Cursed (20 page)

     She darted a glance
in his direction, then forced a smile. “No.”

     Her quiet word made
him realize that he was someone special. So was she. No matter how much he’d
like to deny it. “I consider myself a strong man, a man who can control his
libido, but lady, you’ve just shredded it into bits.”

     The song ended. He
didn’t want to let her go. Nick cocked his head toward the north corner of the
ball room. It was filled with clusters of lush, green palms. “If I don’t kiss
you in the next three minutes, I’m going to die. I’ll meet you there in two,
but first I need to check the carousel.”

     She gave him an
alluring look as he slid her from his arms. Clenching his jaw to keep from
holding her again, he turned and disappeared into the crowd.

     Hope could scarcely
catch her breath. Earlier, when she’d seen him across the room, she could all
but taste him, feel him. His words while they danced had thrown her sex drive
into a tizzy. God help her, she needed to feel him move inside her again. She
turned to go after him but bumped into her brother instead.

     “Nice opening
speech. You charmed them all as usual.” Hope looked past him hoping to catch a glimpse
of Nick but all she saw was a mixture of men in black tuxedoes and women in a
variety of ball gowns.

     Cullinan shrugged.
“I saw you dancing with Morelli and you even blushed a couple of times. Has
something happened between the two of you I should know about?” His voice was
like a principal speaking to a tardy student.

     Hope looked him
straight in the eye and hoped he believed her. “No.”

     Cullinan narrowed
his eyes and his lips thinned. “You’ve slept with him, haven’t you?”

     Hope glanced
nervously around them. “Keep your voice down.”

     “Well?”

     She squared her
shoulders. “My sex life is none of your business. Now if you’ll excuse me.” She
walked away before he could say anything further.

     Hope was still
fuming when she looked discreetly around her to make sure no one was looking
her way before she stepped behind the bank of palms. It took a moment for her
eyes to adjust to the semi-darkness after the bright light of the ballroom. She
had a brief vision of the parquet floor and wainscoting of the corner of the
ballroom before Nick pulled her into his arms.

     His need for her
sucked her under. Like the flash of a dying star’s light, she remembered every
touch, every nuance of the night they made love. Not just once, but twice. Even
after the security guard had entered the conservatory, they had both come while
the man walked around the place checking the other doors. Nick had covered her
mouth with his to muffle her moans of pleasure.

     A quivering stream
of want zipped madly through her veins as his hands groped for the zipper on
her dress. Before she could blink, he’d wrapped his hands around her breasts.
His thumbs stroked her nipples, sending hot streaks of need down to her core.
His mouth moved greedily over hers again and then he lowered his head and loved
her nipples, tasting the peaks with his tongue. She barely listened to the
sounds of the voices and the tinkle of glasses drifting through the curtain of
green until footsteps moved closer.

     Nick shifted, pulling
her with him deeper into the shadows. He placed his mouth next to her ear. As
he spoke, his lips lightly grazed the lobe and his breath wafted warmly over
her skin. “No one knows we’re here.” He kissed her on the neck.

Arousal tormented her senses, causing a haze
to settle over her brain.

     “Are you wearing
panty hose?”

     “No—” She gasped
when he sucked the hollow at her throat. “Stockings.”

     “Lucky for me.”

     She heard the grin
in his voice and allowed him to sweep her further down the sensuous path he
created. His hands bunched the lower part of her dress in his fingers, slowly
baring her calves, then her thighs. Finally, her dress bunched around her
waist. His strong hands shifted to her fanny.

     “Sweet Jesus, you’re
wearing a thong.” He groaned the words. “I’ll enjoy having you model it for me
another time, but right now I need you bare-assed naked.”

     He yanked the skimpy
material down to her ankles. She removed her shoes, worked her feet out of the
thong and kicked it aside. Her head lolled against the wall at her back as his
hands slid over her skin igniting little blazes of passion with each touch. He
parted her folds and rubbed his callused thumb over her clitoris. The orgasm
engulfed her so swiftly she nearly stopped breathing. Hope’s mind barely
registered the slide of his zipper before he lifted her legs and clasped them
around his waist. With a carnal moan, he shoved. Her wet, inner muscles closed
around his shaft holding him securely within her. He pushed deeper inside her,
thrusting hard, causing her fanny to slap against the wall. The sounds of the
party outside the curtain faded to a soft murmur. Her world narrowed down to
Nick’s demanding penis embedded inside her. She accepted his glorious invasion.
Again, the hot, wet need to come consumed her like a living fire until there
was nothing left but to give into it. Nick’s mouth trapped hers, smothering her
sob of ecstasy as they soared together.

     “I thought I saw
Hope head this way,” Cullinan’s voice murmured.

Chapter Eleven

     Tess loved Cullinan.

     She loved him with
her whole being. Inwardly, she beamed with the knowledge. Thank God, she’d
finally admitted it to herself. A sense of peace permeated Tess’s soul as she
looked around the ball room for Abeland saw him standing next to the carousel.
How could she have ever considered Abel when her heart belonged to Cullinan?

     When Abel saw her,
he smiled and held out his hand. She stepped up beside him and briefly grasped
his fingers, giving them a friendly squeeze before letting go. “Where’s my
drink?”

     Abel shrugged. “Too
crowded. I’ll try again in a minute.”

     Tess tried to focus
on the jewelry but Cullinan’s incredible story about her pendant and its
history spun endlessly through her mind. Tess thought about the curse and Quinn
dying so horribly. She recalled her grief over his death and her struggles to
build a new life for herself. What about the other people who had lost loved
ones in the tragedy of 9/11? They had grieved and struggled too. What about the
other wives who had lost their husbands? Was this curse really true? How could
this curse be related to 9/11? Quinn wasn’t the only person to die. Did all of
those people die because of her pendant? Didn’t she owe ending the curse to Quinn
and anyone else in the future who might acquire the necklace?

     Abel touched her
arm. “Are you all right? You have the most serious look on your face.” His
voice was concerned; his eyes appraised her with compassion.

     Tess pushed her
troubling thoughts away. “I’m fine, Abel. We need to talk about a lot of
things.” How would she find the right words to tell Abel about her feelings for
Cullinan without hurting him?

     His hazel eyes
sparkled. “Yes, we do.” He stepped closer.

His designer aftershave tickled her nose. She
preferred Cullinan’s basic scent of soap mixed with the unique smell of his
skin.

     “Tess, I care for
you and want you in my life. There, I’ve said it.” His voice rang with
uninhibited zeal. “I didn’t think I could ever care for another woman again
after Leann died.” His face shone with the depth of his feelings. He touched
her cheek with his fingertips. “When I met you, I felt myself coming alive
again.”

     Tenderness suffused his
voice urging her to say she cared for him too. But she couldn’t. Oh, God, she
didn’t want to hurt him, but she had to tell him she loved Cullinan. Tess had
seen the interest in Abel’s eyes the day he’d come by her house bringing
homemade soup and fresh flowers but she assumed his feelings were familial
because she had been his brother’s wife. “Abel, I—”

     “Don’t say anything.
Please, let me finish.” His eyes gleamed with passionate desperation as he
stepped even closer to her. He reached out, grasped her fingers and brought the
back of her hand briefly to his lips for a soft kiss. “I love you.” His voice
was low and husky. “I want you to marry me.”

     Tess’s mouth fell
open at his confession while shock rioted through her. “I can’t.” She raised
her hand, laid it in the middle of her chest and shook her head. “I simply
can’t.”

     He gave her an
indulgent smile, let go of her hand and cocked his head to one side. “I’m
sorry. I shouldn’t have blurted it out like that. Of course you’re overwhelmed
and might not love me now but given time I’m sure your feelings will change.” A
wistful note of certainty colored his voice.

     Irritation at his
assumption snaked up her spine. She reminded herself that his feelings, not
hers were about to be stomped on, and shoved her resentment at being maneuvered
by him aside for the moment. She bunched her hands into loose fists at her
sides. “No, they won’t change.” Her voice was firm but gentle.

     A wry expression
twisted his mouth. “How do you know if you don’t give yourself a chance?”

     She heard the
displeasure in his voice. She should never have gone out with him in the first
place. Tess touched his arm. “Abel, you’re a good man just like your brother.”

     He winced slightly and
she shook her head. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not comparing you to Quinn. You’re
two completely different people but in some ways you’re a lot alike.” She
removed her hand from his arm and smoothed her fingers over her brow. “Quinn
tried to protect and guide me and so do you. I appreciate it, I truly do.”

     Confusion blanketed
his face.

     “Let me explain.
When Quinn died something inside me died with him, but later I discovered that
a part of me awakened as well, a part I didn’t know I had...a need for
independence. Now I’m enjoying my newfound freedom and learning to spread my
wings. I can never go back to—”

     The expression in
his eyes turned cool and the confident look on his face changed to indignation.
“It’s Benedict isn’t it?” His voice was accusing and tense.

     “Cullinan and I knew
each other before I met Quinn. In fact, we had a relationship. After we broke
up, I thought it was over for good; otherwise I would never have gotten
involved with Quinn and married him.” She paused when Abel tilted his head back
and an icy light glimmered in his eyes. He must think she never cared for his
brother. She had to make him understand.

“Make no mistake, Abel, I loved your brother,
I still do, but I still love Cullinan as well. It’s a different kind of love
but it’s there and it will never leave me.” She exhaled a deep breath, relieved
that she’d told him the truth. “Abel, I never meant to lead you on. One day
you’re going to find a woman who loves and appreciates you.” She remembered the
A.D.A. she’d seen him talking to. “In case you’re blind and haven’t noticed,
that young woman from your office is definitely interested.”

     Abel shook his head,
keeping his gaze pinned on her. “I don’t care for her.” He took a step forward
and inhaled a deep breath as if trying to control his emotions. “I care for
you, damn it.” His voice grated with a pleading tone like a man grasping for a
lifeline.

     Her heart ached for
the pain she caused him. “I know and I’m sorry I’ve hurt you.” She paused for a
moment. “But I haven’t told you everything.” Tess told him about the pendant
and its history.

     When she finished,
Abel laughed. “You don’t actually believe that ridiculous story, do you?”
Skepticism and contempt laced his voice.

     Tess looked at him.
“Yes, I do.” How could she have ever believed otherwise?

     Abel grasped her
gently by the shoulders and stared into her eyes. “Cullinan isn’t the right man
for you.” Desperation edged his voice. “
He
stole the pendant. Surely you
can see that now.”

     She tried to squirm
from his hold, but he wouldn’t let her go. She saw Abel’s true personality
emerging and she didn’t like it. Not one little bit. “No. He didn’t.”

     He gave her a slight
shake. “Listen to me. He’s trying to trick you. Don’t let him.”

     Cullinan’s earlier
words filtered through her mind.
Please come with me. Let me prove it to
you. You’ve said all these years that I wasn’t honest with you about being a
thief. I may have been a thief but I did it for a noble purpose. I didn’t steal
because I was greedy; I stole in hopes of one day finding the pendant so I
could return it to the church in Scotland
.

     Tess stiffened her
upper body and glared at him. “Let me go.”

     Slowly, Abel
loosened his hold on her shoulders. His arms fell to his sides. He looked at
her with anger burning in his eyes as though someone had just stolen his most
valuable possession.