Nikolai’s brows rose. “We all dream. Hypnosis is a powerful tool to unlock your innermost desires. It’s a way to do what you’ve always yearned for without any consequences.” He brought her hand to his lips and placed a soft kiss on the back. “Milady, you were a wonderful sport. When you exit through that door, it will take you to the main lobby area.”
So that was it. It was done—over. “Thank you for everything.”
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Chapter Nine
Excerpt of Lucky in Love
Bethany Shaw with Michelle Fox
Misfortune is Elly's new middle name. It follows her everywhere ever since she fled her psycho ex-boss and wound up in Vegas working as a showgirl. She's got the worst luck in the world, and what's worse, she's just embarrassed herself in front of the hottest man on the planet.
Laik is drawn to the sexy human from the moment he lays eyes on her. Elly is sweet and innocent, but she's been hurt by dark magic, cursed to be clumsy by a powerful warlock. Can Laik win the enchanting human's heart and stop the bastard who's hurting her?
***
Elly tiptoed out into the front room. The pale light of the moon filtered in through the window illuminating the kitchen. Please don’t let me trip over something and wake the whole house. Her roommates already worried about her enough as it was. Mishaps followed her everywhere.
She’d spent the better part of the day worrying about her debut performance as a showgirl at the Old Moon Casino, only to have the show canceled at the last minute. I don’t know why the fire alarm went off. I’m just glad it did. That had been the only positive thing to happen all day. The worst part of the day was making a complete fool of herself again. This time in front of a total hottie. She was never going to forget that horrific moment when she fell on her ass in front of him. Hopefully, she could get a bite to eat without further embarrassing herself in some way, though, that was unlikely.
She placed a hand over her belly as it grumbled. The other hand combed its way through her charcoal-colored hair while her sea-blue eyes scanned the floor for objects she might trip over. Her stomach had been in too many knots to eat dinner earlier, hence her 2 AM raid on the fridge.
She’d come home, showered, and crashed into her bed without another thought. Who wouldn’t after humiliating themselves the way she had.
Her fingers trembled as her stomach gurgled again. When was the last time she ate? Lunch? Breakfast? She tugged the fridge open and examined the contents. I don’t want something too filling. It’s the middle of the night.
She grabbed a gallon of OJ and then opened the freezer grasping a few frozen pastries. She shoved two of the sweet treats into the toaster before snatching a glass from the cupboard.
Her hand bumped the tumbler and it tipped to the side. She reached out, trying to catch it, but it toppled onto the counter, bounced off and shattered into dozens of pieces on the floor.
Elly squeezed her eyes shut while cursing her clumsiness. “Shit,” she mumbled as she set the OJ down and stretched across the counter to flick the light on.
“Everything okay?”
Elly spun around with a squeak, taking a step back as she came face to face with Laik. Her roommate’s brother had arrived that night and apparently he was staying the night. Not only had he witnessed her at her clumsy worse, he was sexy as sin. It was like meeting the man of your dreams in the middle of a never-ending pratfall. He was shirtless, giving her a perfect view of his sculpted chest. She shuffled forward as her hand reached out to touch him but stopped.
Heat exploded across the bottom of her foot and she hissed as the pain sliced through her. She hopped forward on her uninjured foot with a grunt.
“Damn it,” she groaned.
Laik’s hands flew to her waist and she gasped as he lifted her up and set her on the kitchen island. “Are you okay?” he asked as his hand traveled down her calf. His hands were hot, igniting an inferno within her as they slid down her skin. He lifted her foot and inspected the bottom of it.
Elly swallowed as gooseflesh pimpled her skin where his fingers had been. Tingles shot to her core, and she shifted on the counter, wishing his hand would graze her leg again. Thank God I shaved earlier.
“Elly?” he questioned, when she didn’t respond.
For Christ’s sake, Elly, you’re bleeding; get your head together.
“I’m sure it’s not too bad,” she breathed as her heart pounded against her ribs.
“Don’t move,” Laik instructed as he hopped over the broken glass. He pulled a few paper towels from the roll and wet them under the sink before returning to her foot. “I don’t see any glass in there,” he told her while pressing the cool compress against her skin.
“You should be careful too. There’s glass all over the floor. I’m such a klutz lately. I don’t know what’s going on with me,” she grumbled as she smacked her head with her palm.
“Hey, accidents happen,” he soothed with a smile. “I’ll go get some bandages. Can you hold this here?”
Elly reached forward, placing her hand over the towels. Her fingers brushed against Laik’s and heat ebbed into her hand like a jolt of lightening. Damn, what is it about him?