DREAM LOVER (11 page)

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that if Rochelle Beaumont worked here as a maid, then she had to have lived here too.  A hundred years ago that town would have been nothing more than a small village, so it would have been difficult to find work there.  Chances are she was a French immigrant with no family in the States, so she would have needed employment that offered her room and board.”

“True, but wouldn’t the Covelli’s want to destroy Rochelle’s things after they’d murdered her?”

“Not necessarily.  If they were smart they would have left everything just as it was so they could claim her disappearance was just as much a mystery to them as it was to everyone else.  And if my great grandfather loved her as much as Grandfather believes, then maybe he kept some of her things too.”

“It might help us in learning more about what happened to her when she was alive, but finding old love letters or keepsakes won’t tell us where they took her to die.”

“No, you’re right about that.  Ultimately, I think the secret to where Rochelle is entombed will be reveled in your nightmare.  What I had in mind was more like speeding up the process.  I have this unsettling feeling that the nightmare will keep going in reverse, but in only small segments like the one you had during your nap today.”

“You mean it will backtrack a little each time I dream, and then play out the whole gruesome ending over and over until it finally gets to the beginning?”

“It’s just a theory, Rachel.  I could be totally off the mark.”

Rachel tilted her head back.  “It makes sense…well, as much as anything about this whole situation
could
make sense.  Besides, I trust you. If you think we should have a look around, then I’m in.”

“You trust me, huh?”

“Yeah, I do.”

“Enough to do a little scouting around tonight?”

“Only if you promise not to let me out of your sight.”

“I swear I won’t even blink the entire time.”

“I don’t think you need to go that far,” Rachel laughed.  “Just blink sparingly, that’ll be good enough.”

“Shall we have that coffee first or jump right into our roles as Joe Hardy and Nancy Drew?”

“A shot of caffeine sounds good.” 

Rachel’s eyes followed him as he crossed the kitchen and poured the coffee, a giddy sense of happiness crowding out the dark shadows that had been hovering over her since they left the restaurant.  Her gaze swept over his muscular body with longing, starting at his broad shoulders and moving down to his narrow hips. Her eyes paused for a moment to admire his fantastic ass before traveling the length of his impossibly long legs.  Rachel was practically drooling when Nic turned to ask if she wanted cream or sugar and caught her in the act.

Nic carried the cups back to the table but didn’t dare chancing even a glance at her again until after his shaky hands had safely set the cups down.  Jade green eyes peered up at him, shamelessly lustful and every bit as beguiling as the wicked grin on Rachel’s face.

“Keep looking at me like that and we won’t make it past the first bedroom,” he said huskily.

“I don’t know what you mean,” she feigned innocence.  “I was just thinking about how exciting it was going to be to…explore new places.  A thorough,
hands on
examination could be very stimulating, don’t you think?”

Nic’s eyes narrowed.  “You’re pushing your luck, sweetheart.”

Rachel smiled at him over the rim of her cup.  “Oh, I think my luck will hold out for quite some time tonight.”

“Not if you keep tossing innuendos at me,” he warned.

“In that case, I promise to be a good girl until after we’ve had a look around the mansion.  So where do you suggest we begin?”

Nic’s eyes migrated to her enticing breasts.  “Hmmmm…I think starting at the top and working my way down sounds like a grand idea.”

Rachel nearly groaned out loud when the muscles in her abdomen clenched.  “Okay, okay, I think we need to call a truce before we end up naked on the kitchen floor.  And you can wipe that grin right off your face, Nic Covelli, because I’m way too old to have sex on cold clay tiles.”

“I’ll have you know that is genuine Italian porcelain stoneware on the floor,” he said with an indignant huff.

“My humble apologies.  I am way too old to have sex on cold Italian porcelain stoneware tiles.  And now that we have that settled, maybe we can get on the scavenger hunt.”

                        ***

“We’ll start in the attic first,” Nic said as they headed up the grand staircase.

“Any particular reason why?”

“Back then the hired help was supposed to remain as invisible as possible.  Maids, cooks, and other female servants usually had their rooms in the attic.  The rooms were really nothing more than a large closet that was big enough for a bed and nightstand and that was about it.  The attic was unbearably hot in the summer and freezing cold in the winter, which made it unsuitable for the owners or their guests.”

Rachel slipped her hand into his when they reached the first landing and started down the long hallway.  “How do you know all that?”

“The question is, Miss Architect, how come you
don’t
know that?”

“Ouch.  Are you always this brutal, or is that just your arrogance talking?”

“Brutal or arrogant,” he grimaced, “no matter which one I choose I’m definitely not earning any accolades.”  Nic stopped and opened the last door at the end of the hall.  “The stairs are narrow so we’ll have to go single file.”

Rachel was right on his heels, not at all comfortable with how dimly lit the steep staircase was, or how the overhead light fixture started flickering before they’d even gotten halfway up.  By the time they reached the top she was feeling a little queasy from being in such a narrow enclosure and was glad to see the attic wasn’t as small or cramped as she’d expected it to be.  One long hallway ran the length of the house, with several doorways on either side.  Rachel traipsed after Nic as he opened each door and flipped on the light to peer inside but just as he’d said, each room was comprised of a bed and a nightstand and little else.

“That’s strange,” Nic said when they got to the last door.  “This one’s locked.”

“Are you sure?  Maybe it’s just stuck.”

Nic wiggled the door handle.  “It’s definitely locked, and I can pretty much guarantee the key is long gone.”

“I guess we’ll have to call a locksmith, unless you feel like playing macho man and busting the door down.”

“Have you lost your mind, woman?  This door is made of solid oak and probably held on with rusty hinges.  I’d dislocate my shoulder making the effort and the thing still wouldn’t budge.”

“I take it that means you cast your vote for a locksmith.”

“You know what I think?”  Nic dragged Rachel into his arms.   “I think it’s high time I silenced that sassy tongue of yours.”

For the next several minutes, Rachel was only too happy to give up the verbal banter and surrender herself to his bone melting kisses.  Still feeling a little dazed afterwards, she barely even noticed how narrow the stairway was as they made their decent. And once they were back on the second level, she was too busy trying to quell the furious flutter of butterflies in her stomach as Nic whisked her along beside him. She knew the next, and last, stop for the night would be one of the master bedrooms.

She presumed all the rooms they passed on their way back through the main hallway were guest rooms because he strode past them and crossed in front of the grand staircase to a shorter hallway to their left.  There were only two doors, one on each side of the hall, and after a moment of hesitation, Nic chose the room on the left.  The door had barely closed behind them before he swept her up in his arms and began ravishing her mouth as he carried her towards the bed.

The room was bathed in soft moonlight that filtered in through a set of French doors, casting a romantic glow on everything it touched.  Lost in the mounting heat of Nic’s ardent kisses, Rachel paid little heed to anything until he’d lowered her onto the bed and began undressing her.  She shivered in anticipation as the last of her clothing was removed and her fumbling fingers sought to help Nic rid himself of his shirt.  It seemed to take forever, but it was well worth the wait when she was finally able to run her hands over the corded muscles of his chest as he levered himself over her.

A soft moan vibrated in the back of her throat as Nic eased himself inside of her, his throbbing erection stretching her inner muscles inch by agonizing inch until he’d filled her so completely she was practically in tears from the sheer pleasure of it.  Rachel had never been so aware of her own body before, of her own sexuality or her ability to give a man the same euphoric
rush,
but she felt it now with Nic.  Every feathery touch of her fingertips made his big body quiver in response, every answering thrust of her hips elicited the most delicious guttural moan as if it was forced from his lips because he simply couldn’t contain it.

Their love making was fast and furious, the intense heat of their passion making their bodies slick with moisture which only added to the whole erotic sensation of mating in its most primal form.  They devoured each other, giving and taking, demanding more, more, more until they were both teetering on the edge with no way to go but down.  Nic drove himself into her, harder and deeper each time, touching Rachel in places she hadn’t even known existed before. 

The heavy coiling that had been building in her abdomen suddenly snapped like a bowstring that had been drawn too tight, sending her entire body into convulsions.  She cried out Nic’s name, clinging to his broad shoulders as he surged into her one last time, his climax so explosive she felt every violent shudder as if it was her own.  Nic collapsed over her, making Rachel’s struggle to drag air into her lungs even more difficult, but she didn’t mind.  She’d never experienced anything like this before and she wanted to hold onto the moment as long as she could.

She lay there with her eyes closed, basking in the afterglow and letting her mind drift aimlessly for quite some time before a strange sense of déjà vu began to make her skin tingle.  The weight of Nic’s body, his masculine scent, the rapturous sensation of being joined as lovers all converged into a single memory.  No, not a real memory, Rachel realized, but it was just as tangible to her as if it had been.  Slowly, her eyes eked open and took in her surroundings.

Even in the shadowy light she knew where she was.  The massive four poster bed was as familiar to her as the bed in her own apartment; the drawn netting, the down filled comforter, the man whose warm breath against her neck sent shivers of delight racing through her.  She’d experienced it all before.  Rachel said Nic’s name, her voice little more than a hoarse whisper, but he heard her all the same because he lifted his head and peered down into her ashen face.

“Rachel?  Honey, what’s wrong?”

“It’s you,” she managed to squeeze out.

Nic gently brushed the damp curls from her forehead, concerned by the tremor in her voice.  “Did I hurt you?  Because you know I’d never do anything…”

“No, no it’s not that.  Nic… look around. Look at where we’re at.” 

Nic eased himself out of her and propped himself up on one elbow, his eyes making a quick sweep of the room.  It didn’t take him two seconds to realize why Rachel sounded so spooked.  He felt a little shaken himself as he turned his attention back to the woman beside him.

“This is it,” he said thickly, “this is the bedroom where I make love to you in my dreams.”

Rachel threaded her fingers through his hair and pulled his mouth down close to hers.  “Yes,” she whispered.  “It’s you, Nic.  It’s you I come to every night.  You’re my dream lover too.”

“Are you warm enough?”

Rachel snuggled a little closer.  “I’ve got a down comforter over me and a hot Italian next to me; I can’t imagine anything more heavenly.”

Still feeling a bit lethargic after what could only be described as the most incredible, mind-blowing sex of his life, Nic had to agree that heavenly pretty much summed up how it felt to be lying here with Rachel in his arms.  From the moment he’d first touched her velvety skin, Nic had known that making love to her was going to surpass anything he’d experienced in his dreams.  He hadn’t been disappointed, and judging by the contented smile on Rachel’s face, neither had she.

Nic stared at the ceiling through the sheer netting, idly stroking her back.  “Does it seem strange being here… in this room, this bed?”

“A little maybe, but it also feels
right,
don’t you think?”

“Everything about you and me and this night feels right.”

“Do you think the reason it was so good was because our erotic dreams of each other primed us with a year of foreplay first?”

Nic’s body shook with laughter.  “You have a wonderful way of putting things, Miss Delacourte, and though I have to agree that I was…
primed
,” he choked out the word, “it was because I was aroused by
you
, the real you.”