DREAM LOVER by Kimberley Reeves Read Free Book Online Page A

freely.”
     
    “Well…I
was
planning on cleaning my house today, but I’m sure the dust will still be there tomorrow.”
     
    Nic motioned to the waitress for the bill.  “Somehow you don’t strike me as the kind of woman who’d allow dust to collect in her house.”
     
    “So you’ve already labeled me as a compulsive neat freak?”
     
    “I think it’s in my best interest to refrain from answering that,” he said with a grin.
     
    “Smart man.”
     
                            ***
     
    They made the short walk to the park in less than ten minutes and found an empty bench beneath the shade of an oak tree.  It was too early in the day for there to be many people about and for that Rachel was grateful.  It was difficult enough to talk about her erotic dreams with Nic but she’d just die if someone else overheard her.  A warm summer breeze carried the smell of freshly cut grass mingled with the faint aroma of flowers, and it suddenly occurred to her that it had been ages since she’d been to a park or anywhere else that wasn’t work related. 
     
    It felt good to be outdoors, to feel the wind on her face and to hear the distant laughter of children playing.  She drew in a deep breath and caught the scent of Nic’s spicy cologne, vaguely wondering where she’d smelled it before.  As an architect, Rachel worked in a business that was predominantly male, so it was a pretty fair guess that at least one of the men she encountered in the course of her day wore the same cologne. Of course, it didn’t have the same allure on them as it did on Nic because she’d certainly never had the impulse to lean closer and fill her lungs with it before.  Realizing how dangerously close she was to making a fool of herself, Rachel broke the silence.
     
    “Well Doctor, what is it you wanted to talk to me about?”
     
    There was no way to sugar coat what he had to say so Nic dove right in.  “Rachel… when we were back at the restaurant you said something about the man in your dreams, about how uncomfortable it was to go out on a date because you felt like you were betraying him.  I just wanted you to know that I understand how real he must seem to you, and the reason I understand is because there’s a woman who’s been making nightly visits to my dreams for nearly a year now.”
     
    “You mean you have a dream lover too?” 
     
    “Yes, and just like you, I’ve found it difficult to date other women because I have genuine feelings for her.”
     
    “You don’t know how relieved I am to know someone else is going through the same thing.  It does seem a little strange that it started about the same time as mine though.”
     
    “I was thinking the same thing.”
     
    Rachel was thoughtful for a moment.  “There has to have been something that triggered it for both of us, but the only possible connection between us is Antonio and the Covelli mansion.”
     
    “It’s something to consider,” Nic agreed, “but I’m not sure how that could be since we’d never met before your visit to my office.  Rachel…there’s something else I need to tell you about the dreams you and I have been having.  They’re almost identical except for one major difference; I know for a fact the woman in my dream is real.”
     
    Rachel’s stomach knotted.  It shouldn’t bother her in the least that the woman was real, but it did.  “If…if you know who she is, why haven’t you pursued a relationship with her?”
     
    “Because I didn’t know she was real until a few days ago.”  Nic’s eyes locked with hers.  “Rachel, the woman in my dreams is
you
.”
     

Chapter 4
     
    Rachel stared blankly at him for a moment before rising stiffly to her feet.  “I appreciate a good sense of humor as well as the next person,” she said icily, “but I hardly find this a joking matter.”
     
    “I wasn’t joking.”  Nic stood up and lightly gripped her shoulders.  “I swear on my life it’s