Part 5 (1/2)
”Really?” Chrissy asked in disbelief. ”Not a single second of one?”
”Nope. Now if you'll excuse me, I'd really like to go back to sleep.”
”Yeah, sure,” Chrissy said with an odd note in her voice. ”Why don't you do that?”
Erin lay in bed for a solid hour, trying to go back to sleep to find V'Aidan, but it didn't work.
She felt so good from their time together that she had no choice but to get up.
Aggravated at herself for not having more control over her ability to go back to sleep, she piddled around the house.
By late morning, she found herself at her computer, staring at her marketing report.
As she worked, V'Aidan's kind, encouraging words drifted through her mind. And before she knew what she was doing, she closed out her spreadsheet and was opening up her word processor.
Erin sat there for hours, typing furiously. It wasn't until late afternoon that she stopped.
Completely happy for the first time in years, Erin stared at what she'd done. Proud of her accomplishment, she wanted to share it with someone.
No, she corrected herself. She wanted to share it with V'Aidan.
She printed off her pages, then took them to the couch. Lying down, she clutched the papers to her chest and willed herself to sleep in hopes of seeing him again.
She found him standing in a meadow. He was dressed all in black right down to his leather biker boots.
His jeans hugged his hard thighs, and his black T-s.h.i.+rt looked yummy as it stretched over a chest so lean and toned that it could only be real in her dreams.
The cool breeze tugged at his loose hair, and his silvery eyes s.h.i.+mmered in the daylight.
”I came looking for you,” she said happily.
He appeared puzzled by her words. ”Really?”
”Yes.”
She sat down in the middle of her summer meadow with beautiful jewel-toned b.u.t.terflies all around her. After their discussion last night, Erin had been trying to let her inner artist out. She wore a light peasant blouse and a loose skirt that rode up on her thighs when she sat.
Best of all, she conjured up a box of Nutter b.u.t.ter Bites.
V'Aidan moved closer. ”What are you eating?”
”Nutter b.u.t.ters. Want some?”
He dropped to his knees by her side. ”What are they?”
She ran her hand through the red box and scooped out a handful to show him the tan-colored circles.
”Peanut b.u.t.ter cookies. They're really good, and the best part of all-in dreams, they have no calories.”
He laughed at that. ”Would you feed me one?”
More nervous than she could fathom, she held a cookie up for him. He licked her finger as he took the cookie into his mouth. ”It's delicious. Your finger, I mean.”
She smiled at him and kissed his cheek.He looked so stunned that it was almost laughable.
”Hey,” she said, putting the box aside and grabbing up the papers she'd brought with her. ”You'll be proud of me.”
He arched a brow.
”I wrote today. For the first time since college.”
”Really?”
She nodded. ”I actually finished ten pages. Want to see?”
”Of course I do.” He took the pages from her hands and sat down in front of her to read them.
Erin watched his gaze sweeping over the page. She ached to reach out and run her hands over his glorious body. He was as toned as an athlete. Better still, his taste was more addictive than chocolate.
When he finished, he looked up at her and the proud, encouraging look on his face stole her breath. He was so devastatingly handsome, so warm, that it made her weak.
”Vampires?” he asked.
She grinned. ”I know it's a weird topic, but I just sort of channeled them. What I like is that they're so different from other vampire stories.”
”They remind me of some people I know.”
Erin gaped in disbelief. ”Get out! You know vampires?”
”I know lots of them.”
”Are you teasing me?” she asked suspiciously, still not sure if he was serious or not. ”There really is such a thing?”
He didn't answer. Instead he flipped back through the pages. ”You're very talented, Erin. You shouldn't let this go to waste.”
Hearing it from him, she could almost believe it. ”You think so?”
”Yes, I do.”
He set the pages aside and stared at her.
Erin's blouse began unlacing itself. She s.h.i.+vered at the dark, hungry look on V'Aidan's face as he watched it. Slowly, bit by bit, the laces came out of the holes. Her nipples hardened in expectation.
Then, the opening widened, baring a single breast.
”Hey!” she teased.
He smiled unrepentantly. ”My favorite part of dreams. Clothing is optional.”
Erin hissed as he cupped her breast in his hand; then she gave him a whammy of her own.