She breathed deep of his masculine scent as she pressed her face against his chest. “I’m grateful for you, too.” She drew away and looked up at him. “I’m thankful that Selena gave me the book and that it somehow led me to you.”
“Yes. Thank the Powers That Be for that book.” He kissed her again before drawing away then took her hand. “I need a shower. Want to join me?”
“Most definitely.” She squeezed his hand as he clasped hers.
Happiness made her almost giddy as they walked together, up the stairs and to his bedroom. Any exhaustion that had been there was long gone. Just being with him was exhilarating.
When they reached his bedroom, he brought her close and turned her around so that he could unzip her leather top. As it fell to the floor he lightly caressed her shoulders then slid his palms down her arms to her hands. He nuzzled the back of her neck and she shivered from the touch of his lips against her skin.
He held her close and palmed her breasts as his cock pressed into her backside. She leaned her head back, a gasp rising up in her throat as he played with her nipples. He slid one of his hands down her belly and traced his fingertips along the waistband of her leather pants. She sucked in her breath at the erotic feel of his touch.
His palms felt warm on her shoulders as he turned her around to face him. He caught her face in his hands and brought his mouth to hers in a slow and wonderful kiss.
He picked her up by her ass and carried her to the bed and settled her on the mattress. She looked up at him and sighed as he started to remove one of her boots. He was so handsome with his black hair and dark brown eyes. Just the way he looked at her made her feel like he was touching her, everywhere.
The coiled power in him caused her to shiver as he took control. His sleeveless leather shirt allowed her to watch his biceps flex as he took off first one of her boots and then the other, and then he removed her socks as well.
When he returned to her, he unfastened the button of her leather pants and then she braced her arms on the bed and rose up just enough that he could pull them down, leaving her in black panties. He hooked his fingers in her panties and removed them, too, dropping them on the pile he’d made of her clothing.
He took her hands and helped her to her feet and as they kissed, her body felt even more alive as her bare skin rubbed up against the leather he wore. When she drew away from the kiss she guided him to the bed and had him sit so that she could pull off his boots and socks.
When they had been removed, she helped him take off his shirt and then he stood and towered over her as she unbuttoned his pants and pushed them down, along with his boxers. She loved how big his erection was already and she wrapped her hand around it to feel his heat and the length and girth of it.
He took her hand and led her to the bathroom then started the shower. When the water was warm they both stepped under the spray.
She sighed with pleasure as she closed her eyes. “This feels wonderful.” The water beating down on her body felt relaxing and seemed to wash away the remnants of the battle with the sorcerer. She opened her eyes to see Alec studying her, and he gave a sexy smile when their gazes met.
He grabbed a bottle of shampoo and poured some on his palm before rubbing it into her hair. He turned her around and began lathering her hair and she closed her eyes again, enjoying the feel of his fingers as he massaged her scalp.
The entire time he washed her hair she was conscious of his erection pressed into her backside. She ached for him between her thighs. Every touch of his hands, every brush of his cock had her wanting him more.
When he finished washing her hair, he rinsed out the shampoo and it ran in rivulets down her body. He kissed her hard as soap sprayed their faces.
They parted and he took a bath sponge and poured bathing gel on it then started soaping her body with it. Her breath caught as he washed her breasts, his fingers touching and lingering on her nipples. He moved the sponge lower, soaping her belly as he made his way down between her thighs.
He continued, lowering himself on one knee to wash her thighs, knees, and calves. She swallowed hard as he moved the sponge up and then soaped the patch of hair at the V of her thighs.
She wanted him to slide his fingers into her wetness, but he turned her around and washed her from her ankles, up her rounded ass cheeks, to her back and on to her neck, making a slow, erotic path as he went up her backside.
When he finished he turned her around and kissed her again. They drew apart and she said, “I get to wash you now.” He gave her a sexy smile and handed her the shampoo.
He had to bend down in order for her to reach his head and shampoo his hair. She enjoyed the feel of the lather in her hands as she massaged his scalp. Once she finished rinsing the shampoo from his hair, it was her turn to wash his body and tease him the way he’d done to her.
His muscles felt firm beneath her palms and she loved the contrast between her softness and the hardness of his body. She enjoyed playing with his erection as she soaped it and was pleased at how incredibly rigid it grew.
When he was rinsed off, she stayed on her knees and slipped her mouth over his erection. He groaned and slipped his hands into her wet hair as she moved up and down his cock.
He grasped her by her shoulders and brought her to a stand then lifted her so that her thighs were at his hips. Her heart pounded as she wrapped her legs around him, his erection positioned at her core. She slipped her hands around his neck and held on, tingles running up and down her skin.
Water pounded down on them as he drove inside her. She couldn’t help the cry that escaped her as he took her up against the shower wall. The marble was smooth behind her back, their bodies slick from the water.
Colored lights flashed around them again as he thrust hard. The magic caused shivers to run through her and she felt him deep as he took her.
Her breathing grew harsher and she felt an orgasm rushing toward her at an incredible speed. She tried to hold back but there was no way she could.
She cried out as he continued to pound in and out of her and lights exploded around them. She watched his face as he made love to her, his jaw set, his eyes focused on her.
His growl of pleasure rode his climax as he throbbed inside her. She gasped as her core pulsated around his cock and then another orgasm caught her by surprise as she came again.
Colored lights continued to swirl around them and then gradually faded as she finally came down from her orgasm. She clung to him and he held her close, his cock still inside of her.
“I’m never letting you go, Loni,” he murmured against her cheek.
She smiled. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Chapter 23
Feeling like she’d had a deep and wonderful sleep, Loni reached out for Alec and was disappointed when she realized she was alone in bed. With a sigh, she blinked open her eyes and looked at the pillow next to her. It was plump and full, no creases on the pillowcase, as if it hadn’t been slept on. The same for the sheets.
She frowned and raised her head and a chill slowly rolled over her as her gaze moved around the room. She was in her own home… She wasn’t in Alec’s.
Her heart thrummed, panic rising up in her throat. Had it all been a dream?
“No.” She scrambled out of bed and looked wildly around her bedroom. “No. That wasn’t a dream. It was all real. Alec was real.”
She ran through the house, searching for him but knowing she wouldn’t find him. She stopped in the middle of her living room. Why was she in her home? Why wasn’t she with Alec? She put her hand to her forehead and took deep breaths. There had to be an explanation. There had to be a way to get back to him.
According to the clock it was nine in the morning—she’d slept later than she would normally. That wasn’t surprising considering what she’d been through last night…
Unless it was all a dream.
“It was not a dream!” She stamped her foot as she looked around her living room as if there might be some clue
as to what happened and why she wasn’t with Alec.
She hurried back to the bedroom. The book was on the nightstand beside the bed. She touched the cover, a lump rising in her throat as she ran her fingers over his image.
It wasn’t my imagination, it wasn’t. It wasn’t a dream.
She looked down and saw that she was wearing the fictional character shirt that she’d worn as a nightshirt the night before she’d ended up in Alec’s world.
Fictional character? Had she just been a character in a dream?
A cold hand gripped her heart. She needed to go back to the bookstore and talk to Selena.
Loni clenched her teeth and pulled on jeans and a T-shirt. While she dressed, she wondered if she still had any magical abilities. She went out to the front of her house, prepared to run to the bookstore if time would stop for her again.
Heart pounding, she stood on the sidewalk for a moment and looked down the street. She took a deep breath and started to run.
Nothing happened. Tears pricked at the backs of her eyes as she came to a stop. She turned around and tried again, but time stayed the same.
Her heart sank and she went back into the house, grabbed her keys, and headed for the garage. She paused for a moment before she opened the door—she’d left her car behind when she’d changed realities. She took a deep breath and then went into the garage and saw that her car was there.
The drive from her house was only a few minutes from where she’d discovered the bookstore in Old Scottsdale. She pulled up to the curb and looked at the shops.
The bookstore wasn’t there.
She swallowed hard and climbed out of her car and stepped onto the sidewalk. The bookstore had been between the art gallery and the jewelry store.
Right here. It was right here.
But now it wasn’t.
How can that be?
She felt lightheaded as she stared at the brick wall between the two stores. She needed to sit before her knees gave out. A bench was a few feet away, close to the gallery and she went to it and sank down onto it. Tears ached at the backs of her eyes and she buried her face in her hands.
But the book… She’d seen the book this morning on her nightstand, so how could the bookstore not be here?
A prickling sensation traveled up her spine and she raised her head. A colorful skirt was in front of her. She looked up and met Selena’s sea green eyes.
Loni’s lips parted and her eyes widened. “Selena?”
“Hello, Loni.” Selena smiled. “Why don’t you come in?”
With a frown, Loni looked over her shoulder.
The bookstore was there.
She stood and faced the store. “But it wasn’t…” she started to say but trailed off as Selena walked in through the front door.
Loni followed, the bells hanging on the door tinkling as the door closed behind her. Once again the scent of incense met her. The place was bright and the crystal figurines on the display shelves by the front door sparkled in the sunlight. The crystal balls seemed to glow with rainbow glitters.
Where had Selena gone? Her heart pounded as she made her way through the store toward the front desk. The woman stood waiting for her.
Loni’s whole body felt jittery. “How did I end up home in my own bed?”
Selena gave an enigmatic smile and folded her hands in front of her. Her bell sleeves draped her arms. “Did you get your fill of adventure and magic? Did you have enough of a real man?”
“What?” Loni shook her head, wondering if this was real. Wondering what was real. “It wasn’t all a dream. It was real.”
“You came in here desiring adventure and romance and that’s what you got. You accomplished your purpose and the sorcerer has been dealt with,” Selena said. “You have returned to your own life.”
“No.” A wash of disbelief went through Loni. “I don’t want to return. Send me back.”
With a solemn expression, Selena said, “We have a problem, Loni.”
“What problem?” Loni shook her head. “Just do whatever you have to do to send me back.”
“It’s not so simple.” Selena studied Loni. “If you are able to go back, you can never return to your home or your old life.”
Blood rushed in Loni’s ears. “What do you mean?”
“I mean exactly what I said.” Selena moved away from Loni, her flowing silver hair swaying at her waist as she walked. “I have something for you.”
Loni followed. She felt like she was in a dream now.
Again Selena led her into the back room. She used her keys to open up the lighted glass case again and pulled out another large, old book. “You must read this,” she said as she held the book. “And then if you truly desire and are meant to return to that world, you will.”
Loni held a hand to her heart. “Then I can go back?”
“You must read it,” Selena said. “Do not skip any part of it. Once you finish the book, if you choose to stay in your old world, you will forget everything. It will all just be a story you read that you enjoyed.”
The woman’s words knocked around in Loni’s mind and she felt as if her head was floating from her body.
“I want to go back.” Loni raised her chin. “I have nothing to keep me here. And even if I did, I would choose Alec.”
“You need to think about it.” Selena handed the book to Loni. “This is the sequel to the book you read.”
Night’s Captive was the title. She squinted at the picture then returned her gaze to Selena’s. “Is that Alec and me?”
Selena gave a delicate shrug. “Go home now, Loni Stanfield.”
The book seemed to hum, to vibrate in Loni’s arms and she held it close without thinking about it. But she still said, “I don’t want to read a book. I want to go back.”
“Go home,” Selena repeated and turned away.
Loni made it to her car, feeling almost frantic. She had to go back. Needed to go back.
When she got home she tossed her car keys on the counter then headed to her bedroom with the book. She kicked off her shoes and climbed onto the bed, then opened the book and started reading.
It was her story. Hers and Alec’s. How could that be? It was an old book, as if the story had taken place years ago.
She read through the volume and found herself amazed at everything that had happened in the short amount of time she’d been in Alec’s underworld, from the time she’d found herself in that alleyway. But she couldn’t get to “the end” fast enough.
When she finished the book, she took a deep breath. The book ended with her and Alec making love and then falling asleep.
She closed the book and took a deep breath. Now, more than ever, she wanted to return and be with Alec.
“I love you, Alec,” she said as she shut her eyes. “I want to be with you.”
“Loni.” The bed dipped as she heard Alec’s voice. “Where have you been?”
Her eyes flew open and she saw that she was in his room again as she threw her arms around his neck. “You’re real.” She held on to him tight. “Everything is real.”
“What happened to you?” He squeezed her in return then drew back and held her gaze. “I woke up this morning and you weren’t in bed with me. You were gone and I was so worried that you were gone for good. That’s why there’s a taboo. Humans don’t return.”
Loni looked down at the book still in her hands then smiled at Alec. “I’m back and I will never leave you again.”
# # #
Also by Cheyenne McCray
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Cheyenne McCray
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The next thing Kaitlyn knew, she was in his arms. “And I love having you in my home.” Wayne’s voice was low, deep, and thrills rolled through her.
A part of her said she should turn and run. That this was too much, too soon. But another part of her wanted what he could give her. What they could share.
She closed her eyes and let him hold her close, their bodies snug together. She breathed in his scent, letting it fill her completely.
When she opened her eyes, her gaze met his. She slid her arms around his neck and pulled him closer until their lips met and she kissed him.
The kiss was more powerful than the one he had given her at the party. This one was filled with years of longing and need so intense that she didn’t know if she’d ever catch her breath.
She slid her hands into his hair, loving the soft strands slipping through her fingers and the feel of his scalp beneath her fingertips. She moved her hands down his neck and over his shoulders that were hard and muscular beneath her palms.
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