She was standing on a sandy beach, one she didn’t recognize. Pristine white sand stretched along the coastline as far as the eye could see. The sea before her was a lovely shade of turquoise, so crystal clear Ryan could see the bottom in some places.

Where was she?

A gentle breeze blew, whipping her clothing around her legs. She looked down to find herself wearing a toga-style dress. White and flowing, it wrapped around her body with stunning gold and aquamarine accents. It was beautiful, supremely feminine, and like nothing she had ever worn before. She liked it.

She looked left, then right, examining the unfamiliar beach, when something in the water caught her eye. A ripple moved atop the water, growing ever closer, as if a large fish was swimming just beneath the surface.

A dark shadow suggested something was coming her way, something big. She waited for the familiar panic to take hold, but it didn’t. She felt only anticipation.

Her heartbeat quickened as it approached ever closer and became clearer. Long and sleek, her first thought was a shark, but it wasn’t a shark’s head that broke the surface. It was a man’s! And not just any man, but the one who had been consuming so many of her thoughts.

Tiberius rose up out of the water like some kind of sexy sea god, looking sinfully handsome and smiling at her.

As his upper body cleared the waves, she gasped at the sight of his rock-hard, gloriously naked physique. Then Ryan licked her suddenly dry lips, intrigued by the stripe-like tattoos that adorned his torso and disappeared beneath the water line. Perfectly proportioned, his body muscled but streamlined, the sight of him made her breath catch. Then his lower half came into view, and she lost her breath completely.

He grew even bigger, heavier, as she stared, transfixed. Her breasts swelled, her nipples pebbled, and the sensitive area between her legs throbbed. She wanted this man, wanted to feel him against her, above her, beneath her, inside her.

Forcing her eyes upward, she found the same hunger, the same desire mirrored in his gaze.

A tiny voice in the back of her mind protested, reminding her that there were a lot of things she didn’t know about him, and that some of the things she did know were red flags.

She silenced those warnings. This wasn’t reality. This was a dream, her dream, and reality had no place here.

Ryan remained frozen in place as Tiberius made his way out of the waves and closed the short distance between them. When he was standing directly in front of her, dripping, tanned, buff, and gorgeous, Ryan closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. Her nostrils filled with the scent of salty, masculine musk. Her mouth watered for a taste, urging her to lean over and lick his chest.

Just as Ryan opened her mouth to ask Tiberius where they were, a sly smirk tipped his lips upward and he subtly shook his head. She understood it for what it was—a warning to remain silent.

She watched as he lifted those large hands of his slowly up to cradle her cheeks. He swept his thumbs over her cheekbones, the touch alone enthralling her. Oh, how she wanted him to kiss her again!

When he began to lower his head, she was certain he was going to do just that.

He paused just short of her lips and whispered, “You are mine, Ryan Winslet, and I am yours.”

She felt the truth of those words in her soul. Here in this world of her own making, anything was possible.

He did kiss her then, a sweet, hungry kiss filled with promises that made her toes curl in the sand. He took his time, exploring her mouth as he explored her body with his large hands.

A brush of his fingers, the flick of the golden clasp at her shoulder, and she was suddenly every bit as naked as he was.

Tiberius immediately went to his knees, taking his bone melting kisses beyond her mouth. She tangled her hands in his dark, silky hair and looked down, enthralled by the sight of him worshiping her body with lips, hands, and tongue.

“Tiberius,” she moaned, opening her legs to grant him access to the part of her aching for his attention.

He wasted no time in drawing those long, skilled fingers through her slick folds. Then, when he put his fingers to his lips, she nearly came from the sight alone.

He grinned wickedly, coaxing her onto a blanket that had mysteriously appeared on the sand. He then leaned over her, aligning his body atop hers. The thick, heavy length of him pressed against her, and she wanted nothing more than to take it, to take him, inside her.

“Please.”

“Soon,” he crooned, branding her once again with the scorching heat of his mouth.

“Now.”

He laughed. “So eager. So beautiful. So mine. Say you are mine, and I will give you anything you desire.”

“I want you. Inside me. Now.”

He lifted his hips, allowing his hard length to slide between her legs, teasing her with maddening strokes along her clit but not entering her. “Say it, Ryan.”

There was no reason not to. It was her dream. There were no consequences to admitting the truth here. No one would ever know.

“I am yours,” she breathed, “and you are mine.”

“Forever,” he hissed as he pushed himself inside her and her world exploded ...

Ryan sat up in bed, gasping for breath and feeling disoriented. It took a few moments for her to convince herself that she was in her apartment and not on some idyllic tropical beach.

It had felt so real. Tiberius had felt so real. Real enough that she could still feel the erotic sweep of his tongue over her nipples and the powerful thrusts of his ridged ...

Ridged?

She shook her head and got out of bed to get a glass of water. Clearly, she had read one too many paranormal romances if she was dreaming of things like epic sex, soul mates, and ridged penises. And those markings, the sexy tats that revealed a deeper, darker, primitive side to the polite, classical gentleman ... where had those come from?

Now wide awake and slightly annoyed with her subconscious for crafting such a realistic erotic fantasy, there was no chance she would be able to get back to sleep. Not after that.

Since it was nearly dawn, she opted to get a shower and head into the department early, more determined than ever to find out more about the mysterious nightclub owner.

Several hours later, however, she hadn’t learned much. The official owners of Bait were listed as Tiberius and Quintus Maximus, and all licenses and inspections were up to date. Beyond that, there was little else. No criminal records, no citations, not even so much as a parking ticket. County, state, and federal public database searches came up empty. Everything was in perfect order.

She was missing something, she was certain of it, but she didn’t know where else to look. Unless she obtained a search warrant, something she couldn’t do without justification and probable cause, she had effectively reached a dead end.

“It’s like he just appeared out of nowhere,” she complained to Betty at lunch after providing a PG-13 rated recap of the prior night’s events. Wanting to retain some self-respect, she didn’t mention the dream. “It’s suspicious.”

“It’s not suspicious,” Betty countered. “You’re paranoid. The fact that your fishing expedition found nothing is a good thing. He’s über handsome, smart, rich, and he’s been a perfect gentleman, so what’s the big problem?”

“What if he’s only cozying up to me to protect his own interests?” Ryan asked quietly. “What if he’s another Jason?”

Betty’s eyes softened somewhat. As her best friend, she was one of the few who knew the whole story. “What if he’s not? You’ve got to forgive yourself, Ry. You made a mistake. You learned from it. It’s time to move on.”

That was easier said than done. “I don’t know if I can.”

“Listen, you really like this guy, right?”

“Yes, but—”

“No buts. You like him, he likes you, and he checks out. He said he would answer all your questions, right?”

“Right.”

“Then ask. Give him a chance. Stop being a cop for five seconds and talk to him. Trust your heart. Besides, if he’s anything like his brother, you are definitely going to want to tap that.” Betty’s eyes sparkled with absolute glee. “Just wait until I tell you what happened with Q last night ...”