Midsummer Charm Excerpt
Midsummer Charm, Erotic Romance from Ellora’s Cave.
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Midsummer Charm — Ellora’s Cave, Midsummer Charm contains explicit language, graphic sex, menage elements and hot magic.
Witch and warlock, a match made in heaven. Until a wolf stakes his claim. Midsummer night was never hotter—or deadlier.
Maya enjoys the attention of a sexy warlock who fulfills her every wish and then some. It’s perfect, really. Then he returns. David. The match made in hell—a hot, sweaty, scream-your-throat-out-it-hurts-so-good hell. The match who left her in the cold, may the bastard rot.
In her spellbound erotic dreams, she embraces both men. They satisfy her body to the fullest, if not her heart. But on midsummer night, reality makes a comeback when she is confronted with hard truths and easy lies. And a surprise she never sees coming. Torn between the two men, she learns to her sorrow that one of them is ready to kill the other in order to win her love.
She faces the impossible choice between heaven and oh-so-hot hell. And midsummer night has only just begun…
Chapter One
Maya Winters tried to relax her shoulders, tried to relax, period. But the tingly sensation in her gut told her something bad was about to happen. Or maybe she simply had to lay off the second glass of ruby-red burgundy wine.
Or maybe she needed to get laid.
“Aren’t we the hottest couple here or what?” Sinclair whispered in her ear, and then straightened, making him easily the tallest guy at Nell’s housewarming party.
“Speak for yourself.” She ditched her wineglass and plucked another piece of finger food from the buffet, noticing a barely legal blonde girl flirtatiously brushing through her hair and shooting Sinclair a smoldering glance.
All right, so he was indeed hot enough to made virgins spread their legs faster than one could say multiple orgasms.
Maya bit into the garlicky miniature pizza, thinking she would describe herself as lukewarm at best, and licked along her olive-oily lips.
Tonight, she’d take him into her bed to lick every hot inch of him.
He just didn’t know that yet.
“Don’t you see how they look at us?” he asked, making her wish he’d drop the topic. “All the girls want to be at my side, but I prefer you.” He gripped her by the shoulder, and she noticed the shimmering aura hovering above his skin. A sassy redhead walked by—one of Nell’s new neighbors—and his gaze dropped to her scantily covered butt wrapped up in white hot pants.
Maya resisted rolling her eyes. “It would help if you wouldn’t use your glamour upon every unsuspecting female.”
He scowled, scratching his square jaw, and placed his hand at the small of her back. He had beautiful hands with long, tapered fingers. Tingling warmth seeped into her skin as he used magic to warm her up. She wasn’t sure if she should complain. Hands like that wouldn’t fail to deliver in the bedroom. A bolt of heat shot between her legs, and she bit back a moan.
Dating a warlock sure had its benefits.
He splayed his hand across her bottom, which made her grin. He was definitely an ass guy. “Why don’t we leave early?” he said, his voice rough as he gently squeezed her butt.
“Why don’t you stop staring at other girls’ asses?”
“But I want you. We complete each other.” Leaning into her, he wiped a minuscule pizza crumb from her bottom lip, leaving a tingling trail of hot need on her skin. “Come on, Maya. Put out. I promise I won’t disappoint you, my witch.” He laced his voice with magic, making her stomach dip and her breasts ache for a strong touch.
She gave him a slap on his ripped stomach. “Cut it out.”
Witch and warlock, a match made in heaven—or hell, depending on the point of view. She wasn’t sure what her own point of view was yet. She slinked away from his grasp and piled more mini pizzas into a napkin. Damn, they were yummy. He wouldn’t mind her less-than-minty breath, she thought, but gave his words more consideration. Yes, they completed each other. No normal guy touched the witch part of her soul as well as a warlock, as well as Sinclair.
If only this realization didn’t leave her ever so depressed.
But tonight she’d find out if he was a good fit, in every sense of the word. Because, really, what was she holding out for?
Maybe for someone less vain?
Shaking her head, she had to admit she was being unfair. If he was vain, it wasn’t without reason. Sinclair looked like a disgraced angel, disheveled from his long fall from heaven. His features would make Michelangelo weep. His honeycomb-colored hair teasingly touched his shoulders, his high brow was set over a pair of ridiculously pretty sky-blue eyes and his stamina was legend, at least among witches.
In short, he was her ideal mate.
All she had to do was give in to his seduction. He stirred the fires gradually, working his magic until she was as hungry for sex as one lonely witch could possibly be. He’d even tried to invade her dreams, the sneak. She’d woken up, her clit begging to be touched, her mind full of him doing unspeakable things to her. She’d satisfied her lust using her own hands, reaching her climax in seconds.
While impressed with his spell work, she’d given him an earful for trying to go under her skin while she was dreaming. Laughing her complaints off, he had continued to make her pant for sex during the day. He was patient, she’d give him that.
Why she still resisted him she couldn’t even begin to explain, much less answer her best friend Nell’s probing questions about their relationship.
Closing her eyes, she drew in a deep breath. The aroma of sizzling barbeque mixed with the faint smell of chlorine from the pool always reminded her of garden parties and hot summer nights. Fueled by alcohol or by the joy of being alive, the other guests at Nell’s party danced to tunes of the seventies and eighties.
The beat snuck into her bones, making her tap her foot. Maybe she should grab Sinclair and take him for a twirl on the roped-off dance floor. It would be enlightening. If he wasn’t in harmony with her body while dancing, there was little hope they would be in harmony between the sheets. Inching closer to the dance floor, she kept her eyes peeled for her sexy warlock but couldn’t spot him anywhere.
Instead, she spotted Nell and waved hello, giving her the thumbs-up. Nell grinned, flicked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear and looked thoroughly pleased. The neighbors Nell was so keen to make friends with had shown up in droves.
Popping another miniature pizza into her mouth, Maya looked up into the sky, stars sparkling against a velvety blue canvas, outshone by the gazillions of tiny lanterns Nell and she had installed into the woodwork of the terrace. A slight breeze grazed her cheek, balmy and sweet. She pulled her hair into a ponytail, letting the breeze reach her neck. Maybe Sinclair wouldn’t mind outdoor sex. Nothing like cicadas serenading slow lovemaking. Shooting a look around for him once more, she found him admiring himself in the pool’s glassy reflection. Now that was just great.
But life wasn’t perfect, so what?
Something fluttered past her face, making her jump. It was probably a moth dying to get close to the lanterns. Or maybe a small bat. Goddess, I hope that’s not a bat. Such a bad omen…
She let out her breath. Why am I so twitchy tonight? She shot a searching look into the sky. Nothing.
Lifting her hand, about to nibble at the pizza crust, she froze. On her hand, perched on top of her ring finger, a butterfly beat its wings. With its bright orange and yellow colors, it looked as if it had escaped straight from the rainforests in Brazil.
Speaking a silent thank-you to the goddess for sending her such an uplifting sight, she broke into a wide smile.
“Well, well,” she said softly, careful as not to scare this good omen away. “Hello, gorgeous.”
“Hello you.”
Her blood about froze.
It couldn’t be him…
The deep male voice had spoken from behind her, and she sucked in her breath, barely noticing how the butterfly took off into the night.
Turning around, she gazed up and into a pair of soul-crushingly dark eyes. A sight she’d thought she’d never see again. The napkin dropped from her hand and the miniature pizzas hit the wooden terrace with a wet thud. She winced, heat rushing to her cheeks.
Reflexively, with a flick of her wrist, she whispered a spell, weaving an illusion of indifference, a shield to hide her feelings from the rest of the world.
And from him.
Knowing her face wouldn’t betray her emotions, she said, “You.”
“Good to see you, Maya.”
“And you…” David. She wanted to say his name but didn’t trust her voice.
He nodded, taller than she remembered, his dark hair shorter, but his gaze held the same intensity she recalled too well. He took a sip from his red wine, a slight smile playing around his mouth. If Sinclair was an angel, David was a goddamn demon from the hottest pits of hell come to Earth to haunt her.
Pull yourself together.
Her gaze fell on the pizzas she’d dropped. Flustered, she picked up the ruined food from the deck with the napkin. Staring at his summer linen shoes, a stretch of bare tanned skin visible, she realized she knelt before him. Her spine protested as she shot upright.
With what she hoped was an “I don’t give a damn” gesture, she threw the napkin into one of the garbage bags Nell had provided.
“So, you’re back,” she said, thankful that her calm voice didn’t reveal she was about to lose it, and lifted her chin in an attempt to stare him down. Futile. He towered half a head over her. Always had.
“Yes, I’m back.” He pinched his slightly crooked nose between his fingers, a weary expression in the depths of his eyes.
If she didn’t know better, she’d say he was nervous. When he lowered his hand to his side again, she followed his movement. His hands weren’t as elegant as Sinclair’s but square and callused. Strong and capable. And skillful.
Crossing her arms, she took a step away, increasing the distance as if this could save her from the memory of those hands stroking her mindless. A shudder went through her body. Shuffling her feet, she grew uncomfortable as an uneasy silence settled between them.
“Excuse me,” she said, turning away.
“Stay, please.” His hand settled on her shoulder, holding her back.
“Why?” His touch burned through her skin, almost igniting her bones, and he didn’t need magic to achieve that. “Why, David?”
He didn’t answer, but his hold on her shoulder intensified. About to tell him to go to hell, the party noises ceased to a faint roaring in her ears. For one small moment she was transported back in time, looking at the man whose touch she’d craved night after night.
Her nipples puckered, hardened. Why wasn’t she wearing something less revealing than the skimpy strapless dress? It made her feel naked in more ways than one.
“Dance with me?”
