Chapter 1
Laura
His hand went to the back of her neck again, pulling her into him. She gasped as his hand tangled in her hair and he tugged gently as he kissed her. She felt the pull from her scalp to between her thighs, and she whimpered.
“That's a dangerous sound,” he whispered, his voice dark and full of desire. He turned her to him, so her back pressed up against the glass of the Rocks, Gems, and Minerals display. She thought it had gold or something inside of it, but she really wasn't paying attention to the science exhibit once his hips pressed against her. She could feel his desire press up against her, and she moaned again.
Sweet, hot, and her tongue tangled with his as he kissed her again, stealing her moans. He gripped her hair harder, wanting still more and she arched her hips into his. All she had on under the dress was a very tiny thong. It wouldn't be hard to slip it to the side. If he undid his fly, he'd slide right in. The idea made her shiver with desire.
“Are you thinking what I'm thinking?” she whispered, pushing her hips against his. The way his pupils dilated nearly did her in.
He nodded, reaching for the hem of her skirt. His hand was hot against her thigh as he felt her skin. He took his time, tracing his palm along the hem of her dress. The waiting made her want it all the more. Slowly, so slowly it made her writhe, he slid his hand up her skirt. She held her breath as she waited for him to reach the top of her thigh.
She shifted her weight to give him better access, but he wasn't touching her anymore. She opened her eyes to find him glaring at her. He took a step back and grimaced.
“What's wrong?” she asked, confused. The heat inside her was quickly dissipating. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. This wasn't how it happened.
“I don't want this,” he said, shaking his head. He took another step back, fading into the darkness. She couldn't see him anymore.
“Ethan?” she called out. Suddenly, a woman appeared. She had never seen this woman before, but she knew that it was Ethan’s secretary.
“He said he doesn’t want this. He doesn’t want you. He does this to all the girls. You’re not special.”
She didn’t believe a word of it, but every time she tried to get around the secretary, she blocked Laura’s way.
The secretary kept talking. “Just forget about him.”
Ethan was about to step through a door. “Ethan!” She reached out to him, but he was already gone, and she was alone in the dark of her bedroom.
“Laura? Are you awake?” a small voice asked, hand on her shoulder.
The dream vanished, leaving her dizzy and confused. She turned to see two green eyes inches from her own, and she yelped.
The small owner of the eyes screamed which was followed by a third smaller scream. Laura's heart pounded in her chest like an over-sized drum as she sat up and turned on the light on her nightstand. Her brain struggled to make sense of what was going on as she woke from her dream.
“Ivy, you scared the crap out of me,” Laura gasped as soon as the light was on and she could see who was standing in front of her.
“I'm sorry, Laura,” Ivy whispered, her lower lip trembling. Laura's younger sister clutched her small security blanket to her chest a little tighter. Behind Ivy, their little brother Dallas sniffled and looked just as miserable.
Guilt hit Laura square in the chest. Ivy was only seven years old and Dallas only five. She remembered crawling into her parents' bed with nightmares when she was that age too. She didn't want them to think she was angry with them.
“It's okay. You just startled me,” Laura said, doing her best to smile at her siblings. “Did you guys have another nightmare?”
Ivy and Dallas both nodded, their eyes still full of fear. “Yeah,” whispered Ivy.
“Mom and Dad again?” Laura asked, already knowing the answer.
“The usual one,” Ivy replied, looking at the floor like having nightmares about their dead parents was something she should be ashamed of. They both looked so small and vulnerable in the yellow lamplight that Laura's heart squeezed in her chest, and she wished for the millionth time that she had a better way to take away the pain.
“You too, Dallas?” Laura asked her brother.
The little boy held his chin up. “I wasn't scared, but Finn was.” He held up his stuffed dog for Laura to see how scared it was.