Dream Bound (22 page)

She’d needed time to think.

She hadn’t intended to fall asleep after eating and she certainly hadn’t expected the dreams that took over her mind—and her body. Maybe she could blame it on the lasagna, but she was almost positive Morgan had drawn her directly into his fantasies.

And if he was anything in real life the way he was in his imagination, she wanted him. Now. Laughing softly, Rodie settled the cap over her head and sat back in the chair, but there was no way she’d get Morgan or those images out of her mind.

She really wanted to ask him if his butt hurt. Oh god. No way could she find the nerve to do that! But he’d pictured her so perfectly with her black bikinis. And the other guy, the one who’d fucked Morgan, was the same guy who’d been in her fantasy.

So how did it all play out? Had she really managed to suck Morgan’s cock all the way down her throat? It was a frickin’ fantasy, damn it, but why did her throat hurt? Hell, even her voice sounded scratchy, as if she’d stretched something deep inside. She didn’t feel like she was sick or anything, but she wondered if this was how a woman felt after deep-throating a guy.

And if she’d actually done it, how? Where? Had she been in his cabin, on Morgan’s bed? If so, there should be a damp stain on his bedspread, because she knew he’d come all over it.

So had she. Figuring out the difference between fantasy and reality was so confusing it made her head hurt. She settled back in the chair and tried to relax. Tried to let her thoughts flow.

What the hell was that noise?

She glanced at the door. It almost sounded like something scratching at the bottom of the door. More curious than concerned, Rodie got up and opened the door. It was dark outside and the stars glistened overhead, but she didn’t see anyone.

She stepped outside and looked around. There were lights on at the lodge. She saw Morgan’s cabin to the right and Kiera’s to the left. Kiera’s was dark, but lights were on in Morgan’s.

Chuckling softly, she wondered again if there’d been a spot on his bedspread. Just the thought of it was so sexy. Sitting there in front of him with her hand down her panties playing with herself while Morgan was bent over the bed, right there in front of her. Naked. Hot and gorgeous with those wide, muscular shoulders, his dark hair tangled with sweat and a totally hot guy behind him.

Remembering the rhythm, the pure lust on Morgan’s face, knowing another man was fucking him and that Morgan was getting off on it made her mouth go dry. Made her pussy wet.

She’d never watched two guys screwing before, at least in real life. She’d seen some online porn, but it was nothing like the real thing—if that was the real thing. The expression on Morgan’s face, like he wasn’t really sure he wanted to do it when that big guy held him down and rubbed lube on his butt, the look in the guy’s eyes as he slowly pressed forward.

And then watching Morgan’s expression change. Realizing he was getting turned on by what was happening. Knowing he loved it.

She hadn’t known whom to concentrate on first—Morgan or the guy—because both of them were so into it, so damned hot that it just blew her mind.

She wondered if she could pull up the same guy again. If he’d be able to come back so quickly after spending time with Morgan. Or if he even was the same guy. Here she’d only been at the site for a night and a day, and already she was totally confused. At least it was a good confused. Kind of.

She really needed to get back inside, but the sky was absolutely brilliant with so many stars out tonight. There was the faintest smudge of twilight on the western horizon and the moon wasn’t up yet, but darkness out here, in spite of the lights from the lodge, was a whole lot darker than she was used to.

Surprisingly, Rodie found it unbelievably peaceful. It was a wonderful reminder that places still existed where you could almost reach out and touch the stars.

You couldn’t see them like this at home. Too many lights in the Bay Area. But up here in the high mountains, the diamonds glowing across the sky reminded her of scattered treasure.

Reluctantly, she turned to go back inside, but something chattered near her feet. Rodie glanced down. “What are you doing here, little girl? Squirrels don’t go out after dark.” She certainly hadn’t expected to see the little gray squirrel on her proverbial doorstep, but she reached down and held out her hands.

The squirrel didn’t hesitate to crawl into her grasp.

Rodie picked up the adorable little thing and carried her inside. “You shouldn’t be out at night. Don’t you have a nest in a tree somewhere? If you’re not careful, an owl or a coyote might get you.”

Settling back in the recliner, she put the squirrel on her lap and stretched the mesh cap over her hair to connect with the array. The squirrel watched everything she did, but didn’t appear to be the least bit nervous.

“You’re lucky. I brought a muffin with me.” Rodie reached over the arm of the chair and grabbed her tote bag off the floor. She dug around inside and pulled out the wrapped muffin she’d snatched from the kitchen. The squirrel reached for it with tiny paws. Rodie broke off a few pieces and set them on the arm of the chair. “You can have those, but you’re going to have to let me work. Tonight Mac wants us to try and talk with any of the Nyrians we might connect with.”

The squirrel stopped eating and stared at Rodie. She was such a cute little thing—so fluffy with dark, sparkling eyes, but what was totally weird is that she looked as if she paid attention to every word Rodie said.

Rodie ran her finger over the squirrel’s furry head. “Mac hasn’t said too much, but we know he’s searching for a woman he’s loved for twenty years. That’s just about the most romantic thing ever, but for some reason, she hasn’t contacted him. I think he’s really worried she can’t, because all of us appear to be making contact with her people. All except for Mac.”

Sighing, Rodie stared at the squirrel. “I know he’s afraid she’s dead or that she’s been captured. He doesn’t talk about her too much, but we know he’s done all of this—the array and the search to bring us together—just so he can get her back.”

The squirrel scratched at Rodie’s hand.

“I should have known—you’re more interested in eating my muffin than hearing about lost love, you little piglet.” She put a couple more pieces of muffin in front of the squirrel’s nose, but the animal merely sat back on her haunches with her tail waving over her back like a flag and stared at Rodie. Then she hopped down on the floor.

What the heck did the critter want? Rodie glanced at the immobile dials. Was she ever going to get down to business tonight? “Do you want out? I’m afraid you’ll get eaten if you ...”

The squirrel began to waver, to stretch and change until she flashed into a glowing tower of blue flame. Rodie couldn’t take her eyes off the brilliant light, but it lasted merely seconds and then flashed again, blinding her for a moment.

“Shit.” Rubbing her eyes, Rodie consciously shut her mouth. Standing in front of her was an absolutely beautiful woman with long black hair curling all the way to her hips. Her eyes were violet, her lips a deep red. She wore a simple white gown that attached at one shoulder and had sort of a Grecian style to it.

It all happened in the space of a heartbeat—the squirrel, the flame, and the woman who smiled so sadly at Rodie and slowly collapsed to the floor.

Rodie had her cap off and was out of the chair in a heartbeat, but where the woman had been standing lay the limp body of the squirrel.

She couldn’t tell whether it was dead or alive, but she’d heard something as the woman collapsed. She was positive she’d heard Zianne’s voice in her head.

Rodie spun around and slammed her palm down on the red button on the console as she scooped up the little creature. If this wasn’t a reason to call Mac, then nothing was.

She held the tiny creature gently in her palms, relieved to feel the rapid thud of its little heart beating. Once she was sure it lived, Rodie sat back in the chair with the squirrel cradled in her lap. She tried to make sense of Zianne’s frantic message while she waited impatiently for Mac.

Mac had expected to see Morgan this evening, but it appeared he’d bypassed the lodge altogether and must have gone straight to his cabin. The light was on there, which meant Rodie had to be settled into her shift in the dream shack by now.

Curiosity, wondering what Morgan might have experienced, had Mac down the stairs and standing on Morgan’s front step within moments. He knocked on the door and waited.

A minute later, Morgan answered the door. He was wrapped in a towel and using another to dry his hair. “C’mon in.” He held the door and stepped back.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t even think you might be busy when I saw your light on.” That didn’t keep him from entering the cabin at Morgan’s invitation.

“Not a problem. Let me get some clothes on. There’s a cold beer in the refrigerator if you want.” Morgan nodded toward the small kitchen and headed back to his bedroom. Mac found the beer and opened one. He was waiting by the front window, staring into the darkness when Morgan returned.

He’d slipped on a pair of ratty-looking sweats and an old T-shirt with the sleeves ripped out. Mac watched as Morgan detoured to the kitchen for a beer of his own, used the bottle opener to lift the top, and carried the bottle into the front room.

He took a swallow and then said, “I wondered if you might stop by. I was going to go over to the lodge and find you after I cleaned up, but I’m glad you’re here.”

Mac glanced over his shoulder. Morgan stood just behind him and to one side, and while his clothing screamed relaxation, the man was obviously tense about something.

“Want to tell me what happened?”

“That obvious, eh?” Morgan took a swallow of his beer. “I never had a chance to call you, not while it was going on.”

He looked away, not meeting Mac’s eyes. Then he shook his head. “No. That’s not really true. I knew something was up, but I wasn’t sure what it was. I knew if I called, you’d come running, and to be perfectly honest, I didn’t want the interruption. I wanted to follow the ... hell, I don’t know what to call it. The event? It was way more than a fantasy, but I wanted to see it to completion. I didn’t want it to stop.”

“Can you tell me what happened?” Mac folded his arms across his chest, frustrated by the fact that just about everyone had made a connection now except him. What the hell was going on?

“I wish I knew. I started out with a fantasy and it was all about Rodie. Very explicit, but for some reason I noticed her eyes, the color of them, and I hadn’t really paid attention before. When she came to relieve me, her eyes freaked me out—they were exactly as I’d seen in the fantasy.”

Mac shrugged. “That could be explained by the fact that your subconscious remembered the details.”

“True, but in my fantasy, she deep-throated me. I mean all the way down until her chin was resting on my balls.” Morgan stopped and cleared his throat. “Not that I’m anything special, but I’m pretty big and no one’s ever been able to do that for me, which would probably confirm that it was all fantasy, except that when Rodie showed up for her shift, her voice was rough. Really scratchy. At first I wondered if she was coming down with a cold. Then I had to wonder if deep-throating a guy with a big dick could injure a woman’s throat. You know, leave it a little raw. Is that why her throat hurt?”

Mac frowned. Morgan wasn’t bragging, wasn’t making anything up. He seemed to have given this a lot of thought. “You’re saying you think it actually happened? That it wasn’t purely fantasy?”

“I’m saying she took me all the way down, sucked me off, and swallowed every drop. When I came out of the fantasy, I was alone but coming down from an orgasm. My junk was totally exposed, hanging out of my pants. No wet spot anywhere. Where’d it go?”

Mac chuckled. “Did you ask Rodie?”

“Are you kidding?” Laughing nervously, Morgan finished off his beer and set the bottle aside. “How do you bring up a question like that? Besides, it gets better.”

“How so?”

“I checked the clock. Almost three hours had passed since I’d started the fantasy, but it felt like minutes, not hours. I still had an hour left on my shift, so I leaned back and let my mind float. Next thing I know, Rodie’s back, but with a guy this time. The same guy we both fantasized about last night. Only this time he says I’m all his and Rodie goes along with it, and then all of a sudden we’re here in my cabin and he’s got me naked and bent over the bed.”

“Do you usually bottom?” Mac had pegged Morgan as the eternal top. There was nothing at all submissive about him, and he seemed to agree. He was shaking his head in absolute denial.

“Never. When I’m with a guy, he usually sucks me off, then I do him, usually with my hands. If we screw, I’m the top. Always.” He took a deep breath. “Until tonight, and that’s just one of the things about this that’s weird.”

“One of the things?”

“Rodie was with us. I need to ask her if she wears black bikini panties with high-cut legs. I don’t know what she wears, but that’s what she had on in my fantasy. And a couple of other things are hard to explain as fantasy only. Come with me.”

He turned and headed to the bedroom. Curious, Mac followed. Morgan stopped beside the bed. “As far as I know, I never left the shack, but in my fantasy we had sex with me lying across the bed with my feet on the floor, and Rodie sitting on the covers in front of me with her hand in her panties. The guy fucked my ass and I came. Right here.”

He pointed to a dark stain on the bedspread. It looked as if he’d tried to clean it up, but the fabric was still damp. Before Mac could say anything, Morgan smiled and looked away as if he were embarrassed. He was talking fast, almost in a monotone, as if he was reciting something from memory. Mac wondered how hard it must be for a man like Morgan to discuss things like this—acts of such a personal nature—but he was doing it in spite of his obvious discomfort.

One more reason to feel proud of his team. All of them had taken Mac’s goal to heart. All of them not only believed—they’d thrown themselves into the project one hundred percent.