Page 85 of Stolen Dreams

“Thank you,” I say and slip into the passenger seat.

When he’s back in the car, Ray takes my hand and lifts it to his lips, kissing my knuckles. “No thanks necessary.”

The miles from my house to his are a blur. Tucker talks to Brody the Bear about his room and other toys. Ray caresses my hand with his thumb the entire ride. And in a matter of minutes, gravel crunches as we turn onto the driveway. Ray reaches up, presses a button near the visor, and the garage door opens.

When Ray puts the car in park, my pulse soars.This is it.

Perspiration licks my skin as I exit the car. My nails biting my palms as I wring my fingers at my sides. I startle when Tucker slams his door and charges inside the house. Slap a hand to my chest when Ray sidles up to me and rests a hand on my lower back.

He ducks his chin, his breath warm on my ear. “Breathe, Fire Eyes.”

I nod woodenly and do as he says.

Ray shoulders my bag, kisses my temple and leads us into the house.

Tucker kicks off his second shoe as we enter and flings them toward the door in the foyer. He bounds toward the living room, flips on a light, and plops down on the couch. “I’ll find a movie.”

Ray and I toe off our shoes, and he straightens Tucker’s next to ours. Banding an arm around my waist, he leans in and presses his lips to my forehead. “Going to put your bag in the room. Make yourself at home.”

Before I say a word, he climbs the stairs and disappears, my overnight bag in his hand.

This is really happening.

I jump as intro music for the movie booms through the speakers.

Tucker dashes to my side, grabs my hand, and yanks me toward the kitchen. “We need to get movie snacks, Miss Kaya.”

A task. Perfect. “What are our options?”

He opens the pantry door, drops my hand, flips on the light, and steps into the small walk-in closet–sized room. “Popcorn, licorice, different kinds of chocolate…” He pulls a bin off one of the shelves, hugs it to his chest, and moves past me to set it on the kitchen island. Package after package, Tucker dumps every possible sweet and salty movie snack on the counter. “Chips, jelly beans, gummy worms or bears, peanut butter cups.”

Is the bin some magical, endless storage container for snacks?

Ray rounds the corner, his eyes wide as he witnesses the chaos of Tucker unloading all the treats. “Hey, bud. Let’s pick two or three and put the rest back.”

Tucker purses his lips then rolls his eyes. “Fine,” he says, tone melodramatic. “Cheesy chips, gummy bears, and peanut butter cups.”

“Good choices,” I say, helping him put everything away.

Ray sends Tucker upstairs to change into pajamas. I take the snacks to the living room while Ray grabs drinks. Mere seconds later, Tucker flies down the stairs, beats Ray to the living room, grabs the bag of chips, and takes his spot on the couch.

Movie time is much the same—Ray and I squished together, my hand in his and our fingers laced. For an hour, I aim my attention at the screen. Do my best to focus on the show, eat a handful of gummy bears, and ignore what happens when the television shuts off.

Tucker’s soft snores fill in the quieter parts of the movie a half hour before it ends. Ray kisses my temple, gives my hand a squeeze before releasing it, then carries Tucker upstairs to bed.

Unable to sit still, I take the uneaten snacks and empty glasses to the kitchen. Tidy up to distract myself.

It isn’t the idea of sex that makes me fidgety. Sex with Ray is otherworldly. A literal fantasy come to life. One I want to live again and again.

What has me spinning my bracelet over and over is the emotional attachment and possible expectations that come with staying overnight. Is he ready for that? Am I?

My insides twist.

What happens when the postcoital bliss wears off? Will reality slap him once more? Will he change his mind and kick me out of his bed again?

Lost in thought, I jump and almost drop a glass in the sink when warm hands clutch my hips.

Breath tickling the curve of my neck, he mutters, “Sorry.” And then his lips are on my skin. Soft. Hungry. Coaxing as they trail up, up, up the side of my neck.

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