by Lisa Rayns
“Gentleman?” I gasped, my eyebrows straining upward. “Are you serious?”
With a hearty laugh, he walked to the door and held it open. “Let’s go.”
The open door jolted my senses and made my skin prickle. I couldn’t do what he was asking me to do. I pulled a key off the top of the refrigerator and handed it to him. “There’s a box labeled “Siwa” in the den. You can grab it and bring it back here.”
He took the key and then swiftly grabbed my arm, pulling me towards the door.
“Emma, is everything all right?” David stood in the doorway, wearing another oil-stained gray T-shirt. He stared at Calvin’s hand on my arm.
“Hi Dave,” I said, feeling relieved that I had someone on my side. “Everything’s fine. Calvin was just leaving.”
“Is he bothering you?”
Calvin chuckled and let go of my wrist to square himself to David. “Are you trying to get into her pants too? Frigid little bitch, isn’t she?”
“I think you should go,” he said, stepping closer to Calvin.
Tension gathered in my shoulders as I stared in awe at the two large men. I wasn’t prepared to handle this much stress. Damn it! Why did he have to pour my drink down the fucking drain?
Calvin shot me a smile. “How precious. I think this one will fight for you. Do you really want that?”
Suddenly feeling alarmed, I stepped in between the two and pried them apart, using my hands like a crowbar. “I’m fine, David. We’re just going to go for a drive. I’ll stop over later if you want.”
“Are you sure, Emma? Do you want me to call the police?”
“NO! No, I’ll be fine. Calvin is an old friend. He just hasn’t discovered manners yet,” I said, throwing Calvin a look.
“All right.” David stepped toward the door, but his eyes remained narrowed at Calvin while he spoke to me. “Stop over later then so I know you’re all right.”
“Will do,” I promised, giving him a reassuring smile.
Once in the car, I propped my feet up on the dash. “Why did you act like that? David’s my only friend in the world and you weren’t even decent to him.”
He glared at me for a second and then slammed on the breaks until my head hit my knees. When he smiled and sped up again, I cringed and raked my hair off my face.
“Real mature. You used to be the sweetest boy in the world.”
After a long silence, he bit down so hard I heard his teeth grind together. “You made a promise to me,” he said, forcing the words out slowly.
“And I’m helping. I’m going, aren’t I?”
“No. That’s not what I mean. You made a promise to me ten years ago. Did you forget that?” He glanced over at me, a mixture of pain and anger in his eyes. “Or did you drink away all your brains cells that comprehend loyalty? How dare you call me indecent!”
I shook my head, trying to understand. “What are you talking about?”
“We were supposed to meet.”
Moisture gathered below my pupils when I realized that he hadn’t forgotten me. He’d gone to meet me in New York. Even though I hadn’t made it, it meant so much just to know that he had. “I didn’t forget,” I choked out around the lump in my throat.
“So you just changed your mind?” he huffed.
“No.” I shook my head adamantly. “My dad…my father died the night before my birthday and then seven other funerals followed, all my aunts and uncles, one cousin. By the time that nightmare ended, I knew you weren’t waiting anymore. But I never forgot.”
Another long silence followed until he parked the car in front of my father’s house. He turned to me, his hard, angry expression nonexistent. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t know. I thought––”
“No. I’m sorry. I should have tried to contact you…I shouldn’t have been so self-absorbed.”
He took a deep breath and sat back in his seat. “You were really planning to go?”
I nodded. “I was ready to run away with you, I swear it. Look at me, I’m still running.”
He did look at me, long and hard. My heart nearly stopped when he leaned over and settled his mouth over mine. Butterflies swirled in my stomach, creating pleasure and heat. I readily opened to him and he slid his tongue into my mouth, caressing me with the tip. He cupped the back of my head to kiss me deeply and possessively while his other hand traced my cheek
“I’ve always wanted you,” he whispered roughly, spreading soft kisses down my neck.
Overwhelmed by his tenderness, I closed my eyes and arched my back, baring my neck. Desire pulsed and throbbed inside of me like my own heartbeat, and my head fogged as if overheated.
He kissed my lips again, wildly and his hands dropped to my waist. “Make love to me Cleo.”
I hadn’t realized I’d been longing to hear those words until he actually said them. His lips heated my body, and I feared I might melt under his kisses. His fingers caressed my stomach and left sensual tingles rippling across my skin. When he started to raise my shirt, I opened my eyes…and panicked.
The midday sun warmed my mother’s old garden while my father’s house stared back at me with disapproval. Painful memories slapped my face and made me feel guilty for enjoying myself when they no longer could. “Not here,” I whispered, pulling my shirt back down.
“No neighbors,” he responded and then bit my neck, triggering a bolt of excitement I found hard to suppress.
“I…I can’t,” I stammered, fighting to sound stern. “Please, just not here.”
He finally pulled back to his own seat, stretched, and then wiped his face with his hands. He opened the window, appearing pained as he sucked in a large breath of the fresh air. When he turned back to me, he scowled. “Fine. Let’s go in.”
I glanced at the large brick house and then back at him. “You go. Please.”
He hesitated but softened when he looked into my eyes. “You have to face it. You’re never going to be able to move on until you do.”
I nodded. “I’ll face it soon. Just not today.”
“All right.” He took another long, calming breath before he exited the car.
Lighting a cigarette, I inhaled and tried to pretend like I didn’t see my parents’ ghosts. My father, who’d always been so in-tune with the earth, raked leaves, while my mother rocked in her favorite chair in the living room. I saw them as plainly as I saw Calvin enter the house. They smiled and waved at each other and then they both turned and waved at me. I waved back, moisture falling from my eyes in a steady stream.
Eventually Calvin returned and placed a large box in the back seat. Once in the driver’s seat, he looked at me with a puzzled expression. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I said, waving the smoke out of my face one last time.
“What’s wrong Cleo?” he asked, raising his voice.
“My parents,” I whispered, not taking my eyes off them.
“What about them?”
“They’re here.”
Calvin looked at the house and waved. That moment I knew I had the old Calvin back. He was once again the sweetest boy in the world who’d do anything to make me feel better. I knew he didn’t see the ghosts, but he didn’t make fun of me either. The sentiment meant everything.
****
When we made it back to my apartment, I went straight over to David’s house to set his mind at ease. He didn’t answer the door and his garage door was closed so I knew he was gone; he liked to show off his car whenever he was home. I hoped he wasn’t mad at me for what happened with Calvin. I left a note on his door that read: I’m really, really sorry. I’ll see you soon. Love, Emma.
Chapter 8
Calvin sat in the middle of my living room floor, knee deep in piles of paper when I tiptoed in the door. He hadn’t put on a shirt, and I couldn’t help but admire the picturesque view of his sculptured, tan torso. Of course, we had to find a way to break the curse first, but he’d awoken a sleeping giant in me that wanted to throw him onto my bed and…
“Listen to this.” He turned as though he’d sensed me watching and read the paper in his hand. “I shall seize his body with the force of a great snake. His years shall be diminished. His heart shall not be content in life.”
“Sounds partly right,” I drawled, closing the door behind me. “I’m going to order some pizza. What kind do you like?”
He looked up from the paper. “What do you mean partly right?”
“I mean, if you’re correlating that curse with my…” I cleared my throat uncomfortably, “…victims, it’s only partly right.” Thank God Mr. Cade didn’t hear me say that.
Calvin’s eyebrows pulled together. “What the hell are you saying? Which part isn’t right?”
I rolled my eyes and yanked my phone out of my pocket. “I’m saying, most of my uncles and aunts lived very happy lives. So did Chad. What kind of toppings do you want?”
He thought for a second and then shook his head. “I don’t care. Who’s Chad?” he asked, eyeing me suspiciously.
Suddenly the air inside my apartment seemed thinner than before. “Um…just a minute,” I said, holding up my finger. “I’m starving. Let me go order this and then I’ll be right back.”
After ordering the pizza in my bedroom, I paced and tried to imagine Calvin’s reaction to me having a boyfriend. He’d just started to act like the boy I used to know, and I didn’t want that to change. His possessive attitude was slightly annoying, but I couldn’t say I hated it. I hadn’t belonged anywhere in years, and for the first time, it felt good to be wanted by someone I didn’t have to worry about killing. Calvin just felt right. He’d always felt right to me.
“Well?” he asked from the doorway.
As I turned, I forgot the question, and a smile spread across my face. His hair had dried messy and sexy, and his presence in my room made my nasty thoughts spring to the surface. I sat down on the bed and leaned back on my hands. “Why didn’t you make love to me last night?”
“That’s a stupid question. Who’s Chad?” he persisted.
“Why is it a stupid question? I told you I wanted to.”
“Yeah, when you were high on ecstasy,” he scoffed. “That’s hardly the same thing.”
“What about now?” I batted my eyelashes and ran my fingers through the length of my hair. I didn’t have any experience with seducing men; mostly I tied up my sneakers and ran for the hills. From the frown on his face, I gathered I still needed a lot of practice.
“Is there a reason you don’t want to tell me?”
Sensing defeat, I sat up. “All right. He’s the guy I’m going to fry in the electric chair for.”
“Is he a relative?”
“No.”
“Stop making me guess,” he commanded. His eyes were drawing mine, begging for the truth.
I couldn’t lie. “He was my first boyfriend.”
The lack of emotion Calvin demonstrated seemed like the calm before the storm. He composed himself perfectly and that worried me. I feared he might be sad, but his face held no hints.
Finally, he folded his arms and leaned against the door frame. “So why are they accusing you? Were you…with him?”
I shook my head. “No. He left the bar before me. I never did anything with him either. We kissed a couple of times.” I shrugged, hoping honesty would win me a couple of points.
Calvin stared at me for a moment and then spun on his heel and left the room. He went back to the box of papers and continued searching through them like nothing had happened. He didn’t look up when I followed him out.
I sat down on the sofa quietly, wondering what was going on inside his head. I waited patiently for him to say anything, angry or not, but only the ruffling of papers broke the silence in the room.
“Are you mad?” I finally asked.
“Does it matter? Why don’t you go have a drink?”
Sarcastic or not, he didn’t have to ask me twice. I poured myself a glass of red wine and refilled it twice before the doorbell rang. No longer hungry, I tipped the delivery driver and set the pizza box beside Calvin.
His mood seemed to improve after a couple of pieces. He talked to me in a civil tone, but he was all business, pointing out the piles for cursed and non-cursed items. He even asked me to decipher the items without notes below them.
My insides felt warm as I intently watched him read paper after paper. I smoked a cigarette and tried to grasp my normal I don’t give a damn attitude, but I couldn’t let it go. “Don’t tell me you never had a girlfriend.”
He looked up at me curiously. “Of course, I did. What a stupid thing to say.”
“Stop calling me stupid! Is that what you think of me?”
“I never called you stupid.” He leaned forward to look into my eyes. “I think you’re very brilliant. I think you waste your talents by being shitfaced all the time and I think the things you say on occasion are stupid.”
I sat back and took another drink. I wasn’t sure if he’d just complimented or insulted me. I didn’t want to fight with him in the first place. I’d only brought it up to gain a little reprieve. “So what was her name?”
He looked up long enough to scowl at me, and then he returned to his work.
I finally grabbed my own paper and began working as studiously as him. By midnight we’d successfully separated cursed from non-cursed, but we still didn’t have a clue what we were looking for.
Calvin continued to pour over the cursed ones but I had to lay down right there on the floor. I couldn’t get comfortable without a pillow so I gently eased forward to rest my head on one of his thighs. I was grateful he didn’t jerk it out from under me.
My head lay on Calvin’s chest as he slept beside me on the floor. One hand pillowed his head while the other ran down the length of my back. I listened to the sound of his beautiful heartbeat and realized the intimacy I’d missed out on my whole life. I hadn’t been able to be close to anyone in so long and I wanted to stay there forever feeling his warmth. He seemed so peaceful and strong and he had a little smile on his face.
I moved my hand slightly to feel his chest. His body responded immediately, rolling over to wrap me in an embrace. His lips found my neck and kissed me once, and then he grabbed my arms and held them above my head. I wasn’t fighting.
“Damn you!” he said forcefully. He kissed me recklessly hitting half my lips and half my cheek. “You make me so mad. You don’t even think about what you say before you say it.” He nipped my neck, making me moan helplessly and then he pulled away to stare into my eyes. “David is not your only friend in the world and Chad was not your first boyfriend! And those were stupid things to say! It was me. Why do you keep saying it wasn’t me like you don’t remember, or like I don’t even matter to you? And you were my girlfriend! Don’t you remember us at all?”
When he released my arms, I brought my fingers up to trace his brow and then his lips. “Of course I do. You were the first boy I ever kissed, the only boy I ever loved. I’m sorry, you’re right. I’m an idiot. I never should have said that, any of it. I never forgot you.”
“Then stop denying me.” His eyes turned intense in an instant, and he made a sweep down my body like he just realized he was straddling me. He licked his lips, making my heart beat faster.
He lifted my shirt up and dove down to my stomach. He kissed me, every inch from left to right and when he made it all the way across he moved up an inch and kissed right to left. His beautiful eyes were closed, and I didn’t think he’d ever make it to my breasts. When my phone rang, I grabbed it out of my pocket and answered it just to shun my impatience.
“Hello?”
“Hello, Miss Patrix, I’m glad you answered. Have you had any luck breaking the curse yet?”
I faintly recognized Norman Clastrik’s voice through the static on the line. “Not yet.”
“Well, I may have something for you then.”
“What’s that?” I gently pushed Calvin off me and stood up to hear more clearly.
&n
bsp; Calvin rolled onto his back and let out a heavy sigh.
“The snake on your necklace is wrapped around a tablet. Did you notice that?”
“Yes, of course, I did.”
“Do you know the story of Apep and Bast?”
“Yes.”
“There was no decree in that story, therefore, I believe the tablet might be the clue you are looking for.”
“What do you mean decree?”
“I mean the tablet shouldn’t be there.”
“There was a tablet buried beneath the box with the necklaces in it. Do you think that’s the key?”
“Yes, I think the curse might have been created when the inscription was made.”
“So what do we do? Just read the tablet?”
“I’m sorry, I have no idea. It’s worth a shot though. If it doesn’t work, maybe you could try reading it backwards.”
“Thank you so much!”
“Good luck to you both, Miss Patrix.”
I plunged back through the pile of papers until I found a picture of the tablet. “This is it! Calvin?” When I heard water running, I ran into the bathroom. “Calvin! Norman Clastrik has an idea about how to break the curse! All we have to do is read the tablet that we found with the necklaces.”
“That’s great!” he yelled, surpassing my best sarcasm attempts.
“I thought this is what you wanted…”
He opened the shower curtain and turned, fully exposing himself to me. His size had me biting my lip just so my jaw didn’t fall to the floor. The water ran down his wet body frivolously, creating a wet playground that looked dangerously tempting. My huge eyes didn’t try to close or even look away.
He smiled at my response. “You’re right, I do want this. I guess I can keep my hormones in check for another day or two.”
The thought slightly disappointed me but I knew it was for the best. If I were to crawl into bed with him, I wasn’t sure I’d ever want to get out…for anything, especially Detective Cade when he hauled me off to prison. I wandered out of the bathroom and waited on the sofa.
Calvin met me in the living room wearing jeans and a blue jean shirt that made his eyes stand out. He seemed more relaxed when he pulled me into his arms and ran his hands over my hair. “I’m sorry. Being around you again makes me a little crazy. Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for you?”
