Jenna moved through the morning like she was walking underwater.
The light felt too bright.
The sounds too sharp.
Her own breath too loud in her ears.
Nothing felt real anymore.
Not her room.
Not her reflection.
Not the red marks fading slowly from her neck.
What did feel real — painfully, hauntingly real — was him.
That dream…
No, not a dream. Not fully.
Not when her skin still tingled in the exact places he touched her.
Jenna pressed her fingers against her throat, tracing the faint warmth there, and a shiver rolled down her spine. She shut her eyes and instantly, his face appeared behind her eyelids.
Dark hair falling slightly over his forehead.
Eyes like embers in a storm, watching her with a hunger that felt almost… possessive.
A body so solid, so close, she could still feel the ghost of his breath on her neck.
Her heart lurched.
These dreams… they weren't new.
They had been coming for weeks — no, months.
Growing clearer.
Growing hotter.
Growing dangerously real.
At first, she told herself they were stress. Overactive imagination.
But no dream should have such a hold on her.
No dream should make her remember the exact way his fingers curved around her waist…
The heat of his chest brushing her back…
The way his voice slid down her spine, low and sinful, like he owned every reaction she had.
Her breath came unsteady, shallow.
She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to steady the rising warmth under her skin.
It didn't help.
The memory of his touch was everywhere — on her neck, her shoulders, her waist.
And worse…
Her body remembered him too easily.
A soft, involuntary sound escaped her lips — barely audible, but enough to make her snap her eyes open.
"What is happening to me…?" she whispered, but her voice held a tremble she didn't want to hear.
She wasn't supposed to respond to a dream like this.
She wasn't supposed to crave a man who didn't exist.
She wasn't supposed to feel heat curling low in her stomach just thinking about the way his hand had held her — firm, unholy, claiming.
Her cheeks flushed.
She pressed her palm against her chest, trying to calm the pounding there.
It didn't help.
If anything, the memory grew stronger… sharper.
His fingers sliding up her spine.
His breath against her ear.
His lips so close that she had felt the warmth of them — almost touching hers, almost tasting her name.
Jenna swallowed hard, her knees momentarily weak.
Was she losing her mind?
Or was she losing herself to someone who haunted her dreams on purpose?
Because deep inside, she knew something terrifying:
He wasn't just a dream.
He was waiting.
And every night, he came closer.
The thought sent a pulse through her body she couldn't ignore.
She tried so hard to hold herself, to hold the temptation but she couldn't, she couldn't supress this feeling anymore.
This was evident from the way her thighs were clenching blanket so hard like she will break if she didn't hold into that peice of warmth. Her hands unknowingly went up towards her neck to her shoulder to her chest.
It was so much for her. Her movements were getting bolder with each passing second. Her fingers were hovering just above where she wanted the most. Her mind was filled with unfulfilled desires. Her body was in heat....in need.
A loud bang in her door making her jolt and brought her back to reality.
Her cheeks flushed in embarrassment about what she was even doing. She collected herself adjusted her satin night gown and went towards the door. Her legs were still shaky .
She took a long breath and opened the door.