Hero By Night (Independence Falls 3)

So she’d taken half a pill hoping to black out, or dream of unicorns frolicking under rainbows, not have an orgasm.

The feeling of a warm mouth against her chest vanished.

No, she wasn’t complaining! This was by far the Best. Dream. Ever.

“Don’t stop,” she whispered. “I haven’t felt like this in so long. So good. So . . .”

Close to normal.

“Just good?” the sexy voice murmured. “Beautiful, I can do better than good.”

“How?” Her voice was faint and she doubted he’d heard her.

Skilled hands moved over her breasts, teasing her nipples with a potent combination of pressure and featherlight touches. Her hands fell back to the bed, clutching the sheets, as a warm mouth kissed her neck.

“If you liked my mouth on your breasts,” he said, his lips still touching her skin, “imagine how you’ll feel when I move between your legs, spread your thighs wide, and taste you.” His tongue flicked back and forth against her neck. Once. Twice. A potent demonstration of what he wanted to do to her. “I’ll drive you wild.”

“Promise?” she gasped.

His teeth nipped at her neck. “Yes.”

“Oh.” It wasn’t a word. It was a moan.

He lowered his hips, grinding nine, maybe more, hard inches against her. Not rough, but in a way that made her crave him. He felt big and thick pressed against her. But this was her dream. Why settle for average, when you could conjure up a man with a dirty mouth and an erection guaranteed to get the job done? She had a greater chance of seeing a unicorn walking down the street than actually going to bed with a man like this. If this were real, she’d be terrified right now. Intimate contact . . . she wasn’t there yet.

His lips brushed her jaw. She felt cool air on her face. She’d lost her pillow. Her fingers dug into the sheets, clutching them hard, the pleasure waning now. Warning bells rang out in her mind.

Oh no, this was not what the beginning of an orgasm felt like.

Lips—­real, warm, demanding lips—­kissed hers, and it felt as if the blood running through her veins turned to ice. Her heart raced and her breaths came in short, desperate gasps. She fought for oxygen. It was as if someone had strapped her into a car, taped her foot to the gas, and taken away the brakes. The fear mounted. If she didn’t do something soon, she’d crash.

Lena opened her eyes, forcing her mind and body to push aside the effects of the sleeping pill, and focus. There was a naked man on her. Kissing her. Touching her. This wasn’t a dream.

No, it wasn’t possible. No one got this close. Not to her.

Instinct took over. She released the sheets and pushed hard against his chest. “Get off me!”

Lightning-­fast, he backed away. “What the hell? What’s wrong?”

She rolled to her side, reaching for the nightstand drawer, and her Smith & Wesson revolver. She heard a banging against the bathroom door. Her four-­legged Hero was coming for her. The lock gave, door swinging open as her retriever rushed out his teeth bared.

She felt the bed shift as the man who had kissed her moved away. Gun in hand, she rolled onto her back and focused on her target, struggling to get her ragged breathing under control.

“Chad? Chad Summers?” She blinked, starring at the man who had flirted with her, teasing her by Eric Moore’s pond. The man she’d wanted.

He held his hands up, palms out in a show of surrender, his gaze moving back and forth between the revolver in her hands and the growling golden retriever, who

looked ready and willing to sink his canine teeth into the part of Chad Summers’s body she’d felt pressed up against her.

“Lena,” he said evenly. “I can explain. But first, I need you to put the gun down and call off your dog.”

Chapter 3

THERE WAS NO question that tonight was one giant mistake. But unlike most errors in judgment, this one had resulted in a meet and greet with a gun and a dog that wanted to play fetch with his balls.

Chad studied Lena, waiting for her to lower her weapon as the dog growled at his feet. His desire had dried up the minute she’d said, “Get off.” He didn’t need a gun waved in his face to prove her point. But he sure as hell wanted a chance to explain before he hightailed it out the door. “Lena, I need you to lower your weapon.”

“You kissed me.”