Free Everlasting Desire by Amanda Ashley

delivery this late, too. So, what is it about Mr. RC that scares you?”
    â€œI don’t know.”
    â€œSomething he did? Something he didn’t do? Something he said?”
    â€œNo, nothing like that. I think I’m just, I don’t know, letting my imagination run away with me. How’s your headache?”
    â€œBetter,” Shirl said with a yawn. “I think I’m gonna try to get a few hours’ sleep. And as for that RC guy, maybe you ought to give him another chance.”
    â€œI thought you said to trust my instincts?”
    â€œI did, didn’t I?” Shirl yawned again. “I don’t know, Meggie,” she said as she headed for the stairs. “He’s young, rich, and thoughtful. Doesn’t sound that bad to me. Maybe we can double date some time.”
    Megan shook her head. So much for Shirl’s advice about following her instincts. She glanced at the roses on the mantel. Should she give Rhys another chance? Even if she didn’t want to see him again, the least she could do was thank him for the flowers. She could look up his number at the store tomorrow.
    She felt a bubble of excitement at the thought of hearing his voice again.
    Smiling, she replaced the rose in the vase, then went up to bed. The sooner she went to sleep, the sooner tomorrow would come.
    Â 
    She dreamed of him that night, a strange dream unlike any she had ever had before. It was so vivid, so real, it didn’t seem like a dream at all. She heard his voice in her mind, entreating her to let him in, and because it was what she wanted, she bid him come to her, and in an instant, he was there, inside her bedroom, kneeling on the foot of her bed, a strange reddish glow in his devil-dark eyes. When he held out his arms, she went to him gladly, only then realizing just how much she had missed him.
    He cradled her to his chest as his hand stroked her hair. “You should tell me to go, now, before it’s too late.”
    â€œBut you just got here.”
    â€œI’m no good for you.”
    She looked into his eyes; such deep, dark eyes. Hypnotic eyes.
    â€œMegan. I don’t want to hurt you, but I can’t stay away.”
    â€œThen don’t.”
    â€œFoolish girl.” His hand stroked her neck, slid over her shoulder and down her arm. “If you only knew…”
    â€œKnew what?”
    â€œWho I am.” His hand cupped her breast. “What I am.”
    Her eyelids fluttered down as he caressed her. “It doesn’t matter.” She moaned softly as he feathered kisses over her cheeks, the curve of her throat. His mouth was hot, so hot it sent waves of heat spiraling through her. Trembling with need, she clung to him.
    He groaned deep in his throat. Drawing her down on the bed, he stretched out beside her, his arms holding her body close to his, their legs intimately entwined. He kissed her again and yet again, kissed her until she was aware of nothing but his touch, his voice. Her need.
    He sobbed her name, his body tensing, and then she felt his teeth at her throat. There was a sharp pinprick of pain followed by a wave of intense sensual pleasure.
    The pain startled her. You didn’t feel pain in a dream.
    Reaching for the bedside light, she switched it on, expecting to see Rhys lying beside her.
    But no one was there.
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    Rhys cursed himself as he fled Megan’s house. He hadn’t gone there with the intention of drinking from her. He had only wanted to be near her again, to bask in the warmth of her presence. Damn! As for the flowers, he had sent them in a moment of weakness. Weakness! Damn her. What was there about Megan DeLacey that made him think of settling down? He swore a vile oath. He was a vampire, not some puny mortal. Even if he desired a wife and a family, which he didn’t, that life was impossible for such as he. And yet Megan…ah, Megan with her sweet lips and her luscious body, she made him long for the kind