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He’d said the same thing to her in her dream. It had to be coincidence. People didn’t actually share dreams. He’d seen the painting. Understood how important the wolf and her work were. “You’re making fun of me.” And it hurt, damn it. “I need to leave.” She wouldn’t sit here and allow him to ridicule her. She jumped to her feet and reached for her portfolio.
“I owe you a pair of panties.”
When his words registered, her lungs constricted. She dropped back down onto the chair and squeezed her eyes tight, wishing she could banish the images flashing through her mind. “There’s no way you could have known. Unless…” She couldn’t finish the thought.
“I was there. Look at me.” Taking a shaky breath, she raised her head and promptly got lost in the sensual promise in his eyes. “I can feel the shape of your ass in my hands, the silkiness of your skin against my fingers. I can taste you on my lips and tongue.”
She was practically panting, every nerve ending in her body springing to life. His words evoked every memory, making them more potent. It was real. It had happened. As implausible, as out-of-this-world as it seemed, the truth couldn’t be denied.
“How?” she whispered, her voice low and breathless.
“That’s what I want to know.” It didn’t take a mind reader to tell he wasn’t entirely happy about their late-night adventures.
Invading someone’s dream would be like breaking into their home. Once again, she’d been an unwanted guest. It was a feeling she was familiar with. “I would never… Not on purpose. I didn’t know such a thing was possible.” There had to be a rational explanation. The alternative was that they were somehow connected through her wolf. She couldn’t bring herself to believe he was actually a wolf. That veered into the realm of fantasy. “I won’t do it again. Or I’ll try not to.” How could one guarantee anything when it came to dreams?
He rubbed a hand over his face and sighed. “I have things to share, things you need to be aware of, but this isn’t the time or place.”
“You’re talking about magic. That’s why you asked me about it. You really believe in it, don’t you?” Talk about things taking another bizarre turn. “Are you a magician? Have you put some sort of spell on me? Hypnotized me?” Maybe they hadn’t shared a dream at all. Maybe he’d implanted the suggestion. The mere thought made her feel violated. “I don’t know what’s going on between us, but I don’t want any part of it.” She’d jumped from the frying pan into the fire, fleeing one bad situation only to end up smack dab in the middle of another. Her knees were shaky, but she got to her feet.
The muscles around his mouth tightened. He canted his head to the side. His elbows rested on the arms of his chair, his hands steepled together. A sense of barely contained energy swirled around him. “You’re free to leave, but you need help.”
He wasn’t wrong. “I can take care of myself.” She always had.
“Not against something like this.”
Her fingers tightened around her portfolio. “Stop talking in riddles.” She should have already made her escape, but there was a thread of truth in his words.
“Magic is real. I’m not talking about the kind you see on a stage in Las Vegas. I’m talking about dark mages who can bend the very laws of physics. People who will do anything to obtain and keep power. And to answer your question, no, I’m not one. I hate those bastards.”
“Right, I forgot, you can’t be a magician. I mean a mage. You’re the gray wolf. Do you really think I’m that gullible?” It was a kneejerk reaction to deny any of this could be true.
“I think you’re either up to your neck in this conspiracy or you’ve been thrust into the center of a game you weren’t aware you were playing.” He was sitting calmly, but deadly vibes pulsed in the air around him.
A chill invaded her body until she was trembling from head to toe. She swallowed heavily. Sweat beaded on her brow. Her hand began to ache. She rubbed it against her thigh.
His gaze narrowed in on the action. “Your hand hurts?”
Confusion swamped her. Her stomach turned queasy, and her vision dimmed. “None of this makes sense.” She stared at her hand. It looked the same but felt different. “Something happened when Solange shook my hand.”
All the air seemed to be sucked out of the room. Her throat constricted. She clutched her neck and began to gasp. Swearing, he shoved her back down onto her chair and crouched beside her, his large presence both protection and a threat. “Breathe, Luna. You’re safe.”
Closing her eyes, she sucked in some air, then a bit more. When she was steady again, she looked at him. “I’m not sure what happened.” Questions about her dream life and mental health aside, there was something physically wrong with her.
“Mild panic attack.” He gripped the arms of her chair, essentially blocking her in without touching her. It occurred to her that he hadn’t made physical contact of any kind since she’d arrived. Even when he’d pushed her into the chair he’d shoved her portfolio against her, using the leather case as a buffer. He truly believed in magic. And God help her, she was beginning to.
“Look at me, Luna.” She slowly raised her head until their eyes met. For a split second, the head of a wolf semi imposed over his face. Great, now she was seeing things. “Who is Solange?”
A shudder racked her entire body. Talking about her seemed wrong. As if saying her name somehow gave her power. She’d seen a movie like that once. It was fanciful, but she couldn’t shake the notion. Ignoring the cold itch sneaking down her spine, she focused on Kade. “She’s the client from the gallery, the one who wants the painting, the one I didn’t want to touch.”
“But you did.” God, he sounded even grimmer, if such a thing was possible.
“I already told you I did.”
“It’s time to leave.” Kade glanced over his shoulder. It was strange to see guests walking across the lobby, heading to their rooms or out onto the street, employees working behind the reservations desk as if nothing earth shattering had occurred. The rest of the world was business as usual while Luna felt as though her concept of reality had been totally blown to bits.
The abrupt change in subject was like being dashed with a bucket of cold water. Kade’s insistence that he was the gray wolf and that magic was real were red flags. She had enough problems on her plate without adding more, no matter how attracted she was to him. Worse, the longer she was around him, the more inclined she was to believe him.
He had a life, a business of some kind to run. She had no idea what it was he even did. The stark reminder brought her back down to Earth with a giant thud. She was nothing more to him than an odd woman who’d somehow invaded his dream, an artist he’d taken an interest in. “I’ll be going. I apologize for calling you. It was an impulse.”
