Right Of Possession by Jayne Castle Read Free Book Online Page A

slept!
    The thought brought a tiny smile to her face for the first time since she'd left the restaurant in his grasp, and Reva turned over on her side to settle down to sleep. She was going to have a job explaining all this to Sandy tomorrow!
    It wasn't fair that the nightmare which had left her in peace for several weeks chose that night to return with a vengeance, but it did. Two hours after she'd closed her bedroom door Reva awakened in the darkness, perspiration soaking her green satin nightgown and her heart pounding. Had she cried out? Surely not, she thought, almost as terrified at the thought as she had been in the dream when she ran through the streets of the little town on the edge of the jungle, frantically searching for a place to hide. The sporadic gunfire cracked all around and the shouts and screams of a sleepy village caught up unwillingly in a revolution made her want to scream herself. But had she? She wished she'd let Xavier into her room before closing the door. More than once she'd comforted herself after the nightmare by hugging his warm, furry body close. But tonight she was alone in the room and the cat would have been unable to get inside.
    Deliberately Reva forced herself to take deep, calming breaths. The dream had been stronger than in the past. A result of having the memories reinforced by Josh's presence? Perhaps. Whatever the reason, Reva seemed
    strangely unable to control the trembling which still wracked her body. The screams and the gunfire still rang in her head and she was always unable to find the safety she sought. In her dream she had clutched her passport exactly as she had that day, some instinct telling her to cling to it. But it could not stop a bullet or a man bent on rape and murder.
    Damp and exhausted, Reva lay back against the pillows wondering over and over again if she had cried out during the dream. And then the door to her bedroom opened and she had her answer. Josh stood framed there, a large, dark, shadowy figure in the moonlight. Josh, who knew all about her nightmares.
    CHAPTER THREE
    "It's okay, Reva honey, I'm here.'' Josh's voice was soothing, calming, filled with the promise of protection. He came toward the bed, the dim light gleaming briefly on the broad expanse of his naked chest. He had taken the time to throw on his slacks, but that was all he was wearing.
    Reva stared as he crossed the room on bare feet, making no sound on the pale, plush carpet. She knew she should order him out of her bedroom at once and she would, she vowed, as soon as she could be certain her voice wouldn't sound cracked. Her heart was slowly beginning to return to its normal rate but she still felt the aftermath of fear the dream always left behind.
    "You are still having the nightmares, aren't you, sweetheart?" Josh murmured gently, sinking his heavy, smoothly muscled frame down onto the exotic Chinese print sheets and reaching immediately to scoop her up against him.
    Reva wanted to object, pull away from the warmth and safety of his body, but somehow she couldn't seem to find the strength yet. She felt his hand in her hair, stroking through the thickness of it as it curved loose around her shoulders.
    "I'm sorry, Josh," she whispered, "I didn't mean to disturb you. Just a dream. Did I scream or something?"
    Almost unwillingly she began to relax under the quieting feel of his hands.
    "You called my name," he explained, as if it were the most natural thing in the world that she had done so. She felt the hand holding her against his chest as it burned warmly through the thin material of her nightgown. "And I'm here to take care of you. Everything's all right, Reva. You can relax and let me hold you until the dream is completely gone." There was a pause and then he added with a touch of wry amusement, "At least your instincts are still sound, even if you have managed to convince yourself you don't belong to me!"
    "No, Josh," Reva tried to protest weakly, "it was only a dream! Probably