Page 47 of His Virgin Romance Series

JARED

“Hey, Jared.”

At first, all I heard was music. There was a sweet symphony in my ears, and it sounded like Rachel. I was pillowed in a cocoon of my own making, and it was filled with all the things I had come to love over the years. I could hear the sound of the ocean, the smell of salt and fresh bread and trees after the rain.

“Jared.”

Her voice was like honey, and it warmed my soul. She started to materialize above me, taking shape as thousands of beads of light came together in her image. Her eyes were rich amber, her hair was sunshine gold, and her smile was like Christmas morning. I reached out to touch her, but I wasn’t sure if I could. She was unreal, not of this world, but it was enough to know that I could at least see her.

“Jared.”

Her voice was getting stronger, clearer, and more human. I frowned in my sleep. Was it possible that I wasn’t dreaming her? I wondered. I tried to open my eyes, but they were still heavy. To be honest, I wasn’t trying too hard because I wanted to make this feeling last forever. I didn’t want to lose her—it had taken me a lifetime to find her in the first place.

I felt a kiss on my brow, and my heart fluttered. I felt her lips travel to my cheeks and then finally to my lips. It was the gentlest kiss I’d ever received, and I knew for sure now: she couldn’t be anything but an angel. Only an angel could kiss like that. I sighed in contentment and closed my eyes fully.

And then I felt a sharp knock on my arm and my eyes flew open as my protective cocoon fell away. I darted upright and came face to face with the angel from my dreams.

“Rachel?”

“Good morning.” She smiled, in obvious amusement.

I blinked again and looked around. “What time is it?”

“It’s eight-twenty.”

“Really?” I gasped, nearly jumping out of bed.

“Don’t worry,” Rachel said quickly. “You have plenty of time to get to the station.”

“Still, I like taking my time in the morning.”

Rachel laughed. “In my defense, I’ve been trying to wake you up for nearly fifteen minutes.”

Rachel followed me to the door of the bathroom as I proceeded to brush my teeth. “How did I not wake up earlier?” I asked. “I set the alarm.”

“You slept right through it,” she told me. “It woke me up, though.”

I finished brushing my teeth. Then I washed my face quickly and turned to Rachel. “I slept through it?” I asked again, in disbelief.

“Yes.”

“I’ve never slept through my alarm,” I said. “That thing is fucking loud.”

“Oh, trust me, I know,” she nodded. “Nearly scared the life out of me. Finish up in here. I’ll get breakfast on the table.”

Before I could stop her, she had turned and left me alone. I hopped into the shower and turned the water on without bothering to wait for the warm water to come in. Apparently, I had been so comfortable that not even my alarm had managed to wake me. I knew it was a direct result of having Rachel with me. I remembered vaguely curling up against her in the night and having the warm curve of her pressed up against me.

I dried myself off and headed into the kitchen. Rachel had a plate of scrambled eggs on a plate ready for me, and I sat down beside her and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

“I dreamt of you all night,” I told her.

“Really?”

“In fact, I was dreaming of you when you woke me up just now.”

“Good dreams, I hope.”

“I thought you were an angel,” I said. “I didn’t want to wake up because I thought I’d never see you again.”

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