The Trouble With Curses

by Anara Bella

  He grabbed her hand. “Come on. Let’s dance.”

  As she stumbled behind him, she tried protesting. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea. There isn’t even a dance floor here.”

  He indicated to the other couples already swaying on the makeshift dance area several people had cleared in the middle of the room. “Close enough.”

  Without another word, he pulled her into his arms and held her so close she felt the heat emanating off his extremely fine physique—wrapping around her. Caressing her. Enveloping her.

  His scent was earthy and altogether unique. Already she knew she’d never confuse it with anyone else’s, even if she were blindfolded. Her brain had imprinted it.

  This close to him, her entire being suffused with heat. She felt herself flush with excitement, her breathing accelerated and an exhilarating tingle set up residence in her belly, keeping the ever-present butterflies company. She tried to concentrate on the slow song that was playing instead of his powerful presence, but that didn’t help in the least. The lyrics only made her think about sex even more.

  “This isn’t so bad, is it?”

  Not so bad? The man was clearly insane. The tantalizing tone of his voice was never more erotic than at that moment. And with their bodies pressed up against each other, her breasts flush with his hard chest, she felt every move he made as if it was a seductive serenade just for her. Which, of course, it was.

  Not so bad. Ridiculous man. This was terrible. The man was pure sex. And she was falling for him.

  She jerked away from him and headed back to her stool. She would leave while she still had the strength and sanity to do it.

  Rafe caught up with her. “Running away again? I didn’t think you were afraid of a challenge.”

  Afraid? Great, she couldn’t leave now. He’d know just how afraid of him she was. No, not afraid of him. Afraid of what he did to her. Of her instinctive and powerful response to him. “I was just going to the ladies’ room.” Now there was a whopper of a lie she was certain he didn’t buy. Especially since she’d all but shoved him over in her haste to get away.

  “That’s what you said last time. Just before you disappeared.”

  Selena felt herself blush. “I’ll be back.”

  She grabbed her purse and headed to the washroom. Maybe it would help if she threw some cold water on her face. She almost laughed at the absurdity of that notion. She could douse her entire body in a vat of ice cubes and it still wouldn’t help.

  There was something different about Rafe. Something she’d never encountered before and wished she hadn’t met up with now. It called to her. It pulled her very soul, and yet in one fell swoop, also made her want to get as far away from him as possible.

  The irony was that as much as she’d been considering hooking up with a guy, she hadn’t wanted to meet a guy like him. He was way too dangerous. He took immediate control of her, and that could never be. She wouldn’t allow it. She had to be the one in control. That was her number one priority.

  Anne burst into the washroom. “Who is that guy?”

  “He’s the dud you’re supposed to save me from.”

  “No way.”

  “Don’t look at me like that. I didn’t say the guy was an ogre.”

  Anne laughed. “Are you kidding me? You didn’t say the guy was a stone fox either.”

  Selena pulled out her lipstick and shrugged. “He’s okay.”

  “Okay? What the hell’s wrong with you?”

  “Nothing’s wrong. I just don’t like the guy. He makes me nervous.”

  Anne’s eyebrows rose to comical proportions. “Come on, what’s your problem? The guy looks harmless enough.”

  Harmless. The guy had sin and sex written all over him. Not that that was bad in itself. The problem was he also screamed power and control. He was the kind of guy who would expect to be in charge, and that she could never allow again. “Your definition of harmless is way different than mine.”

  Anne snorted. “Don’t be ridiculous. The guy’s sexy as hell, but that doesn’t make him dangerous. You’re just chicken.”

  “I am not.”

  Anne’s disbelieving look stopped her short. “Yes, you are. You have been ever since Ambrose and you know it.”

  Selena muttered under her breath. “I wouldn’t call that being chicken. More like being cautious.”

  “I could deal with cautious, but you’re way beyond cautious. You’re downright paranoid.”

  “And you don’t think I have reason to be?”

  Anne’s face fell and she reached out and touched Selena’s arm. “Look, the damage is done. You can’t undo what Ambrose did to you. You just have to deal with it.”

  “I am dealing with it. I don’t have any choice, do I?”

  Anne tilted her head to one side. “No, you don’t. But you don’t have to close yourself off from life either. I thought we’d already agreed you were going to find yourself a guy, or at least make the effort. That’s what the other night was about. That’s what tonight is about too.”

  “But Rafe isn’t that guy.”

  “You can’t know that already.”

  “Yes, I can.” Selena blurted it out way too fast, too vehemently, and she knew it.

  Anne eyed her closely. “There’s more going on here, isn’t there?”

  Time to retreat into feigned cluelessness. “What makes you say that?”

  “I haven’t seen you react like this to a guy in years. In fact, not since Ambrose. You’re attracted to this guy, aren’t you? I mean really attracted.”

  Selena fished around in her purse until she found her comb, and with brisk strokes ran it through her hair. “Maybe.”

  “Not maybe. Definitely. You’re terrified.”

  Selena stopped what she was doing and lifted her chin. “And what if I am?”

  “If you are then you have to pursue this. You owe it to yourself. If you don’t you’ll always wonder.”

  Selena started to object, but Anne cut her off. “Yes, you will.” Anne gave her a cheeky grin. “It doesn’t have to be anything serious, you know. You could just use him for sex.”

  “What!” The word popped out of Selena’s mouth without thought. It wasn’t so much Anne’s suggestion that shocked her. It was that Anne had nailed her heart’s secret desire even before she’d realized it was there.

  “Oh, why the hell not? Guys do it all the time. I’ve done it a time or two myself. Come on. We’ve talked about this before.”

  “I know both men and women do it all the time, but it’s never been my style.”

  “Maybe it’s time you changed your style.”

  Selena stared at her reflection in the mirror. “You think?” She sighed. “I have been trying to talk myself into taking that step, but I’m not getting very far.”

  “If there ever was a guy I’d wanna use for sex, it would be this one. He gives new meaning to the term scrumptious.”

  Selena giggled. “He does at that. Which reminds me, how’d it go with Robert? I thought you’d still be talking to him.”

  “He had to make a call. He’s canceling his plans so we can talk.”

  “That’s great.”

  “Better than I’d hoped for. I couldn’t believe it when I saw him here and I sure didn’t expect him to talk to me. In fact, I’d better get back out there before he changes his mind. Wish me luck.”

  “Luck.”

  “Now get your butt back out there and jump Rafe’s bones.” With a wink and a careless flick of her hand, she left.

  Selena shook her head and laughed at Anne’s cheekiness. Could she do that with someone as overpowering as Rafe? She’d considered the possibility of doing it with someone she felt in control around. But could she distance herself enough to just enjoy the ride with Rafe? Could she keep herself from getting emotionally involved? If she could, then she’d still be the one in control. Still maintain the necessary emotional distance she needed. Under those circumstances, Rafe would be just the man for the j
ob.

  A delicious shiver ran through her. She had no problem imagining sex with Rafe. It was sure to be seductive, sizzling and a whole lot satisfying. He’d make one hell of a boy toy.

  If she could get past her instinct to run away from him, that is. She firmed up her backbone. It was certainly worth giving it a try.

  She grinned at her attempt at bravado. Why the hell not? She could do this, and if she succeeded, things could get pretty interesting in a real big hurry.

  Decision made, she nodded at her reflection and headed back to her hotter-than-blazes, potential boy toy, Rafe.

  Chapter Four

  Something had changed.

  Rafe didn’t know what, but even Selena’s walk was different. More self-assured, more determined somehow. And definitely sexier.

  As she made her way back over to him, he couldn’t help but marvel at how beautiful she was. She took his breath away every time he saw her, and whatever had come over her just added to her allure.

  The seductive smile she threw his way clinched it. Something was up and he could only hope it meant good news for him. And if the twitch in his dick was any indication, his body was in complete agreement.

  When she reached him, she leaned in close and whispered into his ear. “Did you miss me?”

  He chuckled at her deliberate repeat of what he’d said to her earlier. “You know it.”

  “Good.”

  She sat on the stool and crossed her legs. God, she had the most amazing legs. All he could think about was having them wrapped around him while he was embedded deep inside her.

  He almost groaned at the image and couldn’t help thinking that this perpetual hard-on he sported around her was getting old fast. Especially since she wasn’t likely to allow him into her pants any time soon.

  He watched her fidget for a bit, wondering what was on her mind, when she jumped up and grabbed his hand. “Come on. I still owe you a dance.”

  That was almost the last thing he expected her to say. “Have sex with me” was dead last, but this was a close second.

  Following behind her, he contemplated the seductive sway to her hips. If she ever delivered on all the promises her body made, he’d die a very happy man with an enormous smile pasted on his completely satisfied face.

  Still, it was strange the way she was all of a sudden taking the lead. Up to now, he’d almost had to force her to just talk to him. Now here she was pulling him close to her voluptuous body, wrapping her arms around him, just like he wished she would in a far more intimate setting. It just didn’t fit. Well, her body fit just fine, better than fine in fact, but her actions were out of character.

  Not that he was complaining.

  Deciding it was pointless trying to figure women out, especially this one, he stopped thinking and just enjoyed the warm, lush feel of her in his arms. Although he wasn’t sure that was such a good idea either. She fit so perfectly, felt so right that his body reacted in the most predictable of ways. She had to be able to feel his hard-on pressing against her and based on her recent reactions around him, he still wasn’t sure she wouldn’t run at any moment.

  His brow furrowed as he contemplated his unusual lack of self-control around Selena. This exaggerated reaction wasn’t like him at all, even when he was attracted to a woman. Of course, he’d never been this drawn to anyone before.

  On top of that, he sure as hell wasn’t used to the kind of one-sided chase she was leading him on and it was driving him nuts. Women either liked him or they didn’t. He just didn’t bother with the ones who didn’t. Not that there had been that many of them. But somehow he couldn’t seem to do that with Selena. Giving up on her was not an option.

  She snuggled even closer, leaving nothing to his imagination, and his vivid imagination was already in overdrive. Her fingers tangled with the hair on his nape and her full breasts pressed into him. He fervently wished they were somewhere private, alone and naked so he could lick and suck her nipples until she screamed her release.

  He pulled back a smidge before he lost complete control and just hiked up her skirt and took her right here on the dance floor. Damned hormones were running his life since he met Selena and he didn’t think he liked it much. Not that he could help himself.

  When the song finished, he stepped out of her arms with great reluctance and glanced into her expressive eyes. What he saw there almost stole his breath.

  Desire and yearning burned in their haunting depths. How it was possible he didn’t know, but they echoed the potent feelings surging through him—something he’d barely dared hope would happen at some distant point in the future. And he knew she saw the same surge of emotions in his eyes because there was no way he could hide it. It was too raw, too immediate.

  On one level he was aware they should be doing something—dancing, heading back to their seats, anything. Despite that, they continued to stare at each other, not saying a word, just drinking each other in. In that moment, the desire to kiss her was so strong it almost felled him.

  Another song started up, but it didn’t change a thing. They still didn’t move. He liked to think she was as loathe to break the spell as he was, but didn’t hold out much hope of that. It took another couple bumping into them to jar them back to the present.

  He cleared his throat. “I guess we should go back to our seats.”

  “I guess we should.” She gave him a mysterious smile that tugged at his crotch, making him wonder what was on her mind.

  As they headed back to their seats, he contemplated what his next move should be. This new attitude of hers was throwing him, and he was afraid to jinx it by saying the wrong thing.

  The bartender brought their drinks over and went back to drying glasses. Strangely Selena now seemed to be avoiding his eyes, and instead stared at her drink while twirling the ever-present swizzle stick around in it. Instead of letting the silence worry him, Rafe used it to study her. If he could just figure her out.

  He noted the adorable little uptilt to her nose, convinced it hid an extremely wide stubborn streak. Her long dark fan of lashes and full ripe lips just begged to be kissed. Everything about her was perfect as far as he was concerned.

  Suddenly, as if a cold wind swept between them, he could feel an air of standoffishness wrap itself around her again. He didn’t know what had happened but the change in her was all pervasive and her body language screamed, “back off”.

  It was so weird. On the outside Selena seemed calm and collected, more interested in what the bartender was doing than in him or anything else going on around her. But somehow he knew that on the inside she was churning with emotions. Maybe it was how she shifted away from him. Maybe it was the sudden tenseness in her shoulders.

  Or maybe it was the blast of cold now emanating off her in frostifying waves.

  What the hell had happened? She’d been one hundred percent with him while they were dancing. Had she all of a sudden turned shy after practically duct-taping herself to his body? It just didn’t make any sense.

  The bartender cursed, breaking into Rafe’s thoughts and Selena’s naturally pale complexion drained of all color. Rafe dragged his gaze away from her to see what had captured her attention and saw the bartender staring blankly at his bleeding hand. Pieces of broken glass lay on the counter in front of him. It looked like he’d broken the glass he was drying and managed to cut his hand in the process. Quite badly too.

  Before Rafe could move to help the man, Selena gracefully crumpled forward in an unconscious heap in his lap.

  “Selena!”

  What on earth was going on? He gathered her into his arms, making sure he had a good hold on her, and carried her over to the closest booth.

  Addressing the couple sitting there, he stated the obvious. “She’s fainted. I need to lay her down.”

  Without a word, the couple vacated the booth and pushed the table out of the way so Rafe could lay her on the bench seat.

  He grabbed a jacket lying on the seat, rolled it up and placed it under
her knees to elevate her legs.

  Leaning in close he could see she was breathing normally. In fact, other than being white as a sheet she looked fine. Surely she’d wake up soon. If she didn’t they’d have to call 911.

  What the hell had happened?

  With relief, he saw her eyelids start to flutter just before she opened her eyes.

  She weakly raised a hand to her head. “What happened?”

  “You tell me. You fainted.”

  “Shit!”

  Interesting reaction. “Does this happen often?”

  “No, thank God.”

  She tried to get up but he held her down. “Oh no you don’t. You’re liable to pass out again if you get up too soon. Just lie back and relax.”

  “This is so embarrassing.”

  “What’s so embarrassing? You fainted. And quite elegantly I might add.”

  Her eyes snapped to his. “You wouldn’t understand.”

  “You’re right. I’ve never fainted. But it’s not like you just belted out a tuneless rendition of Tonight’s the Night in front of everyone here.”

  She half-giggled and he relaxed. It couldn’t be anything serious if she could laugh.

  “You’re right.”

  “On the bright side, I was right about you falling into my lap. And way ahead of schedule, I might add.”

  She didn’t quite blush, but some hint of color definitely returned to her face. “Don’t let it go to your head.”

  He chuckled. “I’ll do my best. Any idea why you fainted?”

  She heaved a great sigh in obvious disgust with herself. “I always faint at the sight of blood.”

  “You’re kidding.”

  Someone thrust a glass of water at Selena. “No, she’s not.”

  Rafe glanced up to find Selena’s friend standing there. She held out her hand to Rafe. “I’m Anne, Selena’s friend.”

  He shook it and nodded. “I saw you with her earlier.”

  “She’s had a deathly fear of the sight of blood since she was a kid.”

  “At least it’s not something more serious.”

  “Depends on who you are,” Anne said.

  He wondered at the odd comment, but shrugged it off. “Anything special we should be doing?”