Page 16 of Dark Visions (Strange Gifts #1)

Kane took his time with Aislinn, enjoying the exploration of every inch of her body. She had the soft curves that he adored. Her voluptuous breasts beckoned for his touch. Her legs were well-toned from hours of yoga to help her relax. Her stomach had the smallest of curves, indicating how much she loved food but didn’t over-indulge.

Everything about her made Kane hard and protective. Three days, more or less, and he already felt as if she belonged to him. There would never be another. The realization hit him like a ton of bricks. He knew it would hit him sooner or later. He just never figured that the woman would actually reciprocate the feelings.

Once the poster boy for the all-American, good-looking Army officer, Kane spent months in the hospital and then in rehab looking at himself in the mirror. The ugly raised scars, the multiple skin grafts, the pain, every day hoping that someone would see beyond it all or just put him out of his fucking misery. Every time he tried, every time he attempted to date someone, their reactions varied from pity to absolute repulsion. Until he finally gave up on dating altogether and succumbed to the ‘satisfy thyself’ method.

His hand skimmed over the smooth, soft skin of Aislinn’s breasts, and his rigid cock dug into her hip. She moaned, her hips rising, begging him for more.

“Please, Kane, please,” she whispered.

“Tell me what you want, Aislinn. Say it, baby. I won’t do it without your okay,” he said in a husky voice.

“I want you. I want you inside me, Kane. Please, make me yours.”

Fuck! That was all he needed to hear. She was his. His and his alone, but this would ensure that she was his. He reached into the bedside table and pulled out a condom, praying it wasn’t too old. He opened the package, rolling it onto his long throbbing cock. Aislinn watched his every move, like a student studying the master.

“Open for me, baby,” he said, balancing himself on his elbows above her. Aislinn opened her thighs wide, her knees high, one foot rubbing the back of Kane’s thigh. He touched her opening. So fucking tight, he grimaced. She gasped, biting her lip, and he stilled.

“Please, Kane, don’t stop,” she said seductively.

Kane gently pushed forward a little at a time. He had his fair share of virgins in his day, but Aislinn was something beyond his dreams. She was beautiful, almost angelic, tight as fuck, and so sweet and innocent. He inched further, and the pained expression on her face made him still once more.

“Kane, if you don’t move forward, I’m going to move from this bed and handle it myself,” she said sweetly.

He grinned down at his little wildcat and kissed her sweetly, then took her mouth with such force she could barely breathe. That’s when Kane drove into her hard, fast, and furious. She felt the sting, the stretch, the burning that she knew was inevitable and cried into his mouth. He stopped, kissing her face sweetly, and she took in deep breaths.

“I’m sorry, baby. I was trying to make it easier for you. I’m sorry. It will be better next time,” he cooed.

“Don’t you dare say you’re sorry! This is the most beautiful thing that’s ever happened to me, Kane. This is perfect. You’re perfect.”

He kissed her again and felt her hips begin to move. He was about to lose his shit. She was made for him. His perfect fit, his perfect woman.

Aislinn bucked her hips against Kane. Every inch of him was hitting her in all the right spots, making her beg for more, want more. She felt the waves coming, the ebbing and flowing of a tide she couldn’t control. Her stomach began to quiver. Her breasts ached for his touch. It was as if he knew exactly when and how as he plunged into her. She cried out a release unlike anything she had ever felt before.

Aislinn read of women who experienced stars, lightning, and thunder, but she was experiencing the whole fucking hurricane.

Kane growled like a wounded animal, his need so great and his release so strong it was uncontrollable. Their sweat-slicked bodies glistened in the light, a trickle of his own sweat making its way down one of her plump mounds. He followed the trail, licking it from her body, and she shivered, smiling up at him. Kane kissed her sweetly and stood, tying off the condom and throwing it in the trash.

He wet a washcloth and knelt beside her, wiping her clean, the small hints of blood verifying what he already knew. Aislinn was his. He slid between the sheets and pulled her close.

“You okay, baby?” he asked.

“Perfect, Kane, absolutely perfect. If you had told me three days ago this is where I would be, in bed with the man, a man I just met, I wouldn’t have believed you.”

“You were going to say something else, Aislinn. What was it?” She was quiet, and he looked down at her sweet face, her brown eyes glowing with satisfaction and lust. “You said with the man I… what?”

“With the man I love,” she whispered.

“You love me?” Kane pulled back, staring directly into her eyes.

“I-I do, Kane. I’m sorry if that scares you, but I knew it the minute I saw you in my hospital room. I’ve never felt this way about a man, never! And it’s not just that I can touch you, and you can touch me. It’s more. I feel like we’re connected in some mysterious way. It’s okay if you’re not ready…”

“Woman! Can you be quiet for two seconds?” he said, smiling down at her. Aislinn closed her mouth and stared up at his beautiful green eyes. “I love you too, Aislinn. I’ve never said those words to any woman before. Never! I knew that there was something about you, something I needed to discover when I saw you on that stretcher.”

Aislinn took in a slow, shuddering breath, the acknowledgement filling her heart with joy and comfort.

“I love you, Aislinn. You’re mine, baby, mine.”

“Yours,” she said against his lips, taking his mouth in a greedy hunger.

Kane took her again, this time taking care of her aching body, filling her with his love and passion. It was after midnight when they finally curled into one another, sleeping soundly, their hands linked.

Kane felt her tense up in his sleep, but he couldn’t wake. It was as if he were trapped, trapped in the nightmare that was filling her vision. He saw the face of Krauss again, the blonde-haired woman who had been in the dream previously. The blood. The massive amounts of blood covering the vision were staggering. No one could survive whatever this was, no one. The woman laughed. She was gripping something in her hand. Dear God, it was a penis. She was gripping a penis laughing, but it wasn’t attached to anyone.

He could hear Aislinn’s cries but couldn’t rouse himself. He tried. He fought to wake, but the vision gripped him. Dr. Brennan had said he could help her control the visions. He needed to reach her inside the dream. Kane focused on Aislinn.

Aislinn, bab,y hear me. Llisten to me, Aislinn.

Kane? I can’t see you! Kane…

Aislinn, just listen to me. It’s you and me, baby. You and me. We’re here in my loft, just you and me.

Just you and me.

That’s right, baby. We’re laughing. We’re eating pizza. Adam is coming over, and we’re going to watch a movie together.

A movie and pizza.

That’s it, baby. Come to me, Aislinn. Do you see me?

I-I see you, Kane.

He saw her face, and the red started to disappear, the image of his loft coming into view. Aislinn was in his t-shirt, walking toward him. Her hair was wet with sweat.

I see you, baby girl. Come give me some love, Aislinn. I need your love.

Love, I love you, Kane. I love you.

Kane woke with a start, Aislinn’s body wrapped around his, her face peaceful in sleep. He kissed her nose, and her eyes opened in the early morning light.

“W-was that real?” she said.

“It was real, baby. Too real. I remembered what Dr. Brennan said, and I tried to get you to focus on me.”

“Well, it worked. All I could see was the blood and the bodies. That woman… that woman is horrible. I think she’s worse than Krauss.” Kane nodded and pulled her tight against his chest. “I heard you. I heard your voice, and the images disappeared.”

“It was the same for me, baby,” he whispered.

“I think Dr. Brennan will want to hear about this,” she said.

“Later. It’s still early, baby. Sleep. We’ll have breakfast later and then go back to the university.”

Aislinn nodded and closed her eyes, no longer afraid of what might happen in the darkness. Kane was her light. Kane would always bring her into the light.