Dream of Me: A Sweet Contemporary Romance (19 page)

He laughed softly. “How can you say for sure? Maybe I’m not ready to admit it.”

Aubrey glanced away from his vivid eyes. “We better go; they’ll be wondering what’s keeping us.”

“Waiting won’t do either of them any harm.”

“That’s a strange thing to say.”

“I’m in a strange mood tonight,” he admitted as he took the tray and headed toward the door.

Aubrey followed him more slowly; she knew who was responsible for Corbin’s strange mood.

Once dessert had been consumed, Richard announced his departure. Aubrey accompanied him to the front door. “Thanks for keeping me company tonight. Now go home and call Phoebe.”

“I intend to. What are you going to do?”

“Go to my room and cry myself to sleep. Goodnight, Richard.”

After making her excuses to the other two, Aubrey did in fact go to her room, but she didn’t allow herself the luxury of crying. Instead she took solace in a bubble bath. She knew she would never fall asleep while Mandy was in the house.

Corbin hadn’t counted on Richard leaving so early. He accepted Aubrey’s excuse of tiredness with a skeptical smile. As he watched Mandy make herself comfortable on the sofa with a glance his way that should have made him forget everything else, he wondered why it left him so unmoved.

He spent the next hour evading every advance Mandy had at her disposal. After a while, he began to feel sorry for her. She was obviously at a loss to understand him. When she at last announced her intention of going home, he felt no regret. Why was it that the things about Mandy that had so attracted him before did so little now? Had his experience changed him or merely illustrated how little he understood love?

He locked the door and started up the stairs. Immediately his thoughts turned to Aubrey. Here was another female he didn’t understand. How could she be interested in someone as selfish and shallow as Richard? She had so much to offer, and it angered him to think how little it would be appreciated. Once he tired of her, Richard would toss her aside just like he’d done all the others.

As he passed by her room, Corbin noticed the beam of light coming from beneath her door. He hesitated, wanting to see her yet knowing he should leave things alone. Her relationships were none of his concern. He took a few steps further and stopped again. What would it hurt to check on her? Maybe she was sick or dealing with the effects of another nightmare.
Or she could simply be reading, and he’d look like a fool knocking on her door this late at night.

Corbin heard Aubrey moving around and then the door opened. She’d obviously been brushing her hair; it was pulled over one shoulder, appearing attractively dark against the lighter material of her robe. He took a steadying breath.

“Still up? From the way you talked of being tired, I thought you’d be asleep by now.”

“Is that a criticism? Maybe I was being tactful,” she suggested.

Corbin smiled grimly. “I think it more likely that with Richard gone, you no longer had any desire to hang around.”

“Why would you want me hanging around with Mandy here?”

He threw her an irritated glance. “I can’t figure you out. What do you see in him?”

“Someone who’s trying to change.”

“And you’re going to help him do it?”

“No, I can’t help him with that,” Aubrey admitted. “Change comes from within.”

“You appear to be a strong motivator.”

A small smile formed on her lips. “Not really. He needed a jolt and I supplied one.”

“Your faith in people is extraordinary; in Richard it’s unbelievable.”

Aubrey flipped back her hair impatiently. “And you only see what you want to see.”

“You’re wrong about that; things are very far from how I want to see them.” He turned abruptly and continued down the hall to his room.

* * * *

Sleep didn’t come easy for either of them. When Aubrey did finally manage to doze, she found herself in the depths of an all-too-familiar nightmare. Her screams were loud enough to wake Corbin, who’d just fallen asleep himself.

He entered her room quickly and switched on the lamp. The sight of Aubrey sitting up in bed, tears running down her cheek, was too much for him. Not worried about how she might react, he drew her into his arms. “It’s all right, Aubrey. I’ve got you.”

A long shudder went through her. “It was so real,” she said huskily.

His arms tightened. “I wish I could take the nightmares away.”

As the last remnants of the dream left her brain, Aubrey became aware of a variety of sensations: the hard muscles of the arms holding her, the warm skin touching hers and the firm lips brushing against her ear. Tiny shivers of excitement began to course through her body.

When Corbin drew away, she wanted to pull him back. He settled her against the pillows with an impersonal smile that cut like a knife into her heart. She would never see anything else in those intensely beautiful eyes.

“Feeling better now?” he asked gently.

“Yes, thank you,” she assured him quietly. “I’ll be fine.” Aubrey laughed inwardly at such a blatant lie.
Would she ever be fine again?
As she watched him leave, she thought it ironic that the nightmares that had brought her such torment had been the means of giving her something she would never have had otherwise: the pleasure of being in Corbin’s arms.

Once in his room, Corbin didn’t attempt to return to bed. He sat down in a chair near the window and glanced out at the moonless sky. How had he let the situation with Aubrey reach such a precarious point? Six years ago when he sat alone and humiliated in the back of a church, he vowed he’d never fall in love again. He hadn’t wanted to risk his heart a second time. After Mandy’s departure, he made sure his relationships with women never reached beyond the superficial. This hadn’t been hard to do because he hadn’t met anyone who remotely touched his heart.

All of that changed when Aubrey came into his life. The one female he would have sworn couldn’t make the slightest impression on him was keeping him awake at night. And Corbin knew why. He’d known it for weeks. How could he have done such a foolish thing? The heart he thought dead and incapable of love was throbbing with life, eager to consume his common sense once again.

Exactly what he expected these revelations to do for him was unclear. Admitting what he’d suspected and denied wasn’t going to change anything. The gray eyes he yearned to see full of love gazed back at him with only friendship. Aubrey didn’t think of him in romantic terms.

Added to this was the problem of Richard. Until he knew how Aubrey felt about the other man, there wasn’t any point in disclosing his own feelings. Corbin didn’t think he could handle a second rejection. With a shuddering sigh, he went downstairs. At least he could do some work because he definitely wasn’t going to sleep.

Chapter Ten

Through the rectangular window of the jet, Aubrey glanced down at the tree-covered hills of New England bathed in the final rays of a spectacular sunset. The vibrant hues of fall had come and gone weeks ago, leaving the trees bare, but the sight of quaint towns each with their own little white church and covered bridge kept her attention riveted on the miniature world lying so peacefully below.

At Aubrey’s side, Corbin had abandoned the work that kept him busy for most of their flight and was indulging in a nap. It was no wonder he was tired; their day had begun early. Rising before dawn, they’d driven to Atlanta, arriving at the airport mid-morning to find their flight delayed. It would be three long hours before their aircraft began its journey to Maine.

The days preceding this trip had passed with astonishing quickness, every minute filled with activity. This had been a fortunate occurrence for Aubrey’s state of mind. It had been painful to witness and even more difficult not to brood on the growing attachment between the man she loved and the woman he seemed prepared to take back into his life.

With a sigh, Aubrey turned from the window and aimlessly leafed through a magazine.

“I apologize for falling asleep.”

The quiet words startled her, and she looked up quickly, her lips forming a smile in answer to the wry grin on Corbin’s face. “You haven’t missed anything except fluffy clouds and a bag of pretzels. Did you have a nice nap?”

Corbin’s smile grew. “Yes, and I can’t complain about the view upon waking, either.”

Aubrey’s heart leapt in her chest in spite of knowing Corbin didn’t mean anything by these comments. “We should be landing soon.”

“I wasted the entire flight sleeping when I could have been talking to you.”

She laughed. “You and I sit for hours in the same room at home, and you never say a word.”

“That doesn’t mean I haven’t wanted to say things.”

She shook her head. “I’ll be glad when you’re on solid ground again. I think the altitude has made you light-headed.”

“We’ll have to find out, won’t we?”

Once the huge plane came to a stop, its passengers began eagerly disembarking, making a steady stream of humanity through the airport terminal. Corbin led the way to the rental car counter where after a brief wait they passed through a pair of glass doors into the chilly evening.

Leaving the terminal behind, they followed the signs to a parking lot across the street. Here they were met by an attendant who gave them a cheeky grin before escorting them to a car, its black exterior melting into the darkness around them.

Aubrey sat down on the pearl gray leather seat, glad to escape the icy breeze cutting through her coat. She heard Corbin stowing the suitcases in the trunk. In silence, he backed the car out of its miniscule space and they were on their way.

“Warm enough?” he asked after a few minutes.

“Yes, you can turn off the heater if you like.”

“Hungry?”

“A little, but there’s no hurry.”

“Yes, there is. I missed the bag of pretzels.”

Soon Corbin had them inside a cozy restaurant sipping delicious clam chowder. The dining room was only half full, its clientele a mixture of young families and older couples. Their table sat near a window, and accustomed to Corbin’s silences during meals, Aubrey occupied herself watching the various people strolling along the sidewalk.

When she returned her attention to her companion, she found his unsmiling glance resting on her. It was impossible to know what he was thinking.
Was he bored? Or just missing Mandy?

With characteristic acuity, he said, “I’m not being very sociable, am I?”

“You must have many things on your mind, and I’m just an employee. You’re not obligated to entertain me with small talk.”

Corbin laughed. “I only have one thing on my mind. And, whether I show it or not, I don’t always think of you as just an employee.”

Their food arrived before Aubrey could think of a reply to this. She spent the remainder of the meal wondering in what other way Corbin thought of her. Once they resumed their journey, the warmth and silence of the car lulled her to sleep. She was unaware they’d reached their destination until he opened her door and gently shook her awake.

“Wake up, sleeping beauty. It’s too cold to sleep in the car.”

As the frigid air hit her face, Aubrey shivered and tried to move her stiff limbs. Once Corbin stepped aside, she saw the house. Outlined against the starry sky, its immense proportions made nonsense of his description of it as a holiday cabin. After one long look, she concentrated on negotiating the gravel path winding its way from the driveway to the covered porch encircling the house. The front door opened just as they reached it.

“I was beginning to think you got lost.”

“I never get lost,” retorted Corbin. “Mike, I want you to meet Aubrey Sommers. Aubrey, this is Mike Butler, a friend of mine who generously allowed us the use of his cabin.”

Aubrey murmured a greeting as her weary gaze registered rugged good looks, a slim build and blonde hair mixed with gray. She scarcely noticed the all-encompassing glance she received in return before Mike looked at Corbin, a strange smile on his face.

“I’ll take Aubrey upstairs. You can start bringing in the luggage.”

With a mocking salute, Corbin turned back to the car. Mike took the computer bag dangling from Aubrey’s hand. “Have you ever been to Maine before?” he asked over his shoulder.

“No, but I’ve always wanted to see it.”

“You picked a good time to come. The tourists aren’t here yet.”

He ushered her into a spacious bedroom with unpainted oak walls and floors. The furniture was also oak and built on massive lines. The duvet on the bed was pristine white as were the blinds on the floor-to-ceiling windows.

When Aubrey glanced back at her host, she caught a look on his face she didn’t understand. “It’s a lovely room. I’m sure I’ll be very comfortable here.”

“I hope you will. I’ll see if Corbin needs any help.”

Aubrey was exploring the all-white bathroom when the men returned with the luggage.

“You two have had a long day. I understand if you prefer to have an early night,” Mike assured them. This last was accompanied by a knowing grin sent in Corbin’s direction which was fielded with a dry one in return.

Aubrey glanced at the pile of luggage stacked at the end of the bed.
Why had Mike brought Corbin’s bags in here?
“Where’s your room?”

Her companion was still staring at the door through which Mike had departed. Instead of answering her, Corbin started to laugh. A startling idea occurred to her.

“Is he expecting you to stay in here?”

“Apparently so, but don’t worry; it’s a complication that’s easily resolved. I’ll move my things into the room next door and explain the situation to Mike in the morning.” He gave her a friendly push toward the bathroom. “Go get ready for bed. You look ready to drop.”

Grabbing her overnight bag, Aubrey did as she was told. All she wanted was to take a hot shower and sleep. When she reentered the bedroom, all traces of Corbin had been removed. Sinking gratefully onto the soft mattress, she fell asleep almost instantly.