Luke's Dream Read Online Free PDF Page B

improbable as a mutant baby beetle or
unicorn.
    Stealthily, I moved to the right, angling
myself further away from the road. The trees thinned enough to see
a dried creek bed about six feet below. I jumped down, landing
softly. Ahead, the creek curved slightly, the bank providing me
with some cover as I moved forward. Suddenly she came into view.
Near the bridge, the slope to the dried creek bed was covered with
weeds and crushed stone. She’d slid almost to the bottom and was
laying on her back on the rocks. My first thought was that she’d
fallen. But she’d removed her hoodie, which lay beside her, and had
her arm behind her head as a pillow. When she twitched, I knew she
was sleeping.
    What was she thinking taking her warmest
layer off for a nap outdoors? I strode forward and picked up the
garment. The rocks couldn’t be comfortable but at least I could try
to keep her warm. Shaking the hoodie out, I set it over her.
    Her eyes popped open, and I froze, busted.
The overcast sky had her eyes looking very blue instead of violet.
As I watched, her pupils dilated, her pulse spiked, and the scent
of her fear and anger engulfed us.
    Not sure what to do to avoid screaming or
hysterics, I eased the covering over her shoulders. It didn’t seem
to be the right move. She scrambled to her feet before the material
had a chance to settle. She stood, trembling just a few feet away.
With the garment still in hand, I slowly stood, not wanting to
frighten her further.
    In silence, she studied me. She swayed on her
feet, and I regretted that covering her had woken her. She
desperately needed sleep. She shivered, reminding me she needed the
hoodie as well. Taking her silence as a promising sign, I held out
the hoodie and tried to introduce myself.
    “My name is—”
    She kicked out with scary accuracy. Had my
reflexes been slower, she would have unmanned me. As it was, she
took advantage of the close-call sickness that had settled into my
gut and tried to scramble up the bank.
    Her running and fear needed to stop. It was
robbing her of sleep and making her worse. Chasing after her, I
caught her from behind, pinning her arms.
    “Easy, luv. Unlike you, I mean no harm,” I
said. Holding her firmly to avoid injury, I carried her back down
to the creek bed.
    The rapid thump of her heart reminded me of a
startled rabbit just before it faints. I quickly let her go and
took a step back. Having learned my lesson, I stood at an angle to
her to present less of a target.
    She quickly spun to face me, taking up a
fighter’s stance, knees bent and weight on the balls of her feet.
What had happened to my poor girl? I knew better than to ask.
    “As I was saying, my name is Luke Taylor. And
you are?”
    “Not yours. Touch me again and I’ll sac tap
you so hard you’ll be coughing semen for a week. And this time I
won’t miss.”
    A preemptive ache started in my groin at her
descriptive words. Yet, I couldn’t help but grin at her courage.
Her fear hadn’t dissipated. She just wasn’t letting it control
her.
    Her gaze, which had been focused on me since
she woke, drifted to the tree line behind me. She scanned the banks
closely. I tilted my head, puzzled.
    “What are you looking for?”
    Her blue gaze settled on me once more.
    “Your pack of murdering dogs.”
    The phrasing surprised me. While I didn’t
consider myself at all similar to a simple minded dog, the canine
comparison still hit uncomfortably close to home.
    “I’m alone.”
    She snorted and eyed me. After a few minutes,
I realized she was waiting to see what I would do. I sighed and sat
down on the patch of rocks where we’d started.
    She glanced at the trees again then glared at
me.
    “What are you doing?”
    “Waiting for you to decide your next move.
Keeping up with you is exhausting. I thought giving you money would
keep you in one place long enough that you could get the sleep you
obviously need.” I rested my forearm on my knees, relaxing. “So
what are your