“The damned glasses were supposed to make you less attractive,” G.G. said with irritation, drawing her attention to him again.“They were supposed to slow me down a little so I wouldn’t jump you the minute you walked into the room. Instead, you lookhot as hell. Like some sexy librarian or something.” He clucked his tongue with self-disgust. “I’m dressing you up in my dreamslike a bloody sex doll, Ildaria. If you had any idea—”
Pausing abruptly, he scowled and turned back to his task, his movements abrupt and angry now as he swiped up glasses and slammedthem onto the tray.
“G.G.,” she said with a small frown and crossed the room quickly to his side. But the moment she touched his arm, he jerked upright and stepped back.
“No. Don’t touch me,” he snapped, and then closed his eyes on a sigh when she retrieved her hand and stared at him with embarrassmentand confusion.
“I’m sorry,” he breathed wearily. “I’m just tired. I spend my days having all these dreams that leave me feeling like I haven’tslept at all, and then I spend my nights working the door of the Night Club, but fantasizing about you the whole time.” Irritationflickered over his face, and then he burst out, “And I know the customers are reading every dirty little thought in my head.They give me these knowing looks and grins as I let them in. They know that I’m stripping you naked in my mind and—”
He closed his eyes on a short laugh, and muttered, “And now I’m talking to myself in my dreams.”
“Talking to yourself?” she asked with confusion.
His eyes opened, a wry half smile twisting his lips. “Well, dreams are supposed to be your subconscious trying to work outthings, right? So, really you’re me.”
Ildaria stilled, realizing that he didn’t know that these were shared dreams. G.G. knew about immortals, and she’d assumedthat he’d recognize that these were the shared dreams that immortals and their life mates experience. In fact, she’d beenwaiting for him to comment on them. But apparently he hadn’t yet realized that was what was happening. He thought he was justhaving sexual dreams about her.
“G.G.,” she began, but paused when he suddenly took her hands in his.
“I’m sorry,” he said glumly. “I know I have to do something about this. I’m becoming obsessed with you to the point that I’mafraid of what I’ll do. Every night when I pick up H.D. I’m fighting the urge to drag you into my arms, strip you naked, andexplore every inch of your beautiful body with my tongue.”
Ildaria swallowed, her body responding to the image.
“The only thing stopping me is that you’re my employee, an immortal, obviously not interested, and could easily kick my assfor even trying to kiss you. Never mind the sexual harassment suit,” he added with a wry grimace. “It’s gotten so bad thatlast night I spent most of my time at work fantasizing about how I could do that for real. Seriously,” he insisted when sheblinked in surprise. Then he squeezed her hands almost painfully before dropping them and whirling to stride several stepsaway. His voice thick with shame, he confessed, “I was actually fantasizing on a way to do it. I thought maybe if I got myhands on blood from someone with Rohypnol in their system, I could knock you out, drag you to my apartment, and chain youto my bed and—” He bowed his head in shame. “I’m losing my mind, Ildaria. I can’t stop thinking about you, and the more Ithink about you, the more I want to—”
G.G.’s words stopped abruptly as he turned to look at her.
Ildaria stared back, slowly realizing that her view of him had changed. She’d been standing just moments ago, but now was flat on her back. Glancing down, she saw that she was lying on a bed in the middle of the club room, naked and chained. Judging by the slack-jawed expression on G.G.’s face now, he hadn’t put her there. But his admission had. It had turned her on when he’d talked about having her naked and chained to his bed, and her subconscious had changed the dream situation to suit.
“God, I’m turning into a sick bastard,” G.G. breathed, moving toward the bed.
“No. You’re not,” Ildaria whispered. Her heart was thundering in her chest. Her subconscious might have put her there, butthat didn’t mean she was comfortable being naked and staked out. In reality, she was equal parts excited, anxious, and embarrassedto be in such a position. But mostly she was uncomfortable. Ildaria wasn’t used to being powerless. Not anymore. She hadn’tfelt this helpless since—
The brush of his fingers on her calf sent tingles of sensation up her leg and made her thoughts scatter.
“Goddamn, you’re beautiful,” he breathed, his gaze sliding over her with awe.
She found herself holding her breath as he examined her, and then it left in a sigh as he continued along the side of thebed, trailing his fingers up her leg, hip, and stomach. A moan slid from her lips, though, when they crested her breast andbrushed over the nipple. It immediately went hard, need pushing her anxiety and discomfort away.
“G.G.,” she breathed, wanting to tell him they were sharing this dream. Wanting to tell him that she wanted him too, but her voice deserted her when he suddenly dropped to sit on the side of the bed and bent to claim
