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When Rain showed up at her door that night, Wilo smacked his chest and cried, “How dare you! How dare you stay away so long!”
Rain caught her hand before she swatted him again and planted a kiss on her knuckles. “I'm sorry. It wasn't my choice,” he said. “My visits largely depend on you, my lady, and the activity going on in your head. Unless you're in a deep sleep and already dreaming, I'm afraid there's nothing I can do.”
“So... it's my fault?” Wilo freed her hand and stroked his chest. “In that case, I... I'm sorry I punched you.”
“Was that supposed to be a punch?” Rain chuckled. “It seemed more like a loving tap to me.”
“Good. That is precisely what it was supposed to feel like, because I would never want to hurt you.” Wilo was in a plain white dress with her hair cascading over her shoulders. Once again, she was barefoot in her dream, where she chose to be free of society's expectations of her. Rain didn't seem to mind an occasional glimpse of her bare toes beneath the hem of her dress.
“So, what should be tonight's grand adventure?” Rain asked. “Last time it was Venice. Today it should be... what? Paris? Milan? The Acropolis of Athens? You know, I've actually spent very little time exploring your country. Perhaps we could visit Stonehenge? It's always been a curiosity to me.”
“Stonehenge would be fine, but...” Wilo took his arm and pulled him into her bedchamber. “If you don't mind, I would rather stay here. With you.”
“In your bedroom, my lady?” A grin took his lips as he studied her fluffy pillows and blankets. “Correct me if I'm mistaken, but... in your society, isn't it scandalous for a man to visit a lady in her private quarters?”
“Only if the lady is a maid... which, as Arthur has constantly pointed out, I am not,” Wilo said. “Besides, we're in a dream. Here, at least, I don't have to worry about society.”
“I was only teasing, Wilomena!” Rain's eyes were suddenly drawn to her neck. Long and ivory, her neck had always been a fascination to him. It was easy to imagine his lips gliding along her skin. He could imagine his mouth stamping kisses across her flesh, his head buried against the curve of her—
Rain shook his head, banishing his lecherous thoughts. It wasn't proper to have such thoughts about a woman he was supposed to protect.
When she asked, “What are you thinking right now?” he nearly choked on his tongue.
“It... is nothing that would interest you, I'm sure,” Rain said.
“Are you sure?” Wilo cocked her head and grinned. “I'd like to know what's on your mind. You share so little of it, and yet... you know everything about me. That hardly seems fair!”
“Wilo... if you knew what was on my mind, I'm certain you would banish me from your room.”
She challenged him again, “Are you certain? I wouldn't be surprised if we were sharing the same thought.”
“In that case...” Rain drew a deep breath, preparing himself for the most difficult speech he would ever utter. “I think you're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, and I despise your husband... not only for the disgusting way he treats you, but for failing to realize how unbelievably lucky he is. If I ever think of anything but you, I consider it a waste of space in my mind. I adore you. I've loved you for years, and... I dream of being with you.”
“Dream.” Wilo's lips were tipped by a smile. “Are you using that word ironically? Because we are quite literally in a dream right now.”
“But you know it's no less real than anything you experience in the waking world,” Rain said. “Cecilia and George fell in love in their dreams while he was in a coma. If that doesn't convince you how real this is, nothing ever will.”
“I want to believe that, and... I want to be yours.” When she felt Rain's fingers gliding along her arm, she closed her eyes. “I don't want to be anywhere else but here.”
Wilomena took his hand, led him to her bed, and hoped no words were needed to show what she desired. His arms wrapped around her, and hers slid around his back, and as they embraced, Wilo battled an urge to cry. She had been miserable for so long, she had forgotten what it was like to be happy. Arthur convinced her she was soiled goods, that she didn't deserve to be happy. Rain's gentle embrace told a different story.
When Rain's lips went to her neck, a moan slipped out of her. She clung to him tighter, savoring the intoxicating ecstasy of his mouth on her skin. Her head tilted, granting his lips permission to explore her neck.
Wilomena tugged her dress lower, encouraging him to sample a bare shoulder—and he did. His lips suckled her neck, her shoulder, and her collarbone. A passionate growl rumbled from his throat as he devoured her.
At long last, his mouth finally crashed into hers. As they kissed, he made her forget everything that troubled her. Wilomena gripped his hair, deepened the kiss, and crushed her lips into his.
Wilo made a tiny gasp when his hands cupped her bottom.
Hearing her gasp, he asked, “Have I presumed too much?”
“No. No, I want this!” Wilo cried. “I want this... I want this... I want you.”
Wilo's fingers disappeared beneath his shirt, caressing his bare back. When he tore off the garment, her throat made an approving moan. His lips left hers, and he pulled back to gaze into her eyes.
Cupping her face his hands, Rain whispered, “Do you want this?”
“God, yes!” Wilo cried. Her fingers were already tracing the muscles of his chest. “I want this more than you can imagine! How many times must I tell you?”
Rain brought his lips to her ear. When he spoke, tingles ignited along her spine. “I adore you, Wilomena. I adore you, I adore you, I adore you. And I want you to be happy.”
“Then you better get me out of this dress!” Wilomena demanded. “That would make me happy.”
Rain had seen her naked once, entirely by accident. This was different. When he removed her dress and undergarments and absorbed every inch of her skin, she had asked him to, and she wanted it as much as he did. As Wilo removed his breeches, his hands cupped her bare breasts, and his mouth sampled a nipple. Wilomena moaned when she felt his lips on the most secret parts of her.
Rain peppered kisses across her body, from her neck to the heat between her legs. Her knees parted, begging him to explore her further. When he was inside of her, the pleasure she felt in her dream surged into her body as she slept. Ecstasy shook her to the core, and when it was over, she laid her cheek against his chest.
“I love you,” Wilo whispered. “It may be too soon for me to say that. I haven't known you as long as you've known me, but... I know I need you. I hate waking up. Nowadays, I only want to sleep, and I never know if I'll see you when I do. It's sad.”
“I wish you didn't feel that way,” Rain said. “I'm glad you love me. I love you too, but I want you to enjoy your life as well.”
She would only enjoy a life without Arthur, but she didn't want to mention his name, not when they were so happy.
Wilomena asked, “Do you think it's possible I won't see you again?” Dread simmered in her stomach when he hesitated. After such a blissful night, she hated to think her joy would end. Prodding him with an elbow, she whined, “Rain... don't be silent!”
“I'm sorry. I was... lost in thought,” he said. “I've broken several rules to be with you, but that's not going to stop me. As long as I'm able, I'll be here.”
“Good.” A relieved sigh poured out of her, then she rewarded him with a kiss. “For a moment, you had me worried.”