Page 24 of Immortal by Morning (Argeneau #37)

Kissing Abril in the dream was the polar opposite to kissing her in reality. They were not immediately overwhelmed with passion.

Crispin wasn’t experiencing her pleasure alongside his own and desperate to reach the end of the journey. He was experiencing

only his own pleasure as he slid his fingers into her hair, tilted her head to the angle he wanted, and thrust his tongue

into her mouth.

Abril sighed into his mouth and wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he made a meal of her mouth.

When she then pressed instinctively closer and kissed him back, he almost smiled.

This was what he wanted. With this slow burn, he could do so much more with her before their passion overwhelmed them and tossed them into unconsciousness.

In fact, in their shared dream they wouldn’t lose consciousness at the end, but could start again.

With that in mind, he let the hand not presently wrapped in her hair begin to explore her body.

He caressed her breasts through the blouse she was wearing, and then, since it was a dream, he wished the blouse away so that she sat in his lap in just a bra and her skirt.

“Yes,” Abril breathed as he broke their kiss to shift his attention to her breasts. She watched him caress her through the

lace of her bra and then moaned when he wished that away as well, and he was able to touch her without the impediment. When

he found himself suddenly without his shirt on, Crispin supposed she must’ve wished it away. He hadn’t even thought to do

it himself, but he was glad she had when her hands began to move over his chest, even as he caressed her.

When he kissed her again, Abril responded with more demand, and then suddenly rose up to straddle him on the couch. He was

still in his dress pants and she in her skirt, but he didn’t feel the need to change that at the moment as she began to shift

in his lap, rubbing herself against his hard cock through his slacks as they kissed each other almost desperately.

Crispin was a little surprised when she switched to the old-fashioned route and reached between them to undo his pants.

But there was no denying the excitement it sparked when she slid the zipper down and then reached inside to grasp his erection.

Crispin broke their kiss on a groan and let his head drop to rest on the back of the couch as she began to caress him.

She was using the perfect grip and strength as she moved her hand slowly up and down his shaft.

Distracted by the mounting pleasure he was experiencing he didn’t notice when she began to shift off his lap until something warm and wet closed over his cock.

Lifting his head abruptly, he opened his eyes to look down and saw that she had taken him into her mouth.

He knew this would speed things along and that he wouldn’t be able to refrain from coming in her mouth. But he also knew it

wouldn’t matter. It was a dream. He could do that, and then immediately sink himself into her if he wished. Or he could return

the favor and then sink himself into her, or he could—

The sensation of someone lightly slapping his arm made him glance around in surprise and open his eyes. He blinked in brief

confusion when he found himself in the guest bedroom looking up at Roberts.

“Wake up, bud,” Roberts said cheerfully. “Your turn on guard.”

Groaning, Crispin let his eyes close and his head drop back, but only for a heartbeat. Then he tossed the sheets aside and

sat up on the side of the bed before recalling the state his cock was in.

“Whoa, do not point that thing at me, Delacort. With the state it is in it might start shooting at me. I will make you a pot

of coffee to help you wake up while you get dressed.”

“Smart-ass,” Crispin muttered, standing up and reaching for his dress pants. He’d donned them and was pulling on his shirt

when a scream shattered the silence.

“Abril!” He was out of the room before he was finished shouting her name.

He was just as swift making his way up the hall to the living room, and then to Abril’s bedroom door.

Crispin rushed in, taking in the situation at a glance.

Abril was on the floor, crumpled up against the wall next to the bed and obviously un conscious, while a dark figure was escaping through her window.

His gaze slid from one to the other, but it was Abril he went to.

Crispin was just scooping her up into his arms when movement behind him made him glance around in time to see Roberts was

climbing out the window after the escaping intruder.

Mouth tightening, Crispin hesitated. His first thought had been to take Abril to his room, somewhere that hadn’t been broken

into and therefore seemed safer. He knew it probably wasn’t truly safer, though—it had a window too. But he suspected Abril

would feel safer there than here when she woke up. However, now that Roberts had chased the intruder outside, he was reluctant

to leave the room until his partner returned and they could secure the window.

Crispin glanced down at Abril then, for the first time noticing that while she still wore the T-shirt she’d worn earlier,

it and her bra were pushed up above her breasts. She also wasn’t wearing anything else. He’d removed her jeans and underwear

when they were making out earlier before the sex dream that had just been interrupted he recalled and frowned. He didn’t want

Roberts seeing her this way.

Crispin set Abril down on the bed, then made a quick search for something to put on her.

He suspected getting jeans on to an unconscious woman would be a nightmare task, so was thinking to perhaps remove her bra and top and slip a nightgown on over her head.

Then he came across joggers. After a hesitation, he snatched them up and returned to Abril.

A nightgown would have undoubtedly been easier to put on her, but the joggers were loose enough that he managed the task with little trouble.

Crispin then took the time to shift her bra and T-shirt back into place.

Once he had Abril dressed, Crispin scooped her up but then hesitated and glanced to the window, expecting to see his partner

already climbing back inside. He wasn’t, and Crispin frowned. He wouldn’t have thought it would take this long for the man

to return. Roberts should have had no trouble running the intruder to ground and capturing him. Immortals were stronger and

faster than mortals. So much so that he wouldn’t have worried even if it had been six mortal men out there that his partner

was looking for, so he definitely wasn’t going to fret over one. He was annoyed though. He wanted to get Abril to somewhere

safe and examine her wound, but couldn’t do that until he was sure his partner was safe. That annoyance began to turn to concern

though as the minutes continued to pass without Roberts returning. So he was more than a little relieved when his partner

finally appeared at the window and climbed back in. It was quickly followed by surprise, however, when he saw that his partner

was alone.

“Where is the intruder?” he asked with confusion.

“He got away,” Roberts admitted unhappily.

Crispin couldn’t hide his shock. “What? How?”

“The intruder was immortal.” The words were heavy and grim with meaning. And the two men stared at each other for a solid

minute before either of them moved.

“Lock the window,” Crispin ordered as he turned to pick up Abril again.

Even as he did, Roberts asked, “Do you want to call Mortimer or shall I?”

“I will,” Crispin said firmly as he carried Abril out of the room.

He took her to his room, set her on the bed, but didn’t immediately call Mortimer. Instead, he turned on the bedside light

and quickly examined her head for the wound that had knocked her out. He found it on the side of her head, under the hair,

and cursed as he felt the blood and the lump already forming there. Very aware that she was mortal, and therefore fragile,

Crispin finally snatched his phone off the bedside table and punched in the number for the Enforcer headquarters.

Normally, he would have left the room to talk to Mortimer to be sure he wasn’t overheard by Abril, but Crispin wasn’t leaving

her alone. Not when there was an immortal out there trying to get to her.

The very idea was a shocking one to him. Abril was mortal and as far as he could tell, had no connection to immortals. Why

would one have troubled himself to attack her?

Fretting over that, and desperate to get help in sorting out what was happening here, he listened impatiently to the phone

ring.