Kiss & Spell

by Eton, Kris

  Kiss & Spell

  By Kris Eton

  Marissa Glenn is a witch with one amazing power. She can make men fall in love with just a kiss. But Marissa sees her magical gift as a curse. After years of using men merely for sexual fulfillment, she wants a man to call her own. A challenge from a rival witch is just the motivation she needs to fall in love for real this time.

  Months after his fiancee cheated on him, Justin Heller still nurses a broken heart. When bar regular Marissa puts her moves on him, he thinks she's nothing but trouble. He knows her M.O., a different man every night, and he's not interested in being one more conquest.

  Marissa is determined to convince Justin she's more than just a pretty face. But who knew falling in love without any magic would be this hard?

  WARNING: This e-book contains matters of a sexual nature and adult language, which some may find offensive and which is not appropriate for a young audience. This book is for ADULTS ONLY

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  KISS & SPELL

  By Kris Eton

  Kindle 2nd Edition, Copyright 2013

  Copyright 2009 Kris Eton

  Cover Art by: Kellie Dennis at Book Cover By Design

  http://www.bookcoverbydesign.co.uk

  All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced in any form, in whole or in part, without written permission from the author.

  Other Books By Kris Eton:

  Beef Cake

  Going Down

  Ice Black, Arctic Heat: 1

  Ice Red, Arctic Heat: 2

  Ice White, Arctic Heat: 3

  Fire Black, Arctic Heat: 4, Part 1

  Moonlighting

  The Opal Hunter

  Shake Your Money Maker

  Snowdrift

  Vargas Girl

  Coming Soon:

  Fire Black, Arctic Heat: 4, Part 2

  Fire Black, Arctic Heat: 4, Part 3

  Fire Black, Arctic Heat: 4, Part 4

  Chapter One

  Marissa set the handcuff key on the nightstand. She'd let someone else have the pleasure of releasing her conquest from last night. She should’ve left the motel room hours ago.

  In the weak morning light, Joseph was just as fine as when she'd first spied him at the Three Crowns Pub. His body was long and lean with a tribal tattoo encircling one massive bicep. She scanned her memory. Were his eyes blue or brown? She couldn’t remember. He'd passed out long ago after hours of lovemaking.

  Well, maybe that's not what he'd call it.

  Sex then. Hot, nasty sex. Stuff she'd never be able to tell anyone she craved.

  Thank God she didn't have to.

  She tossed a blanket over his sculpted, naked body. A shame to cover up such perfection. In the past she’d never cared about how these men felt, but lately the guilt was getting to her. How many men had she lured into her bed over the years?

  Lured.

  That word made it sound so above board. Marissa knew the truth. The men never came with her willingly. Not really.

  She slipped into her tight black dress and put on her heels. The cheap motel room smelled of stale cigarettes and sex. Her life had been reduced to empty nights of fucking strange men. She couldn’t sink much lower.

  She raked her fingers through her hair and avoided the mirror across from the bed. Her dark eyeliner was likely smeared, her eyes bleary. She hadn't slept well. She'd curled up next to Joseph, but he'd been more of a solid thing against her side than a comforting presence.

  A ball of wadded up paper caught her notice. She picked it up and unfolded it.

  The tattoo.

  Sketched on the paper was a crude drawing of a woman's face—supposedly hers—with the lettering MARISSA across the bottom. Last night, Joseph had declared he'd get a new tattoo. One with her likeness and name.

  That had been a first.

  Usually her men begged her for sex and maybe asked for her phone number.

  She dropped the paper in the wastebasket.

  This one had gone too far. Maybe that’s why she felt less-than-satisfied. Her soul was as empty this morning as it had been when she walked in the door of the pub last night. She was sexually sated. Joseph's dick had made sure of that. But the rest of her felt so . . . lonely.

  Joseph sighed. The metal handcuffs clinked together.

  Time to go.

  The sun shone a brilliant orange as it rose above the Santa Cruz Mountains. Marissa squinted. She'd dallied too long. She dialed the front desk on her cell phone and headed straight for her car.

  "Gulls Motel." The front desk clerk sounded bored.

  "Hi there.” In a few minutes, Joseph would be awake and confused. Regret weighed heavily on her mind. “I need you to do a favor for me."

  "Excuse me?"

  "Room 124. There's a man in cuffs. I've left the key on the nightstand. Could you just unlock him?" By the time the desk clerk made his way to the last room on the first floor, she’d be long gone.

  "Did you say handcuffs?” That bit of information got his attention. “Who is this?"

  Marissa hung up and zoomed out of the parking lot toward home. Tears fell in big droplets into her lap.

  This is not what life was supposed to be. A big, empty string of nameless conquests. One body after another.

  Sure, when she used her magical kiss to put them under her spell, it was intoxicating how men fell all over her. They’d beg to touch her, kiss her, fuck her. Do whatever she wanted. Anything and everything to make her happy. In the middle of it all, while she rode some man's cock for the hundredth time, it had been easy to fool herself into believing all she cared about was the sex. The feel of a man's dick inside her. The hot, hard heat of him and how quickly he could get her off. Did it really matter how he'd gotten there? How she'd managed to make him fall for her?

  She shifted into third gear.

  Yes, it did.

  * * *

  Justin Heller locked up the Three Crowns Pub. The first flicker of sunlight reflected off the plate glass window and into his eyes. That was the last time he'd fill in for Danny, the janitor. Working as a bouncer wasn't very taxing, until some drunk idiot decided to do something stupid. Luckily, the pub was a pretty low-key place. The extra money he made cleaning up the joint whenever Danny didn't show, however, wasn't worth the added time and hassle.

  Stale beer all over the dance floor. Piss everywhere but in the urinals.

  Thank God he only had to walk three blocks to get home. Downtown Santa Cruz wasn't much, but it had character. After the earthquake years ago, they'd rebuilt the city center to look much like it had before. Old fashioned storefronts. Classic mission architecture. He loved the area and was glad he'd found an apartment he could afford.

  A car beeped behind him.

  "Hey, Justin, need a ride?"

  He recognized Marissa—a pub regular—right away.

  She was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. Long, dark brown hair. Shocking gray-green eyes. A wide, sexy mouth.

  She was exactly what he didn't need. What he'd never need.

  "I'm just three blocks up. I think I can manage." He tucked his hands in his pockets and kept walking.

  Marissa's car crept forward. "It's no trouble. Really."

  He paused. This woman was nothing but trouble. He'd seen her several nights a week, picking up men, never leaving with the same one twice. There was something odd about the guys she’d end up with. They never seemed to remember they'd left with her the night before, or that they’d even met the brunette beauty.

  He fa
ced her. "What are you doing up this early, anyway?" Then he got a better look at her. Smudged lipstick. Tousled hair. She had the look of a well-fucked woman. "Oh."

  "Get in. I want some company." She popped open the passenger's side door.

  Justin hesitated. They had a friendly thing going. The usual "hey, how are you doing?" when she walked in the bar. Maybe a few jokes later in the night. She'd even bought him a drink once or twice. She was smart, funny, and oh-so-dangerous.

  "Come on.” She smiled, and her whole face lit up. “I won't bite."

  She must know what a gorgeous smile she had. "Fine, if it’ll make you happy." They’d built a rapport over the last six months. Although wary of her intentions, he had to admit he enjoyed their conversations. What would be the harm in driving with her for a few blocks and taking a load off his aching feet?

  He climbed in. "I'm down here on Walnut." He pointed up the street toward the intersection.

  "Can I buy you some coffee?"

  "I’m kinda beat. It’s been a long night." Sharing a friendly cup of coffee with Marissa did not fit his view of her. Marissa was the kind of woman who slinked in late at night wearing some kind of sexy outfit, much like the tight little number she wore now, that hugged her breasts like a second skin. Strike that. He would not think about Marissa's breasts or any other part of her anatomy. He was not going to be one of those guys who fawned all over her.

  "Coffee first. Then home." Her smile widened. Could it be she'd caught him checking her out? "Looks like you could use some." She pulled over next to Waves & Waffles Café.

  "Fine. Coffee." At least it would get the stink of the bar out of his nose.

  This early, the streets stood empty. Not many people got up at the crack of dawn for coffee on a Sunday morning. Inside the restaurant a few elderly couples occupied the tables. They grabbed a booth and ordered coffee.

  Justin stared at her profile and drank in her beauty. He gave himself a mental shake. He was not interested in getting tangled up with a woman like Marissa. Why did he ever agree to a ride or a cup of coffee? He downed the hot beverage as quickly as he could.

  "Whoa, slow down.” She stilled his hand. “You're going to burn your tongue."

  Her touch burned him. He yanked away and sloshed hot coffee all over the table. "Dammit." He grabbed some napkins. "Look, I should really get going. It was nice of you to offer to drive me home and buy the coffee, but really, I just want to get some sleep. You understand."

  "What did I do wrong?" Her liquid gray-green eyes drew him in. He could see pain there, which surprised him.

  "Nothing." He watched her lips stretch into a tight line and felt a pang of regret. "I'm tired. Not in the mood for socializing."

  "Oh." She grabbed his hands and pulled him toward her. "Can I just tell you something? A secret?" She drew him closer.

  "I guess." Her grip was like iron, but her gaze drew him in. He could get lost in those eyes.

  When their faces were inches apart and he thought that wide, sexy mouth might close in on his, she let him go. "Never mind. You're right. You need to get out of here."

  He sat back in his chair. What just happened here? Coffee was still splashed across the table. "Yes, I do need to go."

  "See you around." Her voice, which moments before had been seductive, had turned cold and sterile—as if she'd shut off a switch inside.

  "Yeah, I'll see you."

  As he walked down the street toward home, he wondered about Marissa and the secret she'd wanted to share. What had made her change her mind? He shivered. Even though the morning sun warmed his shoulders, a cool chill followed him. He had an odd feeling he'd just escaped something. A few moments later, the feeling had vanished.

  Chapter Two

  God, that was close.

  Marissa sat in the café, trembling. She'd never had to rein in her power before. If she wanted a man, she kissed him and that was that. Difficulties over. Problem solved. Her magic kiss wrapped him up in a fog of lust and dutiful obedience.

  Justin was different. When she’d spotted him walking down the street, her low spirits had lifted. She liked him. Really liked him. He was handsome in all the right ways—tall, blue-eyed, sandy brown hair that dropped down over one eye just so and a big, powerful body. Her attraction to him, though, hinged on more than the physical. He could keep up with her repartee better than any man she’d ever met. Whenever she’d coax a laugh or smile out of him, a thrill would run through her. Because of that, she’d decided long ago he was off limits. Justin had become her touchstone against which all men were measured. She liked the purity of their relationship, and the fact she hadn’t degraded it with magic. He was the one man she’d never allow herself to have.

  Up until now, she’d had no trouble resisting the urge to use her power on Justin. A bar like the Three Crowns Pub swam with eligible men every night. This morning, though, the power of the kiss had become too much for her. She wanted to indulge. She wanted to know what Justin would be like at her mercy with that hard, handsome body writhing under her touch. She closed her eyes and imagined him calling out her name as he came in her mouth.

  Last night's guilt flooded back. She’d grown sick of the Marissa who used and abused men. She imagined a world without Justin and his friendship, tenuous as it might be. If she’d indulged herself this morning, everything would’ve been ruined. Horrified she’d even considered Justin as a conquest, she headed for the safety of her house in the hills, where she could wrap up in a quilt, crash on her couch, and sleep until noon.

  Maybe it was time to move on. Her mother had often suggested that idea. Witches lived as solitary creatures among regular humans. A coven of witches would draw too much attention, make things dangerous. Plus, too much time in one place tended to pique the curiosity of nosy neighbors and well meaning acquaintances. A twinge of sadness filled Marissa’s heart at the thought of leaving Justin behind. If she wanted him to be safe from her magic, however, it might be her only choice.

  Marissa opened her front door. “Mink? Where are you kitty, kitty?” Her sweet black cat had a way of soothing her loneliness with a few swishes of his tail.

  Mink didn’t appear. Marissa tensed. Something wasn’t right. She stepped into her foyer. The presence of a witch much more powerful than she filled the room.

  "Marissa, dear, I've been waiting for you." A familiar voice called to her from her living room. "I hope you don't mind that I made myself at home."

  Demetria Rostov, her gray hair wild around two dark eyes and a thin red mouth, tilted back in a recliner chair, a cup of steaming something in her hands.

  "What are you doing here?” Marissa could forget about taking a nap. She'd be lucky if she could convince Demetria to leave before the sun set. “I don't have anything I want to trade with you. Especially today."

  Demetria came and went like the fog that infiltrated the northern California coast in the summer. Here one day, gone the next. She had a reputation for making trades and playing games, which Marissa’s mother had warned her about for as long as she could remember. Demetria had never troubled Marissa, so she’d never taken stock in her mother’s warnings. Marissa had assumed the stories her mother told had been an exaggeration to keep her in line.

  "Is that any way to greet an old friend?” Demetria set her cup on the table next to the recliner. Demetria took pains to stand out. She’d never lived a normal life among humans. She dressed all in black, kept her hair wild, and used her magic whenever she could get away with it. “I've come a long way to meet with you." She tented her fingers on her stomach.

  Marissa dropped her purse on the kitchen counter and snapped her fingers. A mug of coffee appeared in a shower of sparks. "Is that so?"

  Demetria sniffed the air. "You have the scent of man on you, and sex."

  Her back to the ancient witch, Marissa’s cheeks heated in embarrassment. "I don't see how that is any of your business." She flicked her fingers, and the dishwasher magically unloaded itself. She hoped the distraction wo
uld show the old bat she didn’t care what she had to say.

  "Have you tired yet of your kiss, my dear?

  If Demetria only knew the truth—her magical gift was a curse. Demetria was all about tricks, however, so Marissa kept silent.

  "I might have a way for you to be rid of it, if you wish."

  Marissa hesitated. A clean spatula flew into an open drawer. Be rid of it? "What do you mean?"

  The recliner creaked as Demetria got up. "Ah, I thought that might interest you."

  Mink appeared from the laundry room off the kitchen, his whiskers twitched and his tail snaked back and forth. When Demetria came nearer, the black cat ducked back inside to hide behind the dryer. Even the cat didn't trust this witch. Marissa faced her. "I don't know what kind of trick you have up your sleeve, but . . . "

  Demetria leaned against the counter. "It's a bet I'm offering."

  "A bet?" Marissa’s mind slowed to a crawl as she mulled over Demetria’s words. All the tricks and schemes she thought Demetria might have planned for her, and she wanted to make a bet? A wager between witches was serious business. Signed in blood. A pact that couldn't be broken.

  "Yes, I have an offer for you. Something I think you'll be interested in." The older witch set her empty tea cup on the counter.

  "I'm listening."

  "My challenge is this: Make a man fall in love with you without using your magic kiss. If you succeed, you can keep your power and the man, permanently. If you fail, you give your power to me and lose the man forever." Her thin lips curled into a wicked smile that shouldn't be trusted.

  Demetria’s offer tempted her. Marissa had been wishing for an end to the curse of the magic kiss. A way to find love. Real love. No more meaningless nights of sex with one man after another. Her mind flitted to Justin. She could have him. She could really, truly have him. "How long will I have?"

  "A week."

  How hard could it be to make Justin fall in love? She saw humans falling in love all the time. A little flirting, a little talking, and he'd be hers, right? "I'll do it." The words were out of her mouth before she could contemplate it further.