Читать книгу In Dreams - Patricia Rosemoor - Страница 11

THE FIRST TOUCH of Justin’s mouth on hers was electric. Lucy gasped, the sound lost in the instant passion of the kiss. In those few seconds, all her good intentions melted away like sugar in the rain.

She kissed him back, savoring the taste of his mouth, the smoothness of his teeth, the strength of his tongue. His probing of her mouth reminded her of other probings, more intimate joinings. It reminded her of her dreams.

It was like a dream now—mouths melding, hands exploring. She quivered and her body responded with a rush of wet warmth when his fingers lightly explored the skin of her side—the good side, not the wounded one. He took her to a different place, away from trouble and fear. She became lost in the moment…in the heat…in the sense of euphoria of this being right.

But it wasn’t right. She was wounded and he could be, too, because of her. That thought threaded its way through to her conscious. This was the first step toward making those dreams come true. The first step to hearing that shot ring out in the rain.

Lucy pushed at Justin’s chest. He released her immediately and she bounded to her feet.

“That can’t happen again!” she told him.

“If you say so.”

“I just did!”

“Calm down, chère, I simply thought the attraction was mutual. I’m not trying to force you into anything.”

“Like hell you’re not. You’re forcing me to stay here.”

“Only for a few hours. I promise I’ll get you to your car at first light.”

Nerves jangled, Lucy decided at that moment that Justin couldn’t force her to do anything. Let him think what he liked for now, but she was going to get off this houseboat and out of his life as soon as possible.

In the meantime, she looked for something to do and found a stack of magazines. “I hope you don’t mind if I read. I’m wide-awake, and after that nap, it’ll be hours before I can fall asleep again.”

“The light won’t bother me. I can fall asleep anywhere,” he said, indicating the couch.

“Don’t be silly. You have a perfectly good bed.”

“You want to share?”

“I want you to use it.” Grabbing a magazine, she plopped down on the couch. “When I get sleepy, I’ll just stretch out here.”

“If you insist.”

Well, at least he was acting agreeable. Not that he went to bed right away.

But there were only so many things to do on a houseboat once the sun had set. And she had the couch and the reading light. Besides which, he’d been up since dawn without the benefit of a nap like she’d had.

Eventually Justin seemed jittery, as if having nothing left to do with himself was getting on his nerves. He looked tired, which he should be considering how early he’d risen that morning. She couldn’t help noticing his eyelids were drooping more than usual.

“Are you sure about the bed?” he asked.

No teasing in his voice tonight. She could hear fatigue instead. Good.

“Positive,” she said. “I’m probably going to be up for hours reading.” And plotting, getting the nerve to do what she had to do. “The bed is all yours.”

Still he hesitated, staring at her. She kept her expression neutral, gave him a little smile and hoped her “Good night” would do it.

“Night.” He gave her a penetrating look before entering the bedroom and closing the door behind him.

And Lucy sagged with relief.

If he suspected anything, he wasn’t acting on it. Just how long would it take him to fall asleep? Although she continued to flip through magazines, her eyes glazed over and she wasn’t getting the content. She was too busy thinking about Justin.

Would he stay awake until she fell asleep? He could lie awake in bed listening for movement, for any indication that she wasn’t simply reading. For how long, though? She only hoped she could stay awake for however long it took Justin to relax and go to sleep.

It was she who listened to the small noises Justin made as he moved around the other room. And her imagination became engaged.

Closing her eyes, she could see him undressing, could imagine the long lean muscle of him as he removed garments one at a time. Though she’d never seen him naked in person, she’d seen all of him in dreams, and through them, she knew every inch of his too tempting flesh.

Sucking in a deep breath, she opened her eyes, but the images stayed with her, teasing her, keeping her from concentrating on the magazine in her lap, no matter how hard she tried.

The sound of the bed protesting as he climbed into it left her wanting what she experienced in her mind. The bed creaked with each toss and turn—and there were many of them—and she had to keep adjusting herself on the couch because she couldn’t get comfortable, either.

Was he thinking of her just as she was of him?

Did he want her with the same intensity?

Did he want her at all?

He’d kissed her, yes, but that had been due to circumstance. Almost an accident.

He’d flirted with her all day, but flirtation seemed to be part of his natural charm, like he would do so with any woman on his radar.

Most likely he’d been working on automatic, not because he’d been turned on by her.

But he was certainly having a hard time settling down, she thought, hearing springs bounce yet again. At this rate, he was never going to sleep, never going to give her the chance to escape.

Rain had started up again and was drumming against the roof. Great, another obstacle to getting home. Dana was probably going nuts worrying about why Lucy hadn’t returned. Maybe she’d even alerted the police. All right, maybe not.

Lucy hadn’t told her why she was in bayou country when she’d called from the Guidry place. Dana had jumped to the conclusion that she was there because of a man, and Lucy had let her roomie think what she would. She’d also assured her that she was okay and would be home before dark, but of course that hadn’t happened.

And in her aggravation with Justin, she’d forgotten to call Dana with an update before heading back for the houseboat. When she got her car on the road, she would call from her cell phone, assuming her shoulder bag hadn’t been stolen.

It was raining harder now.

As she listened, her heart seemed to beat in sync. She felt herself start to drift.

“Damn!” she whispered, forcing her eyes wide open.

She wasn’t the one who was supposed to fall asleep….

Suddenly she realized the noises from the other room had stopped. No tossing, no turning, no creaking. She sat up straighter and listened harder, kept her ears tuned for the slightest sound beyond the rain. It was barely drizzling now.