Dream - Dream Specter Part 13

Snapping her head around, Rosh.e.l.le felt her blush deepen at being caught dreaming about him. His eyes pierced hers, as they demanded to know the reason behind her amus.e.m.e.nt. Abruptly they s.h.i.+fted as he noticed the blood-tinged water in the sink. Her foot was hoisted from that water by its ankle. Rosh.e.l.le sucked in her breath, amazed at the amount of strength he employed in the action.

Jesus! The man had a grip! Her eyes wandered over the arm attached to that hand. The muscles were clearly defined, standing out covered in the soft brown of his skin. Yet he'd controlled that strength every time he'd taken her into his embrace.

"If you ever leave this house without shoes again..."

Jared's threat trailed off as he caught sight of the blush sitting on her cheeks. Her lashes fluttered briefly before she raised them to display the hunger swimming through them.

"So give me back my shoes, Jared Campbell."

Instead, Jared stroked a single finger across the scarlet surface of her face. His hand continued down her neck raising goose b.u.mps as it went, 'til it reached the puckered nipple of one breast. The flesh swelled upward, seeking a firmer touch from his hand.

"I think you need less clothing, not more. Maybe none." A smile showed her an even row of teeth. "Your body is so beautiful. Nude sounds perfect."

"You want me to catch a chill?"

"I'll keep you warm."

Before crawling onto the bathroom counter, Rosh.e.l.le had discarded her jeans. Jared's hands moved over the satin of her bare thighs before reaching up to pull her last garment off. That spicy scent of her wrapped around his head as her hands pulled at the fabric of his s.h.i.+rt. She would have to wait for him to discard his clothing, because right now his body demanded he sink into the moist folds that sat in front of him.

Her muscles protested that entry. Smoothing his hands over her bottom, Jared brutally controlled his urge to impale her. Slow and easy, he coaxed her flesh to accept him. Her fingers dug into his shoulders as she gasped in enjoyment. Her pleasure wrapped around him, mingling with the almost primal enjoyment he gained from their bodies being joined.

The bathroom mirror reflected them. Rosh.e.l.le watched his body as it moved against her own. She clung to his shoulders as he caught her mouth in a deep kiss of possession. His staff jerked and tightened as climax became reality.

Completely spent, Jared found himself collapsing against her body. The counter s.h.i.+elded her from his weight as he felt her heart returning to normal. Brus.h.i.+ng a kiss across her mouth, he moved his clothing back into place.

"If anyone needs their boots taken away, it's you."

His hand cupped her face as his lips gently moved over hers. "Sorry, honey. Things are a little too hot for me to get caught with my pants off."

She s.h.i.+vered in response. Jared was a hard man but at the same time his stubborn aggression made her flush with warmth. This was a man that would protect her with his life.

Jared bent and pulled her panties from the floor. It should have mortified her to see such an intimate piece of clothing dangling from his hand, but it didn't. If anything, her earlier amus.e.m.e.nt was bubbling up again causing her to press her lips together before she dissolved into giggles.

Maybe he didn't know the exact reason for her mood but Jared grinned as well. He had forgotten just how light her spirit truly was. He handed the rest of her clothing to her as she balanced on the counter and tried to dress without standing on her feet.

Rosh.e.l.le watched as sure fingers punched in a line of code into the slim cell phone he pulled from his s.h.i.+rt pocket. The man was very confident in his world. His eyes moved over the screen before his head gave a quick nod of approval. The piece of technology disappeared back into its pocket as she gained the full attention of his green stare. Heat made its way back into her cheeks as his eyes displayed the hunger their encounter had failed to satisfy.

A large hand cradled the back of her head as his mouth settled over hers. Moving with him, Rosh.e.l.le sought out the taste of her partner. She was impatient to learn more about him. Her tongue thrust up in search of that quest. Her pride raised its head as she noticed just how ragged his breathing was when he pulled their lips apart.

A solid knock on the front door captured her attention. "That's for you."

Jared scooped her up off the counter and angled her body through the doorway. The meager light from the bathroom didn't reach into the hallway, yet Jared seemed completely at ease in the night. His feet made firm contact as they traveled to the sofa in the front room. He issued a sharp whistle as he settled her body on the soft cus.h.i.+ons.

"You called?"

"The lady's feet need attention."

Although young, Rosh.e.l.le couldn't quite call their company a boy. There was a hard edge to him that just labeled him a man while the youthful face confessed his lack of years. He tipped his head in greeting as he slung the ever-present rifle over his shoulder before placing a large box on the floor beside her legs. Plain black with nothing more than a set of handles on the top, Rosh.e.l.le watched as he flipped the latches open to reveal a medical kit that any emergency room would be proud to use. Every compartment was neatly stocked, not a millimeter of s.p.a.ce was wasted.

He lifted each of her feet in turn before reaching into that box with steady hands removing the items he wanted. Some doctors didn't feel that field medics were very qualified. As she watched the firm hands of this one, Rosh.e.l.le gained a healthy respect for the man's knowledge. There wasn't the slightest hint of hesitation and his hands performed their task with the same ease that her own could have.

"I don't suppose you need to be told the dosage for these."

Her hands closed about the pain medication caplets before she ran a sharp eye over them for identification.

"Thank you."

Despite his deference to her medical knowledge, the man rose to his feet and snapped Jared a salute before issuing the rest of his instructions.

"She needs to stay off those for thirty-six. Light duty for a week."

The front door was barely closed when Jared hefted her up against his chest again. The ease with which he did it made her feel oddly like a child's toy. The sound of his bedroom doors closing was much softer, but it pierced her ears. Tonight the sound seemed to magnify her complete entrapment into his world. Even if she could escape there was nothing waiting for her but death.

Folding her knees under herself, Rosh.e.l.le raised her eyes to the stunning view the bed had of the night sky. The moon was just rising and the stars filled the room with their brilliance. Who would have believed that the house held a room of such complete beauty and peace?

Two heavy thuds. .h.i.t her ears. Rosh.e.l.le turned to watch Jared's boots. .h.i.tting the floor. His pants followed as he moved to the headboard and placed his gun there. Moonlight washed over his body making hers heat. A night stretched out in front of her as the bed dipped under Jared's weight.

Her eyes fell closed as warm hands pulled her back into an embrace that banished every demon from her mind. Jared filled that s.p.a.ce completely, leaving her blissfully content to enjoy the rapture their bodies seemed able to produce.

Rolling onto his back, Jared pulled her with him again. His hand tangled into the soft strands of hair on her head placing it on his chest. He enjoyed holding her almost as much as making love with her.

He wasn't sure just what making love meant, calling it s.e.x just seemed too disrespectful for this lady.

Rosh.e.l.le's respiration deepened into sleep. Jared moved his hand over her cheek as she lay against him. Rolling her body over, he set about waking her. She could sleep later. All too soon their opportunity to share each other's company would disappear.

Jared very much doubted that Rosh.e.l.le would be willing to make the sacrifice necessary to remain with him.

Chapter Ten.

Time had seemed to crawl before. Now it completely froze. Jared was gone. Rosh.e.l.le found herself searching for him, seeking any small trace. Her efforts yielded nothing-not even the familiar touch of his mind invading hers.

The house was her only piece of evidence that the man truly existed on this planet. As the days stretched past, Rosh.e.l.le found herself questioning her grasp on reality. Because she felt him more completely than any other human, their separation hit her more harshly. Having forced his way into her thoughts, her mind felt empty without him.

She wandered from window to window, searching for any sign of movement between the two houses. Not even the trucks drove in for their nightly rotations. Just two lone sentries stood guard, their positions ever-changing as they moved about the grounds. It was almost hypnotic the way the men would try to blend into their surroundings. They never just stood some place, instead they would perch their bodies alongside trees and other natural objects. The way they could blend in with the landscape was downright eerie.

The only thing that time seemed to touch was the silly blanket that Rosh.e.l.le had begun out of boredom. Her fingers would pick up the knitting needles as she counted the st.i.tches off to one thousand. Then she would lay it aside as she moved through the house and took up her post at another window. Today as she reached for another skein of yarn, her fingers brushed the bottom of the wicker basket that held it. Her eyes flew to the blanket that stretched over her knees and onto the floor. The colors were jumbled because she had not been conscious of her efforts, simply stringing whatever color yarn came to hand onto the needles. A slow laugh rose up in her throat, the blanket was a mismatched blending of colors. But a silly smile lifted her face as she held it and enjoyed the fluffy weight of it.

What day was it?

Her stomach rumbled in protest. One of the most glaring changes was the fact that the kitchen was now completely stocked with food. Once a week the sentry would bring her a box of fresh food. Moving towards the kitchen her eyes looked in disbelief at the four cardboard boxes stacked neatly on top of the refrigerator.

A month? She had been walking around in a fog for a month! Good grief! Someone really needed to shoot her! Her stomach rumbled again and she began pulling food from the refrigerator. She was starving! Looking at the amount of spoiled vegetables it hit her that she had not been eating very much. In fact, her jeans rode low on her hips.

Well, if her current appet.i.te were any indication, her clothing would fit again in no time! Jared was obviously off doing whatever it was he did for a living. There was no reason for her to moon about the house like a forgotten lapcat. But when he returned, they were going to have a talk about just what she was expected to do with her time.

A career in knitting just wasn't exactly what she had in mind.

Maybe the sentry could give her some idea as to when Jared might be returning. Rosh.e.l.le considered that but dismissed the idea. If someone wanted her to know where the man was, she would already know. There was another item for discussion with Jared. Communication was not the man's strong point.

At least not the spoken form of communication. The way he slipped inside her mind caused them to commune on a much different level. Now that she had brought her thoughts to order, Rosh.e.l.le discovered that she could feel Jared. It was faint without much definition but he was out there for her to touch. In her search for their deep connections, she had overlooked this small link.

Remind her to never fall in love again, she was terrible at it.

Her eyes popped open. She could not be in love with Jared. They didn't just live in different worlds; they inhabited foreign planes of reality!

Ohh... She was lying to herself again!

Where was that man? She owed him one solid punch in the face for this! Falling in love was one hundred percent his doing! He brought her into his life. That made it his fault!

Cleaning the refrigerator out gave her something to do while her mind struggled with the dilemma of her emotions. Jared had warned her that finding out about his life came with a heavy price. Just what did that mean? Right now being a.s.sociated with her might cost a person a great deal. Jared didn't seem to be concerned.

But he was... Rosh.e.l.le swayed on her feet as she discovered that idea. Jared was concerned, so much so that he had locked her up here to protect her. In fact, when she took the time to really concentrate on her feelings, she could find their meanings.

"You become accustomed to it."

Rosh.e.l.le stumbled back as she whipped about to confront her company. At first glance, the woman that stood in the doorway wasn't the sort to cause concern; a second look at the emerald eyes told a much different story. Despite her height of just over five-foot, the way she held her body spoke volumes about her ability to defend herself. The slightest signs of age marked her years, but her hair was still coal black all the way to her temples. It sat coiled into tight braids that were pinned neatly on the top of her head. The hairstyle gave her a regal look that any queen would have envied. Even in middle life, this woman was by far one of the most beautiful women Rosh.e.l.le had ever seen.

Despite her earlier conclusion that Jared's mother must have been a drill sergeant, Rosh.e.l.le sat facing a truth that was far more deadly. Her gender aside, the woman standing in front of her left no doubt in Rosh.e.l.le's mind that she was responsible for molding her son into the predator that he was.

"My name is Grace."

"Grace?"

Now that Rosh.e.l.le found funny. She just couldn't help it. "Excuse me, I'm sorry."

"What amuses you?"

Rosh.e.l.le considered the woman's half-closed eyes a moment. She seemed to be looking straight into her soul. So, there was absolutely no point in keeping her thoughts to herself. "Women who sing in the church choir should be named after virtues. Not a woman who look like she keeps company with commandos."

A low laugh escaped the woman as her emerald eyes began to sparkle.

"I quite agree. They're Rangers and very touchy on the topic of which branch of service they belong to."

Rosh.e.l.le let her lips twitch up into a full smile. "I guess it's a good thing Jared's not here, because I'm not exactly sure which branch Rangers belong to."

Now it was Grace's turn to be amused. "Army."

"Hmm...then again, maybe it would have been fun to watch him bristle."

"That frank sense of honesty must get you into trouble, doctor."

Rosh.e.l.le sent a wink at Jared's mother before responding, "People take life too seriously. At least that's my opinion."

Grace moved her eyes over the girl standing in her son's kitchen. She was delightfully honest. Most people employed a large amount of dishonesty in their every thought. Rosh.e.l.le Everitt did not seem to follow that rule. It was very interesting, so was her grasp of mental phenomenon. While the girl lacked training, the gift was there.

Grace returned to Rosh.e.l.le's face looking for something that nagged at her. The feel of this girl was somewhat familiar, as were her features. A distant memory pulled at her mind. "It's funny what parents name their children sometimes. They always have complete faith in the names they choose."

"You are young to have a medical doctorate."

"My grandmother believed in chasing down a goal with all due speed."

Grace already knew far more about Rosh.e.l.le than the information her response gave her. The object of questioning her was to see what manner of personality she had. Of all her sons, Jared was the most like her. Any female that could manage to evoke such strong emotions in her eldest cub was worth investigating.

Especially when she arrived under such complex circ.u.mstances.

It wasn't that Jared's mother was easy to read, but Rosh.e.l.le could clearly see that the woman was testing her. It was the way her emerald eyes sat inspecting her. Keeping her shoulders straight, Rosh.e.l.le refused to shrink before her. The similarities between parent and offspring were amazing.

"What are you thinking about me?" Grace's eyes snapped as she asked the question.

"That your son learned a great deal at your knee."

Rosh.e.l.le's bluntness pleased the woman. She lifted her mouth into a smile momentarily. "Find your boots; there are things we need to discuss."

"I only wish I could find them. Believe me, I've tried."

Grace turned back around with an unpleasant look in her emerald eyes. She focused on Rosh.e.l.le's bare feet a moment before she slowly nodded her head.

"You may blame my husband for that despicable method of confining you to this house. I did not raise my sons to believe females incapable of fending for themselves."

The idea of Sheriff Campbell taking this woman's shoes to control her brought another wave of amus.e.m.e.nt to Rosh.e.l.le.

"Somehow, I don't think it's quite so effective when used on you."

"It is not." Grace let a smile play across her face as she considered Rosh.e.l.le a moment. "But I will be most disappointed to discover you have not tried to leave this house in spite of that restriction."

"She left and came back needing a medic."

Jared's voice appeared out of nothing as he tossed his information out like a judgment. Rosh.e.l.le jumped

and looked to find him standing in the doorway as if he'd been there for a week. His mother raised a questioning look at him. "We dusted the area in sh.e.l.l rock before beginning construction." "I knew you put all those rocks out there!" Instead of looking guilty, Jared's face told her he was considering ordering another load. His eyes moved over her face touching on the blush that slowly rose up in greeting. "It's nice to know you missed me, Rosh.e.l.le." The way he rolled her name caused the blush to deepen. Pressing her lips together, Rosh.e.l.le cursed at nature for creating a male so very destructive to her control. Gone for a month and not even a note? "You were gone?" Grace almost choked on the innocent tone Rosh.e.l.le used for her question. Their guest stood with her hands folded over her chest while she stared down her opponent. If matters were not so pressing, Grace would have left them to their tussle. Her son's face clearly expressed his desire to crush Rosh.e.l.le's evasion.

Neither of them would break but Grace would bet that both of them would get very little sleep tonight as they...discussed it. The fact that Jared didn't intimidate Rosh.e.l.le was most interesting. It was also a relief to discover that Jared wouldn't take to wife some hothouse flower.

Cursed fickle male. Jared was entirely too sure of her! Her eyes narrowed to mere slits as they glared at him. Something caught her eye and she moved her attention to it. Dangling from Jared's hands were her boots. The prospect of an outing brought an embarra.s.sing amount of joy to her. Jared gave her a particularly bright grin as he noticed her interest in the footwear.

"Looking for these?"

"Not at all."

She would walk to China on those rocks first! His mother had already left; Rosh.e.l.le set her eyes on the