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Category: Erotica/Erotic Romance
Description: After moving into her ancestral home, Carolyn Edwards begins to wonder if she made the right decision. Within days, she finds a wolf on her property, meets a strange man named David who disappears into the woods, and starts having erotic dreams about a stranger named Quentin. But everything starts to blur together when she hears Quentin's voice in her house and David turns into a wolf right in front of her. Now both men, who have turned out to be brothers bound to her home by a gypsy curse, are trying to convince her to trust only one of them. But when one man is a werewolf and the other turns out to be a vampire, who can a girl trust? She has to rely on her feelings, which seem to be drawing her to one man, and hope she finds pleasure, not pain, in his arms.
eBook Publisher: Whiskey Creek Press, 2007
eBookwise Release Date: July 2007

15 Reader Ratings:

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Available eBook Formats: OEBFF Format (IMP) [96 KB]
Words: 21571
Reading time: 61-86 min.

Chapter 1

Carolyn sighed and looked out over the calm sea. The sun was setting and a fine mist was rising from the rocks around the shore below her. As the wind caught her hair, she was startled by a long, low howl. She turned to look at the woods, but saw no movement among the trees. She heard it again, and there was no mistaking the cry of a lone wolf.

She looked all around, but she couldn't see anything. As she walked back to the house, she felt like she was being watched. She looked back for a moment, but there was nothing there. She shook her head and then went indoors.

"Did you know there are wolves up here, Uncle Louis?" Carolyn said into the telephone as she placed her glass of water and her bologna sandwich on the foyer table.

"Wolves?" he repeated. "Are you serious?"

"Of course I am."

"Don't be ridiculous. You're only two miles from town. There couldn't be any wolves."

"There are. I heard one of them howling."

"That was probably a local dog."

"It didn't sound like any pooch I've ever run across in polite society."

Louis laughed. "If you're really worried, call the sheriff. He can take a look around."

"I just might do that." She sighed. "When are you gonna come up and see me? This is an awfully big place to ramble around in alone."

"Maybe Laura and I will come up for a weekend at the end of the month. How does that sound?"

"Fine with me. I think I'll be working on grading papers."

"Again? Aren't you grading some now?"

"Yep. But this will be from a different class."

"Then you will indeed deserve some good food, fine wine, and pleasurable company."

"It will be most welcome, kind sir." She laughed. "See you then."

"Good night, pumpkin."

"Good night."

Carolyn hung up the phone, then looked at herself in the mirror in the foyer, taking special note of her dirty jeans and old faded T-shirt. She shook her head, then picked up her glass of water and toasted her reflection.

"Here's to living alone in a crazy old house. May it not get any worse."

She picked up her sandwich and took a bite, ready to go back to preparing her lecture. As she moved toward the stairs, a flash of movement on the terrace caught her eye. The curtains were drawn nearly shut, but someone could still peek in. She approached the window casually, as though she were just going to look out before heading upstairs. She was almost certain it had been a person, but she couldn't be sure. The shape had moved very quickly. She turned off the light and parted the curtains a bit more. No sign of movement. She opened them further, but the rising moon revealed nothing. As she walked away from the window, she heard a rustling. Rushing back, she caught the flash of a pair of eyes on the edge of the terrace. As she stared out at the gray four-legged figure, she thought of her uncle with a sense of triumph.

"You are a wolf," she said softly.

The animal took a step forward, as if answering her unheard words, then backed away. It turned, looked back at her and howled.

Carolyn stepped back from the window, reality crushing her childish sense of victory. The wolf met her eyes again, then disappeared into the night.

"Carolyn," a voice called.

"What?" Carolyn said as she rolled over in her sleep.

"Carolyn," the voice repeated.

Carolyn opened her eyes and found herself down in the closed-off ballroom. Instead of being filled with dust and cobwebs, it looked the way it did in old photographs. Lit by candles and starlight, the room gave off a warmth that enveloped Carolyn. She felt strong arms around her waist and hot breath on her neck.

"Carolyn," whispered a man's voice very close to her ear.

She tried to turn, but he held her against him tightly.

"Isn't it beautiful?" the man asked. "Isn't this the kind of life you really want to live? The glow of candles, the embrace of a man who desires you?" He kissed her neck, and she felt her whole body tingle.

"Yes," she whispered. She felt lulled by his voice, so sexy and low.

"You're more beautiful than I expected," he said, his mouth close to her ear, his hand caressing her cheek. "I hope you'll stay here with me. Forever."

"Who are you?" she asked. She tried to pull away. She didn't understand what she was saying, what she was doing.

He released her and she turned, but the moment she thought she would see him, she found herself looking at an empty room. The door to the ballroom swung slowly shut. She ran toward it, but the moment she touched the knob, she was suddenly looking up at the ceiling in her bedroom. The moon outside was bright. Carolyn jumped out of bed. She thought about running downstairs, but that was silly. She'd had a dream, and that was all. There wasn't anyone down in the ballroom and there never had been, not for decades anyway. No matter how vivid it had been, it had been nothing but a dream.

Carolyn's heart began to pound, as if she were just then thinking of being frightened. But why should she be frightened of a dream? And the dream had actually been more arousing than anything else. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to wake up and find a handsome man with a sexy voice ready to spin her around the dance floor. Or take her to his bed. She rolled her eyes at her own thoughts. She knew she was being silly, but shouldn't every fine old New England mansion have a dashing rogue as a ghost? Disappointed that one didn't emerge from the shadows, she settled back into bed and entered a dreamless sleep.