Page 20 of Unforeseen Mate

He growled as his eyes once again took on an ethereal glow. “Not funny.”

“Let me ask you this, am I dreaming?”

“Isn’t that a little like asking me if you’re awake?”

“Not necessarily. I’ve heard and read about people who dream, wonder if they are dreaming, and someone else in the dream confirms it for them.”

“I would think being kidnapped and held as a hostage by a dragon-shifter would be the stuff of which nightmares are made, not dreams.”

“True, but then you’ve been appearing in my dreams for months—long before Strode took me hostage. Do you know if Nora is all right?”

Hayden chuckled. “She is, but I have to tell you if I woke up to a naked man sitting on the end of the bed who is…” he said, indicating his large, hard dick, “…obviously interested in spending time with you, especially if said man and I had spent more than one night between the sheets, I don’t think my first question would be if my friend was all right. Especially in light ofthe fact that she should never have befriended you, and once she had, she should have taken great pains to tell you the truth about herself and protect you.”

“Having you as a dream lover is one thing. Having it happen in real life? Don’t count on it.”

“Whyever not? I promise it will be even better in person.”

He was right about Nora, but Fallon refused to believe it had been a deliberate act by her friend. More than likely, it was just an unfortunate set of circumstances. Even so, as naked and aroused as he was, she was glad to see Hayden. In fact, given everything that had happened, all in all, she’d never been so glad to see anyone in her entire life. If he’d gotten in here, he had to have a way to get them out. Right? At the moment, he appeared to be her best chance at getting out of this alive.

She scrutinized him, avoiding his groin, and was certain he was the same man who had haunted her dreams and fueled her most erotic fantasies for the past few months. How could he even be real? Fallon pinched herself, making Hayden chuckle a second time. No. She wasn’t asleep. Had she somehow in her desperation conjured her own romantic hero to save her? He was certainly the embodiment of everything from which storybook heroes were made.

Fallon rolled up and onto her knees and heard a sizzling sound as she felt her skin being warmed and something fizzing all over her. It was only after realizing he’d had a long appraising look that Fallon realized she was naked. What the hell had happened to her nightgown? She snatched up the silk sheet to cover herself.

He snatched it back. “I don’t think so, Princess. You and I have a date with destiny, and it’s time for us to go.” He hopped off the bed frame, his deep voice reminding her of a growl covered in dark chocolate.

Before she could speak or ask further questions, he hauled her up against his muscular body and looked down at her from his great height. She thought he might lean down to kiss her. He didn’t. Instead, he gagged her—why anybody thought that was sexy, Fallon would never know—and tossed her over his shoulder as if her weight were nothing. She twisted and turned, trying to get away from him, but to no avail. She was just about to give up the fight, when his hand came up and smacked her backside once, making it sting before he settled it there.

“Let me be clear. In another time and in another place, I’d have you on your belly, and I’d fuck you until you were spent and sated. Then I’d take you home and rut with you until you couldn’t walk. But that particular pleasure will have to wait. Before I can settle myself between your thighs, I need to get us out of here.”

He walked to the door to the hall, opened it a crack and stood listening. When there was no sound, he closed it and walked to the balcony with Fallon still slung over his shoulder and then opened it a bit more. It was as if he was staging the room to make it look like she had escaped via the balcony, which made no sense. It would be madness to try, but he’d relocked the door into her bedroom. So, how the hell did he plan to get them out?

It was only when he swung open the fireplace that she realized that her means of escape had always been at hand. He moved into the dark area behind the fireplace and pulled it shut, throwing a latch on the inside, which she thought would probably make it more difficult for anyone to follow them.

She chided herself for not having found her own way out, but then again, she wasn’t exactly trained in escape and evasion techniques. Somehow, she got the distinct impression Hayden was. He could make better time if he’d put her down, take this stupid gag off, and let her travel beside him under herown steam. Fallon reared up and tapped him on the shoulder, intending to point to the ground. Hayden smacked her ass again.

Okay, so polite and subtle weren’t going to work. She doubled up her hands into a fist and started to hammer the small of his back; then, thought better of it. The last thing she wanted was for him to drop her, or even worse, to leave her. Since he seemed determined to smack her ass when he was displeased with her, she would treat him the same.

Instead of a smack, however, she reached down and grabbed his ass—one globe in each hand—and squeezed. It was a thing of beauty—muscular, but each cheek was more than a handful. She could easily imagine digging her nails into him to urge him on when he was thrusting in and out of her. She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks and might have been embarrassed if he hadn’t smacked her again.

This time instead of a firm squeeze, she dug her nails into his generous globes of flesh. That seemed to get his attention. He stopped and set her on her feet. Before he could do anything else, Fallon pulled the gag out of her mouth and stepped back.

“We’ll make better time if you lead, and I follow you,” she challenged.

He seemed mesmerized by her boobs. She went to slap his face, but he caught her wrist and then kissed the palm of her hand. “You’re right. I lead, you follow, and we get the hell out of here. Agreed?”

She nodded. “Want to tell me what happened to my nightgown?”

The grim set of his mouth disappeared as he gave her what she supposed for him was a boyish grin. “I like you better naked. And I was naked, so I figured fair is fair.”

“And why would you come on a daring rescue without your clothes on?”

“One more question until I say we’re safe, and the gag goes back on.”

“Fine. Lead away.”

He turned and reached his hand back for hers. Thankful for the contact, she grasped his hand and fell in behind him at a brisk walk. She was walking faster, but he had a longer stride. As they made their way through the dark, winding tunnel, Fallon’s thoughts turned to the cards the tarot card reader had drawn: the Moon, associated with sleep and dreams. Certainly, Hayden had been a part of both for a while now. The Lovers, reversed, meaning that mysteries would be unveiled—was that finding out Nora had not been honest with her, or did it refer to Hayden himself? He’d certainly qualify for an unconventional love, but she wondered if she was even capable of ‘unconditional.’

The third card had been the Tower. The tarot card reader had been spot on—upheaval, chaos, and change. Even though it hadn’t surprised her, Fallon never would have guessed she would be kidnapped at gunpoint and taken hostage. The next card that had been drawn had been the Six of Swords, another indicator of a transition of some sort.

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