Free Dream Vampire by Lauren J. Hunter Page B

gasped. Hands roamed over her body—hands she couldn’t see, belonging to nobody. She blinked her eyes repeatedly, just to make sure they were really open. She moaned without meaning to. The hands cupped her breasts, stroking them gently and pulling on her nipples. It had been so long since anyone had touched her. That could be the only plausible reason she was having such a graphic hallucination in the very place her husband had died. How odd that she’d chosen tonight to lose her mind completely.
    She had the absurd idea that maybe it was Stephen’s ghost touching her. She almost hoped it was. Then she heard a whisper in her mind, “Not a ghost.”
    The hands slid down to the juncture of her thighs, and she felt a palm massage her mound through her clothing. She felt the slick heat pooling between her legs and longed to invite the imaginary finger to slide inside her. Her clit ached to be stroked. Within seconds her invitation was accepted and she felt herself building toward a powerful orgasm. She moaned loudly. Imaginary lips pressed against hers and a soft, wet tongue pushed into her mouth as she came on a ripple of pleasure.
    “Miss? Are you all right?”
    Alana’s eyes flew open. She didn’t remember closing them. A gorgeous man was asking if she was all right. She didn’t know if she was all right. The only thing she remembered was the bizarre feeling of having an orgasm for no apparent reason while standing on a public street. She was so cold her teeth chattered and her cloak flapped in the wind. She pulled the edges together and fastened the buttons.
    The man stepped closer. “Shall I call for help? Is there anything I can do?” he asked in a deep voice with a sexy English accent.
    “No. Thank you. Don’t trouble yourself. I must’ve been more tired than I thought. I’ll be fine now.”
    In the glow of the antique street lights, she studied him. He was breathtakingly handsome—like he’d stepped off the cover of a romance novel. A dream come to life, with very long, dark brown hair and sparkling blue eyes. Or, at least they looked blue in the soft light. His hair and eyes weren’t very different from hers. But he had perfect, chiseled features with a beautiful, generous mouth. He was several inches taller than her average height. His skin was pale—as if he’d been indoors recovering from an illness, or something. He must have attended a costume party, because he wore a long cape draped over his broad shoulders, and underneath that, a white shirt with ruffles at the neck and wrists. Or, maybe he really had just posed for a romance cover. And he smelled incredible—something spicy and masculine. He must be a visitor to the neighborhood because she’d never seen anyone like him in the area before.
    She suddenly snapped back from her sensuous fantasy, realizing he’d continued talking to her while she appreciated his obvious charms, and she hadn’t answered.
    He was standing very close to her now, and had taken one of her hands in his.
    “Miss, please. You seem dazed. Allow me to escort you to safety.”
    She looked down at her hand in his and started, instinctively pulling it away. Was she out of her mind, letting a strange man touch her? Being out of her mind seemed to be a foregone conclusion. It was time to make a quick exit. Shifting her gaze to his face, she mumbled, “I do apologize. I don’t know what’s wrong with me this evening.” She pointed down the street. “I haven’t been myself since leaving work a little while ago. My mind seems foggy.”
    He turned his head from side to side, obviously looking for her place of business. “Where do you work that would keep you until 1 a.m.? And on such a cold, lonely night?”
    “What do you mean 1 a.m.? We closed the shop at midnight and it’s only a ten-minute walk to where we are now. Your watch must be fast.” Her tone was less than friendly. Something about this man felt disturbing—dangerous.
    He frowned, cocked his head and