Authors: Starla Silver
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Retelling the death reading of his mother had exhausted Michael Howard. It left him feeling empty, and yet overwhelmed. He pulled his jeep into Emily Morgan’s driveway. He’d done this a thousand times before, but tonight as he turned off the engine, his heart fluttered up to this throat, his nerves in overdrive.
It was getting late, but Emily sat on a bench on her front porch, a light hanging overhead, an open book in hand. She looked up, hearing his jeep pull in. The book plopped onto the bench and she skipped down to meet him.
“Hi, Michael. Dad just went to bed. You want to walk on the beach a bit?”
He didn’t speak his response. Instead, he grabbed her hand, pulled her in, and claimed her lips. For the first time.
Shock washed through her body and she tensed, but with every press of his lips, she relaxed, responding to his declaration. Her arms wrapped around his neck. His enclosed around her hips, nudging her closer.
When he released her a minute later, shock and disbelief swam in her eyes.
He had to catch his breath.
“My God, Em. I should have done that years ago.”
She only nodded slightly in bewildered agreement.
She’d hoped. Always hoped he’d come around. She’d never been in love with any other man.
“Emily, can you ever forgive me for being such an idiot?” He tugged at her lips again, not quite so gently. “When I thought something happened to you…” he didn’t finish, lost in the sweetness of her lips.
Emily had no words, but a tear formed in her eye, sliding down her cheek.
Michael kissed it away. “I love you Emily Morgan.” The words slipped off his tongue, leaving a trail of relief behind them. He’d finally said it. Finally admitted it. “I fell in love with you the first day we met. I am an
epic
asshole for never saying it until now.”
She sniffled in a throaty chuckle. “You wanted to leave the Isle.”
Still, trying to make everyone else happy.
He wanted her to get mad at him. Tell him what a complete dipshit he’d been. Instead, all that radiated from her was complete understanding and love.
Love for him.
“Emily, I strung you along, just expecting you to always be there, and you were…
are.
I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you.” He picked her up and swung her around, leaning her against the side of his jeep. “I God damn love you so fucking much it kills me.”
Emily gasped a little, her back pressing into the jeep. The reality of what was happening finally kicking into her befuddled brain. “You’re not leaving the Isle…”
“No.”
“Because of what you found out, about your dad?”
“Yes, and no. It’s…” he shook his head in a tight fashion. “Something changed tonight. I don’t know how to explain it. It just suddenly feels right to be here. I don’t want it to feel right,” he admitted. “But it does. This is where I’m supposed to be. Partly because of my dad, partly because of you, partly because of who I am… I guess I’m just giving in. I’m not fighting what I’m supposed to be, or where I’m supposed to be anymore.”
Emily leaned in, for the first time taking what she wanted. His lips belonged to her now, and she wasn’t going to let them get away.
“I love you Michael Howard. I know you can already feel it, but I need to say it.” She tugged at his lips and he returned the favor. She tasted of peaches and cream. He wanted to kiss her cheek. Her chin. Her neck. Her chest. Every inch of her. Every dimple. Every hidden place he’d always wanted to explore.
His tongue charged into her mouth. She opened to him, sliding hers across his, tasting it. Curling around it. Nipping at it.
He wanted to take it slow, but his body betrayed him. He pressed into her, his hands squeezing at her hips. Now that he had a taste of her, he wanted all of her.
Something crashed inside the Morgan house. It sounded like glass breaking.
Michael and Emily broke apart, Emily’s head popping around him to see what had happened.
“Dad?” she called out.
She wiggled out of Michael’s grip and ran into the house. Michael followed, worried that Mr. Morgan had injured himself. He didn’t always get around so good and he’d fallen once before.
Emily and Michael burst through the front door to see her father attempting to sneak away from an open window back to his room, but he’d knocked over an old glass vase which had shattered during his attempt.
Emily planted her hands on her hips. “What were you doing?”
Her father just shrugged, holding back a grin.
“Oh my God! Were you spying on me?”
“It’s sort of my fatherly duty… and… about damn time young man!” he aimed at Michael. “I was starting to think you were never going to come to your senses!”
Michael had no reply. He could only agree with her father.
“I’m going back to bed. I’ll clean up the mess in the morning.” He waved it off, grinning at his daughter.
“Uh, huh,” she replied, amused. “Night, Dad. Love you.”
“Love you too, darlin’.” He shot a look at Michael that warned,
you’d better not hurt my baby girl
. Michael swallowed hard.
It could not have made Mr. Morgan any happier. To see his daughter, a spirit vessel like her mother, with Michael Howard. Especially knowing he was a witch. Someone that could protect his daughter. It was the reason he’d come to the Isle. To protect her.
This wasn’t exactly the manner in which he’d expected, but it did an old man’s heart good to know she was in capable hands, should she ever need help he couldn’t give her. Like today. Without the Howards, he wasn’t sure what might have happened to his daughter.
Emily grabbed Michael’s hand and they stepped back outside. “Let’s go down to the beach. I could use some air.” Her mind was stuffed to the hilt with an abundance of thought. She’d just found out she was a spirit vessel, and Michael had finally told her he loved her. It was an
air needed
kind of night.
“You read my mind. Air sounds
perfect.
” He wanted nothing more than to walk along the beach, the salty mist covering them, his hand entangled with hers, as it always should have been.
Okay, so he wanted a whole lot more than just her hand in his.
Michael pictured rolling around in the sand, his hands exploring every inch of her, his lips devouring her. His name escaping her in gasp of unbridled pleasure… his jeans tightened at the thought of it.
His empathy kept him from acting on it.
Emily was overwhelmed. Madly in love with him, but overwhelmed by the day she’d had. She was vulnerable, and he didn’t want their first time to be during a moment of vulnerability.
He wanted it to be perfect. Memorable. And when she was ready.
He’d been such a dick, stringing her along all these years. He’d let her set the pace from here on out.
For tonight, with the moon shining brightly over them, a walk down the beach just holding Emily’s hand was absolutely everything Michael Howard ever wanted.
Wicked Good Witches
BOOK TWO,
Alpha Knows Best
Starla Silver
CHAPTER ONE
Charlie Howard could not sleep. His brain felt stuck in the
on
position.
Just hours before, he and his family had discovered their father, Jack, was possibly still alive. This, topped with an impending full moon, didn’t leave room in his mind for sleep.
He hopped out of bed, slipped off his boxer shorts and turned on his shower. When the water was cool to the touch, he got in and let it spray away his thoughts. For a few minutes his mind cleared, questions and doubts disappearing down the drain.
But it didn’t last.
Where was his father? Was he a prisoner somewhere? Had he been held captive these last four years? Was he really still alive as his mother believed?
Would they be able to locate and properly bury their mother’s body? They knew where it should be, but accessing it might not be easy.
He found comfort in the fact that his sister, Melinda, showed great signs of improvement, and hoped she would start building a life for herself.
That relief disappeared however when he remembered the approaching full moon. He still didn’t understand why this moon seemed to be affecting him more so than any other. It tugged at his insides as if toying with him. Daring him to transform.
Why? Why after nearly ten years would this moon be so different? He was always tense, and easily prone to overreaction during the full moon, but this time, he could practically feel the wolf inside him, moving just under his skin. Like a secret passenger just waiting for its moment to appear. And
its
moment was this full moon.
He didn’t even want to think about Eva Jordan… a woman he’d met only one time, but aroused his wolf to levels he never knew possible. Dangerous levels… potentially fatal levels.
Charlie huffed and turned off the shower, the cool water no longer offering any solace. He wasn’t going to get any sleep tonight. And the thoughts and questions racing through his mind were not just going to go away.
He dried off, wrapping a towel around his waist, making his way to an open bedroom window. He peered through it, checking the grounds below. From the second story of the Howard Mansion, he could see the entire area behind their home.
Manicured gardens that wrapped around perfectly defined pathways. A six-tree apple orchard that produced the most perfectly crunchy, sweet McIntosh apples; perfect for cider every fall. A small grove of maple trees lined the backside. Charlie himself tapped the trees each spring, enjoying the process of collecting the sap and hauling it to the family sugar shack, boiling it down to a syrupy perfection.
There was greenhouse hidden amongst shrubs and trees of various shapes and sizes, which they used to grow a few of the specialty plants and herbs required to make potions.
And in the center of the yard, surrounded by a maze of moss covered granite, stood a life size gargoyle. It was supposed to ward off evil; however, it didn’t work. More than once, they had been caught unawares by some supernatural creature or another, attacking or approaching them at their home.
A silvery beam of light captured his attention. His gaze followed it upward. “There you are,” he muttered, peering at the moon. It had materialized from behind a cloud.
I’ll be full tomorrow night
, it warned him silently. It vanished again, a dark cloud covering its taunting light.
A new movement grabbed Charlie’s attention. Something buzzing just outside his bedroom window... a firefly sized golden light, hovering in the air. Except unlike fireflies, the light was continuous, rather than blinking on and off every few seconds.
He grinned coolly. “You always have such perfect timing.”
He tossed aside the towel, threw on a tank top, khaki shorts and sandals, suddenly deciding a stroll in the moonlight was exactly what he needed.
He left the house, jogged through his backyard using a pathway that snaked through to the woods at the back, stepping onto a well-beaten path that came out a street close to the beach. He walked down that street about a block and turned right, down a short lane, which ended at a beachfront cottage.
He leapt up the porch stairs pausing by an open window, spying on the woman inside. Her dark skin accentuated the brightness of her white tee shirt even in the dim lighting of her kitchen. He caught site of her white panties, just peeking out at him.
Her curled hair bounced playfully as she took a swig from a tequila bottle while swaying to an intense track of a metal band. Not Charlie’s favorite, but if it came attached to
her
, it was music to his ears. And if it came attached to that full figured ass sneaking out at him while she danced around…
Charlie’s eyes narrowed and an enticing growl flitted through his teeth, which echoed, “
I got your message, Nina…”
The woman named Nina stopped, disappearing into another room. A moment later, the front door opened; she leaned against it, her eyes expectant as she dangled the bottle of tequila seductively.
They exchanged no words.
Charlie stepped through the door closing it behind him. He grabbed the tequila bottle with his left hand and the woman’s waist with his right. After taking a swig from the bottle he set it down with a thud and smashed the woman against the wall. “Welcome back to The Demon Isle.” He whispered the greeting, lips brushing down her neck.
Her reply was a rushed inhale as Charlie’s hand left her waist, reached down the back of her thigh and lifted her, so her face was equal height to his own.
The desire in Nina’s eyes pulled Charlie in like a drug he needed a hit of, his chest heaving with strained breaths.
Nina urged him, her voice a hoarse whisper. “You know you can’t hurt me, Charlie.” She cupped his face in her hands. “Let me take control.” Her hands were warm and soft against the rough skin of his face, the hairs of which darkened thickly as she caressed him.
“I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.” He grazed his bared teeth across Nina’s luminescent skin, threatening to sink his teeth into her shoulder.
“There’s my big bad wolf,” she uttered darkly.
A warm, golden glow started to emanate from a black ring Nina wore on her finger, spreading over her body like a protective shield. It extended out from her own body, ensnaring Charlie.
It spread a feeling of security over every inch of him.
The warmth willing him to surrender to her completely.
Charlie’s strength made it easy to lift her.
Before she could react, he slid her up the wall throwing her legs around his shoulders. Nina let out a startled squeal, reached up and grasped a wooden beam on the ceiling.
His teeth tore at her panties, ripping the cotton with ease. It fell away, revealing the swollen prize underneath. She smelled of wet hot lust.
Charlie’s stubble covered chin nudged her legs open wider. She obeyed, an aroused burn igniting from her toes to her center. He shoved his mouth into her lusty flesh letting out a vibrating growl.
“Oh, Jesus.” She bucked, crying out. He responded with a squeeze and nibble. Her hands fell from the beam shoveling into his hair.
Charlie sucked, kneaded and growled. Nina’s body writhed against the wall.
His hands pressed against her thighs, spreading her. His tongue slapped at her. She screamed his name, her hands fisting so tight she almost yanked hair out of his head.
Her center throbbed heat. Pulsed against his attack. Her body convulsed, a series of breathy moans shooting into the air. Soaked satiated flesh hammered against his lips.
He pulled back, his breaths short and expectant. Her body slid down the wall until her face met his.
“Someone…” she breathed out heavily, “is a very pent up wolf.”
“You have no idea,” he growled.
She reached down, rubbing her hand against his shorts. “Let me down so I can taste you.” She licked her lips, excited at the thought.
“No. Not tonight.”
“So serious.”
“Tonight is about everything I’m going to do to you, Nina.”
“I can’t come up with an argument to that.”
“Good. Because you would lose. Now take off that shirt and anything you have on underneath,” he ordered her, setting her feet onto the floor.
He slithered out of his shorts.
Nina obeyed his order, sliding what was left of her panties down over her hips, and pushed the tee shirt up over her head. Her skin was bare underneath. Charlie caught her arms tangled in the shirt and pinned them over her head against the wall.
His mouth captured her right nipple, his wolf teeth grazing it. Her body shuddered and wriggled arching into his mouth. He let go, cool air hardening it to the point of pain. He found the other and left it in the same peaked state.
He lifted her imprisoned arms higher, elevating Nina off the ground.
Mouths invaded. Tongues dueled and tasted. Lips tugged and nipped.
Legs wrapped around Charlie, pulling his iron shaft against her needy flesh. She ground into him and he groaned, releasing her mouth and liberating her arms. Firm hands gripped her ass, his tip nudging at her entrance. She pushed herself into him, taking him in a little further. “Don’t make me wait, Charlie.”
He shoved in fully, lungs faltering.
Maybe he should have let her taste him. He was going to explode way too fast. The first plunge had him nearly there. He pulled to her edge and thrust in again, pumping all his pent up angst into her.
“Give me everything,” Nina coaxed in a gust of hot breath. Her legs tightened around him. He drilled into her, harder. Faster. His hands gripping her ass, the wall behind them punished by the brunt of his thrusts.
Her luscious center tightened with each push, ripping across nerves, his breaths turning into fevered grunts each time he slammed her into the wall.
Teeth planted onto her skin. Sharp wolf fangs wanted to sink into the flesh on her shoulder. Nina’s head pressed into the wall a blissful cry escaping her lips. Though pleasantly painful, his bite did not penetrate her skin.
A thrilling vibration rocketed through her center, her wet release coating his thrusts with a frenzied need. Charlie plunged in one more time and blew apart. His body pumped a few more times until the pressure released.
Het let go of Nina’s shoulder, a spent exhale escaping his mouth, exhales thick and heavy in the effort.
His forehead came to a rest against hers.
Neither said anything.
He backed them away from the wall, landing his butt on a sofa lining the opposite wall. Nina straddled him, her chest heaving in ragged satiation.
His coarse whiskers teased her stiff peaks.
“I’ll say it again, Charlie Howard. You are one pent up wolf.”
“But tonight I’m your pent up wolf,” he returned wickedly. Something nudged at her entrance, hardening for a second round.
“Fuck me,” Nina gasped, wriggling her wet heat against him.
“That’s the plan,” growled Charlie sinfully.
He definitely wouldn’t be getting any sleep tonight.