Rookery Cove: Kidnapping Karisma by Tuesday Morrigan

Karisma Knowles stared at the endless array of fabric, yarn, and thread in front of her with unseeing eyes. She was supposed to be whipping up designs for her upcoming fall collection, but all she could think about was the four determined males who wanted to claim her.

As if she would allow four men to… She snorted and grabbed the pile of incredibly soft black corduroy. She eyed it critically and sighed. It would be perfect for one of her trademark corsets that could go from the bedroom to the club.

Karisma paused. Honestly, could she… Karisma shook her head, trying to dispel some of the scalding images of her and the men. Sure, Aleka and his vagabond pack mates were gorgeous, but she had more self-respect than that. Didn’t she?

And what in hell would her grandmother say if she decided to become the fifth member in a previously all male pack? A pack that didn’t include a single faerie? Her grandmother, a faerie queen with a lineage that dated back to the beginning of time, had not been happy when her only son had fallen in love with a human. And then she’d found out that the human was African.

Saying the shit had hit the fan had been an understatement.

But the moment Nana had seen her mother’s swollen belly she’d forgotten all about the differences between her son and his wife. Her only concern had been for her steadily growing family.

And now that Karisma was thirty, her grandmother was hell bent on finding her the man who was going to help her breed the next generation of Knowles.

She stretched and rolled her shoulders. She had been doing that a lot lately. If she didn’t know better she’d think she was coming into her wings. According to her grandmother, half-breed faeries came into their wings when they fell deeply in love. Karisma suspected Nana was full of shit and feeding her the human equivalent of a fairytale.

Karisma had never been more stressed in her life. Alekanekelo and his band of mismatched pack mates had given her an ultimatum. She could join the pack on her own or she could find out the hard way that Alphas don’t walk away from their mate.

She paused as she reached for some thread. As if one woman could be the mate for four very different males. And each one of them an Alpha. She snorted as she compared the corduroy to the thread. She needed a perfect match.

Just like Aleka did.

When he’d pushed her against the wall and brushed that hard, unforgiving chiseled body of his across hers and told Karisma that she was the one woman in the world who perfectly matched him, a phoenix, Bailey, a werewolf, Malik, a panther, and Jae, a dragon, she had started to giggle in disbelief. And then she looked over his shoulder and saw the other three men waiting. Waiting for her.

She shook her head. As if.

Joining Aleka’s pack would mean spending the rest of her life on her back. Judging by the sexual magnetism of the men, she’d be dead within a week.

But what a way to go!

She pushed away Naughty Karisma. Trust her to put in her two cents when good Karisma was starting to take hold. The real problem was even normal Karisma wanted Aleka and his pack brothers.

She groaned and dropped her head onto the table. By the gods, she needed therapy.

Or a new toy.

Or a new man.

Or four, Bad Karisma whispered. And what a group. Each of the men of the Kanakis pack on his own was devastating, but together… There was Bailey, an Irish werewolf with the sexiest brogue known to womankind, and then there was Malik, the most luscious African-American man she had had the pleasure of running into. And as if that wasn’t enough she had to contend with Jae, six feet of pure butterscotch who had the ability to turn into the most beautiful golden dragon. Finally, there was Aleka, blond, beautiful, and bold, the ancient Greek phoenix who did not understand the meaning of the word no.

“Oh my gods,” she moaned when the last train of thought brought to the surface her last conversation with Aleka.

Sexy, lecherous bastard. She’d just finished telling him where to shove his “proposal.” She was not about to give up her career to become the fifth member of the Kanakis pack. And according to the big, golden Alpha, she could not have both. Aleka hadn’t taken her rejection well. He’d cornered Karisma, placed one arm beside her head, and leaned low until his lush lips were an inch away from hers. “The day will come, Kitty, when you will beg me and my brothers to please you, when you will ask us to touch you, when you will beg us to kiss your lips, suckle your breasts, lick your cunt, and fuck your tight, wet pussy.”

For one heart pounding moment she had wanted them to do exactly that. She wanted Aleka, Malik, Bailey, and Jae to fuck her like she had never been fucked. Karisma wanted the kind of pleasure only the Kanakis men could give her. Before she’d gotten a word out, her sister had stepped into the room and reality had intruded.

Thank the gods!

She’d worked too hard to get her perfect life, well… perfect. She had a growing lingerie label, a secure bank account, and she had just purchased the loveliest beach house. She wasn’t about to give that up to join the Kanakis pack.

“Kitty?”

She looked up at the sound of her nickname and grimaced. “Damn it, Karla. I’m almost thirty. Could you stop calling me that?”

Karisma’s sister flashed her a smile. “Probably not. I just came to tell you, there’s a handsome man here to see you.”

For just one moment Karisma lost control of her body and froze. Her eyes slammed shut in frustration. “I thought I told you to tell them I’m not here the next time they came.”

“Yes, you did. I have a pretty good memory.” Karisma could hear the laughter in Karla’s voice.

She opened her eyes and glared at the woman she was supposed to love with all her heart and considered murder. Better yet… ”What if I told Nana that you were encouraging four men, none of whom are human or fey?”

It was Karla’s turn to freeze. “You wouldn’t dare!”

“And remind her just how old you’re getting. You’re only three years younger than me, and you’re the wild one. I could let her know that she’s going to have to work harder to find you a mate.”

“Well, Ms. Bitch, I just came here to tell you that there’s a man from Rookery Cove Aphrodisiacs here for you.” With those parting words she turned on her heel and strode out of the back room.

Great! Now I’m going to have to buy my own sister flowers to apologize, she thought as she stood and headed to the front of her boutique. She stopped short when she saw who was waiting for her. Karla hadn’t been lying when she said the guy was handsome.

Dark mahogany skin, large almond eyes, and the most kissable lips she had ever seen. Oh, mama! The fine men were just coming out of the woodwork.

“Hi.” She coughed to clear her suddenly high voice. “How can I help you?”

“My name is Jamie Anderson, from Rookery Cove Aphrodisiacs. I’m in charge of their acquisitions department.”

Karisma found herself thanking the gods for melanin as she felt her face heat up with embarrassment. Her brain had short-circuited the moment she’d set eyes on him. She had totally forgotten what Karla had said.

“Maybe we should talk in here.” She turned and strode back to the sewing room she had just vacated. She could feel his warm molasses brown eyes on her back with every step. Her skin itched and tightened with the knowledge. Or maybe every inch of her body was irritated because she knew exactly why he was there. And Karisma wasn’t sure she could keep pretending she wasn’t interested.

She grinned at him as he took a seat in front of her. “I assume you’re here to convince me to work for Rookery Cove.” He wasn’t the first person from Rookery Cove to try and hire her.

His smile widened. “We’re very interested in your work and very dedicated to getting you to join our team.”

“Okay, Mr. Anderson, what have you got to offer?”