Cursed Love: A Wicked Demon Tale
by Kristabel Reed
Copyright © 2014 by Kristabel Reed
Smashwords Edition
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A Wicked ePub® Original Publication
ISBN 13:
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This book is a work of fiction, and any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
Formatted by: CyberWitch Press
Chapter One
She should have left by now.
Nikki Kent stared out the window at the just-rising sun and knew it was already far too late to simply vanish without a word. She’d owe explanations, justifications she really didn’t want to make. But more than that, no sense of urgency pushed her out the door; she felt no need to sneak out like a thief, no pounding fear of discovery.
Her mind may have screamed at her to leave, to get the hell out now before it was too late. Her heart knew better. She knew she needed to leave, but had never in her life felt so content in one place.
She’d left without a word many times before, and from many different places. But this place was different. Everything about her life now was different. And Nikki liked that. The ranch spread out before her; the vast terrain of open land that had originally beckoned her, still enticed her with its untamed beauty.
The sun back-lighted the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, and though she could barely see the cattle or the quarter horse stables in the pre-dawn light, she knew precisely where they sat. She knew where every building and every fence post lay, and loved every inch of the land.
Her love of this land paled compared to her love for the man sleeping in the bed behind her. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and glanced over her shoulder to where Cooper slept.
Despite the dangers of growing attached to one place, Nikki had found more at the Agua Clara Ranch than just a job. The ranch had needed a vet and Nikki, funds low and tired of moving, had needed a new job. She’d traveled the country and found work where she could, from the small family farms that dotted the northeast to the wine country in Northern California.
Nikki had a rhythm to her movements: stay one or two months, three at the absolute most, then leave as unexpectedly as she’d appeared.
As soon as summer arrived she knew she should have left, but she’d never wanted to stay anywhere else as much as she wanted to stay here at Agua Clara. As much as she wanted to stay with him.
Hell, she shouldn’t have stayed at the ranch long enough to sleep with the owner, but Cooper Marquez was a hard man to say no to.
Cooper attracted her as no one else ever had—his slow, sexy smile, his hard, lean body, those dark eyes that promised her the best sex of her life. Nikki found him impossible to resist on a physical level. Impossible to ignore her body’s reaction to his stare, those unbelievably dark eyes as they watched her. Impossible to ignore his touch, the lightest caress that sent shivers racing along her skin, heating her blood.
On a deeper level, on an emotional level that terrified her even as it seduced her, Nikki found herself unable to fight her growing attachment to him. At first she’d honestly believed sleeping with Cooper would be a fling as others had been. New place, a man who interested her; they’d share a few weeks of enjoyment until she moved on again.
No harm, no foul. Never had there been a connection outside the bedroom, and Nikki liked it that way.
She liked her freedom.
Cooper changed all that.
Cooper’s seductive smile and his rough and tumble life here at Agua Clara had caught her the instant they’d met. If she’d been smart, Nikki would have left immediately. Something happened with him that fell way beyond her realm of control, and she hated being so completely out of control. Hated that uncertainty, the potential for harm—to her and to others.
She’d fallen in love with Cooper. With his smiles and his work and his dedication to both the animals he worked with and the people who worked for him. With his passion for the ranch. His passion for her.
Nikki wrapped the blanket, a soft blue meant to soothe and calm, tighter around her shoulders. Looking behind her, she smiled as she watched him sleep. His long body all hard muscle from working the ranch, his brown hair tousled from their night together. She couldn’t see his back now, but knew her nails had drawn blood as they’d made love last night. Nikki licked her lips and tried desperately to ignore the arousal simply watching her lover ignited.
Jerking her head around, she stared back at the lightening landscape, the stables, the training corrals, and tugged the blanket more securely over her bare shoulders.
The meditation guru she’d seen in San Francisco had sworn blue was a calming color that would help her find her center and retain her inner peace. That guru had obviously never met Cooper Marquez.
The October morning was cool, despite the promise of a bright, warm autumn day. She had rounds to do, things to see to on the ranch, and animals to inspect, even if they shied away from her as if she were the devil incarnate.
Nikki shivered and shoved that thought away. Too late for a lot of things, she thought again, but then she’d always been one to live for the present. And now it seemed as if the past would utterly undo her, as if the burden she carried threatened to crush her—and she knew it would before too long.
Despite this knowledge, she continued to stand there, looking at the rising sun, her body still humming from Cooper’s hands and mouth the previous night. Not yet—she couldn’t leave yet. Couldn’t, wouldn’t, it didn’t matter—Nikki closed her eyes and felt a sense of peace that had eluded her for most of her life.
A flutter of unease rippled through her, the first sign since sleeping with Cooper that something was wrong. Yes, her burden threatened to crush not only her but Cooper as well, and likely before she could force herself to leave. Nikki wanted him, desperately. Wanted more than his body, more than the passion they shared in bed. She wanted all of him, even if she knew he couldn’t be hers for much longer. Every moment was a sweetness she didn’t want to lose.
The morning lost its luster, and memories she didn’t want to face crowded her mind, forcing her to think about the future.
She’d been so stupid to give into him. It was dangerous. She was dangerous, and yet despite all that, despite everything she knew about herself, Nikki adamantly refused to even think about changing these past months in his arms and in his bed. That lack of urgency eluded her, despite her fears, and she rested her cheek against the cool window.
But Nikki couldn’t banish the memory of Cooper’s seduction. It wasn’t planned or forced, but natural. He’d seduced with his mouth; his kisses made her forget everything but him. His hands made her knees weak and her blood race. Even now Nikki’s heart raced and her breath came short.
Cooper didn’t simply make love to her; he made her forget. With each touch, every caress, she craved him more. Wanted not only his body, his touch, his kiss, until she needed him more than she needed to breathe; Nikki wanted his quiet understanding. The way he watched her as if he didn’t care about her secrets and wanted her—cared for her—anyway he could get her.
&n
bsp; Maybe, even…but her heart skipped and Nikki couldn’t finish the thought. Couldn’t admit, even to herself, that maybe Cooper’s feelings were as deep as her own.
Shuddering, her skin flushed in the cool room, Nikki pushed her arousal away, desperately trying to ignore it, to concentrate on her next move. Yes, she should have left long ago, when she realized she didn’t just want Cooper’s body or to share his bed. When she realized she wanted more from him. A future.
Nikki released a breath she hadn’t realized she held. She’d never wanted anything from anyone since she’d left home. She’d simply wanted to survive and do no harm to others. But these feelings—the swooping stomach and pounding heart and hope—frightened her.
Because Nikki didn’t know if she was able to dull her need for Cooper. If she even knew how to bury it once she moved on.
The sun shone higher now, casting the landscape aglow. A beautiful flat land, green brush mixed with jagged rock. The Sangre de Cristo Mountains looked so close, it felt as if she could stroll across the ranch to them. And yet she knew them to be more than a hundred miles away. Their rising peaks added to the beauty of the place.
Under any other circumstance, Nikki knew she’d try. Try to stay, try to see where things went with Cooper. Give him, and this relationship between them, a real chance. But Nikki knew that was unrealistic. So, she kept postponing the day when she’d pack her meager possessions and disappear into the night. She always wanted just one more night with him.
Just one more night.
She heard movement from the bed, but didn’t move from her position by the window. Cooper’s strong arms wrapped around her and pulled her tight to his body. She could feel him hard against her hip and shuddered, nestling herself against him.
Leaning her head on his shoulder, she closed her eyes and breathed deeply of Cooper—the musky scent of him, ranch and man. His mouth kissed down her neck, teeth nipping on that spot just behind her ear, the one that made her knees weak and had her moaning.
“I knew you weren’t in my bed,” he said, his voice husky from sleep. “I missed you.”
Smiling, Nikki tilted her head to look up at him, pressing her lips to the underside of his jaw. She felt safe in Cooper’s arms, warm and loved. He kept the monsters away.
“I was restless,” she whispered, feeling a stir deep within. Nikki tugged the blanket further around her, trapping Cooper’s hands against her body.
“Seems I haven’t done my job then.” His mouth found her neck and tasted down the sensitive skin. His hands caressed down her body, over hips and thighs. Nikki shuddered again and arched into his touch.
“Oh you have,” she purred. “But there’s so much to be done today—animals to see to before winter sets in.”
“I’m the boss,” Cooper said as he slipped a hand between her thighs.
Nikki’s breath caught and she struggled to keep track of the conversation. But his long fingers knew every secret place on her body and teased her until her knees gave out. Cooper easily caught her, but didn’t relent on his seduction. His finger slipped into her, thrusting shallowly.
She moaned again, reaching for his hand, but he easily caught her wrists and held her immobile.
“The only thing that has to be done today is me,” he whispered against her skin.
“Oh the sexual harassment,” she joked, but the words ended on a moan. “Keep it up, Cooper.”
She knew it sounded almost a plea, but didn’t care. Right now she needed to forget, to take all Cooper offered and drown in it. Cooper bit the side of her neck and she gasped, arousal heating her body. He laved the spot with his tongue, a long, slow movement that had her moaning his name. Then he turned her and tugged the blanket from her, his mouth hard on hers as he backed her against the cold window.
Nikki gasped and arched into him, winding her arms around his neck. Cooper lifted her, and she tightened her legs around his waist. His cock pulsed hard and thick against her core. She knew she whimpered, but that only spurned him on and he kissed her harder.
Cooper moved, backed them from the window. Nikki kissed his neck, breathing in the scent of him. She scraped her nails down his back, feeling the welts from the night before, and reveled in his shudder. Rolling her hips against his, she felt him against her entrance. She wanted him inside her, with a desperation that clawed through her.
He made her forget, yes; he made her crave him, but what flared between them from that first time until now had never cooled; it had only intensified.
Nikki needed him. No matter what she told herself about leaving Cooper, how she knew she needed to do so for his own good, she couldn’t seem to.
They fell to the bed, the delicious weight of him atop her, and Nikki moaned at the feel. Arching against him, she guided him into her. Each time he filled her she couldn’t help the want, she couldn’t help her need of him. She didn’t know how to disengage from her emotions anymore, and that realization suddenly filled her with fear.
She wished as hard as ever that all would work out between them, that she could stay and love him, and not hurt him.
“Cooper,” she moaned, meeting his thrusts, biting his shoulder.
She needed to get closer to him, to find that all-encompassing desire that wiped out everything else save Cooper. His hands held her closer, pushed her legs back even as he took one nipple into his mouth, his teeth tugging it until she screamed.
Her climax built higher, Cooper found her nub and circled it, even as her mouth found his again. She strained closer, wanted to press into him until she didn’t know where she ended and he began. Only with Cooper did she feel that way, this wanting more; even in the midst of such mind-numbing pleasure, Nikki shied away from that. She wanted it more than anything, but she also feared it.
Her orgasm hovered just out of reach. Cooper knew her body, how to build her higher—how to elicit every ounce of pleasure.
He thrust harder, fingers knowing exactly when to stroke her harder and when to tease. Nikki whimpered, body tightening around him. Her pleas sounded breathy to her own ears, but she didn’t care. Cooper’s hand gripped her hips tighter as he moved faster, and she knew he was closer, too.
Finally, his nail scraped over her nub and Nikki cried out his name, shattering in his arms as he found his own release.
She lay there for some time, wrapped around Cooper; he still lay buried within her, his own breathing heavy. Nikki refused to let him go and tightened her arms around him, pulling him closer, the only movement she could muster.
She felt his lips curl against her shoulder and shifted just enough for him to lift his head. The wicked, satisfied grin he sent her had licks of renewed arousal racing through her. He made a smug humming sound and brushed his lips over hers.
Drifting to sleep, she felt Cooper roll them to the side, his warm body solid against her.
Limbs heavy, sleep tugging her, her body refused to rest. Fear turned her blood to ice and made her heart pound with it. Fear that what lay between them couldn’t last much longer—that Cooper would look at her like the monster she knew herself to be. But worse, far, far worse than that…was the fear that she’d hurt him.
Nikki looked over her shoulder and memorized his face, the strong lines of his jaw, his nose that lay just slightly crooked. His eyes closed in sleep and arms tight around her, Cooper seemed relaxed.
How could she ever let him go?
* * * *
It clawed within her.
Nikki struggled to contain the voice, the feel, the stirring. In her mind, she thrashed and fought, but already knew it to be a hopeless battle. Rage rose inside of her. The voice didn’t speak to her in words, but Nikki knew the tone of it. Panic pushed at her, side by side with that hateful voice, the nearly overwhelming fear.
Trapped by Cooper’s side, his arm tight around her, Nikki pushed away. She had to leave. She had to get away from him.
She rolled from their bed and fell to the floor. The pain only momentarily helped control the monster.
In her haste to get away from Cooper, to protect him from her secret, Nikki only felt terror throbbing through her veins. She had to protect him from the monster, from the demon that lived within her.
Had to leave before she hurt him.
Stupid. She was so stupid.
Berating herself, knowing she should have left weeks ago, she crawled from Cooper, desperate to put distance between she and him. Now it was too late. Now he saw what she’d fought to contain. And now Nikki knew she’d hurt the one man to ever make her feel safe and loved.
Breathing deeply, Nikki stared at the polished hardwood floor. Focusing on the grains of the wood, she tried to control her demon, control herself. Fear and the rage clouded everything. The floor blurred before her, morphing into visions of blood and death. The coppery smell and taste of it filled her senses until she knew only that.
In the distance, she heard a sob, knew it came from her. Further away, she swore she heard Cooper’s voice, the normally seductive tones now panicked as he shouted her name. But the sound was too far; his voice, like him, slipped from her grasp.
She couldn’t control it.
Frantic to get away, Nikki crawled across the floor. She set one hand and then the other before her, dragging her body inch by excruciating inch. She desperately tried to focus on the cold wood beneath her, the feel of it as it scraped her palms. Focus on anything other than that voice mocking her from within.
It was no use. The voice grew stronger.
A part of her, that small part still Nikki, knew why the monster returned, why it chose now to surface.
Her fear had summoned it as surely as she’d lost control of it.
The world tilted. Cooper stood before her, she knew that, but it took a long moment to focus on his face. She blinked, struggled to make sense of what she saw, and for a split second focused long enough to see Cooper looking at her completely terrified. Nikki couldn’t feel his hands on her arms, but knew he held her. Couldn’t feel anything but the pounding in her head as that voice, the buzzing insistence of it, grew louder.
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