When he was done, he turned to look at her, his heart pounding because he knew he'd laid it on the line.
But her hand was pressed to her chest and her expression was wistful, and when she turned and smiled at him, his shoulders sagged with relief. At least until she stepped over to him, took his hand, and sighed.
"Forever," she whispered. "At least until they knock the place down."
Chapter Twelve
Cam sat on the edge of the bed, every nerve in his body crackling with heat and anticipation as he glanced toward the bathroom door. She was back there. Mina. And as he waited for her to come out, he couldn't help but think that he had no idea how he'd gotten so lucky to have finally won her.
But he had. She was his. His.
He swallowed, nerves tingling as he waited. He was hyperaware of everything. The buzz of the air conditioner. The silk of the bedspread. The sound of the water running in the bathroom.
And then--oh, God--the subtle click of the doorknob turning and the creak of hinges as the bathroom door opened.
She stepped out, clad in a short terrycloth robe that ended at the top of her thighs and revealed miles of perfect legs. She walked toward him, and he swallowed, knowing without seeing that she was naked underneath. That all she had to do was loosen the tie at her waist and open the robe to reveal herself to him. Her firm breasts, her flat belly, her entire body that he'd come to know so well but could never get enough of.
"I'm ready," she whispered, and he felt his cock go hard.
He nodded, his mouth too dry to speak. And when she took another step toward him and pulled loose the sash, he thought his heart might stop.
But that was nothing compared to when her hands went to the robe, and she started to pull it open. To reveal herself to him. To stand naked before him and--
Bang!
A wave of golden light burst from the robe, blinding him and knocking him backward.
And when he'd blinked enough to clear his vision, she was gone--and so was the entire apartment.
He was left standing alone among white concrete slabs, sun bleached and cracked. All except one that stood in the middle, a single phrase sprayed on it in bold, curvy lettering:
Forever only lasts until it's over.
* * *
Cam sat bolt upright, his heart pounding as the dream lingered.
Beside him, Mina blinked and rose up onto her elbow, then reached for him, her warm hand on his managing to calm him. "Hey. Are you okay?"
He nodded, forcing himself to breath normally. "Nightmare," he said, then rubbed his palms over his face. "Christ. That was--" He broke off with a shake of his head.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"No," he said quickly. And then he took a deep breath and tried again. "No, it was just a stupid dream."
That was the truth, wasn't it? His dream was because of what she'd said at the park. Because he'd let himself believe that they'd gotten past her fears and hesitations, and those quixotic words had snuck into his subconscious, making him fear that he'd been deluding himself.
And hell, maybe he was.
After all, she still hadn't told Darryl that they were dating. And she still dreamed of working in Hollywood.
He'd been living a lust-filled dream with her, but except for amazing and regular sex, they were right where they were when they'd started. Nothing had changed at all.
Except it had.
The little voice in his head stressed the point again. It had.
And maybe that was true. They were together, after all. They had a connection.