by J. M. Miller
She broke down with the last words, crying more forcefully. That’s when everything started sinking in. She forgot me? I touched her hand lightly and her eyes met mine again. “He was just there. It felt wrong. I knew who he w-was. But I was so hurt and confused. He was nice. And I j-just needed to feel safe,” she said through more tears.
“Shh,” I whispered, wrapping my arm around her back. “I believe you. I’m sorry I wasn’t there.” The very thing I’d feared from the moment her blood touched the well was now real. And it hurt infinitely more than seeing her in Ryan’s arms. It had to be the truth. There was no other explanation. Sure, she was stressed, and had a couple drinks. But that doesn’t make you forget a person, especially one you’ve supposedly given your heart to.
She leaned into me and I welcomed her, my heart racing with the knowledge that our world was about to crumble. How do I tell her what’s happening? As far as I knew, she still hadn’t considered her aunt’s condition as part of the well’s curse. How do I tell her that she’s going to lose her mind exactly like Janine had? Her sobs continued against my chest. I rubbed her back, drawing anxious circles just below her shoulder.
“I love you, Ben. I’m s-so sorry.”
“Baby, don’t. It’s fine,” I replied softly, though I was screaming inside. I wanted to tear this whole damn house apart. What did she do to deserve this? Janine was to blame for everything. She essentially made her family come back here and deal with the curse that she never escaped. Was she angry that they never visited? Was this revenge? I never would’ve pegged her capable. She was so gracious before she’d lost her mind.
“It’s not fine. It never should’ve happened. I was so stressed out. My mom showing up, the voices… I just couldn’t handle it. I couldn’t think,” she whispered.
My chest tightened and I couldn’t breathe for the second time tonight. I had no idea what to do, but I knew I needed to get a grip to be strong for her. “I know, baby. It’s all over now. Do you need anything?” I shifted toward her.
She moved the tissue away from her face. “Maybe some water.”
I didn’t wait for any other information. I barreled out of her room and down the steps, happy to blow off the steam.
When I entered her room again, her hair was let down, flowing in crinkly waves over her shoulders. She was sitting on the bed with a bottle of Tylenol in her hand. “Here,” she said, handing me a set of pills then downing her own with her water. I took mine also. Even though my body was still amped, I was starting to feel the pain from the fight.
“I feel so horrible. Even for Ryan. None of that should’ve happened. I’m so stupid,” she mumbled.
“You’re not stupid. And don’t feel sorry for that dick. He was waiting all night for an opportunity with you. He needed a reminder to back off,” I said, setting my water down on the nightstand then rubbing my knuckles.
She set her bottle down, too, and stood up beside me. Her dress pressed out behind her as the front butted against my legs. Examining my knuckles, she splayed her fingers over mine. “Do you need some ice?” Her eyes glanced up to me, wide and gorgeous green.
I could feel my life collapsing as I looked into them. She’d forgotten me tonight. Would it happen again? Would she forget us? She eyed my jaw for any damage then looked back down and smoothed her fingers over each knuckle, bringing my thoughts back to now. “No ice,” I whispered. “I’ll be fine. How about you? How’s your head?” I palmed her cheek with my free hand.
She pressed her head against my hand and closed her eyes. “I’m better now.”
When her eyes cracked open again, I knew I had to kiss her. I wanted to be closer, and I could tell she wanted the same. “LJ,” I whispered, sliding my fingers into her hair to the back of her head. “I love you.”
“I love you too, Ben. I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t,” I whispered, leaning in and drawing the back of her head forward until our foreheads pressed together. “None of this is your fault. I’m the one who has everything to be sorry for,” I admitted. Before she had a chance to speak again, I moved my lips closer, smelling her sweet breath as it tangled with mine. I skimmed my lips over hers, begging her subconsciously to never forget. Her lips opened, waiting. I reached down and grabbed her waist, feeling the stiff rods of the corset beneath my fingers, then pressed my lips to hers.
Her hands traveled up my chest to my face, trailing her fingers along my jaw, pushing them back into my hair, then tugging me closer to deepen the kiss. I gladly made that happen, needing her as much as she needed me. I tightened my grip around her waist and her hands found their way back down to my chest, unbuttoning my vest. After they finished, I shrugged it off and let it fall to the floor. Next, she slid the suspenders down my shoulders and started popping my shirt buttons. When she had the opening she wanted, she pushed her warm hands against my skin and sighed into my mouth.
A half hour ago, this was the last thing I expected we’d be doing tonight. With my fist crushing Ryan’s head into the ground, I had my doubts that I’d ever touch LJ again. But I was grateful for the turn of events because, damn, she felt so good. It had been too long of a wait. All the worry kept me pushing to find more answers about the curse, holding LJ at a distance so I didn’t lose focus. Knowing now that Janine’s fate was really tied to the curse meant the search was even more important. We had to find the answers. Though, we needed tonight more urgently.
She slipped the shirt off my shoulders and I dropped my arms to let it fall. When her hands reached back into my hair, I dipped my face to her neck and breathed in her heavenly almond smell. My hands found the back of her dress, but it was a puzzle I wasn’t used to solving. She giggled at my struggle and I nipped her neck playfully.
“Not a dress you can take off blindly?” she teased in a whisper.
I kissed her neck once more then moved around her body for a better view. The hooks on the top piece didn’t take long to figure out. There were just a lot of them. LJ tossed it to the floor then handed me her phone before she started lifting the red skirt over her head. After removing the first piece, the extra white skirt followed. I helped her from behind and planted soft kisses along her neck when I could. Finally, she unfastened the hoop cage, stepped out, and kicked it toward the dresser. The corset and her panties were all that remained. And holy hell was it a view.
I traced my fingers over her collarbone then over the top of her breasts, pushed high from the corset. Her chest rose with a deep breath and her skin pricked with goosebumps.
“Are you sure you’re okay with this tonight?” It was hard for me to bite out because I wanted her so badly. I needed us to get lost together. It was also another way to show her how much she meant to me, hoping this memory would stay with her, even if all the others faded.
She stepped into me, reaching up and feeling my jaw before kissing the corner of my mouth. “There’s nothing more I want in this world.”
I glanced down at her phone in my hand, thinking of the pictures we’d taken earlier. I was the type of person who usually avoided pictures. LJ had already discovered that during the time we’d been together. But now I was glad we’d taken some. And with the worry of never finding the answers, I felt like those few weren’t nearly enough.
She tilted her head curiously as I swiped open her screen and opened the camera app. I held the phone at arm’s length and started to kiss her again, taking shots as I did.
“What are you doing?” she asked between breaks in the kiss.
I refused to crush her with the truth before I had a chance to fix everything. I also didn’t want to bring up the fact that she’d forgotten me a half hour ago. So I decided to keep all of it to myself. “This is something I want to see forever,” I admitted truthfully and glanced at the phone so I could text them to myself.
She shifted her hands to the front of my pants and started unbuttoning. When she finished, I kicked them off, tossed her phone, and picked her up. Her legs wrapped around my waist and she captured my
mouth again while I moved us to the bed. I laid her down and she wiggled beneath me, trying to adjust inside the corset. Pulling back from our kiss, I turned her body over, skimmed my hands along the back of her thighs and ass, and untied the corset’s laces. She crawled across the bed and dug under the mattress for a condom. I watched as she slipped the corset and a tiny undershirt off, dropping them to the floor.
“God, LJ,” I said, wondering if I was imagining her. “Come here, babe.” I needed to feel her, to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. She crawled back to me and my hands roamed her skin, starting with her breasts as I kissed her lips. Then I moved them farther down, dipping my fingers under her panties while I kissed down her neck. I wanted to breathe her, taste her, to consume her completely.
I took the time to cherish every part of her body, exactly like I had the night of my birthday. She made me feel so much more than anyone ever had. She was the addiction I couldn’t get enough of, one I could never quit. I’d be her junkie forever.
A while later, I was lying on my back with her head nestled against me. One of her arms covered my chest and a leg draped over mine beneath the blankets. Her breathing started to slow, falling into a sleepy rhythm. It had been a long day and an emotional night. She was exhausted.
Her fingers twitched over my heart. “Are you staying?” Her voice was distant, slipping into her dreams.
“Forever,” I whispered. A minute later, her breaths evened out. I kissed the top of her head and whispered to her mind, “Don’t forget me.”
The heat woke me. It was stifling. I’d added extra blankets under my comforter a week ago, but they’d been offsetting the house’s chill perfectly. I wondered if Pennsylvania had heat waves in early November. That thought disappeared as soon as I cracked open my eyes and tried to move.
Ben.
Lying on my side, my head and hands were tucked into his chest. One of his thick arms was wrapped snugly around my body while one leg was wedged between mine, tangling us all the way down to our toes. I tilted my head back so I could see his face. The small cleft on his chin was covered in light, morning scruff. His lips were relaxed and his cheeks were smooth, hiding the dimples I adored. I watched his eyes shift beneath their lids, curious about his dreams. Hopefully they didn’t involve the ugly portion of last night.
I started to hyperventilate thinking about it all again. My heart sped up and I pressed my eyes shut tight, trying to control myself. What the hell had happened? How did I forget him? My body had craved him, the very feelings I was having this morning: the safety of his arms, the affection radiating from his touch. But I couldn’t think of him.
With everything involving the curse, and with the reappearance of my mom, I was losing it. Forgetting someone was not normal. My mind was buckling. The headaches. The voices. The stress. I needed to find a way to cope with it all before I broke down completely.
I lay there a few minutes, breathing deeply to calm my mind and body again. I had no idea what time it was because I couldn’t see the alarm clock past Ben’s head. It had to be mid-morning. The sunlight outside was brighter than dawn, yet still far from the blazing afternoon rays. After working the late shift, my dad was surely sleeping down the hall. For how much longer was my concern.
Deciding it was best to wake him, I kissed Ben’s chin and brushed my lips over his stubble, enjoying the scratchiness of the coarse hairs. Nothing. I shifted again and his body moved in response, pushing his leg farther between mine, rubbing the morning surprise contained in his boxers against my thigh. I gasped and yanked my hand up to my mouth in an effort to suppress a giggle. I’d heard about morning wood before, but I’d never had a guy sleep a full night in my bed so it was all new to me.
Ben’s arm tightened around me then his body stopped suddenly. He took an excessively deep breath, cracked his eyelids open, and smiled the sexiest smile I’d ever seen. “Mmm,” he hummed, letting out his breath.
“Morning,” I whispered, taking my hand away from my mouth and placing it to his chest. I smoothed my fingers over his relaxed muscles and he started doing the same down my bare back. Tingles promptly shot down my spine, making me arch even closer to him.
“Amazing,” he said. His voice was husky from sleep. I hadn’t heard it sound that way since his little nap the night of his birthday. It was unbelievably sexy.
“What’s amazing?” I asked, rubbing his skin with my fingertips.
He cleared his throat a little. “Not having to wait any amount of time to see you. From dreams to reality, just by opening my eyes.”
“You were dreaming of me, huh?” I shifted my legs to let him know what I was giggling about seconds before.
“Oh, yeah,” he teased, sliding his hand down to my backside. I giggled again and kissed the imaginary heart I’d traced onto his chest. He leaned his face down to mine and kissed me softly. “How are you feeling?”
He was referring to last night’s real-life nightmare. I wanted to forget about it and I hoped everyone else would, too; though, I had a feeling Ryan wouldn’t be one to let it go as easily. “Better,” I said vaguely.
His eyebrow quirked up questionably. “Your head?” he asked then planted a small peck on my forehead.
“Fine,” I admitted with a smile.
He leaned back some and stretched out with a yawn. His whole body tensed, flexing his muscles, making me gawk at the ripples along his abs. He chuckled when he noticed and wrapped himself around me again. “I want to stay in this bed all day.” Shifting his body, he climbed on top of me and kissed my collarbone. “But there’s a wedding tomorrow so we’ve got to clean the property.”
“Ugh,” I grunted. I didn’t want to leave my bed either. This queen-sized mattress was Heaven and everywhere else was Hell as far as I was concerned. His breath trickled over my chest and I shivered. “Can we skip?”
He laughed and ran a hand through his messy hair as he glanced over at the alarm clock. “I wish. It’s already seven thirty. Pop’s probably up and I’m sure your dad will be up soon enough.” He kissed me one last time then rolled out of bed.
Already feeling the chill of the room without him beside me, I tucked the blankets around my body and watched him put his pants on. “You can leave the rest here. I’ll have it cleaned with my dress so I can put them back upstairs.”
“Okay,” he agreed, setting his hat and the rest of the old clothes inside the closet. “Shit, I think I promised Gavin some bike time today too.” He shook his head. “But we need to get back to searching the office after everything else.”
I frowned at his words, not ready to dive back into the endless search.
He moved back to me and kissed me one last time. “I’ll see you outside in a few. I love you.” Without waiting for a reply, he disappeared into the closet.
Shortly after, I was showered, dressed, and out the door before Dad woke up. The recap of his encounter with Mom could definitely wait until later. I heard the tractor’s engine idling out back so I headed in that direction. Ben was talking to Simone when I turned the corner. I buried my hands deep inside the pockets of my hoodie and made my way over to them.
“It’s not a big deal,” Ben said to Simone with his back to me.
Simone noticed me approaching and cleared her throat, causing Ben to turn around. His face was almost annoyed until he realized it was me. Then his lips pulled into a small grin. “Hey.”
“Hey,” I replied. “Hey, Simone,” I added for her benefit. I was supposed to start working the office on Monday so I thought I’d get a head start with the niceties.
“Hi, LJ,” she replied. “Ben and I were just talking about the incident last night. I reminded him that fighting is not tolerated on the property and how it could potentially hurt the company if someone were to get injured.”
My stomach churned as all the details of last night resurfaced. I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came. Then I glanced at Ben, remembering the way he’d looked at me while I was in Ryan’s arms. The hurt in his eyes crushed m
e. I thought I’d lost him forever.
Ben’s brows pinched and I nodded back toward Simone, snapping partially out of the hellacious reverie.
Simone folded her arms irritably. “The temps are cleaning inside. You guys finish up out here. Make sure you get all the trash and hay off the ground. Tomorrow’s wedding is early so this place needs to be spotless.” She started to stalk away, but quickly swung her petite body around. “And I better not find any leftover spiders in my desk this year, Benjamin.”
He threw his hands up with a smile and she finally left.
“Prankster,” I teased, welcoming the topic change.
“What can I say? I like to live dangerously by pranking the boss. Guess that means I’ll have to get you soon.” He winked then bent over and heaved a hay bale into the trailer attached to the back of the tractor. “This shouldn’t take us too long to tear down. Pop put the chicken wire away last night after the party.”
I picked up a pumpkin and stacked it next to another one at the front of the trailer. “I don’t even get a kiss?”
In the middle of lifting the next bale, he dropped it to the ground and closed the distance between us with a few long, determined strides. He tossed his work gloves then cupped my face in his hands. “You can have a kiss whenever you want, babe.” And he kissed me like nothing else mattered, capturing even more of my heart.
It took a while to round up all of the property decorations, but we finished around lunchtime. I ran quickly to the house, ready for another shower. Inside, Gavin’s gaming music blared down the hall. I had to shout through his door to tell him Ben wanted to meet for an early lesson. He didn’t need to be told twice. By the time I stepped into my room, his music was off.