Twice a Wish (Goddess Isles 2)

Pouring another shot, Sully shoved the decanter back into the fridge, then grabbed two glasses. Turning his back on his drink, he stormed with brittle steps to give one glass to Roy and one to Calvin.

I didn’t wait or second-guess.

I’d stolen Sully’s elixir, but I hadn’t planned on how to make him take it. I’d clutched it like a talisman, hoping, somehow, an opportunity would come up.

This was that opportunity, a fraction of a moment, gone forever if I didn’t snatch it.

With measured footsteps, I went to Sully’s awaiting drink, hoping no man watched me. With my back to them, I untwisted the cap with shaking fingers.

My heart pounded so hard I almost dropped the tiny bottle.

Almost.

Clamping my teeth into my bottom lip, I quickly tipped elixir into the amber alcohol then wrapped my fingers around the vial.

“Jinx…what are you—” Sully stormed toward me, suspicion deep in his tone.

I grabbed his glass, swirled it a little, and held it up for him as he arrived before me. “Bringing you your drink. So you can toast my eviction.” I flicked my gaze to Roy and Calvin, wondering if the wobble in my voice revealed what I’d done.

But Calvin continued typing up a sale contract, and Roy stared dreamily at me with his drink untouched in his hand.

Only Sully narrowed his eyes, his nostrils flaring.

I held his stare, gathering all my courage to be impenetrable.

I wouldn’t ruin my one chance.

We stared for the longest heartbeats. I swayed with each pound of my pulse, my stupid heart magnifying in size until it filled me everywhere. I could barely hear around the thunder; the pressure throbbed in my skull.

And then, Sully took the glass from me.

Our fingers grazed.

Our eyes latched tight.

A matching moan fell from both of us as the electricity that’d constantly threatened to strike tinder found a rogue dust of gunpowder and ignited.

A blaze of heat. A buffet of hunger.

A wildfire gust of need.

Sully’s jaw worked as he brought the alcohol to his lips and…

…tipped the contents into his mouth.

My knees threatened to buckle, but I held his stare until he’d swallowed. I waited until there was no turning back from this.

As his throat moved, pushing the drug into his belly where it would branch off into all directions, dilating his arteries, overworking his heart, sending desire between his legs, I let out my tattered sigh.

His eyes flared. His tongue ran over his teeth.

His taste buds recognised the fragrant flavour of his elixir.

Absolute horror drowned his face. “Oh, fuck…what have you done?”

With tears clawing up my spine, I opened my palm and showed him the empty vial.

Was I prepared for this? Would I be alive after this? Would he choose to relieve himself with me or run to another goddess?

What if this is a terrible, terrible mistake?

“Shit.” Sully acted as if I’d just sentenced both of us to death. “Shit!”

And who knew…maybe I had.

His eyes snapped closed as he wedged a fist against his belly, already feeling the first effects, the first inhibitions, the first howling to fuck.

With a guttural groan, he turned to look at Calvin.

“Cal—” His voice had turned into rough, tumbling gravel. “Christ.”

Calvin looked up from the laptop, his gaze shooting from Sully who twitched as if the elixir had already ensnared him and me standing behind him.

I shook so badly, I dropped the vial. It plummeted to the tile and smashed into tiny glass shards.

The smash shot Calvin into motion.

He knew what I’d done.

He knew what was about to happen.

Sully roared with rage, “Get Slater the fuck out of here. Now!”

Calvin bolted around the desk and snatched Roy Slater from his stupor. Roy’s glass fell to the tile too, another explosion of glass and liquor.

“Hey! What are you—”

“We need to go.” Calvin dragged him to the door, not caring that Roy fought. It didn’t even slow him down. Stuffing him through the exit, Calvin turned back to look at Sully. “What do you want me to—”

“Just go. Keep the goddesses in their villas. Don’t –” Sully groaned, tearing at his blazer as his skin licked with lust. “Don’t let them fucking near me.”

Cal didn’t dally.

He swung the door closed and left Sully and me alone.

Sully paced away from me, dragging his hands through his hair. He tore at the strands as if he could rip out the elixir by the roots.

I tripped forward, my gemstone gown whispering on the floor.

I actually felt sorry for him. So intimately aware of the pain of having your self-control stripped away, your body becoming a slave to starving libido.

Hearing me behind him, he spun on me, grabbing me by the throat. “What the fuck were you thinking?”

I swallowed hard. “I…I didn’t want to leave until—”

“Until?”

“Until I knew.”

“Knew what?”

“What exists between us.” I forced bravery into my voice. “Before I knew why I can’t stop wanting you.”