Pleasures of the Night(9)

“The sand,” he gasped, turning his head, which freed her mouth to nibble along his jaw.

Instantly, sand cushioned his back.

“The sun.” If he forced her focus to shift, perhaps her ardor would lessen enough to allow him to resist and save himself. His burgeoning fascination with her couldn’t be allowed to deepen. There was nowhere for a relationship between them to go, and even if there was, it was hopeless. He needed to dedicate every bit of energy he had to the fight. He couldn’t afford to lose the concentration required to do his job properly.

The air around them lightened slowly, like a sunrise, bathing her in a golden glow that formed a halo through her hair. She was an angel to him, a woman both open and innocent, yet not as fragile as circumstances made her appear.

“Please, don’t stop,” she breathed in his ear, making him shiver.

“Lyssa.” His jaw tightened. “You don’t understand.”

She ground her hips downward onto him, his cock jerking at the feel of her heat burning through to his most sensitive skin. “You want me,” she argued stubbornly.

“Yes, but there are things you don’t—”

“And I want you.”

Aidan growled as she shimmied again. “Oh, fuck it!” he muttered, rolling to pin her beneath him.



“My thoughts exactly,” she said with laughter in her voice and eyes.

Deliberately turning off the part of his brain that was urging him to think twice, Aidan let his body take over.

This was what he knew, what he’d spent centuries doing, and he’d never wanted a woman this badly. He could face off against legions of Nightmares, yet he was afraid to fuck a woman he desired?

“Clear your mind of everything but me,” he said roughly. “Give me the lead.”

“You’ve got it.”

Concentrating with more focus than he’d ever had to use before, Aidan took over the dream, altering their surroundings, creating a circular room lit by candles and scented with exotic flowers. Spicy incense burned in various holders, releasing thin wisps of fragrant white smoke into the air. Dominating the velvet-draped interior of the space was a massive round bed piled with a profusion of silken scarves in various colors. It was there that he pictured them, lying amid the softness, their skin bared and pressed together. Now that he was decided, he would ensure this was a night neither of them would ever forget. Their time together was limited, and he was determined to burn out their lust before it ran out.

“Wow.” Her dark eyes were wide. “How did you do that?”

“Hush.” He set his fingers over her lips. “No more talking.” Turning onto his side, he caught up her hand and set her palm against his chest. “Feel the rhythm of my breathing.”

“Umm…I’d rather feel you naked.”



He arched a brow. “I’ve got the lead, remember?” Inhaling deeply, Aidan started out imitating the rapid lift and fall of her chest, then he slowed the pace. “Match me.”

Lyssa followed along at Aidan’s urging until they were inhaling and exhaling in unison. The concentration required to do as he asked narrowed her focus dramatically. She was inundated with sensory input—the alluring scents of the room, the feel of his hard, powerful frame, and the softness of the material they were sprawled on.

Her wandering gaze noted the profusion of hibiscus flowers adorning water-filled glass jars and the soft violet glow given off by oil-burning lanterns. There were tapers, as well, in jeweled candleholders, and moonlight shining down from an open oculus. Altogether the effect was magical, supremely sensual, and erotically charged.

As her world shrank to encompass only this room and the man with whom she shared it, Lyssa felt her enchantment with Aidan deepen.

“Don’t lose the tempo of your breathing.” His voice was a low, seductive rumble that flowed through her. Aidan held out his hand, and a small bottle of golden liquid appeared in his palm.

“Will you teach me how to do that?” she whispered, watching as he moved gracefully to a kneeling position beside her, and poured jasmine-scented oil into his hand.

“Someday. Not tonight.” His slow smile made her heart leap. “Tonight I’m going to give you what we both want.”

Lyssa could hardly believe what was happening. She was about to have sex with a man she barely knew.

But this was a dream, and none of the taboos applied here. They didn’t have to go through the routine dating steps of dinner and a movie, following” the rules” until they could say they knew each other well enough to “go all the way.”

So stupid. She already knew everything she needed to know—he was kind and solicitous of her needs, going to great lengths to create lush surroundings in which to take her. If this had been about nothing more than sex, he would have fucked her in the sand and been done with it. Instead, everything about his approach to their lovemaking was geared toward her pleasure.