Matt took one step forward. "You're not losing your mind, Summer. Didn't you ever wonder if I was out there somewhere, real? If our dreams were shared and not just a figment of your imagination?"She shook her head. "No. It just - No.""It just what, sugar? Can't be? Why not? Is it any crazier than two people getting stuck in a Christmas ornament? Or a dating service that doesn't exist fixing up a perfect couple?" He took another step, hands out, reaching for her. "How about a girl turning into a rabbit until she makes up with her ex? You know all those are true. You're the one who told me about them. Magic happened for your siblings, so why not for us?""Because nothing happened to the others when they were six. You - you've been part of my whole life." She stood her ground, fists balled as he continued to approach. God, she was every bit as stunning as he had dreamed. "What the hell, have you been somehow stalking me in my dreams, and now you're taking it up a notch?""What?" An
"I think," Summer said, "maybe we should start with lunch." She picked up her bag and her blanket. "Come on up to the house. I'll fix you a sandwich and you can tell me about your new house and new job."It was an olive branch, and Matt's mom hadn't raised a stupid son. He smiled and stood. "Lunch would be great. We can go out somewhere if you want - if you're not comfortable being alone with me yet."She tipped her head and looked him up and down then grinned. "We'll eat on the deck. It's just barely visible from the house next door, and I warn you I can scream really loud. Deal?" She stuck out a hand.Matt shook it, even though he'd have rather pulled her into his arms. Then he stepped back and gestured for her to lead the way to her rental house. "Deal."Matt waited for her out on the raised wooden deck while Summer went into the kitchen to collect things for sandwiches. Her stomach churned so violently she didn't know if she was going to be able to eat, but putting together fre
Huh. She had to think about that. Was there anything important they hadn't talked about? An idea popped into her head. "Do you have pictures in your wallet of your family?""Not in my wallet, but on my phone." He reached into the back pocket of his shorts and pulled out a leather wallet. "ID's in there. You should look at it." From the other pocket he pulled a smart phone and started pushing buttons.Summer opened the wallet and looked at the driver's license showing through a clear plastic window. Matthew H. Warren of Morgan's Creek, Texas. The picture was undoubtedly his, though his hair was shorter and he looked younger. The birth date was November second, the one she remembered. He was three years older than she. Everything added up, except for one thing. "No South Carolina license yet?""I didn't want to get a new one until I can use my new address." He nodded at her to keep going. "My military ID should be right underneath. It has a more recent picture."It was. Matt looked o
Matt collected his T-shirt and sport sandals from his pickup then climbed back into the passenger seat of Summer's classy little blue sedan. He didn't really care how they spent the day, as long as she let him spend it with her. Sooner or later, he had to believe she'd let down the walls she'd built and remember how good they were together.Of course he also enjoyed the idea of shopping with her to furnish his house. After all, if he had his way, she'd be living there soon herself. She might as well like whatever he bought. Besides, it would be good to see how their tastes coincided.The long, narrow island just off the coast had a Victorian downtown at the far end, giving it a small-town feel even though it was only thirty minutes or so from Charleston. Matt had looked at houses out here, but they were beyond his price range. One thing that hadn't occurred to him was the differences in how he and Summer had been reared. She'd always been wealthy, never done without. Matt had learned
Shopping with Matt was fun. They dropped the kites and toys in her car before walking hand in hand to the antiques mall across the street. It was a huge, old feed store that had been converted so numerous dealers each had areas for their wares. Consequently, the place was piled high with junk and treasures. Summer loved poking around in here because she spotted something new every time, even if she hardly ever bought anything. Her tiny apartment was already overflowing. Seeing the place through Matt's eyes was even more enlightening. He had an appreciation for craftsmanship and vintage technology that she hadn't known about from her - their - dreams. She watched him examine antique tools and machinery with a connoisseur's eye."There's an old workshop in the garage of my house," he said absently. "Maybe later I'll get to building or fixing up things on my own.""I imagine you'd be good at anything you try." Oops! She hadn't intended to say that out loud."Thanks." He dropped a kiss
Once outside in the sunshine, he pulled her closely against his side as they strolled down the sidewalk toward the beach. As it wasn't quite dinnertime, they took their time, window shopping in various little stores. Summer kept pointing out things he'd need to set up housekeeping, and Matt kept grunting. Apparently buying furniture had exhausted his interest in shopping.The sidewalk ended at a small playground right in front of the sandy ocean beach. They stood together for a while, watching half a dozen children playing on the swings and slide. Matt squeezed Summer's hand."You know, we never once talked about kids," he murmured in her ear. "Well, maybe back in high school. But never as adults.""That's because I thought you were a dream," she reminded him. "Didn't seem pertinent. Whenever we were together, we had better things to do than talk.""True." His heartbeat quickened audibly.She was sure hers did too, thinking about the dreams."So, do you want a big family?" His vo
Matt sat on his lumpy hotel room bed and tried to pay attention to the television.His meeting today with Summer hadn't gone as well has he'd hoped, but it had gone better than he had any right to expect. She hadn't told him to take a flying hike, but he was still stuck here while she was in her lonely bed, miles away. At least now she knew he was real. What was it going to take to convince her he was serious about her, about them? He'd spent his whole life falling in love with Summer. He didn't want to wait months or even years for her to fall in love with him.He'd done more walking than usual today, and his hip ached. Since he was trying to keep his use of pain pills to the bare minimum, he went down to the hotel's pool area and lounged in the hot tub for a while, letting the heated jets relax the stiffened muscles. A small spa was definitely something to consider for his backyard. He figured it could be added unobtrusively, without significant damage to the landscaping. That thou
Saturday morning, Matt had mixed feelings about loading his luggage into his truck and checking out of the hotel, but he reminded himself that if Summer threw him out, he could find another place to stay until Monday.As he loaded his briefcase, he picked up a small velvet box and flipped it open. The round diamond solitaire in a gold flower setting winked up at him. He'd bought it in Switzerland a year ago, when he'd been on leave from a posting in Germany. The moment he'd seen it, something about it had just said, "Summer". He'd been carrying it around like a talisman ever since.Wishing himself luck, he stashed it at the bottom of his laptop bag.On the way out to her rental house, he picked up several boxes of condoms, a six-pack of his favorite beer, a big bunch of bright gerbera daisies, and the chicken he'd promised her for lunch. He even bought her coleslaw, along with a green salad for him.Trying not to look too anxious, he drove slowly, not pulling into her driveway unti
Sam watched Evie survey the last few kids out and about. He was just about to turn off the lights and call it a night. Time for one last interlude with the woman he loved. Her song had haunted his mind all day. Likely it would the rest of his life.He saw the young teen walking alone and heard the car come around the corner far too fast. In the moonlight, his heart lurched as he saw Evie start to run.Sam vaulted the porch rail and nearly caught up to her just as she shoved the kid out of the path of the car.He was just close enough to see it strike her, to see her beautiful face as she screamed and fell.The car screeched to a halt and the driver burst out of the door as Sam frantically searched for Evie, calling her name.But all trace of her was gone. No blood marred the pavement.The kid picked himself up off the grass and turned. "What the fuck?" Eyes wide, he looked up at Sam. "Dude, you saved my life. But I could have sworn it was a chick."Sam swallowed hard. He remembe
She pulled back to look him in the eyes. "Me too, Sam. I don't regret a moment, not for myself. Knowing you was worth a hundred-year wait. But you...you have to go on living. Promise me you'll try to find someone. A kind woman who can make you laugh again, who can share your life, maybe give you a family to fill this old, lonely house.""I can't promise that." He wiped the tears from her cheek with his thumb. "After you - I don't know that any other woman would ever measure up."No, this couldn't be happening. It was all right for him to care about her, and it was fine for him to have broken her heart. She'd given it freely. But Sam had so much life ahead of him. "You have to promise to try. The Fates wouldn't be so cruel, Sam. There's a living, breathing woman out there for you somewhere. Please don't give up." She sniffled as more tears spilled down her cheeks."Don't cry anymore, Evie." His voice, already hoarse, cracked. "I promise, sweetheart. I'll try. Just maybe not right awa
It was Evie's last day and he wanted it to be perfect. He'd offered her the option of doing anything she wanted. He loved handing out candy to trick-or-treaters, but he'd happily skip this year if there was something else she wanted to do.As it turned out, Evie's preferences were pretty simple. They spent the hours from midnight 'til dawn in bed. Then he showed her the joys of shower sex, taking her up against the wall with the water spraying all around them. He shaved her legs for her because she wanted to look more modern, if only for him.And that led to his carefully shaving her all the way up, until her luscious pussy was as bare and pink as could be. Of course he couldn't resist diving in to taste then filling her so she could feel the difference without hair.Then he finally let her get dressed. They were both moving gingerly when they made their way down the stairs for brunch. He hadn't had a workout like this since - well, ever."I have a birthday gift for you," she told
It took a little experimentation for Evie to find the motion that worked best - not that anything felt bad with Sam inside her and his hands on her breasts. Finally she settled on an up-and-down movement, with her hands braced on his shoulders. His cock rubbed her in just the right spots. She felt herself going higher, tighter than ever before.When Sam took one hand off her nipple, she almost cried out at the loss. She watched him lick his index finger and wondered what he was about to do, though she was so caught up in fucking him she really didn't care. She was close, so close to her climax, and she trusted him implicitly.He reached behind her and placed the tip of his finger on her anus, pressing it just a tiny bit inside the tight opening.Evie gasped. "Sam?""Do you like it?" he rasped.It was odd, but not unpleasant. She nodded, still riding him frantically. "Good," he grunted, thrusting up hard into her cunt at the same time as his finger pressed harder, up to the first k
"Want to light a fire tonight?" he asked as they rounded the last corner and approached their house. "We could make love on that rug in front of the fireplace.""Oh yes," she breathed, beaming up at him. A few minutes later she sat on his sofa sipping wine while he built a fire in the old brick hearth. She kicked off her shoes and socks, even removed her jacket and sweater, and waited for him in just her jeans and camisole, her hard nipples rasping on the silk as she watched the flex of his strong muscles underneath his snug knit shirt.When he was done, he went to wash his hands, returning in nothing but yet another pair of colorful cotton undershorts. He set a small bundle on the hearth then watched as Evie stripped off her jeans and joined him on the fluffy cotton rug.This time, she took the initiative, dropping to her knees in front of him and taking his face between her hands as she kissed him.He tasted of strawberries and wine and smelled faintly of his lemon-scented soap a
They settled Ghengis in his crate and made their way up the stairs. Sam laid out the clothes he'd bought then shaved and brushed his teeth, changing into a clean shirt and jeans while Evie watched. His ghost was quite the little voyeur. Then at the stroke of midnight, he met her in the hallway and this time it was he who pulled her down the hall to the bedroom - after a long, spine-tingling kiss.He swatted her backside playfully when she groped his cock. "None of that, woman. Not yet, at least. Now we're off to see the world." There was so much he wanted to show her, and so little time."Fine." She tugged off the nightgown she'd worn during the day and studied the garments on the bed. "You have excellent taste, Sam. I suppose that goes with being an artist." It took just seconds for her to pull on the silky bikini underpants and camisole. Slender as she was, she didn't need a bra.She eyed the jeans with delight. "I wore my brother's old trousers only once when I was little - my fa
Evie let Sam help her from the bed. He had been bigger than her fingers, and her body was fully corporeal this time. There was a bit of tenderness between her legs, but sex with Sam had been worth every pang and twinge. He sat her on a stool in the bathroom with a glass of water while he disposed of the used condom then filled his oversized bathtub with water. The scent of lavender and vanilla perfumed the room as fluffy white bubbles foamed up in the tub."Here." He watched while she bundled her hair into the now-familiar plastic clip then handed her two small brown pills from a plastic bottle. "These are pain relievers. They may or may not work on you, but they shouldn't cause any harm.""Thank you." She swallowed the tablets, marveling at how far medicine had come since she was alive. Willow bark tea had done some good but it had tasted horrible. These pills she couldn't even taste. "It doesn't hurt badly - and I don't regret it for a moment." He hadn't asked but she'd learned to
"Let's make sure it was worth the wait." Sam kissed Evie again, taking back control and making sure she knew just how much he wanted her. He pushed down her shorts then his and pulled back from the kiss just long enough to lift her top over her head. Once they were both naked, he cradled her head in one hand and her ass with the other as he kissed her until neither of them could breathe."Oh yes," she moaned against his lips when they came up for air.Evie sagged toward the bed, and Sam eased her down to the sheets and gazed at her, her pale skin glowing against the burgundy silk. He'd lit the candles again, their glow adding a burnished gleam to her skin and hair. Soft jazz played in the background and the scent of vanilla perfumed the room. The setting was as perfect as he could make it, though not as perfect as Evie. He lay down beside her and kissed her again, this time with all the reverence he was feeling.Her response was electric, sending jolts of pleasure through his skin a
He spent awhile working on his computer but couldn't concentrate. Forcing himself to wait until eleven to start preparing, he gave up trying to work. Instead, he spent a while sketching Evie in various poses, including some he'd only imagined, like outside on a rope swing under a willow tree. Finally, with just an hour more to wait, Sam went upstairs, put the new silk sheets he'd bought onto his bed and arranged the roses he'd smuggled into the fridge before she'd come into the kitchen. He had a pair of silk pajamas for her to wear between her appearances this time, and had carefully hand washed her own garments so they'd be ready when it was time for her to leave. He left a bottle of massage oil warming in a sink of hot water and went back downstairs to prepare her treat - a lightly baked wheel of brie with an apricot glaze and a warmed baguette. A crisp white wine waited in the fridge.Tonight he had an hour and a half. He was still determined not to take her virginity until tomorro