Romantic Retreat

By Margaret L. Carter

When Gail's husband, Matt, retires from the Navy, she looks forward to romantic interludes and long-postponed travels to rekindle the spark in their marriage. But Matt is fixated on finding a high-paid—and high-stress—civilian job. If only she could get him alone long enough to seduce him into listening to her concerns. Then she acquires a curious antique, a miniature house with the magical power to transport its owner into an enchanted space, the perfect setting for a romantic getaway. Isolated there together, Gail and Matt have twenty-four hours to settle their differences.

• Language: Unknown
• Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
• Release date: Feb 22, 2023
• ISBN: 9781509248605

Margaret L. Carter

Reading DRACULA at the age of twelve ignited Margaret L. Carter’s interest in a wide range of speculative fiction and inspired her to become a writer. Vampires, however, have always remained close to her heart. Her work on vampirism in literature includes four books and numerous articles. She holds a PhD in English from the University of California (Irvine), and her dissertation contained a chapter on DRACULA. In fiction, she has written horror, fantasy, and paranormal romance, as well as sword-and-sorcery fantasy in collaboration with her husband, a retired naval officer. Recent publications include AGAINST THE DARK DEVOURER (Lovecraftian dark paranormal romance) and spring-themed light contemporary fantasy BUNNY HUNT. Her short stories have appeared in various anthologies, including the “Darkover” and “Sword and Sorceress” series. She and her husband live in Maryland and have four children, several grandchildren and great-grandchildren, a St. Bernard, and two cats. Please visit Carter’s Crypt: http://www.margaretlcarter.com

Book preview

Matt let go of her and stepped back, casting wild glances around the room. What’s going on? Where the hell are we?

Gail sank into the nearest chair and gulped a breath. Inside the miniature house.

She knew that answer wouldn’t make any sense to him. His blank stare confirmed her expectation. What do you mean? That’s impossible. Elementary physics.

I mean the model is magic, and the spell I recited put us inside it.

He paced to the nearest wall and paced back to loom over her. Are you claiming we shrank to the size of bugs?

Romantic Retreat

by

Margaret L. Carter

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

Romantic Retreat

COPYRIGHT © 2023 by Margaret L. Carter

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or The Wild Rose Press, Inc. except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Contact Information: [e-mail]

Cover Art by Jennifer Greeff

The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

PO Box 708

Adams Basin, NY 14410-0708

Visit us at www.thewildrosepress.com

Publishing History

First Edition, 2023

Digital ISBN 978-1-5092-4860-5

Previously Published – Ellora’s Cave

Published in the United States of America

Chapter One

A sliver of dawn light seeped through the tiny gap between the bedroom curtains. I’ve been meaning to pin those together. Gail closed her eyes to block out random thoughts as well as the invading sun and savor Matt’s arms around her, his hand on her breast, his lips grazing her shoulder. On her side with her back to him, she snuggled tighter against his chest and wiggled her bottom against his hard shaft. While he teased her erect nipple, she forcibly reined her wandering mind. She wanted to focus on the tingle along her nerves, not her anxiety about his plans for the day.

With a wordless mm, Matt slid his other hand down her chest and stomach to cup her mound. A wave of familiar warmth spread over her. Gail spread her thighs wide enough to invite his hand to nestle there. He probed between the folds to fondle her. Her pulse quickened in anticipation of the next step in the routine. While the thumb of his other hand circled her nipple, he insinuated a fingertip inside. She melted, her body following the script it had played out thousands of times. Spreading the molten liquid over her clit, he spiraled around the aching bud until he centered on the target. Excitement sparked under his practiced touch. Her breath came faster, her hips arching while the pressure built toward release. Just as her climax shuddered through her, he slipped into her. He thrust, one arm hugging just below her breasts, the other hand pressing her lower body against his. Groaning, he raced to his own peak.

They lay panting together for less than two minutes before the alarm buzzed. After rubbing his whiskered cheek against her shoulder and planting a kiss there, he switched off the alarm and rolled out of bed. Gail kept her eyes shut, adrift between sleep and waking while the shower gurgled and the electric shaver whirred in the attached bathroom. Drawers and the closet door thumped. The mattress creaked when Matt sat on his side to put on his shoes. Minutes later, he walked over to her side to tuck the sheet more snugly around her and kiss her goodbye, his spicy aftershave tickling her nose. It felt strange to see him leave on a Monday morning in a suit and tie instead of the uniform of the day.

Drive carefully, she murmured, as if he would roar along the freeway to the airport like a deranged race car driver if she skipped saying that. Good luck.

He patted her shoulder and strode out of the bedroom. As she listened to him clatter downstairs, then open and close the front door as he left, her stomach knotted. Hypocrite. How would he have reacted if she’d begged him to cancel the job interview in Washington and come back to bed? First he’d give me a blank stare, and then he’d decide I’d lost my mind.

She burrowed deeper under the covers. She didn’t have to rush to get up, since the community college