“I wondered if I’d find you here.” A
masculine voice stirred my awareness.
Sitting up, I found myself looking at a
stranger, the gorgeous stranger from before. He was tall, with a muscular frame
and the most stunning blue eyes I’d ever seen. He was peering down with a smile
that said he was happy to stumble across me.
“Do you know where ‘here’ is?” I asked,
reluctantly standing and bringing my contented sunbathing to an end. I tugged
my t-shirt down to cover my bare stomach and pulled on the hem of my shorts. I
hadn’t been naked, but the way the guy’s focus seemed to be soaking in my
appearance, I felt that way. Surprisingly, I didn’t feel threatened.
“It’s our place.” He grinned, taking a
step closer. He raised his arm to brush his fingers through the hanging
branches and pulled off a few leaves. Inhaling the fragrance for a moment, he
let them fall to the ground and glanced around. “We like to come here and be
alone.”
I followed his gaze and nodded. It did
fit the description as a place for an intimate getaway. “We come here?” I
studied his face, but still didn’t recognize him. This turn in the dream made
no sense, but I wasn’t going to fight against it. I was here, with a man who
looked on me with desire, in a place that was nothing short of heaven.
“We do.” He didn’t add anything more to
his response. With a wink, he moved toward the water’s edge and crouched to
test the temperature. “Perfect. Shall we?” He extended his hand and when I
stared back at him curiously, he laughed. “I’ll go first.”
Stripping off his shirt, my eyes feasted
on his hard muscles and contoured ridges. He was tanned, showing he’d spent
many hours out in the sun. I gave a soft, appreciative sigh. He dove into the
pool, swimming below the surface until he reached the other side.
“Are you going to join me?” Liquid
cascaded off him as he stood and my mouth felt suddenly dry. I quickly slipped
out of my clothes, leaving just my bra and panties on, before carefully jumping
in. The water glided over my skin and I smiled at how good it felt.
I dipped under the surface, sleeking my
hair back. “Is it strange that I don’t know who you are?” I kept a close eye on
him as he started swimming toward me. “I feel like I should.”
“You will. In time,” he answered
cryptically, and disappeared beneath the water.
I scanned the area, wanting to see where
he was and shrieked when I felt his hand grab my leg, tugging on it. Fingers
grazed up my thighs before he vanished again. His touch was so
familiar—everything was and I was determined to understand.
“What’s your name?” I coaxed as he
emerged a few feet away, a large grin on his face. “I’m Darcy.”
“I know who you are.” He grinned.
“But I don’t know who you are.” I was
getting tired of being evaded. My dream had gone from something relaxing to
exciting to frustrating.
He stopped moving and locked eyes with
me. Heat blazed from within him. “You know me as many things: best friend,
partner, lover.” The water parted about him as he strode toward me with
definite purpose.
The descriptions struck a chord with my
heart. Yes, he was. But still, I
couldn’t I remember his name.
“Does it matter?” He traced the side of
my cheek tenderly, tilting my chin so he could study me. When I nodded, he
parted his lip to speak. “Very well, my name is . . .”
