The birds, white with soft blue running alongside their feathers, chirp merrily as she approaches the white cage. Ivy giggles and reaches a finger in to stroke one of their heads.
I sit on her bed, watching as she acclimates to her new surroundings.
Her hair runs down her back in waves, grazing her waist. The cream pants she wears hug her legs and accentuate everything about her I love. She stands on her tiptoes to touch one of the bird toys at the top of the cage and her black top creeps up, revealing the small of her back, where two perfect dimples are on display.
I want her. In so many ways.
Since we took down BORAS, I haven’t meshed. I haven’t even had a desire to plug back in. No fake setting or sensory app can replace the surge of emotions that course through me every time Ivy’s with me. Love, desire, happiness. Everything I thought I lost the day Gia died.
She unties her boots and steps onto the fuzzy white rug in the middle of the wooden floor. She scrunches her toes against it, smiling.
Even her toes are sexy.
“You did all this for me?” Her gaze holds me in place.
“You deserve the world.”
With grace like a cat, she slinks over to where I sit. “I don’t deserve anything. You’re the one who saved me.”
She bites her bottom lip, suddenly shy. My heart pounds so fast, it drowns the room in a thumping rhythm. She squeezes between my legs, placing her hands on my shoulders. I slide my hands to her waist.
“We saved each other,” I say, and pull her face to mine.
Our kiss explodes into a heated moment of ecstasy. I never want to experience anything else for the rest of my life. She falls beside me on the bed and I grip her tighter, reminding myself that she’s real, that this is real.
Ivy breathes heavily, tasting of peaches and heaven. I inhale her in, every succulent scent. I want to explore every part of her, know every patch of skin, understand how every touch affects her, and how I can make her soul sing.
I roll on top of her just to see her face better. “I love you.”
She reaches up to touch my cheek. “I love you.”
My mind recalls the moment she said those words. How she understood their meaning and whispered it in my ear after we had spent a week alone at the lake house. It was the best week of my life—considering she said I love you and accepted my marriage proposal.
Leaning into her hand, I run mine underneath her shirt. She closes her eyes and I find her lips again. She teases me with her fingers, driving me over the edge, until I tease her back, squeezing the softest parts of her. We’re lost in each other, not knowing where we begin or end.
Nothing in life will ever compare to this.
Jims still tries to sell me vids, but he’ll never understand why I can’t mesh anymore. Ivy isn’t in a vid, and I’ll never go back to one.
I found what I’m looking for.
It’s her.
It’s always been her.
Ivy is the only reality I need.
The End
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Order the next book in the Dreamscapes series.
Meredith Haggon has worked at the toy emporium since she was little and never once did she believe in magic or fairytales.
Until the day she does.
When an unmarked container shows up at the store, Meredith assumes it’s this year’s latest craze. Instead, she finds a human sized doll that resembles every anime lover’s dream: spiky black hair, big blue eyes, and looks way too human to be fake.
But dolls can’t talk and they most certainly can’t kiss like a god. Except this one can, and as Meredith falls hard for Zane, he begs her to help find the company that made him.
He swears he’s real and only she can discover the truth.
Meredith has to take a chance and believe in magic, science or whatever she can, because someone is after Zane, and they’ll kill everyone, to get to him.
About the Author
USA Today Bestselling author Eliza Tilton, graduated from Dowling College with a BA in Visual Communications. When she’s not arguing with excel at her day job, chasing after four kids, playing video games, or writing, she’s getting her post-baby body back and inspiring people on the way. Her YA Fantasy seroes, The Daath Chronicles, is published by Curiosity Quills Press.
www.elizatilton.com
Contents
One
Two
Three
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
NINE
TEN
ELEVEN
TWELVE
THIRTEEN
FOURTEEN
FIFTEEN
SIXTEEN
SEVENTEEN
Nineteen
TWENTY
TWENTY-ONE
TWENTY-TWO
TWENTY-THREE
TWENTY-FOUR
TWENTY-FIVE
TWENTY-SIX
TWENTY-SEVEN
TWENTY-EIGHT
TWENTY-NINE
THIRTY
THIRTY-ONE
THIRTY-TWO
THIRTY-THREE
THIRTY-FOUR
thank you
for reading
About the Author
Landmarks
Cover
Table of Contents