Excerpt:

It was a dream. Without waking up, Robert knew he was in the middle of a dream. There were soft, spongy clouds of white all around him and the scent of flowers, lavenders imbuing the air with nature's magic... and with Lexia.

Lexia. Frowning, he wrestled with his conscience even as he must have tossed and turned in his bed. In the dream a cool hand caressed his forehead, skimming a path into his hair. At this touch, he smiled. This was a good dream, a sensual dream; for in the privacy of his own mind, he could do things expressly forbidden by the rules and regulations of polite society.

"Roberto," sang out a sweet voice, as harmonious as a heavenly cherub. "Roberto, you must help me."

It was Lexia, of course. The image of her in his dream was just as exquisite as she was in real life. Her face flushed with desire, her sumptuous body barely clothed in thin swatches of ivory, she was his--his for the taking.

He reached over to this vision and hungrily crushed her to him. She felt real, so real. Smooth, silky, and alive. Her heart drummed solidly in contact with his own; her breasts, full and ripe, flattened seductively against him; and the curve of her back led to her rounded bottom. Everything about her drove his long, deprived senses to a fevered pitch. With treasures such as these, who could blame him if he never woke up? Only one thing marred the perfection of this fantasy: the slim band of gold on her third finger. Would that she wore his ring...and no other. Which was impossible, of course, but dreams were allowed to be impossible.

His dream-Lexia gasped, as if startled by his passion. He quieted her protest with a kiss. Her firm lips tasted of honey. The nectar of the gods, and by all that was holy, one brief kiss was not enough. As a smoldering fire builds to a crescendo, he possessed her mouth, losing himself in this make-believe delight. Lexia showed him a world of divine pleasures that he never knew before. Only she had the power to move him so.

Eager to further their lovemaking, he plunged his tongue deep into her mouth.

She pulled away. "R-Roberto! Please! This...This cannot be proper."

He blinked. And blinked again. Good Lord, he was awake, and Lexia was actually here...on his bed...in her nightclothes...in his arms.

Releasing her, he scooted back from where she was seated. His bedsheet fell away to his waist, revealing the au natural state in which he usually slept, but fortunately kept hidden the length of his desire. Damn and blast! What a devil of a coil this was!

"Er, Lexia, I-I apologize. I was, um, dreaming." He adjusted the bedsheet to cover his chest from her maiden eyes. "What, er, what are you doing here?"

With her hands primly folded in her lap, she looked a respectable sight, except for her tousled hair, bruised lips, and provocative state of undress. Indeed the scoop neck of her nightgown had slipped down on her shoulder to taunt him yet again. His hand shook a bit as he gestured toward her shoulder.

She immediately replaced the errant sleeve. "I thought you might be dreaming," she acknowledged, studying the tips of her fingers. "It was a good one, yes?"

He coughed. Dear God in heaven. If anyone was on his way to becoming a candidate for Bedlam, it was he. "You came here for a reason, Lexia?" he prompted.

From under her lashes, she glanced at him. That innocent look caused him to inwardly groan once again. "Yes, Roberto. I need your help. You see, it is Emma. She is not in her bed. I do not know where she is."

About to spring out of the bed, he remembered how he was dressed and set the bedsheet back over him. "Lexia, hand me my robe over on the chair, then we will search for Emma."

Lexia picked up the red dressing gown, then stood at arms' length from the bed. "Does this mean you are not wearing anything, Roberto?"

Hell and damn. He must have flushed more crimson than the blasted robe. "Yes! Just give me the damn robe!"

"How wicked!" Laughing, she dropped the garment on the bed and turned around. "I had no idea you were so daring."

"That is enough about that, my girl. And no peeking." As he belted the tie, the thought crossed his mind that perhaps, for his own peace of mind, he should get completely dressed.

But Lexia, of course, was of another opinion. Before he could speak, she grabbed his hand. "No time for anything else! We must go! Emma could be anywhere."

Just so. But first he lit two candles to brighten their way, then handed her one. In the flickering lights, he glanced over at her sweet form. The gauze-like material of her nightgown seemed translucent, showing more curves than an unmarried man had a right to see.

This time he groaned aloud. "You should, er, put something else on."

Wrinkling her nose at him, she pulled open the door and rushed out into the hallway. "We cannot waste time, Roberto. It is just the two of us. Come."

Just the two of us. Good Lord, what did she think he was, a blasted eunuch? Following her maddeningly delightful footsteps, Robert cinched his robe's belt even tighter. After this night's events, he would best be served by dunking himself in a pool of arctic water.

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Author BIO: Best-selling author Susanne Marie Knight specializes in Romance Writing With A Twist. She is multi-published with books, short stories, and articles. In addition to The Contrary Contessa, she has the award-winning Janus Is A Two-Headed God, Past Indiscretions, and The Coming, available at Awe-Struck E-Books. Her list of other books include Alien Heat and The Reluctant Landlord, Wings ePress, Love At The Top and Timeless Deception, NovelBooks, Inc., Grave Future, LTDBooks; Tainted Tea For Two, Hard Shell Word Factory; and Lord Darver’s Match and The Magic Token, LionHearted Publishing.

Originally from New York City, Susanne currently lives in the Pacific Northwest, by way of Okinawa, Montana, Alabama, and Florida. Along with her husband, daughter, and feisty Siamese cat, she enjoys the area’s beautiful ponderosa pine trees and wide, open spaces--a perfect environment for writing. She has her own website: www.susanneknight.com and received her Master of Science degree in Natural Health. Sign up for her free e-newsletter Knight Dreams at newsletter@susanneknight.com.