Page 36 of Sweet Doe
His hands cup my face, thumbs brushing away tears I didn't know I was crying. "I love you," he says, desperation in his features. "I love you more than anything in this world, and I can't lose you. Do you understand?"
I nod, because I do understand. I understand that he would burn the world down to keep me safe, even if the greatest threat to my safety is him.
And when he kisses me, when his mouth claims mine with a hungry tenderness, I kiss him back. Because in this dream world, I can admit what I'm too afraid to acknowledge when I'm awake—that part of me doesn't want to escape anymore.
Part of me wants to stay right here, in this cabin where I'm the center of someone's universe, where I'm obsessed over and loved to the ends of the earth.
His hands move over my body slowly, mapping every inch of skin like he's memorizing it. Like it’s his to worship. And when he touches me between my legs, when his fingers find the heat that's been building, I arch into his touch with a moan that's flooded with surrender.
"You're mine," he whispers against my throat, his voice rough with need. "Say it. Say you're mine."
"I'm yours," I breathe, and in this moment it feels like the truth.
When his fingers slide inside me, it's with a gentleness that threatens to destroy me completely. Slow and careful and so infinitely tender, like he's afraid I might break beneath him.
He pumps two fingers into me with increasing urgency, his breath hot against my ear as he whispers sweet words. And when my orgasm builds, when it crashes over me in waves that leave me gasping and shaking, I cry out his name like it’s the only name I’ve ever known.
I wake with a gasp,my body jolting back to life like I've been pulled from the water. For a moment I'm disoriented, caught between the intensity of the dream and a fever-hazed reality.
My shirt is soaked with sweat, clinging to my skin all over. But the greatest discomfort is the throbbing, aching heat between my legs.
I'm incredibly, undeniably, super fucking horny.
The dream felt so real, sovivid, that I can still feel the pressure of Asher's hands on my skin, and I can still taste his kiss on my lips.
And the worst part? I'm disappointed that it was just a dream.
"You're awake." Asher's voice comes from the chair beside the bed, and I turn to find him watching me with concern etched across his face. "How are you feeling?"
Confused. Aroused. Terrified by my own fucking dreams.
"Better," I lie, my voice still rough.
He reaches out to check my temperature again, his cool hand feeling wonderful against my overheated skin. "Still warm, but not as bad as before. You had me worried there for a while."
The genuine concern in his voice makes my chest tighten. I think the truth is, Ilikethat he was worried and that my well-being matters to him.
"How long was I asleep?" I ask, trying to distract myself from the lingering heat the damn dream left behind.
"Most of the day. It's dark outside now." He brushes a strand of hair back from my face, the gesture achingly tender. "You were restless, talking in your sleep."
My whole body tenses. "What did I say?"
"Nothing coherent. You seemed to be dreaming about snow, about being cold." His eyes search my face, looking for something I can't identify. "And you said my name. Several times."
Heat floods my cheeks, and I hope he can't tell the difference between my fevered cheeks and my complete embarrassment. Because if he knew what kind of dream I was having…
Oh, God.
"I don't remember," I say quickly.
"Dreams can be strange when you have a fever," he says gently. "Your mind processes things differently when your body is fighting illness."
Is that what this is? Just fever-induced hallucinations that don't mean anything beyond the fact that I'm sick? Or is my subconscious trying to tell me something about my feelings that I'm not ready to acknowledge? That Ican’tacknowledge.
The dream felt so real, so emotionally raw and honest, that it's hard to let go.
"Are you hungry?" he asks, apparently oblivious to my internal crisis. "I made soup. Nothing fancy, just chicken broth and vegetables, but it should be easy on your stomach."
