Dark Flame (Flame 3)

There was a risk however, though it wasn’t at all physical, but rather involved the possibility that Brannick would regain all his memories of their time together.

They’d already started filtering through to his conscious mind. She felt certain, however, that if she engaged in real-time sex while she employed the dreamglide, he might suddenly experience a complete recollection of all that had happened.

Then he’d learn what she’d done to start the process in the first place, that essentially she’d broken into his dreams and seduced him.

Her heart rate rose. She didn’t want him to know.

She was pretty sure once he did, he’d end things with her.

He glanced in her direction. “Your beer’s on the kitchen island.” His gaze took her in head-to-toe, landing at least twice on her cleavage. He smiled. He appeared to approve of her summery gown. “You look great.”

“Thanks. And I’ll start the salad.” She needed to buy herself a little time to calm down.

After she took a long slow swig of the dark ale, she forced herself to breathe. She honestly couldn’t bear the thought of Brannick leaving, not now.

In the end, she decided she should stay away from mixing real-time sex with dreamgliding.

Tears bit her eyes. Why was she being so emotional? She’d always known her time with Brannick would come to end.

Except … dammit … she loved him.

A long slow gasp filled her throat.

Somewhere in all the sex, and the dozens of long conversations in the dreamglide, she really had fallen in love with a vampire. And it was time to face the truth of it.

As she stared out the window above the sink, she watched a breeze push the trees around.

Oh, God, what had she gotten herself into? She loved Brannick. Maybe she had from the moment she’d met him in the White Flame club.

“Hey,” he called to her from across the dining area. “Are you okay?”

Glancing at him over her shoulder, she had to blink a couple of times to bring his face into focus. “Sure.” She didn’t say that she felt like her heart was being ripped from her chest. “I’m going to make a salad.”

He nodded. “I just put the steaks on.”

When she lifted her beer to him, he smiled then headed back outside.

The moment he was gone, she turned toward the window once more and let a sob escape her chest. Why had she let this happen?

She pulled red leaf lettuce, tomatoes and a cucumber from the crisper.

Fortunately, the sink placed her with her back to the rest of the room. As she washed the vegetables, she let a few tears fall into the stream of water. She didn’t try to stop them. She knew what she’d done and even at the time she’d understood the consequences. But she’d told herself she was just getting her needs met so it was okay.

Yet how could she have known he’d open up to her in the dreamglide and be such a wonderful companion? In that sense, he’d seduced her right back, not just with his phenomenal body, but with everything he’d shared with her through the five months of their time together.

By the time she had everything sliced up and placed in a bowl, she was better composed. She gathered up plates and silverware at the same time, then set the table.

Afterward, she took her beer outside to join Brannick.

He opened his arm to her. It was such a tender gesture that her eyes burned once more. But she bit back the tears and instead slid her arm around his waist.

He held her close, a comfortable sideways embrace.

She didn’t say anything. She didn’t trust herself to open her mouth. She just sipped her beer and stared at the grill. He’d already turned the meat.

Finally, she was able to say, “The salad’s ready.”

“Just a couple minutes and we’ll be good to go.” Brannick remained silent as well.