Monday Minute Fiction: Book Man

Monday Minute Fiction

Book Man

Welcome to Monday Minute Fiction.

This work belongs to Ashley Ladd and cannot be reproduced without written permission.

Val Byrnes stepped off the plane in Ft. Lauderdale. her muscles weary, her clothes wrinkled, her spirit sore. For the past year she'd traveled throughout the most exciting countries in the world looking for Mr. Right and all she had to show for it was a lot of stamps in her passport.

She'd had a one-night fling in Singapore.

She'd gotten sunburned on the Riviera in some very naughty places.

She was now well acquainted with on and off-Broadway.

She just wasn't well acquainted with any eligible men. The only sexy man she knew of was the one she'd been reading about in the novel she'd picked up at JFK.

As Val wheeled her luggage to the curb and hailed a taxi, she grumbled to herself, "What a bust."

Half an hour later she stretched out on her bed and opened the book she'd started reading on the plane. Logan, the hero, was the most exciting male by far she'd met on her trip.

Raw sensuality dripped off the pages. Hot for him, she pretended she was his heroine and writhed on the bed. The heroine was named "Val" like herself, so it was easy. In fact, that's why she'd chosen this book.

"Open your heart, Val," Logan murmured. "Let me in."

His words rang in her head as if he'd whispered them in her ear. His voice was husky, chocolately.

She closed her eyes and savored him. "If only you were real."

Warmth enveloped her. It felt as if Logan was taking her in his arms, cradling her against his heart.

"I am real," Logan said. "Open your eyes."

Knowing she must be crazy to listen to her imagination, she did so anyway. No one would ever know.

When she opened her eyes, she saw the figure of a man popping out of her book. He was life-sized, covered by the book's page. And he held her.

Her heart stopped. She couldn't breathe. Her eyes widened. Then screams choked her.

"Don't be scared. This is where you're supposed to be," Logan said.

She stopped squirming and looked at the book man. Warily she asked, "What do you mean?"

"You fell out of our dimension. You've been searching the world for me. You found me. It's time to come home."

She blinked and tried to scoot back but came up against the headboard. She pinched herself and flinched. "You mean I'm not real?"

"Of course we're real. Every bit as real as the people in the dimension you fell into."

She didn't believe any of this and grabbed her phone. She punched speed dial for her mother. Nothing happened.

Logan grabbed the phone from her and it became covered in the book page. He waved it before her. "It only works in here, where you belong. Where your family is."

"If I was in there, why don't I remember you? Why did I only meet you today?"

"You must have bumped your head when you fell off your dragon. You fell out of the book and I've been searching for you since."

Dragon? Book?

"Stop fighting me. We belong together, Val. Petorka misses you, too."

"Petorka?"

"The dragon in the book?"

"Your dragon."

"I always wanted a dragon," she murmured. "I thought they were just fairy tales."

"Come inside...with me, my love. I don't want to lose you again."

My love...

She'd been searching high and low for love. Maybe she hadn't found him because she was in the wrong dimension.

Then she shook her head. This was insane. Crazy!

"Take a deep breath, darlin'. You're coming in." Logan yanked her through the veil before she could further protest.

When Petorka saw her, he snorted and blew fire out his nostrils. Then he rubbed his nose along her around wrapped her in his purplish blue wings.

"See? He's happy to see you, too."

Val looked from the dragon to her dark-haired hero. Suddenly, her memory returned and she hugged the two males most important to her in any dimension.

More Monday Minute Fiction by Ashley
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