Fear and smoky confusion buffeted her, assaulting her with wild, improbable images that made her sit bolt upright in bed, her heart pounding so hard she had an instant to wonder if she was on the verge of a heart attack. “Easy, beloved,” Kir said, the rustle of sheets preceding his sitting and kissing her shoulder. It took her a second to notice they were in her apartment, naked in her bed. Her pulse slowed. Had it all been a dream, then? Reason said it must be. But how could it be? They’d made love on the beach. She knew that was real. They’d gone to Hakon’s home. She hadn’t imagined its beauty, the dragons cast in stained glass, the tropical plants and bellowing alligators. The hot tub. Her buttocks clenched in remembrance of Kirill sliding between them, taking her in a way she’d never fantasized about being taken. She’d passed out from the pleasure of it. And then she’d woken up to a call from Aislinn. They’d gone to rescue Carolyn. And then… Her heart began thundering again, like a caged thing.
