“Aria won’t be staying here long,” I grunt.
He doesn’t look convinced. Hell, he looks almost sympathetic when he says goodbye, disappearing back into the forest the way he came.
Once he’s gone, I look back toward my cabin. There are no lights on inside, and the curtains are still closed. It’s early, so I guess Aria went back to bed. I picture her in my sweater, curled up under the quilt, lips parted as she sleeps. I’m desperate to see that pretty face again, but I force myself to finish chopping up the last few logs first.
Hell, it might help me relieve some of this frustration.
I work for another hour, head swimming with thoughts of Aria. My movements are automatic, and I’m barely paying attention to my work. But just as I’m cutting up the final few pieces of timber, movement catches my eye. I look over at the cabin, and my heart leaps into my throat. The curtains in my bedroom are wide open…and Aria is watching me. Our gazes lock through the window.
How long has she been standing there?
My chest thumps. Even from here, I can make out her plump lips, her silky black hair still mussed from sleep. I let my axe fall to the ground.
Work can wait.
I take a step toward the cabin, still looking at Aria.
Then I stop in my tracks.
Her expression has changed. Panic has taken over. Her eyes are wide, mouth hanging open as she points at me desperately. She screams, the sound muffled by the glass.
“THORNE! Behind you!”
I whip around just in time to see the mountain lion pounce.
6
ARIA
I’m lyingon my back in Thorne’s bed. Only, the giant four-poster is no longer in his bedroom; it’s in the middle of the forest. Fir trees tower up around it, the branches so tall they touch the sky above me.
I’m naked. It’s snowing hard, but I’m not cold. In fact, my body feels almost feverish, heat pulsing between my thighs. I blink, and suddenly Thorne is there, standing at the foot of the bed.
“Where did you come from?” I ask.
“Don’t talk, princess.”
Everything is hazy as I look at him. Confused. Dream-like…
“Oh crap,” I sigh, pouting at Thorne. “This is a dream, isn’t it?”
He chuckles darkly.
The world shifts and suddenly, he’s on top of me. Naked. His hardness presses against me. Another blink and he’s thrusting inside me. Fucking me. His eyes are feral, darkening as he pounds me into the mattress, growling as he claims my virginity. It’s so vivid. I can almost feel the heat of Thorne’s skin, the friction of his cock inside me.
Don’t wake up.
Please don’t wake up.
But the world is already disintegrating. The forest blurs. Thorne disappears. The mattress beneath me vanishes and I fall backward, jolting awake just as I hit the forest floor in my dream.
Shoot.
With a groan, I blink the sleep from my eyes. I can feel the slickness in my panties as I look around Thorne’s bedroom, my clit still throbbing from my dream.
Why did I wake up just when things were getting good?
I heave an irritable sigh. Heck, it’s not surprising that my mind is running wild after sleeping next to Thorne all night. I’ve never felt so hot and bothered. Every noise, every breath, every movement—I was hyperaware of it all. Even when I finally drifted off, my sleep was light and restless, full of naughty dreams like the one I just woke up from.
