Only in Her Dreams

by Christina McKnight

“I’ve prepared a special meal for us.” He withdrew the lid covering their plates. “Filet mignon and asparagus spears. I hope you enjoy red meat.” She held out her plate and he placed a six ounce filet and three asparagus spears on it.

  “I’m freezing. Do you have a warmer blanket or jacket I can use?”

  Cold...not trembling with passion? His heartbeat increased when he thought of the sexual tension they’d shared earlier. “Of course, but only while you eat. No longer.” He liked her vulnerability. He retrieved a small blanket from the end of his bed and returned to the table.

  She let the ratty blanket he’d given her earlier fall to the floor. He wrapped the quilted material around her bare shoulders. It was a shame to cover the red corset that pushed her breasts under her chin, but it was only while they ate he reminded himself.

  “Have you heard from Greg?”

  “Alexander is keeping a good eye on him.” Darius picked a piece of asparagus off his plate and folded it into his mouth. The butter and garlic tasted like heaven on his tongue. He should require his men to bring food of this quality for every meal.

  “Will you let us go once he brings Lucessa to you?” she asked.

  “My dear, please eat while your steak is hot.”

  She looked at him dubiously. Darius couldn’t blame her for her suspicions. He planned on getting rid of Dr. Flynn, but he wasn’t ready to allow Sandy to leave. After a night with me, she might choose to stay. Permanently.

  To his surprise, he didn’t mind the idea. In fact, he liked it.

  “You keep changing the subject. Do you ever plan on letting us walk away from this? If not, kill me now. I can’t stand to live in this filth another minute.” With that she pushed her plate across the table at him, knocking his own plate off the table and into his lap.

  Darius jumped from his seat, shocked. He thought he’d broken her. She was hot one minute and cold the next. He’d never understand women. He bought her good food and nice clothing and still she rebuffed him.

  # # #

  Sandy had to keep her distance from him. He was everything Greg wasn’t. Greg let her lead and make the decisions. Darius was strong, assertive, and confident. And a part of her found him completely attractive. I must be losing it...big time.

  His appearance should repulse her, make her want to fight him off and run. Instead, his power drew her in.

  She’d pushed him too far when she’d shoved her plate across the table. But when he rose she saw a spark of interest. He wasn’t accustomed to being denied what he wanted.

  “Can I return to my room?” Her chin lifted. She needed space, time to get him out of her head.

  “No, you may not. Just because you’ve finished, doesn’t mean I am. Sit and keep me company while I eat.”

  He can’t be serious. She’d knocked his food all over him, and he wants to finish eating.

  Darius retrieved his fork and dug into her plate of food. He stared her right in the eye as he chewed.

  Her grip on the blanket loosened, her shoulders and cleavage were again exposed to him.

  “I’m glad to see the chill has left the room.” His eyes traveled from her face down to her exposed breasts, peeking over the corset.

  Her hands refused to tighten on the blanket.

  His eyes devoured her.

  “Yes, the room has certainly warmed.” She leaned against the back of the chair and continued to watch him eat.

  “Come join me, we can share body heat,” he commanded.

  “You’re crazy, you know that?”

  “Would you rather I lock you in that room again? Maybe with no clothes?” he threatened.

  She wanted to fight, to hit him but instead she rose and took the three short steps around the table and sat on his proffered knee. What’s wrong with me?

  She knew there was no going back now. His hand slid over her hip to rest on her thigh as he finished the last few bites of her steak. He pushed the plate away and lifted her from his lap.

  # # #

  His belly full, Darius was ready to move on to dessert. He lifted her from his lap and rotated her around to face him. With his knees together, he roughly brought her toward him. Her legs spread. His erection pushed at the front of his pants as her warm core rested on his massive length. He’d denied himself the pleasures of a woman for far too long.

  The gentle shifting of her hips told him she felt his need for her. His hand traveled down the length of her back and settled on her bare bottom.

  She stiffened and arched her back as she pushed her chilled flesh closer to his face.

  Darius recognized and he had the duty to remedy that. His fingers began a gentle kneading to warm her flesh, but before he knew it his hands became more demanding, squeezing.

  She pulled away.

  He wanted this women, more than he’d ever craved another.

  He knew she’d like it rough. His only question was would she let him take the lead? He looked forward to finding out.

  Standing, he lifted Sandy’s legs around his hips and swung her around, pushing her into the wall behind them. His lips captured hers. She pulled her face from his, forcing his lips to her cheek. His hand guided her face toward his once again and he intensified the kiss until his mouth flooded with the coppery metallic taste of her blood. Her hands inched between them, pushing him away.

  This lust was something he hadn’t experienced in a very long time. Sandy was full of passion. His tongue pushed against hers and he explored her mouth. He longed to venture further. Her hands gave up on pushing him away, instead they’d snaked around his neck and inched into his hair, pulling his face to hers.

  With his free hand, he grabbed both her wrists and brought them above her head. His pelvis continued to grind in her. With his other hand, he reached between them and freed the buttons on his jeans. His penis sprung forth seeking her core and his relief.

  It was too much to bear. He ripped his mouth from hers and kissed her neck. His mouth continued downward until he reached the mounds spilling from the top of her corset.

  A moan escaped her lips and her resistance faded as he ran his tongue across her exposed flesh, traveling from one breast to the other. His hips gently thrust upward.

  “Please,” she sighed into his ear.

  “Only if you beg,” he breathed.

  “Oh, please Darius.” Still holding her wrists, his other hand cupped her bottom. He turned away from the wall and moved toward his seat at the table. As he took the few steps, his finger slipped through her g-string and ripped it. He sat down heavily, his thicken shaft entering her in one fluid motion.

  I’m home, he thought.

  Chapter 30

  Lucessa regretted her hasty decision immediately. She was now alone in the house with Greg--another person she couldn’t trust. That and she’d been left with so many unanswered questions. How did Greg know anything? But most important, where’d he been the last year?

  She retreated to her room. I need space. I feel caged in, helpless. Maxim was positive she was in danger and now it made a little bit more sense. Her father was the leader of the Oneiroi. Seriously?

  Her body shook and her mind swirled. This was even worse than Greg dying last year. My whole life is a lie, fabricated by others. If her father wasn’t really her father, then who was?

  She should never have let Greg back into her home, but then she wouldn’t have discovered Maxim’s deception.

  Lying on her bed, she thought about her mom and dad. They’d been so happy when she was growing up--and in love. Her father treated her better than any of her friends’ dads. Who cares that he’s not my biological dad? Her mother certainly hadn’t. Lucessa looked too much like her to question their blood relationship. They shared the same build, eye color, and shade of hair.

  She rolled toward her nightstand and retrieved the small framed picture of her parents, taken so long ago. The picture must have been from before Lucessa was born. Her finger rubbed the glass over her father’s image and longing rose insid
e her.

  And her father was still watching over her. She’d always sensed he was still with her, but not like this. She had the common view of loved ones watching from above, not loved ones who send you a protector. This is crazy. Good thing she’d given up on Dr. Applegate. This is way, way out of her league.

  The stress from the previous two days had her mind and body exhausted. Her eyes heavy, she thought about her dilemma. Calm overtook her body. Her breathing evened and she gave herself over to sleep.

  # # #

  She stood in her kitchen, wearing a nightgown, her bare feet absorbing the cold from the tile floor. The backyard was still dark, morning hadn’t yet arrived. Her house, as it had been for so long, was eerily still. She listened. Arguing came from above. Male voices. Panic threatened to overcome her, had there been another break in? With Maxim gone, she had no way of protecting herself.

  Lucessa moved toward the stairs and started to climb toward the voices. When she reached the landing, she realized they came from her guest bedroom.

  Maxim’s room.

  Except he couldn’t be in the room. She’d stupidly kicked him out without hearing his whole side of the story. She hugged the wall. Her back and hands slid against the textured, plaster surface. The door stood ajar. Two figures hunched in the dim light. She drew back from the door.

  One was Maxim, she could sense him anywhere. The other was vaguely familiar, but she knew she hadn’t heard the voice in years.

  “You shouldn’t be here,” Maxim whispered.

  She strained to hear their words.

  “It is my responsibility to protect her above all else,” the other voice argued.

  “You entrusted this to me and I will not fail you.”

  “How do you plan to keep her safe? She threw you out. With Alexander and Darius lurking about, she cannot go a moment without our protection. My protection.”

  Inching closer, she peered into the room again. Maxim stood in all his splendor, hands on his hips, facing off against a slightly older man.

  “It is not safe for you to be here,” Maxim continued.

  “As safe as it is for you. I should never have left!”

  A third voice chimed in. “Dear, you had no other choice.” A female voice? “Your legacy called, and neither Lucessa nor I can hold that against you. I knew when we married I might one day have to live without you.”

  Mother?

  Lucessa felt tears prick at her eyes. Her legs wouldn’t move any closer. She may be crazy, but she didn’t want this moment to end. The voices drifting from the room belonged to her mom and dad. Talking about her! She leaned closer, yearning to hear their whispered conversation.

  “I did have a choice! At the time, it was the right thing to do, but my decision ruined your life and our daughter’s. Now, she’s in danger and I can only blame myself.” Her father’s agitated words called to her. The need to reassure him, tell him he’d made the right decision weighed on her. Had he made the right decision?

  “Please, stop and listen to yourself,” Maxim pleaded. “You had to return to our father’s kingdom. I couldn’t control Darius on my own. Think about the repercussions if he’d been able to walk between our world and the world of your family, powers intact. He surely would cause great harm.”

  “Guy, listen to your brother,” her mother sighed.

  His brother? Was there another person in the room? Lucessa moved closer, her eyes locked on the crack in the door. She only saw the three of them. Her father stood with his hands on his hips, mirroring Maxim’s pose, and her mother sat on the far side of the bed. Maxim stared her father down, his eyes glowing. Could it be that Maxim is my father’s brother? My uncle?

  Maxim’s eyes shifted from their hold on her father to the door. His lips formed a tight line. She was caught. The door opened of its own accord and Lucessa entered the room. All three occupants froze as their eyes moved to take in her presence. A look passed between Maxim and Guy.

  The anger fled from her father’s face. His jaw relaxed and the wrinkles lining his forehead smoothed.

  “Hey, dad.” She couldn’t come up with anything better to say. Seeing her father before her left her tongue tied. No longer did her father have gray hair. He hadn’t been truly old when he’d passed--only fifty-nine. Before her stood a man of thirty years--thirty-five, at the most. His skin was sun-kissed, as it’d always been from their many hikes in Yosemite. But his eyes were troubled, no longer care-free and joyous.

  “Baby Doll, I’m so sorry.” His eyes pleaded with her to forgive him, but she wasn’t sure of all there was to forgive yet.

  A crash behind Lucessa drew her attention away from the scene in front of her.

  Lucessa sat straight up in bed. Her eyes moving from side to side in the darkness, trying to identify what had awakened her. Goosey stood by her bedside, the cord to the night lamp twisted around her front paw. The bedside light lay hopelessly broken next to her.

  “Goosey, what did you do?” she said a bit harshly. She wasn’t upset at the dog, but saddened the dream had ended so soon. “Need to go potty?”

  Goosey pranced around the room, lamp trailing, the answer must be yes.

  The air in her room was warm. She must’ve left the heater running. Grabbing her robe, she wrapped it over her street clothes. Goosey rushed down the stairs in front of her. Lucessa slowed as she passed the entry to the living room on the way to the back door. She peeked in. Greg was asleep on the couch, also in his street clothes. Maybe I’m not the only one with lots on my mind.

  She’d neglected to take into consideration what Greg had been through in the last year. Maybe she’d judged him too harshly. His face was relaxed in sleep and she pictured them before the turmoil in their lives had begun. Things had been so simple. Given the choice, would I want to return to that life?

  The answer wasn’t a simple one. Too many things had changed. Her feelings were the biggest transformation.

  Goosey barked once to remind her of what they were doing downstairs.

  “Shhh,” she hissed. The last thing she wanted was to wake Greg up and continue their argument. The lock slid silently, and she pushed the door open. Goosey bounded into the backyard and ran full speed toward the back fence. Lucessa spied two bright blue orbs staring from the direction her dog was headed.

  They were back.

  “Goosey!” she screamed, calling the dog back to the house. “Come here, girl.” But the dog’s course didn’t change.

  “Is something wrong?”

  Frightened, Lucessa slammed the door shut and spun around. Greg stood there, fully awake. “No, I thought I saw something in the backyard is all.”

  “Okay. I want to apologize for being a tyrant earlier. I didn’t mean to be so heartless when I told you about your friend, but it was important for you to know.” He reached out, embracing her in a one armed hug.

  “I’m happy you told me, but now I have so many more questions for you. She pulled back searched his eyes for the man she’d once loved.

  “I’ve wanted to talk, but it was awkward having Maxim around.”

  “Well, it’s just us now.” She kept her eyes on him, willing herself not to turn and scan the backyard for glowing eyes and Goosey.

  “I think its better I show you what I’ve been doing,” he said, extending his hand. “Please, come with me.”

  # # #

  “What in the hell do you think you’re doing?” Maxim stormed into his brother’s study. His whole body shook with rage. His face burned hotter than an open flame.

  Guy moved from behind his desk, his body stiff with pent up anger as he moved toward Maxim. He halted a few paces away. “I wanted to see my daughter and explain the situation. I wrongly trusted you to handle everything. Now my daughter’s life is in jeopardy, and she has no one she trusts.” If the roof hadn’t been securely anchored down, it would have flown off with the rage seeping from Guy.

  “I’ll continue to watch over her. She’s at home, safety tucked in bed, as you ca
n see from her dream. I do not plan on leaving the vicinity of her house.”

  “Then what the hell are you doing here?”

  “I’m here to keep you informed!” Maxim attempted to calm his brother’s fears and concerns. If he was being honest, he was just as frightened for Lucessa as Guy was. Over the years, Maxim had learned firsthand just how driven, dedicated, and ruthless Darius could be when he wanted something. He let nothing stand in his way. His eye was always on the prize. Just this once, Darius, please back down and save yourself.

  “I’ve given you your chance and you failed. Together, we destroyed the family I wanted so badly. The family my father graciously allowed me to have...we tore apart!” Guy pounded his chest with his index finger.

  He says we, but singles himself out.

  “All hope isn’t lost. I can fix this, get Darius to back off.”

  “I should’ve killed him long ago for his insolence.”

  We both thought he could--no, would--change.

  “Brother, I truly thought he would repent for his actions and join you and me here in Erebos. You couldn’t have known he’d threaten your family,” Maxim whispered. My family!

  “You don’t know how it is to have a family or the pain it causes when someone jeopardizes their safety.”

  “I do.” Maxim stood next to his brother.

  “How could you?”

  “I wished to talk about this at a later time, but now is as good as later. I’ve developed feelings for Lucessa, strong feelings.”

  “Your feelings are doomed. You belong here, not on Earth. And definitely not with my daughter.”

  # # #

  Telling Lucessa the truth had paid off. Greg grinned as she took the hand he offered. They headed toward the front door.

  She paused in the hallway. “Let me grab my purse.” He released her long enough for her to slide her arms through the strap. “Oh, my car keys are on the counter in the kitchen.” She made a move to head in that direction, but he stopped her.