Falling for the Wrong Twin (20 page)

He started to stroke his thumb across her silky skin. “So,” he said, “you’re not crazy. Or if you are, then I’m right there with you.”

She sighed. “No. I’m not a whack job. Unless being attracted to you sets me firmly in the insane category.”

“It might,” he admitted. “And I’m sorry. As Bethany just pointed out, I’ve got kinda a hot button about flakes.”

She arched her brows. “Flakes?”

“Highly emotional, somewhat unstable women.”

“Sounds like a story.”

“A boring one that you already know. Susie Whalen from high school. The point is that I, um, judge women too quickly and, um, probably unfairly.”

“Probably?”

He snorted. “Well, obviously unfairly with regard to you. Some of the other women…”

She snapped her fingers. “She told me that first morning. Bethany said she dated one of the sons. That was you, wasn’t it?”

He nodded. “Back when we were in college. She knows all about my history with women.”

“Really?” Anna’s voice was laced with humor. “Even the leather and whip Dom side?”

“I am not a Dom!”

“Are you sure? It doesn’t take leather and whips to make a Dom. It’s more about attitude.”

“What would you know about it?”

“I read,” she said. Then she leaned forward, challenge in every line of her body. “And I might be somewhat aroused by it.”

His dick hardened to granite. “Somewhat?”

She laughed, the sound lighter than he’d expected given their conversation. “I think I’ve already demonstrated a certain willingness to explore.”

And didn’t that just put ideas in his head. A thousand horny, hot thoughts. Apparently they echoed in her mind too because they shared a look that was so steamy he was surprised they both didn’t melt.

But then her expression clouded and she pulled back. “Um, before this conversation goes in another entirely different direction…”

“I think we’ve already taken that detour, don’t you?” At least he hoped they had.

“Yeah, maybe. But there’s something I need to ask about first. Something I don’t think you’ve thought about.”

He didn’t like the sound of that. “Oooookay. What?”

“In our dreams. In this last one especially…”

He waited and when she didn’t seem like she would continue, he prompted her. “Look, I don’t want to think about this too deeply. I just…don’t want to think about it.”

“I get that,” she said, but she obviously wasn’t letting it go. “In my dream, I recognized you. I mean, you looked just like you.”

He nodded. That made sense. “You looked like you. In fact, I think the director called you by name. He said, Anna.”

She thought back and nodded. “Yeah, he did. But you see, in my dream there were two of you.”

He frowned. “What?”

“
Two
yous. You were the witch doctor--”

“In a grass skirt. That itched.”

She exhaled. “Yeah. And the pilot, too.”

He tried to remember things clearly, but it was hard. It was a dream, damn it, and he never remembered those. Except, of course, this one had been so real and he did remember. “The pilot,” he said to himself. “Who had fixed the helo.”

“Right.” She took a deep breath. “So do you think that was Rick? Was I--were we--all
three
dreaming together?”

Chapter 15

Anna held her breath, waiting for Mike’s reaction. Were they all three dreaming together? The man hadn’t been exactly open to the concept of shared dreams, but at least he’d gotten there. Would this push him over the edge?

Unfortunately, she couldn’t read him right now. He seemed to have locked down everything inside as he stared at her.

“Mike?”

“Is that what you want? Do you want…that…with my brother?”

She frowned. Twin issue much? She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his lips. It was soft and quick, in part because he didn’t soften in the least. “I like your brother,” she finally said. “He’s funny, flirts with me, and has never once thought I was crazy. But that doesn’t mean I want to go any further with this man. For some bizarre reason, I seem to prefer you.”

He nodded, his expression easing, then he pulled out his cell phone and hit the speed dial. One glance told her he was calling his brother. Then he put it on speaker so she could hear too.

“Mike? What the hell? Aren’t you upstairs?”

“Yeah. Look, I’ve got a question for you, and…um, it’s going to sound weird.”

“Nothing surprises me anymore,” he said, weariness in his tone. Anna glanced up in confusion to meet Mike’s worried gaze.

“Um, problem with your agent? That’s not the question, by the way. It’s just…are you okay?”

“I’m peachy bro. Nothing that a stellar season, new knees, and being superhuman won’t fix.” Sarcasm was heavy in his tone.

“Rick--”

“Stop. I’m just short on coffee. What did you want?”

“Have you been dreaming of, um, volcanos and witch doctors and, um, stuff?”

A long silence crackled through the line. Anna’s stomach twisted painfully. Hell, had just just--

“Mike, are you high?”

Mike jolted. “What?”

“Why the hell would I be dreaming about witch doctors? Are you punking me?”

Anna exhaled in relief. Mike must have felt the same way because his fingers seemed to relax on the phone. “So that’s a no? You haven’t been dreaming, I don’t know, vampires--”

Anna mouthed
androids
.

“Er, right. Androids in an alley. Or Aunt Tilde and mom?”

“What the hell, Mike--”

“Just answer the question.”

“No! Jesus, the world has gone insane. You’re supposed to be the normal one. What the--”

“Thanks Rick. I’ll explain later.”

Anna heard a distinctive snort. “Really?” his brother challenged. “You’ll really explain this?”

Mike grinned at his phone. “Not in a million years.”

“That’s what I thought.”

“Thanks, man.” He ended the call. His gaze connected with hers, and they just sat there trying to process what was happening.

“So the dreams, that was just us?” she finally asked. But if that were true, then why did she always dream two men? The witchdoctor and the pilot. Vampire Arnold and the bad guy clone.

“I remember the dreams, Anna. I know this sounds weird but I think I was both guys.”

She lifted her head. “What?”

“I remember being both. I remember being the witchdoctor and the pilot.”

She licked her suddenly dry lips. His gaze riveted on her mouth, and she felt her whole body heat. If nothing else, the two of them had chemistry.

“So where does that leave us?” she asked.

He sighed. “With me apologizing--again--for thinking you’re nuts.”

She shrugged. “You’re forgiven. Sometimes I think I’m nuts too. And this--”

He abruptly tugged her forward by her arms. She jerked, but the motion was strong enough--and caught her completely by surprise--that she flew forward into his arms. It was quite the studly move, and once she caught her breath, she was very impressed. She might have said something, she certainly planned to, but his mouth descended and she chose to give up all other thoughts. Everything else between them was confusing. But this–his arms and his mouth and his wonderful tongue–this she could handle.

Because, damn, the man could kiss.

Her angle had her half perched on his lap, half falling to the floor. That meant she had very little means of supporting herself except for wrapping her arms around his shoulders and hanging on. In short, she was at his mercy as he thrust into her mouth, stroking past her teeth and to the roof of her mouth. She tried to tease him, tried to take some measure of control, but he was having none of it. He held her suspended and he dominated her mouth.

That thrilled her to the point that her legs went weak and her body supple. Soon she lost all sense of time and breath. By the time he lifted his head, she was gasping for breath and he was gripping her shirt as if he wanted to tear it from her body.

“Mike,” she gasped. She had no other thought than that. Just his name.

“Don’t talk,” he said. “Just listen.”

She had no problem with that. She had no brainpower to disagree.

“I don’t know about this supernatural shit. Frankly, it freaks me out. But here’s what I do know: I can’t stop thinking about you. Even when I thought you were loony, I was still trying to find a way for us to be together. I had a wonderful time that day with you, long before the alley. I want you, I like you, and…and there’s a bed right over there.” He pressed his mouth to hers, thrusting in slowly before pulling back. “I want to make love to you now. I want to strip every piece of clothing from your body and then sink into you as deep as I can go. I’m going to thrust into you until neither of us thinks of anything but the feel of me in you.” He took a breath, then released it slowly. “How does that sound to you?”

“Is the door locked?”

He looked up, his eyes narrowing on the door. “I can do it.”

“Do you have a condom?”

He flashed her a grin. “I’ve got two in my wallet.”

She raised her eyebrows, but he quickly allayed her fears.

“They’re new. I intended to give them to my nephews.” He shrugged. “No telling what can happen when. Kids start young these days, and I wanted them to be prepared.”

Of course he did. He thought ahead like that. “One question before we go further.”

He shot her an amused look, but nodded. “You’re on your third question, but who’s counting?”

She chuckled and pressed a kiss to his chin. Ummm, that was nice. He had a slight beard there. Made him just rough enough to feel chiseled. Her mind lost the question as she nuzzled her cheek against, feeling the rough scratch against her skin. “Hmmmm.”

His fingers tightened on her. “Too late,” he said. Then he abruptly hoisted her up in his arms.

She gasped in surprise, but then quickly adjusted. God, this was thrilling. No man had ever
carried
her before. “Some questions aren’t going to go away,” she lied. Frankly, she’d completely forgotten what she wanted.

“Later,” he growled as he started heading for the bedroom, taking a quick detour to the door to twist the lock..

Damn, he was strong. Feeling completely secure in his arms, she decided to start torturing him. She had one arm wrapped around his broad shoulders, but the other tugged at the old tee he was wearing. It was thin, soft as down, and showed off his sculpted torso to perfection.

“Do you care about this tee?”

“What?” He was maneuvering her through the doorway, doing his best not to bang her feet on the wall. She appreciated his care, but was more absorbed in her wicked thought.

“Too late,” she quipped, then she poked her finger through a tiny hole before ripping it down and open. Yup, just like she hoped: hot skin molded over bulging muscles.

He jolted as his shirt tore, obviously surprised. He increased his pace to the bed. “You’re going to pay for that,” he growled. “And not in money.”

She laughed, challenge in her tone. “I didn’t agree to any punishment, big boy.”

“You did the minute you ripped my favorite shirt.” He tossed her onto the bed. She landed with a bounce, then followed her down, caging her with his arms before pinning her with his groin. And there he stopped, pelvis grinding into hers while her heart pounded in her throat.

“Really?” she purred. Then she grabbed hold of the ragged cotton edges and ripped the entire thing open. By the time she was done, all that was left was the doubled hem at his neck. “That looks like a dog collar,” she said as she tugged at it.

“Take off your pants.”

She smiled innocently at him. “I’m sorry. Something seems to be pinning me down.”

He lifted up, then before she could move, his hands were at her waist. She was wearing tight jeans, but he seemed to have no trouble unfastening the button and tugging the whole thing down, panties and all. Her flats went flying, then a moment later, her bottom half was naked.

She’d started to sit up in reaction, but he didn’t give her time. He spun to glare at her, his eyes dark, his nostrils flaring. “Don’t move.”

She settled onto her elbows. “Or what?”

His hands were at the fly of his own jeans, working quickly. She’d barely heard the clink of his belt buckle before he abruptly dropped between her legs and pushed her thighs apart.

“Oh!” she gasped, startled but not really upset by his abrupt movements.

“I love the way you smell.”

She blinked. Really?

“I bet you taste even better.” And that was all the warning she got.

His mouth came down on her and he left no part of her unexplored. His fingers spread her wide, his tongue stroked and thrust, and she went from hot to exploding in two seconds flat. Except that he kept her from the big bang. She was arching up on the bed, her breath was coming in harsh rasps of hunger, and he had just sucked on her clit until she cried out. But then he stopped. He lifted up while she writhed beneath him, shamelessly lifting up toward him.

“Mike!” she cried.

He didn’t answer except with a touch. His fingers stroked slowly up and down her petals, spreading her without actually connecting with the important parts. The hungry parts. The
aching
parts.

He thrust a finger inside her. He pushed in and rolled it around while she gasped. Then he withdrew before returning with two fingers. Again he leisurely rolled before he withdrew. And did it again with three.

“Mike!”

“Feel punished yet?” he asked.

“Yes!”

“Too bad. I’m not done yet.”

He pulled back. She didn’t look to see what he was doing. She was too absorbed in the pounding of her heart through her trembling body. How did he make her so needy so fast? Good lord, she still had her top on. And yet, never had she felt so excited, so damned aroused that she would do almost anything if only he would come back to her. Then she felt him, thick and hard, right at her opening. Her eyes flew open as he loomed over her.

“The condom’s on,” he said, answering her unspoken question. He hooked his arms under her thighs and jerked her to the edge of the bed. In truth, she didn’t have that far to go, but the sheer power in his pull made her legs drop open even further.