Under Tanner's Thumb [A Siren Adult Fairy Tale] Read online

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  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.sirenpub.com

  Copyright ©2007 by Sage Burnett

  First published in 2007, 2007

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  NOTICE: This work is copyrighted. It is licensed only for use by the original purchaser. Making copies of this work or distributing it to any unauthorized person by any means, including without limit email, floppy disk, file transfer, paper print out, or any other method constitutes a violation of International copyright law and subjects the violator to severe fines or imprisonment.

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  A Siren Adult Fairy Tale

  Under Tanner's Thumb

  Tanner Clinton plays along with his nephew, Jeremy, when the little tyke casts a spell on him over the phone. Believing he turned his uncle into Tom Thumb, Jeremy tells Tanner he needs to kiss a fairy princess and nuzzle her neck before he'll be six foot tall again.

  While sipping a glass of wine, Camille Barton knows she's losing it big time when a two-inch naked man suddenly appears on her porch one evening. The wine is supposed to tamp down the anger brewing inside her system that her no good boyfriend caused, not make her hallucinate. The voice that vibrates from the tiny man is rich and seductive. Camille wishes that deep irresistible voice accompanied a normal-sized man instead of one the size of Tom Thumb. When the man asks her if she can put him up for the night, Camille figures she's already a case for the psychiatric journals, so why not?

  And when she wakes up in the morning with a six foot hunk of burning love...

  UNDER TANNER'S THUMB

  A Siren Adult Fairy Tale

  Sage Burnett

  EROTIC ROMANCE

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  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  ABOUT THIS E-BOOK: Your purchase of this e-book allows you to one LEGAL copy for your own personal use. It is ILLEGAL to send your copy to someone who did not pay for it. Distribution of this e-book, in whole or in part, online, offline, in print or in any way or any other method currently known or yet to be invented, is forbidden without the prior written permission of both the publisher and the copyright owner of this book.

  UNDER TANNER'S THUMB

  Copyright © 2007 by Sage Burnett

  ISBN: 1-933563-84-2

  First E-book Publication: April 2007

  Cover design by Jinger Heaston

  All cover art and logo copyright © 2007 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  PUBLISHER

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  UNDER TANNER'S THUMB

  A Siren Adult Fairy Tale

  SAGE BURNETT

  Copyright © 2007

  Chapter 1

  "I bet I can turn you into Tom Thumb,” Jeremy said.

  Tanner Clinton chuckled before he took a swig of beer. “Sure you can.” He lifted his long legs and plopped his bare feet on the coffee table. He got a real kick out of listening to his five-year-old nephew chatter on about his life.

  "I really can, Uncle Tanner. I been reading lots of stories. Magic stories."

  "Okay, cast a spell on me and we'll see what happens.” He shifted the phone to his other ear.

  "I'm gonna turn you into Tom Thumb. ‘Cause that's a good story."

  "Go for it.” He drained the last swallow of beer from the bottle, sliding it on the end table next to his couch. Yawning, he waited for Jeremy to throw some hocus-pocus at him. Glancing at the wall clock across the room, he saw that it was past ten. His sister, Ann, let Jeremy stay up late on Friday nights.

  When his nephew didn't rattle off any magic words at him, he wondered if the little guy has drifted off. True, it was only nine in Seattle. “Hey, buddy. You still with me?"

  "Shhh ... I need to be quiet."

  Another minute passed. So what if his only nephew was burning up the long distance air waves between Washington and Montana?

  "Done,” Jeremy finally said. “I know you're real short now."

  "Holy sh—” He caught himself in the of nick time. No cursing in front of his nephew. “I mean, holy cow. I'm about two inches tall now. Heck, I can't even hold onto the phone."

  Jeremy responded with loud squeals of laughter.

  "I'm so short I had to crawl up on the phone so I can talk to you."

  More laughter bubbled over the line. “Told you, Uncle Tanner."

  "How about shooting me back up to six feet again because I have lots of work to do on the ranch tomorrow."

  "Can't do it, Uncle Tanner."

  "Why not?"

  "A fairy princess has to kiss you before you'll be tall again. And you have to, um.... nuzzle her neck like Mama does to me."

  "Okay, then, Send me a fairy princess."

  "I'll work on it. I gotta go to bed now. Night, Uncle Tanner."

  "Night, buddy."

  He sure as hell could use a fairy princess in his life since he had gone so damn long without a woman. The family jewels felt slightly tarnished. They needed a good and thorough polishing. Tanner stood up, scratched his bare chest before he walked around his house switching off the lights.

  Maybe he'd get lucky tonight and at least dream about making love with a beautiful fairy princess. A man had to take what he could get in times of drought. Inside his bedroom, he stripped off his jeans and briefs, kicking them aside before he climbed into bed.

  He definitely needed some good loving. Stacking his hands behind his head, he stared up at the ceiling. Since his ex-fiancé Jenny, had called off their engagement a year ago, he hadn't seen much action in the female department. Jenny had been right about their relationship. They didn't have what it took for the long haul.

  After turning off the night light, he rolled onto his side. It wasn't just the sex he missed, he also missed the companionship of a woman. Maybe Jeremy's magic spell would work and he'd meet his fairy princess.

  Yeah, right. If only it was that easy...

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  Camille Barton sat on her back porch, listening to the creak of the ancient wooden rocking chair as she sipped her wine. The cool, April night air soothed the anger still brewing inside of her. Of course, the red wine helped, too. Another one bites the dust.

  Stood up again. How many times did that make for her now? Todd Wilson would never set foot inside her house again or in her bed for that matter. She was certain of that after the message she'd left on his answering machine an hour ago. No more dangling by her fingertips from a cliff waiting for him to show up for their dates. One of these years, she might learn.

  Ready to take another sip of wine, she nearly leaped out of her skin at the sound of a deep, masculine voice.

  "Do you think you could help me, lady?"

  Her eyes quickly scanned her backyard. The porch light over her head only illuminated so far into the yard. Springing up from the rocker, she walked to the edge of the porch and searched for the source of that deep, husky voice.

  "Careful. You damned near stepped on me."

  "What?"

  "Look down by your left foot."

  Bullets of fear shot through her at the bizarre request and the fact she couldn't see the man. Since she hadn't even finished her first glass of wine yet, there was no way she was falling down drunk. Besides, she didn't do falling down drun
k. The bulb near the door afforded enough light for her to see the entire porch clearly. Goose bumps popped out on her flesh, but that could be because she didn't have on a jacket. Her instincts warned her to bolt inside the house and quick, but when she heard that seductive male voice again...

  "Can you please just look down?"

  The masculine voice held a richness to it, reminding her of a decadent two layer dark chocolate cake. Sucking in a deep breath, she slowly lowered her eyes.

  "Ohmigod!” She jumped back, and the wine glass slipped from her fingers, shattering into a dozen pieces across the porch boards.

  "Jesus, you could have killed me."

  Staring down at the tiny creature standing on her porch, she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Camille blinked and shook her head simultaneously. She'd skipped dinner because Todd was supposed to have taken her out to dinner. Still, there was no way that one glass of wine could make her hallucinate.

  She blinked several more times more to make sure her eyes weren't playing tricks on her. Sure enough, a tiny naked man about two inches tall, hands resting on his hips, stood near her left foot, staring up at her.

  "You wouldn't happen to be a fairy princess would you?” he said.

  "Come again?” Good lord, was she really talking to a two-inch naked man? It had been a long day at work, not to mention the disappointing and anger filled evening. But still...

  "I need to be kissed by a fairy princess,” he paused. “Oh yeah, and I have to nuzzle her neck, too, so I can grow back to my regular size."

  Shaking her head again, Camille hoped to toss aside the effects of the red wine, if that was possible.

  "It's pretty damn cold out here."

  "Well ... um ... that's because you're naked."

  "I don't remember Tom Thumb running around naked,” he grumbled.

  Tom Thumb, the fairy tale? It had been years since she'd read that book. And it had been a fairy tale. She was firmly rooted in reality with her job as an accountant at a local bank and a no good boyfriend. Correction. Ex-boyfriend.

  "Do you have any clothes that would fit me?"

  That manly voice...

  Geez, even her old Barbie doll's clothes would be too big for this little guy. “No, not really."

  Camille kept expecting him to disappear because stress had to be responsible for causing this episode. Episode of what, she wasn't sure. She had leaped off her rocker literally. “Are you for real?"

  He held up his hands and circled around. “Do I look real?"

  "You know, I have to be honest here. You're about two inches tall, so no, you don't look real."

  "Jeremy cast a spell on me."

  For a smidgen of a thing, he had a voice that could seduce and tempt a woman. “And who might Jeremy be?"

  "My five-year-old nephew."

  "Your five-year-old nephew cast a spell on you? Yeah, right. And I'm really Cindy Crawford."

  "You kind of look like her, but no way as tall. Your hair's about the same color, but shorter,” he paused. “And you're more curvy."

  Oh, now she felt positively certifiable because it sounded like the little man was coming onto her. Had she conjured him up because of Todd's thoughtlessness and insensitivity over the past several months? If that was the case, why couldn't her imagination at least get the guy up to normal size?

  "I'm going to bed.” Practical was her middle name. Engaged in a conversation with a runt of a guy that had a deep, intoxicating voice didn't fit into the parameters of her practicality.

  "Are you going to leave me out here to freeze to death?"

  Chewing on her bottom lip, she stared down at him. Dark, midnight colored hair covered his teeny, tiny head. And it looked like the same black hair covered his chest and his ... uh, oh. Bending forward from the waist, she saw that he had all of his man equipment, only in miniature.

  Camille considered calling the local mental hospital and begging them to come and cart her off.

  "Touch me,” he said.

  So the bogus Tom Thumb was a pervert to boot. “Sorry, no can do."

  "If you touch me, you'll see I'm a real man. All flesh and blood."

  True, the measure of man wasn't determined by his size, but this was pushing the envelope a tad too far.

  "Come on,” he coaxed in a husky voice. “Then you'll know I'm for real."

  Why the hell not? Her evening had already turned out to be a wash out, she might as well play along. She crouched down and slowly reached out, letting her hand hover over his head. Working up the nerve to actually touch Mr. Tom Thumb, she gently poked him in the chest with her forefinger.

  A mixture of fear and confusion raced through her because he actually felt like a man of flesh and blood. Camille leaped up. “I'm losing it. I mean, big time losing it."

  Spinning around, she padded across the porch.

  "You just can't find it in your heart to put a guy up for the night?"

  Camille stopped and glanced over her shoulder. She wanted her practical life back. A practical man, and a practical picket fence to go along with it.

  The voice that boomed out of him did things to her. If a naked man had to show up suddenly on her porch, why couldn't he be a tall, muscular hottie? If he really was a man. Because if he was a normal sized man, that voice of his could get her to do things. Impractical things. Sexy things.

  In the morning, she'd wake up and realize this had all been some cock-eyed, twisted, insane dream. “Sure. Why not? Follow me."

  "With pleasure."

  Still looking over her shoulder, she could have sworn his gaze focused in on her butt in her snug, faded jeans. Why did an unexpected wave of heat roll through her? Gawd ... now she was turning into a pervert like little Mr. Bogus Tom Thumb.

  From now on out, she would never skip dinner before a glass of wine and she would never date losers again either. Dating losers for the majority of her adult life had apparently brought on some kind of strange breakdown. One that hadn't been documented in any psychiatric journals as of yet.

  She'd be fine in the morning. Camille opened the door, feeling Tom Thumb following her inside. Just fine.

  As she walked through the house to her bedroom, she kept peeking over her shoulder. Tom Thumb jogged to keep up with her. It really hadn't been some kind of mini mental lapse on her porch. In the morning, he'd be gone and everything would be back to normal. She walked into her bedroom, and unbuttoned her blouse but quickly remembered she had company. The little guy leaned one shoulder against the doorframe and looked up at her.

  Camille pulled her blouse together to cover her black, lace bra. She had no intention of stripping in front of him. If there really was a him. As far as she knew this could be a dream. With her thumb, she pointed over her shoulder. “There's the bed.” Circling around, she headed for the bathroom.

  * * * *

  Tanner shoved away from the doorframe and strode over to the bed. A ladder sure as hell would be handy. The inside of his head felt swollen like he'd taken a hard punch to his face. He grabbed onto the drawer handles of the nightstand and climbed up to the top until he stood next to the digital clock. Feeling slightly dizzy after his climb, he rubbed his temples. Since his head wouldn't clear, he decided a good night's sleep would fix everything. With a lot of muscle, cursing, and determination, he managed to push back the comforter and slide under it.

  The woman returned wearing a pair of pink flannel pajamas. Suspicion glinted in her eyes when she spotted him reclining on her bed. The hard peaks of her nipples under her pajama top made his cock swell. He might be two inches tall, but nevertheless, he felt a swift rush to his groin causing another wave of dizziness to wash through him.

  Now he remembered. He had to kiss her and nuzzle her neck. Impatience grated on his nerves while waiting for her climb into bed.

  She pulled back the blankets. “Just for the record. You're not real. I'm having a break down. Tomorrow I'll be back to normal."

  Tanner heard the doubt laced in her voice. Hell, maybe
he'd had a break down, too. All he knew was he had to kiss her and nuzzle her neck, which in spite of his physical state and groggy brain he looked forward to with a combination of lust and anticipation.

  When she lay down and pulled the blankets up to her neck, Tanner frowned. He studied her neck, which had a nice line to it, not to mention that it looked soft to the touch.

  Turning her head, she narrowed her eyes at him. “Don't go getting any ideas. For some reason, I don't trust you."

  "Hey, I'm stand up kind of guy.” So much for making a move on her. He would have to wait until she fell asleep. He hoped like hell he could stay awake that long because his brain felt fuzzier with each passing minute.

  "I'm just sure you are."

  She rolled onto her side, putting her back to him before she turned off the lamp on the nightstand.

  Teeth clenched together, he stared up at the ceiling, forcing himself to stay awake. Once he completed his mission, he could get the hell out of here and be on his way home. Home? Damn, he brain was all screwed up because he couldn't remember where home was. Shit. Jaw tightening, Tanner waited for the shapely woman next to him to drift off into dreamland.

  After a long time, he listened to her steady breathing, which signaled she'd fallen asleep. Tanner inched over to her pillow, careful not to wake her. He stood up, bent over her and kissed her cheek. Her skin tasted like some sweet flowery fragrance. She sighed. Fighting back the urge to kiss her again, he lowered his lips to her neck. He rubbed his cheek against her soft and satiny skin.

  His eyelids suddenly felt heavy like weights were attached to them...

  Chapter 2

  A large, calloused hand massaged her breast. Sighing with pleasure, Camille arched her back. When a tongue raked across her nipple, tendrils of heat coasted through her. And when that same tongue drew her hardened nipple into his mouth to suckle it, languid heat slowly rippled throughout her body.

  The supple lips moved away a moment. “Mmmm.... you taste good."

  That deep seductive voice wiggled through her brain, still foggy with sleep, and sparked a vague memory. A hand wedged between her thighs spreading them open. Blunt fingertips caressed her clit.