Their kisses became more hot and needy, and she clung to him like a woman drowning. Faster and deeper he plunged until they climaxed together, and the cabin echoed with their cries of pleasure. When their breathing finally calmed, he pulled her close and held her as he waited for the dream to end. He couldn't remember sex ever being better or so fulfilling as he buried his face in her hair. She mumbled something before she settled against him, and he didn't even feel the need to know what she had said. He knew they were both satisfied. They were complete together, and he never wanted this night to end.
She spooned against him and pulled his arm over her. He pulled her tight against him, and they both sighed happily as they drifted back off to sleep. Even in his sleep, Colton found a sense of contentment that he hadn't even known he was looking for. He wanted the feeling to last forever, and he never wanted to lose the woman at his side. As his dream state quieted and sleep took over, he felt love as he hung on to his dream lady.
Too soon, he woke and laid still for a minute to reminisce about the dream. It was definitely his most erotic dream that felt real, and he struggled to stay asleep so it didn't end. He sighed as his mind cleared, and he knew it was time to wake up. It took a moment before he realized that Ellie lay in his arms curled up next to him, and he let out his breath as he figured out what had happened. She was naked, he was naked, and his dream had been anything but.
His heart dropped as he realized the implications of what had happened. He didn't know why she had come out to him, but somehow, she had worked her way right into his dream. Or his dream had developed around her crawling onto the couch. What had happened had been amazing, but he wasn't sure that she was going to think the same way.
He didn't move for fear of waking her. He had no idea how she was going to react when she figured out what they had done. Was she going to blame him? He didn't want her to regret it. It had been beautiful and amazing, and they had fit so well together, regardless of the circumstances. Sometimes the bottom line was all that mattered, and their bottom line was perfect.
Worse than anything, was she going to accuse him of taking advantage of her? As he lay there, he remembered when just that had happened. It had been the worst mistake of his life.
Jasmine had been another dragon, who had found their ranch after hearing stories in the Sacred Garden. Beautiful, worldly, and exceptionally sweet, Colton had fallen for her fast and hard. Vinia had warned him, but he had brushed her off as vindictive and distrusting of anyone of their own kind.
Jasmine had planned on a two-week vacation, which quickly became a month, and then another month. Totally in love, or so he thought, they had taken a moonlight ride on a warm summer evening on her last night at the ranch. He had brought a blanket and a basket with wine and snacks, and they had found a spot that overlooked the valley. There, under the moonlight, he had made love to her. Actually, she had made love to him because it was his first time, and he was very unskilled and unsure of himself. Afterwards, they had laid together and basked in the act and had ended up falling asleep wrapped in each other's arms.
When they returned to the ranch the next morning, Vinia was furious as she introduced Colton to Jasmine's husband, who had come to take her home. Caught totally off guard that she was married, Colton had been too shocked to say anything. He'd been further shocked when instead of defending their love, Jasmine ran to her husband and claimed that Colton had taken her out in the woods and taken advantage of her. The husband had wanted to kill him, and Colton had had no way to defend himself. Had it not been for Vinia's negotiating skills, things could have ended much worse than they did.
Jasmine had left with her husband after he threatened Colton that if he ever spoke to her again, he'd be dead before he could take his next breath. Betrayed beyond belief, Colton had fled. He had never seen Jasmine again, and it had taken him months to recover. Vinia had never mentioned it again, other than to explain to her son that women could be mighty misleading at times. She wanted to be sure that Colton had no intentions of trying to return to the Sacred Gardens to see her. Jasmine had renewed her distrust of their homeland, and Vinia didn't feel like anything good would ever come of the place. He had assured his mother that there was nothing to worry about. He had learned his lesson and swore he'd never find himself in that position again.
And yet here he was, because he had been asleep. With a weight on his chest, he relaxed against the couch and kissed the top of her head as he waited for her to wake.
Chapter Twelve: The Morning After
Ellie Dampier
Ellie stirred and smiled as she started to wake. Her dream had been incredible; so realistic that she would have thought it happened. She stretched in satisfaction of a good night's sleep, and then froze. She wasn't alone.
She reached behind her with her hand and felt a chest. She shifted to find her face resting on a forearm, and another arm draped over her as a blanket. She felt her own chest and realized that she was naked.
Oh. My. God.
She thought back. The wolves. Running out of the bedroom. Crawling onto the couch with Colton. All of it came rushing back as she laid there as still as she could be. How was she going to get off the couch and back to the bedroom without waking him up? She could see her shirt laying nearby, but it was too far away to grab without getting off the couch. She felt her thigh and figured out that she still had her panties on. Her shame deepened as she realized that it just made her look even worse. She'd been in such a hurry to have sex that she hadn't even bothered undressing all the way.
What did I do?
She knew exactly what she had done, but she didn't want to admit it. Colton was going to think that she was the easiest, loosest, star in Hollywood. One night, and she's already having sex with a complete stranger. And she had no idea how to fix it. The worst part was, she really didn't even care that it had happened. She had never felt so tightly connected to anyone.
As carefully as she could, she slid onto her back. His hand rested on her belly, and she was horrified to feel aroused again. Embarrassment flooded through her as she tilted her head enough to get a good look at him. She already knew he was hot, but up close and person, he was extremely handsome and super sexy. His dark hair was wavy, and his chest had just the right amount of hair on it. His face was scruffy, which only added to the sexiness. His arms were strong, and his chest sculpted and led to a narrow waist. She felt her face heat up as she realized that he was also naked.
Her mind relived their lovemaking, and she wondered how she was going to face him again. Her heart stopped when she looked at his face again and he was staring at her. She drowned in the green hazel as it felt like he saw right into her soul.
"Good morning."
She couldn't jump up because she was naked, and if she took the blanket, he'd be naked. If there had ever been a more awkward situation, she didn't know what it could be. "I... uhh... we... I don't.... what we did..."
He grinned. "It's okay."
"Wolves. There were wolves howling, and I came out here to get you, but you were asleep."
"I was."
"And then I... well, I... the fire..." She took a deep breath. "I was scared so I crawled onto the couch with you and fell asleep."
He put a finger over her lips before he dropped a gentle butterfly kiss on her mouth. "It's okay." He hopped up, leaving her the blanket. As he walked away, she got a great view of his ass. "I'm going to brush my teeth."
Luckily, he didn't turn around because she could feel her face burning from admiring his backside. She scrambled up and wrapped the blanket around herself. "I need to do that too. Where do we go?"
He held up a bottle of water. "Anywhere outside is good."
