I knew I was dreaming, but I couldn’t bring myself to snap out of it. It was just that good of a dream. Everything was hazy, like fog but lighter, and I could feel the soft grains of sand beneath my feet as I walked toward the sounds of the water lapping the shore. I looked around for anyone that might be there, but I was alone. I continued along the shore of the beach into a clearing and stopped, staring at a four-poster bed covered in soft, billowing blankets and silken tapestries that fluttered in the wind. Of course, since I was dreaming, I didn’t find this random bed in the middle of the beach strange at all, and instead, I felt a heat start to bubble in my belly.

I walked forward, running my hand across the blankets, feeling the soft fabric in the palm of my hand. A sound behind me caused me to turn sharply, and I smiled as I stared at a tall, shirtless, extremely muscular man. He looked at me with intensity, his green eyes almost electric in the foggy air. My heart picked up the pace, and I felt drawn to him, almost like my feet were moving without my permission. I stopped just inches from his body and looked up into his eyes as his hands moved forward and caressed my bare shoulders. I looked down and realized I was wearing a long, white, silk nightgown that cascaded over my perked breasts and down to the sand. He moved the straps off my arms, and the flowing material fell to the ground, exposing my naked body, but I didn’t mind this stranger’s touch at all.

Suddenly, he bent down and scooped me into his arms, cradling me as he walked forward, our eyes locked in an all-consuming gaze. He gently laid me down on the soft bed and crawled up my body, his skin rubbing softly against mine. His head lingered over my bucking breasts, and I gasped as his tongue flicked against my nipple. He played with my breasts, massaging them in his big strong hands. His warm tongue trickled over my skin, and my body lurched toward him in want. I could feel the soft fabric of the comforter in my fingers as my chest arched upward toward him. His rock-solid cock pushed against my thighs. As he sat up on his knees, I relaxed my body back into the bed and watched his muscles ripple, realizing he was no longer wearing even one thread of clothing. My eyes fell on his erection, bigger than any I had seen before, and immediately, my pussy started to pulsate between my legs.

He smiled a perfect, charming smile and lowered himself back down, hooking my legs over his shoulders and laying his face against my inner thigh. His hands swiped over my mound. I bit my bottom lip and pulled my fingers through his sandy brown hair, waiting for the moment I would feel his lips against my wetness. His fingers pulled my folds apart, and he shifted, sliding his warm tongue from the bottom all the way to my clit, licking every inch of my pussy. I groaned deeply and grabbed onto his hair, closing my eyes and listening to the crashing waves just out of view. His tongue swirled up through my juices, hardening my nub and causing electricity to shoot through my stomach. Whoever this man was, he knew exactly what to do with his tongue. The movements of his mouth echoed the rhythm of the ocean, washing through me at an ever-growing speed.

I wanted to scream out, to beg for more, but I found there was no sound when I opened my lips. The pressure in my chest was intense, and the heat in my belly was crackling like a fire, ready to burst free and burn through the lust surging through my veins. I tilted my hips upward and started to move them, mirroring his movements and making an even stronger feeling of pleasure surge through my body. His hands grasped down on my thighs, and his face pushed harder against me as he moved me toward an orgasm that I wanted so badly. He twisted his lips and released one hand, moving it up through my juices and sliding one thick finger deep inside of me. My body lurched and stiffened, and as I reached the peak of exultation, the fire in me erupted, and I opened my mouth to scream out in pleasure. However, as the sound moved through my throat and out of my mouth, my eyes widened, and I cupped my hand over my lips, falling back into the covers.

I moved my hand from my mouth and covered it quickly again, hearing the sound of wind chimes surging from my throat. Panic flew through me, and I woke up, sitting straight up on the couch and taking in a deep breath of air. I grasped my chest and pulled my knees together, looking around in a haze, realizing that the dream was over, and I was back in my grandparents’ living room, having fallen asleep on the couch. The sound of my phone’s ringer, the wind chimes, played feverishly on the table next to me, and I grabbed the phone, blinking at Jessa’s name on the screen. I pushed the call button and put the phone to my ear, still breathing heavily.

“Hello?” she asked. “Lacey?”

“Uh, yeah, it’s me,” I said groggily.

“You okay?”

“Yeah,” I said, pulling my legs over the edge of the couch and rubbing my face. “I must have fallen asleep on the couch.”

“Good, you need some sleep,” she said. “I just wanted to make sure that you made it to your grandparents’ house okay.”

Jessa and I had known each other since our freshman year in college at NYU. She was the first person I had met, and we shared a dorm there. It was almost like we were meant to be best friends, and it took about two seconds before we became inseparable. She was always there for me, especially when my grandparents had both passed away during my freshman year in college, one of the hardest times in my life.

“Remind me again, how far is Blue Hill, Maine?”

“About eight hours,” I said. “It sounds like a long time, but it really is a beautiful drive here.”

“I’m sure,” she scoffed. “I miss you already.”

“I miss you, too,” I said with a smile. “But you will be fine. I needed to get out of the city to clear my mind and be where I was comfortable for a while.”

“I know.” She sighed. “And I want you to be happy. Have you unpacked anything?”

“A little,” I said. “When I got here, I was exhausted and I laid down on the couch. I guess the sound of the waves lulled me to sleep.”

“I can’t wait to come visit at the end of the summer,” she said.

“Me too,” I replied. “It’s going to be a blast.”

“Alright, I’ll let you get back to unpacking,” she replied. “I just got off work and am heading into the subway. Call me later, okay?”

“I will do that,” I replied. “Love you and be safe.”

“Love you, too,” she said before hanging up.

I set the phone down next to me and stretched, looking out the window toward the beach right outside. It was foggy out, like in my dream, and I could almost feel that same heat bubbling in my stomach. I shook the thought from my head, realizing I needed less daydreaming and more reality. When my grandparents died, they left me the house, and it was my most treasured asset. I could seriously just spend the rest of my days lounging on the couch like I did during my summers away from my parents, but since I wasn’t rich, I had to find a job. I had gone to NYU for teaching, finally graduating just recently after taking two extra years to finish my degree. I had to pay for college myself, so I went part time the last couple of years, working as much as I could to pay the tuition. I knew there wouldn’t be many teaching opportunities right then, so I looked for some tutoring gigs to get me started.

The first listing was for a tutor, but it really didn’t give any other information except for a phone number. The number was local, and the ad was posted that day, so I figured I would give it a shot. I picked up my phone and dialed the number, feeling the “interview nerves” rolling around in my stomach.

“Hello?”

“Hi,” I said jubilantly. “My name is Lacey and I am replying to your online ad for a tutor. I was hoping you could give me more information about the position.”

“Hi, Lacey, my name is Caspian, and the tutoring would be for my five-year-old daughter,” he replied. “Could you run over your credentials really fast for me?”

“Sure,” I replied, switching my screen to my resume. “I just graduated from NYU with a degree in early education. My goal is to become a kindergarten teacher, possibly here in Maine somewhere. I just moved to Blue Hill, I have reliable transportation, and several references from both my professors and the school I did my internship with.”

“That all sounds really great,” he said. “My daughter is really bright, no issues, but I am afraid that she might be just a tad behind and is getting ready to start school soon. I want to make sure she is right where she needs to be, if not ahead when she heads into kindergarten in the fall. I am looking for someone from Monday through Friday for two to three hours a day, kind of like when she was in preschool.”

“That all sounds really great,” I replied. “Would it be in your home?”

“Yes, I live in Blue Hill on the beach,” he said. “You can plan field trips if it helps with learning, or you can use whatever space you need in the house.”

“Got it,” I replied enthusiastically.

“Are you available tomorrow to come and sit down to talk?” he asked. “I’d like to meet you face to face, see your references, and of course, do a background check.”

“I’m available tomorrow. What time?”

“How about ten in the morning?” he asked.

“That sounds perfect,” I said.

“Is this your cellphone?”

“It is,” I replied.

“Alright, I’ll text you the address to the house,” he said. “It’s really easy to find.”

“Sounds great,” I said happily. “Then I will see you at ten tomorrow morning!”

When we got off the phone, I put it down on the table and let a giant smile move across my face. I was so used to fighting tooth and nail for jobs in New York that I was sure it would be nearly impossible to find a job in a small town like Blue Hill, but there I was with the possibility of already landing a really good gig. I closed my laptop and walked over to the window, watching the fog start to dissipate. The light from the sunset cascaded through the mist, lingering on the effluvium, creating the illusion of white, orange, and pink slabs coming from the ocean. It gave me a warm feeling in my chest that maybe I had made the right decision getting away from it all. Everyone said I was going to throw away opportunities by moving so far away, but the city just wasn’t for me, and though they were gone, I needed to feel close to my grandparents again.

I turned and walked over to the pile of boxes and suitcases in the living room and sighed. If I wanted to feel at home, I needed to get unpacked, something that I was dreading. I shrugged my shoulders and smiled, walking over to the boxes. Maybe Caspian and his daughter could be the start of my life here in Blue Hill, giving me a job, stability, and the ability to move forward like I always wanted to do. Maybe Blue Hill would become my home.