Mad Mischief by Susan St. John is an interesting story; Sarah and her husband decide to go on an African safari, and she convinces him to go with the madcap guide, Max, instead of a more staid, predictable East Africa guided tour. They are already having relationship problems, and the trip does nothing to improve them. This is actually two stories, woven together in a unique way. The longer story…
Where you can find Mad Mischief: Barnes and Noble | Amazon | BookBub
Book synopsis:
What happens when an elite African safari is transformed into a psychotic journey of survival for a society wife traveling with her narcissistic husband? In Mad Mischief, the shimmering beauty and primal power of…
Does this darkness have a name? This cruelty? This hatred? How did it find us? Did it steal into our lives or did we seek it out and embrace it? What happened to us? That we now send our children into the world like we send young men to war, hoping for their safe return, but knowing that some will be lost along the way. When did we lose our way? Consumed by the shadows, swallowed all by the darkness. Does this darkness have a name? Is it your name?
So...I wrote this several days ago, and I'm just now working up the courage to post it. First ficlet of a crazy awesome pairing I now apparently ship without shame--Loki/Jefferson. Reason being I think their personalities and emotional angst serves as a good dynamic, and I'd love the idea of them being ridiculously well-dressed, attractive villain boyfriends. No regrets. ;)
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The house was unusually quiet when Jefferson returned from his walk. Normally, the silence was commonplace, but ever since he had acquired his peculiar roommate, things were never dull. Between Loki’s incessant chatter and penchant for breaking at least one piece of good china a week, there had been a lot more activity in the sprawling mansion on the outskirts of Storybrooke. Shrugging off his coat, Jefferson walked into the entryway and hung it on a hook on the wall.
“Loki?” he called.
He received no answer. Jefferson continued on down the hallway to the living room, dress shoes tapping rhythmically on the hardwood floor. He paused, mouth dropping open, once he reached the threshold of the living room. A woman stood leaning against the grand piano with a very suggestive smirk gradually spreading across her lips. Long waves of raven black hair cascaded down to her shoulders. She wore a silk green dress with a rather low neckline, exposing alabaster skin and ample cleavage. For several drawn out moments, Jefferson forgot how to speak, let alone breathe.
“Who are you?” he asked. He managed to blink and come back to his senses.“How the hell did you get in here?”
The woman laughed, nimble fingers tracing across the polished exterior of the piano behind her. Jefferson’s jaw stiffened and he swallowed hard.
“Really, Jefferson…here I thought you had more sense than this.” Her accented voice was sultry, expressive blue eyes watching his reaction.
“L-Loki?” he sputtered. “You—you’re a—” He took a breath, blinking away the shock. “You can do that?”
“Quite a convenient little trick, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Well, uh, yeah,” Jefferson cleared his throat with some degree of awkwardness, “It’s…I wasn’t expecting it…you…”
Loki sauntered over to him, hips swaying with purpose, lithe legs exposed underneath the thin, shimmering fabric of her dress. They were nearly the same height, Loki just a few inches shorter in this female form, whereas in his natural state Jefferson was always the short one. Jefferson watched her carefully, attempting to look less painfully uncomfortable. Perspiration glistened across his brow and tried to breathe evenly, but his breath hitched when Loki seized him by the scarf around his neck. He felt her other hand suspiciously close to his ass.
Her breath ghosted along his ear. “Does this form not please you?”
Jefferson smirked. “It does a lot more than please me,” he said, tone gruff. “Honestly, though, either way it doesn’t make a damn difference. I’m not the picky type.”
“Ah, but it bodes well to use a bit of imagination now and again.”
“Adventurous,” Jefferson agreed, “I like it.”
Loki ripped the scarf from around Jefferson’s neck at the same time he captured her lips in a fierce kiss. There was nothing purely romantic about the gesture; it was clumsy and sudden and driven by unfathomable want. Jefferson pulled her to him, mouths still engaged in a kiss while his hands roved across her waist. Loki broke free from their kiss, both of them gasping, and unfastened the buttons of his waistcoat. The garment fell to the floor and his dress shirt followed, leaving him bare-chested.
Jefferson’s lips curved into a smug grin. “Exactly how long have you been waiting to do this?”
“Long enough.”
His hand on the small of her back, Jefferson gathered her to him again. Using his broad shoulders for leverage, Loki wrapped her legs around his waist, gold heels slipping to the floor. Her lips traveled resolutely across his collarbone down to the toned planes of his chest, eliciting a needful groan from his mouth. Jefferson carried them from the doorway to the closest available surface, which was incidentally the top of the grand piano. He laid her down across its top somewhat roughly, standing over the edge. Loki smiled with that trademarked mischief which appeared to translate to any form he took. She reached for Jefferson’s belt and dragged him on top so that his knees were planted on either side of her hips.
Jefferson’s calloused hand traveled underneath the skirt of her dress, dragging the fabric upward toward her hip. His fingers searched for a waistband and paused. He laughed against her lips, which were drawing him into another lingering kiss.