Free Dalton, Tymber - Doggy Tales [Doggy Tales] (Siren Publishing Classic) by Tymber Dalton Page A

He closed his eyes and pressed his face against her hand, nuzzling her palm. “This can’t ever be a reality, so why not enjoy what little good I get?” She choked back a sob. “At least if I’m in love with a dream lover, it’ll keep me out of trouble in real life. I won’t fall for another asshole. I’d rather spend my life with your dream-self than risk that again.”
    “Did you love Lester?”
    Okay, Dream Bruin wanted to talk instead of fuck tonight? Boring. But she’d take what she could get. “Not really. I thought I did. Then I was too scared to leave once I realized what he was.” She shuddered, closing her eyes. “I’m not glad anyone died, but I’m glad he fucked up and went to jail so I could escape.”
    When she opened her eyes, Dream Bruin studied her, a serious look on his face. “You had no idea what he was?”
    She shook her head. “Not for the first two years. I mean, I suspected he was into something illegal after a few months, but I had no idea about the rest of it. I didn’t know he killed people.”
    “You really were innocent.” His voice drifted, and he looked deep in thought.
    This kind of dream she could do without, but she didn’t interrupt him, afraid she might wake up.
    He looked at her, his face different somehow, warmer. He gathered her into his arms and kissed her, deeply, with far more tenderness and emotion than any of their other dream encounters.
    He spent hours making love to her, not the vigorous fuck-and-fly encounters of previous evenings. Not that she was complaining about the other dreams, because, da- yum . This time, however, it was more than just sex.
    It was love.
    He left her breathless and exhausted, wanting more, wishing she could open her eyes and find herself truly awake in his arms. Before he left he kissed her one last time.
    “I’m so sorry, Genna.”
    “Why?” Maybe tomorrow night she’d get old Dream Bruin back. New Dream Bruin was a buzzkill, even if he left her heart fulfilled in a way he hadn’t before.
    His eyes traveled her face. “I’ll protect you. I promise.”
    She sat up. “What are you talking about?”
    He got out of bed, looking sad. “I didn’t know…I thought…” He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. I swear I’ll protect you.” He leaned over and kissed her one last time, brushing the back of his hand against her cheek. “I love you, Genna. I didn’t expect to, but I do. I love you.”
    Desperate to lighten the mood, Genna smiled. “Hey, you made me yours. You’ve got to come back again, right? Dream hunk or not, don’t leave me hanging.”
    He nodded, but didn’t meet her eyes. “Yeah. I did. And I will. I promise. But I have things to do.” He leaned in one last time and kissed her. “I will keep you safe.” With that he changed into the dog. It happened so fast she nearly missed it in the dark room, and he left.

    * * * *

    Genna awoke the next morning feeling disquieted, unsettled. Where normally a Bruin dream would leave her with a happy morning glow, that one was just plain…creepy. Not the sex part, because that was great. That he seemed worried, that worried her.
    Bruin didn’t appear in the office. At lunch she walked downstairs to eat outside in the shade of one of the trees. It was a beautiful day, not too hot. In the shade it would feel comfortable.
    A man leaned against her car. Stiff with fear, she walked toward him before recognizing Lester’s attorney. Heart in her throat, she greeted him. “Hello.”
    “I came to let you know we got Lester an emergency appeal. He’ll be out on bond by late tonight.”
    She froze. “How did you find me?”
    “He made me hire a PI to keep track of you.”
    “He knows where I live?”
    He snorted. “Of course he does. And where you work. And all about your little extracurricular activities. I came to warn you that you have to leave. Now. Pack and get the hell somewhere away from here. I’d say Outer Mongolia might be a nice choice. He said he’s