Page 55 of Veiled Fantasies

Her vows of the previous night were seared into her mind. Slowly, gradually, a grim resolve settled over her. She lay perfectly still, knowing what she had to do once she stepped out of this warm place.

Was he awake? They were tucked together, Erik’s arm thrown over her from behind. She took his hand, interlaced her fingers with his and settled them along her breast. She nestled closer, backwards into his crotch. Oh yes, he was awake.

She pressed closer still with an unmistakable message until his fingers stroked the sensitive flesh of her breast, sending ripples through her body.

“Are you sure this is what you want?” he whispered.

The man was a dream. But only a dream. She’d be waking up soon.

“I want you,” she whispered. One last time.

They made love the way Jill imagined couples who have been married for a decade or two do. Slow and sweet. No grand flourishes, just a focus on delivering one simple thing—intimacy. A chance to come closer than two human beings could in any other way.

It was different from the passion-driven acts of the previous days in pace and intensity though not in the serenity it delivered, but there was something new there, too. A promise behind his kisses and soft touch. That everything would be all right, and that this would extend forever. Winter was in no rush to end, and when it did, there would be the joys of spring, the carefree innocence of summer. Eventually, there’d be another winter to slumber through, and another. And he’d be there for all of them.

A promise. To love. Protect. To honor. Not just anyone, but her. Only her.

But Jill’s emotional armor stood impenetrable that morning, and not even the most heartfelt intention of the most genuine man could pierce it. She registered only the soft, the dreamy.

“A little tired?” she teased afterward, touching his cheek.

He gave a weak chuckle and tucked his face in her shoulder, making her sigh long and deep. What a beautiful fantasy she was enjoying, this fleeting winter in the desert of Dubai.

Too bad it wouldn’t last.

Chapter Nineteen

Erik had barely forced the laugh past everything else that was trying to burst out of his chest. If only Jill knew how careful he’d been that morning, for her. If only she knew how good it felt to have her back.

He wanted to tell her everything. How his gut had roiled at his stupid slip of tongue and heaved at her rejection. He wanted to recount the awful, dawning realization that she might be in danger then the heady rush at finding her and holding her tight. And now, he wanted to confess to the overwhelming desire to hold on forever. So much could have gone wrong, but it hadn’t. Fate had been on their side.

Imagine what that might mean.

He longed to tell her just how much he wanted her, and how he wanted to take this mirage out of the desert and try it out back home. He was ready to believe again. Above all, he wanted—needed—to tell Jill that he loved her.

But he didn’t. She was exhausted, an emotional wreck. He would have to tread lightly, the way he’d just done as they made love. He stroked her quietly, marveling at her long lines, the toned layer beneath the supple skin and that lovely scent of home.

Now was not the right time, but tonight he would say it. Maybe they could go for a walk along the Creek if she was up to it and shrink the world back down to just the two of them. He’d tell her everything then and hope that maybe, just maybe, she’d give him a chance.

* * *

“You’re going where?” Erik demanded as Jill rose with stiff resolve.

“To the airport, like every morning.”

“To the airport. Are you crazy or just amazing?

She was definitely crazy to do what she was planning. Though Jill wished she could be amazing, like him, blazing to her rescue.

“I’m going to the airport,” she said, a command to herself more than an announcement to Erik.

He was checking his watch. “Wait an hour. I just have to make one call for work. Get out a few emails. I’ll go with you.”

A few days ago, she would have caved in completely, but that was eons ago. Things were different now.

“I’ll be fine.” She shook her head very slightly, so that her tenuous determination wouldn’t slip out. She knew she was anything but fine. And it would only get worse.

“Just wait a little,” Erik entreated.

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