Bewitching Book Tours Exclusive Excerpt:Jasmine sat on the edge of the fountain, the cool stone a stark contrast to the warm evening air. The moon was high in the sky, shining brilliantly across the water’s surface. When she was a girl, she used to take off her shoes, hike up her skirts and jump into that fountain, splashing water everywhere. Her mother had caught her once, a look of shock on her face which had quickly been replaced by mischief and she, the queen of Agrabah, had taken off her shoes and hiked up her skirts to join her wild daughter.
She smiled to herself at the memory. She wondered what her father would have done if he’d known his wife was just as wild. Would he be more understanding towards her now?
She let out a sigh.
She was expected to choose a husband from those on offer, as if she were choosing a new pair of shoes. And if she didn’t choose, would her father choose for her? Who would he pick if she did not?
She shook the thought from her mind. Tonight Aladdin was coming. She’d doubted him when he’d said he would visit her, but he seemed sure he could, though he wouldn’t say how he planned to slip past the guards.
She’d dressed well for the occasion, even though she knew he wouldn’t know the difference. She’d done it because she was nervous, though of what she couldn’t quite say. Jafar’s face came to mind again. She couldn’t help comparing him to Aladdin. Aladdin had a youthful face, a boyish charm that made your worries melt away. Jafar was all intensity and darkness, he had the handsomeness of a man, the hardness of one who had seen much, and there was something about him that set her stomach fluttering. She wondered what would happen if he caught her there in that garden with a man. Would he care beyond his duty? Did she want him to?
‘Are you waiting for someone, Princess?’ his dark voice rumbled, as if she’d summoned him with her thoughts.
She looked up to find him standing in the archway, his black robes immaculate, only tonight he didn’t hold his sceptre in hand. It was the first time she’d seen him without it. His eyes seemed darker than usual, that intensity in their gaze ever present, sending a shiver through her.
‘What makes you think so?’ she asked vaguely, tearing her eyes away from him to stare into the water as it glistened in the moonlight, lilies swaying gently on the surface.
‘You’ve dressed a little too nicely for a stroll through the gardens alone,’ he said, somewhat bitterly. ‘Did one of the princes finally catch your eye?’
‘You’d like that, wouldn’t you,’ she said coldly, looking back at him, surprised to find him walking towards her. He was closing the distance between them with every step.
He stopped before her, tilting his head, a silent struggle in his eyes that made her forget her anger for a moment. ‘And if I told you I wouldn’t?’
Her heart sped up in her chest, she couldn’t tear her eyes away. A voice in the back of her mind told her to move, to send him away, she was expecting someone else this night, but she couldn’t find the words. ‘What are you saying?’ she asked, her voice sounding breathy to her ears, like it wasn’t her voice at all.
What was she saying? Was she encouraging this? She stood quickly, in an attempt to put some distance between them so she could think but her feet wouldn’t move, her eyes trapped in his. He reached out a hand and for the first time in her life, she saw hesitation in this confident man who always knew his path as clear as if it had been marked out on a map for him. His fingers touched her jaw, a featherlight touch that sent a spark of warmth into her skin.
His fingers slid up her jaw, as if he was getting use to the feel of her skin, as if he was learning her face and her eyes fluttered closed as she leaned into his touch. He froze and her eyes snapped open, a blush rising to her cheeks. What was she doing?
‘Um, I should…’ she mumbled and she tried to step around him, but his hand caught her wrist in a firm grip. When she looked up at him, his eyes were dark with desire and something more she couldn’t put her finger on.
‘Who did you dress for tonight?’ he asked, a dark edge to his voice.
‘Are you jealous, Jafar?’ she asked, relieved that her confidence had returned.
His hand tightened around her wrist. ‘Why? Are you trying to make me jealous, Princess?’ he countered. He pulled her to him, the smallest movement sending her tumbling to his chest. His breath smelled sweet like wine. Had he been drinking? Is that why he was acting this way? Or was it something more?
‘I feel as if you have enchanted me,’ he said softly, his hand cupping her face. Then his lips brushed against hers, lightly at first, testing. Her breath hitched in her throat and a warmth exploded in her core.
Lorelei
Johnson is an Australian romance author, primarily writing Paranormal Romance
and Fantasy Romance. She graduated from Flinders University, where she studied
English Literature and Creative Writing before she discovered her degree was
useless and she hated studying in an institution. She went into administrative
work where she learnt just enough business sense to start publishing her own
books.
Lorelei is fuelled by caffeine and sarcasm, priding herself as a true 90's kid.
She labels her self-publishing as an antiestablishment, but really she's just a
chicken who decided to avoid the gatekeepers altogether and enjoy the freedom
to write whatever the heck she likes. Through her writing, she likes to explore
the many facets of love and revel in a little magic and a little smut, of
course.
Website: www.loreleijohnson.com
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