Magic, New Mexico: A Touch of Curiosity (Kindle Worlds Novella)

by ML Guida

  Cé propped his elbows on his knees and rested his forehead against his closed fists. If Pandora had given him the slightest indication that she wanted him to stay, he might have reconsidered. She hadn’t even looked distressed that he could return to his own time. They’d defeated the Mistonian, and now, she didn’t need him anymore.

  What a fool he’d been to think a gentry lady would want him. He didn’t belong here and needed to go back to his own kind.

  Topper had said that when the sun completely set, the residents of this place would gather and open a portal to send him back to the seventeenth century. He’d hoped Pandora wouldn’t be one of them, watching him leave with indifference in her eyes.

  He inhaled the intoxicating scent of coconuts and froze. The only person he wanted to hear from broke through his thoughts.

  “Cé?”

  He set his jaw in a tight and raised his head. “What do ye want, Pandora?”

  “I’m sorry. I should have told you. I wasn’t thinking. I just needed your help so desperately.”

  Once again, not what he wanted to hear. He wished the grass would split apart and the time spider would yank him back home so he didn’t have to listen to her reject him. “Ye said what ye had to say.” He kept his voice wooden like he used to when Palmer or Zuto would lash out at him. Apathy had kept people from hurting him.

  People, including Topper, gathered in the middle of the park and formed a circle around the gazebo. Pandora wet her lips, and a wild desperate look flashed in her eyes. Topper motioned for him to come toward her. He brushed past Pandora and hardened his heart. He was going back and needed to forget what could never happen.

  Pandora clasped his arm. “Cé, please don’t go.”

  He didn’t even look her. “Why?”

  “Because I want you to stay. You’ve had a hard—”

  “I dona need your sympathy—wench.”

  She slowly dropped her hand. “I didn’t mean that.”

  He was done waiting and started to head toward Topper, who had a simpering smile on her face that made him curl back his lip.

  Pandora darted in front of him stood on her tip-toes and kissed him. Not quickly, but a kiss that soothed his anger. She parted his mouth with her tongue, sending blood tingling through his veins even as her hands moved lower and slipped under his shirt to spread her fingers across his naked flesh. Anger forgotten, he indulged and returned her passion with a fervor of his own. He wrapped his arms around her small frame, crushing her to his body. His flesh hardened, and he wanted her. His lips, his tongue ravaged her with an urgency, wanting to suckle every inch of her silky skin.

  The lust overwhelmed his good sense, and he lifted her into his arms and headed back to the gazebo. He laid her down on the bench and stretched on top of her. She raked her hands in his hair.

  “I cann’t bare for you to leave,” she murmured. She pressed her hands against his cheeks, her eyes shining with moisture. “Please, please stay with me.”

  “Ye want me to stay?” He crinkled his brow.

  “With all my heart.”

  He inhaled her sweet breath that melted the last of the hardness in his heart. “Yer wish is my command, my curious lady.”

  She smiled, and he covered her mouth as his hand cupped her breasts. He wanted to taste more than her luscious mouth, and he slipped his hand into her shirt and squeezed her nipple. She released a groan that made him want to unbuckle his belt and take her hard and furious.

  A deep “ahem” brought their fervor to a halt.

  He glanced over his shoulder to see Theo leaning against the post with his eyebrow arched. “I take it, pirate, you’ve changed your mind.”

  Cé heard Pandora suck in her breath, and he flashed her a reassuring grin.

  “Aye, I’ve decided to stay.’

  He motioned with his hand. “Then I have to ask you to take your affection elsewhere.” Instead of anger, his voice echoed with merriment.

  Cé stood laughing and pulled Pandora to her feet. Her cheeks had the same blush of the pinkish clouds overhead, and her disheveled hair left little doubt what was about to happen in the gazebo.

  “Yer right, sheriff. We’ve some unfinished business to take care of.” He winked at Pandora, making her cheeks bloom to a bright red.

  Topper came alongside Theo. “Well, I’m glad that’s settled. It’s about time you two birds realized you were meant for each other.” She waved her hand. “Now, shoo.”

  Cé didn’t waste any time following the witch’s order. He scooped Pandora into his arms and drawing on vampire speed, whisked her out of the circle and took her back to her house. He didn’t stop until they were inside and in her bedroom.

  Breathless, she clung to him. “Don’t know if I’ll ever get use to that. ” She looked at him slyly. “I’ve dreamed of this moment. To feel your hands and mouth on me.” Her voice was heavy with desire.

  He brushed her hair out of her eyes. “I canna tell ye how much I wanted to hear those words.”

  Her face brightened. “You did?”

  “Aye, I did.” His hands trembling, he slowly lifted her shirt off her lovely body. “God, yer beautiful.” He lifted a strap. “What is this that ye wear?”

  “A bra.” She laughed as she unclasped it. Cool air washed over her as she wiggled out of it. The skin across her breasts tightened and her nipples budded at his heated gaze.

  “Lass, yer beautiful.”

  “And you’re my handsome pirate.” She led him to the bed. “Now, it’s my turn to show you how much I want you.” She had a wicked gleam in her eye and unbuckled his belt, then took it off. “Will you let me lead?”

  He nodded wordlessly. His body turned to iron. She slid off his breeches, and he watched her. His breath stuck in his throat as her silky hair caressed his trembling legs. She took his flesh in her mouth and licked, suckled, and kissed him while her soft fingers caressed his full sacks.

  “Dear Christ.” He threw his head back as he arched his hips, allowing her to take more into her mouth.

  She looked up at him. “We’ve only begun, pirate. I can give you a million different ways why I want you to stay.” She slid her lips down his flesh and kissed the tip of it.

  Each time she pleasured him, his breath came harsher than the one before.

  “My turn.”

  With one hand, he lifted her off him, then gently rolled her onto her back. He took her nipple into his mouth and suckled while she withered with passion beneath him. She held his head against her breast and arched her back, allowing him to feast more on her flesh. She threaded her fingers through his hair like a starved temptress.

  He slid one hand down her thigh to her silky curls and traced his finger along the folds of her flesh. She was wet and slick. He inserted a finger into her moist core, feeling her thighs tighten around the intrusion. She arched her hips against his hand. Lord, she was as eager as he.

  Astonished by the overwhelming feeling rushing through him, he took several long breaths, afraid he wouldn’t get enough air.

  “I’ve never been with a lady.” His deep voice hushed int a whisper.

  She trailed a finger down his hot face. “Are you disappointed, my pirate?”

  “No, ye’ve stolen my heart.”

  She moved her finger down his nose and lingered it on his mouth. “And you mine.”

  Something in the timbre of her voice turned his body to iron. Blood pulsed down between his thighs, and he wedged his hips between hers. She was giving him a gift that he never thought possible—herself. There was no demand for coin, no filthy conditions, no bawdy chatter. Truth: he’d never thought he deserved anything better—until he met Pandora.

  She accepted him for who was, had even sacrificed herself to save him. He wanted to please her, wanted to indulge in her every desire, wanted to hear her cry out his name again and again.

  ***

  Pandora slipped her hands down his neck to his broad back marveling at the strength of his muscles. She frowned at the
thick scars that told the story of the pain he must have endured and silently cursed the merciless bastard who had done this to him. She shuddered, thinking of the cruelty in his world.

  He lifted his head. “What’s wrong?”

  She followed a scar on his back, wishing she could heal his wounds. “I keep thinking of the bastard who did this to you.”

  His eyes clouded. “Dona.”

  “Didn’t he have any mercy?”

  “No.” Pain and horror echoed in that word.

  “I promise you won’t ever have to go back there.”

  He leaned his forehead on hers. “’Tis not that easy, Pandora. The demon can send the time spider after me at anytime. Zuto’s very powerful and—”

  She put her finger on his mouth silencing him. “Haven’t you figured out the power here yet?”

  “I know of the power here—”

  “No, you don’t. We will form a portal tomorrow that will keep that pesky time spider banned forever.”

  He lifted his head. “Ye can do that?”

  She laughed. “Of course, we can. This is Magic where anything is possible.” She wiggled her hand down to his balls and smiled at his quick intake of breath when she caressed them. She rubbed herself over his engorged head. “Now, where were we?”

  He gave her a melting smile. “Taking ye to paradise.” Cé made good on his promise. He lifted his hips and drove his flesh inside her, surprising her at the depth he’d gone.

  She clawed at his back. “Harder.”

  He gave her what he wanted and thrust his hips in a frenzy that slammed the headboard against the wall, knocking pictures onto the floor. Pandora’s pleasure was explosive, and she clutched him tight, letting him ride her until he was satisfied. His release was hot, spilling inside her and down the inside of her thighs.

  He collapsed against her. “It’s been so long,” he gasped.

  “We have the rest of our lives to make sure you’re never on furlough again—pirate.”

  “Aye, we do.”

  His voice was husky, and lust filled his eyes.

  Pandora felt him grow hard and waited in anticipation. For the rest of the night, they pleasured each other, finding out each other’s secrets and knowing they were both safe in Magic.

  Dear Reader

  I’m delighted you decided to read A Touch of Curiosity, which is part of SE Smith’s Magic New Mexico. I loved SE Smith’s world and was very excited to be part of this launch.

  This is the second time I have written a time travel story. Just in case you haven’t guessed, I’m a pirate girl. I have written four books about vampire pirates. I also have a contemporary paranormal series about the angels of death.

  I love to hear from readers. I am on all the social media sites, (Facebook, twitter@mlguida2 and Good Reads). I respond to emails at author@mlguida.com, Facebook posts and tweets, so don't hesitate to contact me. If you’d like to contact me, you can reach me on my website http://www.mlguida.com/contact/ or you can follow me my blog http://www.mlguida.com/blog/

  Book loaning and reviews are ways that readers can help authors get the word out about books they love, so don’t hesitate to spread the word about A Touch of Curiosity. I appreciate all reviews, whether positive or negative.

  If you’d like to receive a new email release or sign up for my street team, please sign up at http://www.mlguida.com/

  Sincerely,

  M.L. Guida

  Other Books by M.L. Guida

  If you’ve enjoyed A Touch of Curiosity, I have three other series that you might enjoy. The first one is Legends of the Soaring Phoenix, the second is the Angels of Death series, and the last is Vampires on Holiday.

  The first book of the series is A Pirate's Curse. Like a dark angel, Captain Kane O'Brien rescues Hannah Knight and her father from drowning after vampire pirates murder their crew and sink their ship. Struggling to control and hide her telekinetic powers, Hannah discovers the honorable and bold captain possesses his own secrets.

  Every full moon, Kane turns into a vampire. Finding out Hannah not to be the cabin boy she resembles, but a beautiful, luscious woman, tempts all his appetites. Desperate to be free of his curse, Kane considers handing Hannah over to a demon. But after Hannah uses her power to save his ship from his immortal enemy, Kane can no longer deny his attraction and vows to protect Hannah with his life.

  To find true love, they must combine their powers to defeat evil vampires, thwart Hannah's misogynist fiancé and escape a crafty demon.

  The second book of the series is A Pirate’s Revenge. Cursed by a demon, William O’Brien changes into a dragon with mystical powers he can’t control. In dragon form he becomes a ravenous beast with the power to destroy the crew of the Soaring Phoenix. He’s forced to make a decision: leave the ship or face killing the crew.

  But before he can go, he discovers a new menace hunts him. The God of the Underworld has released a female demon, more deadly and evil than before, with orders to capture William and combine his powers with a male witch in order to destroy the crew of the Soaring Phoenix.

  Mariah Fey, a talented witch, wants only to save her brother from the bowels of the evil pirate ship, the Fiery Damsel. If William will trust her, she can teach him how to harvest his gifts, control his abilities and together their true love can defeat their enemies.

  A Pirate’s Obsession is the fourth book in the Legends of the Soaring Phoenix Series. Losing his hand to a demon means Ronan Macmillian is desperate. He’ll do anything to avoid being a cripple, even sacrifice to the same demon an innocent, beautiful undine.

  Angelica knows Ronan is her mate and is determined to show him he’s a warrior, even if he’s maimed. She must forsake the sea life she’s always known, and stay out of the clutches of a clever demon, to win the pirate she loves.

  But when Ronan meets the beautiful Angelica, restoring his hand and handing over the undine becomes complicated. If he fails to obey, the demon promises he’ll make him a monster and not even the crew of the Soaring Phoenix will be safe.

  Will Ronan betray his honor and his heart and deliver Angelica over to the demon? Or will true love prevail and win Ronan and her life?

  A Pirate’s Bane is the fifth book in the Legends of the Soaring Phoenix Series. Imprisoned. Hated. Desperate. Water Elemental Isabella is a prisoner on board the dreaded Fiery Damsel pirate ship. Her choice is mate with pirate Leif Black or die. A demon wants their unborn child to complete a deadly spell. Leif is her chosen mate, and she must use all of her power to resist him for their sake and their unborn child.

  Leif Black has problems of his own. He has kept his sisters hidden from the crew of the Fiery Damsel and never told them that he is a vampire. Love is the last thing on his mind. But the determined demon is one step head of him and curses him. He’s now possessed by a dragon spirit, and he’s unable to control his powers, especially his lust for Isabella. Her sweet song awakens something inside him that he’d long forgotten.

  Isabella and Leif fight to deny their forbidden love, but destiny won’t be defied. When the lust proves to be too strong, they must work together to protect their child and trust each other to defeat the evil demon.

  Legends of the Soaring Phoenix Box set contains the first three books—A Pirate’s Curse, A Pirate’s Revenge, and A Pirate’s Agony.

  I also have a paranormal Christmas series called Vampires on Holiday. The first book is A Vampire’s Christmas Wish. Master vampire, Janus Morano, has searched for centuries to find his lost soul mate. When he finally discovers his true love on Christmas Eve in Hawaii, she doesn't know him, doesn't remember her previous life, and doesn’t want him. Janus must get her to remember him and their love, but nothing comes easy with Deirdre Hahn.

  Deirdre is drawn to the mysterious dark stranger, but she came to Hawaii with Brandon Delaney, to heal their broken relationship. Brandon has promised to never beat her again, bending over backwards to be Prince Charming. But the promise is broken.

  Deirdre escapes Brandon
’s clutches and her only hope is the mysterious dark stranger. Janus vows to help her but soon she discovers his dark secret. He's a vampire...a vampire searching for her.

  Now Deirdre is caught between two desperate men. Not sure who to trust. In order to save her future she must accept her past and when her Hawaiian vacation falls apart and she’s kidnapped, she must learn to trust Janus or die on Christmas.

  The second book is, A Vampire’s Fallen Christmas Star. It’s the week before Christmas but the last thing Jayden Kye wants to do is celebrate. He blames himself for his twin's brother's death. He hikes up to Rainbow Lake to make peace with him, but Jayden slips down a snowy embankment and impales himself on a tree. He is dying.

  Eleanor Baines has been a vampire for over a hundred years but she’s never been tempted to turn a human before. Now, facing the sexy rock star, she has a choice, let him die or let him live.

  Now, she finds herself with a head-strong rock singer who breaks all the rules.

  Jayden discovers everything he thought he knew is wrong. His best friend and lead guitarist are legendary vampire killers bent on killing him and Eleanor. He must learn to trust Eleanor, a total stranger, to survive. When his manager kidnaps Jayden’s mother and threatens to kill her, Jayden is forced to kill his best friend, or hand over the woman he loves.

  I have another series called Angels of Death, and it a contemporary, paranormal series.

  Betrayal is the first book in the series. Scythe tracks his demon brother to Serenity House, a drug and alcohol treatment center. His brother wants to destroy the director, Heather Bowen, but Scythe is shocked to discover she is his angel-mate and now, he must not only save his brother's soul, but stop him from killing the woman he loves.

  The second in the series is a novella, Deception, What is an Angel of Death supposed to do when a demon holds the key to her whole existence?

  Time is running out for Poison. The Archangel Michael has ordered her to retrieve an evil board and the woman who is it’s victim. It’s a test—and if she fails she will be kicked off the squad and be shooting arrows with Cupid.