Sam's Sunday Snippet

This story is a modern day take on the old Russian fairy tale about the Baba Yaga. I hope you enjoy the snippet and will check out the book when it releases on 8/9/12!

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Two women want his love, but a thousand years of bad vibes give new meaning to the term bewitched! 

Elan Gibbs needs to save the woman he loves from servitude to a witch named Baba Yaga. Lisbeth needs to prove that Elan Gibbs loves her before she'll give her heart away to him. But a price has to be paid for their needs. And it seems that Elan will be the one to pay it. Can his love for Lisbeth withstand the payment? Or will he fall under the spell of a sexy witch, who only wants true love to warm her endless life?

“Dinner was wonderful.” Lisbeth told him. “I had a really good time.”

Elan nodded, reaching to skim a warm hand down her arm. “Me too. I was wondering…”

He got that haunted look in his pretty blue eyes that he got when he was afraid she’d reject him. They’d been going out for a couple of weeks, but it hadn’t taken Lisbeth long to discover that gorgeous and sweet Elan Gibbs had been hurt by someone. Maybe more than once. He was as skittish as her cat when the wind howled through the trees outside her house.

On impulse, Lisbeth leaned in and touched her lips lightly to his. She felt the impact of that light touch all through her body, like a lightning bolt searing through her. She inhaled softly as Elan stepped in, his big, warm hands sliding around her waist. He tilted his head and deepened the kiss. Lisbeth’s body reacted strongly to the taste of him, drawing on his heat and wonderful scent even as her hands slipped up his arms to encircle his neck.

She couldn’t remember ever reacting so strongly to a man. She wasn’t surprised. She’d known from the first moment they met that Elan was special. And she dared hope that he’d be the one she could spend her life with.

But she’d thought that before and had been terribly disappointed. She had to be sure.

Lisbeth broke the kiss and stepped back. “What were you wondering?”

He looked slightly dazed from the kiss but quickly seemed to shake it off. “Oh. Yeah. I was wondering if you could go camping with me this weekend?”

Lisbeth studied his handsome features and came to a decision. “I can’t. I’m so sorry.” He looked so crestfallen she almost relented and agreed to go. “I’d love to go camping with you. I just can’t go this weekend. I… well… I have something I need to do.”

“Oh.” He looked less disappointed. Only slightly. “Okay. Another time then.”

She nodded, grabbing his hand as he turned to leave. “I really do have something to do this weekend. Something very important. If I didn’t I’d be with you, Elan. I promise.”

He frowned. “That sounds ominous. You’re not in trouble, are you?”

“No. Nothing like that. I need to speak to someone. Someone who is very wise and gives good advice. I’m lucky that she’s agreed to see me and I can’t reschedule it. Otherwise I’d go with you.”

“Sounds intriguing. What’s her name? Does she live here in town?”

“Her name’s Baba Yaga. And she lives in the woods out beyond town a bit. She’s slightly eccentric. People around here claim she’s a witch but I just think she’s a little different. You know how it is -- people are afraid of what they don’t understand.”

“Yeah. Unfortunately, that’s true.” He touched her cheek, caressing it carefully. “Are you sure it’s safe? I mean, she could be dangerous.”

Lisbeth laughed. “It’s sweet for you to worry but I’ll be fine. Can I see you on Sunday? We can have a picnic out by the lake.”

Elan smiled. “I’d really like that.” He leaned down and touched her lips in a tender kiss.

When he turned to go, Lisbeth nearly pulled him back. She didn’t want him to leave. She wanted to drag him up to her bed and make sweet love to him for hours. But she couldn’t.

Not yet. Not until she’d done her Baba Yaga thing. It was important to know what she was getting herself into. She’d had a lifetime of disappointment in the love arena already. She had no intention of adding another name to that list.

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