Quicksilver Dreams (Dreamwalkers) by Danube Adele Page A

which outlined his muscular thighs just right.
    Cut it out , Taylor! I gave myself a mental shake. But really, I couldn’t fault myself for feeling punch-drunk and vulnerable after such a long, emotional roller coaster of a day.
    “Where are you going to sleep?” I asked, striving for casual, though I was beginning to feel nervous and fluttery.
    He gave me a long, slow look with his green-gold eyes, a look that we held in silence. I think we were both remembering the passionate exchange from earlier, which created a whole new tension that I don’t think either one of us was ready to deal with.
    “I’ll sleep on the floor in the second bedroom. Help yourself to a shirt if you need one,” he answered quietly. After another quiet moment, his lips firmed up into a tight line, and he briefly closed his eyes, like he needed to break our connection, and stepped out of the room, closing the door firmly behind him.
    I released a shaky breath.
    Was this attraction normal? I didn’t even know the guy, but my body was doing its best to convince my brain it didn’t matter. Did that make me a slut? Who the hell was I becoming? It was like suddenly I didn’t recognize myself. In the last several years, I might have thought someone was attractive, but I didn’t get tingles just thinking about them. How could I be feeling all hot and bothered with this guy in the face of having had such a tragic day? Then again, at three in the morning, did anything have to make sense?
    Absently, I wandered to the closet, trying to find my equilibrium again, and let my fingers feather along a few of Ryder’s T-shirts, thinking it strange that he had so little clothing, even for a guy. Grabbing one off the top, I shook it out. It said Señor Frog across the top and had a beer-drinking green critter grinning broadly on the front. It seemed that every guy owned this shirt in Southern California.
    Though my usual preference would have been to sleep naked, I was feeling profoundly out of my comfort zone and out of control in general, what with everything that had happened in the last few days. I needed some form of protection. Not that a T-shirt would repel bullets or anything, but it did give me some measure of ease. I hated feeling vulnerable.
    The sheets were cool and refreshing, with just a hint of his masculine scent still clinging to them. Shoving my face in the pillow didn’t help me capture any more of his essence, yet somehow it seemed I could sense him in the next room over, nothing specific or anything. His thoughts felt heavy and frustrated, which made my lips curl with a random thought.
    Did guys really get achy balls?
    Though it was probably fanciful and a trick of my imagination, covered in his shirt and with his sheets wrapped around me, I felt like I was surrounded by him. I felt safe.
    With his sinewy, rugged image in mind, I dropped into sleep quickly and easily.

Chapter Five
    I jogged through the forest feeling light, exhilarated, carefree and energized, like I could just keep going forever. The wind was cool, crisp and sweet smelling against my face, and I could hear the sounds of birds chirping and bugs buzzing about their business. It also seemed like I could take these superbig steps that carried me far quickly, which was fun to experiment with. One leap easily took me five feet and another took me twice that, making me laugh with my foolishness. Clear blue sky framed tall redwood trees, and dappled sunlight warmed my skin. Then there was that iridescent bloom that caught my eye. Hadn’t I seen one before? I couldn’t remember. The flower was lying innocently, pristinely, in the middle of the path, I paused to pick it up, already knowing it was going to be soft to the touch.
    Energy hummed through the petals, giving off a feeling of warmth and comfort. A heavenly smell drifted teasingly toward my nose, and I couldn’t help but put my face to the bloom and inhale. A sudden image of a field full of these blooms flashed through