Page 23 of Chasing Dreams
“Daisy, no!” he commanded.
Immediately the dog quieted, and fur brushed against Shaine’s bare legs. The air down here was cold and she hugged herself, rubbing her upper arms for warmth. “What’s wrong with her?”
“She sets up a racket if she hears an animal outside,” he said, his face hidden by the night shadows. Like her dream man. She shivered, but not from the cold.
“A bear?”
“Sometimes. Sometimes a wolf or two. Could be only a raccoon.” He moved to the window and peered out into the night.
“I’m glad you talked me out of sleeping in the tent.” She skirted the furniture and joined him.
“It’s getting too cold at night for someone as inexperienced as you to camp outside.” Moonlight streaming through the window defined his handsome profile and the solid muscle of his shoulders.
The sight provoked the memory of her vivid dream. “Not to mention the bears.”
“They wouldn’t bother you. Unless you had food.”
“Yeah, well, I’ll take my chances in here, thank you.”
He turned to look at her, the angle of his jaw emphasizing the shadowy growth of his whiskers. She crossed her arms over her chest self-consciously, still tingling from the dream.
“Come here. I’ll build up the fire so you can get warm.” He moved away, and Shaine followed. He hunkered down to the chore, and she couldn’t help but notice the masculine display of flesh above the pair of jogging pants he wore. The fire caught, and the golden light played across his muscled arms and shoulders.
He turned back, giving her a view of his matted chest. She wondered what he’d feel like if she reached out and touched him—sleek flesh over sinewy muscle. Her breath caught. At her side, her palm tingled.
He hadn’t made a move except that innocent run-in at the bottom of the stairs.
Guiltily she pulled her attention aside and sat beside the fire.
“Shaine.” His voice held the rich seductive timber of her dream lover. A tingle ran up her spine.
She’d dreamed of him.
She closed her eyes, not even needing to catalog the dream or the type. It had been a knowing dream.
Her skin burned hot. Her heart pounded. Her mind raced back over her recent dreams. The aproned woman. The boy. The dog. The diploma. If she walked into his office right now, she’d find a framed certificate on the wall.
Her knowing dreams always came true.
“Shaine?”
She jumped as though caught at something forbidden. She’d only had that dream because of the kiss they’d shared, she tried to tell herself. He’d made her feel guilty about that, and now she was feeling guilty about this.
“You warming up?”
He had no idea. She nodded.
“I can stick that leftover hot chocolate in the microwave.”
She shook her head and stood, grateful for something to occupy her mind and hands. “I’ll do it.”
She returned with two mugs and placed his on the stones without handing it to him. If he noticed her avoidance, he didn’t let on.
He had pulled on a sweatshirt, and the sight eased her discomfort somewhat.
“Are you awake enough to work a little?” he asked.
She didn’t think she’d sleep anytime soon. Not after that dream. She nodded.
