Free Dream Lover by Té Russ Page A

considerably. As he prepared to get up to leave, she rolled over and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Don't go,” he heard her mumble into the pillow.
    His heart began pounding rapidly in his chest. Even with her sick, the feeling of her wrapped around him in such a way made him feel amazing. This felt so right. This felt like the way things should be. He ran his hand across her hair.
    “I'll stay for a little while,” he whispered.
    He smiled as she nodded and felt her squeeze him tighter. He kicked off his shoes and slid further down in the bed, then gathered her up in his arms. With her head on his chest, he continued to stroke her hair and watched her sleep.
    An hour later, she hadn't moved. “Peaches,” he whispered. “Peaches, I'm going to go to the guestroom.” As soon as he began to move, she squeezed him tighter. She didn't say anything, but her actions spoke volumes, whether she realized it or not.
    This time he lay all the way down in the bed with her, and held her well after he'd fallen asleep. He stayed with her for the next three days and slept with her every night.
     
    Liz opened her eyes to darkness. She looked over to the clock and saw the time. It was four in the morning. She felt much better than she had in days and she knew why. She felt the weight of his strong arm draped possessively around her waist. She tried to move gently so she wouldn't wake him, but the minute she moved, he pulled her tighter in his arms. She rolled around in his arms to face him.
    He was still asleep. The moon was shining through the window, casting a glow on his face. He looked absolutely beautiful. He looked, as he’d recently described her, absolutely delectable. His facial features were strong, with his high, yet masculine cheekbones.  She reached up to touch his cheek, but quickly pulled her hand away, thinking the touch she was about to place on his cheek was reserved for lovers.
    As she continued to stare at him, his eyes slowly opened. A look of heavy desire filled his eyes. She looked away and tried to search her scrambled mind for something to say. She could hardly think with the way he was holding her and gazing at her.
    "I am famished," she blurted out.
    He didn't say anything right away; he just continued to stare at her.
    Then he said, "I'll go heat you up some soup."
    She shook her head. "I'm tired of soup. I'm ready for real food." As if on cue, her stomach began to growl.
    He was still staring at her. He slowly raised one arm up, while continuing to hold her tightly with the other arm, and placed the back of his hand on her forehead. He smiled, looking pleased with himself. "Your fever is finally gone. What do you want to eat?"
    She shrugged. "I-I don't know."
    He smiled at her again and pulled her closer. "Well, that's a first."
    Then they fell into silence again. She realized his hand was still on her face, now caressing it so softly. Her pulse quickened. She knew she should have moved away, especially when his face crept closer to hers, but she couldn't find the power to move. He placed a kiss as soft as a feather on her lips.
    "You'll get sick," she whispered.
    Satisfied that she didn't really try to stop him, he said, "I'll take my chances."
    Then he kissed her again. This time it was deeper.
    She sighed into his mouth and as she did, he took advantage of her open mouth and dipped his tongue inside. She couldn't resist putting her arms around his neck and folding into him.
    Sensing her acceptance of the kiss, he groaned and slipped his hand under her shirt and began to explore her body. She could feel her temperature rising and it wasn't because of any cold. His hands moved down to her hips and pulled her closer. She could feel his need for her.
    Suddenly she was hit with the full impact of what was going on. They were in her bed, making out, probably very close to doing other things. She broke off the kiss and scrambled out of his arms. She ran her hand nervously through her hair. "Why do keep