Cursed Hearts (A Crossroads Novel)

by Light

  Christian wanted to laugh, knowing what was in it.

  “Shawn, are you sure you’ve actually kissed a girl?” Dallas teased.

  “Scarlet, your turn,” Eliza said.

  “Okay. I’ve never… broken a bone.”

  Rome and Aria were the only two who drank to that.

  “Pass,” Ariahna mumbled.

  “No passing in this game,” Dallas said. “That’s cheap.”

  “Fine,” she sighed. “I’ve never…” She clenched her jaw. The only things she could think of were depressing or bitter. She finally just said the first thing that came to her mind. “I’ve never betrayed someone’s trust.”

  “You might as well just say my name,” Christian said, taking a sip.

  “Okay,” Jesse said. “I’ve never been skinny dipping. But I want to,” he mumbled with a grin. He looked around the circle to see who would cop to it. When Tabitha and Brooke took a drink, he wasn’t surprised. Scarlet was the adventurous type, so that wasn’t a shocker, either. Jason jumped at any excuse to take his clothes off. He didn’t know Kaleb, but it seemed fitting given that he’d grown up in Lumara. The two that took him by surprise were Amber and Rome.

  “Really?” he said. “When did you two end up doing that?”

  “You make it sound like we did it together,” Rome frowned.

  “For all I know, you could have.”

  “For all you know, we still might,” Amber said. Rome’s eyebrows shot up into his hairline and Ariahna sent an icy glare her way. “We do have a beach just on the other side of those trees,” she shrugged.

  “Brooke, it’s your turn,” Rome said, tripping over his words.

  She seemed to be having a hard time coming up with anything and Kaleb jumped in without any prompting. “I’ve never eaten a cat,” he deadpanned, “and I seriously hope none of you have, either.”

  Rome shoved Kaleb on the arm.

  “Seriously? I think you need to go again,” he laughed.

  Kaleb just stared at him. “Why? I’ve literally never eaten a cat.” Rome didn’t seem satisfied with that answer. “Alright, fine. I’ve never eaten a dog,” he said sarcastically.

  The group erupted in laughter.

  “Yeah, but you want to,” Christian grinned.

  “Shut up,” Rome hissed.

  “I don’t get it,” Jason said. “Why does he want to eat a dog?”

  “Can I just go?” Rome asked. Dallas waved a hand at him, and he realized he didn’t even have anything to say. “I’ve never… um,” he mumbled, clamming up. This was one reason why he didn’t like social gatherings. He was too awkward for this, and he didn’t have the alcohol to loosen him up like everyone else. “I’ve never… left this town. Not really.”

  Nearly everyone took a drink.

  Shawn thought about what he was going to say as Tabitha and Amber took their turns. It wasn’t until Dallas told him to go that he realized what was going to come out of his mouth.

  “…I’ve never had sex.”

  Rome grit his teeth. Everyone in the circle was drinking to that but him. Even Aria had to take another timid sip.

  “Bullshit,” Dallas shouted, calling him out.

  “What?” Rome said, glaring at the grass. “Is that so hard to believe?”

  “Not really,” Christian muttered. “Fucking pussy.”

  “Screw you. Maybe I just actually want it to mean something when I decide to do that for the first time.”

  His words left Christian feeling spiteful. “Or maybe no one’s ever wanted to have sex with you. The entire town knows you’re garbage.”

  “Cool it,” Dallas warned.

  “It’s not anything to be ashamed of,” Aria said, glancing over at Rome. She looked away quickly. “I think it’s a smart decision to wait.”

  “He’s had his fair share of offers,” Kaleb added smoothly, dropping a hand over Rome’s groin.

  “Kaleb,” Rome exclaimed, tossing his hand away. “Knock it off. You’re not helping.” He bent his legs up, draping his arms around his knees. After that, he was really just considering getting up and leaving. The game continued, and Rome frowned at the way Dallas was smiling at him. As soon as it was his turn, he understood exactly what that grin had been all about.

  “I’ve never seen a ghost,” Dallas smirked.

  “Fuck you,” Rome said, smiling out of embarrassment. “That shit happened.” He looked over to see that Kaleb wasn’t drinking. “Well?” he said, poking the side of his cup.

  “Technically,” Kaleb drawled, “I didn’t see him.”

  “That’s so fucking cheap,” Rome laughed. “Whatever.”

  They played another two rounds before the group decided to switch things up. They were all intoxicated thanks to both the booze and the aphrodisiac. Christian was the only one that knew it, and he wasn’t about to tell anyone. Things were getting way too interesting.

  “Alright kids, moving on,” Dallas said. “New game. We’re playing: Baby, Do You Love Me? Who knows the rules?” Only a handful of people raised their hands. “Okay, this is how it goes. One person is ‘it’. That person spins the bottle, and whoever it lands on, they have to sit in that person’s lap.” He grinned at that part. “Once sitting in said person’s lap, whoever is ‘it’ has to say, ‘Baby, if you love me, smile.’ The other person has to respond, ‘I love you, baby, but I just can’t smile!’ If they crack a smile when they say it, they become ‘it’. If they don’t smile, the person who sat in their lap has to spin again and sit in a new lap until someone else becomes ‘it’. Simple enough, right?” He looked around to make sure they’d all understood. He wasn’t sure they had, drunk as they were. This would be a good break from all the drinking. “We’ll spin the bottle to see who goes first.” The bottle landed on Kaleb, and he narrowed his eyes at it in discontent.

  “Do it,” Rome said, egging him on. “Payback for not drinking.”

  “You won’t think it’s funny if I have to sit in your lap.” That shut Rome up, making Kaleb more pleased with the turn of events. He spun the bottle wordlessly, the corner of his mouth twitching when it landed on Matt.

  “Nope,” Matt said, waving his hands in the air as Kaleb approached.

  “You’re so unadventurous,” Scarlet teased, echoing his words.

  “Fine,” he grit out. “Bring. It. On.”

  Kaleb shrugged elegantly, settling himself in Matt’s lap.

  “Baby, if you love me, smile,” he said.

  Matt was trying really hard, but he couldn’t keep a straight face with a dude in his lap. He couldn’t even get the first word out. He squeaked before breaking into a fit of snickers.

  “I’m not calling you baby,” he said.

  “Your loss.”

  “Great, now I have to sit in someone’s lap,” Matt sighed. “Knowing my luck, it’s going to be another guy.”

  Sure enough, he landed on Shawn.

  “You jinxed yourself, man,” Jason said.

  Matt hung his head in defeat. “So help me Shawn, you better smile.” Shawn smiled before Matt had even fully gotten to his feet, and Matt pointed at him excitedly. “That counts!” he said. “That counts, right?”

  “It counts,” Shawn assured him. He reached over and spun the bottle before anyone else could argue with their decision. Ariahna seemed stunned when it stopped on her. “Uh…” he said, stumbling to his feet. “How am I supposed to sit in her lap?” Shawn was quite tall, and Aria looked tiny in comparison. “I’m going to crush her.”

  Ariahna was already biting her cheek, trying not to laugh. Shawn floundered around her, trying to perch on her knee and almost falling on his butt in the grass. She closed her eyes and tried to breathe through the need to grin. He finally managed to sit without falling over or squashing her. His legs were bent up awkwardly near his chest, and everyone in the group was chuckling at them.

  “What am I supposed to say again?” he smirked. “Never mind, I remember. Baby, if you love me, smile.” Aria’s face was tu
rning red and he was starting to worry she wasn’t breathing.

  She had told herself she wasn’t going to smile. But then Shawn had started talking and it felt almost impossible not to crack a grin. “B-Baby,” she said, not even getting the first word out before she had to turn away, laughing. She tried to clamp a hand over her mouth, but the damage was already done. Shawn climbed out of her lap, and she bent down to give the bottle a good spin. It twirled quickly around before stopping so suddenly it seemed like someone had slapped a hand down over it.

  It was pointing at Rome and wobbling slightly.

  “Cheater,” Dallas accused.

  “What?” Rome shrugged. “I didn’t do anything… I don’t think.” Everyone was staring at him, and he was embarrassed that they all knew what he’d been thinking. Apparently he wanted it so bad he’d made it happen.

  “Spin again,” Dallas said. “Aim for me,” he added with a wink.

  Ariahna shot him a nervous glance. “That’s okay. It landed on him, so… I should just… I mean, those are the rules, right?”

  “I am the game master,” Dallas said. “Spin again.”

  He was clearly a little drunk, which meant he’d be even more annoying to argue with. Ariahna sighed before taking another turn. The bottle twisted around and around, slowing as it neared Christian. She was knotting her hands anxiously in the grass, praying it didn’t actually stop on him. It eked just barely by him, and her eyes snapped up to the person it was pointing to – Jason. She pushed to her feet, walking timidly over to him and hesitating near his legs. She wasn’t really sure how to sit on him. She didn’t want to sit on him at all, really. She was kind of hoping he’d smile first and she wouldn’t have to.

  “Come on, I don’t bite,” he joked, managing to keep a straight face. He made sure to stay completely calm as Aria settled carefully into his lap, keeping her legs folded timidly to one side of his body.

  “Really?” Jason said. “You don’t want to straddle this?” He was giving her a heated look as she did her best to ignore him, continuing on with the game. Jason stared back at her for a prolonged amount of time, not saying anything in reply, and not smiling. He wondered if he didn’t say it if she’d just sit on him for the rest of the night. The thought almost made him smile, and he finally decided to deliver his line before it was too late. “Baby, I love you, but I just can’t smile,” he said in an even voice.

  Ariahna exhaled gratefully and crawled out of his lap, kneeling down in the grass near him on her hands and knees to spin again. The bottle twirled around and around and around.

  And then it stopped – on Jason.

  “I get to spin again, right?” she asked. Before anyone could answer, Jason grabbed her by the hips and pulled her back into his lap. She blushed hotly at the way she’d ended up sitting. He was slightly hard, and holding her down on him. Ariahna swallowed tightly. She wasn’t even sure she could say her line. She was frozen for several moments before the words finally came tumbling out of her mouth.

  Matt looked like he was laughing behind his hand.

  “Baby,” Jason said, pressing his face into her hair and smelling her sweet perfume. He was dragging every word out as his hands slipped around to her waist, smoothing down over her skirt. “I love you, but I just… can’t… smile.” She squirmed anxiously in his lap and he lifted his hips up into her.

  “Okay,” Ariahna said in an unnerved, high-pitched voice, jumping out of his lap and striding quickly across the circle. She stood as far from him as she could, trying to hide her discomfort as her skin flooded with heat. “Does someone else want to go? I’m alright giving up my turn.”

  “But I didn’t smile,” Jason said, raising his eyebrows in amusement.

  “Yeah,” Matt said. “I think you need to go again.”

  Aria crossed her arms and uncrossed them, trying to shake the feeling of humiliation. Scarlet reached out to touch her ankle and she startled, beginning to feel a little bit surrounded.

  “What are the odds it would land on him again?” Scarlet said. “Just play along. How about this, I promise I’ll smile if you sit on my lap.”

  “I second that,” Jesse grinned.

  Aria took a deep breath before spinning the bottle for her third, and she hoped final, time. At this point, sitting in Christian’s lap almost sounded like a picnic. The bottle followed the same course, betraying her once again. She stood there frowning at it indignantly as it swung around and stopped, pointing straight at, you guessed it, Jason.

  “Okay, this thing is rigged,” she accused. “Do I really have to do this again? Don’t I get a pass or something?”

  “Them’s the rules, girlie,” Dallas said evilly. “Although…”

  “Although?”

  “I’ll make you a deal. I won’t make you sit in his lap, if you sit in mine for the rest of the night.” He raised his eyebrows, trying his best charming smile. It was all seduction and impure intentions. The liquor had definitely helped strip away any pretense of brotherly love. He kind of just wanted to slip his hand up her skirt.

  Ariahna frowned at Dallas. That was a horrible deal, she thought. She wasn’t honestly sure what would be more awkward. “Thanks, I’ll pass,” she said. She’d rather just make it quick and get it over with.

  “What if I made that offer?” Rome said evenly. His face was as hard as stone. He did not want her sitting in Jason’s lap for a third time. He knew how aroused he was and it was pissing him off to no end.

  “Game master says no,” Dallas grinned.

  “I don’t really give a shit,” Rome replied. “If she doesn’t want to sit in his lap, she shouldn’t have to.”

  “But…” Dallas said, “I’m the game master. For what I say goes.”

  “I’m going to kill you, and then it’s going to be game over.”

  “Rome, it’s fine. I’ll just do it,” Aria said.

  Jason watched her walk over to him with a straight face. He was drunk off his ass, and he had no clue how he was pulling this off. She paused in front of him and he bit back a smile. “The bottle is trying to tell you something. Straddle me or you’re going to have to keep doing this.”

  “Fine,” Ariahna said, sighing in exasperation. Maybe he was right, she thought. Was that possible? No. Yes. Maybe? She didn’t know. She was too drunk. Logic was obviously not working, because logically, a bottle should not land on the same person three times in a row. That was just statistically improbable. If nothing else, she was tired of acting afraid of him. If she had to do this, she was going to stare him in the eye and not back down or show fear. She wasn’t going to let them make fun of her or think she was weak. She placed her hands on his shoulders, lowering herself into his lap. She could feel his erection pressing between her legs and against the thin fabric of her panties. She blushed, trying to stare him down. It was really hard. The staring, she thought, feeling embarrassed even in her own mind.

  “We’ve got to stop meeting like this,” she joked, trying to make him laugh. If he cracked, then she was safe, and she definitely wouldn’t have to do this again. The whole thing was filling her with anxiety, and for a person with a nervous disorder, anxiety was a dangerous emotion.

  Jason stared up into Aria’s deep green eyes. They were maybe the most gorgeous eyes he’d ever seen, and when she started speaking, he barely even heard her words. That was a good thing, because otherwise he might have laughed. “I know I’m not laughing, but you are funny,” he said, “and fun.” Jason leaned in close to her ear, brushing his lips teasingly along her neck. “Imagine what I could do with this control,” he whispered hotly. “I could hold out all night long if you wanted me to.” She shivered and he nearly smirked in response, pulling back to admire her. “Baby, I think I might seriously love you, but I still ain’t smiling.”

  “I bet you say that to all the girls who wrap their legs around you.”

  “Only the ones who’ve stolen my heart,” Jason grinned. Aria moved to stand and he pulled her back against him, groaning s
oftly at the contact. He gripped her chin in one hand, pressing his lips to hers impulsively. She squealed in surprise and he smiled against her mouth, curling an arm around her waist and grinding against her urgently. Right now, he wanted nothing more than to rip her panties off and screw her in front of all their friends.

  Ariahna pressed shaking hands to Jason’s chest, trying to push him away as his tongue slipped into her mouth. She’d never been kissed quite like this. It was hard and seductive, and almost dirty. Or maybe that was the frantic motion of his hips as he rubbed their bodies together. Her lungs were burning and she couldn’t breathe. And the worst part was, the painful throbbing between her legs was screaming that she liked it.

  Strong hands yanked her away from Jason, cradling her against a solid body. Ariahna was expecting to find herself in Rome’s arms, but when she looked up, she was staring at Christian’s face.

  “Don’t fucking touch her,” he seethed, holding onto her so tight that his arms were shaking. “In fact, don’t even fucking look at her. I’m not stupid – you’re a cheater, and a fucking dick. And she doesn’t need or want your damn tongue down her throat.”

  Aria was frozen, utterly confused why Christian was coming to her defense. He was so angry she thought he might burst a blood vessel.

  “Seriously man, I wasn’t cheating. Not that I give a shit what you think. And by the way, you don’t own her. I think you gave up the right to be pissed off when you went and told everyone about how you popped her cherry.” Jason wasn’t afraid of Christian, and he certainly wasn’t going to let him talk to him like that and get away with it – drunk or not.

  Aria had had enough fun for one night. She pushed out of Christian’s grasp, snagging his cup of beer before wandering off into the trees.

  Rome had almost been too distracted to notice. He was busy lecturing Christian and Jason, and ended up finding out that Matt had been manipulating the bottle the entire time.

  “The three of you are going to apologize to her the next time you see her,” he said, “and you damn well better mean it. If you don’t—just trust me when I say you don’t want to know what I’ll do.”