The Moon, the Madness, and the Magic by Eliza March

interest. Rourke had slapped the thoughts down, and Dane had been right to leave, and he should run now, because Rourke wouldn’t be happy until he had everyone on their knees.
    He’d changed so much over the last month that he didn’t recognize himself. There was the incident last week with his attorney. She was pretty kinky, but in the middle of the evening, even Dane had sensed Rourke’s growing fierce penchant for rough sex and left them to their own devices.
    Rourke had bitten her. Twice. Not that she hadn’t deserved it after practically tearing his back apart with her nails. What had really freaked him out was that he swore he could hear every thought in her head at the board meeting the next morning.
    Spending so much time and energy contemplating how he was losing his mind pissed Rourke off. At least he’d always been able to depend on his sanity, even when nothing else made sense. Like his background or the
DNA
results he and Dane had gotten back a few months ago.
    Recently, the intensity of his mood swings extended beyond his sexual aggression. He’d become edgier, more vicious in his business dealings and less patient. He’d always prided himself in the rational control he utilized in business dealings, and now, he couldn’t afford to lose that edge. Holding back his emotions lately, both in bed and in the boardroom, nearly bordered on the impossible.
    With his sexual needs escalating to more and more aggressive levels, he worried that too many women in his circle might talk. Some were already uncomfortable with his fierce sexual intensity. Hell, he was uncomfortable with it himself.
    Where would it stop?
    At first, he’d ignored what was happening to him, then his wild inclinations made him wonder how far he’d go. Where were his limits? If he didn’t find an outlet to safely discharge some of his pent-up frustrations soon, he figured he’d explode. God help anyone around him when that happened, because he didn’t have any idea where he’d draw the line. Not anymore.
    He’d been sick and disgusted with himself the day he’d passed the travel agency and glanced inside. He wanted answers, and he had to get this craving out of his system. The answers had hummed in his head like a swarm of bees buzzing around, drawing him into the store.
    The travel brochure about Fantasy Lodge had practically jumped into Rourke’s hand. A vacation. The marketing for the lodge couldn’t have been clearer. Rumors claimed every self-gratifying need could be fulfilled there, and according to the plagiarized theme, What happened in Arctic, Colorado, stayed in… He sighed with relief. Just what he needed. Time off and a safe place with willing partners.
    When he’d brought home the brochure and mentioned the idea of a vacation to Dane, his brother thought an early birthday getaway sounded like a great idea. The photos in the brochure confirmed the place was exactly what they needed. He carefully read aloud the part spelling out how the place provided enough hedonistic promises to satisfy a horny college football team.
    Dane, being Dane, wasted no time making the arrangements for them to take off work and then called and made the reservations for both of them. Just thinking about all the possibilities had made Rourke’s groin knot with expectation.
    He’d taken another look at the brochure and sensed something familiar about the place.
    Or had it been something else?
    The hell with waiting. Rourke was a driven man when he decided to go look for Celeste. He may have warned Dane off, but he recognized the turmoil conflicting with his brother’s better judgment. He was tempted to cross the line this time, to break their solemn pledge, and Rourke noted that the woman wasn’t immune to his brother’s charms, either. Rourke hadn’t missed how Celeste had reacted to Dane. Rourke had to stake his claim before Dane did.

Chapter 6

    Celia

    Last night, like now, Celeste felt the need to run from Rourke. Yet in the light of