Her logical brain knew it had been a dream, but part of her felt it had been more . It was so real. She sighed.
“It couldn’t be real, you twit. Dreams aren’t real.”
Unless you were Freddy Krueger or something, and she’d never have a dream about Freddy like the one she’d just had about Lorent.
How was she going to face him tomorrow with the memories of his mouth and hands on her so fresh in her mind? She rolled over and punched the pillow, only to incite an irritated cry from Puss, which she ignored.
“It’s not a memory. It’s a dream,” she muttered to herself.
She wished it hadn’t been a dream. Lorent had actually opened up a little with her, hadn’t been as guarded as he usually was. And the way he’d kissed her, touched her? Holy hell. If he ever did touch her like that and she got even half as hot as she had in her dream, she’d explode. And now the urge to 77
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find out how his hands would feel on her for real was nearly painful. She ached for his caresses, his mouth, and wanted to make love with him. She snorted. If they were ever together for real, she doubted “making love”
would accurately describe their coming together.
Lorent would love her, but he wouldn’t be a tender, shy lover. He’d possess her, claim her, and she’d welcome his possession with open arms, with relish, with complete abandonment. Though she’d only known him a short time, her body had already decided that it wanted him. To be completely honest, her heart and mind wanted him as well, but she’d never been with a man, and she didn’t want to rush this.
How could she be so certain that Lorent was the man she wanted to make love with for the first time? She had no answer for that other than it was something she just knew. She couldn’t explain how she did. It was just one of those things that you were sure of without explanation. The question was, did Lorent want her? Even if he did, would they be allowed to explore their feelings for one another as they wished? And if they did so, where would that leave them?
It all came full circle back to the problem that she was not his mate.
Could she willingly give her heart and body to a man who may have no choice but to walk away from her for another? What if she fell in love with him? Maybe you’re already halfway there.
She punched her pillow again and decided to try to put it all from her mind for now. Whatever will be, will be, she thought to herself as she drifted back to sleep.
* * * *
Lorent propped his head on his arm as he lay looking at the log beams of his bedroom ceiling. Guilt and pleasure warred inside him. He’d enjoyed the time with Melony in the dream, but how would she react when she found out that dreams between mates were almost as real as reality? Hell, how would she react when she learned she was his mate?
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His cock stood painfully aroused by the dream, the urge to get out of bed and go to her nearly impossible to resist. He wanted to touch her exquisite breasts, kiss her for real. He’d feasted on the creamy mounds as if they were nectar from the gods, and they were to him. He groaned and sat up.
He needed to run, needed to drive the thought of her from his mind before he did something stupid.
He went to the front door, stepped outside, and let his wolf come to the surface, gave it reign over his body. Within seconds, he stood on four paws and darted into the woods. He’d only been running for about twenty minutes when he scented another lycan. A few seconds later, he came through a clearing in the thick trees that allowed a brilliant view of the moon and stars.
When he scanned the area, he saw a black wolf in the tree line staring out with its golden brown eyes. Piers Kavanaugh.
He trotted toward the wolf, but right before he got to him, he turned and went deeper into the woods. Lorent followed him to the cabin he and Sherry stayed in while visiting Sanctuary. Piers shifted back to human and pulled on a pair of jeans that were lying on the porch. When Lorent shifted, Piers tossed him a towel, which he promptly knotted around his waist.
They both sat on the top step of the wood porch, oblivious of the cold night on their near-naked bodies.
“How’s Sherry?”
“She’s okay. She’s resting.”
The way Piers shifted uneasily alerted Lorent that the ancient was worried about something. Lorent didn’t usually pry, but he needed a distraction from Melony, and he also liked Piers and wanted to help if he was able.
“She’s getting close to her due date, isn’t she?”
Piers grunted. “I feel like there’s something she’s not telling me. I don’t know. I mean, Sherry would never lie to me about anything, but something seems off.”
“With the baby?”
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“I don’t know.” Piers glanced back at the door and cocked his head for a moment as if he’d heard something inside. After listening for a few moments, he turned back to Lorent.
“It’s probably just nerves. You are having your first baby. While it’s a joyous time, it’s stressful as well.”
“Where did you get all that knowledge from, pup?” Piers smiled, but the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.
Yeah, Piers was definitely uneasy about something, but Lorent would be willing to bet it was simply jitters at becoming a father for the first time.
“Watching and learning. When’s the midwife coming in?”
“After Christmas. Sherry’s not due until the end of January, and
