Dangerous Desires, by Brenda Williamson ~ Chapter One

How best to share myself with you, Is a question I ask every time I think of writing a blog. Honestly, I'm not adept at idle chatter. If I talk, I want to go on and on. If I blog, I tend to want to write about what's on my mind--meandering tidbits of nothing, and I'm not sure you would appreciate hearing the details of my cat's new litter or how I had to clip dingle-berries off my dog's rear end.

So what can I share? A Story. A Free Read. A Work in Progress. I've tinkered with Dangerous Desires for five years now. I have a complete first draft of 100,000 words. But with every story, it needs polished up, so feel free to comment on boo-boos, bloopers, inconsistencies, and even my grammar if that's your pet peeve. I even welcome plot ideas, so look for a new chapter every other Tuesday, and maybe I can get this story finished once and for all.

Dangerous Desires, by Brenda Williamson

(A Free Read ~ A Work in Progress)

Copyright 2010

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Intriguingly beautiful and demure recluse, Valentina Wells doesn’t want her life to change. However, when her mother dies, instincts take over and turn her against the world—thrusting her toward the perilous needs of her once bridled nature. The stranger she meets on the day of her mother’s death, proves to be a savior to her broken heart. Only how does she keep Nathan safe from the forces intent on destroying what she covets.

When handsome Nathan Hawks meets the mysterious young woman with a dark history, he’s obsessively drawn into protecting her and helping her learn the secrets to her existence. In the deadliest journey of his life, he soon learns that maybe his love isn’t strong enough against an immortal’s dangerous desires.

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Chapter One

Not much over the years had upset the tranquility in Valentina Wells' life.When she saw her groundskeeper rush toward her from the arched doorway of the stable, panic spread through her body. Infused by anxiety, each muscle tensed, every vein pulsed.

“Miss Valentina,” Harold yelled, as she rode her horse, Thunder into the barnyard. “Mary says you’re to get to the house as quick as possible."

Without asking why, she spun her big black stallion away from Harold. She galloped up the slope of the poorly manicured lawns of her Massachusetts estate. Before she came to a full stop, she jumped off the saddle and landed on the ground firmly. Her gait, discordantly quick, took her up the weather-worn stone steps to the door of her house. Breathless from her exhilarating daily ride, she found inhaling even harder while under stress. Still, she maintained a hasty stride across the foyer and up the wide staircase. She knew the time of death neared for her mother.

“Mary,” Valentina shouted, taking the oak treads of the staircase two at a time. “Mary!” she screamed again with insistence, as if the woman would never show herself.

Prior to reaching the top landing, her mother’s servant, Mary, appeared.

“How is she?” Valentina asked, needing an answer before she saw for herself. Something in the preparation of her mind required her to know. In all her life, she had been a brave child, a fearless woman. This one thing however, troubled her.

“I don’t think she’ll make it another day, Miss Valentina.” The woman’s head shook with sadness. “I fear she’s going to be gone within the hour. That’s why I sent Harold for you. I know how important it is for you to be with her."

Valentina let her gaze fall on the woman’s wrinkled face for a moment. Mary Garnett had been with her family for twenty years—a long time to most. To her, it meant nothing more than a second in time—a fraction of her long, exacting existence.

“Miss?” Mary’s voice shook her from her reveries.

“Yes.” Valentina inhaled the bravest of breaths, then, swept past the servant and entered her mother’s room. She had the expectation of death, but a sliver of hope for life.

“Mother?” she whispered softly, afraid no answer would come.

She pulled her thick-veiled black hat off with an impatience to be free of it and tossed it on the end of the bed. Then she tugged at her kidskin gloves and flung them toward the hat. Gently, she lowered and sat on the edge of the feather-stuffed mattress herself. The softness gave into her weight as if she weighted a ton. Her mother’s frail body tipped toward her. Valentina steadied her, and then studied her mother’s cool thin skin. Her beauty had long faded and her health had extensively shriveled.

“Valentina, my precious child.” Her mother’s one sentence sounded exhausting.

“Don’t speak. You need to rest.” Valentina dropped her gaze to keep from letting her mother see her fears.

She straightened the crocheted coverlet, letting her fingers fret over the ecru fringe.

“I’m sorry my dear, dear daughter. You need not hide your expression.” Her mother coaxed her to look up with a finger under her chin. Even with her diminished eyesight, her mother saw enough.

"I shouldn't have left you and gone riding." Valentina lamented.

"Nonsense, you needed the fresh air. You know how upset I'd be if you sat here everyday until my death."

"And that is the only reason I left the house."

Her mother smiled. “You've been an extraordinary child. Obedient and loving beyond any mother's dreams. And I know the pain you’re suffering, Valentina. But I’ve stayed with you for as long as I was able."

“I don’t want you to go,” she said selfishly, even though she knew first hand how hard her mother had clung to life for her benefit.

“You’re capable of taking care of yourself.” Her mother choked out the words as if the reassurance may be her last.

“What will I do without you?”

“You will make a life for yourself. You are young and so full of spirit. Find happiness where you can, my darling."

Valentina held her mother’s hand, knowing the inevitable was near. In her entire life, she had never shed a tear. Deaths in her family had come and gone like a new day, and for her, she believed the days would go on for eternity.

“Don’t try to talk anymore.” Valentina rubbed the back of her mother’s hand, wishing it were warmer.

“You’re pale.” Her mother’s grip on her face tightened. “You need nourishment."

“No."

“Valentina, I’m dying and haven’t much longer on this earth. You can’t hurt me now."

“I’d rather starve, than lose one minute with you."

Her mother gave a nod in surrender.

Valentina bent down and kissed her cheek, happy they’d not spend their last moments together debating something as inconsequential as her eating habits. “I saw the nestlings today,” she said cheerfully, painting on a smile to mask her sadness. “The baby bluebirds are so tiny. All three would fit into the palm of your hand."

Her mother closed her eyes and squeezed her fingers. It was the last time she made a voluntary move. Late that night, the very moment she dread, Valentina watched her mother’s last breath come.

“Goodbye,” she whispered, kissing her mother’s forehead. Her lips tingled against the heat. She crawled onto the bed and lay alongside her until the last of the warmth dissipated and her spirit was gone. In some ways, her mother’s cold skin seemed strangely comforting. While her mother would never rise again, she’d never suffer pain either.

Valentina, on the other hand, seemed destined to experience many forms of pain all because of her immortality.

..............Read more in Chapter 2.

Brenda

http://www.brendawilliamson.com/