Taken at Dusk (Shadow Falls #3)(53)

He smiled up at her with his sleepy blue eyes. "I was beginning to think you would never visit me in my dreams again."

Suddenly, the clouds evaporated like unwanted fog and they were back outside where they'd danced earlier that evening. The moon and stars cast lovely shadows around them. Only this time, the night played the music. Crickets and an occasional bird harmonized with the sound of a light breeze stirring through the leaves of shrubbery and the rustle of live oak trees.

"Shall we dance?" He held out his hand.

She started to place her hand in his palm when she realized he didn't have on a shirt. Instead of jeans, he had on a long, loose-fitting pair of boxers. The kind boys slept in-if they didn't sleep nude. The kind the movie stars often wore in those sexy photos.

She swallowed a nervous tickle. He looked really good. Warm and so touchable. And almost naked. As if nothing more than a flick of his thumb could leave him completely bare.

"Uh..." She waved her hand up and down. "Shouldn't you get dressed?"

He grinned and then laughed outright-something he didn't do often. "This is your dream, Kylie. You dressed me for the occasion. You're in charge of what I wear. So, the better question is ... is this how you want me to be dressed?"

She felt her face heat up and wished she could deny it, but Holiday had told her as much during their discussions of dreamscaping. She controlled everything, from the person she visited to what happened during her visit. So what did it mean that she had visited Derek first?

And why had she wanted Lucas half-dressed?

Okay, that was a stupid question.

"Oh..." She let her voice fade away, not really sure what else to say. That's when she noticed what she was wearing. The same short pajama set she'd worn to bed-they consisted of a pale blue body-hugging tank top and a pair of tight dark blue boy shorts. A bathing suit would have shown more skin, but she still felt slightly naked.

She wasn't sure how she could change the clothes they were wearing, but she closed her eyes and concentrated for a couple of seconds. When she opened her eyes again, she saw she was back in her black party dress-much more appropriate. Lucas wore jeans and a white T-shirt with a big yellow smiley face on it.

He looked down at his shirt and then back up at her with a funny frown. "Seriously? This is what you chose?"

"I'm new at this," she said, defending herself. "But it's not that bad."

"A smiley face?" He chuckled again. "Just remind me to never let you buy me clothes."

She laughed, and then he held out his hand again. "Are we here to dance?"

This time, she took it and let him pull her against him.

When his warm arms went around her and his chest melted against hers, it reminded her how it felt to slip into a warm bed on a cold night. She sighed at how comforting it felt to be held by him again. When she rested her cheek on his chest, his hand moved around her waist and his almost electric pulse fluttered against her lower back. That flutter seemed to move inside her and caused her blood to pulse.

She recalled the question she needed to ask him and lifted her head and rested her chin against his chest. He looked down and met her gaze. His blue eyes were hooded with something that looked like passion, and she wondered if her own eyes showed the same emotion.

"Can I ask you something?"

"It's your dream," he whispered. "We can do anything you want." There was an emphasis on the word anything that caused a ripple of nervousness to move through her.

Anything.

Taking a deep breath, she stopped dancing and slid her hand up his chest to where she felt his heart pumping.

"Tonight, you mentioned that you were good at ... the art of persuasion."

His lips curled into a smile. "Yeah, I remember that." His voice had a teasing, sensual quality that made her want to shiver and press herself closer to him.

"What ... what did you mean by that?"

His smile turned ultrasexy. "I'd rather show you."

She nipped at her bottom lip, considering his offer. She was tempted-Lord, how she was tempted. And what would be the harm in saying yes, just this one time? After all, this was just a dream. Anything that happened here would have no effect on her real life. Right?

"Relax, Kylie," he said. "It's just a dream." His words echoed her own thoughts. Then his warm lips brushed against her brow and the ripple of unease increased.

"Maybe it's just a dream," she said. "But it feels real and I'm ... I prefer you just answered my question the old-fashioned way."

He nodded. For a second, he appeared not to want to continue, but then he said, "It's not like a trick or anything. It's part of what I am. It's instinctual."

"What's instinctual?"

"When a were is with a potential mate, our bodies react in certain ways." He paused as if he knew his explanation wouldn't be enough. "Last night, when you had your head on my chest, you heard the sound ... the low growl."

"Like a purring or humming," she said, remembering being lulled by the soft noise.

He nodded. "Well, that reverberation is supposed to be somewhat hypnotic. It encourages our potential mate to want to be closer."

Close and naked, Kylie thought, but didn't say it. "It makes one dizzy, too," she said, remembering how she'd felt last night.