Love Like a Curse

by Mira Lyn Kelly

  Aaron was a part of her. She couldn’t run from him. She didn’t need to be saved from him.

  “This is my life, Rafe. Who I am.” She took a deep breath and nodded. “But you should go.”

  “You tried to warn me.” He shook his head. “But I didn’t want to believe you. I’m sorry.”

  Without another word, he walked slowly around Aaron, giving the entity a wide berth, and headed out the door, taking Kayla’s heart with him.

  Opal swept the Ouija board off the floor and walked into the living room, kicking a path through the clothes and papers. “Aaron, bring your leaves and trash and get in here. What the hell’s going on?”

  Kayla followed the disrupted air and walked to the window at the front of the room. She watched Rafe climb into his car, pull away and turn at the intersection. With a heavy sigh, she stepped around the coffee table and sank onto the couch next to her sister.

  The leaves in the chair across from them were still. Kayla touched her sister’s arm and nodded toward the planchette. Aaron had made quite a show of himself by materializing, speaking to Rafe with a voice, and talking to Opal through the Ouija simultaneously. He couldn’t have much energy left.

  Kayla rested her fingertips over the smooth plastic of the planchette and waited for Opal to do the same before she began.

  “What’s going on, Aaron?” she finally asked.

  “R.A.F.E.”

  “Yep, he’s gone.” A single tear leaked from the corner of her eye and slipped down her cheek. “What were you doing with him? Why were you talking to him?”

  “4.U.” The abbreviated speech confirmed what she’d suspected. Her brother was beat.

  Kayla’s throat tightened with emotion. All Aaron ever did was run off guys he didn’t deem worthy of her attention. What was different this time?

  Opal pulled her fingers back from the board and crossed her arms. “Do I need to be here for this?”

  “Yes. Brat.”

  “Up yours, Aaron.”

  Kayla rolled her eyes. “You two, stop bickering.”

  “R.A.F.E. Is a good guy.” Finally a man he’d approved of, and Aaron had run him off with his good intentions. Didn’t it figure.

  “That’s very sweet, Aaron, but I doubt he’ll be back.”

  “He came back before.”

  Kayla slanted her eyes at Opal. “That was just Opal’s spell.”

  The game piece slid across the board. “More than that.”

  More? Was he saying Rafe had come back because he’d really loved her? Because of something deeper than an incantation and a few rocks sealed together in wax? If what was between them was real, then maybe there was a chance—

  Opal shifted restlessly in her seat, hissed out a breath, and sat forward with her hands over the planchette. “Fine. Yes, it was more. I lied about last Halloween. I did use a spell, but only because Aaron made me. Another attraction spell. Though, I never would have done it if I’d known the guy was rolling out of town the next day.”

  That little balloon of hope within her deflated, but instead of leaving her empty, something else filled the void. Anger.

  Kayla slapped her hand on the table, catching the side of the board in the motion. “Another spell? Are you kidding me?” After everything, none of this was real. “Damn it, do you have any idea—just stay out of my life!”

  She hadn’t meant to lose control, but the words she never even wanted to think, had leapt past her lips. Afraid voicing them, even once, might give them power, she tried to take them back. “No, that came out wrong. I didn’t mean it, I swear. I just want you two to stop meddling.”

  It wasn’t enough. She swallowed hard and went on. “I love you both, but save your spells for yourselves. Opal, it’s amazing that your magic works, but how about next time you find Aaron a nice ghost girl with hot ectoplasm, and conjure up yourself a wicked, sexy warlock.”

  Opal took her hand. “I’m sorry. I just wanted you to be happy. So did Aaron.”

  “I am happy. You guys are more than enough. I don’t need anything else. I don’t want it.” It hurt too much.

  The leaves rustled again and the planchette glided around the board. “You want your own life. You need it.”

  “No. I don’t.” She didn’t want to talk about this, so she pulled her fingers away, balling her hands in her lap.

  Opal squeezed her knee and gave her a kiss on the cheek before getting up. “I’m going to let you two talk about this.”

  After her sister disappeared down the hall, Kayla leaned back and closed her eyes, resting her head against the soft cushion.

  “Don’t tune me out.” He was in her head again.

  “Aaron, you don’t understand.”

  “Yes, I do. Sometimes all you think about is what it would be like to have someone love you, to live a normal life. You try to push those thoughts away, but they’re so strong, it’s like you’re screaming them. I know you don’t want to lose me. I know that. And you won’t. You haven’t gotten rid of me so far, have you?”

  Kayla let out a weak laugh, but then fell silent. She was so selfish. As if the life she had wasn’t enough.

  “It’s not selfish,” he said. “It’s normal, and there’s nothing wrong with wanting more. I want more all the time. I want a body, I want to go out with my friends and throw lame lines at chicks. I want to go to college and get a job. I want to eat and sleep and taste and smell. I want to breathe. I know I’ve gotten more living in than most of the dead, and I’m grateful for that. But I still want more. And I want more for you, too. But the difference, Kayla, is that you can actually have it.”

  “So you got Opal to cast a spell on me?”

  “No, I just led her to a spell that would work. Albeit, a little differently than she had intended. She cast a love spell. It wasn’t just about getting a little flesh, the way she thought, although it seemed to have worked pretty well that way, too.”

  Blood rushed into Kayla’s cheeks. She cleared her throat and immediately tried to block out the carnal images that were so fresh in her mind. She didn’t want those stray thoughts getting to Aaron.

  “So what were you trying to do? Make me fall in love with the guy you selected?”

  “No, the spell drew you to the person you were meant for. I’d hoped Rafe might be the one, because I liked what I’d picked up from him. And I liked that he could see me. But I can’t make you love someone; that has to come from the heart. And if your love was true, then nothing would keep you away from each other.”

  It was so romantic. If only it were real. “And because Rafe came back, you thought he was the guy?”

  “I still do.”

  Aaron’s presence seemed to wane. Kayla dropped her head into her hands, and images of Rafe’s horrified departure flashed through her mind.

  “I wish I believed you were right.”

  * * * * *

  Several hours had passed, and with Aaron nowhere to be found, it seemed like a good time to clear out some of his mess. Kayla knew the leaves would be back within days, but maybe a taste of normal in her surroundings wouldn’t be such a bad thing.

  Two quick raps sounded at the door.

  Kayla’s heart beat faster. It might not be him. Gloria or McDonnell might be stopping up with a question about the bar. She paused with her fingers on the brass knob, hoping for a clue or some sort of psychic moment to answer her questions before she faced whomever was outside.

  “Open it, for crying out loud,” Opal said, walking down the hall holding the broom and dustpan out in front of her. “Then you can finish sweeping up. I’ve got to get downstairs.”

  The knock sounded again.

  Opal ushered Kayla to one side, shook her head, and, without fanfare, swung the door open wide.

  The room rocked, and her breath slowed.

  He was back. Rafe stood there holding two bags. One was plastic; the other, larger and made of paper, with a few symbols Kayla recognized from Opal’s favorite shop on the side.

  �
��Rafe,” she breathed, stepping forward before stopping herself. She didn’t know what he was there for. What he wanted.

  Dark, pleading eyes fixed on her. “Kayla, I’m sorry I ran out on you like that earlier.”

  “It was kind of a lot. I don’t blame you,” she told him honestly. Blame him, how could she. But miss him, yes.

  “I was in shock and feel like a serious jackass for not handling it any better than I did. I’m a see it to believe it kind of guy, and now I’ve seen. I owe you, Opal, and…,” he looked around the apartment. “Umm… Aaron an apology.”

  Opal jutted her chin toward the bag. “And you brought presents?”

  Kayla smirked at her sister’s antics, before sobering. “Your reaction was pretty understandable, and better than it could have been. I mean, you didn’t run out of here screaming for the townsfolk to grab their torches.”

  “Well…” He shifted his stance and peered down at her. “I’m not sure I did much better than that.”

  “So you’re here to apologize?” she asked, feeling that pull between them, but wondering again whether it still went both ways. She couldn’t blame him if his feelings had changed.

  He stepped toward her. “I’m here for you, Kayla.”

  Her heart started to pound, emotion welling fast within in her. “Still? Even with…everything.”

  “I couldn’t stay away,” he confessed. “Hell, I spent one night with you and a year later I still wasn’t over it. I couldn’t let you go.”

  Biting her lip, she blinked back tears.

  “Kayla, that first night… I fell in love with you. I know it sounds crazy. I can’t explain it. I can’t see it, but I feel it, and it’s real.”

  She could barely breathe. It was real.

  “Kayla, give me another chance. Please.”

  “What’s in the bags?” Opal was all but rubbing her hands together as she tried to get a glimpse of the contents.

  “Opal!” Kayla grimaced at her sister’s interruption. Maybe it was okay to wish for a little privacy once in a while.

  Rafe chuckled, but the smile fell quickly from his lips. “Since you said your brother was a little protective of you dating, I brought him a bribe.”

  He handed the bag to Kayla, who peered into it and laughed, and then passed it to Opal. It was a collection of magazines: Men’s Health, GQ, Sports Illustrated and a few others.

  “I can’t believe you did this,” Kayla sighed, “That you’re just accepting…everything.”

  “This is pretty good, Rafe,” Opal said, still eyeing the other bag from the store where she bought her supplies.

  Rafe followed her stare and started unloading it on the coffee table. “Look, Kayla—I know I was a closed-minded jerk who didn’t give you enough credit, but I want to be with you. I know you’re from a non-traditional family, and I want to understand it as much as possible. So I got a bunch of books and stuff from that spooky little store down the block.”

  “So the books are all for you?” Opal asked sulkily.

  “Well, the owner seemed to have an idea why I was buying them. She told me I should get this one for you, Opal.” He held it out. “It’s a book of spells.”

  Kayla grabbed the book and shook her head at her sister. “Only if you promise not to do any casting for me.”

  “So it’s all about you now, hmm?” Opal winked and smiled before snatching the book away. “I promise. Thanks for the book, Rafe.”

  “Opal, go downstairs,” Kayla said. “I’ll be down in a minute.”

  Clutching her new prize against her chest, Opal nodded and headed out the door. “Take your time.”

  Meeting Kayla’s eyes, Rafe picked a leaf from her hair. “Is Aaron around?”

  She shook her head, her heart going double time. “He burned a lot of energy today. I think he might be lying low for a bit.”

  “So, what do you think would happen if I took you in my arms and kissed you senseless right now? Would I be in for it?”

  “Aaron seems to think pretty highly of you.” Trying to keep her fluster under control, she continued, “I can’t say for certain, but I think it might be okay.”

  “Then I guess there’s only one thing for me to do.” Rafe took a step forward and gathered her into his arms.

  Kayla tilted her head to face him and parted her lips in anticipation of the kiss she needed so much.

  He stroked her back, looked into her eyes, and said, “Aaron, I would very much like to take your little sister out for a date. Is that okay with you?”

  Before Kayla could react to his summons of her brother, Rafe pulled his phone from his back pocket and opened the notepad app. “I hear these are the new trend in dialing the dead.”

  Kayla widened her eyes in surprised delight as a message displayed across the screen. When it was done, Kayla dropped her head back and laughed.

  “’I’ll be out until tomorrow,’” Rafe read aloud. “’Leave the magazines on the coffee table. Be good to her, or I’ll be bad to you.’”

  “I’ll be good to her,” he answered, gazing into Kayla’s eyes. He returned the phone to his pocket and pulled Kayla against his chest. “Will you give me another chance to be good to you?”

  She rose onto her toes and dropped three soft kisses along his jaw line before answering. “Only if you start by being good to me in my bed again.”

  Rafe grinned. In a breath, Kayla was in his arms and he was headed down the hall.

  “In your bed, in your heart,” he said. “In your life…I’ll be good to you forever.”

  THE END

  *Thank you for reading LOVE LIKE A CURSE. If you enjoyed this novella, please consider leaving a review...they mean the world to us!!

  **And don’t forget to sign up for my NEWSLETTER if you’d like to be notified about new releases, sales and giveaways.

  ***Wondering what to read next?? Keep reading for excerpts from MAY THE BEST MAN WIN (The Best Men) and TRUTH OR DARE (Dare to Love) by Mira Lyn Kelly

  Also By Mira Lyn Kelly

  Contemporary Romances

  The Best Men Series:

  MAY THE BEST MAN WIN

  (Book 1 ~ Jase and Emily)

  BEST MAN FOR THE JOB

  (Book 2 ~ Max and Sarah ~ Coming June 2017)

  BEST MAN WITH BENEFITS

  (Book 3 ~ Sean and Molly ~ Coming Late 2017)

  STAND IN BEST MAN

  (Book 4 ~ Brody and Gwen ~ Coming Early 2018)

  *

  The Dare to Love Series:

  TRUTH OR DARE

  (Book 1 ~ Maggie and Ty)

  TOUCH & GO

  (Book 2 ~ Sam and Ava)

  NOW & THEN

  (Book 3 ~ Ford and Brynn)

  *

  The Waking Up Series:

  WAKING UP MARRIED

  (Book 1 ~ Connor and Megan)

  WAKING UP PREGNANT

  Book 2 ~ Jeff and Darcy)

  *

  Unconnected Novels:

  ONCE IS NEVER ENOUGH

  NEVER STAY PAST MIDNIGHT

  THE S BEFORE EX

  FRONT PAGE AFFAIR

  WILD FLING OR A WEDDING RING

  Excerpt from MAY THE BEST MAN WIN

  © Mira Lyn Kelly

  “I said it was an accident,” Emily hissed beneath the celebratory din of laughter, big- band sound, and clinking crystal.

  Cold blue eyes fixed on hers, hard and flat. Readable only in their blatant accusation.

  Not surprising, considering first, she’d just skewered the butter- soft leather of Jase’s tuxedo shoe with her stiletto, and second, when it came to Jase, who was groaning like she’d just run him over with a tractor, accusation was about the only thing he had to spare for her.

  And after ten years of it, Emily had about reached her limit.

  “I heard what you said,” Jase growled through clenched teeth.

  The implication being that he hadn’t missed her omission either. He invariably considered an apology his due, but it absolutely, unequivocally, w
ould not be forthcoming. Because if Jase hadn’t been practically tripping over himself trying to avoid physical contact during this stupid, mandatory wedding- party dance, she wouldn’t have nailed him. And while her misstep had, in fact, been accidental, after Jase’s little stunt with the trash bag that morning, she didn’t feel bad about it in the least.

  The guy ought to learn to lead.

  Or, better yet, take off. Get out of her hair, get out of her life— just get lost.

  “Christ, lady!” Jase jerked back, his face blanching as he sucked a breath through his nose.

  Oops. Now she’d nailed both feet.

  She really wasn’t a very good dancer— at least, not when it required coordinating shared floor space with another person.

  “Oh, man up and stop being such a crybaby.” Jase seemed on the verge of apoplexy, so she flashed her widest smile and leaned in close— reluctantly conceding that it was nice to go onto her toes rather than lean down to whisper in a man’s ear— to murmur softly, “Or do I need to get you a tissue, princess?”

  He tensed, the air between them beginning to crackle.

  The hand that had been barely hovering above her waist through the first half of the song firmed against the small of her back as he jerked her into hard contact with the solid planes of his body, the unexpected impact pushing her breath out in a whoosh. She barely had time to tell herself to breathe when the world spun.

  Suddenly, Jase had tipped her back into a dip so deep that she had no choice but to cling tightly to his shoulders and meet his unyielding stare.

  His breath rushed over her jaw and neck, leaving a wash of unwelcome chills in its wake.

  “Emily, you’re going to apologize for stepping on not one of my feet, but both. Nicely.” Like he’d apologized for the vomit?

  “You’re delusional.”

  “Oh, you’ll apologize, all right, and you’d better make me believe it. Because if you don’t, in about five seconds, I’m going to dump your sweet ass on this floor.”