Bewitched by His Kiss
May Day Mischief Novella Two
Lucasta Barnes knows the folly believing in magic can lead to—and she won't accept that her illicit tryst with a notorious rake was the result of anything more than pure lust. Or that it has bonded them together forever. Yet, she can't deny that she yearns for just one more night in his arms…
David, Earl of Elderwood, is known as an enchanter of women, but ever since a passionate encounter with Lucasta three years ago, he desires only her. How can he convince his thoroughly practical paramour that love is the greatest magic of all? Book two of the May Day Mischief duet. |
Here's an excerpt from Bewitched By His Kiss

Setup: It’s late at night, and Lucasta, our heroine, fears that her cousin Peony has gone rolling naked in the dew again. She bumps into Lord Elderwood on the way out to check on her.
“Shall we go verify that Peony is safe?” Lord Elderwood’s voice was a silky dare.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Lucasta retorted. “Alexis is a gentleman through and through.” Unlike Elderwood, who would take advantage of a woman with or without clothing. She remembered leaving the future to fate and shivered. No, this meeting was pure chance. Nothing else.
That didn’t stop every nerve in her body from coming alive and afire.
The path through the wood appeared like magic. No, not magic—just luck that they’d found it easily in the dark. She hastened onward. “But for her safety, I must make certain he is with her.”
Elderwood laughed. From ahead came a startled squeak, stifled immediately. Urgent whispers stretched toward them, ghostly and unintelligible. Peony was talking to someone, but she didn’t sound frightened, and she hadn’t had time to disrobe. It must truly be Alexis, thank heavens. He was a reassuring sort of man. He would convince her to keep her clothes on. He would make sure she returned to the house safely.
Elderwood laughed again. “Come now, my love. Tell the truth. Don’t you want to know what Alexis is doing with your cousin?”
“Damn you,” she said too loudly, whirling back toward the orchard. She lowered her voice. “Stop laughing, for God’s sake. Have you no discretion?”
A muffled snort came from directly behind her. He must be close enough to touch her and intending to do so.
“Stupid question,” she muttered. She was at his mercy, or rather at the mercy of her own rampaging desires. She hurried forward, clutching the pistol close so he couldn’t get it, but suddenly the path petered into nothing. She must have mistaken the way in the dark; she dodged the other direction, around a massive oak she’d passed on the way in.
Blocked again, this time by a wall of undergrowth and a closed rank of trees. She whirled again and stumbled.
Lord Elderwood caught her. “Dear, dear,” he said. “Are we lost?”
“Where did the path go?” she burst out. “It was right here. I’m sure of it.”
“And now it isn’t,” Elderwood said, one arm strong around her, the other plucking the muff pistol from her hand.
She moaned. “That makes no sense at all.”
He took her chin in his hands and tipped it up. His eyes seemed to glow in the darkness. “It does, if you believe in magic.”
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“Shall we go verify that Peony is safe?” Lord Elderwood’s voice was a silky dare.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Lucasta retorted. “Alexis is a gentleman through and through.” Unlike Elderwood, who would take advantage of a woman with or without clothing. She remembered leaving the future to fate and shivered. No, this meeting was pure chance. Nothing else.
That didn’t stop every nerve in her body from coming alive and afire.
The path through the wood appeared like magic. No, not magic—just luck that they’d found it easily in the dark. She hastened onward. “But for her safety, I must make certain he is with her.”
Elderwood laughed. From ahead came a startled squeak, stifled immediately. Urgent whispers stretched toward them, ghostly and unintelligible. Peony was talking to someone, but she didn’t sound frightened, and she hadn’t had time to disrobe. It must truly be Alexis, thank heavens. He was a reassuring sort of man. He would convince her to keep her clothes on. He would make sure she returned to the house safely.
Elderwood laughed again. “Come now, my love. Tell the truth. Don’t you want to know what Alexis is doing with your cousin?”
“Damn you,” she said too loudly, whirling back toward the orchard. She lowered her voice. “Stop laughing, for God’s sake. Have you no discretion?”
A muffled snort came from directly behind her. He must be close enough to touch her and intending to do so.
“Stupid question,” she muttered. She was at his mercy, or rather at the mercy of her own rampaging desires. She hurried forward, clutching the pistol close so he couldn’t get it, but suddenly the path petered into nothing. She must have mistaken the way in the dark; she dodged the other direction, around a massive oak she’d passed on the way in.
Blocked again, this time by a wall of undergrowth and a closed rank of trees. She whirled again and stumbled.
Lord Elderwood caught her. “Dear, dear,” he said. “Are we lost?”
“Where did the path go?” she burst out. “It was right here. I’m sure of it.”
“And now it isn’t,” Elderwood said, one arm strong around her, the other plucking the muff pistol from her hand.
She moaned. “That makes no sense at all.”
He took her chin in his hands and tipped it up. His eyes seemed to glow in the darkness. “It does, if you believe in magic.”
Buy Now!
Amazon
Amazon UK
Harlequin
Barnes & Noble
Books-a-Million