Blue Moon Magic

by Dawn Thompson

  His kiss was passionate, but it was also tender. Bracing herself for what she knew was to come, she was surprised when Alex whispered, “Relax, Emma, you can trust me.”

  When her body finally allowed Alex to take over, he rewarded her with sweet whispers.

  “Ah, Lass, you dunna ken how good you feel. Heaven, it is. Just relax, you can trust me to show the way to the stars. It’s time, aye, way past time…”

  Pushing inside of her tight core, Alex stilled.

  “Emma, is this your first time with a man?”

  “Aye.”

  Placing a light kiss on her forehead, he whispered, “Thank you, lass, I’ll treasure your gift always.”

  Then he swiftly broke through her maidenhead, taking her scream into his own mouth. Alex waited several seconds, not advancing or retreating. As Emma started to flex around him, he started to rock her back and forth. They started out slowly, but he measured each increase in speed and intensity by her sensual response. When she moaned, he drove into her faster. When she ran her nails down his back, he went deeper. When she called out her release, he joined her in the heavens.

  A clap of lightning struck the loch, drawing both Alex and Emma back to earth. His forehead rested on her chest, but their breathing returned to normal. Looking up, he smiled and then gave Emma the most exquisite and lingering kiss. She felt adored, appreciated, and most of all, aroused.

  “Lass, I hate to do this to you, but we need to get dressed, we’re about to have company.”

  Assuming another guard was coming, Emma scrambled for her clothing, but Alex stayed her frantic efforts long enough to clean her blood and his seed from between her legs. It was an intimate gesture, but one of genuine caring. Smiling at her after he completed his ablutions, he handed her the small pile of her belongings and motioned for her to dress and then he did the same.

  Alex felt pressed, knowing The Lady would arrive any minute.

  Another bolt of lightning hammered the water, sending waves crashing to the shore. Emma watched, mesmerized, as bolt after bolt struck the water, leading directly to where they were standing only a few feet from the edge of the loch.

  “It’s the Lady of the Loch,” Alex explained. “Dunna be afraid, she no longer has power over me. You broke the spell.”

  “But…”

  The lightning ceded, but in its wake a shimmering woman appeared, beautiful to behold. Despite her loveliness, her countenance was fierce. Emma couldn’t tell if she had feet because she appeared to glide across the water. She definitely had hands and they were holding a flaming sword.

  “Trust me, Emma, I will protect you.” Alex’s hand found hers and he squeezed it, letting her know he wouldn’t desert her.

  “I see you’ve finally broken the spell, Highlander.” Her voice sounded like the rush of a mighty waterfall, but it was feminine in every aspect of its timbre and tone.

  “My Lady, this Emma MacPherson.”

  “Fool!” Lightning flashed all around them, sending dirt and rocks flying. “I know who she is, just as I knew who you were, what you were. You humans are so feeble-minded. Why I was ever fond of you escapes me. I shall grant you a gift in return for the hundreds of years I’ve kept you enchanted. It’ll give you all that you require for the rest of your life, in this time.”

  The Lady of the Lake threw the flaming sword at Alex. It landed, blade-first, in the ground at his feet. When he looked up, she was gone, the freshly-churned water quickly returning to its placid façade.

  “You … you were the Highlander?”

  “Aye. It was me.”

  “That was really a faery?”

  “Aye, the Lady of the Loch.”

  “How old are you?”

  “Almost 350 years. I was nine and a score when the Lady cast her spell.”

  “How did you break the spell after so many years?”

  “I dinnae—you did.”

  “How? I didn’t do anything.”

  “You trusted me enough to let me love you.”

  “That’s it? That was how the spell was broken? How come you didn’t break it hundreds of years ago? In case you didn’t know, in any century, you are drop-dead gorgeous.”

  “It’s another part of the spell that I haven’t mentioned. Remember earlier in the evening when we were walking around looking for your maither’s ring?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, I’m nay sure how to explain, but I wasn’t here in body, just spirit.”

  “Well, that’s a relief. I thought you had super night vision or something, since you didn’t stumble and trip every other step like I did.”

  Smiling, Alex placed one hand on the side of Emma’s face and then tucked her hair behind her ear. “It was the Blue Moon. The Lady accused me of only paying her homage every once in a Blue Moon, so she condemned me to live in between worlds, granting me freedom only during a Blue Moon. To break the spell, I had to gain the love and trust of a willing lass or forever remain locked in the prison of this place.”

  Looking up at the sky, which was starting to cloud up with the promise of a quick shower, Alex smiled before looking down at Emma. Tenderly, he placed a chaste kiss on her lips and then turned to lead the way to the visitor’s center. “There is the Blue Moon and you’re the lass that I waited hundreds of years to love. I dunna have much, but what I have is yours.”

  Three Years Later, During the Next Blue Moon

  Emma found Alex in the solar, looking up at the blue-tinged moon. Wrapping her arms around her husband as best she could, she pressed her swollen body to his virile frame. Their baby was due in a week, but she thought this second child might arrive early.

  “What’re you doing, my love? It’s time for bed.”

  “It’s a Blue Moon, lass. I was just thanking the good Lord for you and our bairns.”

  Looking up, Emma saw the moon and the lights of Inverness twinkling in the distance, but when she looked at Alex’s face, she saw something more wondrous, magical and rare—she saw a man who loved her to distraction, a man who would never leave and one who loved making babies as much as she did. He was a wonderful father to little Alex and he was eagerly anticipating their next child, which she felt would be a girl.

  The Lady’s sword had brought ten-million Pounds Sterling, more than enough to sustain them for the rest of their lives. Alex now lectured on Scottish history and Emma had quit her job for the airlines to stay home with their children. Life was good.

  The separate roads that led to this place had been long and hard, filled with loss and loneliness, but neither Emma nor Alex had given up on love, embracing their one chance for a lifetime together. Both had to risk it all, throwing caution to the wind, and trust the other with their heart, their freedom and their dream of love.

  But, they’d not desired just any love, they’d searched for and found love that comes along only once in a Blue Moon.

  * * * *

  Visit Aysel’s website at

  ayselarwen.com

  Enchantment by the Sea

  by M. J. Sager

  “Beautiful, isn’t it?” The husky voice came from Clara Barnes’ left.

  She turned from the white sand stretching out to reach the azure ocean and met the brown eyes of a Greek god. Damn, Grayson Everett looked even better in real life than in the photographs she’d seen of him.

  He had one heck of a body. Dark brown hair and sensual chocolate eyes. Sculpted lips with a straight patrician nose and square jaw. Broad shoulders and chest covered by a loose fitting linen shirt. Pleated khaki’s stretched across his thighs. Her heart fluttered and her stomach muscles tightened.

  Her gaze lifted from his body to his face. He grinned in a knowing way. The heat of a blush rose up her neck to her cheeks.

  He leaned a hip and elbow against the cabaña’s bar. His eyes held hers captive behind her sunglasses as he stuck out the other hand.

  “Gray.”

  Clara took his hand in hers. The smooth, warm clasp sent chills up her arm. “Cl
ara. Pleased to meet you.”

  Grayson Everett, owner of the Enchantment By the Sea Resort, withdrew his hand.

  Clara cursed her bad luck. For the first time in ages, she felt an attraction to someone and he had to be the subject of her work. She was incognito, doing a bit of ‘only a guest’ investigation before meeting with Mr. Everett and telling him she was there to do a magazine article on his resort. No way could she become involved with him. Hadn’t she already learned the hard and painful lesson not to mix pleasure and business?

  The bartender sat her piña colada on a cocktail napkin by her elbow. “Here you go, miss. Do you want that charged to your room?”

  Before she could answer, Gray spoke. “Please get my usual, Ivan, and charge both drinks to my account.”

  “No, that’s all right. I can get it,” she protested. Accepting a drink from him could be a breach of ethics.

  He smiled at her and, if possible, looked even more handsome. “No, Clara. I insist.”

  Not wanting to argue in front of the bartender, she gave a weak smile. “Thanks.”

  She picked up the frozen drink and took a slow sip. Ivan placed a beer in front of Gray, who lifted the bottle and took a long swig.

  “So, what are your plans for the afternoon?” he asked.

  Clara looked at the beach. White capped waves lapped the shore. Lounge chairs under brightly colored umbrellas dotted the sand.

  “Sitting under one of those umbrellas and enjoying the atmosphere,” she answered.

  “Mind if I join you?”

  She cocked her head and looked at him. “Why would you want to do that?”

  His eyes moved over her body. “Why wouldn’t I want to spend time with a gorgeous woman?”

  Clara drew in a deep breath and released it slowly. His words echoed those The Scumbag had spoken years ago. And no matter how much she wanted them to be, they weren’t any truer today than they had been then.

  “You know, instead of spending a wasteful afternoon with me, you should go hit on someone who might actually believe your pick-up line.” She lifted her drink to him in a salute. “Have a good afternoon, Gray.”

  She pushed away from the bar and made her way to the chair that suddenly didn’t seem quite as wonderful as it had a few minutes before.

  In high school she’d never been able to compete with Darcy. Though her best friend since first grade, once they’d hit their teen years, Darcy had bloomed into a beauty, while Clara had remained cute. True, she had a fair enough figure, but her hair, rightfully called dish-water blonde, hung limply about her shoulders. Her eyes were a dull grey and she had a crooked smile. The boys treated Clara as the gal pal, but drooled over Darcy. She knew it wasn’t Darcy’s fault, but next to her friend, Clara always felt less than beautiful. And except for one stupid time in her life, she had never fooled herself into thinking she was gorgeous.

  She hated it when men assumed she was gullible.

  * * * *

  Gray watched the gentle sway of Clara’s hips beneath the mesh cover-up as she walked away. He shoved a hand into a pocket and jingled the loose coins.

  Benny Wilkerson was dead wrong. Clara Barnes was not an Ice Princess. Not by a long shot. She was fire and passion. She knew how to stand up for herself, which was probably why Benny struck out with her.

  He picked up his beer and met Ivan’s curious look. The bartender gave a half-smile as he wiped a glass with a towel. Gray shrugged his shoulders and finished off the beer in one swallow.

  Continuing to jiggle the coins in his pocket, he made his way back to the hotel lobby. Since his conversation with Benny last week, Gray had been curious. He’d listened with half an ear as his old college roommate droned on about the woman he was sending to examine the resort.

  “She’s a great journalist, man. She’ll have you researched all the way back to preschool, so don’t try to pull the wool over her eyes. And don’t expect her to fall at your feet. Clara’s the ultimate Ice Princess.”

  Gray made no comment, except to say he’d be happy to have his resort featured in Benny’s monthly magazine.

  He’d struggled his entire life to get where he was today. Raised by a single mother living on the edge of poverty, he’d put himself through college on a scholarship and minimum wage jobs. After graduating, he’d worked his way up the ladder to general manager at an exclusive hotel and invested well in the stock market.

  When a hurricane ravished resort came on the auction block, he’d had enough cash for a down payment. For the past ten years, he’d worked nonstop to make it the playground of the Caribbean. Having it featured gratis in a monthly magazine was a bonus and he hadn’t cared who did the reporting.

  Until now.

  Having met the woman, he knew there was a depth to her that Benny, who still dressed and acted as if he were in college, couldn’t comprehend. Gray understood and he found himself wanting to understand Clara even more.

  Now, how to overcome his blunder?

  * * * *

  “May I have this dance?”

  Why does he always sneak up on me? Clara turned away from her dinner companions and faced Gray. He leaned toward her and his cologne enveloped her.

  The people at her table stared as if her answer to Gray’s question were a matter of worldly importance.

  “It’s only a dance, Clara, and it will give me a chance to apologize,” he whispered.

  An apology from a man? That in itself would make dancing with him worth her while. Being in the arms of a sexy man like Gray was a bonus. She nodded and he led her out onto the parquet dance floor.

  He slid an arm around her waist, taking her right hand in his left and held her close enough she felt the heat of his body, but not so close they touched.

  She was impressed; the man did know how to dance. He didn’t just shuffle his feet, trying not to step on her toes.

  Gray twirled her around the floor in silence for several minutes. “I never meant to insult you this afternoon, Clara.”

  She jerked her gaze from the knot of his tie to his face. His chocolate eyes bore into her.

  “I wasn’t insulted … not exactly.”

  He raised a dark eyebrow at her. Why did the man have so much sex appeal? She looked at a couple moving beside them.

  “I know I’m not beautiful. It’s an insult to my intelligence when someone claims I am.”

  Gray’s hand tightened on the small of her back. “Clara, there are different kinds of beauty. You may not be what some would consider supermodel material, but you’re the only woman who’s caught my interest in a long time.”

  His words drew her to study his handsome face, looking for deception. Not so many years ago, a similar-looking man had said much the same to her. Her belief in The Scumbag’s words had cost her dearly.

  His eyes returned her intense stare. “I find you attractive, Clara. I find you interesting. I find I want to get to know you better.” He put pressure on her back, pulling her closer. “Is there anything wrong with that?”

  Hell, yes. After the fiasco she’d found herself in four years ago, she knew there was something wrong with what he wanted. A reporter did not socialize with the subject of her ‘research.’

  His thighs brushed hers as they danced. It felt so good to be held. For a few minutes, Clara relished the sensations of Gray’s hand on her back, his scent, the heat of his body. She was tempted to lay her head on his shoulder and let the intoxicating sensations sweep away her loneliness.

  When the notes to the song faded, Gray tightened his hold, asking with actions for her answer. Clara shook her head and stepped out of his embrace.

  “I’m sorry, Gray. I can’t.” She turned and fled the dance floor.

  * * * *

  If Clara thought to avoid Gray, she soon learned he had other plans. Over the next few days, she saw more of the man than she’d seen of her parents in the past year. He seemed to appear around every corner.

  When she went shopping in the local village, he was there. When
she went snorkeling, he swam three feet off her hip. When she took the guided tour of the resort, he walked shoulder to shoulder with her, whispering facts and nonsense seductively in her ear.

  She cursed Benny for sending her on this assignment. She cursed the Fates. Most of all, she cursed her own betraying emotions. Every word he spoke, every move he made, only enchanted her more. But she knew the danger that lay on that path. She was here to do a job and do it she would.

  * * * *

  When the band began to play at dinner, Clara slipped out of the dining room and made her way to the beach.

  The full moon illuminated the shore. She carried her shoes, enjoying the sand between her toes.

  Her mind drifted to Gray. She’d heard nothing but good things of him during her conversations with guests, employees and local village folk. He’d revived an area of the Caribbean devastated by a series of hurricanes eleven years ago. She had good notes and quotes for her story.

  Unfortunately, she felt a strong pull toward him, but she wouldn’t act on it. Her mind wandered to the man who’d betrayed her years before. That episode had cost her the respect of her peers and the job she’d worked years to obtain.

  Clara had tried to pick up the pieces of her life after being fired for allegedly compromising her integrity, but word had spread quickly and she’d been unable to get work with a reputable newspaper. She’d done freelance pieces until an old college friend called and told her about the magazine where she currently worked. Cindy had encouraged her to apply for a position. She’d taken the advice and for the last two years Clara had been working for the Montana Monthly writing stories about the famous and not so famous Montanans.

  She enjoyed her job and was good at it. The only drawback was the owner and chief editor, Benny. When she’d first arrived he’d hit on her and it had taken a long time for him to accept no for an answer. To her relief, he’d finally found someone else to tease.

  She stepped closer to the shore and warm water lapped over her feet. Clara let out a sigh.

  She was here to do a job and getting involved with Gray would compromise her, she knew that. But, damn, he was one hot, sexy man, whether in an evening suit, a swim suit, or … no … she wouldn’t go there.