Unwanted Love…

Joshua MacAaron led a solitary existence, and believed he preferred it that way until the night he crossed paths with Catherine Mills. From the first, her innocent joy and strength invaded the most secret parts of his long-quiet heart. He felt inexplicably and irresistibly drawn to her, until at last he resigned himself to the fact that they were destined to meet. Still, he knew that the decision to involve himself with the young mortal could mean the end of his existence.

…Deadly Desire

Katie led a simple life, ruled by order and practicality. She had no time for romance, had never given it thought, until the night a stranger stepped into her life. Joshua’s old-fashioned, Scottish mannerisms and extraordinary good looks awakened her heart to new and unknown yearnings. When she discovered that the man she’d learned to love was a vampire, she became torn between fear she couldn’t control and an almost desperate longing.

Tamara Monteau grew up a dreamer, spending most of her childhood buried in books or watching science fiction, fantasy or horror on television.  Her favorite show as a pre-teen was Dark Shadows, and she especially enjoyed the works of Erwin Allen. Often she would lie awake at night telling herself stories and inventing fantasies to help get her to sleep.  When one of her teachers told her she had potential as a writer, the seed of her dream was planted.

She met her husband Mike while in the Air Force, and in 1992 she began exploring the possibility of putting words on paper.  After many years spent researching and perfecting her craft, she began working on various ideas and submitting them for the approval of those she knew.  When her first finalized work, Twilight Destiny, began receiving rave reviews from people she didn't know, she realized it was time to send it out to the world.

Tamara now lives in Middle Georgia with her husband Mike, has four children and one grandchild.

Joshua walked through the woods, as was his want of late, deep in thought. His mind continued to return to that night in the clearing when his relationship with Katie had so drastically changed. The passion they’d shared that night nearly drove him insane. He’d almost given in to that passion before she was ready; long before he was ready to face the consequences of becoming intimate with her. It frightened him more than he wanted to admit to himself. Keeping distance between them since had been the hardest thing he’d ever endured.

She was in love with him, deeply, he knew. Her longing sang to him constantly, making his dilemma all the more difficult. She’d been waiting for him to declare for her, but every time he tried to work up the courage to bring her into his confidence the words refused to come. He berated himself on a nightly basis for his own cowardice. Still, he just couldn’t bring himself to face the possibility of her fear, her rejection.

With a heavy sigh, he opened his mind to her, as he had done covertly over the past months, to savor the thoughts and feelings she was unknowingly broadcasting. She was dreaming of him; a passionate dream, judging by its intensity. He paused when his mental compass told him she was not in her bed, as she should have been. No, she was in the clearing, reliving in her dreams the passion he could not himself dismiss.

In the space of a heartbeat, he was there. He knelt beside her, laid a hand gently on her arm and felt her trembling sigh. “Catherine,” he whispered. She mumbled softly, but didn’t wake. He shook her gently and called her name again, bringing her out of her dream with a start. “Are you all right?” he asked softly, helping her to her feet.

She busied herself with brushing off her dress, too flustered and embarrassed to do little more than nod. “Guess I fell asleep,” she said finally. “What time is it?”

“It’s after two in the morning. What are you doing out here alone?”

“I was thinking about us,” she told him shyly.

“Oh?” He gently set her back from him and studied her. He could see the longing in her eyes, the uncertainty. She nodded again and reached up to smooth an errant lock of hair from his eyes. When her fingers began to disappear behind his ear, he caught her hand and pressed her knuckles to his lips. He pulled her into his arms and held her tightly against him while his own feelings waged a war within him. When she raised her face to his, his lips found hers almost of their own accord. He couldn’t give her the tender kisses he’d been holding himself to. Instead, all the feelings he’d held so tightly at bay broke free of their bonds. She returned his kisses almost hungrily, and clung to him as if she were drowning.

He wanted her. God help him, he did. He sensed her passion rising within her, and when he realized that she intended to let him take her as far as he would go, his tenuous control nearly snapped. She touched her tongue to his lips in a tentative gesture, igniting his passion into a raging storm that demanded to be answered. He took possession of her mouth, drank in her sweet, warm depths until her knees weakened. In another moment, he knew he would have her on the ground, exploring every inch of her, making her his own. It was only with the greatest difficulty that he managed to stop before he did just that. He pulled her tightly against him and held her while he did his best to bring his mutinous body back in line. “Oh, Catherine,” he said at last, his voice thick and harsh with emotion.

Katie trembled with frustration and need. “Joshua,” she breathed, her voice sounding almost like a sob. She tried to push away so she could look at him, but he held her even more firmly. “Joshua, I…”

He pressed his fingers against her lips so suddenly it took her by surprise. “No, lass. Be still.” When her sobs started bubbling their way to the surface, he stroked her hair and tried hard to soothe her. “I know how you feel,” he said softly. “I know what you want. We mustn’t. Not yet.”

She pushed against him until he reluctantly allowed her to leave his arms. The look on her face spoke to him of the pain and frustration in her heart. “I’m in love with you.” Her statement sounded like a desperate challenge.

He felt a lump growing in his throat. “Aye.”

“You… you love me too.”

“More than I can tell you.”

“I know you want me as much as I want you.”

“So much so it’s killing me,” he confirmed, his voice growing thick with pain.

“Then, why…?”

He turned from her, unable to face the strength of her pain for another moment. “There are things you need to know first. Things I haven’t been ready to tell you. Things that…” he paused to swallow the lump in his throat, “things that may frighten you.”