Dream: Dream Surrender

by Mary Wine

  “Only because I heard you moving down the hallway.”

  Loren watched his eyes as he said that. The man was waiting for something. She wasn’t sure just what. She didn’t doubt his words. Rourke just was more in tune with his sense than any man she’d ever known. Besides, dishonesty was a notion she couldn’t apply to him.

  It just felt wrong.

  “Okay.” Loren made a grab for the cup and snagged it away from Rourke’s distracted hold. She tossed the whole load at his face and laughed as the cold water ran down his chest.

  He pressed his lips together as his eyes glowed with the promise of payback.

  “Hey, Mom, the R.O. girls are, like, going nuts trying to find you.”

  “I’ll be right there!” Loren shouted her reply and prayed her son wouldn’t come looking for her.

  “R.O. girls? What’s that? A club?”

  “Yes.” Loren tried to escape his embrace but he held her in place with a single raised eyebrow.

  “What does it stand for, Loren?”

  “You’re nosy, did you know that?”

  “I pay attention to details.” He held her in place as his eyes dropped to her lips. Loren felt heat snake through her body as his head began to lower.

  “It stands for restraining order.”

  Rourke’s face reflected his surprise and his grasp eased as he tried to decide if she was joking or not. Loren wiggled off the counter and flipped Rourke a smirk.

  “What in the hell kind of club is that?”

  Loren shrugged before edging toward the kitchen door. “Sounded better than ‘men are pigs’.” He growled at her and she hightailed it into the office and her son’s presence before Rourke got the chance to cross-examine her.

  Rourke watched her go and let a frown slip over his face. The impulse to just lay it all on the line was strong. He wanted to know just what she’d do when faced with the reality of his psychic abilities.

  Rourke turned around and began cleaning up their mess. Exactly what was he thinking of doing anyway? Tell Loren he was both psychic and permanently in the Army?

  There was one great idea. Toby had already told her that fact but announcing it to her would force her to either accept or shun him.

  The little matter of quarantine would make that rather hard to live with. He’d find himself bunking out on the forest floor with his men, because he sure as hell wouldn’t let Loren toss a sleeping bag down next to a single one of his Rangers. If she was determined to separate herself from him, he wouldn’t put it past her to camp out in the Washington mountains.

  But the second possibility was what bothered him the most. It was just possible that Loren would take it in stride.

  If that happened, temptation would have him in its claws. Loren would be in his bed so fast she wouldn’t have time to protest.

  Letting her go after that was going to be the worst ordeal he’d ever endured. Rourke was certain of it.

  So, why in the devil did he keep thinking about it?

  * * * * *

  Her cell phone was missing the next morning. Loren stared at the empty bedside table and felt her temper rise.

  That man moved too silently, too quietly or she was getting old and feeble. Raising Toby had taught her to sleep light. One single sound from her son normally brought Loren to full attention.

  Oh Lord.

  Loren dropped her head back onto her pillow. This was rapidly getting beyond any sort of control. She could try and reason it out but there was a plain truth that was getting too large to ignore.

  Trust. Even faith. Rourke Campbell made her feel secure.

  That scared the absolute hell out of her. How could something like that happen? It was continuing to grow with every little look or word that the man gave her. Sure, he was still in the mood to pursue her but even his method made her more at ease with his approach.

  Loren felt him herding her into place and there wasn’t a single thing she seemed to be able to do about it. His net was far too effective. But it was more than that. Having the man close to her was pleasant. It was even becoming comfortable.

  Which was why he could walk right up to her bedside without her moving a muscle. Pushing her body up from the bed, Loren headed for the shower. Turning the puzzle around in her head was going to give her a migraine.

  She was attracted to the man and her common sense was useless.

  Her shower took less than four minutes. Tension was running her in circles today. Loren looked out the window before walking toward the kitchen. It was too quiet this morning.

  There wasn’t even the scent of coffee in the air. Loren stopped and considered the kitchen counter. The coffee was sitting there and the pot was next to it. Both had been abandoned.

  Her neck knotted into cords because Rourke was a detailed man. He’d been called away and the reason might very well be a case of further infection. Loren turned on her heel and left the house.

  She wasn’t going to wait. Something was happening, she could actually feel it floating on the morning air.

  “Go to hell, you pup. If I was going to kill you, you’d be dead.” Loren recognized the voice instantly. Her eyes flew to her father’s face as he argued with two of Rourke’s Rangers. Loren blinked her eyes rapidly and tried to make the sight of her father standing in the front yard dissipate. Not here. Not right now. Her dad just couldn’t be here.

  But he was. Rourke had taken up his normal stance with arms crossed over his chest as he considered the intruder. Two of the Rangers held her father under guard and true to his nature, he was amused.

  The Rangers held their automatic rifles in her father’s face but he was ignoring them. Instead he was standing in a rather arrogant stance as he faced off with Rourke.

  The horrible reality of her father’s presence impacted her a second later.

  “Dad, you’ve got terrible timing.”

  “Lavender, that’s no way to talk to your father.” Loren bristled and her dad grinned. He hated her name more than she did. He turned that grin toward Rourke and eyed the younger man thoughtfully.

  “Well, now. I don’t care just who your mama is, young man. It doesn’t give you the right to take off with my family.” Her father considered Rourke and pointed a firm finger at him. “Looks like we got us a real problem here.”

  “The problem is yours, old man.” One of the Rangers spat that out as he angled his weapon into her father’s face. Loren held her ground because she knew her dad just a little too well. That Ranger was about to catch hell.

  The younger man never saw it coming. Her father gave a half-turn away from the man before his boot was thrust into the Ranger’s midsection. He went flying as her father plucked the weapon from the man’s grasp. He tossed the rifle at Rourke before turning toward his victim.

  “I had my tabs before you stopped thinking your mama’s tits looked good. Your perimeter sucks and maybe you better stop calling me an old man because I walked right through your unit.”

  And that was her dad. Loren felt the slight laugh escape her mouth because she just couldn’t help it. First, Sean Loren would have to be dead before he ever forgot to tell another Ranger that he had his tabs. The Ranger patch known as tabs could only be earned by completing an intensive extra training program. It was an elite group and her father was one of them.

  Rourke turned and caught her amusement. His face was stone-hard but his eyes were sparkling. There was an admiration sitting there for the older man’s skill that all the rules in the Army couldn’t dismiss.

  “You’ve got tabs?”

  “Hell, yes.” Her dad smirked at his guard as the second man lowered his rifle. “You think I learned how to break your line anywhere else?” The older man gave the two Rangers back their pride with that statement. Being bested by another Ranger was acceptable.

  “Get over here and give your daddy a hug.”

  Loren propped her hands onto her hips instead. She was going to choke on the testosterone fumes for sure. “Dad, we are under qu
arantine. The last thing I need is for you to be infected.”

  “Life’s a real bummer sometimes, my girl.”

  Rourke just couldn’t help laughing. Loren was so damn cute when she was frustrated. She raked a hand through her hair in agitation and pressed her lips together. A solid whack landed on his shoulders and sent him forward a half step.

  “Oh, pardon me, sir. I’m getting clumsy in my old age. That’s my little girl standing right down there.”

  Rourke glared at the man as he lifted one gray eyebrow and smirked at him. The heavy hand of parental authority was sitting on the man’s face. It was aimed right at Rourke. Loren was right—this guy had to go immediately. Getting around Loren’s barriers was plenty of trouble. Rourke didn’t need her father here critiquing his performance as well.

  His border patrol came up the drive and they stepped aside to let the two Hummers by. Loren’s father took the moment to grab his daughter in a bear hug. She wiggled away and glared at him, but her light green eyes were sparkling.

  Loren finally gave up and smiled. Her dad was…well, her daddy. He gave her a wide smile in return. “Now, that’s my girl. Where’s my grandson hiding?”

  “Holy shit!”

  Loren went flying back as her father shoved her away. Chris had jumped down from the Hummer and never got another word out of his mouth. Chris hadn’t taken the time to see just who was hugging her, but Sean recognized his son-in-law instantly.

  Her father attacked the man with pure deadly intent. He tossed Chris right over the hood of the Hummer and dove after the man. Loren was powerless to stop her own stumbling fall right into Rourke. He lifted her off her feet and set her aside before he launched himself into the fight.

  It took Rourke and three of his Rangers to drag her father off Chris. Her husband was flat on his back in the dirt and gasping for breath as Rourke dragged his opponent away.

  “I’ve waited fourteen years to choke the life out of you.” Her father’s face was glowing with primal rage. Chris struggled to his feet and stepped away from the man.

  Loren just couldn’t take it anymore. It was her life! She stepped in front of her father and stuck her finger into his face. “Take a number and get in line! If anyone gets to kill my husband, I do. So just back off, Dad.”

  Her father went deathly still in response. Loren tossed her head before she turned around to look at her husband. Maybe being stuck on this mountain was a good thing after all. It was time to deal with her past mistakes.

  “You want a divorce, Chris? Fine. But you’d better be real careful how you word it.”

  Chris sneered at her as he tried to recover his pride. “Just what the hell are you going to do about it?”

  “Touch my son and I’ll kill you myself.”

  Chapter Eight

  The words were final. Loren couldn’t take them back and the absolute truth was, she didn’t want to. She turned her back on Chris and never looked back.

  It was long overdue. Finally letting her marriage go was the last piece of emotional baggage she’d been lugging around. The weight on her shoulders felt incredibly lighter. So, she wouldn’t know where Chris was anymore. That was a flimsy reason anyway. If the man truly wanted to come looking for her, he would find a way.

  The truth was, there had still been some small part of her that actually clung to the idea that Chris thought about her at all. The harsh truth was, the man didn’t care about her and hadn’t spared her a single thought since he’d walked out on her.

  Well, now she was letting it go completely.

  Or was she? Loren stopped in her room and walked into the bathroom to look at herself. Was it really all behind her? The image of Rourke holding her breasts sprang up with crystal clearness and she felt the same panic come with it.

  Pulling her shirt over her head, Loren unhooked her bra and dropped it onto the counter. The air hit her bare flesh and brought a heightened sensitivity with it. She watched her nipples lift and bead. The really strange thing was Loren couldn’t remember really looking at her body in the last fourteen years. In fact, she always had her clothes laid out before she ever got into a shower.

  She’d been hiding from her own insecurities. Rejection left its scar on every abandoned wife and she wasn’t any different. She’d just never faced it.

  Suddenly, Loren was impatient with herself. She didn’t like being afraid. One thing being on her own taught her was to look every last bit of trouble straight in the face, because then it could be overcome.

  Unzipping her pants, she tossed them aside and pulled her panties off as well. Considering her reflection, Loren let her eyes wander over every inch of herself.

  She was pretty. Every man might have a slightly different view of just what “beautiful” might be, but she wasn’t unattractive.

  “You’re stunning, Loren.”

  Of course Rourke had followed her. Maybe she’d been expecting him. Loren didn’t care. She watched him through the mirror. Confidence surged through her because there was more than common lust written on his face. Loren turned to face him because she wanted to see his eyes.

  Watching passion flash from his emerald eyes, things were completely clear. This man was going to be her lover. Her flesh was demanding it and Loren accepted the fact that her common sense would have to yield. Rourke was simply watching her as she finally understood.

  He didn’t want to just take her. This man wouldn’t accept anything except complete compliance. Every little touch had been a clever move of seduction. Compliance of the flesh was one thing, seducing the woman took true strategy.

  “Come here, Loren.”

  “Not yet.” His jaw clenched in response and Loren felt his anger zip across toward her. She lifted her chin with firm resolve.

  Rourke wasn’t accepting that. His hands closed over her wrist with a grasp of solid steel and yanked her into his embrace. Her bare skin registered the hard reality of his male body as he very deliberately wrapped his arms around her to trap her against him. Loren settled against him without complaint. She watched his eyes flash in triumph before he lowered his head to kiss her.

  He took his time, sliding the tip of his tongue over the smooth surface of her lips. Loren gasped as sensation curled inside her belly. He caught the sounds as his mouth took possession of hers, tasting the depths of her willingness. Her hips thrust forward with need and found satisfaction in the hard presence of his sex.

  “Wait.”

  “Why?” His voice was rough and low. His fingers moved over the side of her face as Rourke waited for her reason. The man was a hairsbreadth from losing his control. There wouldn’t be any waiting if he did that. It was amazing to think that they had been throwing water at each other just a few hours ago. Rourke had a playful side that only emerged when he felt at ease. It was a compliment that he’d shared that playtime with her. Loren raised her own hand and laid her fingers onto his firm lips. They were still moist from her kiss and she shuddered as she forced her passion aside.

  “You would never have an unfaithful woman. I don’t want to cheat in your bed.”

  “Chris might be your husband on paper but he sure as hell isn’t your man, honey. He crawled onto top of you like a raw kid, didn’t he?”

  His arms tightened. Loren shivered as his words reminded her of her rather disappointing wedding night. Between the pain of virginity and Chris’ rough handling, there was nothing in the memory that inspired passion. Sex was simply… blunt.

  Rourke slid one hand over her bottom to firmly squeeze one of her cheeks. Her belly tightened with acute sensation that settled directly in the center of her sex. It was a surge of pleasure that fed on his touch. Her flesh was pulsing with need.

  “We were both kids. There wasn’t any shotgun at our wedding. I grew up and left my excuses behind a long time ago.”

  His head dipped in a solid nod. “You belong to me, Loren, and I won’t wait much longer. Divorce him or I just might kill the man myself.”

  He left her and Loren
sank to the floor. She was boneless without him and she curled into a protective ball as her enflamed flesh screamed in protest.

  Maybe she was walking down the wrong road again. She dropped her head to her knees and felt the slide of tears. Even if she was making another mistake, Loren didn’t think she had the will to stop herself.

  And even if she did, Rourke would slice through the barrier in seconds. He’d have her and then he’d leave her.

  There was no other possible solution.

  * * * * *

  He was in a dangerous mood. Rourke knew it. But he let the animal inside himself loose today. It was the only thing keeping him from dragging Loren off to his room. He let that idea bloom in full vivid color inside his mind. Her body bare and writhing against his sheets as he sank into her center. His staff was rigid as he savored the idea of thrusting into her body and watching her face while he did it.

  His teeth clenched and Rourke smiled. Raw desire was coursing through his veins. There was something inside him that enjoyed the primitive need pulsing through his body. Seducing a woman certainly held its rewards, but right now he wanted to capture Loren and ride her ‘til she sobbed with rapture.

  The soft sound of his printer stopped. Rourke eyed the neat pile of crisp sheets in the output tray and curled his lips back. He stood up and grabbed the papers in one fluid motion.

  Loren was at her normal spot in his kitchen, right next to the coffeemaker. She was gazing out of the window, her mug of freshly poured coffee forgotten on the counter top. Steam rose from it as she continued to contemplate the view. Rourke dropped the papers in front of her and caught her shoulder as she jumped.

  “You’ll never hear me coming unless I want you to, honey.”

  Loren lifted her eyes to stare into the ruthless ones of her host. Rourke Campbell’s face was etched with primitive aggression that made her belly curl with excitement. The need to yield to him was becoming painful now. Inside of her was a woman raging against the bounds of a dead marriage that she forced herself to hide behind. His green eyes bored into hers as his hand tightened on her shoulder. He stroked her face with a single finger while he let his eyes settle on her mouth.