His low groan resonated in the quiet room—and straight to her core. “I’ve wanted you for so long.”
“I’ve needed you for so long,” she confessed.
Though she had no idea who he was. In her dream, it didn’t matter. He was supremely built and powerful and that heightened her arousal. He was also a masterful lover, with an uncanny familiarity of everything she burned for.
Her clit tingled and her heart hungered for a kiss she knew would be passionate and all-consuming.
As his full, forceful thrusts pushed her closer to the edge, she begged, “Kiss me.”
His mouth crashed over hers, claiming it. Claiming her. There was nothing tentative about his scorching lip-lock. No uncertainty. No restraint. As his tongue delved into her mouth while his cock continued to stroke fervently, Jade felt the erotic sensations inside her soar to all new levels.
She was desperate for the explosive release she knew he’d give her, but did not want to let go of the fiery bliss blazing through her. Nor did she want to relinquish her hold on him or end their impassioned kiss. Everything about her phantom lover sparked carnal cravings and she wanted to stop time and simply savor the most exciting and stirring moments of her life.
But he continued to plunge into her slick, wet depths. As his strokes became shorter and more frenetic—and his kiss turned hotter and more demanding—Jade lost herself in the magnificent sensations simmering within her until they reached the boiling point and erupted spectacularly.
She tore her mouth from his as a rasping cry wrenched from her lips and echoed in her ears. She held her lover to her as her body quaked and her pussy clutched him firmly.
Astonishingly, over the thundering of her heart and the pounding of her pulse, she was able to hear four words whispered in a strained tone.
“I truly want you.”
And then he came inside her, his hot seed filling her as his body convulsed.
Another earth-shattering orgasm rocked Jade so hard, she jerked awake. Her eyes popped open, bulging. The throbbing between her legs was wickedly vibrant from both the release and the need to feel in reality what she’d experienced in her dream. She stared at the ceiling, her breath coming in heavy pulls.
The climax slowly ebbed, but her breathing remained ragged. She sat up and glanced around the room, almost certain she’d find her ethereal lover lounging in the chair in the corner or stoking the fire in all his naked glory. As though he were real.
But, no. Jade was alone in her cottage in the north woods.
As always.
Or was she…?
A harsh grunt from an animal outside her walls drew her attention. Untangling herself from the covers that she’d mangled in her restless slumber, she shoved her feet into tattered slippers and raced to the double doors in her bedroom that led to a covered patio overlooking the river. She released the security latch and threw open one door, stepping out onto the cobblestones, sprinkled with snow that had blown in from the unshielded sides.
Jade’s arms wrapped partially around a wooden column. She shivered from not only her fantasy and the orgasm that had transcended it, but also because she knew someone had been near her house while she’d slept. Her gaze scoured the area with the help of the glittery rays from a crescent moon that hung in the now-cloudless sky. The snow had stopped falling, but the storm had left behind a good foot of powder, as she’d assumed it would.
There.
In a patch of downy white, across the river and to the west, she saw the indentation of horse hooves. The tracks led from the northern edge of the narrow river—the opposite bank from hers—into the expansive stretch of forest that lined the base of the ridge where the Demon King’s castle stood.
An icy breeze blew across the land, ruffling her hair and billowing the skirt of her nightgown.
And carried with it the pain-filled neigh of a horse.
Chapter Three
Around eight a.m., a very disturbed Jade headed toward the village library, carefully carrying two mugs of piping hot coffee from the shop on the corner. Extra-large, since she’d gotten little sleep after her errant dream and the discovery of the tracks outside her house. Even the twin climaxes hadn’t helped to relax her.
She pushed the door open with her shoulder and entered the small establishment.
Lisette Bordeaux sat at a desk made of knotty pine and glanced up from the book she’d been reading. “You’re early.”
“I was tired of pacing the cottage. I nearly wore the floorboards out.” She set the cups on the desk and slipped out of her jacket.
Lisette asked, “What are you so pensive about? You look as though you’ve seen a ghost.”
“Not seen,” Jade deadpanned as she sank into the oversized lounging chair across from her friend. “Followed by.”