Dreams~Shadows of the Night (2 page)

>>>>dreams<<<<

A cotton
-
candy pink dawn streamed in through the bare windows tinting the bedroom with its rosy illumination. Josh lay in his bed propped on one elbow watching Catherine’s sleeping form. They’d been together four months now and just as he’d suspected there was a lot of fire hidden beneath her cool, creamy skin. She was so hot when they made love it was a wonder they didn’t scorch the sheets. Not that he was complaining. He liked fiery women and was quite happy to let
her ignite his pilot light.

But their lovemaking would have to be put on hold for a while. He’d signed on for a three month project in the Amazon and was leaving later today. He started to lie back when Catherine's arms and legs t
hrashed about and she
began to cry
out, her voice cho
king
, her words incomprehensible.
S
he began to
flail
about, clearly agitated by whatever she was dreaming.

He shook her gently.

“Hey, wake up, honey. You must be having a nightmare.”

Her eyes flew open, glazed with fear before focus
ing on
his face
.

“Don’t go,
”
she begged, the piercing whine of her voice mounting as she grabbed for his arms.

“What? Don’t go where?” he asked concerned by her desperate sounding plea.

“The Amazon. You mustn’t go there,”

“Catherine, what are you talking about? I’ve already signed the contract.”

“I saw you in my dream. You were lying unconscious surrounded by dense foliage. It was raining. You were covered in mud. This is a warning sign. I feel it.”

He gathered her in his arms.

“It was just a crazy dream. I’m going to be fine.”

“You don’t understand. I never told you, but I sometimes see things in my dreams
– t
hings that
come true. I saw you in a dream the night before you came to the hospital.”

“No kidding?” he said, more intrigued than shocked by her confession. “This talent could be kind of handy. Can you predict whether or not I’ll win the lottery?”

She tried to pull away from him, but he held on.

“I’m serious, Josh.”

“So am I.” He started to laugh, but stopped when her eyes filled with tears. “Hey, I’ve been all over the globe and the
worst
that’s happened to me is getting blisters.”

“You have to listen to me
. The night before I met you, I had a repeat of an old nightmare and that was just before I saw you in my dream.
It concerned people I loved very much. That dream ended badly for them and I believe I had it again because something terrible is going to happen to you, too.”

“You had a bad dream because you’re going to miss me,” he teased.

“It’s more than that.” She hesitated. “I’ve seen death in my dreams before.”

He jerked back.

“What the hell! Are you saying I’m going to die on the job?”

“I don’t know, but I’m not willing to tempt fate. Please, please, don’t go.”

>>>>dreams<<<<

They sat in one of the airport bars. Josh hunched his long, lean body over a beer while Catherine sat in rigid silence next to him, ignoring the glass of
wine he had ordered
for her. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye
,
wish
ing
he could think of something to say that would ease the tension between them. He
began to consider
apologizing when he
inadvertently
caught a whiff of exotic perfume
nearby
.

“Do you mind if I join you?”

They both turned at the sound of the s
ultry
voice. Josh recognized the red haired woman standing there smiling
– s
he’d been introduced at a recent meeting as the botanist
going with
the team on the Amazon trip.
After dealing with
Catherine’s sullen mood, Josh
was
eager for any kind of diversion.
He
quickly rose to his feet and
flashed
a welcoming smile.

“Not at all. This is Catherine Ashley, Dr. Rabb,” he said making the introductions.

“Marie,” she amended and nodded toward Catherine before easing her supple body onto a bar stool. “Vodka, rocks,” she told the hovering bartender before plucking a pretzel out of a nearby bowl. She waited until the bartender brought her drink and melted back into the shadows at the other end of the bar before she spoke again.
“I don’t mean to
pry, but you seemed a bit tense at our last meeting. Anything you’d like to talk about?”

“I wasn’t aware that I gave that impression. I’m fine, really.”

“That’s good. I t
hought you may be worried about
the hired guns. My mistake.”

Josh winced at
Catherine’s
sharp intake of breath.
He wanted to stuff more pretzels in Marie’s mouth to shut her up
.

“Why do you have to have hired guns?”

“It’s only a precaution in case the locals get testy, but they never have before.”

“How many times have you done this?” Josh asked, hoping to get off the subject of guns and ease Catherine’s anxious expression.

“The Amazon? A few.” She sipped her drink giving her lips an inviting sheen.

“A trip like this can’t be comfortable for a woman. Why do you keep doing it?”

Josh
didn’t miss the quick gleam of excitement that
leape
d into her eyes.

“There
’s
plant life in the Amazon still waiting to be discovered. I’m willing to put up with living in a tent for a few months each year because I want to see as much new vegetation as I can.”

“There’s certainly nothing uncivilized about the pay.”

She rejected his comment with a quick wave of her hand. “Money doesn’t last. I like the idea that I have the opportunity to contribute something valuable to mankind
–
something that will endure long after the pay envelope is empty.”

“That’s commendable of you,” Catherine said.

“I guess I must sound pretty mercenary in comparison,” Josh mumbled.

Marie smiled. “You’re just being honest and this is your first trip. Wait
‘
till you get there. There’s a certain mystique about
the place that might appeal to you.”

“I’ll have to get back to you on that, but I’ll do my job no matter what.”

“I’m sure you will. You have a reputation for being a first-rate geologist and from what I’ve read you’ve been around.” She drained her glass. “Thanks for the drink.”

He didn’t miss her innuendo about his travels, and the look on Catherine’s face told him he wasn’t the only one. “Would you like another?” he offered trying to be polite.

“Thanks, but I’d better not. I have some notes to go over and I need a clear head.” She swiveled her body off the stool in one graceful motion and looked at
Catherine. “Don’t worry about Josh. I’ll be happy to keep an eye on him.”

“Oh, I’ve little doubt of that, but I’m putting my money on the hired guns.”

Marie raised her brows and shrugged before turning to Josh.

“I’m looking forward to working with you, Josh. I have a feeling we’re going to make a very good team.”

“Wouldn’t that depend on the game?”

“Oh yes.” Her
velvety laugh drifted over her shoulder, as she strolled away.

Josh knew b
eing around a
n
attractive
female like Marie would be a test for any
man’s
willpower. She literally sizzled with sensual energy
and a guy would have to be dead below the waist not to
admit to being tempted to dip into all th
at heat.

He allowed himself a brief image of them rolling around naked and sweaty before turning back to Catherine. But there certainly wasn’t any heat coming from his little fireball now. She glared at him with enough ice to send chills prickling along his spine.

“I can see why you didn’t want to cancel the trip now that I’ve met your teammate, or should I say playmate? I’m sure she’s quite good at mixing work and play.”

“Well, it’s not going to be with me. I have no intention of messing around with her. She’s just a big flirt. I’m going on this trip because I want the field work and it pays a lot better than my desk job.”
He hadn’t told her, but he also planned to put his generous salary toward building a nest egg if marriage ended up being in their future.

She grabbed her purse off the bar. “I hope the money will be worth it. Take care of yourself, Josh. I’ve tried to warn you by telling you about my dream, but the irony here is I can’t protect you from
yourself.
Promise me you’ll be careful.”

He couldn’t let her leave with this coldness hovering
between them. He grabbed her before she could walk away and took her mouth in a deep kiss.

“You can count on it.”

She looked as though she wanted to say something else, but shook her head and walked away.
He watch
ed
until she was out of sight. It bugged him that she was so hung up on her dr
eam. Having her
talk about death
was creepy,
and he didn’t like the way she’d made jagged nerves saw at his gut. Just because he’d be leaving civilization behind
and entering the unknown didn’t mean something bad was going to happen to him.

Chapter Two

Marie’s breasts brushed against Josh’s arm leaving searing points of hot pressure against his bare skin, as she reached in front of him for a notebook. His quick shot of adrenaline came from anger, rather than lust. He knew she enjoyed this little game of flirting and it usually amused him, but he wasn’t in
a
mood for her playfulness today.

He snatched up the journal and shoved it at her. “Here, take the damn thing.”

“Oh! Oh! Somebody got up on the wrong side of his tent this morning.”

“That somebody is ready to get started working.”
Exasperation nipp
ed
at him like tiny pinches.
“
Do you have a problem with that?”

“Well, excuse me!” She turned her back and jammed the book in her backpack.

“Wait, hold on a minute.” He touched her arm. “I’m sorry for snapping at you, Marie. I guess I’m feeling a little out of sorts today.”

“That’s okay. I think I know what’s bothering you.”
Her angry expression melted.

He lifted a brow at her. “And that would be?”

“You miss your lady friend, Catherine.”

“I miss a lot of things, including a comfortable bed.”

“Don’t we all
?
But seriously Josh, I really do think it’s nice for anyone to know that he or she has a special person to go home to when we’re finished here.”

“Does that mean you’re expecting a private welcome home party yourself?”

She hesitated a moment. “That will depend on me.” She slipped her backpack over her shoulders. “Let’s go see what surprises the jungle has in store for us today.”

Josh winced at her words. This would be the first time they planned to venture so far from the base camp and he didn’t want to tell Marie the prospect was part of the reason he felt on edge. One of the guides had found several footprints the day before by a spot in the river where no one from camp had been. Despite Marie’s lack of concern and the team leader having assigned an extra security guard to accompany them, Josh couldn’t shake the feeling that those testy locals Marie had mentioned might decide to make an appearance today. He just hoped they’d be in a friendly mood if they did.

Although this work was providing the change he’d craved from his desk job, Josh found himself marking off the days until he returned to Catherine. He took it as a good omen. He admitted he needed the time away to test his feelings for her. When a man had marriage on his mind he’d better be sure he was hooking up with the right woman.

>>>>dreams<<<<

Later as Josh stopped to examine a rock formation beside the trail, a startled sound slipped through his consciousness.

"Ooh Dios!"

He jerked up and recognized their guide's voice.

"Come, Senior! You must come now!"

Josh ran toward the moored boat. His body froze at the sight of the two security guards lying unmoving on the ground, each with a long slender primitive looking dart protruding from his chest.