Free Dream Bound by Kate Douglas Page A

twelve to four during the day. I am most definitely not a morning person.” She leaned over and kissed Finn on top of the head. “Behave, scoundrel,” she said, heading for the restroom.
    “I’d like the morning shift, from eight to twelve.” Lizzie patted Finn’s knee. Then she leaned close and planted a big kiss on his lips.
    His eyes went wide, but he didn’t hesitate to kiss her back. Lizzie grinned at him and quickly pushed away from the table. “We can pass like ships in the night,” she said. “And no, don’t even dream about getting lucky.”
    Morgan snorted. “I’ll take either four to eight or eight to midnight. Rodie? Which would you prefer?” He glanced her way.
    Rodie shrugged. “I’m a night owl. Eight to midnight works for me. I want to see the stars while I’m talking to them.”
    “I hadn’t thought about that, but yeah. I like the idea of knowing who I’m talking to.” Morgan glanced at Mac. “Or projecting. Sending ... whatever.”
    “All of the above.” Mac pushed his chair back and stood. “If you want to refill your soft drinks or you need a restroom stop, do it now. We’ve still got four or five hours to go, and not too many towns in between. I’ve got a crew at the site who’ll have dinner for us when we arrive.” He tossed his soft drink cup in the trash. “I’ll be out in the car.”
    His cell phone rang as he headed out the door. He checked the screen, took the call. Listened to the head of security at the site for a moment before giving him an estimated time of arrival.
    Then he ended the call and stared at the screen. “Crap.” It appeared things were already going to shit.

4
    L izzie curled up against the window with Finn next to her and Kiera on the opposite side. For the past half hour or so, she and Kiera had tried communicating without words. Already they were forging the barest of telepathic links. It wasn’t easy, but it was working.
    Mac hadn’t been kidding.
    For some reason, though, when she tried to see Finn’s thoughts, she came up against nothing but a wall of sensation. It took her a while to figure out what was going on, but she finally realized the guy was immersed in sexual fantasies. Vivid, kinky, over-the-top fantasies, and both she and Kiera were right in the midst of all of them.
    He was simple enough to block. She’d discovered that if she thought of a one-way mirror that would allow her images through but keep his away, it worked.
    That was all it took—if she pictured something, it was so.
    Now, if she could link with Kiera, if the two of them, together were to ... oh, my. Inspired, aware of a new sense of focus even as she bit back an incipient case of giggles, Lizzie tried to reach Kiera once again. An idea was forming, one that could certainly make the long drive go by faster.
    Suddenly, Kiera’s dark eyes went wide. Lizzie?
    Amazing! It was almost as if a window had opened between them. Yes! You can understand me?
    I can. This is the clearest you’ve been.
    I’ve got an idea. She sent her thoughts to Kiera, wondering if they might be too abstract for the other girl to understand, but Kiera’s devilish grin was all the confirmation she needed.
    Finn was leaning back against the seat, his lips curved in a mysterious smile, eyes shut, and a huge bulge at the crotch of his jeans. Dozing—not really sleeping, but not wide awake, either—and obviously enjoying his fantasies.
    It was time to take this to the next level. He’d started out as a tease, but then, after their lunch break, he’d gotten a little more touchy-feely than either Lizzie or Kiera appreciated. Maybe it was the long trip, or boredom, or just his natural impulsiveness, but since lunch Finn had gone from cute to merely irritating to acting like a horny teen without any controls or concept of limits.
    They’d responded by giving him the silent treatment until he’d retreated. Now that Lizzie knew he’d merely slipped into his own little fantasy world—one