Phantom Desires Read online

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  Chippewa Publishing LLC

  www.chippewapublishing.com

  Copyright ©2006 by Bianca D'Arc

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  NOTICE: This work is copyrighted. It is licensed only for use by the original purchaser. Making copies of this work or distributing it to any unauthorized person by any means, including without limit email, floppy disk, file transfer, paper print out, or any other method constitutes a violation of International copyright law and subjects the violator to severe fines or imprisonment.

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  PHANTOM DESIRES

  By

  Bianca D'Arc

  PHANTOM DESIRES

  A Lady Aibell Press/Chippewa Publishing Publication, October 2006

  Chippewa Publishing LLC

  P.O. Box 662

  Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin 54729

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  PHANTOM DESIRES Copyright © 2006 Bianca D'Arc

  Edited by Jana J. Hanson

  Cover Art by Bianca D'Arc

  Proofed by Tammy Xanthakis

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book may not be reproduced in whole, or in part, by any means, without the written consent of the publisher.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author's imagination, or are fictitiously used. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Any trademarks referred to within this publication are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Chippewa Publishing, LLC., our products, or our website.

  WARNING: The contents of this book are intended for mature audiences 18 years of age and older only. Language, violence, and sexual situations may apply.

  PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

  PHANTOM DESIRES

  She woke, bleary-eyed, in that state where the mind is half-conscious but the body still believes it is asleep. She blinked several times, but sleep was winning. In the darkness, she thought she saw a man sitting in the chair at the side of her bed, watching her. He was utterly relaxed, something about his stillness confident and supremely masculine. Those impressions lasted even as her body won the fight with her semi-conscious brain and she dropped back to sleep.

  The next morning, the image of the man's shape stayed with her. And it frightened her almost beyond reason. It had felt so real. Not like a dream image at all.

  She was a capable, steady career woman, not given to fits of imagination. Yet, she could have sworn she saw a man sitting in her bedroom, watching her sleep in the dark of the night. Was he a phantom? Some sort of spirit left by the former owners of the small Wyoming farmhouse into which she had just moved? Or some stray figment of her imagination?

  Carly shook her head and tried to ignore the shivers coursing down her spine at the memory of the slightly sinister apparition. The house needed a lot of work, and there was only her to do it. She pushed back the strange memory in the cool light of day and went to work, unpacking, moving furniture into place, and cleaning house.

  On Friday night, after sleeping undisturbed for a week, a vivid dream once again assailed her. She was in a bedroom filled with lit candles, the spicy aromas of the scented wax wafting sensually throughout the room. A strange man leaned over her naked body, caressing her with his eyes and his strong hands. The stranger was handsome. Perhaps the most handsome man she had ever seen, but she knew this more from impressions than any real vision of his face. It was night in the dream, and shadows from the flickering flames played about his angular features.

  He had a foreign air about him, and dark hair and eyes that watched her with fiery hunger. He was one with the darkness. Strangely, he seemed to know her, though she'd never seen him before in her life.

  The unknown man called her by name as he licked her nipple. He praised her beauty as his hands delved between her legs, touching, torturing. His lips moved down her body with leisurely deliberation, his teeth dragging at her skin, making her shiver with excitement. Slowly he spread her legs, settling like a master between them, gazing his fill at her swollen folds as his hands drew nearer to her core, spreading her open for his touch. Leaning forward, he licked at her clit. She convulsed in the dream and in reality with a gasping cry.

  Shocked to wakefulness by a burst of pleasure so intense she'd never experienced anything like it in real life, she remembered the moment his tongue touched her. The shock of his heat had coursed through her. It was familiar, yet as foreign as he was.

  The feel of that unprecedented dream haunted her all day as she went about her chores, shopping and cleaning and putting the old farmhouse to rights. It puzzled her, excited her, and heated her blood.

  Carly had been fondled by men before. She hadn't reached the ripe old age of thirty-five without dating a few men, but she had never once felt the instant flame of response her dream man had elicited. It made her feel empty and that bothered her. Those few moments of dreamtime made her ache with longing for something she doubted she would ever find in the real world.

  The most exciting her love life had been lately were some vivid dreams. She was a thirty-five year old spinster, with little social life and a healthy bank balance due to hard work. She could write the custom code for her computer software anywhere, so why not the wilds of Wyoming? She had a big contract with one of the colleges near Laramie and an SUV to get her there when it snowed. She bought the old farmhouse on a whim, but it suited her.

  She had her work, and lots of quiet and open spaces in which to do it. She had her friends too. Just a month ago, she'd traveled to Lissa's wedding in California. Her old college friend had found a hunk of a man who owned a vineyard and together they seemed happier than anyone had a right to be. The reunion of the old study group had renewed those old bonds and she spoke on the phone with Kelly and Lissa often, now that Kelly had gone to work for Lissa and her new husband at the vineyard.

  Work kept her busy too, even on this isolated job. Once a week or so, she would have to meet with the staff at the college. She also had to go down to the campus just about every day for a few weeks, to test, observe and fix any glitches that came up. It was a challenging job, and one she enjoyed.

  Up until a few months ago, she would have been overseeing several of these installations at once. Now she was delegating the other installations and overseeing just this one, which was the most complex her little company had on the table right now.

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  Professor Dmitri Belakov watched the small woman race from her car just after sunset. He had checked the installation schedule and knew tonight the young computer programmer would be running a key installation that would take her most of the night. It was his perfect opportunity.

  First, he would teach his evening course in history, then casually drop by the administration building where his office was located. It was also where the sexy woman would be working, probably until dawn. He would meet her then.

  She would never know he had been watching her in her new home for weeks now, biding his time for the opportunity to meet her legitimately and put her under his spell. If such a thing were possible. This woman seemed to be immune from his more subtle abilities to an almost alarming degree. She had even caught him as he watched her sleep that first night. It was all he could do to overpower her strong mind and lull her back into a dreamless sleep.

  She also had the disturbing ability to see him in h
er dreams. Several times now, he had found his consciousness seduced into her dream. Each time, he was able to extricate himself only after some difficulty, leaving her none the wiser.

  Except that one time.

  In that one hot dream they had shared, he'd pushed her too far. He had wanted so badly to taste her, he brought her to a screaming orgasm with surprisingly little effort. The wave of pleasure had jolted her out of the dream before he could pull back and mask his presence. She had seen him that night, without a doubt.

  But she was so sweet! He wanted to taste her in truth and perhaps he would, but first he had to work on seducing her mind.

  Her strong mind and their close proximity made it imperative that he meet her in person and bring her under his power, but it had to be done subtly. She had to be convinced that he was nothing special, no cause for alarm, so that they could both live peacefully side by side in the wilderness.

  He needed the solitude and peace of the open land as much as he surmised she did. He'd done some investigation into her background and learned of the high-powered lifestyle that had finally driven her out of the city and into the open places. He could commiserate with that feeling, but he needed the privacy of the open land for his very survival. Without the secrecy of his existence, all would be lost, and he could not let this one mortal woman endanger him.

  She would come under his power tonight or she would die.

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  The coffee was strong and black, just the way she liked it. She gulped down another mouthful as she set the high-powered computer in front of her to its task. The program would take almost an hour to load and install. She would have to sit and watch, just to be sure it all took place as it was supposed to. Not a very exciting part of her job, but essential nonetheless.

  She was just settling back to watch the screen when she felt a presence at her side. Looking up, she jumped a bit. The most handsome man she had ever seen was standing above her, his eyes inscrutable as they passed over her form like a caress. He looked vaguely familiar, his handsome face teasing her memory for a moment until she dismissed the odd thought as foolishness.

  "Uh, Professor Belakov?” The department chair had warned her that his colleague might stop by to check on her progress. In answer, he rolled a chair out from the neighboring workstation and sat altogether too close for comfort.

  "Call me Dmitri."

  His accent rolled over her, bathing her senses in warmth. She clenched her thighs together under the desk, feeling the wetness gathering there. All from just three words! What would happen, she wondered with an inward chuckle, if he uttered a longer sentence?

  "Dmitri.” She tested how the exotic name rolled off her tongue and found she liked the taste of it. “I'm Carly. As you can probably see, the installation is proceeding according to plan. So far, so good."

  "Excellent.” He turned his gaze from the slowly scrolling screen to rest fully on her. “I was told you were the best in your field when I researched this project."

  She liked the sound of that. Even more, she liked the sound of his voice, his accent, his warmth. She could listen to him for hours. And yes, he could probably make her come with just his voice alone.

  "That's a lovely thing to say.” She fumbled, realizing he was waiting for some response from her.

  "It's no more than the truth."

  His eyes seemed to sparkle in the low light of the office. She kept the lights down when she worked late so as to minimize the glare from the computer screens but now it was serving a double purpose. The low light made the atmosphere more intimate between them, causing her to shift in her seat. Her stomach fluttered, as did regions further down.

  The computer beeped, requiring a few keystrokes from her, which she put in almost by rote. She noted his gaze following her fingers as they flew over the keyboard. Usually when people watched her work they made her nervous but this man had an entirely unexpected effect on her. This man fired her long-dormant libido. He made her want things she had never wanted this badly before. He made her want to throw caution to the wind.

  She finished entering the last string of commands and turned back to him. He was such a disturbingly masculine presence at her side she needed to get him gone so she could think.

  "I'll be at this a few more hours. It should probably finish the loading sequence somewhere around three in the morning."

  "So late?” His voice warmed with concern. “I don't like the idea of you walking around campus alone at such a late hour."

  She shrugged, trying not to show how much his concern warmed her inside. She had been alone so long. Nobody had ever really worried about her keeping odd hours. No one since her foster parents, and they were long gone.

  "It can't be helped. But I'll be careful. I can call campus security to escort me to my car if I feel the need."

  "That will not do.” He made a slight tsking sound as he shook his head gravely from side to side. “I'll tell you what. I need to mark a huge stack of essays. I can do that while you work here and when you're done, I'll walk you out myself."

  "Oh, I wouldn't want to put you to any trouble."

  "No trouble at all.” He stood with some finality, his body language making her realize he would not take no for an answer. And what a body! He was muscular and hard in all the right places.

  "I insist,” he continued. “Perhaps you will join me for a cup of coffee at the all-night diner in town? I suffer from insomnia and find it difficult to sleep at night."

  His self-effacing little shrug touched her heart. For such a strong man to admit to any sort of weakness was somehow very endearing. How could she turn down such a simple request, especially when her more adventurous side was yelling at her to take him up on his offer. She took a steadying breath and nodded, liking the immediate light that came into his eyes.

  "That would be nice. I could probably use a bit of time to unwind after this is done. It's always the most boring, but nerve-wracking part of the job.” She chuckled and he followed suit, the slight upturn of his lips lighting up his whole face. She thought with an inward chuckle, a full out smile from him might very well kill her. He was that potent.

  Dmitri surprised her by taking her hand. Bowing slightly, he kissed the back of it in an old-world gesture that would have seemed silly coming from any other man, but Dmitri Belakov had the dashing charm to carry it off. She nearly swooned when his lips parted and his tongue brushed ever so lightly against her knuckles, dipping into the crease between her ring and middle fingers for a sensuous lick.

  Her breath caught and her eyes shot up to his. The amusement in his gaze lit a fire in her blood, daring her to laugh back and she did, surprising herself. The man was magic. He had to be. She had never responded to any man this intensely or this fast. Ever.

  "Call me if you finish before three. Otherwise, I'll come check on you at that time."

  She found she had no breath to answer him, merely nodding as he offered her a slight smile and left the room. She had been right, she realized. His smile was completely devastating.

  At three in the morning, Dmitri checked on the small woman who was busily typing away. She was so intent on her work she didn't sense him at first, though that was hardly surprising. Most mortals would be unable to sense his presence at the best of times but he had come to realize this woman was much more sensitive than most mortals. She had sensed him in her dreams, pulled him into her phantom desires and was aware of him on a level most mortals would never plumb.

  He liked that. Perhaps a bit too much.

  She would, in all likelihood, die tonight at his hands, but he would give her a fair hearing at least, before deciding her fate.

  "Carly."

  She gasped and jumped up straight in her rolling chair. Her eyes turned to him unerringly in the darkened room. “You frightened me."

  "I apologize. I came to see if you were almost ready for that coffee."

  She bit her lip, turning back to the glowing screen. He found himself staring at her perfect
, white teeth as they worried at a plump, pink lower lip. How he wanted to be the one biting her.

  "Uh, I should be done here in about ten more minutes. The last module is being a bit stubborn.” She turned back to her work, all too easily dismissing him from her mind as the computer problem took his place in her thoughts. He did not like being so summarily dismissed. The thought jarred him.

  Usually, he was more than happy to leave his human prey with no recollection of his presence. In fact, it was important that he be able to exert his control over their weaker minds in order to contain the secret of his existence. It was imperative to his survival and one of the most important rules he had set when he had taken over this territory some three hundred years before. He was Master of this region now, as he would be well into the future barring some unfortunate circumstance. Only his death would cause him to relinquish his leadership of the vampires in this region. He loved this wide open country too much.

  There were not many of his kind here, but enough that he had to exert his power and authority now and again. He led them with equanimity and a fairness about which none of them had ever complained. He ruled with absolute control and his word was law. Luckily for his people, he was a fair-minded man with more inclination to let them live as they would with only a few simple guidelines and laws they could not break. Breaking one of his laws, they all knew, would be cause for immediate and deadly punishment. Adhering to his few, well-reasoned laws, however, allowed them all to live harmoniously in the shadow of the mountains where so many werecreatures resided. There was an uneasy truce maintained between his kind and the weretribes and he wanted it kept that way.

  Chief among his laws was secrecy. No mortal should ever be left with a memory of their kind. Vampires needed to feed from mortals, but he taught even the youngest of his people to cover their tracks. No memories remained with the mortals of their encounters with his kind, unless they were memories of exquisite sexual pleasure with an unknown, faceless partner.