Dreams That Bind Us (Romancing The Keys #3)

Chapter 13

K ey West

James stared at the swinging doors, wondering if he'd fallen down some weird rabbit hole. There were several rounds of cheers and toasting from the main room before the DJ interrupted with another loud song request.

He glanced at Anna, who quietly studied her folded hands resting in her lap. She looked like a young child waiting for a punishment. The last thing in the world she'd get from him was any kind of criticism or doubt.

He sipped at his coffee, wincing as it burned its way down his esophagus. "You know, I've never been to the famous Widow's Walk of Paradise West. Would you care to give me a tour?"

Anna blinked several times as if she struggled to process his words. "Of course. I think they have it open now."

"I'd go up there even if they didn't," James teased. He stood and offered her his hand, relief pouring through him when she accepted it without hesitation and rose from her chair. He lifted her chin with his forefinger and smiled when her eyes met his. "You're so beautiful. I've missed you, Anna." James kissed her softly, loving the way her lips clung to his as if they didn't want the kiss to end.

He cleared his throat. "Okay, let's get out of here before I lay you out on this table. If the ladies were shocked earlier, they'll be practically scandalized with what I’m tempted to do."

Anna's bell-like laughter filled the air, and James knew he had fallen hard when his heart sang in response. He wanted to hear that magical sound every day for the rest of his life.

"It's this way." She grabbed his hand and led him out.

The quiet of the kitchen was a direct contrast to the chaos of the main room. James winced as loud off-key notes assaulted his ears. Several of the Royal Conch ladies were leading a group in an interactive bar tune and it sounded like most of the participants were well into their cups.

"It's this way," Anna shouted above the din as she yanked on his hand, and he followed her up the grand staircase. They wound up to the third floor and Anna stopped at the narrow metal staircase that led to the Widow's Walk. Sure enough, it was not only unlocked, but the trapdoor was wide open. James wondered if there were other people up there trying to escape from the screeching sounds below.

He followed Anna up the spiral steps and breathed a sigh of relief at the rush of fresh air that hit the moment his head cleared the trapdoor into the cupola. She led him out of the enclosed space to the open, flat rooftop platform.

It was easily the size of Paradise West's main room and was surrounded by a three-foot metal railing. Several lounge chairs sat side-by-side facing south, an obvious sign that this area got regular use now. He'd remembered that Jack and Gus had cordoned off the area until safety issues were addressed, such as the fencing around the open area and rotted wood planks.

He indicated the chairs with a swing of his arm. "I think they're calling our name, Kitten." He grinned as a rosy hue moved up her cheeks at the use of her nickname. He could still see her blush in the darkening sky.

He sprawled into one of the chairs and watched as Anna moved to the one beside him. When she was close enough, he grasped her by the waist and deposited her between his legs, her back to his chest. He laid back with a sigh, holding onto her, his hands splayed over her midsection. It felt perfect, natural.

"I think we were remiss in not stopping at the bar first. This kind of view deserves a lovely glass of wine."

"You're right. But I think we'd want more than just a glass. We could probably drink an entire bottle up here." Anna's voice held a dreamy tone, as if she were just as mesmerized by the Key West evening as he was.

James grunted. "We'll remember that for next time." She sank further into him, relaxing completely, and her fragrant hair pooled around his face. Rather than brush it away, he funneled his nose in and took a deep breath, then sighed it out with a smile. "You smell so good. It's like I'm walking in the woods and passing a patch of honeysuckle."

Anna angled her head to meet his gaze, her brows beetled. "I'm not wearing any perfume."

"Kitten, you don't have to." He dipped his head to her shoulder and sniffed, moaning as her natural fragrance made parts of his body stand up and take notice. "It’s just your scent, and it's magical. Drawing me in like a honeybee."

Her eyes softened, and her lips curled at the corner. His mouth swooped down and captured hers for a tongue-tangling kiss. She hummed into his mouth, then swiveled back to her original position with a deep sigh.

James rubbed his hand across her stomach, enjoying the feel of her firm body and the soft fabric of her dress.

"You look beautiful tonight." He lifted her arm and kissed his way to her hand, then threaded his fingers through hers. "I hadn't had a chance to tell you yet."

"Thank you." He smiled when her free hand crept to his, imitating the joining of the other pair. She lifted their joined hands and pointed toward the southeast sky. "You can almost make out Orion there. And below it to the left is Venus."

"Mmmmm. That's interesting. Tell me more." James grasped her earlobe between his lips and suckled, noting the way she shivered.

So sensitive…

"There's a full moon tonight." Her voice was breathy, and she leaned her head to the side, giving him better access. "We should see it in an hour or so."

He arched his hips, pressing her onto his achingly hard cock that fought to get free of his pants. Her soft mewl and tightening of her hands said she wanted him too. It was getting difficult to remember that most of Key West was a few floors below them. But he stored this position away in his memory banks for future use.

He released a slow breath and replaced his hands on her midsection, remembering the conversation with her aunt downstairs. "Can we talk about what your aunt said?"

Anna tensed like a coiled spring. "Okay." Her reluctance didn't escape him, but he wasn't fazed by it. The majority of their relationship so far had been like pulling teeth with her.

"Your aunt said you’ve been fighting what’s between us, and I’ve sensed it, too. Can you tell me why? I mean, I can understand not wanting to get entangled in simple dating. But that's not what this is or what's going on. This goes much deeper for each of us. We both know it."

Silence spread between them, and James wondered if he had been too blunt. Maybe he needed to give her the space and time she wanted. She would be worth it.

"I had my first boyfriend when I was sixteen,” Anna started. “He was everything I thought I wanted, and I fell madly in love with him. One day, he witnessed me interacting with a persistent spirit, and he freaked out, just ran away right then. I didn't try to stop him because I instinctively knew something had changed between us. That feeling was confirmed when he broke it off later that day over the phone. I was devastated."

She stopped talking, but James could tell there was more to the story. He drew a hand to his lips and kissed the palm softly. "And?"

"And," she began with a sigh, "two years later, I felt ready to dip my toe into the dating pool again and was quickly swept off my feet by a very debonair gentleman." Her derisive chuckle told him everything.

"This man didn't realize it, but he was surrounded by negative energy, like a cloud all around him everywhere he went." Her nose wrinkled. "It was almost an unpleasant smell, oily like body odor. But I ignored it and actually believed I could help him, fix him. One day, several spirits pressed me to give him a message. When I did, it spooked him so badly, he wet his pants and left. I never heard from him again." She glanced at James. "There were three others after that, all the same result. Well, minus wetting their pants anyway."

James grunted, squeezing her hand again. What idiot would walk away from Anna? He couldn’t wrap his head around it. She was like a beam of pure light in the darkness.

"After that, I swore off all romantic relationships." She paused, her mouth opened, then closed. "Most people can't handle what I see, what I deal with on a regular basis. It was easier to block it all out." She dwindled off.

"There's more. I can hear it in your voice," James encouraged, knowing she had more to tell him.

Anna released a shuddering breath. "Aunt Louise did a reading for me last year, a few months before you arrived in Key West. She told me my soulmate would arrive soon and that I would dream of him before I saw him."

James jerked them both upright. Was she saying what he thought she was?

Anna swiveled in his lap, meeting his gaze, a hand on his chest. "I dreamed of you, too. Every night. I couldn't make it stop. And each dream was more and more…"

"Erotic," he finished, his voice dropping an octave.

"Yes. Aunt Louise also told me that this man would stop at nothing to have me and wouldn’t quit until he claimed my heart and soul." Her brow pinched. "That terrifies me, James. I can't risk another heartbreak, especially not with you. I don't think I would ever recover."

"Oh, Kitten." James dropped back, and she splayed on top of him, her face nuzzling into his neck. "It terrifies me, too. I've never felt anything like this before. Ever. And when you pull away, like you did this week, it terrifies me to think you'll leave me with a broken heart."

She hummed, the vibration moving through his body.

His hands smoothed down her spine. "How about this? Why don't we claim each other? That way, we're both having so much fun, we don't notice or even care."

Anna released a disbelieving snort into his neck. He swatted her rear. "I'm serious, Anna. I've always avoided relationships like the plague. But I know this is different because the thought of losing you makes me insane. Maybe if we do this together, we can make it work."

She gave him a muffled 'okay', bobbing her head. "I could fall asleep right here," she added.

James laughed, more in relief than anything else. "Why don't we go downstairs, take a turn around the room, shake a couple of hands, then go back to my place and make love all night?"

Anna lifted her head, gifting him with a beautiful smile. If he hadn't already been head over heels in love with this woman, that would have pushed him over the edge. She leaned up, giving him a sweet kiss. "Okay!"

"And next time we come up here, let’s remember to bring wine," James commented as they both stood. "Or maybe we just find our own place to lay out under the starry sky."

"I like that second one better." Anna shivered next to him, and James felt a cold shaft of air hit him.

"Damn." He glanced around. No trees were moving, the air was still, no sign of a breeze. "Did you feel that? It got cold all of a sudden."

Anna didn't answer. She stared, fixated, at the door of the cupola.

James couldn't see anything, but he knew instinctively that Anna was seeing something—or someone. Goosebumps shot down his arms.

"Anna, what is it?" he asked in a low voice.

She gestured with her chin. "It's Amelia. She's standing right there, looking at us." Anna pointed to a spot just two feet away.

"Is she telling you something?"

After a moment, Anna smiled, then shook her head. "No. She's just smiling. I think we remind her of her own romance with Ian."

James grimaced. "Except I don't plan on letting ours end the same."

"You can't control destiny, James," she admonished. "But no, that's not what this is. I think she's just letting us know she's here."

As quickly as it came, the cold air was gone, and Anna seemed to wilt into him. "Is she gone?"

Anna nodded. "Yes, she disappeared through the wall, back into the house."

"Huh." He smirked. "Well, now we have a ghost story to tell our grandkids. Come on, let's make those rounds and go home."

James closed his front door and slumped against the solid wood. "Finally! I thought we'd never get away from that insanity."

Anna giggled. She and James eventually got an opportunity to sneak away just as a handful of guests were gearing up for a series of sangria relay races around the grounds. The party had gotten sloppy to say the least.

"Are you hungry?"

She bit her lip and shook her head. Not for food anyway.

"Need something to drink?"

The only thing she needed was him. "Take me to bed, James." She didn't recognize her own voice as she made the command.

A delighted, wolfish grin spread across his face. He looked like a little boy, realizing that the Tooth Fairy really existed. Bending at the waist, he tossed her over his shoulder in a fireman's hold.

"Well, okay then," he said as he charged up the stairs.

Out of the corner of her eye, Anna saw evidence of construction, but at the moment she didn't care, and James was moving too quickly for her to catch more than a glimpse. With a grunt, he tossed her on his massive bed, and she landed with a bounce.

"Are you renovating?" she asked, watching as he ripped his shirt off. His wide, padded shoulders and muscled chest were perfect masculine beauty.

"Mmmhmmm. They started on Monday, based on your recommendations." He lifted his chin at her as he worked his pants. "Strip now. I've been tortured by visions of that position we were in on the Widow's Walk."

A hot blush flooded her cheeks. He hadn't been the only one to be affected by that moment on the lounge chair. His erection had pressed against her bottom, and she knew if they'd been naked, he could have easily lifted her onto his cock.

Her eyes darted around the room. "I don't think anything in here will replicate the lounge chair."

He lifted an arrogant eyebrow as he stood magnificently naked. "You don't think so?" He clucked his tongue. "So little faith." Strutting toward the oversized reclining chair by the window, he sprawled back, his cock jutting straight up and pulsing.

He patted his leg, leering at her. "Come here, Kitten."

Anna's mouth went dry, and she scrambled off the bed, stripping so quickly she nearly ripped her panties. The closer she moved to him, she could see his eyes so dilated with pleasure that they were nearly black.

He reached for her hips, but she pushed his hands away. There was something she wanted to do first. "Put your hands up by your head and don't move them." He inhaled sharply, but did as she ordered, spreading his legs a bit which made his cock bob again.

It demanded her attention, so she leaned in, wrapping her hands around the turgid length, and sucked the smooth tip into her mouth. A rough hiss ripped from him as he arched beneath her, shoving several inches into her mouth. Anna widened her jaw and pulled him, moving rhythmically with his hips. His taste was ambrosia on her tongue.

After several moments, James fisted her hair and lifted her. "Kitten, you keep that up and this will be over before it's even begun." He swatted her butt. "Now get up here."

Anna climbed onto his lap, and he rearranged her—her back to his front, and draped her legs over the large cushioned arms, spreading her wide. His fingers moved expertly over her slick flesh, finding the sensitive button, swollen and aching for attention.

His angled her head as his lips swooped down, capturing hers. He notched his cock into her soft entrance and slowly settled her onto his length. Every inch he worked in set off explosions of pleasure radiating from her core as he continued to deftly work her clit. He easily found a quick rhythm with his fingers that had her arching and on the brink of orgasm. Just as she was about to explode, he slid his cock deep, sending her over the edge.

Anna screamed as her body clenched around his length. He gave her a few seconds to recover before his hands clamped on her hips and began lifting her in a quick pace. James worked another miracle on her body as she climbed swiftly toward another peak. All Anna had to do was lean back and enjoy the ride.

Their movements became jerky as James slammed into her over and over. His grasp on her hips tightened as he growled in her ear. His arm became iron bars, locking her into place as he reached his peak, pulsing inside her.

The only sound in the room was their heavy breathing. Anna lay sprawled on his heaving chest, wondering why in the world she had ever fought this. What she and James had was magic, something people searched for all their lives.

With a deep groan, James carried her to the bed and wrapped his body around hers. She shivered as his lips kissed the soft skin beneath her ear.

“Kitten…” he whispered as he drifted off. Anna swiftly followed, that elusive sense of peace she’d always been striving for but had never found, settled over her.