From the time Carrie Taylor discovered the magical worlds of romance novels, she devoured them one right after the other. She not only thrilled to each new hero, one more dashing than the one before, but Carrie clearly saw herself as each beautiful heroine waiting to be rescued by each daring hero. And then one day, she brought home a photograph. A very special photograph and suddenly her imaginary hero turned into a living and breathing man. Or did he?
At one time Black Eagle scoffed at the girls of his village wishing on a falling star. And yet his one great wish, that of a woman of his own, was never realized. And then one night, he wished upon a star. Can the love of a man from the past help a modern woman with her modern problems in a modern world?
He backed her against the door, holding her firm in his embrace. “You are mine, Cassandra, mine and mine alone.”
As the stunningly handsome blond-haired man took the dark-haired beauty in his arms, his oh, so sensuous lips coming closer and closer to her own, Cassandra knew he would take her in a passion that only grew hotter and hotter with each taking. She felt him hot and hard against her, leaving no doubt what he wanted of her. “Yes, Erek, yes. Now and always.”
He reached for her, pulling her into his embrace, knowing this was the love he had waited a lifetime for. No man, no army could keep them apart. Never again would they be torn from each other. This would be a love for all time. “I love you, Cassandra. I will love you forever.”
* * * *
Carrie Taylor sighed and closed her eyes as she held the book to her chest. “Why don’t they make men like that in real life? Why can’t I meet my own Erek? A man who’s not only totally gorgeous on the outside with a fabulous chest and nice butt, but a really nice guy on the inside? A guy who you can tell anything to and he’ll listen and help you do whatever it is you really want to do?”
While good for company on a dark, cold, rainy winter night, Taister’s ‘meow’ didn’t really answer her question. She scrunched the long-haired black cat’s ears before turning off the light beside her bed. As she snuggled under the covers, she heard Taister’s purr from the foot of the bed. At least he was faithful, not like that jerk Dean. “Dean Welman--what an absolute loser,” she told the cat. “The porker. Taister, tell me this, just because I hung out with him--all right, dated him--am I a loser?”
When the cat didn’t respond with more than a louder purr, Carrie thought back on the man she’d recently broken up with. Dean had come on all charm and kisses, promised her the moon and then went and two-timed her. Such was the story of her life. “Hell, he wasn’t even that hot in bed!” Chalk up number--well whatever number he was. And come to think of it, he was definitely the loser. “I’m well rid of him, Taister, that’s for sure.”
Drifting off to sleep, Carrie replayed the last few chapters of Her Knight in her mind, seeing herself in the role of the heroine, Cassandra. Erek, of course, looked just like the model on the book cover. She could almost feel the soft velvet of the deep burgundy gown worn by Cassandra on that same cover, her cheeks warming at the thought of the bare-chested Erek with his long blond hair flowing over his shoulders, his powerful hands kneading her breasts. Erek was the best hero she’d read in a long time. As a dream lover, he was ideal. At least in her dreams someone loved her.
The alarm jarred her awake long before she was ready for it to be morning. Even the music from her favorite oldies station sounded way too loud when she wanted a few more minutes in the big four-poster bed in the castle with Sir Hot Bod Erek. Unfortunately, or fortunately for the pocketbook, her sense of doing the right thing and holding down a job demanded she get up and head into work.
Padding towards the kitchen, she found a note from her roommate Molly, who worked for a police department in the next county.
She read the note and sighed. “Man, Taister, things are getting worse at that job of hers instead of better. I really thought—well, hoped actually, that one of these days things would get better. It appears not.”
Taister meowed up a storm while she tried to read the note; so much so that she was sure he was telling her if he didn’t get his breakfast ASAP, life on planet Earth, as they knew it, would end.
“Okay, okay, little man, let’s keep Earth in orbit another day. One can of the stinky, wet, fishy food coming up. Molly wants to get together for dinner. I sure hope it’s good news for a change and not more BS from her supervisor. She needs to be catching a break and soon. Did you hear her talking about that crazy supervisor of hers the other day?”
The black cat continued his own little diatribe on how he was missing out on some of life’s greatest joys because she had slept till the alarm and taken a shower instead of rushing to make his breakfast. After all, he had some serious cat things to do.
“Sounds like you didn’t catch the entire 411 on it and, that you don’t much care, either. I’m hurrying, I’m hurrying and just so you know, I’ve thought about it, long and hard and here’s a news flash for you: Life as we know it will not end if you don’t get something to eat, right here and now.”
Taister grumbled, or at least that’s what it sounded like and she couldn’t miss the look he shot her. “And some people think cats don’t know how to communicate. If there’s one thing you can do, and do well, it’s communicate.”
Carrie finally put the dish down on the floor. Taister ate his requisite two bites and went off to engage in his own morning ablutions. “You sure have a tough life, Taister, a real tough life.” He only gave her a quick glance before returning to his grooming. Carrie grabbed her coffee and headed off to get ready for work.
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