Free Everlasting Desire by Amanda Ashley Page A

of life that was forever denied him.
    A thought took him to his club. Several of the regulars were sitting at the bar, sipping drinks. He grabbed the nearest female and took her to his private room. He was a single, white male, the Master of the West Coast Vampires, one of the most powerful creatures in the world. Why was he mooning over one mortal female?
    The woman, Monique, smiled up at him when he closed the door, obviously pleased that he had chosen her.
    When she started to speak, he held up his hand, silencing her. He didn’t want conversation. Didn’t want anything from her but relief from the twin talons of thirst and desire that he couldn’t satisfy in Megan’s arms.
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    Frightened and confused, Megan sat up in bed, the blankets tucked under her arms. What had just happened? Had it all been a dream? Of course, she thought, what else could it have been? And yet it had seemed so real. Her skin still tingled from the memory of his touch.
    Rising, she padded into the bathroom and turned on the light, then stood in front of the mirror, turning her head from side to side. There! Were those bite marks on her neck?
    She ran her fingers over the bites. They were definitely real. And strangely hot to the touch, as if she had a fever. Spider bites? Of course. She shook her head. Vampires, indeed!
    After filling a paper cup with water, she took two aspirin and went back to bed. It was hours until dawn.
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    In the clear light of day, it was easy to convince herself it had been nothing but some weird dream. Besides, the proof was right in front of her eyes. Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, she ran her fingertips over her neck, relieved to find that the bite marks were gone.
    After taking a quick shower, she went downstairs to fix something to eat. Shirl, of course, had already left for work and, as usual, she had left her dirty dishes in the sink, but that was all right. They had an agreement. Megan did the dishes, dusted, vacuumed, and did the shopping. Shirl did the laundry, watered the plants, and took out the trash. They took turns cooking dinner.
    With several hours to kill, Megan slipped a DVD into the player, then curled up on the sofa, planning to lose herself in the movie Shirl had rented the night before.
    She grimaced when she realized it wasn’t the love story she had been expecting but a horror movie. She should have known. Shirl had a thing for vampires, werewolves, and other creepy things that went bump in the night. Megan had a feeling that, deep down, Shirl hoped vampires really existed.
    In spite of herself, Megan soon found herself caught up in the story of a young vampire who was in love with a mortal woman. Of course, it ended badly, but then, how else could it end?
    When the movie was over, she sat back with a shake of her head. It hadn’t been a bad story, but what woman in her right mind would fall in love with a vampire, if such things actually existed, and let him drink her blood?
    And even as the thought crossed her mind, she lifted a hand to her neck as the memory of the last night’s dream rose, unbidden, in her mind. She knew it had only been a dream but now, with the memory of the movie she had just seen fresh in her mind, she couldn’t help thinking how vampire-like her dream had been, with Rhys bending over her, his teeth grazing her throat….
    â€œStop that right now, Megan! It was just a dream, that’s all. There’s no such thing as vampires!”
    After switching off the TV, she went into the kitchen. Shirl was doing a night shoot, so she wouldn’t be home until late. Megan ate soup and a toasted cheese sandwich for dinner, then went into her bedroom to get ready for work.
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    Megan rang up her fifth sale of the evening. They had been busy all right, thank goodness. At home, she had done a fair job of keeping thoughts of Rhys Costain at bay, but the minute she had walked into Shore’s, he was all she could think about. She