Lucky Between the Sheets: An Anthology of Stories that Get to the Point

by L. A. Boruff

  My hips bucked, and his hands curled around my thighs to keep me in place. “Stay still,” he told me before he fell against me. The flat of his tongue made me rock my hips against him, but the pointed tip sent sharp jolts of sensation twisting deep in my belly and had me trying to twist away.

  My hands balled into fists as he drove me impossibly higher, changing his rhythm just enough to stave off any approaching orgasm. It didn’t feel as hopeless as it felt in the garden. “Domhnall,” I breathed, a soft invitation.

  He straightened behind me. With one hand on my hip to steady me, the head of his cock nudged against my cunt. He thrust into me with one long, smooth glide until my ass rested against his pelvis. “Up, Eva.”

  I pushed up onto my hands. That wasn’t far enough, if the hand hooking around my waist and pulling me up on my knees was any indication. The angle instantly changed – not quite as tight, but his next thrust lit me up in all the right ways.

  His name tumbled from my lips as I grabbed his wrist. It was only another few thrusts before I was spinning off into ecstasy, coming so hard my vision whited out.

  Domhnall fucked me steadily through it, not even slowing as I clenched around him. It felt like eternity, the life swirling through him into me as our bodies came together. And when he finally lost his pace, his thrusts staying deeper, I felt it intensify in him and in the very room around us, the magic so thick I could almost touch it.

  His teeth sank deep into my shoulder, not quite hard enough to draw blood. In that moment he gave me a little piece of himself, like part of his essence settled around mine. It was breathtaking; I’d never felt anything like it.

  When he eased away, I slumped back on my heels and opened my eyes. A large cauldron heaped high with shiny gold coins sat in front of me, close enough to touch. I gave an incredulous laugh. “That’s it?” The restless feeling was gone. I let my fingers trail down along the black metal, and it was like a part of me that I’d never known was missing was suddenly back. I felt whole, as weird as that was.

  “That’s it.” He offered me his hand, and I took it and let him pull me to my feet. I wasn’t exactly steady, but he pressed my shillelagh into my grip, and I used it to steady myself.

  Just as I was thinking I wouldn’t be able to carry the gold out of there, I had an inexplicable urge to touch the knobby end of my shillelagh to the cauldron. I tapped it in some random pattern, and it shrunk down to the size of a ping pong ball. A delighted laugh bubbled out of my throat, and when I looked up at Domhnall, he was smiling. “That’s incredible.”

  “The magic of the fae.”

  “Yeah.” I quickly pulled all my clothes back on before picking the cauldron up and holding it in my palm. The coins shifted as I moved it, but didn’t spill over. Probably more magic. I tore my eyes away from it to where Domhnall was finishing fastening his pants. “What happens now?”

  “Now I take you back to Court. You talk to the Queen, and I return you to your home. I would expect your people to visit in the near future.” His voice was neutral, but I saw a flicker of something else in his eyes. Hope, maybe? Sorrow? Something.

  “Yeah?” I pressed my lips together as I deliberated. “What about you? Would you visit?”

  His expression was carefully neutral. “Beware inviting the fair folk into your home.”

  “But I am the fair folk. Aren’t I? I mean, isn’t that what this means?” I lifted the cauldron. “I’m fairy enough?”

  “It does at that.” He stepped into me, his arm sliding around my waist. “I’ll come to you one night when the moon is dark.”

  “Yeah?” I smiled for just an instant before the world whipped around me in an overwhelming sense of vertigo.

  8

  When my head cleared, we were back in the vast chamber in front of the throne. The silence that greeted us was deep and heavy, and I felt every pair of eyes on me. It was enough to raise the hair at the back of my neck. I no longer felt quite so out of place, quite so lost.

  I hadn’t taken a head count, but it looked like everyone was still there. Tom and Cillian were, at least. That was something. Tom looked pleased, and Cillian looked downright smug. The Queen, not so much.

  She drummed her fingernails against the arm of her throne as she stared down at me. “There you are.” She sounded almost disgusted.

  “Here I am. I passed the trials, got the gold.” My fingers were closed around the tiny cauldron, pressing it to my stomach.

  “Did you.” It was a challenge more than a question.

  “I’m here. I have this.” I held up my hand and opened my fingers, and a wave of murmurs spread through the room. The Queen cast a sharp glare around, making the noise die away to nothing.

  “I can see that. Tell me…” She sat forward, somehow looming into my space despite being a good seven or eight feet away. “How did you get past the Keeper when the bodies of so many have fertilized the gardens?”

  I shuddered at that, I couldn’t help it. But I didn’t look away. “I like edging as much as the next girl.” I swear both Domhnall and Cillian leaned forward with sudden interest. Despite being so very, very done, I still felt a little twinge of heat deep in my belly. “But it has to be going somewhere. And if it’s not, well, sometimes you just need to call it quits and go find your favorite vibrator.”

  “Or one of my hounds.” That was almost an accusation.

  “Sure. It was either that or this, and I don’t know where this has been.” I tipped the head of the shillelagh toward her.

  Amusement wafted through the room, quickly silenced with another glare.

  “There’s magic in sex, I felt it.” I already missed the swirling, infinite room and the warm feeling of life within. It made me a little sad to think I’d probably never see it again.

  “And is that how you’ll protect that?” The Queen pointed to the tiny cauldron. “By spreading your legs?”

  “I don’t know, maybe. It protected me against a giant.” That was more my mouth than my pussy, but I wasn’t going to argue semantics with her.

  “The redcap and the hound have a place here at Court.” It sounded defensive, possessive, like a child yelling mine.

  “I don’t.” Cillian stepped forward. He wasn’t between us, but the gesture was fairly clear.

  The Queen thought so too. She drew herself up to her full height. “Do you threaten me in my Court, Trickster?”

  “As Eva isn’t part of your Court, doesn’t that make her one of mine? Are you threatening one of my people in your Court?” he returned, the lightness in his tone underlaid with a dangerous edge.

  “I thought you didn’t have a Court,” she shot back.

  “And I thought all the trooping fairies were part of my domain, Court or no.”

  They stared at each other for a handful of moments, and to my surprise, the Queen looked away first. Her eyes flicked to me, impatient. “She’s not even a proper fairy; she’s more human than anything.”

  “Fairy enough to claim this.” I held up the cauldron so she could see it.

  “So you say…” Her eyes narrowed. “I’m not so sure. No, I think you should remain our guest here until we can make sure of that.”

  Bodies churned around me. Blades flashed in the light that seemed to come from nowhere, and it felt like the walls were closing in as people pressed against me.

  “Go home,” Domhnall told me, his voice in my ear cutting through the din. “Stay close to the Trickster. I’ll see you soon.”

  Before I could answer, the world shifted. I closed my eyes against the nothingness as the floor dropped out from under me and everything fell away, and when I opened them again, I was in my living room. And I certainly wasn’t alone.

  Tom was there, and Cillian. The man who’d handed me the shillelagh was as well, along with a woman who looked like she was directly related to him. Domhnall was not, though, and his absence stuck out to me like a hangnail.

  I scrambled back a couple steps, only to be stopped when my legs bumped th
e edge of my couch. I sat down heavily. “Where’s Domhnall?”

  “He’s one of the Queen’s hounds,” Cillian answered casually. “She keeps them on a short leash. I’m sure you’ll see him again.”

  “Is he in danger?” My eyes widened as my mind worked through what I’d just seen. “Am I?”

  “Not any more than you were,” the man who had to be a leprechaun said cheerfully. “I wouldn’t go to Court for a time, but she’ll find something else to be crabby about soon enough.”

  The idea of someone finding the Queen crabby made me giggle. “Seriously?” But my humor soon ebbed away. “She’s not going to send someone here to try and get this back?” I held up the cauldron.

  “She can’t,” the other woman replied just as brightly. “There are rules. Even the Queen can’t just kill a fairy to steal the artifact that’s chosen them.”

  That made me feel better, but only a little.

  “I’ll stay with you tonight, love, if it helps.” Cillian winked at me.

  From his spot by the wall, Tom nodded. Apparently it was going to be a party. My bed was not big enough for all of that. Maybe the resizing magic worked on beds? I shook my head. “I’m Eva,” I said to the other leprechauns. They probably already knew, but maybe then they’d introduce themselves.

  “I’m Lyan. This is my girl, Doris. We’re your cousins.” Lyan pulled off his hat and swept me a jaunty bow.

  “Cousins,” I marveled. I’d always wanted cousins. “Does that mean you can teach me what being a leprechaun means?”

  “Of course!” Lyan sounded almost offended.

  “But not tonight,” Doris added with a look of censure for him. I didn’t know if being his girl made her his daughter or his partner, but that was something to puzzle out later. “You’ve had a long day, Eva. It’ll be dawn soon.”

  Dawn. Day. Work. Shit. I probably only had a few hours before my alarm went off, and I hadn’t even slept yet.

  How tired I was hit me like a ton of bricks. Not only with how late it had to be and what I’d gone through, but adrenaline takes its toll on the body as well. “Yeah. Yeah, that sounds awesome.” I looked between them. “It was nice to meet you?”

  Lyan pulled his hat off again. “We’ll see you soon, Eva.” They both vanished, leaving the room a lot less crowded.

  I set my walking stick on the floor before slumping against the back of the couch. “I could sleep for a week,” I groaned, closing my eyes.

  “I can arrange that,” Cillian said. I wasn’t sure if he was joking or not.

  “What’s a trooping fairy?” I had to ask.

  The couch dipped as they sat on either side of me. “A fairy who doesn’t belong to the Queen’s Court,” Cillian answered. “You for now, love.”

  Tom wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me against him, and Cillian stroked my leg. It was nice to sit between them, to just not do anything and enjoy their company. “Well,” I said after a moment. “I guess this explains why I'm so short.”

  “Not at all. Your dad was quite tall.” Cillian paused and smiled at me. “In his big form, at least. It must be from your human side.”

  I sighed. That figured. It had been a long day. But I had my gold, I was at home in my own apartment, and I didn’t have to be alone. I had a feeling there was more to come, but for now, that was good enough.

  About the Author

  Joelle Greene grew up in a small town on the west coast of Canada. She now lives in the American South with her family, two cats, and a large cup of coffee. Tired of love triangles, she asked why can't everyone be happy, and now writes about women trying to make their way in the world and the gorgeous men that surround them.

  If you enjoyed Leprechaun's Legacy, check out Joelle Greene's other works:

  The Lady of Death Series

  Taken for Granted

  Glamoured

  You can keep up with Joelle's latest releases on Facebook

  Lucky Dogs

  HK Khan

  Lucky Santos doesn’t believe in luck. Her mom’s certifiable, her dad disappeared before the strip turned blue, and her boss is a slime ball that makes balls of slime actually look good. When she finds out her job is becoming obsolete, in desperation, she takes a position on the team set to cut out the redundancies in her company. Little did she know that her team-members were going to be four sexy men that spark her previously non-existent libido into overdrive.

  1

  Lucky.

  God, how I hated that name. As a kid, I didn't know any better. "Lucky, you're gonna help momma find her keys." or "Lucky, you're gonna help momma have all green lights." But as I got older, I began to realize exactly what it was that momma saddled me with. "You gonna help momma win this month's rent, Lucky?" "You gonna pick the winning lotto numbers, Lucky?"

  And then I hit high school. I knew those damn jocks didn't have an original bone in their bodies, sure, but that didn't mean their jibes hurt any less. I was never quite sure if they were serious when someone asked me out. "Am I going to get Lucky?" I mean, seriously? Is it any wonder I'm a twenty-six year old virgin? Honestly, I wondered for a minute there if I might be gay, but breasts don't do it for me.

  Sigh.

  No, sadly, I'm attracted to exactly the kind of guy who thinks my name is an invitation. I spent most of my teenage years hiding behind my long, dark brown hair, trying not to be noticed, and ditching school on St. Patrick's day. If only I could ditch work too.

  "Lucky!" My boss bellowed my name out loud enough that I was surprised the windows weren't rattling in their panes. "My office! Now!"

  Shit. As if working in this damn cubicle farm wasn't soul sucking already, I had to have the world's most narcissistic boss too. Seriously. The slime ball thought he was God's gift to women, and knew enough about sexual harassment suits to just skirt the lines of impropriety. I grabbed my sweater before leaving my cubicle, more than a little aware of the fact that he kept his office at arctic temperatures just to catch a little nipplage.

  Yeah, he's that guy.

  Fastening the last button, I lowered myself into the chair opposite his and tried to keep my face bland. No good ever came from letting your boss know exactly what you thought of them.

  "Lucky, doll, I have a special assignment for you." He came around from the back of his desk and perched on the front corner, so that our legs were touching. Like I said...slime ball. "As you know, we're merging with Alphaline Pharmaceuticals, and unfortunately, that leaves us with a pile of redundancies needing to be sorted." He leaned forward, placing a hand on my shoulder in what I'm sure he thought was a friendly manner. "I value you and your department, but unfortunately, it's one of the ones on the chopping block."

  My stomach clenched. Was my job in jeopardy? Until this very moment, I hadn't even considered it. Shit! I still had twenty thousand dollars in student loans to pay off. I sat completely still, hoping the next words out of my boss' mouth were that I still had a job.

  He brushed a lock of my hair away from my face, and I fought the instinct to cringe. "Quantum and Alphaline are forming a small investigatory team to weed through personnel and figure out who from each company is the best fit for our new face moving forward. I was only able to get one spot to fill, and I'm choosing you." He smirked, and I held in the shudder that threatened to break free. There was plenty of innuendo there. "This way, even if your department goes, you'll have some position with the company. Isn't that lucky?"

  I nodded, trying to pull off nonchalant. Once again, I hated my mother for giving me such a godawful name. It's only brought me BAD luck. Leaving his office with a folder containing my new assignment and a bad taste in my mouth, I grabbed my bag and clocked out early for the day. If I was reporting to this new team in the morning, there was no use in me starting a new evaluation today.

  Could anyone be any more unlucky?

  * * *

  My next day started with a phone call from my mother at three in fucking morning. I'd lived in Oregon since I gradua
ted high school, going to Oregon state for college, and then just staying. You'd think she'd have gotten the hang of the time zone differences between Pennsylvania and Portland at some point in the last nine years...but nope. That's not my momma.

  Sometimes I felt bad for leaving her all alone back in Pittsburgh, but then she’d pull another stunt like this morning, asking me to pick her lotto numbers when I'd only just gotten to sleep a few hours prior. I'd tried for years to get her to see that there was no such thing as luck, and if there were, I was the bad kind, but it was like talking to a brick wall.

  Downing my third cup of coffee, black with a dash of cinnamon, I walked into the eighteenth floor office assigned to my new team. I'd never been up here before. I joined Quantum Pharma my senior year in college, overjoyed with the fact that I'd gotten the lab assistant job before I'd even graduated, but in the six years since, the excitement had definitely dimmed to a rusty sheen. Sure, I'd technically been promoted, but instead of getting to do the research I was hoping to do with my biochemistry degree, I was shunted to the fourth floor, where I was stuck at a desk in a room full of desks, analyzing data from the experiments down in the labs, writing proposals for medical trials and reports for the less scientifically minded CEO's. I'd been relegated to the science translator.

  Entering the office, I found it to be much larger than I was anticipating. There were stacks of boxes along the right hand wall, and just past the entry, a hallway led to an area set up more like a lounge than anything else.

  "Hello?"

  The place was silent, save for my quiet breathing, and after a quick look around, which determined there were five empty offices, a kitchen, and one unisex bathroom, I sank back into the plush velvet couch and waited for my colleagues to arrive.