Page 175 of Sweet Nightmare

It doesn’t.

Instead, it replays the kiss in humiliating detail.

His tattooed hand against my neck. The warmth of his palm in the freezing air. The way he pulled me closer. The brief hesitation in his eyes before his lips touched mine.

And then there’s me.

Kissing him back just as fiercely.

I groan and pull the blanket over my face.

One kiss, and the man has infiltrated my subconscious.

Pathetic.

I sit up and feel something damp against my cheek.

I freeze.

Slowly, I look down at my pillow. A small, dark patch stares back at me.

No.

I drooled.

Actually drooled.

Over a man.

I press both hands over my face, mortified. This is a new low, Artemis.

“Disgusting,” I whisper.

I quickly strip off the pillowcase and carry it to the bathroom like I’m disposing of evidence. Technically, I am.

After dumping it in the laundry basket, I look at myself in the mirror. White-blonde hair everywhere, sleep-creased cheek, and an expression of pure disgust.

“Control yourself, Artemis.”

But I’m afraid I lose all control when it comes to him.

And that isn’t the worst part.

The worst part is that I want to remember every second of that kiss.

I want to close my eyes and return to the lake.

I want to return to him.

That realization sobers me fast.

I’ve spent my entire life mastering my thoughts, emotions, and reactions. Somehow, Stephen is dismantling all that control without even trying. Because first, he occupied my thoughts. Then my attention. Now my dreams.

At this rate, I’ll be naming our future children by tomorrow.

I shudder. “God forbid.”

I splash cold water on my face, look up, and there he is again.