Reclaimed

by Diane Alberts

  “I did, too, very much.” She relaxed against the chair and rubbed her forehead. “What time would you like to come over?”

  “How’s eight sound? I don’t have any other commitments tonight, so we can indulge in some coffee like you mentioned before. It might help me stay awake so I don’t end up snoring next to you halfway through the movie.”

  His light chuckle brought forth a resounding giggle from her as she pictured him drooling beside her on the couch.

  Did he drool?

  “Well, you could always bring your fuzzy bunny slippers, just in case.” She laughed, cringing as she realized it sounded as if she asked him to spend the night.

  Desperate much?

  “Oh, I wish I could take your words as an invitation to stay the night. But, if I know you as I think I do, you’re biting your tongue right now.”

  She winced and asked with no small amount of suspicion, “Hey, where’s your spy camera?”

  “A man can’t give away all his secrets on the first date, lass.”

  “But, it’s our second date,” she pointed out.

  “Ach, well, maybe I’ll show you my secret hiding spots.”

  “Isn’t ‘ach’ a Scottish thing? Not British?”

  Silence met her ears through the phone, and she pursed her lips. Interesting.

  He laughed. “Why, yes, yes it is. But, it’s always been a favorite phrase of mine. Must be more Scottish than I thought, or admitted to.”

  She chuckled. “Okay, then. Never thought to hear those words from a Brit.”

  “I’m not a normal Brit,” he joked.

  “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

  “Well, shall we continue this conversation later?”

  “I look forward to it. I’ll go buy some black spray paint so I can go around and cover all the cameras.”

  Isaac chuckled. “I’m going to scare you away before I even get inside,” he bemoaned.

  “I don’t scare easy.”

  “Yeah, I kind of gathered as much about you.” His voice grew serious, making her sober instantly. The joking mirth seemed to have left his tone. She couldn’t shake the feeling he was trying to tell her something she didn’t want to hear.

  She got enough weird things in her sleep, damn it, couldn’t her life be a little bit normal in the daytime?

  Please?

  Fighting the apprehension creeping up on her, she gave an uneasy giggle. “Well, eight it is. Coffee a must. Fuzzy slippers optional.”

  “Right. See you then, Sabrina.”

  “Bye.”

  She hung up the phone and bit her lip. Had she imagined the serious undertones in his voice, like she’d imagined everything else lately? Or was he trying to tell her something, something even she couldn’t conjure up?

  No, she sounded like an idiot. His asking about her night had nothing to do with her dreams. He simply made small talk.

  She rolled her eyes and shut the computer down for the day. Now she’d never be able to concentrate on her book.

  She couldn’t wait for tonight.

  ***

  A few hours later, she glanced at the clock as a knock sounded at the door, and Sabrina saw Isaac was on time once again. She opened the door and studied him hungrily, though she tried to tamp the feelings down. He may have mentioned being exhausted on the phone, but he looked amazing in person. No bags were visible under his bright blue eyes, and he stole her breath away with his raw masculinity. A DVD and a bottle of wine occupied his hands, and she smiled in pleasure. Lust caused her stomach to twist when his gaze darkened with desire.

  “I figured I could help contribute to the evening’s festivities.” He held out the DVD, the latest Harry Potter movie, and she procured it as he locked the door. His eyes met hers, and her pulse raced at his expression. “Wow, you look gorgeous. You’ll have to forgive me, but I just can’t help myself.”

  He grabbed her by the nape of her neck and yanked her toward him to conquer her lips. Passion overwhelmed her at his arduous kiss. He gave no quarter and took all she could give. Her hands clung to his shirt as his tongue moved against hers like liquid fire. He deepened the kiss, and she melded her body to his. Her heart raced, and she pressed against him urgently.

  She needed him; she needed more.

  She needed…everything.

  His fingers skimmed up her back before diving into her hair. She moaned when he tugged gently, exposing her neck to his tender onslaught. He trailed hot kisses down her throat and just when she suspected she might to die from the pleasure, he jerked away abruptly. He sighed and kissed her nose. Thunder boomed in the distance, causing her to jump in surprise.

  Where had the storm come from? The sky had been crystal clear moments before.

  Still wrapped in his arms, she stared at him as he examined every inch of her face, almost as if memorizing every last detail. Desire blazed in his eyes. An answering need burned in her, and she moved restlessly. Why had he stopped? She hadn’t objected to his embrace.

  It’s the second date, you slut. Have some control.

  “I wouldn’t have thought it possible you could grow more beautiful. Somehow, you’ve managed to accomplish the impossible.” His voice was husky, and it showed her more than words ever could. Longing still burned through him…as well as the need to have her.

  Touch her.

  It was a heady thought.

  “Funny, you just took those words out of my mouth,” she replied.

  He cocked his head to the side and grinned. “Is that what I just did?” She laughed at his joke, and he chuckled in return. “I love to hear your laugh, Sabrina. It is the most beautiful sound in the world.”

  She blushed and changed the subject. “So, would you like to come into the kitchen and open the bottle of wine up?”

  She stepped out of his arms and fought down the wave of emptiness hitting her. The DVD he’d handed to her lay on the ground, and she stooped to pick it up.

  “Good thing you didn’t give me the wine,” she joked. Looking at him from under her eyelashes, she jutted her hip out suggestively and crooked a finger at him before heading into the kitchen. Surely he’d follow her playful invitation.

  When she didn’t hear him behind her, she whirled to retrieve him.

  Sometimes men were so dense….

  Instead, she yelped to discover him behind her. Clasping a hand to her chest, she exclaimed, “You scared me. How did you move so quietly? I didn’t even hear you walking behind me.”

  He shifted on his feet and gave an odd twist of his lips. “Sorry, I’ve always been light on my feet. I used to scare my mother all the time by sneaking up on her. Even as a little child, she would tell me I could sneak into the kitchen, steal a whole jar of cookies, and she’d never even know it.” He smiled at her, and an answering smile lit her face at the thought of Isaac as a boy.

  He must have been absolutely adorable and irresistible.

  Just as he is now.

  “Well, I’ll have to get used to it, I guess.”

  “Please, do,” he murmured.

  She retrieved two wine glasses as he opened the wine. They worked together in a companionable silence. She led him to the living room to watch Harry Potter. She loved this series. How did he seem to know the right things to get her? He’d even gotten her favorite wine.

  He was a genius. One could only hope he had as much talent in bed as he did out of it.

  Cradled in the crook of his arm, they started the movie while sipping their wine.

  “I like that,” he murmured in her ear.

  “Like what? The car?” She gestured toward the TV and looked at him.

  “No, I hate cars. I love hearing you say you have to get used to my oddities. It speaks of…a possible future. Though, now you’ll probably run away from me. Men aren’t supposed to worry about the future, are they? Or plan further than when to get their next drink.” He shrugged his left shoulder. “I don’t know. It just slipped out. You make it hard for me to think straight at times
.”

  She wracked her mind to recall what he spoke of and remembered her words in the kitchen. Pleasure filled her when she realized he was still thinking about their conversation—and possibly their earlier embrace, as well.

  “Well, maybe men aren’t supposed to, but I like that you are. And I like that you’re different,” she assured him. “Actually, I like you.”

  “I like you, too,” he whispered.

  He kissed her nose and pressed downward to capture her lips. They both moaned in unison at the instantaneous flame of desire and strained to get closer to one another. But suddenly, Isaac tensed and jumped to his feet. She was left to flop to the couch in the empty spot he had occupied seconds before.

  How in the heck did he move so fast?

  “What’s wrong?” she asked in alarm. Every instinct poised for some unseen fight to be had.

  “I heard a noise…I think there’s something outside. Give me a second, please.” Racing to the door with inhuman speed, he spun back to her as a fierce determination took over his features. “Lock the door behind me. No matter what you do, don’t open it until I come back and say it’s me, and I want to watch Harry Potter. Got it?” he growled at her.

  “Um…yes…got it…” she stuttered. She sprinted to the door and obeyed his command.

  What the hell had just happened?

  An inhuman, and non-animalistic, snarl broke through the silence of the house, echoing loudly in her ears. She blanched at the somehow familiar sound. Where had she heard it before?

  Good God, it sounded just like in her dreams. She jumped back in alarm and began searching for a weapon. She had to help Isaac.

  No matter how much it sounded like her dream, it was real, and in real life, growls like those were generally caused by large animals looking for meals. She grabbed the biggest butcher knife she had and sped back to the door.

  She threw it open and crashed, then bounced off of Isaac’s hard chest. His arm, which had been raised to knock, shot behind her to steady her, and she hastily checked her knife hand.

  Thank God, she hadn’t stabbed the poor guy.

  Relief swelled over her at seeing him whole and uninjured. But relief was overcome by confusion at his fuming glare. He let go of her and closed the door.

  “You didn’t listen to me,” he snapped. “I told you not to open the door until I said, ‘Sabrina, it’s Isaac, I’m ready to watch Harry Potter’. Instead, you grab a knife and try to kill me?” He rubbed his jaw and paced in short, irritated strides.

  An answering anger rose in her, and she responded, “I was trying to help, you ass. If I wanted to stab you, I can assure you, you wouldn’t be standing here arguing now.”

  They glowered at each other in silence until he sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “I’m sorry. I guess I got carried away. I shouldn’t have yelled. Forgive me?” He smiled crookedly, and her irritation dissolved a bit.

  “I’m sorry, too. I should have been more careful. You’re right. But once I saw you, I relaxed. I knew I would be safe with you. Unless you have a twin running around?” She didn’t know what had made her say those words, but she instantly regretted it. Reality and fiction were getting blurred together, and she didn’t like it.

  Her heart dropped when his smile melted away, to be replaced by the face of a cold, hard stranger. “Yes, actually, I do. My brother we spoke about is my twin. We no longer talk. He’s a dangerous person. Reckless. As of now, I don’t even know where he lives,” he snapped.

  This man, standing before her, resembled the man in her dreams. His eyes glittered, and a hard mask came over his face as he glowered at her. She shuddered at his expression. He seemed so…unforgiving.

  His words suddenly clicked in her head, and a whoosh of air left her lungs, and none returned. He had a twin, an identical twin. Blackness swam in front of her eyes, and she reached a hand out to the wall to steady herself.

  Air. Air is important.

  She took a deep breath and focused on Isaac once more. He leaned in toward her, his face no longer icy and cold. Instead, concern clouded over his eyes, and he fumbled for her.

  “Are you okay?”

  She nodded. She didn’t think she could put two syllables together right now, let alone a whole sentence. This changed everything. This brought her dreams into day—and it blurred every line she had drawn.

  “Sabrina, please. Talk to me, tell me what’s wrong,” he pleaded in her ear.

  “I’m…I’m okay,” she stammered. “I’m sorry. I think all the…excitement got to me.” She finished on a whisper. She did her best to look suitably weak and probably failed miserably. Weak damsels in distress weren’t her style.

  How exactly did one feign feebleness anyway?

  Maybe she should have fanned herself with feminine flourish as they did in movies so well? Eh, probably not. He already studied her far too close. As if he yearned to say something to her—demand something of her—but held back. Though his reasons for doing so were unknown, she remained grateful he did.

  What a mess her life was rapidly becoming. As if her dreams weren’t odd enough, now she came to find out he indeed had a twin brother. One he hated?

  What the hell was going on?

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, I’m sorry. I’m okay. And, I’m sorry about your brother. That must be…uh…well…tough,” she stuttered. Man, she sounded like a veritable font of eloquence tonight.

  The cold mask returned, and she took a step away from him. “I know you’re dying to know what happened, so I’ll tell you. There was a woman. Amelia. She was everything good in the world. Beautiful, kind, charming. We were in love, and due to be married. Elijah, my brother, had been promised to another woman, but he loved my Amelia. There were some problems, and Amelia…died.” His voice faded away on the last word.

  It appeared obvious to her from the tightened fists at his side and the hard set of his mouth as he pressed his lips together, the hurt plagued him still.

  “Oh, my God, I’m so sorry. How horrible. I don’t know what to say.”

  “Yes, well, it happened a long time ago. Time moves on, people heal. But I have no interest in speaking to him, or even knowing where he is. The whole situation was his fault. If he hadn’t—” He bit his lip and looked away. She wondered what he had been about to say. The cold mask he seemed to put over his face when he no longer wished to speak on a subject came back, though, so she dared not ask. “Well, now that I’ve ruined the evening, maybe we should call it a night, hmm?”

  “You could stay here. On the couch, I mean. If you want. I’m kinda freaked out,” she said. He stared at her, and she shifted on her feet at his scrutiny. Maybe it had been a mistake to invite him to stay. Something was going on here, something bizarre. And he was smack dab in the middle of it. And yet, she’d invited him to spend the night?

  A loud bang sounded outside the window, and she jerked at the noise. She raised her hand still gripping the knife and started toward the window in determination. She’d had enough of this shit, already. Isaac stretched out to stop her and chuckled.

  “Sheath the knife. It’s just the wind. It must have kicked up some debris.” He reached forward prudently to extract it from her rigid grip.

  Over his shoulder, she saw a shadow move in the darkness. “I just saw someone out there. Whoever you chased away is back! I’m calling the cops.” She whirled on her heel and grabbed the knife back from him in one smooth gesture. She sprinted to the kitchen, knife in hand.

  “First of all, let’s take this before someone gets hurt.” He snatched the weapon back from her once more.

  “Hey,” she protested. She held her hand out with an impatient wave, and put the other on her hip. “Give me back my knife.”

  “Absolutely not.” He ignored her furious intake of breath. “Second, please put down the phone. There’s no one out there anymore,” he declared.

  “But, I saw—”

  His finger pressed against her lips silenced her.


  “Trust me, okay? You’re safe tonight. I’ll spend the night here, on the couch, if it will make you feel better. I’ll hear if someone comes. It’s almost a sixth sense of mine.” He grinned and pulled her into his arms and kissed her nose before he buried his face in her hair and inhaled.

  “You smell so delicious.” He breathed into her ear.

  Oh please, if he thought she was easily distracted, he had another think coming.

  “Nice try, but I still say we should call the—”

  “And you taste even better.” He groaned as he nibbled on her ear. Her head fell back against his arm, and he kissed a path across her neck and to her lips. His lips latched onto hers with a desperation that called to her very soul. Right here, right now; he needed her. And, God, she needed him.

  He leaned her against the wall, and his hands roamed from her hair, down her back, to cup her buttocks before he pressed against her and moaned deep in his throat. She rubbed against him, and she heard his swift intake of breath before he pulled away. His eyes burned in need, and it took all her willpower not to yank him back into her arms.

  “It’s been a long evening. Perhaps we should say goodnight.” He looked obviously reluctant to let go of her. His hands and lips hovered over her for another few seconds as he seemed to fight an inward battle.

  Lightning flashed beside him, silhouetting half of his face in absolute perfection, and leaving the other half in shadows. The desire burning inside him appeared painfully obvious to her eyes. But, he spoke true. Damn it, she knew he was right. She’d never climb into bed with a guy she’d met two days ago. But…this guy felt so perfect.

  Numerous times, she’d written about people being so caught up in passion that nothing else mattered to them—not their families, their jobs, even their lives. It had always been fiction for her, up until today. Now, she knew it existed.

  And she had to be grateful to him for being such a gentleman to realize she didn’t remain sensible in his arms, to realize her weaknesses and manage not to take advantage of it. And, damn it, it made her want him even more.