Authors: Calista Fox
Deadly Attraction (37 page)
Swatting playfully at him, she said, “Behave.”
He pulled her into his arms again, and said,
“That’s not at all what you want from me.” He was right, of course. Then he
turned to the group gathered and announced, “My chefs at the castle have worked
with the chefs in the village to prepare tonight’s dinner. And there’s plenty
of champagne for everyone to enjoy.”
Linking Jade’s arm with his, they led the way
to the riverbank on the Ryleigh side. The feast was outstanding, and the
villagers were obviously impressed. After the dishes had been cleared away,
music and dancing ensued. Jade could not remember such a lively occasion taking
place in her twenty-six years. And she was pleased to see Walker had recovered
enough to dance with Lisette.
Sheena, crafty vampire that she was, had
paired up the castle’s seamstresses with those in the village, the butchers
from both sides of the border, the candle-makers and hand-blown glass artists,
and so on. This broke the tension but also opened discussion for sharing trade
secrets that might assist with advancement on both sides.
Jade had no idea what the future held, but
Jinx Cromley had once predicted the human world would be restored. What he
didn’t realize, she believed, was that the demons were friends of Mother Nature
and that modern improvements could be made while paying particular attention to
the environment. A win-win, she thought, might truly be in sight.
The wedding night was another affair to
remember. The party wound down in the wee hours of the morning and Darien
lifted Jade into his arms and carried her across the threshold of the cottage,
that being the place she’d wanted to spend their first night as husband and
wife. He hadn’t put up a single argument.
Sheena and Lisette had set the decor on the
sly, lighting candles and leaving rose petals everywhere, as well as opening
the windows to allow a gentle breeze to float through the small house. The
sound of the water rushing over the rapids outside added a soothing element to
the sensual ambience.
Darien took her straight to bed. She didn’t complain.
As he thrust slowly and deeply into her, she
whispered, “Thank you for loving me.”
“I waited nearly nine years for this day to
come.” He kissed her, then added, “And now you’re finally mine.”
“For all of eternity,” she vowed.
Epilogue
The next day, following brunch at the
castle—to further celebrate the marriage with those who hadn’t come down to the
river the night before—Jade took her red rose to the south woods and placed it
on Jinx’s grave. She had another bouquet for her parents’ burial place.
Despite having an eternity in front of her,
she swore to herself she would not forget her past, her friends or her family.
They were, after all, the people who had helped to shape her life and make her
the person she’d become. Along with the people still presently involved in her
daily activities.
Returning to the village, she stopped into the
tavern. Michael bowed and she sneered at him.
“Stop that,” she said.
“But you’re the queen now.”
“I’m still me.” Sitting at the newly sanded
and polished bar, she added, “I was glad to see you at the wedding. I was
afraid you wouldn’t come.”
He poured her a glass of merlot and set it in
front of her. “And I was afraid you were going to badger me until I agreed. So
I figured, what the hell? You’re into peacekeeping and I can support that
effort.”
With a shake of her head, she said, “I
wouldn’t have badgered you. I would’ve understood if you hadn’t wanted to come.
I couldn’t guilt you into it. I wanted you to be there of your own accord.”
He crossed his arms over his chest and rolled
his eyes dramatically. Acting as though it’d been a difficult night to suffer
through, though she knew he only mocked her because she’d noticed he’d enjoyed
himself at the reception, he said, “Well, I suppose I could concede it was a
nice event. The food was unbelievable, and I’ve never served champagne here at
the tavern, so I had no idea what it tasted like.”
“Sensational, isn’t it?”
He nodded, then added, “Unfortunately, the
Delfinos now favor it and they want me to track down a case for them.”
Jade grinned. “You’re in luck. I happen to be
married to a man who can get his hands on a case for you.”
“This doesn’t mean I approve of your choice
for a husband,” he all but harumphed.
She laughed. “I would never expect you to give
up your convictions so quickly. But,” she warned him, “the king does possess
redeeming qualities. If you were to get to know him, you just might like him.”
Michael scowled, despite the previous teasing.
But instead of calling her crazy, he admitted, “I actually thought your vampire
friend was interesting.”
“Sheena?” Jade’s brow shot up.
“She gave me some ideas for—as you
said—jazzing the place up. And,” he shrugged as he continued to shock Jade,
“she’s damn hot.”
Ignoring the fact Darien had once said Sheena
kept to her kind, Jade made a bold and daring suggestion. “Maybe you should ask
her out on a date. I haven’t noticed any sparks flying with your other
candidates. Well,” she quickly amended, “I’ve seen
their
interest…but
not so much on your end.”
“Turns out I like the untamable.”
Jade’s teeth clamped down on her lip. Michael
and Sheena…? What a wild combination
that
would be!
Forcing a nonchalant tone, she said, “I happen
to know she likes moonlit strolls through the forest…and math.”
“Math?” he asked in a droll tone.
“Yeah. Let her teach you algebra. That could
be sexy.”
He shook his head. “You have a very strange
sense of…everything.”
“I’m not strange,” she corrected as she sipped
her wine. “I’m progressive.”
She decided she liked the term and the concept
and would spend more time with Lisette and her books, further defining
herself—and her place in this new meshing of humans and demons. She also wanted
to continue writing her saga about the intricate coalescing of races and
cultures.
After finishing her glass of wine, she left
the tavern, made a few more stops and then headed back to the cottage. She’d
been attempting more king-worthy dinners and had brought with her a rack of
lamb Max Wilkens had Frenched for her in his butcher’s shop.
From one of the cookbooks at the library,
she’d come up with three different sauces—one with spiced mustard, one with
mint and the other with orange marmalade she’d picked up at the bakery. She
paired the meat with broccolini a fellow villager had begun to grow and now
offered at the farmer’s market and potatoes au gratin.
Darien arrived as she was setting the table.
He sniffed the air and asked, “Did Sebastian come down from the castle?”
Whipping off her apron and tossing it at him,
she said, “No, Sebastian did not come from the castle.
I
cooked.”
He sniffed again and said, “But nothing’s
burning.”
The wood-fire oven Darien’s head chef,
Sebastian, had provided her sat in her kitchen and had a stone surface where
she could also heat dinner accompaniments on the stovetop. The trick, however,
was to master the size of the fire beneath the oven in order to keep from
torching the contents inside.
“You know,” she said, “not everyone is
naturally good the first time around at
everything
they attempt. Some of
us need a learning curve.”
With a wicked grin, he said, “I can name
several things you were good at the first time around.”
Her toes curled at his suggestive look, but
she refused to be sidetracked. “I have our entire meal timed out perfectly this
evening, so if you’ll pour the wine, I can stick to my schedule.”
He reached for her hand as she walked by him
and he pulled her to him. “Not so fast.” His head dipped and he kissed her,
long and deep. When it ended, she sighed contentedly.
She said, “Perhaps, in the future, I should
wait to make dinner until
after
you’ve arrived. That would give us time
for other things…”
“Good thinking.” He kissed her again, but she
kept it short and sweet by pushing him away.
“If I burn the rack of lamb because of you,”
she said in a feisty tone, “you will never hear the end of it.”
“Ah, married life,” he joked.
She patted him on the cheek. “Shut up and pour
the wine.”
“Yes, my queen.”
Words
she
didn’t mind hearing…
About Calista Fox
Calista Fox in a multi-published, award-winning author of
contemporary, suspense and paranormal erotic romances. She began her
professional fiction-writing career in 2004, following a successful career in
PR, where she specialized in writing speeches and Congressional testimonies.
Her books have received rave reviews and she is also the recipient of a
Reviewers Choice Award for Best Erotic Sci-Fi Novella.
Calista is a member of Romance Writers of America and two of
its Phoenix Chapters, Desert Rose and Valley of the Sun Romance Writers. She
has served on the Board of Directors, been the newsletter director and chaired
the annual Golden Quill Contest for the Desert Rose Chapter. She is also a
member of Passionate Ink, RWA’s erotic romance chapter. In addition, Calista
gives presentations and workshops on writing novellas.
Calista attended college on a Journalism scholarship and has
worked on newspapers as an editor and reporter. She holds degrees in General
Studies and Communications. Calista lives in Arizona, but travels frequently to
places like Mexico, Europe, San Diego and Washington, D.C. She has traveled the
country by Lear Jet, always with her laptop in tow, and is a spa aficionado!
Calista welcomes comments from readers. You can find her
website and email addresses on her
author
bio page
at
www.ellorascave.com
.
Tell Us What You Think
We appreciate hearing reader opinions about our books. You
can email
the
author
directly or you can email us at
[email protected]
(when
contacting Customer Service, be sure to state the book title and author).
Also by
Calista
Fox
Rugged
and Risque 1: Devil in Texas
Rugged
and Risque 2: Adonis in Texas
Rugged
and Risque 3: Cougar in Texas
Print books by Calista Fox
Better
with Age
anthology
Passionate
Peridot
anthology
Ellora’s Cave Publishing
Deadly Attraction
ISBN 9781419944109
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Deadly Attraction Copyright © 2013 Calista Fox
Edited by Briana St. James
Photography and cover design by Syneca
Model: Georgio
Electronic book publication January 2013
The terms Romantica® and Quickies® are registered trademarks of
Ellora’s Cave Publishing.
With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not
be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written
permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home
Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502.
Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this
copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or
distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without
the publisher’s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including
infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is
punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.
(http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/). Please purchase only authorized electronic or print
editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of
copyrighted material. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.
This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons,
living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The
characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.
The publisher and author(s) acknowledge the trademark status and trademark
ownership of all trademarks, service marks and word marks mentioned in this
book.
The publisher does not have any control over, and does not assume
any responsibility for, author or third-party Web sites or their content.
Discover for yourself why readers can’t get enough of the
multiple award-winning publisher Ellora’s Cave. Be sure to visit EC on the web
at www.ellorascave.com to find erotic reading experiences that will leave you
breathless. You can also find our books at all the major e-tailers (Barnes
& Noble, Amazon Kindle, Sony, Kobo, Google, Apple iBookstore, All Romance
eBooks, and others).