PROLOGUE:
JOCELYN
My dream begins with me standing in an endless desert, drenched in blue and orange from a sun that is yet to rise. I look down, and realize I was wearing nothing but a thin layer of glossy fabric, which is gently wrapped around my chest, and draped down my legs. I feel wild and free out here, as though I could spend my lifetime wandering in this strange universe.
Something is calling me, a shadowy figure that is approaching me from the horizon. I cant make out his face, but hes muscular. The shadow of his hair blows in the breeze. Hes a strange outline of a man, as if he has left his shadow behind, with me. I try to call out to him, but he doesnt understand, and I cant form the words. But, we dont need words here.
His arms enclose me, pulling me closer. His grasp is so firm, and his body feels warm pressed against mine. Ive never had a dream like this, before. I feel as if even my subconscious is too shy to come up with these sorts of scenarios. But, Ive decided to go along with this one; just this once.
Are you what Ive been looking for? A cool, calm voice asks me. I dont know what to say. I was worried if I said no, hell disappear.
Yes, I decide, just to keep the story going; just a bit more.
His mouth moves closer to my ear, breathing me in as he kisses my neck. Suddenly, we rise up into the sky, gravity losing us. He swirls me around in the big open sky, so that my back is towards him. The thin fabric around me keeps him from getting any closer, as my bottom brushes against something long and throbbing. I shudder as he slowly starts to pull the draping from my shoulders. The fabric slips past my breasts, down my stomach, and over my feet, fluttering back to the desert dust, and leaving me completely naked and vulnerable.
His hands reach around my chest, his shadowy fingers cupping my breasts, rubbing lightly around my nipples. My heart is pounding now, ringing through my ears as I can feel myself throbbing, swelling, wanting more. Ive never experienced this in waking life, but I feel, in this moment, that this is all I ever needed, even if it is a dream. He pushes me away from him, and I continue to float gently through the air. He glides over to me, spreading apart my legs carefully with strong arms. I can just make out the ridges in his shoulders as he puts my legs over them. His lips kiss my stomach, finding their way down my legs. His hands search as well as they grab my thighs hungrily.
I was aching inside, and I let out a small, gentle cry as he slips his tongue over my vulva. Its warm and wet, and I cant tell if its just me, or if its from him, sliding in between my lips. He carefully inserts his fingers. I can feel them searching, until they hit, just a perfect spot inside. I curse under my breath, the sensation so foreign to me, but simply amazing. He pulls away, leaving me wanting more. Suddenly, hes floating above me. I feel the hard, throbbing tip of his penis, brushing ever so slightly against me, wanting so badly to enter. I moan, wanting him to take me in that instant.
But he pulls away, leaving me floating. The shadow fades away, one bit at a time.
I have chosen you, Earth woman. Ill be looking for yousoon, I hope. I try to reach out for him, but he disappears.
I wake up in a panic, alone. My sheets are soaking wet from my subconscious encounter. Who was that manand what did he mean when he said hed be looking for me?
CHAPTER 1: ARRIVAL
JOCELYN
It was now eight hours since I quit Henleys Labs, and I hadnt stopped driving. I watched the canyons pass by me, tall towering columns of red clay that stretched toward an open sky. Id be reunited with my mother in just a few more miles. A couple of months ago, she was sent on a top-secret dig in the Mojave Desert, and wasnt allowed to discuss anything with me. The curiosity burned so deep in mem for those next few months, and I longed to go with her, but I was still stuck at Henleys, working as an assistant biologist. Thats where I met Wes.
I havent had much luck with guys in my twenty-six years of existence. It wasnt my pin-straight hair, or the freckles on my cheeks. It wasnt even the hint of extra curve peeking around my hips. Apparently, one reason why I cant get a date is that some men are afraid to talk to me. It starts out okay; basic back-and-forth talk, but the second I bring up my job, everything falls apart. Suddenly, they look at me as if I have something growing on my face. To be fair, Ive had my share of acne from time to time, but this is something different.
Wes looked at me like this, after we went up to my apartment - when he tried pulling down the straps of a way-too revealing dress, making my face burn bright-red. His touch felt strange to me, and not in a good way. The second reason why I cant get a date is because I was a littleinexperienced. I mean I still havent even kissed anyone, so even the slightest touch was completely new to me. I dodged the kiss Wes was about to give me, which immediately cost me more.
During the next week, Wes used our bad date to blackmail me. He told the supervisor some pretty harsh rumors about me, to the point where I just couldnt explain anymore. So, I packed everything up and left. I was trying to accomplish at least one major breakthrough in my career, and if this place really was just a big watering hole for gossip, I didnt want to be a part of it. Luckily for me, when I told my mother the news, she said she had an extra spot open for a biologist at the Mojave dig site. I grabbed my equipment and a large coffee and sped towards the desert, a bright opportunity leading the way.