they wouldn’t find the time and place to get it on if that’s what they wanted to do?”

  “Gross.”

  “My thoughts exactly. In the meantime, I can stay at your place and take care of things for a few weeks while you figure out what you’re going to do.”

  “You don’t mind?”

  He laughed. “Not at all. I’m not quite ready to go back to Maine yet. This gives me the perfect excuse to postpone the trip. Here’s the thing, Dallas. If you like Nicole, you have to go to her. Don’t let her slip away because you’re afraid. Live every day like there’s no tomorrow.”

  “Alright,” I agreed, wondering how soon I could get on a plane.

  * * * * *

  The flight was a pain in the ass, but I survived. Given the amount of turbulence and near-death twists, I counted myself lucky to still be upright and walking. I rented a car and drove out to the military base where Tyler and Nicole were being held. I wasn’t impressed that they weren’t released, but once the doctors knew I had clearance, they explained to me that Tyler had Ebola, a dangerous and life-threatening disease. I struggled not to freak out.

  I met with a nurse at the nurse’s station, explained who I was and that I was there to see Tyler. She smiled. “It’s not airborne,” she explained. “But we want to be sure everyone takes every precaution. I understand you were with Tyler in the jungle.”

  “Yeah.”

  “We’ll need to put you in quarantine for twenty-four hours before we let you in to see him. His cousin wasn’t excited about it, either,” she added when I started to argue. “This is turning into an epidemic and we need to control it. So you go into quarantine willingly or I can have security escort you.” The woman wasn’t messing around.

  I sighed, knowing it was useless. “Alright, let’s go,” I agreed.

  * * * * *

  Twenty-four hours later, I was tired, hungry, and I wanted nothing more than to see Tyler and kiss Nicole. My tests all came back perfect, which meant I wasn’t infected. Considering the disease was transferred by fluids, I didn’t think I was sick. Plus, I didn’t have a single symptom. The nurses explained to me that symptoms could take up to a month, almost, to appear. That worried me, but my tests were all clear and I was released.

  The first thing I did was head to Tyler’s room. I ignored Nicole, despite the fluttering of my stomach when I saw her sitting in a chair in the corner. I went to Tyler and told him how sorry I was, that he was strong enough and that once he was better, he and I were going to have a few beers and laugh about the whole thing. I couldn’t stop the tears that fell as I looked at my friend in the bed.

  He looked frail, as if he’d been sick for months, not less than two weeks. There was no muscle left on him; he was just skin and bone. His normally tan skin was pale and sickly, borderline translucent. He was sleeping but looked like he was dead. After seeing Rainey so sick, I didn’t know if I could handle losing someone so close to me again. It might kill me.

  “Dallas?” Nicole appeared beside me, setting a hand on my arm.

  I shook my head and walked out, confused, hurting, and not sure what the fuck to do.

  Twenty

  Nicole

  Dallas brushing me aside hurt. He didn’t say a word to me, didn’t offer me any comfort at all; he was cold. When he left the room, I heard him demand to one of the nurses to be notified if Tyler’s condition changed.

  I sat back in the uncomfortable chair, wondering what the hell was going on. Why did Dallas show up? What was he going to do? I didn’t have any answers, and after an hour, a nurse came in to check on him.

  “Nicole, sweetie, you should go home.”

  “No, I want to be here when he wakes up,” I argued.

  She pulled me toward her. “Frankly, sweetie, you being here isn’t doing him any good. You need your rest. Come back tomorrow morning nice and refreshed. Maybe bring along a book or something and read to him. I bet he’d like that.”

  She was being nice, but I knew when I was being kicked out. I didn’t want to, but I said goodnight to Tyler, promised to be back in the morning, and then headed out to my hotel.

  I was only ten miles from the base, but the trip felt like hundreds of miles. I just wanted to crawl into my bed and sleep for a long time, maybe wake up when the whole ordeal was over. After they called me in for quarantine, the people at the hospital finally felt like I wasn’t a threat and that they could fill me in on Tyler’s condition.

  I wasn’t thrilled to learn of the Ebola, not to mention he wasn’t permitted to leave the country. After a woman was flown back to the US just a few days before, the virus broke out in Georgia. It was frightening, but I knew Tyler had to stay in a foreign country, whether I approved or not. Given how contagious it was, I knew it was best. Plus, he was on a military base, in a hospital much more equipped to handle the problem than just some random civilian hospital.

  No one told me anything about Tyler’s apparent military status, but for the time being, I was content to let it go. When he got better, he would tell me himself. And he had to get better. He was the only person I had left in the world.

  I tried not to think about Dallas on the ride home. I was tired but I had to admit, seeing him lifted my spirits, even if he thoroughly ignored me. As I parked at the hotel, I wondered where he was staying while he was visiting, or if his ten minute visit was all the visiting he planned on doing.

  The woman at the front desk greeted me as I walked by and I gave her a tired smile. I would be ordering room service for dinner, since there weren’t exactly a plethora of delivery places around. And I was starving.

  I slid my key card into the slot and opened up the door to my room. I let the door close behind me and then nearly screamed as a shadow passed in front of the window. I flipped on the light, ready to kick some ass.

  “Dallas?” I was shocked. My brain literally couldn’t comprehend his presence, from how he got in to what he was even doing there.

  “Hi, Nic,” he greeted me, his voice just as sexy as I remembered. If anything, he looked better than he had when I saw him at the hospital a few hours before.

  I gulped, still not trusting myself to speak.

  He walked toward me. “I’ve missed you.” He stopped a few inches away and let his fingers trail down my cheek. “You haven’t been taking care of yourself.”

  “What are you doing here?” I asked, finally finding my voice. I pushed him away. “What the fuck are you doing here?” I wasn’t upset; I was pissed.

  He grinned. “There’s that spirit I’ve missed so much. I flew thousands of miles just to see you. Aren’t you even a little happy to see me?”

  I was. But there was no way in hell I was telling him that. “No. In fact, get out of my room!” I pointed at the door but he ignored me.

  “You aren’t getting rid of me that easy,” he confirmed, walking over to the kitchenette and pouring two glasses of wine. He returned to me, holding out a glass. “Just relax and let me explain a few things.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t want an explanation.” I folded my arms over my chest, just to make sure I got my point across.

  He chuckled but set down the glasses. “Let me ask you something, Nicole. Have you ever been hunted?”

  I was confused. “What?”

  “That would be a no. I’ve been hunting you. It was my intention, before I ever met you, to seduce you and then drop you. But then we met. And I grew to actually like you. And I realized we actually had things in common. When I left and went back to the states, I was lost. That’s because I left my heart here, with you.”

  Wait. Is he saying he loves me? My mind screamed at me to run as far away as I possibly could even as my heart begged me to stay.

  “I’m not trying to proclaim my love or suggest we be together forever. All I want is one night. I’m convinced I can get over you if I get you under me.”

  “You’re a pig,” I spat, though I had been wondering the same. Would sle
eping with him finally satisfy my ridiculous attraction so I could move on?

  “Well, that’s true. But you’re seriously considering it, aren’t you?”

  I looked away, forcing my eyes to focus on anything in the room but him.

  “Don’t deny your most base desires, Nic. You’re pupils are dilated and you want me just as much as I want you. So why fight it?” he asked. He put his hands on my shoulders, drawing me closer to him. “Don’t fight me,” he murmured just a second before his lips descended on mine.

  His kiss was intoxicating. He drew me in and wound me up, forcing me to respond in kind. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and he delved deeper, his tongue tracing the outline of my lips until I opened to him. He was just as good a kisser as I remembered, if not better. I tightened my grip when he pulled me more firmly against him. I could feel every bulging muscle in his tense body.

  I wanted him more than I was willing to admit, so I let him have his way. He wanted to be in control, to show me what he was worth, and I wanted him to show me. He walked us back to the bed, never once letting his mouth leave mine. He had a talented tongue and I wondered if he was good at other things with his tongue…

  He pulled my worn t-shirt up over my head and I was suddenly acutely aware of the fact that I hadn’t shaved in a week and hadn’t showered in over a day.

  I pulled away. “This is probably a bad idea,” I managed to get out, despite my raging hormones screaming in my ears. I was primed and ready for a hot encounter with Dallas Montgomery.

  He looked confused. “Are you really saying no?” He let himself fall back onto the bed, his shoulders hitting the mattress and his hands going up to cover his face.

  I couldn’t help but notice the distinct tenting of his pants. He looked big. And I wanted him. But even I knew how self-conscious I would be if I let him have me in my current state. So I escaped into the bathroom without another word. I locked the door and started the shower, knowing it would be the fastest shave of my life. I finished undressing myself and then jumped into the scorching water. It didn’t matter; I needed to get clean and smooth and then I was going to jump his bones.