Chapter 13 #3
At first, the dream feels almost too quiet without them.
Then I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her down with me as I fall sideways onto the bed.
I tuck her back against my chest, spooning her tight, my nose buried in the side of her neck.
I’m still buried inside her, dick softening in the warm, wet clutch of her pussy, but I don’t pull out yet. I breathe her in—lemon, sex, and her.
Since when the fuck do I love cuddling?
We stay like that, chests rising and falling together, until something jagged in my ribcage slowly settles back into something like its regular shape. My hands are still shaking against her stomach.
I don’t mention it.
What’s weirder is that even with my dick still wet and nestled inside her, my brain keeps circling back to Paul and Nevan, both of them losing their minds at her bedside right now. I have no idea why they’re in my head at a moment like this, but they are.
I pull out slowly, savoring how she moans and shudders at the loss. A smug little smile tugs at my mouth before I can stop it. Then I turn her onto her back and lean over her, kissing her pretty face, temples, cheeks, and the beauty mark beside her mouth.
Unable to get enough, I drag my lips down to her breast, pull her nipple into my mouth, and suck gently. She arches with a soft, broken sound that shoots straight down my spine.
I kiss her mouth again with all the feelings I haven’t admitted to either her or myself yet.
“I could stay here all night,” I murmur against her lips. “Fuck it. I could stay here longer than that.”
She makes a small sound of agreement that’s extremely distracting.
“But I guess we have to wake up.” I pull back enough to look at her. “Paul and the Shaw boy are losing their minds as much as I was. They should know you’re back. We’re all at Paul’s house. He brought your body there too.”
Her eyes widen. “You guys moved my body?”
“Yeah.”
She frowns. “How?”
“Wake up first. I’ll explain everything after.”
Her expression falls. “I can’t.”
“You can’t what?”
“I can’t wake up, Ridge.” Her voice is small, and she’s still a little out of breath. “I made it out of 5D, but now I’m stuck. I keep reaching for the surface, and it’s not there.”
I stare at her.
The fuck did she just say?
She stares back, eyes already going bright with tears she’s trying to hold back. I’m not equipped for that. If she cries right now, I’m going to lose whatever composure I have left, so I kiss her again with a quick peck.
“Okay,” I say, pulling back. “We need the one with the doctorate for this.”
With a wave of my hand, I dress her in soft clothes, then myself in my usual black. Taking her hand, I close my eyes and think of Paul’s stupid fucking plants.
Of his stupid glasses and his stupid kindness…
…and when I open my eyes again, we’re standing in Paul’s pristine white dreamscape.
Lennon grabs my arm, swaying a little.
“I’m sorry, I should have warned you. You okay?”
“Yeah. Just nauseous,” she mutters, swallowing hard.
Paul turns and freezes, his eyes going wide behind his glasses.
“Darling.”
He crosses the room in four long strides, cups her face with both hands, and kisses her like he’s been holding his breath for seven days.
I look at the nearest potted plant and grind my back teeth.
“Are you all right?” His voice has completely dropped the clinical mask. “Are you hurt? Are you…”
“I’m okay,” she whispers, reaching up to stroke his cheek. “I’m okay.”
“We don’t have time for this,” I mutter.
Paul glances at me over her head, one eyebrow raised in silent question. I glare at him and grab his hand too.
He frowns at the contact.
Then I think of a sea of clouds, tousled blond hair, a hairy ass…
…and we drop into Nevan’s dreamscape.
Paul immediately bends over, hands on his knees, breathing hard.
I can’t quite hide my smirk. “You good, Doc?”
“Did you…” He pants out and straightens, eyes wide. “Did you just pull me into someone else’s dreamscape?”
“Yeah. New trick, I guess.”
“How—”
“Guys,” Lennon cuts him off softly.
We both turn and find that Nevan is sitting on one of his swings, one foot dragging through nothing, staring out at the clouds with that distant look he has when he’s not lucid. He hasn’t noticed us yet.
Goddammit, baby boy. Are you even trying?
Lennon lets go of my hand and steps closer. “Nev.”
He looks up, and his whole face transforms to the open, unguarded version of that whole-chest warmth he can’t hide when he sees her. “Hey, Lemon.”
Her face flickers with something pained for half a second before she covers it.
“Yeah, I wanted us all present for this conversation, and while we’re not all conscious, at least the present part I managed.” I turn to Paul again. “We have a problem.”
“That would be?” He’s still panting a little.
“She can’t wake up.”
Paul’s gaze snaps to her. “What?”
“You heard me. She’s stuck and can’t wake up.”
“Tessa is back in the in-between since I left 5D, which means her body…” Lennon stops and bites her lip. “We need to figure this out before she starts having difficulty breathing again. I can’t go back. If I do, he’ll make her complete the soul contract. Then we’re both trapped there permanently.”
“A soul contract?” Paul repeats.
I echo him, sharper, “A fucking what?”
Lennon looks between us, then at Nevan, still swinging softly beside her.
“I think,” she says quietly. “You guys should talk to Seraphine.”