Everlasting Kiss (28 page)

If you liked this Amanda Ashley book, check out some of her other titles currently available from Zebra…

One Kiss Can Seal Your Fate…

Cara DeLongpre wandered into the mysterious Nocturne club looking for a fleeting diversion from her sheltered life. Instead she found a dark, seductive stranger whose touch entices her beyond the safety she’s always known and into a heady carnal bliss…

A year ago, Vincent Cordova believed that vampires existed only in bad movies and bogeyman stories. That was before a chance encounter left him with unimaginable powers, a hellish thirst, and an aching loneliness he’s sure will never end…until the night he meets Cara DeLongpre. Cara’s beauty and bewitching innocence call to his mind, his heart…his blood. For Vincent senses the Dark Gift shared by Cara’s parents, and the lurking threat from an ancient and powerful foe. And he knows that the only thing more dangerous than the enemy waiting to seek its vengeance is the secret carried by those Cara trusts the most…

He Has Found His Soul’s Desire…

The Dark Gift has brought Roshan DeLongpre a lifetime of bitter loneliness—until, by chance, he comes across a picture of Brenna Flanagan. There is something hauntingly familiar about her, something that compels him to travel into the past, save the beautiful witch from the stake, and bring her safely to his own time. Now, in the modern world, Brenna’s seductive innocence and sense of wonder are utterly bewitching the once-weary vampire, blinding him to a growing danger. For there is one whose dark magick is strong…one who knows who they both are and won’t stop till their powers are his…and they are nothing more than shadows through time…

Passion Has A Darker Side…

Kathy McKenna was sure that the little Midwestern town of Oak Hollow would be isolated enough for safety, but the moment the black-clad stranger walked into her bookstore, she knew she was wrong. Raphael Cordova exudes smoldering power, and his sensual touch draws Kathy into a world of limitless pleasure and unimaginable dangers…

Oak Hollow was supposed to be neutral territory for supernatural beings. Instead it has become home to an evil force determined to destroy them—and kill any mortal who gets in the way. As leader of the North American vampires, Raphael has always put duty first, but then, no woman ever enthralled him the way Kathy does. And as the enemy’s terrifying plan is revealed, Raphael’s desire could be a fatal distraction for all his kind, and for the woman he has sworn to love forever…

Desire Casts A Dark Spell…

Savanah Gentry’s life was so much simpler when she was a reporter for the local newspaper. That was before her father’s sudden death drew her into a mysterious new world she was just beginning to understand. A vampire hunter by birth, Savanah has been entrusted with a legacy that puts everyone she cares for in danger—including the seductive, sensual vampire who unleashes her most primal desires…

Rane Cordova has always been alone, half hating himself for his dark gift even as he relishes its extraordinary power. But one look at Savanah fills him with the need to take everything she has to give and carry her to heights of unimagined ecstasy. And though he never intended their relationship to go this far, now Savanah is in more danger than she knows—and facing a relentless enemy determined to eliminate Rane and all his kind…

Desire Is The Darkest Magic Of All…

Three centuries ago, vampire Jason Rourke succumbed to temptation with a wizard’s lovely daughter—and that brief taste of pleasure earned him a powerful curse. Trapped within a painting, unable to quench the hellish thirst that torments him, Jason has given up hope of escape until Karinna Adams purchases the painting and unwittingly frees him…

At first, Jason plans only to enlist Kari’s help in navigating this strange new world so he can find and punish the wizard who entrapped him. But Kari’s enticing sensuality and innocence incite a growing need in Jason to touch and taste her, to possess her utterly. For the gulf between them—and the danger that awaits—is nothing compared to a potent, primal hunger that will last for all eternity…

And here’s a sneak peek at the latest from Amanda, coming in October 2010!

Megan was ringing up a sale for the lead guitarist in a popular rock band when she felt an odd sensation skitter down her spine. Looking up, she felt a nervous flurry in the pit of her stomach when she saw the young man who had come into the shop late last night. Rhys Costain.

Her smile was forced as she bid good night to her customer, then quickly turned away, pretending to check something on the computer, all the while hoping Mr. Parker would come forward to assist their customer.

But Mr. Parker remained in his office, with the door closed.

Megan didn’t hear Costain’s footsteps come up behind her, but she knew he was there. She could sense his presence, feel the intensity of his gaze on her back as he waited for her to acknowledge him.

Megan took a deep breath, counted to three, and turned around. “Good evening, Mr. Costain,” she said coolly. “How may I help you?”

“How, indeed?” he murmured.

His voice was smooth and soft, yet she detected a sharp edge underneath, like satin over steel. “Excuse me?”

“I’m looking for a black leather jacket.”

“What length?”

He shrugged, a graceful, unhurried movement. “Mid-thigh?”

“We have a few back here you might like.” Without waiting to see if he followed, she walked toward the back of the store. Pulling their most expensive coat from the rack, she held it up. “How about this one?”

He ran his hand lightly over the supple leather.

Watching him, Megan couldn’t help imagining that pale, graceful hand stroking her bare skin.

“Do you like it?” he asked.

“Y-yes, very much.”

“Do you mind if I try it on?”

“Of course not.”

His hand brushed hers as he took the coat from the hanger. His skin was cool, yet a rush of heat flowed through her at his touch.

The coat fit as if it had been made for him, emphasizing his fair hair and broad shoulders.

“What do you think?” he asked.

Not trusting herself to speak, she nodded. What was there about this man that made her feel like a tongue-tied teenager?

She felt her cheeks grow hot when he looked at her and smiled, as if he knew exactly what she was thinking.

“So, you like it?”

Striving for calm, she said, “It looks very nice. There’s a mirror over there. See for yourself.”

“No need.” Still smiling, he turned away, heading for the other side of the store.

Megan felt her blush deepen when he picked up several pairs of silk briefs, all black. Why was she acting so foolish? Men came in here and bought underwear six days a week.

Frowning, she watched him pick up a dozen wife-beater T-shirts before moving to the check-out counter.

Regaining her senses, Megan stepped up to the register. “Are you going to wear the coat?”

With a nod, he removed the price tag and handed it to her.

She quickly rang up the sale, dropped his briefs and T-shirts in a bag, and offered it to him, careful, once again, to avoid his touch.

Again, his lips curved in that knowing smile.

“Good night, Mr. Costain,” she said, her voice tight.

“Good night, Miss DeLacey.”

The way he said her name made her insides curl with pleasure.

And then she frowned. “How did you know my name?”

He shrugged. “You must have mentioned it.”

She stared after him as he left the store. She was certain she hadn’t told him her name. The fact that he knew it without being told left her feeling violated somehow.

He returned to the store every night just after midnight for the next week, and he always bought something: a dark pinstriped suit; a dozen dress shirts—black, brown, navy, and dark gray—all silk. He bought four pairs of Armani slacks in varying shades of brown, as well as three pairs of black slacks, two belts, three ties, a pair of black slippers, a black silk dressing gown.

Tonight he picked out a Trafalgar American Alligator wallet priced at five hundred and fifty dollars.

He gave her a long, lingering look that made her insides curl with pleasure before he left the store.

“He’s a big spender, that one,” Parker said, coming up behind Megan. “I wonder what he does for a living.”

“I have no idea.”

“Well, I hope he sticks around. We haven’t had a week like this since Bono came in to do his Christmas shopping.”

Megan nodded, though secretly she hoped that Mr. Rhys Costain would go back to wherever he had come from. His mere presence flustered her, and she didn’t like it. She was far past the age to come unglued in the presence of a handsome man, especially when that man was at least ten years younger than she was.

It was close to three
A.M
. when Megan arrived at the small, two-story house she shared with her best friend, Shirley Mansfield. Shirl was a fashion model, which sounded a lot more glamorous than it was. Being a model involved dedication and self-denial, especially for Shirl, who was older than most of the popular models and had to work harder to keep fit. Of course, as far as anyone in the business knew, she was seven years younger than her actual twenty-eight years. Shirl rose every weekday at six and headed to the gym for a thirty-minute workout. Then she came home, took a shower, and ate a calorie-controlled breakfast. Then she was off to casting appointments and fittings, and because she was extremely popular, more often than not she had a fashion shoot in the afternoon. She didn’t usually make it home before five. Of course, the pay was excellent.

Megan didn’t see much of Shirl during the week, since Shirl was usually in bed long before Megan got home from work.

After taking a quick shower, she slipped into a pair of comfy pj’s and curled up in her favorite chair, determined to read for a few minutes before she went to bed. But she couldn’t seem to concentrate on the words. Instead, Rhys Costain’s image drifted through her mind. She told herself to forget him. For one thing, he was much too young for her; for another, there was an air of danger about him that scared her on some deep inner level she didn’t understand.

With a sigh of resignation, Megan closed the book and set it aside. Tomorrow was Saturday. She didn’t have to work Sunday or Monday. If Shirl didn’t have anything scheduled for Sunday night, maybe they could get together for dinner and a movie.

Later, lying in bed waiting for sleep to find her, Megan was irritated to find her thoughts again turning toward Rhys Costain. How did he spend his weekends? Was he buying all those new clothes to impress a new girlfriend? Or a new wife?

The thought of him with another woman was oddly disconcerting and she shook it away. She didn’t like him. Didn’t like the way he made her feel, or the dark thoughts that flitted through her mind whenever he was near.

Flopping over onto her stomach, she pounded her fist against the pillow. She had been spending far too much time thinking about the man.

Yet even as she tried to convince herself that she didn’t care if she ever saw him again, a little voice in the back of her mind whispered that she was a liar.