He Who Weaves Nightmares | PUBLISHED (Available in Print and eBook Format)

Chapter 40 - Working for Hades

Chapter 40 – Working for Hades

Dreamer

I didn't want to wake up. I was having the most fantastic dream. I feared that once I opened my eyes, I was going to forget everything. As it was, I was trying to chase the surreal fragments of my dream, but they'd begun to blend in the backdrop. I vaguely remembered little tornadoes, winged pups, soldiers, a beach then a river inhabited by a fascinating creature.

And a cave. Where the most exquisite things happened. With Ice. Oh, the things he did. The things we did. I wouldn't mind having that dream on replay forever.

I stretched my arms and felt the blanket brush my skin directly.

My eyes snapped open. Why was I naked? I pulled back the blanket to cover myself and realized that I was not in my own bedroom. And there was a gorgeous man wearing only a pair of dark jeans, standing at the foot of the bed.

Looking at Ice shirtless, examining every defined curve and cut of his perfectly toned body, made me think I was probably still dreaming. Till Ice walked toward the bed and sat down next to me. Before I could stop myself, I reached out and pressed a finger on his drool-worthy biceps, and when he did not pop and disappear like a bubble, I quickly withdrew my hand and clutched the blanket to my chin.

"You are real," I whispered loudly. "Oh my goodness, that was a not a dream."

Ice chuckled and goosebumps prickled my entire body. When did Ice's laugh become so sexy? I wanted to drag him back to bed with me and looking at him now staring intensely at me, it seemed he wanted the same thing. He bent toward me and trapped me between his two perfectly muscled arms. I was eager to lean back into the pillows and take him with me.

But wait. I raised a hand to his chest, stopping him where he was. How did I get here? I remembered the most delightful segments and I was dancing in my head, celebrating that it did happen, but how did I get from point A to point bliss?

And when my hand started to get warm against his chest, I felt my face turn hot as well and I pulled my hand back.

"You weren't so shy last night," Ice said, a sensual grin on his face.

I took a deep breath—must resist the oozing hotness and figure things out. I didn't like it, but I needed to ask. Cringing because I knew I was about to sound stupid, I probed, "This might sound crazy, but... how did I get here?"

Ice looked confused. "You don't remember? Anything?"

"Uh... except for the part where you were wonderful," I said, turning red from the roots of my hair to the tips of my toes, "everything else is blurry."

Ice smirked, appearing ten times hotter than ever. How did he do that?

Then he leaned closer to me and touched the pearl necklace around my neck. "You found the pearl. You decided dinner at my place instead. You saw Francis' collection of vodka and told me you could handle your drink. Which you sort of did and I was thrilled with how... honest and spontaneous you became after a few glasses."

"Oh." All the times I'd been foolish and reckless after drinking too much came flashing in my head, starting with the night of the prom where Ice had found me at the park and I had lost him for the next ten years. What if I'd triggered that series of events again?

"Oh, no," I moaned as I covered my face with my hands. "Please tell me I didn't say or do anything that's going to drive you away again."

Ugh, that sounded awfully insecure. I hated it.

"Selene," Ice said as he gently pried my hands away from my face. "I love you. I'm not going anywhere."

He gave me no chance to tell him I loved him, too, because he pulled me to him and kissed me softly first, but when I wrapped my hands around his shoulders, he drew me to him and his kiss grew deeper. He became more demanding—more insistent—as if he felt he would never get enough so he was trying to get the most out of every second.