Twice a Wish (GODDESS ISLES Book 2)

by Pepper Winters

  But the bars of my cage would be invisible, held fast by just a marriage certificate and my word instead of a vast turquoise sea.

  I should fight for that option. I should fling myself on the helicopter and depart this place with a man who seemed kind.

  But…

  But.

  Roy didn’t make my heart fist and flounder. Roy didn’t make my body tingle. Roy didn’t make common-sense bleed into chaos.

  Roy wasn’t Sully.

  And Sully…doesn’t want me.

  By the thirtieth drawer, I found what I was looking for.

  A tiny box holding multiple glass vials of elixir.

  Tiny and innocent, its contents a trapped magic just waiting to wreak havoc on its victim.

  I’d been its victim three times now. It’d irrevocably changed me into this wanton creature who was constantly wet in the presence of the monster who’d bought her. It’d shoved aside my ethics and scruples, leaving me as wild as the god who ruled this utopia.

  A god who might fight against our connection.

  But a mortal who would break beneath my choice.

  And my choice was…to stay.

  To accept that I’d come to this island by black designs but perhaps…fate had known where to send me. Maybe there was a future here—a future of freedom and truth…if I was brave enough to try.

  Sully’s throat worked as he swallowed and tore his gaze from mine.

  I clutched my vial tighter, hoping my pilfering hadn’t been noticed.

  Now that he’d returned, he’d changed once again.

  His lust was still evident, but he’d wrapped a chain tight around it. An unbreakable barrier that kept him from claiming me. His hair was disorderly, sweat decorated his temples, his eyes blazed a feverish blue.

  What had happened behind that door?

  What agreement had they come to?

  Calvin was my hint, heading toward Sully’s desk, muttering, “I’ll draw up the bill of sale.”

  My stomach fell.

  He sold me.

  Roy gave me a victorious grin, nodding with glee, and Sully stalked to the sideboard where a small silver fridge waited, keeping its contents cool from humidity.

  Ripping open the door, he pulled free a crystal decanter. Amber liquid sloshed inside as he pulled the stopper free, then roughly, sloppily poured three glasses.

  With a haggard inhale, he shot one of the drinks down his throat, wincing. His handsome face twisted in defeat.

  My stomach twisted to match his pain, fighting the need to go to him, to tell him whatever plan he’d made…I was about to unmake it.

  I wasn’t going to let him say goodbye.

  I wasn’t going to let men play monopoly with my life.

  This was my choice.

  If I made the wrong one, then that was on me.

  But I had to try.

  Had to see.

  Have to know.

  Pouring another shot, Sully shoved the decanter back into the fridge, then grabbed two glasses. Turning his back on his drink, he stormed with brittle steps to give one glass to Roy and one to Calvin.

  I didn’t wait or second-guess.

  I’d stolen Sully’s elixir, but I hadn’t planned on how to make him take it. I’d clutched it like a talisman, hoping, somehow, an opportunity would come up.

  This was that opportunity, a fraction of a moment, gone forever if I didn’t snatch it.

  With measured footsteps, I went to Sully’s awaiting drink, hoping no man watched me. With my back to them, I untwisted the cap with shaking fingers.

  My heart pounded so hard I almost dropped the tiny bottle.

  Almost.

  Clamping my teeth into my bottom lip, I quickly tipped elixir into the amber alcohol then wrapped my fingers around the vial.

  “Jinx…what are you—” Sully stormed toward me, suspicion deep in his tone.

  I grabbed his glass, swirled it a little, and held it up for him as he arrived before me. “Bringing you your drink. So you can toast my eviction.” I flicked my gaze to Roy and Calvin, wondering if the wobble in my voice revealed what I’d done.

  But Calvin continued typing up a sale contract, and Roy stared dreamily at me with his drink untouched in his hand.

  Only Sully narrowed his eyes, his nostrils flaring.

  I held his stare, gathering all my courage to be impenetrable.

  I wouldn’t ruin my one chance.

  We stared for the longest heartbeats. I swayed with each pound of my pulse, my stupid heart magnifying in size until it filled me everywhere. I could barely hear around the thunder; the pressure throbbed in my skull.

  And then, Sully took the glass from me.

  Our fingers grazed.

  Our eyes latched tight.

  A matching moan fell from both of us as the electricity that’d constantly threatened to strike tinder found a rogue dust of gunpowder and ignited.

  A blaze of heat. A buffet of hunger.

  A wildfire gust of need.

  Sully’s jaw worked as he brought the alcohol to his lips and…

  …tipped the contents into his mouth.

  My knees threatened to buckle, but I held his stare until he’d swallowed. I waited until there was no turning back from this.

  As his throat moved, pushing the drug into his belly where it would branch off into all directions, dilating his arteries, overworking his heart, sending desire between his legs, I let out my tattered sigh.

  His eyes flared. His tongue ran over his teeth.

  His taste buds recognised the fragrant flavour of his elixir.

  Absolute horror drowned his face. “Oh, fuck…what have you done?”

  With tears clawing up my spine, I opened my palm and showed him the empty vial.

  Was I prepared for this? Would I be alive after this? Would he choose to relieve himself with me or run to another goddess?

  What if this is a terrible, terrible mistake?

  “Shit.” Sully acted as if I’d just sentenced both of us to death. “Shit!”

  And who knew…maybe I had.

  His eyes snapped closed as he wedged a fist against his belly, already feeling the first effects, the first inhibitions, the first howling to fuck.

  With a guttural groan, he turned to look at Calvin.

  “Cal—” His voice had turned into rough, tumbling gravel. “Christ.”

  Calvin looked up from the laptop, his gaze shooting from Sully who twitched as if the elixir had already ensnared him and me standing behind him.

  I shook so badly, I dropped the vial. It plummeted to the tile and smashed into tiny glass shards.

  The smash shot Calvin into motion.

  He knew what I’d done.

  He knew what was about to happen.

  Sully roared with rage, “Get Slater the fuck out of here. Now!”

  Calvin bolted around the desk and snatched Roy Slater from his stupor. Roy’s glass fell to the tile too, another explosion of glass and liquor.

  “Hey! What are you—”

  “We need to go.” Calvin dragged him to the door, not caring that Roy fought. It didn’t even slow him down. Stuffing him through the exit, Calvin turned back to look at Sully. “What do you want me to—”

  “Just go. Keep the goddesses in their villas. Don’t –” Sully groaned, tearing at his blazer as his skin licked with lust. “Don’t let them fucking near me.”

  Cal didn’t dally.

  He swung the door closed and left Sully and me alone.

  Sully paced away from me, dragging his hands through his hair. He tore at the strands as if he could rip out the elixir by the roots.

  I tripped forward, my gemstone gown whispering on the floor.

  I actually felt sorry for him. So intimately aware of the pain of having your self-control stripped away, your body becoming a slave to starving libido.

  Hearing me behind him, he spun on me, grabbing me by the throat. “What the fuck were you thinking?”

  I swallowed hard. “I�
��I didn’t want to leave until—”

  “Until?”

  “Until I knew.”

  “Knew what?”

  “What exists between us.” I forced bravery into my voice. “Before I knew why I can’t stop wanting you.”

  His eyes snapped closed again, his fingers feathering hard around my throat. Marching me backward, he shoved me out onto his deck, struggling to release me and step back. “Go. Leave. Fuck off.” He doubled over as he fought another crippling wave of lust. His cock thickened until it strained against his trousers, searching for a way free.

  Should I help him? Undress him? Undress myself?

  Was I prepared for him to grab me?

  I was wet enough for his quick entry but should I remove my clothes and—

  “Go, Eleanor!” His snarl sent pure fear through my heart.

  “I-I’ll stay and…help.”

  “Help?” He laughed cruelly. “Help? Fuck, you don’t know what you’ve done. You can’t hel—” His groan cut him off. He fisted himself through his trousers, fumbling with his belt.

  The clink of the buckle coming undone sent another wash of wetness through me.

  Seeing him so unhinged, knowing what was to come…it turned me on. It turned me on until I felt as if I’d taken the elixir too. I wanted him. So much. I wanted him inside me. I wanted to know why we felt this way.

  But as his hand wrapped around his cock and pure passion fogged his stare, I also felt fear. A primordial fear that this wouldn’t just be sex. This would be painful and ruthless and quite possibly the last thing I’d ever do.

  “Run,” he hissed, masturbating in front of me. His lips glistened from his tongue. His hips rocked into his palm. “Run…please fucking run.”

  I shook my head, stepping toward him, my hand outstretched to replace him with me. To tell him it was okay to use me. That I’d drugged him to force him to admit he wanted this.

  But he fell to his knees, holding his cock as if he could throttle it into submission. His chest heaved as he looked up at me, his eyes wild and body even wilder. He looked on the verge of breaking, on the precipice of no longer being human.

  Our gazes locked.

  His savagery poured gasoline on my fear and struck a match.

  I shivered with realisation of what I’d done.

  Sully Sinclair no longer had any control.

  And that meant very bad things would happen.

  Very bad things would happen to me.

  “Run, Eleanor.” His voice slipped past feral and straight to barbarian as he growled, “Run. Run. Fucking run!”

  His anger didn’t make me obey…it was his desperation.

  He dropped the shields from his gaze and allowed me to see how truly terrified he was. How much he didn’t want to hurt me. “Please…Jinx.” His voice vanished to a tortured whisper. “Run…”

  “I’m-I’m sorry.”

  He shook his head, curling in on himself, his hand still locked around his cock.

  With a final look at the broken beast before me, I ran.

  Pre-Order THIRD A KISS

  PRE-ORDER HERE

  “There was hate once. Hate born from dangerous attraction and fate’s cruel design.

  There was love once. Love destined to kill us if we didn’t surrender to our war.”

  Eleanor Grace suffers an awful affliction. She’s falling for a man who doesn’t deserve her affection or her forgiveness. But there is no cure, so she does something reckless and stupid—she throws safety to the sea and leaps into danger.

  Sully Sinclair suffers the same affliction. He’s falling for a goddess who will never earn his trust or his heart if he can help it. However, he wasn’t prepared for the lengths she’d go. How far she’d push to forge or stop such a bond.

  An elixir given to a monster.

  A goddess running for her life.

  An ending neither of them can survive.

  PRE-ORDER HERE

  Release Date: 21st April 2020

  WOULD YOU LIKE REGULAR FREE BOOKS?

  Sign up to my Newsletter and receive exclusive content, deleted scenes, and freebies.

  SIGN UP HERE

  UPCOMING BOOKS 2019

  Sign up to my Newsletter to receive an instant ‘It’s Live’ Alert!

  Third a Kiss

  Fourth a Lie

  Fifth a Fury

  Please visit www.pepperwinters.com for latest updates.

  OTHER BOOKS AVAILABLE FROM PEPPER WINTERS

  FREE BOOKS

  Debt Inheritance (Indebted Series #1)

  Tears of Tess (Monsters in the Dark #1)

  Pennies (Dollar Series #1)

  BOOKS IN KINDLE UNLIMITED

  Destroyed (Standalone)

  Dollar Series

  Pennies

  Dollars

  Hundreds

  Thousands

  Millions

  Truth & Lies Duet

  Crown of Lies

  Throne of Truth

  Pure Corruption Duet

  Ruin & Rule

  Sin & Suffer

  Indebted Series

  Debt Inheritance

  First Debt

  Second Debt

  Third Debt

  Fourth Debt

  Final Debt

  Indebted Epilogue

  Monsters in the Dark Trilogy

  Tears of Tess

  Quintessentially Q

  Twisted Together

  Je Suis a Toi

  Standalones

  Destroyed

  Unseen Messages

  Can’t Touch This

  PLAYLIST

  King & Country – Amen

  Ocean Eyes – Billie Eilish

  Everything I wanted – Billie Eilish

  Little Girl – Mia Mormino

  Haunting – Halsey

  Believer – Imagine Dragons

  Symphony – Clean Bandit

  Something just like this – The Chainsmokers and Coldplay

  Half a man – Dean Lewis

  Love and Hate – Michael Kiwanuka

  Whatever it takes – Imagine Dragons

  Natural – Imagine Dragons

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  Short and sweet…

  Thank you to YOU, the reader, for joining me on this new Dark Romance adventure.

  Thank you to the bookstagrammers, bloggers, tweeters, reviewers, audio listeners, word-of-mouthers, and book worms.

  Thank you to my amazing team of beta readers (who I honestly couldn’t do this without).

  Thank you to those who have my back with releases, promo, and exposure.

  Thank you to my audio narrators and their amazing time keeping with synchronised ebook and audio releases.

  Thank you to Kiki and her team at Next Step PR for her incredible help getting me back on track with promo.

  Thank you to my horses for keeping me sane, my bunny for being my writing companion, my hubby for keeping me fed, and friends for getting my ass out of a writing chair and into the saddle.

  I hope you continue to enjoy Sully and Jinx’s tale!

  Pepper

  xx