“I don’t understand why you’re hurt in my dream. I mean, can’t I magically make you better?” She met his gaze.
Seeking her cool touch, he pressed his face into her palm and closed his eyes. So she really did think she was dreaming. He relaxed. “It’s not that kind of dream.”
“Is it one of those hot sex dreams?”
Braxton’s eyes popped open. She stared back at him, completely serious. His cock hardened to the point of pain.
He cleared his throat and winced. “Can I have some water?”
“Sure.” She paused halfway to the door and glanced over her shoulder. “Maybe I should call Beau first.”
He growled. “Is Beau your mate?”
“Mate?” She arched her eyebrow.
“Boyfriend.” Of course she wouldn’t understand the term mate. She was human. “I meant is he your boyfriend?”
She wrinkled her pretty nose. “No. He’s my friend.”
Braxton relaxed. He remembered the man standing over him before he passed out as white-hot pain spread through his chest. He glanced down at his arm, splinted and wrapped. He could feel the bone already knitting itself back together. In a few hours, his arm should be good as new. His chest, on the other hand, was a different story.
“What’s with the growling anyway?”
He gave her a droll look. “I’m a wolf in your dream, remember?”
“Oh, right.” She shrugged, as if quickly accepting the explanation. “I’ll be right back with your water.”
Braxton let his eyes drift down her back to the sway of her tight ass as she left the room. He might have a hole in his chest, but he was still breathing.
***
Kate walked back into the bedroom carrying a bowl and glass, both filled with water. She blushed. “I wasn’t sure which form you would be in when I got back, so I brought both.”
He laughed and hissed in pain from the motion. He couldn’t shift right now, even if he wanted to. He didn’t have the strength. He downed the water, letting the cold liquid soothe his raw throat. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he handed the glass back to her.
“I take it you’ve never had a dream like this before.” His fingers brushed against hers, sending a jolt of excitement through his body. Had she felt it, too?
A nervous laugh escaped the back of her throat. “No. The only dreams I have about wolves are nightmares.”
He stilled, his chest muscles straining. “Why is that? You’ve got something against wolves?”
“No. They have something against me.”
***
Her gaze roamed down his naked chest to the sheet that rested low on his narrow hips. She’d never seen a man built as fine as Braxton, in real life, or in movies.
“What do you mean?” His gravel voice made her stomach tingle. An invisible force pulled her to him and made her step closer.
“I was bitten once, when I was a child.” She licked her lips, dropping her gaze to his broad shoulders. His arms were completely covered in tattoos, sleeves they were called, while his chest was free of any ink. She wanted to run her fingers across every swirl and curve of his designs until she had memorized every detail. And she didn’t want to stop at his arms. She wanted to touch him everywhere.
So what was stopping her? It wasn’t like it was real. It was just a dream—and with all the stress she was under, she deserved this.
She reached out her hand, tracing his muscled pec with her finger. His breath hitched, and she could feel him tremble beneath her fingertips, like some unknown power was trying to be released. She grinned at his response to her.
“You have the hardest body I’ve ever seen.” She slid her hand down to his stomach, caressing the rock-hard abs. Her stomach warmed and a sigh slipped past her lips. “I can’t stop touching you.”
“Then touch me everywhere.” He covered her hand with his and slid it down past his stomach, underneath the sheet.
Her fingers brushed against his cock and she gasped. She knew she would never touch him so intimately in reality. But in her dream she could do whatever she wanted. Tentatively, she traced a finger across the wide crest. His cock twitched under her touch. Desire streaked between her legs, and her breasts ached with longing so intense she thought she would explode.
She looked up into his face.
He met her gaze, his gray eyes heavy with lust, a slight smirk playing at the corners of his full lips.
“You never told me your name.” His deep voice played across her skin like the ocean breeze, warming and relaxing her. “At least give me your name since you have your hand on my cock.”
She swallowed. She should be embarrassed enough to stop and pull her hand away. But she wasn’t. This was her dream and she could do whatever she wanted. “Kate.”
“Kate. My beautiful Kate.” He guided her hand down the length of his cock to the base. He groaned. “My name is Braxton.”