Chapter 22 #2
“And you will be. That’s why we’re practicing.” I pluck at the soaked shirt clinging to my skin. “Speaking of, any chance you could dry this for me?”
He snorts, faint amusement lining his face. “This is our dream,” he teases. “Dry it yourself.”
I stare down at the wet cloth and bite my lip. When nothing happens, I let out a frustrated sigh. “Why isn’t it working?”
“Who knows? This isn’t an exact science. Maybe you’re thinking too hard about it being wet and that’s keeping it that way.”
“That’s dumb,” I huff, crossing my arms over the damp shirt.
He smirks. “Welcome to the wonderfully frustrating and dangerous world of dreamwalking, where nothing ever seems to go quite the way you want.”
“I’m beginning to get that,” I grumble.
“At least, this is a relatively minor offense. Here, let me see if I can help.”
He pries my arms out of the way, resting a hand against my chest. His touch sends sparks bouncing through my veins, and I suck in a breath, my stomach tensing. Ash must notice, freezing with his hand in place. His forest-green eyes grip mine, the desire in them unmistakable.
I’m not sure which of us moves first, but my heart leaps when his lips crash over mine.
The warm press of his mouth, the brush of his fingers across my skin, kindles the sparks within me into an inferno.
My hands clutch at his back, relishing the taut muscles there as I drag him closer until we’re pressed flush against each other.
We tumble together onto the soft grass as I map his rain-slicked flesh, relishing his touch.
This might only be a dream, but that doesn’t make it feel any less real.
Vaguely, I’m aware of flowers blooming in a circle around us, of a choir of birds singing in the background.
It’s like we’re in a damn fairy tale brought to life.
Ash finally breaks our kiss, chuckling as his tender gaze regards me. “Well, I guess that’s one way to solve the issue with your shirt.”
“What do you…?”
I trail off, flaring crimson when I realize that somewhere during our make-out session, my shirt had vanished, leaving my chest bare. His as well, I note, drinking in the sight. “Was that you or me?”
“Who cares?” He leans in, his bare chest rubbing against mine as he kisses me. His teeth nibble at my bottom lip, and I groan. “Does it matter?”
“I guess not.” I swallow as his hands brush over my stomach, tracing my happy trail lower toward the hem of my pants. “Should we, um, stop?” I ask, my fingers grazing over his stubbled neck.
His hands still, his eyes turning questioning as he regards me. “Do you want to?”
I bite my lip, my fingertips tracing the ridges of his bare shoulders while I consider his question. “No,” I say a moment later. “But things took a turn from bad to horny pretty quick there. I just want to make sure this is what you really want.”
He glances down at the noticeable bulge in his pants.
“Oh, trust me, I want it.” Raising a hand, he rests his fingers lightly on the side of my face.
The open vulnerability in his emerald gaze steals my breath.
“If I’m going to risk the bad from dreamwalking, then I want to also embrace the good.
And you, Dylan—you’re the greatest good I can imagine. ”
My heart swells in my chest. I think I might love you.
Instead of words, I settle for speaking with the press of my fingertips and the brush of my lips.
I practically tackle him, draping one leg over either side of his hips as I bend down and kiss his neck with my tongue and teeth.
He moans as I trail little kisses lower and lower, sucking on his nipple while my hands grip the top of his pants and tug.
He mirrors the gesture, and soon enough, nothing remains between us except skin.
“You’re beautiful,” I murmur, staring down at him spread beneath me.
His smile is more radiant than any sun, brighter than the perfect rainbow that had at some point appeared arching above us. “So are you.”
And as I lower myself onto him, exalting in each pleasured moan and frantic buck of his hips, I decide that dreams can be just as good as reality.
Sometime later, I blink awake in Ash’s room, still snuggled with him in his bed. “That was…something,” I sigh dreamily.
Ash chuckles, stroking his long fingers through my hair. “Hopefully, a good something.”
“Definitely.” I can’t hold back my grin, even though I know he can’t see it with me faced away. “I’ve wanted to do that for weeks now.”
“Sorry it was only in a dream.” Frustration creeps into his tone. “And for what happened before, too. Everything was going okay, and then I just lost control. If you hadn’t been with me—”
“But I was.” I shift, flipping over so that we’re lying face-to-face. “You can’t expect everything to be perfect on the first try. Besides, that ending more than made up for it.”
A faint blush creeps up his neck. “I suppose. Still, what do we do now? I’m obviously not ready to help Greta.”
I lean in and press a kiss to his furrowed brow. Moving my lips lower, I trace the ridge of his nose and cheek until I reach his eager lips. “Then, I guess we’ll have to keep practicing until you are.”