consumed by Sandra Sookoo Read Free Book Online

that I can. Good night, Mrs. Altier, Miss Lesarris.”
    The matron huffed as Ava stared at his retreating back. Astonishment rolled over her. He was dying? How was this even remotely fair? She had zero time for reflection or raging at the heavens as Mrs. Altier pulled her down the street in the opposite direction.

Chapter Four
     
    Sam paced about the small confines of his office the next morning. Scowling at the perfect golden sunrise, he peered out the window, hoping for a glimpse of flaxen hair and twinkling green eyes. When he saw neither, he concentrated on pacing. How had one tiny kiss during an autumn evening sent his mind into a whirlwind?
    Damnation! As kisses went, it was a paltry affair indeed. Barely had their lips met before that gray-haired dragon pulled them apart. He shoved a hand through his hair. Thinking about holding the futuristic woman in his arms sent heat flowing over his skin, yet the most important organ of his body remained, for the most part, unaffected.
    He threw himself into the padded leather chair behind his desk. In desperation, he fumbled at the buttons of his trousers and plunged a hand beneath the waistband of his short pants. Wrapping his fingers around his listless penis, he stroked his hand up and down its length. For the love of all that’s holy, stiffen! No amount of rubbing or encouragement changed his circumstances. His member was as limp as a two-day-old fish and just as useless. “Botheration.”
    Sam removed the hand from his pants and buttoned up. Never had he been as vexed as he was now. Finally, he’d met an intriguing female, one who seemed to be made of stiff mettle, one who wouldn’t back down in the face of life, and no matter that desire raged through his veins like wildfire, his cursed member remained unaffected.
    “This is impossible.” He leaned back in the chair, his chest tight at the dismal failure he’d become. Three days until he became sparks in the sky. Three days to find a cure for his erection problem and bed the fair Ava. The shock he’d seen in her eyes when he left her with that tidbit wrapped around his heart and squeezed like a jungle serpent.
    Regaining any sort of trust with her would be an uphill battle. “Now that is impossible.”
    “So you continue to say, yet I have never known you to balk at a challenge.” Jamison came into the office and settled into the chair on the other side of Sam’s desk. “Why are you here this morning, friend?”
    “I might be at the end of my life, but I am fairly certain I remember where my place of employment is.” He leaned forward and folded his hands on the desktop. “What are you hinting at, Jamison?”
    “Just this.” The lean man rose, rapping his knuckles on the desk. “If I were in your position and had days to live, I certainly would not spend those precious days behind a desk in a cheerless office.”
    “You wouldn’t mind if I took a leave of absence?”
    “Not at all.”
    He considered his friend’s words. The bank had been his oasis from the disappointment his life had become in recent years. Now, the thought of leaving its safe harbor sent cold chills over his skin. “The idea has merit. Yesterday, I met that woman who came to Destiny. She claims to be from the future.”
    Jamison lifted an eyebrow. “Do you believe her story?”
    “For whatever reason, I do. Ever since I left her company last evening, I have thought of little else. She walked my dreams, the first woman to do so. That concerns me.” Even waking in the middle of the night with his heart racing and need for her singing through his veins, he still could not convince his cock to cooperate. Something must be done, and soon.
    “Well, Sam Tremaine, if I didn’t know better, I’d guess you went and fell in love with this woman, and at first sight to boot.” Jamison followed the statement with a loud string of surprised laughter. “I never thought it would happen.”
    Heat crept along the back of Sam’s neck. He