The moment she slipped her tongue inside his mouth, all of those negative thoughts evaporated. A low growl escaped from his chest and he seemed to come alive, the wild animal inside him letting go. As their tongues entwined, her breath whooshed out. To keep her head from spinning, she clasped his muscular shoulders, loving how he made her feel so tiny and cherished.
She then slid her hands through his thick, silky hair and couldn’t help but moan from the glorious sensations coursing through her. Without giving thought to what she was doing, Elise wrapped her legs around his waist. While she was on the pill for her complexion, she always practiced safe sex. It didn’t matter now though. Max was only a figment of her imagination.
He broke the kiss, his eyes swirls of greens and gold, and lifted his head. When he roared, she nearly laughed. Every woman would be so jealous of her for having a big, cuddly animal that was really a human.
“I want to savor this moment, but I can’t control myself any longer.” He bared his teeth and lowered his head. “You are all mine—forever.”
She swooned. Elise lowered her legs and planted her feet on the mattress. “I need you now.”
The power of her command ignited her hormones and sent them flooding throughout her system. Dazed by lust and coupled with the euphoria of this wild experience, the room spun. She imagined hair sprouting on Max’s face and his fingernails extending into claws. She blinked and when he looked away for a few seconds, he appeared to be all man once more. Dreams were so wild and exhilarating.
“Are you sure?” he asked.
“Yes, and we need to hurry.” She had to experience him before she was transported back to reality.
Max slid his mouth across her throat to the tender part of her neck. He grabbed her shoulders and dragged his hands down her arm, his sharp nails scraping her skin, but she didn’t care. This was wild abandon sex at its best. When he slipped two fingers inside her, heat suffused her body. Clamping down on him, she clutched him closer. The second he curled his fingers and stroked her, her climax built.
Max lifted his head and kissed her hard once more and her orgasm claimed her with an intensity that would rival any fantasy she’d ever had. Heart speeding, she reached between them for his cock.
Before she could touch him, he rolled off her and cast his glance to the side. “I can’t. It isn’t right.”
“You can’t what?”
“Make love to you.”
That was preposterous. “You said you wanted me.”
She felt a bit self conscious talking to herself like this, but she was frustrated, dammit.
“I do. More than you could know.”
He wasn’t making any sense. “Then why did you stop? This is my dream, and I want you.”
“You don’t know anything about me.”
Was he crazy? She’d made him up.
He reached out and touched her shoulder, as if to give her comfort. Instead, he exerted a lot of pressure. Before she could ask him what the hell was really going on, her vision blackened. What seemed like seconds later, three claps sounded close to her face, followed by thunderous applause. She opened her eyes and immediately crossed her arms over her naked chest—or rather what she thought was naked. When her fingers touched the fabric of her shirt, she dared to lower her gaze.
How was this possible? A second ago, Elise was in bed with the most amazing man in the world and the next she was sitting on the same seat, wearing the same painfully tight high heels as before. Damn. It had been a dream. She let out a huff as her shoulders drooped.
Nikolai stepped in front of her and held out his hands. “Come and take a bow.”
A bow? “Did I really do the Tango in front of all these people?”
“You did and you were magnificent.”
When he led her to the front of the stage, the lights were so bright it was difficult for her to see any of their faces, for which she was grateful. She was tempted to ask Nikolai to hypnotize her again so she could return to her dream world just so she could demand Max make love with her.
The magician held up her arm like a prizefighter who’d won a match. “Elise wants to know how she did?”
The crowd cheered, bolstering her confidence that she hadn’t made a fool of herself. At least something had gone well today. Her fantasy sure had flopped at the end.
“Thank you, everyone,” Nikolai said as a white puff of smoke blocked her view of the audience. “Come with me,” he whispered. “Be quick.”
Nikolai grabbed her hand and they trotted off stage. Unable to come to grips with what had happened, Elise’s head still spun with unanswered questions. “My fantasy was amazing,” she said. Holding her breath, she wanted him to say it hadn’t been her imagination.
“It seemed real, didn’t it?” Nikolai asked.
“More than real. I didn’t know I had such a vivid imagination. I was with this unbelievably amazing man, and I swear I could feel his touch on my skin, even hear his heart beat.”