Chapter Six
Nicole woke from the arousing and strange dream in a panic. Her heart pounded in her chest as she desperately tried to claw the covers away from her, her body still shivering.
She wasn’t sure if it was from the orgasm she’d just had or that final ominous presence. Both experiences had left her breathless in very different ways. A few long moments passed as she tried to catch her breath.
It had been so long since she’d felt that pressing feeling from her dreams. It’d never happened with Joran before but instead in her quiet nightmares where she ran endlessly from the dark presence in the deepest recesses of her mind, certain that she’d take one wrong step and eventually fall and find out what evil was behind her.
Nicole didn’t know why she was having the nightmares, but only knew that when she woke up, they stayed with her for far longer than she would have liked. Even as a child, she’d never had these sorts of haunting dreams. And as an adult, it made it even harder to process and accept. Something was wrong with her, and she needed to figure out what it was before she ended up afraid to go to sleep.
She sighed and shook her head. Maybe it was all the cases she’d been working. The sheriff might act like it was no big deal, but the recent violence had left her unsettled. A man half-eaten, pets gone missing, and brutal mauling incidents that still made her stomach churn. It wasn’t as if being a rural deputy had prepared her for these sorts of cases.
Hell, Frank had been at it nearly thirty years and had only dealt with the occasional murder. She was surprised he wasn’t more disturbed by everything.
There was also the strange encounter on the road. And Joran, the literal man of her dreams, made flesh. She had no idea why she’d been dreaming about him.
A chance sighting of him must have embedded him in her mind. She didn’t have time to worry about it now, and the eroticism of the dream had faded, her stomach still tight from the fear she’d felt in those last few moments.
Her heart still raced as she pulled back the covers and slid her feet onto the floor. For about half a second, the fleeting fear that something might reach out and grab her flashed through her mind before she shook it off. She was a deputy for crying out loud. She couldn’t let a bad dream spook her like that. If the guys at the office even thought she was thinking that way, she’d never live it down. She wouldn’t deserve to.
With renewed resolve, Nicole stepped out onto the soft carpet, following the path she had so many times until reaching the bathroom. Bright florescent lights flooded the room and nearly blinded her for a moment before she’d regained her vision. The bare white room stared back at her.
That was one of the many downsides to renting the small apartment. Nothing about the lighting there was good. Not that she’d tried to make it more homey. There didn’t seem to be much point when she was hardly ever home. Who was she going to bring? Joran?
Not to mention the loud neighbors above her who always seemed to think the perfect time to stomp around or screw was when she’d just gotten off a sixteen-hour shift. But that was apartment living, and it made the most sense for her current life situation.
Eagle Ridge was just a stop. It wasn’t going to be where she would end up and put down roots. She’d already made that decision.
Nicole had a plan. Five years under Frank. All she needed to do was prove herself and then she’d be able to move on to the big city.
The thought pricked something in her mind, and she frowned at her reflection in the mirror. Her long blonde hair slipped over her face as she studied herself. Something felt off about leaving the town, but again, that didn’t make any sense.
Nicole didn’t want to stay there. She’d not made any friends on purpose because she knew she would eventually be leaving. A feeling of unease with the plan had been floating around the recesses of her mind for some time now, and she could never seem to pinpoint exactly why. There was nothing to miss, other than Frank, and he’d be happy for her to move on in her career.
Her mind shifted back to Joran. The man who, until that very evening, she’d believed to just be a figment of her sex-starved imagination. She couldn’t explain the attraction between the two of them or her very erotic dreams, but it was clear that if anything, her body was interested in him.
Nicole shook her head and sighed. What woman wouldn’t be though? The man was built like a god and had a smile that could melt any heart. Not to mention the fact that he’d practically run at superhuman speeds to save her from danger. Twice. And the second time had been after she’d arrested him.
She groaned. She’d be lying if she claimed being around the man didn’t make her heart beat wildly. It didn’t matter. That was where it needed to end.
Joran was hiding something, and she was certain when she found out, it wouldn’t be anything good. Her body might crave the man, but her cop brain told her to be careful.
Nicole shook her head and made her way out of the bathroom into the living room. Pictures of the unsolved cases lay scattered on the table, the ones that Frank would shit a brick over if he knew she was staying up late poring over them.
A small snort escaped. Looking at brutal crime- and incident-scene photos had to affect her. It was no wonder that she’d had the nightmare again.
The bed squeaked in the apartment above her rhythmically. The moans of the couple above her reached her ears through the thin ceiling.
Nicole rolled her eyes. Another mystery solved. At least the sounds above helped explained why she’d had a steamy first part for her dream. It probably helped that that she’d basically cuffed a model.
She stepped into the kitchen and filled a glass with water, shutting out the thumping overhead. Her mind lingered on Joran.
He was so different than anyone she’d ever seen before. Ripped muscle guys weren’t usually her flavor, but on him, those muscles were magnificent, the sort that made her want to just rub herself all over.
Heat attacked her cheeks. Of course, she had rubbed herself all over him in her dream, and if it hadn’t taken a dark turn, she had been prepared to do far more.
It wasn’t like Nicole wasn’t experienced, but never in her life had she been like that with a man. Not that she didn’t like sex. It was mostly okay. Sometimes there were fireworks, but mostly it was just pleasant.
Joran was different. Being with him was pure fire. Her whole body vibrated from the feel of her release, and there was just something so amazingly right about the whole thing.
Nicole snorted and dumped the rest of her water into the sink.
What the hell was she thinking? It was a dream, and she needed to get a grip. This wasn’t the sort of thing a woman like her focused on. Getting laid was secondary to getting ahead. Let alone getting laid in dreams. Her career had always been her focus, and she didn’t want to lose sight of what was truly important because of a few steamy dreams.
The woman above her screamed loudly as the bed stopped squeaking. Nicole stared up at the speckled ceiling. At least someone was getting some.
“And on that note, time to head back to bed.”