First Kiss Last by Sara Miller (read e book .TXT) 📗

“Night, babe.” He crawled into bed alone not even bothering to kiss her.

Leah wanted to cry.

As she tended to the laundry, Leah reflected on her current situation. She was absolutely exhausted. Not only tired in body but also deep down to her soul. A war raged between her heart and mind. Had she cheated on her husband? Leah knew sex dreams were fairly normal and her dream was just a kiss. It should not have been a big deal but if she was honest, she knew her dreams were far from normal.

The more she thought about it, Leah realized the coffee shop was not her only dream with Cade. At first the dreams seemed innocent: just two childhood friends catching up. She had told him about college, her degree, and her current job. She’d spoken at length about her nieces. He explained how he owned his own business and told her about his kids. His daughter was fifteen and his son only six. Leah wasn’t sure how long these dreams had been going on, but she found she knew his likes, dislikes, favorite colors, pet peeves, and more. Her brain stored all this information as if it was real.

Before Cade’s message and the realization they had shared a dream, she had not been overly concerned about her dreams of him. Wasn’t it common that people dreamed about old flames?

Especially if they weren’t particularly happy with their lives with their current partners.

But after she dreamt she kissed Cade Emerson, everything changed. He remembered the dream too. That’s when she had panicked. When Leah realized sleeping was no longer safe because her dreams were not her own.

She yearned to discuss it with her grandmother, Georgia Grace, called Gigi by friends and family. She was never taken aback by anything others might consider strange. Leah could talk to her about anything. Even this. Gigi had been her best friend, but had passed away the year before she met Eric. Leah still missed her dearly. Discussing her current predicament with anyone else would be ridiculously awkward. Most people would not find this believable. Except, maybe, her sister Lily.

But even if Gigi was still alive, Leah knew she was not ready to talk about it. She just wanted to sleep in peace again. Inevitably, the second she laid down, she was overwhelmed with conflicting feelings. God help her, she wanted to be somewhere else. She wanted to be someone else. She wanted to be with Cade again. Her mind replayed the memories and she got upset with herself. She’s married.

What was going on with her?

Her brain felt full up. She had passed the point of being able to process it all days ago. The important thing was that so far her self-inflicted sleep deprivation was working. There were no more dreams. But Leah was running on empty.

Her thoughts and emotions kept tumbling, like the clothes in the dryer.

Despite her nap, she still struggled to make it to Thursday. During daylight hours, she threw herself into her work. Unfortunately, she was good at her job. As an office manager, she had to stay organized and on schedule. This week, her efficiency mocked her. In the past, her coworkers had teased she mothered them. A term that bothered her on several levels. This week however, they switched to saying “smothered.” Which left her with two choices: back off or face a mutiny. While the mutiny would be a great distraction and handling it would give her something to do, Leah knew it was not the right choice.

She chuckled at her thoughts and it earned her several concerned glances. Oh dear. She’d already been considering an early lunch, maybe her co-workers’ concern was a sign she should do that.

Glancing at her phone, Leah felt her heart stutter. It was another message from Cade. She did not read it. All her tired brain could think was, “If he’s awake, it’s safe to sleep!”

Leah grabbed her purse and flew out the door. For once, she was grateful her pleas for a real home had been ignored. The closeness of the downtown apartment Eric insisted on worked to her advantage. As she entered the tiny shared courtyard, she quickly sent two texts: one to work and one to her husband. They both simply said “migraine.” It was an easier explanation than acknowledging she was emotionally overwhelmed and exhausted. She felt overheated. Her head hurt. She hoped she was not going to be physically sick.

She let herself in, kicked off her shoes and tossed her purse in the general direction of the table. Their modern bedroom was chilly and dark. Not her style, but today it felt like heaven. Leah stripped out of her clothes, too tired to bother with her nightgown. For the first time in days, the bed looked truly inviting. Leah climbed under the covers. The crisp sheets felt cool against her bare skin. She shivered, sighed and finally slept.

Chapter 3

Leah stretched, feeling luxuriously rested. She was wrapped in a cocoon of softness. The air held an unfamiliar hint of cedar. As she tried to get her sleepy eyes to focus, she noticed the soft glow of the bedside lamp cast everything in a warm yellow light, giving the room a cozy feeling.

She sat up with a gasp. Her head spun. This was not her room. She was not in her own bed. Even more unsettling, she was not wearing any clothes. Leah pulled the sheet up around her shoulders and tried to will herself awake. But then she saw him and her determination was instantly gone. She wanted to be here.

Cade stood across the room, leaning against the door jam. Arms folded across his bare chest, blue plaid sleep shorts hanging low on his hips, he watched her. No expression on his face for the count of several of her heartbeats. Finally he raised one eyebrow and his mouth quirked into a hint of a smile.

“Welcome back.”

“I’m in your bed.” Leah