His hair was shorter than it had been in my dream and the clothes he wore were clearly not from colonial times but I knew it was him. How it could be, I had no idea but I knew that it was. The way he moved, fluid grace like a stalking cat, those sad gray eyes that were hiding dark secrets in their depths. How could it possibly be anyone else?
I shook my head and blinked a few times. Half expecting my vision to come back into focus and the man look completely different that I thought he had. But when my looked at him again I still saw the rugged man who had haunted my dreams.
I must still be in shock from the accident I had hit my head and must still be suffering from the concussion. How else could this even be possible? He couldn't truly be real could he? I mean it was just a dream and a very strange dream at that. So how was it that the gorgeous man I dreamt about had just walked into the same coffee shop as me?
I watched as he strode up to the counter, never letting my eyes stray from that agile form. The girl who had disappeared earlier had come back and seemed very excited to see him. Perhaps she was his girlfriend. Though that thought didn't set well with me. It churned my stomach in knots to think of his hands on her.
I shook my head my head again. This was just ridicules. Was this jealousy I was feeling for a man I had never met outside of my dreams? Why should I be jealous of her? I didn't even know him. Which made it that much stranger that he should play such an important roll in my dreams. But that was besides the point. Perhaps I had walked past him one day and my subconscious had used his face for my strange trauma induced dream. That at least was a reasonable explanation to why I remembered that beautiful face.
I looked back up to see the girl behind the counter no longer looking very happy. She seemed worried and was talking in a quick hushed tone that I couldn't quiet make out from this far away. Though she seemed like she was in trouble and trying to explain herself. The angered look on his face confirming that assumption and sending a chill down my spine. Well, better her than me. She nodded her head in my direction and I ducked my head back down to the book before he could look over.
I could almost feel his eyes on me, watching me, and in a way it made me want to go to him. A strange compulsion to ignore everything else but him. To feel his touch again on my skin and those lips of his. To share the kiss I remembered in my dream. It sent another shiver down my spine; I didn't like it. Why was I feeling this way? Was it because of the accident? Had I really done something to mess up my head?
When I chanced a glance up they were both gone; the door to the back swinging closed behind them. I breathed a sigh of relief. These past few days were starting to fry my nerves. Taking another sip of the coffee helped to calm me down a bit. Though the caffeine probably wasn't helping my nerves either.
The bell above the door to the cafe chimed as it was pulled opened. The sound made me nearly jump out of my seat. Some of the hot liquid spilling from my cup onto my lap. I quickly used the napkin to dry it up as it burned my legs. Looking up I had just enough time to see a blur of a red hair as my best friend sprinted across the cafe to tackle me where I sat. Spilling even more of the delicious coffee onto the floor
"Oh my gosh Morgan I'm so glad your okay. Why didn't you call me? I had no idea you had been in an accident or if you were okay. You were in the hospital and didn't think to call your best friend!" Ashlynn was talking a mile a minute and squeezing me so hard I was starting to wonder if she was going to crush my ribs. I flailed my hand hitting her on the back and she finally released me allowing me to take in a couple deep gasps of air.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. Are your ribs okay? What are your injuries? Should you really be out of the hospital you look really pale?"
"I'm okay, calm down." I sat back down in my chair and she took the one beside me, glancing at my now almost empty cup. "I'm sorry I didn't call you. I've had a lot on my mind and the concussion didn't help." I'm sure I still looked a mess. I could still feel how tender the top of my head was from hitting the steering wheel. "Besides I wasn't going to ruin your vacation with Marcus. You've been planning it for months."
Ashlynn and Marcus had met at the restaurant she and I worked at. He owned a few book stores and had fallen head over heels at first sight. Naturally Ashlynn attracted a lot of men, she was curvy and blonde with captivating dark blue eyes. Though Marcus hardly appeared to be her type. He wasn't and had a rather lanky build with dark brown hair and gray blue eyes rimmed with black glasses. Though Ashlynn was beautiful enough to be a model she was only working at the restaurant to pay her way through law school, but with her looks most men didn't want her for her brain.
"Oh my gosh the beach was wonderful. I think Marcus even got a tan! I have to show you all the pictures we took and I brought you back something. Its at my apartment though. You have to come over for dinner." This is how it always was. Ashlynn needed very little prompting to talk for hours and I was just happy to listen. Growing up in foster homes I had learned very quickly I wasn't wanted, I was just a check from the state. So I stayed quiet and out of the way, well Ashlynn had taken my silence and filled it with her stories and rants and actually encouraged me to get out more. She was the first person I could ever truly call a friend.
"Here let me get you a refill." She grabbed my cup and headed for the counter. I watched as the girl came out of the back and enthusiastically made up two frothy cups. She and Ashlynn made quiet a pair, if they smiled any harder at each other it might cause an injury. I couldn't help but giggle, which hurt my head but it was worth it. For all she was a very bubbly person if there was one thing she couldn't stand it was another bubbly person. Anyone who was very smiley and happy bothered her in ways I just couldn't understand.
She set the cups down on the little table between our two chairs and rolled her eyes. "Shes a real cheerful thing isn't she. Its disgusting. I bet she spends all day tasting the coffee. No one is that cheerful naturally." The irony was not lost on me and I smiled as I glanced back up at the counter and saw those wolf eyes glaring into the back of Ashlynns head. I tried to hide my smile as I took a sip of my macchiato imagining a growl along with that stare.
"So tell me all about the accident. Don't leave out any detail. I can't believe I'm finding out so late as it is." She picked up her cup and blew on the steam before taking a sip. Savoring the taste and holding it close to her face.
I sighed and set down my cup before telling her everything. Even about the dream I had had while unconscious in the car. Considering how much she liked to talk she actually did quiet well about not interrupting. Though I could tell she was bursting with questions. Her eyes got wide when I got to the part about the stranger in the hospital but she stayed silent. Though to keep myself from sounding completely crazy I left out the part about his strange eyes. When I told her about the letter I had received she just couldn't help herself.
"Can you say stalker! Please tell me you called the cops. There is clearly something wrong with him. Oh my gosh you didn't call them did you? Are you stupid? What if he comes back? What if he breaks in?" I just let her run out of breath. It was easier that way. If I waited for her to run out of questions I'd be here all day. So I when she paused to breath I took my chance.
"I didn't call the cops. I know it was stupid but I didn't feel threatened. It was almost like he was watching out for me." I didn't need her expressions to tell me how crazy I felt. Yea I had been creeped out but I hadn't feared for my life. "I don't know. If it happens again I'll call but I don't want to make a big deal out of nothing."
"How can you call it nothing? Some creepy guy with wired eyes shows up while your in the hospital and then follows you home. That's something you call the cops over. That's not nothing." I now felt properly chastised. I knew she was right, something about that whole situation was wrong and I should have at least called someone. If not the police than I could have at least called Ashlynn or Ryan, my boss who had been trying to take me out on a date since he hired me. Though he was really nice he just wasn't my type. Not that I really had a type but that was besides the point.
I just nodded my head and took another sip from my coffee. I guess growing up in foster homes taught me to be very independent and self reliant. I rarely asked for help from anyone no matter what the situation. It was just simply not something that I was used to doing.
When her scolding didn't continue I looked back up at Ashlynn and saw her attention was focused on the front of the store. The guy from my dreams, my Abbadon, had come back out front and was walking this way. I felt my heart drop into my stomach and could feel the heat rise in my face when I realized his eyes were locked on me. Their cold gray stare boring into me like he was looking threw me. It was unnerving and erotic all at the same time, making me shift in my seat as the tension seemed to build.
"Hello gorgeous." Trust Ashlynn to say the first word. She licked her lips and here eyes were glued to my man. No, correction, not my man. I had never met him before but every part of me claimed his as mine and I didn't care that Ashlynn was my best friend I was not sharing.
"Hello ladies. I am Nathaniel Bennett, owner of the Blue Moon Cafe. How is everything? Is there anything I can get you?" His smile was simple and breathtaking. I couldn't take my eyes off of him. If he was the owner that explained a lot about why the happy girl that Ashlynn didn't like looked happy to see him and had seemed like she was in trouble. I wonder what she had messed up. Hopefully it hadn't been my drink. It has tasted fine but you never know.
"Your number would be nice. Hello I'm Ashlynn, but you can call me Ash." She was all smiles and batting eye lashes but she was clearly wasting her time because he was still watching me. He glanced over at her with a quick smile before his gaze returned to mine. "And this is my friend Morgan."
"Hello Morgan. It is nice to see you again." The smile slipped from my face in confusion. Again? Now that couldn't be right. What was he talking about. His eyes were laughing at the clearly confused look on my face.
"I'm sorry I'm not sure I know what your talking about. I don't think I've ever met you." Setting my coffee down I stood to shake his hand. Though when his finger wound around mine I could feel a heat spread from him, it traveled up my arm until my entire body could feel the warmth.
"My apologies. We met so long ago I doubt you would remember. It was almost like a different life time." I could hear the laughter in his voice, almost like he was mocking me.
"You mean Salem." I wasn't sure what made me say it. I wasn't even sure that was the name of the village that had been in my dream but it just seemed right. I must have hit the nail on the head because his smile slipped from his face and the laughter in his eyes died. He stared at me with something close to shock hidden in his eyes.
"You do remember." His words were barely above a whisper. His soft voice drawing my attention from his eyes to his lips. There was no warning he tugged on my hand pulling me of balance so that I fell against him. The next thing I knew his lips were on mine and they were everything I dreamed that they would be.