The Trouble With Curses

by Anara Bella

  “Nah, she’ll be fine. She just needs to rest for a minute.”

  With Selena out of danger, Rafe could finally drag his eyes away from her and noted that one of the other bar employees had pulled out a first-aid kit from somewhere and was taking care of the bartender.

  Well, one thing was for sure, his sister must have been wrong about tonight. Again. All that blood and he didn’t sense any ravenous vampires in the vicinity. It was all so strange. What had put Larke’s visions off?

  He glanced back over to Anne. “Do the two of you need a ride home?”

  Before Anne could say a word, Selena jumped in. “We didn’t come together, but I can find my own way home.”

  “I’m not sure that’s such a good idea.”

  Selena leaned up on her elbows. “Well, I think it is.”

  He tried reasoning with her. “Selena, you just fainted.”

  Her eyes flashed fire. “Give me a minute and you won’t even be able to tell. You’ll see.”

  He had his doubts, but she was obviously determined. Even if it meant killing herself.

  Stubborn woman. He’d already suspected it about her, now he knew for certain.

  He had to try one more time. “I don’t think you should drive. If you get behind the wheel of a car it’s not just yourself you’d put at risk.”

  He could tell he’d pushed too far by the mutinous look now on her face. “You think I would ever risk another person’s life?”

  What could he say? She was determined enough to want to avoid him, but he didn’t think she was the type to deliberately hurt another person. “Then I guess you didn’t drive here?”

  “Damn straight!”

  That meant she lived close by. “I could walk you home.”

  “I don’t need your or anyone else’s help.”

  “I think Rafe’s right.” Anne piped in. “I’ll take you home.”

  Selena pushed herself up off the bench and sat on the edge. “Stop fussing, Anne. I’ll be fine. Besides, I can see Robert’s waiting for you to get back to him.”

  By the expression on Anne’s face, he knew she wasn’t any happier about this than he was.

  “Come on, Selena. What’s wrong with your friend wanting to help you? She’s worried about you.”

  Selena flashed him a look that should have melted the hair right off his head. “Don’t try to make me feel guilty about this. I’ll get home under my own steam.” She slowly got to her feet, only wobbling for a moment before looking steadier. “In fact, I’m heading home right now. Without your help. Either of you.”

  Wow, he’d really struck a nerve. It would appear her independence was pretty damned important to her. More important than almost anything else. Maybe even her safety.

  Well, there were ways around that. He was a P.I. after all. No reason he couldn’t use his talents for his own benefit for a change. He’d just follow her home to make sure she got there safely. He was damned good at his job. She’d never even know he was there.

  He tried one last thing. “You’re using this as an excuse to run away from me again.” If that didn’t make her relent, he didn’t know what would.

  She stabbed him with her eyes, but he could have sworn he saw a flicker of guilt in their luminous depths. He’d hit home with that comment.

  “I’m not even going to answer that.”

  Selena looked over to Anne. “Call me when you get home. I want to know how things go with Robert.”

  Anne nodded and gave her a hug. “And I want to know you got home safe.”

  Without looking his way, Selena snatched up her purse and marched out the door.

  After jotting something on a napkin, Anne grabbed his hand and pressed the napkin into it. “Call her.”

  She gave him a long, steady look and without another word went back to her boyfriend.

  He looked at the crumpled napkin and written on it was the most welcome thing he’d seen in a long while.

  Selena’s phone number.

  He just managed to stop himself this side of whooping with joy. Anyway, he didn’t have time for that. He’d better get going or he wouldn’t be able to pick up Selena’s trail.

  Chapter Five

  There it was again.

  That damned tingly vibe on the back of her neck making it feel as if every hair on her head was straining to escape the confines of her scalp.

  She was being followed. Selena would bet her life on it.

  She wasn’t particularly terrified. There weren’t many advantages to being a vampire, as far as she was concerned, but her superhuman strength was definitely one of them. She could take care of herself, no problem.

  What worried her though was the question of who was following her.

  And why.

  If it was a criminal, he would have attacked her already when she walked past the dark alley a while back. If it was Anne, she would have said something the minute she caught up to her.

  That left Rafe.

  So, she had a dilemma. Should she confront him out here, or wait until she got home?

  She didn’t want him finding out where she lived, but as determined as he was, she figured it was only a matter of time before he found out anyway. Although later would be better than sooner.

  Or did it matter?

  If she refused to see him, there was nothing he could do about it. The problem was she didn’t know if she’d be able to fight this attraction for very much longer. For that matter, did she want to?

  For a minute, back at the bar, she’d considered doing what Anne suggested—just letting loose and having wild monkey sex with Rafe with no strings attached. Lord knew, he was tempting enough.

  But it hadn’t taken long before all her doubts and fears came to a glorious crash-landing in the forefront of her brain and she knew she wouldn’t be able to go through with it.

  Fainting had clinched it. Brought her back to her senses. She hated to be seen as weak and she was determined never to be in a vulnerable position with anyone ever again, especially a man. Being as embarrassed as hell about fainting was just enough to tip her over the edge.

  There was something else too. Something she barely acknowledged even to herself. Since she could remember, she’d always fainted at the sight of blood. Despite that, since being turned she craved it on a deep, cellular level. That craving reminded her of what she was. And even though the thought of ingesting blood completely revolted her—and she would never follow through on the craving even if she was capable of it—she was always afraid the hunger would somehow show.

  Yep, she had more than enough problems without a man like Rafe to complicate things further.

  Maybe if he didn’t affect her so strongly it’d be different. In fact, the night she’d first met Rafe, she’d sort of been on the prowl. It had taken Anne ages to talk her into at least checking out the available guys and keeping an open mind. That night had been the first time she’d semi-seriously toyed with the idea of picking up some random guy for a night of wild sex, like Anne had been bugging her to do. She’d known, though, that if she were ever able to do it, keeping emotional distance was the key.

  With Rafe, she couldn’t see how she’d be able to keep the necessary detachment to pull off a one-night stand. But damn, the sex would be hot. No, more than just hot. More like scorching hot. Blazing-inferno hot. Lava-flow hot.

  Okay, she’d better stop thinking like this or she’d turn around right now and jump Rafe’s bones.

  She forced herself to switch gears and try thinking about bunnies and kittens, anything innocuous and non-sexy, but she couldn’t stop the arousing thoughts from coming. She could still feel his breath on her cheek, his voice setting off that chain reaction of butterflies and goose bumps.

  Worse than that, she could imagine his lips kissing their way down her neck to her breasts, sucking and licking her nipples to diamond-hard peaks, until she was out of her mind with wanting to have him inside her. She could almost feel his hard erection pressed against her belly, like it
had when they were dancing.

  God, she was just thinking about it and already she could feel herself getting wet for him.

  Only one other man had come even close to affecting her this way.

  Ambrose.

  The man who could turn her insides to mush without even trying. Who’d made her feel like the sexiest woman who ever lived. Who’d made her feel like she was the most important person in his life.

  The man who’d turned out not to be a man at all. Who had, in fact, ultimately betrayed her and turned her into a vampire. Just like him.

  No, she couldn’t take a chance with Rafe. Although it was doubtful he could harm her physically, as Ambrose had done, he could hurt her in other ways—like emotionally, or psychologically. And that was even worse.

  It had been three years since Ambrose, and she was just now beginning to get over the worst of the damage he’d done to her. Like ruining her ability to love a man, to rely on others, to simply let go and be herself. And she knew there were some things she would never get back.

  Like trust.

  She hadn’t found it easy to trust even before Ambrose’s betrayal. Which was why it had taken him so long to get close enough to be able to turn her. Even then, she’d had to be drugged into near unconsciousness. Now, it was almost impossible for her to let anyone get close to her.

  In truth, Anne was the only one she trusted since her parents had died, and she’d known Anne since high school, long before Ambrose had come on the scene. She simply didn’t allow new people she met to get close at all.

  All that baggage aside, how could she get close to anybody now? She couldn’t tell them she was a vampire. And without telling them, how could she explain the odd hours she kept and some of her other even stranger quirks. Like her aversion to sunlight. Or her ghostly reflection in a mirror.

  It wasn’t easy dating when you slept all day and were up all night. How did you tell someone you were sorry, but you couldn’t go for a walk on the beach in the bright sunshine, because if you did you would spontaneously combust into a flaming ball of fire?

  Yeah, that would go over well.

  Anyway, the crux of it was she didn’t trust Rafe. Didn’t trust him to treat her right. Didn’t trust him to not hurt her or leave. Didn’t trust herself not to fall end-over-ass in love with him.

  So, the safest course of action was to avoid him. And the first step in that direction was to confront him out here before he found out where she lived.

  She stopped walking and turned around. “Okay, Rafe. I know you’re back there. You may as well show yourself.”

  Nothing.

  “I have no intention of letting you find out where I live, so you have nothing to gain by following me. I’ll wander around all over town all night long before I’ll show you where I live.”

  A dark shadow separated itself from the wall. “How did you know I was here?”

  His rich, deep voice shivered down her spine in its usual intoxicating way. “I have a sixth sense about these things.”

  “Has to be something like that because I’m damned good at what I do. No one’s ever caught me tailing them before.”

  She threw him a quizzical look. “You do this often, do you?”

  He chuckled. “Actually, I do. I’m a private investigator.”

  Well, that explained it. If she hadn’t felt him behind her, she wouldn’t have known. “Just my luck.”

  “I didn’t intend for you to ever find out I’d followed you home tonight. I was just going to make sure you got in safely and leave.”

  That would have been great except he’d still have found out where she lived. “That’s really nice, but I already told you that I’m fine. I don’t need you checking up on me.”

  She heard rather than saw him shrug. One of the perks of having amazing hearing.

  “Sorry. My father always taught me that you took care of a lady. Made sure she got home safe and sound.”

  “But I wasn’t your date, so I’m not your responsibility.”

  “Doesn’t matter. Look, Selena, whether you like it or not I like you, and I want to get to know you a helluvalot better. I won’t give up on you anytime soon, it’s just not my way so you may as well give in and give me a chance.”

  “And I have no say in the matter?”

  “Yes and no.”

  Despite herself she laughed. “Meaning?”

  “You’ve already decided. Your heart and body have already said yes. It’s only your mind that refuses to give in.”

  “Unfortunately for you, it’s my mind that’s got the deciding vote.” The second the words passed her lips she wished them back. She’d as much as admitted to what he said.

  He shook his head. Stepping closer, he reached out and cupped her cheek. “No, it doesn’t. This is the real deciding factor.”

  She felt his sweet breath on her face just moments before his lips gently brushed across her own. They were feather-light and warm, at first coaxing, then growing more insistent as her response became evident.

  She knew she should push him away, but she couldn’t seem to make herself do it. She’d been fantasizing about kissing Rafe from the moment she’d first heard his voice trickle over her senses. Now that it was happening, the last thing she wanted to do was stop him.

  Her hands developed a mind of their own. Happily, they explored everything they could reach, from his hard biceps to his strong neck and finally ended up clutching his tight ass for everything she was worth.

  She was right in her initial assessment—he was most definitely sex-on-legs. And right now, with his erection nestled between their bodies, she wanted nothing more than to traverse the very path that led to what felt like his very impressive sex.

  She moaned into his mouth and ground her hips against him, feeling him return the exquisite pressure. Their tongues danced along each other, questing, exploring, enticing. Her breath caught. Blood pounded in her ears, all but igniting in her veins. She tried to tell herself it was just a kiss, nothing more, but who was she kidding? She’d never felt anything that came close to this kiss before.

  Everything about him struck a chord with everything she was, and everything she wanted for herself, but was too afraid to take.

  With an answering groan, his mouth started eating at hers, their tongues now melding together.

  Tasting.

  Needing.

  Wanting.

  Oh Lord, how she wanted. She wanted it all with this guy. Sex without a doubt, but the terrifying thing was she wanted more than that. She could deal with just the physical. In fact, Anne was probably right that all she needed was a good, long night of hot and heavy sex.

  But with Rafe, she found herself dreaming of the happily-ever-after, and there was no happily-ever-after for her. There couldn’t be because of what she was.

  Pushing him away with a determination she didn’t even know she possessed, she stepped back. Did she have the same stunned expression on her face he did? With disgust, she realized she must.

  Neither said anything. They couldn’t. Both of them were breathing so hard you’d have thought they’d been running for their lives. Then again, maybe they had. Rafe, because he was chasing after her. Her, because she was striving to get away from his magnetic attraction.

  The whole thing was ridiculous.

  “Why can’t you just leave me alone?” Damn her voice’s quavery betrayal.

  He reached out and skimmed his thumb across her lips. “Because I can’t.”

  She shook off his touch and his hand dropped away. “That’s not an answer.”

  “It’s the only one I can give you.”

  Selena threw her hands up in frustration. “What am I going to do with you?”

  An utterly wicked chuckle erupted from him. “I can think of a few things.”

  “I’ll just bet you can.” So could she, although she’d never let him know it.

  Despite her resistance, he pulled her into his arms and held her close. “Stop fighting this, Selena.
At least give us a chance.”

  It felt so good to be held in his arms. She felt warm, secure and cherished. She nuzzled into his shoulder and inhaled his comforting scent.

  How was it was possible to feel so comfortable with a man and yet be so turned on you wanted to screw him senseless at the same time? It didn’t make sense.

  She sighed and snuggled in closer. “You need to go away.”

  His arms tightened, drawing her even closer. “Whatever you say. Just as soon as I see you home.”

  “You’re not going to give in on this, are you?”

  He kissed her forehead. “Nope.”

  “Bastard.”

  He held her for a long moment, then lowered his arms and took hold of her hand. “Come on, my little exotic beauty, let’s get you home.”

  She sighed in utter contentment and, feeling ridiculously happy considering she’d just been overruled, acquiesced.

  Since they were only about a block away from her apartment, it didn’t take long to get there, but Rafe held her hand the entire way. It was such a sweet thing to do, and she loved it.

  It was almost as if he couldn’t bear to stop touching her, because he didn’t let go of her hand until she needed it to dig out her key and open the door.

  Once the door was open, he pressed his forehead against hers and backed her inside with a look of such determination on his face that she didn’t stop until she hit the entranceway wall.

  He placed his open hand on the wall beside her head and leaned in with his body. “When can I see you again?”

  The ferociously dogged intent in his eyes set her heart racing. Her stomach lurched, her body heated. “I don’t know.”

  “Wrong answer.”

  “Sometime soon?”

  He slowly shook his head. “Not good enough.”

  “Since you seem to know all the answers, you tell me.”

  “I have to go on surveillance tomorrow night, so how about Friday night I take you to Stelladora’s for dinner. It’s about time we went on a proper date.”

  She couldn’t believe she was going to agree to this. “Okay.”

  “Good answer.” He closed the distance between them and placed a chaste kiss on her lips. “And just to keep you thinking about me when you’re all warm and cozy in bed tonight…”