On closer inspection, the walls, floor, and ceiling were made of sparkling geodes and crystals that were smooth like glass. They glistened, sparkled, reflected, and shone everywhere I looked.
“Smooth as glass, as brilliant as diamonds—Merlin’s crystal cave.” Cam’s eyes were wide. He muttered something about his friend’s genius.
“The hills outside the courtyard in the first room—the Hollow Hills of Arthurian legend?”
Cam grabbed me and kissed me again. “Have to be.” He looked around with me in his arms. “How do we get out of here?”
“And do we want to?” I couldn’t believe I’d just said that.
Suddenly, an animated falcon on a perch near us screeched. We broke apart and laughed guiltily.
“All right, big guy,” Cam said to it. “We get the picture—solve the damn puzzle and get out of my lair. Where do we start?”
15
Toria
I couldn’t get over the beauty of the room, the fun of playing the game with Cam, and the way we worked together so perfectly. We communicated better than I had with any other man, including Adam. It was as if we anticipated the other’s move.
Together, we were magical. Together, we were an unbeatable team. But this escape room was not for beginners. Even methodically and rationally working our way through had taken precious time.
The final room was the most challenging of all. The falcon screamed at irregular intervals, keeping us off balance and disrupting our thought process. At first we thought the screeches were hints, or warnings. Eventually we gave up on that line of thinking.
Cam found a falconer’s glove and tried to coax the falcon onto it, with the hope of muzzling it and finding a clue. When that didn’t work, he tried calling to it, even singing to it, dancing as he sang.
I laughed at him. “What are you doing?”
“Music soothes the savage beast.”
“And bird of prey?” I added, coming up behind him. I whispered in his ear, “You sing beautifully. If I were a falcon, I’d come to you. I’d even land on you.”
“Keep that in mind for later. I’ll hold you to it.” Cam looked askance at the falcon. “Tell that to him. He doesn’t seem to appreciate my vocal talent.”
“It’s an alpha bird thing,” I teased. “He doesn’t appreciate another male doing a mating dance.”
“Is that what I was doing?”
I shrugged. “With that pelvic action? Are you kidding me?”
He laughed. “All right. Caught. I was trying to impress you. Did I succeed?”
“You can peacock for me anytime.” I kissed his neck, ran my tongue along it, and nibbled his shoulder.
“Damn. I like that. Keep that up and we’ll never get out of here.”
“Tempting as that is…” I released him, took a step away, put my hands on my hips, and slowly spun around, taking everything in. A table with a mortar and pestle and a large kettle sat in the middle of the room.
I walked over to it. A recipe sat next to it. “I think we have to brew a potion.”
Cam came up behind me. I felt his heat and wanted to curl into him. Not that the room was cold. Just that Cam was so tempting, everything about him.
“There’s only one ingredient. We must have to find it first and it will lead us to the others.” He began reading aloud: “‘Lower your blood sugar. Up your passion. Get on the stick, once or twice.’”
I looked over my shoulder at him.
“What do you think?”
“It sounds like cinnamon to me. A cinnamon stick or two? That’s the innocent version.” I flashed him a flirty smile. This was apparently a grownup game. “But where do we find it?”
“We’ll have to search the room. I’ll start there.” He pointed to the falcon’s cage.
“You’re welcome to it.”
In the mirrorlike dome, I could see the entire room. I couldn’t keep my eyes off Cam. I couldn’t stop watching the strong, sinuous way he moved. The intent look on his face. Or the way he watched me when he thought I wasn’t looking.
I found the cinnamon sticks in a secret cupboard. We put two in the pot for good measure. The cinnamon came with a clue—Princess Xanat is no vanilla princess.
I shook my head. “Obvious. We need vanilla.”
We found it stuffed in the center of an egg-shaped geode with the next clue. I read it aloud: “‘A cup of liquid as clear as the cave walls. Don’t overindulge. One chalice will do.’”
We added a golden chalice of water. The weight of water in the kettle caused it to smoke magically from beneath. A flame lit.
“Our pot’s starting to cook. We’re making progress,” I said.
The steam from the cauldron revealed where to find the next clue.
A shrub in the olive family, a princess, a type of rice, a woman’s name, or a type of tea. Its distinct odor evokes a sense of euphoria in all who smell it.
We looked at each other and said in unison, “Jasmine.”
“But where is it?” I looked around.
He pointed to a shelf full of bottles, herbs, and potions. It should have been easy to find the jasmine, but none of the bottles were labeled.
Cam looked at me. “Do you know what jasmine looks like?”
I shook my head. “I’ve never bothered to sort the jasmine out.”
“Would you recognize it if you smelled it?”
“I think so. I like jasmine tea.”
“Okay, then,” he said. “We have no alternative but to start smelling.”
Diabolical.
“And hope we don’t become too euphoric,” I said.
“Or maybe we hope we do.” He caught me in his arms.
I kissed him quickly, afraid that more would get me in too deep. My hormones were already raging. The chemistry between us was off the charts. “Let’s find that jasmine.”
We went to the shelves. They were full of dried herbs.
“Let’s start with the dried herbs that look like tea or dried petals,” I said.
We sniffed a dozen jars.
“We’d better find it soon,” he said. “I’m losing my ability to smell the difference.”
I held a jar to my nose. “This is it! I think.” I held the bottle out to him. “Smell it and see if I’m right.”
He inhaled deeply and thought for a moment before nodding. “Yeah. I think you’re right.”
I jumped up and down and hugged him. “We did it!”
“Wow. Careful before you overdose on that, partner. That stuff acts fast.”
I kissed him and put a couple of teaspoons in our potion. “Is that it? What do we do now?”
“There’s something on the bottom of the jar.”
I stoppered the bottle and turned it over. There was a label on the bottom with tiny writing. We scoured the room for a magnifying glass so we could read it. I handed it to Cam to read.
“‘Roses are red, petal-strewn beds. A tablespoon is good. More than a handful, you’re screwed.’” He looked at me. “Bad poetry. I’ll rib my friend. Rose petals?”
“Only a handful.”
We looked through the jars. No rose petals. We had to solve another puzzle. When we did, the falcon flew off his perch and dropped a packet of rose petals on the counter by the kettle.
“Impressive. Two thumbs up for the mechanical falcon. We knew it had a clue,” Cam said. “I’ll make a note of how impressive it was for my friend. The falcon’s aim is perfect.” He opened the packet of petals. “Your handful or mine?”
“How potent do you want this? It’s obviously a love potion,” I said. “That’s clear from the ingredients.”
He dumped the entire contents into his hand. A small note fell out with them. He poured the petals into the pot and read the note. “‘Simmer three to five minutes and sip like tea.’ Seems straightforward enough.’
I looked into the kettle. “It’s pretty.”
We brewed our tea and sipped our potion together, eyeing each other over our golden chalices fille
d with love potion. Was he thinking the same thing I was? I didn’t need a potion to fall in love with him. But there was something seductive about drinking one with him, all the same. There was magic in the room, and it wasn’t the drink.
My pulse raced. My heart soared. I was incredibly happy and terribly nervous. Where did we go from here? We were both aware of what this date signified and where this was leading. The love potion couldn’t have been accidental. He’d planned this. I had no doubt that making a potion in this room was part of the solution. But was it usually a love potion? Was this a test for a new romantic date experience? Or Cam’s own addition?
“It’s not bad,” he said, still watching me.
“It’s perfect.” I inhaled and took another sip. It really was lovely—aromatic, tasty, and beautiful to look at with the rose petals floating in it. “But I’m not sure how this is going to get us out of here. We’re running out of time.”
“Love transcends time, Toria.” He spoke in a tone that was low and deep. His expression was filled with desire. He watched me closely for a reaction.
I picked up the cauldron to refill his chalice. “Finish the potion, my lord. I insist.”
He watched as I poured the last of the brew into his cup and set the cauldron down. He grasped my wrist and looked deep into my eyes. “You’re an absolute enchantress. You’ve stolen my heart, Toria. Without any potion at all. But if it will make you happy…” He drained his cup, released my wrist, set his chalice down, and took my chin in his hand. “I love you.”
His declaration caught me off guard. Time stood still.
My breath caught. It took me an instant to find my voice. “I love you too.” I threw myself into his arms and kissed him.
He pulled me close and leaned against the table where I’d set the cauldron. I ran my fingers through his hair and held him against me. The kiss was fierce and passionate, hot in a way that had been restrained before, when things had been more tentative between us. Now that our feelings were out in the open, our passion exploded.
When we kissed, time froze. There was nothing but the two of us. Kissing was a dangerous thing to do as the clock ticked.
Cam picked me up, spun, and lifted me onto the table where we’d made our potion. The table moved, knocking the cauldron over. The clanking startled us apart.
“We have to get out of here.” I took his hand.
“Yeah.” His voice was ragged as he reached behind me and grabbed the cauldron to stop it from rolling off the table.
I looked over my shoulder at it. “There’s something written on the bottom.” I read it. “‘You hold the key to my heart.’” I looked at Cam. “Do you still have that heart key?”
He took my hand without answering. “Toria, you’ve held the key to my heart since we first met. You’ve made me believe in love at first sight. I’m in love with you. Crazy about you. I’ve just drunken a love potion with you. I don’t want to date anyone else but you. I’d like to be exclusive.”
My mouth went dry. I nodded. “Yes.”
“Just you and me?” he said as if I might have misunderstood.
I nodded, laughed with joy, and pressed my forehead against his. “Just you and me.”
He pulled the heart-shaped key from his pocket.
I took it and stared at it. “Now if we could only find the door.”
Cam put his arm around me and slowly turned me around. He pointed. “That appeared when you lifted the cauldron and gave me the last drink.” He took my hand and led me to the door. “Let’s get out of here and win this thing. Just one more question first—my place or out to dinner?”
“Why are you always trying to feed me?” I took the key from him and stuck it in the lock. “I made a bad first impression on you on our first date. I should never have shown off like that.” I kissed him quickly and whispered urgently in his ear, “Give me dessert. First. And I’ll be happy.”
16
Toria
Cam lived in a condo downtown. Ask me how we got there, and I could barely tell you. I was so happy that I could swear we floated to the car, down the street, and into his building. He pressed the button for the elevator.
I looped my arm around his waist and looked him in the eye, so stupidly happy that it was ridiculous. “You cheated at the escape room.”
“What makes you think I cheated?” His grin was lopsided and guilty.
“Love potion? A heart-shaped key?” I stuck my hand in his back pocket. “What would you have done if I’d said no?”
“Killed myself.”
“Seriously.”
“Died of a broken heart?”
“Stop it.”
“I’m trying to come up with the right answer. What do you want?”
“The truth.”
We stepped into the elevator. The door closed.
“The key was the key. If you’d broken my heart, someone would have arrived to mop up my tears and cart me away to donate what was left of it to someone who needed it.”
“You’re impossible.”
“But hot.”
“That too.” I leaned my head against him.
“And FYI, I didn’t cheat. Until the very end. I knew how to get the key once the caldron overturned. That was my signal. All the rest of the game was the game.”
“Even the love potion?”
“Okay, you got me. It’s a different type of potion for the general public.”
The doors to the elevator opened onto a hallway.
“This is our stop.” Cam led me out of the elevator to the door to his condo.
My pulse was rapid. My heart was full as he let us in.
“Welcome to my humble—”
I cut him off with a kiss.
He closed the door with his foot. “Damn. That love potion is doing its thing,” he mumbled when I let his lips free for a fraction of a second. “Dessert first?” He stripped off his jacket.
“Dessert now.” I set my purse down on a table and peeled off my coat, dropping it on a table next to my purse. I grabbed the hem of his shirt. “This has to go.”
He helped me slide it up over his shoulders and head, shuddering with pleasure as I traced his hard muscles with my fingertips and kissed his erect nipples.
He grabbed me by my hips and pulled me hard against him. We kissed, grinding against each other. I relinquished myself to the full control of that love potion, letting my hands roam over him.
He was long, hard, lean muscle. Fine to stroke and fondle. Best of all, I loved him and he loved me. Falling in love is an elixir all its own. Powerful and potent in a way limited time way. The moment must be grabbed and satisfied, not wasted.
I had no intention of wasting an instant of this high. He backed me toward the bedroom as he kissed me. We bumped into an end table as he stripped off my blouse. I kicked off my shoes as we turned a corner into a bedroom.
The room was dimly lit with flickering electric candles. The bed was turned down and lightly strewn with rose petals. I was too focused on him to notice, or care about, any other details.
I kissed him as we shed the last of our clothes. I was still kissing him as he scooped me into his arms and laid me on my back on his soft, clean bed. The sheets were fresh and pressed and lightly perfumed with the scent of linen and lavender. I sank into them as he perched above me.
He scooped up some petals and dropped them on me, watching them fall between my breasts and over my stomach. “You’re more beautiful than I ever imagined I deserve.”
“It’s the love potion. You made it too strong. It’s blinding you to my faults.”
“It’s highlighting your attributes.”
I moved his hand to my breast and closed my eyes to savor the pleasure of his touch. “How much science was in that love potion?”
He ran his thumb over my erect nipples. “What makes you think there was science?”
“I know you. I’ve known you forever.” I moved his thumb over my heart. “In here.”
He moved his ha
nd between my legs and lowered his head to my breast to suck my nipple. His breath was hot on my skin, but I barely noticed the heat. I was already on fire for him. I let him warm me up anyway, sighing softly, trying to prolong the pleasure.
I reached for his dick and stroked him hard.
He gasped and caught my hand. “I’m too far gone for that.”
“We’re both ready. What are we waiting for?” I released my grip and arched up to meet him, knowing that once we began it would be over all too soon, but needing the release. And wanting this next step of intimacy with him more badly than I’d ever wanted anything.
He teased me with the tip of his dick. I grabbed his face between my hands and kissed him as I wrapped my legs around his waist.
He was tense and coiled, ready to spring. He thrust in hard and urgent, but slowly, into my wetness. Locked in a kiss, I moaned softly as he thrust, dragging himself in and out of me. From the very first thrust, I was changed. We were changed. We belonged to each other now.
His back was taut and tense as I held him tight inside and out. I squeezed him and moved with him, flying higher with each thrust, feeling the pleasure mount and mount until I thought I would explode with it.
I dug my heels into him and lost all restraint. I was coming, with or without him. I broke the kiss and gasped with the pleasure of being with him. Of knowing he was mine. Of having found my soul mate.
“Toria.” He groaned. “I love you.” I held him as he shuddered. He pressed his forehead against mine. “Wow.”
“Wow is an understatement.” I unwrapped my legs from around him.
He pulled out and held his weight off me, but held me close. “That was…”
“Magical?”
“Perfect.” He brushed my hair back. “Think we overdid it with the love potion?”
I stroked his hair. “Never! Do you?”
He grinned. “I think the real magic is you and me together.”
*
Cam
Toria spent the night. We slept curled in each other’s arms, making love when the mood struck. Suffice it to say, there wasn’t a whole lot of sleeping going on. Maybe we had overdone it with that potion. I wasn’t taking any chances. I planned to keep that recipe on hand for the future, just in case.
Mr. Accidental Rival_Jet City Matchmaker Series_Cam Page 14
