The Knight of Her Dreams (Dragons and Dreamphasers) (4 page)

“Don’t have much choice with my boss.”

Smiling, he asked, “Feel up to moving now?”

“Keep that up, and I won’t feel like moving for a
week.”

“A tempting idea, if we weren’t in grocery
central.”  Kissing her neck in spite of this, Julianna arched towards him
instinctively, earning a pleased smile from him.  “We could continue this back
at my place.”

Rational thought returned slowly,
delayed by those kisses.  She turned, sighing heavily since nothing had been
settled in her mind.  “Roger…” she began, distracted again as he slid his arms
around her waist.  The latent passion in his eyes and languorous smile
mesmerized her.  As he brushed his hand against her cheek, her words nearly
came out as a whisper, “Roger, I heard what happened.”

“Then you know Marilyn’s not living with me
anymore.”  When she pulled away slightly, at first he looked about to protest,
but the conflicted look in her eyes stopped him.  “I’m sorry, Julie,” he said
quietly, stroking her hair with one hand.  “There’s no rush.”

Feeling her apprehension melt at his unexpected
reassurance, Julianna felt like kicking herself, since part of her wanted to go
with him now and simply forget the past few months ever happened.

“If you have time tonight, could we talk later?”
he asked, reaching forward to take her hand.

Her fingers slowly returned the gesture, as she
stared upon their clasped hands.  “I don’t know.  I suppose it’d be...”

“Okay, Roger, I’ve got everything,” a voice
called out behind them.  “Should I just meet you at the car?”

“Dammit, Marilyn, will you hold on for five
minutes?”

Just seeing the other woman, Julianna’s eyes shut
with anger.  “I am such a damn fool,” she hissed, pulling away from Roger, and
leaving her cart to storm away from the pair.

“Julie, wait.  It’s not what you think.”

She evaded his grasping hand and fairly ran to
the exit, jumping in her car and speeding home without looking back.

*****

How much pain can one heart stand?

Alone in her room that night, Julianna’s thoughts
went back to the evening where everything had turned upside-down with Roger.

Much as she hated to admit it, deep down she
began to wonder what was wrong with her.  There was no questioning the
attraction she’d felt for Roger, and he’d made it quite clear he wanted her. 
So why then had she been so hesitant about their relationship?

If she hadn’t been, then Marilyn wouldn’t have
had the opportunity to steal his attention.

Even after their separation, he still held sway
over her.  Unfortunately, she’d been having trouble sleeping lately because of
the situation, allowing her no peace even at night.

Which was why her mind played back her dream of
Dominick.

Having dreamed of him after the breakup, it was
the only comfort she had, so she hoped she could somehow trick her mind into
dreaming of him again.

Folly, of course, to think this way, yet she did.

Julianna walked to the window of her room and
drew back the curtains, sitting beside the sill.  Somehow seeing the stars
always made her feel better.

She glanced upward into endless darkness, but as
her eyes adjusted, the stars winked into her vision one by one, twinkling and
bright as their silent welcome shone upon her.  They always seemed like friends
that understood her when no one else did, and they always gave her comfort. 
She smiled up at them fondly.

Just before one suddenly shot straight down from
the sky.

She gasped slightly, even as she realized it must
be a falling star.

Wish for something!
her thoughts reminded her.  As the plummeting dot
of light continued to drop, Julianna clasped her hands and spoke the quickest
wish she could think of, watching as the star disappeared completely from view.

“Please help me find the Dominick of my dreams.” 
Moments after she finished her plea, feelings of foolishness washed over her. 
I
can’t believe I’m wishing for a person I’ve only dreamed of!
her mind
mocked her.
  As if a star can really create someone out of thin air.

A bright flash of light illuminated the window,
startling her. 
Lightning!
she thought instinctively, hurriedly drawing
the curtains closed.  Soon afterwards, she did a doubletake. 
That can’t be
lightning,
she mused.  No thunder followed, nor had any storm been
mentioned in the evening’s weather forecast.  Obviously, her imagination had
simply hallucinated.

Yet even so, she felt oddly disturbed, cautiously
moving the curtain aside to glance once more at the now quiet and serene stars
above—all present and normal as ever—and wondered if someone up there was
playing tricks on her.

A lot of people seemed to down here, so why not
from heaven above too!

Her fear receding, Julianna saw an unfamiliar
star, which seemed like it was right outside her window.  The ever-twinkling
star soon intrigued her to the point that she couldn’t take her eyes from it,
pressing her hand against the window.  And since she’d made it a habit of
naming bright stars that stood out, she smiled, with a whispered name to
remember it by...

“Dominick.”

As if hearing her, the star seemed to twinkle
brighter with acknowledgment, but Julianna was too tired to take notice.  Half-shutting
the curtain, she climbed into bed, picking up her latest romance novel.

After reading about ten pages, the novel began to
remind her of what she was missing in her life.  Something always made worse
during cold nights like this one.  Finally, she dropped the book and turned
over on her side, tears of loneliness filling her eyes.

“I suppose the only Dominick I’ll ever find is
one I dream of,” she said with a sigh.  Brushing a hand against her eyes to
clear them, Julianna slowly felt sleep tugging at her.  Sniffing one last time
as her breathing became more even, she whispered semiconsciously, “Oh,
Dominick, if only you were real and you could take this pain away.”

One hand slid down the pillow as her features
relaxed completely in slumber.

For a few minutes, all was quiet in the
darkness.  Then abruptly, a bright light shone as the newly named star appeared
beside Julianna’s sleeping form.

While asleep, she had absolutely no awareness of
its presence, as it now blinked chaotically beside her.  Nor had she noticed
when it dimmed its light earlier to float through the glass window of her room.

Dimming its light again, as if not to wake her,
the star now hovered over where the book had fallen—cover side up—and then
slowly floated back to Julianna.

Blinking brightly again, she still remained lost
in slumber.  As if satisfied, the star blinked thrice more in rapid succession.

Just before it abruptly winked out of view.

Where the
hell am I?
wondered Julianna.

It appeared to
be a ballroom.

An odd ballroom with walls of mirrors.

All the people surrounding her were attired in
clothes and gowns out of the early nineteenth century.  Glancing down at her
own attire, she found herself similarly dressed in a long gown of creamy white
with lace frills, which complemented her reddish-brown hair that fell loosely
about her shoulders.  It almost looked like something out of a romance novel,
leaving her perplexed at how she’d gotten here.

Not wanting to appear unsociable, she nodded to
several unfamiliar people, wishing that she wasn’t quite so alone and
friendless in this strange place.  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw
someone laughing while casting his eye in her direction.  The man in question
was laughing with two gentlemen beside him.

Turning to a well-dressed gentleman beside her,
she tapped his shoulder and asked, “Who is that?”

The man gave her a casual glance, and then looked
ahead to where she pointed.  “Are you referring to the man in black, my dear?”

She was about to nod, but before she could get a
closer look, the stranger suddenly darted away, whisking around a corner.

Not that it should matter, of course, unless...
an unsettling thought crossed her mind abruptly. 
Could it be?
she
wondered.  As
the forgotten
bewildered man looked after her, she began running in the same direction the
so-called ‘man in black’ had disappeared.  Instinctively, she called after the
stranger.

“Dominick, wait!”

A bit miffed at the long gown that threatened to
trip her up with every step, she picked up handfuls of the heavy dress,
shocking several ladies who gasped as she ran on.  “Dominick!” she yelled
louder.  When she rounded the corner, running alongside more mirrored walls,
and after weaving through countless people, she realized she was completely
lost in the bizarre mirror maze.

Gasping for breath, she finally gave up the
chase.  Whoever the stranger was had probably left, if there was a way out of
here.  Besides, she’d made enough of a fool of herself, running after someone
she didn’t know, who probably wondered just who the devil ‘Dominick’ was.

Several of the well-bred people who had
glanced her way now resumed their interrupted conversations, even as Julianna
realized she’d become the subject of them. 
How embarrassing!

“Are you quite all right, my lady?” a deep voice
asked behind her.

“Not really,” she sighed.  “However, I should be
so in a moment.  Thank you for your concern, sir.”  As her breathing became
less labored, the person handed her a glass of dark purple liquid.  She took it
gratefully, sipping it slowly.

“Now then, my lady.  I believe I heard you
calling after me.  Pray tell what for?”

Julianna nearly choked as she turned.

It was
him
!

And he looked
exactly
as she
remembered the charming rogue she’d met before.

Not quite six feet, the man provided a contrast
to her shorter height.  His ebony hair was thick and wavy, framing his strong
features perfectly.  But most bewitching were his eyes... that similar deep
shade of blue, perfectly complementing his warm smile which could seem serious
or boyish at whim.

In fact, the only real difference between them
was that Dominick had been mostly hidden by the cloak he’d worn.  This man
wasn’t similarly hindered.  He wore a velvet black jacket in the style worn by
other men here.  Added to this, he wore a white shirt, and black pants, which
emphasized his well-muscled body quite nicely.

Down to his hair, he was indeed the man in black.

There was little doubt in her mind that this was
the
same
Dominick, yet of course that was ridiculous.  What would
he
be doing here now?

For that matter, what was
she
doing
here?

If this had been Dominick, she
mused, in his new well-fitting attire, she would have sworn he looked even more
handsome than the last time she’d seen him; even more than Roger, as a matter
of fact.  Still, it looked as if this man didn’t know her, so she considered it
best to be careful.

“Forgive me, sir,” she said nonchalantly.  “It’s
just that for a moment you reminded me of a former acquaintance of mine, and
I’ve been having difficulty finding anyone else that I know here.”

The blue of his eyes seemed to deepen even more
with amusement.  “And who might this acquaintance be that I remind you of?”

Julianna laughed, trying to convey some manner of
etiquette.  “Sir, I am quite certain you wouldn’t know him.”

He smiled warmly.  “Perhaps I do.  His name?”

“Dominick.”

“Ah, then my ears did
not
deceive
me.  You have found me out, my lady,” he replied, proffering a bow.  “Dominick
Westbrooke, at your service.” 

Dear heaven above, it
couldn’t
be
true!

Julianna’s face blanched, and now
she really wished she could find an immediate exit before she died of
embarrassment.

“You must excuse me, sir,” she faltered, her eyes
glancing about furtively.  “I didn’t mean to mislead you.  Forgive me for
bothering you, Mr. Westbrooke.”  Now where was that elusive exit?

Before she could make a hasty retreat, he reached
out to take her hand, gently pulling her back.  “Please don’t rush off, my
lady.  I must admit to finding these affairs a bit tedious myself, especially
when I can’t find my companions so easily.

“You seemed to know a few whom you were speaking
with earlier.”

He warded this off with a hand wave.  “Merely an
appearance, my lady.  They’re total strangers.  And in truth, if not for your
timely intervention, their conversation was about to put to the test whether a
person can fall asleep while standing up.”

“Really, sir, such
subtlety
!” she
said, with a smirk.  “Even though after seeing the stuffy, strait-laced
atmosphere here, I think I can heartily agree with you.”  They both laughed,
not totally oblivious to the added stares this earned from the onlookers.  “But
seriously, Mr. Westbrooke,” Julianna added, “if you ever have need of further
rescuing from such people, I’ll be happy to oblige you if I’m in the vicinity.”