The Date Auction (25 page)

“That way.” She directed his attention to a nearby room, into which Harry eagerly carried her. As soon as he tossed her on the bed, he removed his shirt and crawled onto the blankets beside her. “You really want this, don't you?”

“
Of course
I want this!” Harry exclaimed. “I was mentally berating myself for missing my opportunity. I should have made my move while you were still alive.” His nose was suddenly pinched with disgust. “You know what I
shouldn't
have done? That stupid Tudor movie. I should have dropped out of it and spent every second with you.”

“Well, I'm alive enough right now. You can make up for it.” Cora looked down at her black bra and sighed. It was the first time she attempted to wear sexy lingerie for a man, and she hoped she didn't look too ridiculous. The fact that he was tugging off her jeans gave her hope. “So... I see that you're removing my pants.”

“Um... not quite. I'm removing your trousers, but I'll get to your pants in a moment.”

“Ah. The language barrier,” Cora mused. “The differences between British English and American English might be too much for our relationship to handle.”

“I like your pants.” He was staring at her matching black underwear as he said it. “And by pants, I mean knickers.”

“I know what you mean.”

“Good.”

“But we don't say knickers in the US either,” Cora went on. “But I
do
know what you mean.”

“For a girl in my dream, you seem awfully concerned about my British slang.”

“That's because I'm not just a girl in your dream. I'm Cora. The
real
Cora,” she tried to convince him. “And believe me, I'm more nervous right now than I've ever been.”

“Don't be nervous, sweetheart. I'll take care of you.” He unfastened his jeans and motioned toward her hands. “Take them off.”

“Are you asking me to undress you?!”

“That is my intent, yes,” he said with a smirk. “And feel free to touch me wherever you'd like. My chest, my bum, my--”

“Bum,” she repeated the word with a snicker. “You are too cute, you know that?”

“Bum bum bum bum. If that word makes you think I'm cute, and it'll make you want to have your way with me, I could say it all day.”

“It's only cute when
you
say it.” Cora tentatively touched his chest, then ran her hands down to his stomach. “You have a nice body.”

“
You
have a nice body.”

“No I don't,” she was quick to protest. “I'm a little bit too--”

He cut her off. “You're
perfect
.” To demonstrate how perfect she was, Harry simultaneously buried his face in her cleavage and cupped her bottom. Then his hands ascended to her bra, which he slyly unhooked and slid away from her body. When her breasts were revealed, he repeated, “Perfect.”

Now that she was half-naked, Cora was feeling bold. Not only did she pull off his pants, she also removed his knickers. When he felt her hand on his penis for the first time, he knew it had to be more than a dream. As soon as she touched him, Harry felt like he was going to explode.

“I need you,” he murmured against her stomach, where his face was pressed. He kissed her naval, he kissed between her breasts, he kissed her nipples. He hooked his thumbs into her panties and slowly pulled them down. When they were both naked, he scooped her into his arms and pulled her toward him. Every inch of her skin was pressed against every inch of his skin, and that fact had them both elated. He could even feel her heart beating against his, and he knew she was alive and resting in his arms.

They made love four times, each time more amazing than the next. He wished he could join her in heaven, or wherever she resided, because that's how she made him feel. She made him feel like he was in heaven.

“I hope I never wake up,” Harry whispered into her hair. “I wish I could stay with you forever. I would stay right here. Naked. In your arms.”

Cora traced his eyebrow with her thumb and pressed her lips against his forehead. She hated to be the bearer of bad news, but he needed to know. “But you'll have to wake up eventually.”

“I know...” he whimpered. “I know! That's what I'm afraid of. I'll wake up, you'll be gone, I'll realize this was a dream... and worst of all, I might not even remember this happened.”

She could hear the strain of tears in his voice, so she kissed his forehead again. “It's okay. I'll come back. I can come back whenever you want me to...”

“Then I want you to come back tomorrow,” Harry said. “And the next day. And the next day. I want you to visit me in my dreams every single night.” He had tears in his eyes when he looked at her. “Promise me you'll come.”

“I'll come.”

“
Promise
me.”

“I promise I'll come,” Cora insisted. “I'll visit you every night.”

“Good.” Harry could feel his conscious slipping; he knew he was on the verge of waking up. “Good. That's good. You know what, Cora?”

Harry was stroking her hair as he spoke, so she closed her eyes and reveled in the feeling. “Hmm?”

“I got to hold you in my arms. I got to kiss you. I got to make love to you,” Harry whispered. “I would say this is a pretty good end to our story.”

She opened her eyes and smiled at him. “You know, there's a fine line between fiction and reality. And I like to think there isn't much difference between reality and a dream.”

His next words surprised her. “I love you, Cora.”

“I love you too.”

“I miss you,” he whispered. “I miss you every single day.”

“I know you do.” Cora held onto him as long as she could, even though she could feel him drifting away. “But I'll be back, okay? I promise I'll be back. I'll--”

When Harry opened his eyes, he couldn't see Cora anymore. Images from the dream seemed to vanish before his eyes, no matter how hard he clung to them. A tear rolled down his cheek, but it was gone before it reached his lips.

Even though he couldn't see her, Cora was right next to him, gently wiping away his tears.