Dream - Dream Specter Part 9

Rosh.e.l.le stopped short of beginning that journey. Wrapped up in her own thoughts she had missed the burning sting that announced company. Searching the shadows, her eyes found nothing but she knew Jared was here. Rosh.e.l.le doubted that she was ever alone.

"Forget to threaten me some other way?"

Nothing but stillness answered, but he was here. Close. Maybe it was the boredom or just maybe her efforts fatigued her more than she knew, but the desire to force Jared from his hiding place rose up and Rosh.e.l.le seized it. The complete lack of control she currently held over her life bred a determination to grab any shred she could.

Upsetting his balance seemed a perfect place to begin.

Moving forward, Rosh.e.l.le intended to catch sight of her specter. Her eyes found nothing in the darkness. Stopping again, she tried to discover just where he was. She could still feel the man. Turning with her senses she traveled where they led her but she found nothing.

The reason was simple; Jared was just keeping one step ahead of her. Rosh.e.l.le had forgotten just how easy he found it to search through her mind. She should not have begun this game. Her mother's voice floated across her memory with its warning to never display her gifts to anyone.

"So, you can find your target."

This time he came to her, melting from the night into a solid figure that caused her to step back, seeking protection from his reach. "No comment?" "What do you want?" Jared frowned as he caught the shudder in her voice. She'd been standing still long enough to lose the body heat her walking had produced. Controlling her wardrobe gave him the peace of mind of knowing she wouldn't attempt any more night escapes.

"Here."

Tossed at her in the dark, Rosh.e.l.le was completely clueless as to what she captured with her arms.

Moving it about in her hands she sought to identify the bulky item. Still warm from his body the jacket caused her to shake in antic.i.p.ation of wrapping its folds about her chilled flesh.

But her pride refused to accept help from the man responsible for holding her here.

"No, thank you." She forced her arms to throw the garment back.

Stubborn female. Jared sent the jacket back at her with a flick of his wrist.

"Put it on."

"I don't need your help."

"The h.e.l.l you don't!"

Rosh.e.l.le half expected the jacket to come back at her but instead Jared took one large step and yanked

her body forward by her biceps. A few precise movements and she found herself encircled with the

jacket while its folds trapped her arms against the side of her body. Planting his feet on either side of her own, Jared curled his fist into the jacket that confined her. Running his opposite hand upwards he grasped that stubborn jaw of hers forcing her attention to his face. Capturing her eyes, he tried to enlighten her.

"If you weren't working with those men then I a.s.sure you they will be very happy to see you dead. Dead women don't point many fingers. If you think you can just walk back into your hospital, you're not as smart as I believed."

Her eyes flashed in defiance. Jared's own answered the challenge she issued. Placing his mouth over hers, he sought to conquer her defenses, pus.h.i.+ng aside resistance, seeking out the female that hid amidst their walls.

His desire burned her mouth as he moved the flesh to suit his purpose. Rosh.e.l.le struggled to maintain her grip on herself only to find it dissolving against the force of his will. His taste invaded her mouth as he sought out her own. A soft moan escaped her throat as pleasure spiked its way up her spine. Desire blossomed up from places that she had never believed possible. The sheer intensity of it frightened her right down to the bottom of her soul.

Pulling his lips from hers, Jared contemplated the wide eyes that reflected his own desire. He could smell the arousal on her flesh. The spicy scent wove its way around his head. Smoothing his hand over her cheek he sought to still the s.h.i.+vers that shook her frame. He needed to touch her again. Teach her how to accommodate his body with hers. It certainly wasn't the wisest thing he could choose to do but it was pounding through his brain, making reason a waste of time.

Jared felt his nostrils flare as her scent rose in a thick stream. His staff stiffened and jerked as he watched her eyes widen with awareness.

His grip on her clothing kept her body exactly where he wanted it. Rosh.e.l.le battled with her body, as it tried to relinquish her will to the pulsing tempo that her blood carried. She had never noticed just how good a man could smell. It was a scent that dove into the deepest corners of her brain with its intensity.

"Relax, sweetheart. Let me touch you."

She shook her head and pulled against the hold on the jacket. He didn't give an inch. Rosh.e.l.le felt the blood drain from her face as he growled softly. Jared stroked a finger over her cheek. He suddenly pushed through the wall she'd built between their minds. Desire blazed from his body in a wave that swamped her. Dark images of his body moving inside hers made the walls of her pa.s.sage ache. She felt the slide of moisture hit the outer folds of her s.e.x as he continued to let her feel the aggressive edge of his desire.

"You will trust me, sweetheart. That hunger pounding through your body isn't going to feed itself. Get used to the idea."

Releasing his grip on the jacket, Jared watched her stumble back several paces before she regained her footing.

"Drop the jacket."

She felt so trapped! Rosh.e.l.le struggled with the images in her head as her body screamed for her to comply. She needed to be free from the suffocating folds of the garment, but it seemed so exposing too. Jared stood in front of her like a solid wall as he waited. It would have been so simple for him to strip her. Instead he waited for her to submit to his will.

Angry words bubbled up from her pride but Rosh.e.l.le snapped her lips together instead. She wasn't afraid of Jared. No, it was worse than that. She was afraid of herself. The jacket hit the ground with a dull thud as she forced her fingers to release it. Her blood raced along her veins at an amazing speed making her skin oblivious to the chilly air. Instead her s.h.i.+rt felt constricting and too hot.

He lifted his fingers and rapidly pushed the b.u.t.tons on his s.h.i.+rt through their holes. He pulled the garment off to display a chest that stole her breath. Sculpted to perfection, muscle was packed onto his shoulders declaring his strength in a purely primal manner.

"Come here, Rosh.e.l.le."

There wasn't a question of disobeying him. She was drawn to that chest. Rosh.e.l.le lifted her fingers and sighed as she let them explore his shoulders. She slid her fingertips over his wide collarbones 'til she found the crisp hair that covered his chest. Her b.r.e.a.s.t.s lifted and swelled as she traced a path towards his sculpted abdomen. His body screamed aggression at her but deep inside her belly she quivered as she yearned for him to join his body to hers.

Her s.h.i.+rt didn't have b.u.t.tons. Instead it closed with snaps that popped instantly when he yanked on the fabric. Her arms fell to her sides as he pulled the thing away from her. His fingers brushed her back as he separated the hooks holding her bra closed. One solid arm closed across her back as he lifted her last garment away.

Hesitation flashed across her mind. Jared lifted a hand to stroke her neck in response. It would be simple to overwhelm her. He wanted more, something deeper. He had the need to join with her, not take her body. It didn't make any sense to him but he just didn't care at the moment. Her b.r.e.a.s.t.s were perfection. Creamy mounds, both tipped with coral nipples, begged for closer attention.

His lips closed around her nipple and Rosh.e.l.le didn't care anymore. His mouth sucked on the point deeply as her body twitched up to offer it to him. Fire raced down her belly 'til it hit her core. Fluid slid down her pa.s.sage as she pressed her hips towards the hard rod of flesh that she craved.

He pressed forward and she groaned with pleasure. His lips trailed across her chest 'til they climbed up the side of her opposite breast. This time his tongue licked around the nipple making her frantic for him to deepen the touch. Instead he lapped and circled as his hand closed over her other breast and gently squeezed. His staff jerked against her belly, making her press harder against him.

His fingers left her breast to attack the waistband of her jeans. Nothing seemed to matter more than stripping the scratchy things from her legs. She s.h.i.+fted and offered him better access to the zipper. Rosh.e.l.le stepped out of her shoes as he yanked the pants down her legs. Her sock-clad feet felt the moist ground and it seemed to soothe her overheated flesh.

But it wasn't enough. She twisted as her body screamed for his touch. The tiny distance between them was too much. Abruptly he turned her away from him. One solid arm bound her across her belly as the faint rasp of his breath hit her ear. He bit into her neck making her jump. The hard tip of his s.e.x brushed her bottom making her moan.

He bent her over his arm as his feet spread hers apart. She was completely vulnerable to his power. Everything twisted inside her as the sensation rose to mindless levels. Rosh.e.l.le wasn't thinking. She was immersed in feeling every bit of contact between them burned and pulsed. But inside her body, the walls of her pa.s.sage screamed for the deepest touch to be applied. Her hips rose as he moved that hard rod to the opening of her body.

She was slick and wet for him. Jared didn't hesitate. Instead he thrust forward into her body and held her steady as she twisted in pain. Her pa.s.sage was too tight. The walls convulsed around his staff as she tried to adjust to him.

"Shh... Just hold me for a bit. Don't move, honey."

Rosh.e.l.le was certain she'd die if she didn't move. His staff made her pa.s.sage ache but her body screamed with need. She pushed her hips back into his as she mindlessly sought the friction that would feed her body's craving. He sucked his breath in on a harsh note as she squirmed and the arm around her belly tightened to hold her steady. His chest bent her over that arm as he pulled out of her body and thrust back in, making her cry.

Jared felt his staff jerk as climax approached like an explosion. He couldn't hold it off. Instead his hips rode her deeply as her moans made him thrust harder into her body. Reaching for her mons, he sent a finger searching for the little bud at the top of her s.e.x. He rubbed its swollen head as his hips continued pounding into her pa.s.sage. His body began to tense as his staff jerked and shot its seed into her. He thrust forward as his finger pressed into her folds.

Pleasure exploded deep inside her. Rosh.e.l.le twisted and turned as his body impaled her right to her core. The hot splash of his seed made the walls of her pa.s.sage grip and pull on his rod. His harsh growl joined her cry as their minds mirrored the pleasure back and forth 'til she wasn't sure whose body felt what. Only that the intensity was strong enough to shatter her sanity, leaving her body pulsing like a live wire.

His finger continued to rub her little bud, making the pleasure radiate in tiny pulses. He was still hard within her as he locked her body against his powerful one. Metal bit into her bottom, making Rosh.e.l.le realized that he'd only opened his zipper and his pants were still on. A sudden vibration against one cheek made her jump. Jared cursed under his breath as he removed his hand from her s.e.x.

Jared cursed again silently as he dug his phone out of his pocket. Someone had better be dead or he might kill them himself. He straightened slightly as the line of code flashed across the screen of the small unit. Rosh.e.l.le slipped out of his distracted hold, but he couldn't ignore the call.

Her bare skin flashed in the moonlight as she dipped down to grab her clothing. A push from her firm legs and she jumped away from him and into the trees. Lifting the phone, Jared cursed again as Rosh.e.l.le slammed a wall in front of their link.

Chapter Eight.

Trust him? When her hair turned gray! She didn't walk out into the middle of road without looking. She didn't invade peaceful slumber. She didn't... Have a clue as to why her body responded to his.

Her eyes focused on the stark white ceiling of her room, Rosh.e.l.le finally let her anger slip away. Lying to herself wasn't going to get her anywhere. A hot shower hadn't driven his scent from her body. Her pa.s.sage ached and her skin was sensitive to the smallest touch.

It wasn't right. Her chosen profession was dominated with men that could offer a wide range of positive reasons to attract her attention. Just because the ones she'd dated didn't make her blood race was no reason to turn her attention to someone like Jared.

Sweet mercy! Jared represented a sharp edge of society that she would rather believe civilized people didn't need any longer.

Yet, here she was trying to decide just why her lips were still tingling. Maybe there were corners of her brain that had never evolved. There was no other explanation for the rush of sensation that he could wring from her body.

Getting angry wouldn't help her. Neither would lying to herself. But maybe talking to Christina would.

A smile lifted the corners of her face. Yes! Christina dealt with men's advances all the time. She could let the most handsome man slip right off her mind and never look back. Rosh.e.l.le just didn't have any experience. That was the reason everything felt so intense.

Intense seemed like a tame word for the last hour's events. She s.h.i.+ed away from the memory of her mindless behavior. Nothing had mattered but her craving for Jared's body. Even now she pulsed and throbbed in the deepest part of her body.

She had to break free before it rose up to consume her again.

Rosh.e.l.le was asleep. Jared thrust through her wall the second he returned to the house. He stopped in the doorway as he felt the deep slumber she was wrapped in. His staff throbbed as he cursed again.

Walking into his room, he headed for the bathroom. He grabbed an electric shaver sitting on the counter and applied it to his face. Rosh.e.l.le's skin was too soft for his evening shadow.

He was balanced on an edge. The face staring back from the mirror showed a harsh determination. The only words he seemed to mutter were curses. Why in the h.e.l.l was he in such a hurry to get back between her thighs?

He'd had her. It should be pathetically simple to wash her from his mind. Instead he was grooming with the purpose of going down the hallway for another taste. His rod rose to stiff attention as he considered sinking back into that tight pa.s.sage of hers and taking the time to ride her slowly.

Turning towards a shower, Jared rolled his shoulders and tried to loosen the grip of his emotions. Her fleeing from him had stung his pride. He snorted with frustration. It should have pleased him to have her take off. That made it so much easier to return to his life. s.e.x was something his body demanded but it had to be kept separate from his real life.

Instead he was royally ticked off.

Jared pulled his clothes off but froze as he lifted his pants to pull his phone out of the pocket.

Rust-brown fluid stained the front of them. There were splotches on both sides of the zipper. It was blood. His eyes identified it instantly.

Jared felt his lips turn up into the slightest of grins as he looked at the evidence on his pants again. He let his mind go searching for hers and found her still sleeping. He turned back to the shower as his grin turned into a smile. Base and primal, the expression on his face was pure approval.

Rosh.e.l.le had been a virgin. He laughed deeply and smiled again. His virgin.

"Sh.e.l.ly, you have got to get off this mountain."

With her mouth full of scrambled eggs, Rosh.e.l.le sent her friend a confused look before swallowing.

"I was sort of hoping you could tell me something I don't already know."

Turning away from the stove, Christina slid herself down into the chair opposite her friend. How did she tell her best friend that she didn't have a prayer? Jared just wasn't the sort of man that a girl could push around. There was too much intensity in the man. "As selfish as this may sound, I'm grateful he's looking at you instead of me." "This is becoming more confusing." "Sh.e.l.ly, I don't just push men around for fun. It's just that I get so angry when I see them looking me over like a piece of fine art. The ones you see me casting off never took the time to ask what my favorite color was or to see anything other than my face. It's easy to dismiss them when I know they don't care about anything under this skin."

Raising her eyes up to her friend, Rosh.e.l.le sent the other woman a smile. She wasn't any closer to discovering what to do about Jared, but at least she had a friend here.

"Christina, I'm sorry about all this."

"Don't be silly! You aren't anymore responsible for this mess than I am."

Standing up, Rosh.e.l.le made her way to the sink. "I just can't help thinking that this thing revolves around me somehow."

"Why would that be?"

The plate she was was.h.i.+ng slipped from her fingers as her body jumped in response to Jared's voice.

"Don't look now, Sh.e.l.ly, but I think we've just been invaded."

Her friend's comment struck Rosh.e.l.le as funny. Jared and Shane stood in opposite doorways cutting off

any escape from the kitchen. Green and brown camouflage clothing adorned both men, as did two rather

evil-looking guns. "Rosh.e.l.le, why do you think it revolves around you?"

Jared's voice was completely calm, but his eyes sent her a demand that Rosh.e.l.le knew he wouldn't let her refuse. She had never told Christina about what was happening because everything just seemed too insignificant. But not taking those little things into account had almost cost both of them their lives.

"Strange things really. I don't think it's me, just my grandmother's land. Abba was complaining about the persistence of the Huntley firm, too."