Cursed Love (3 page)

“It must have been the good food this morning.”

“I’m grateful for your help. If you have nowhere to stay I have a spare bedroom. I just thought it would be nice for you to sleep in a comfortable bed and take a hot shower is all.”

“We barely even know each other and you’re offering your home to me?”

“You’ve helped me more in the past few hours than anyone has in my entire life. I need to show my thanks in some way. If you decided to stay here the spare door key is under the flower pot outside. Goodnight, Tomas.” Ramona wrapped the blanket around her shoulders again and disappeared upstairs, leaving him standing there in amazement. He wasn’t going to turn down the offer to be in the same house as his mate.

Wait, his mate?
Tomas slumped onto the sofa as his body tried to take in the thought. Shifters were always told that they would know who their mate was the moment they scented them. It must have been part of the reason why he felt such a strong desire to help Ramona overcome her curse. He shook his head slightly before he headed back to the motel to bring his stuff to Ramona’s. If she was offering her home to him he wasn’t going to say no.

CHAPTER FIVE

Ramona woke up to the smell of bacon. Tomas must have decided to stay, then. She climbed out of bed and wrapped a robe around herself before making her way downstairs. Her body was beginning to ache and she couldn’t help but hate her father in a way, because of what he had done to her.

“It smells delicious.” Ramona announced herself before pouring a cup of the fresh coffee that was sitting on the counter.

“Thank you. I used to be the head cook back at my old clan.” A look of sadness washed over Tomas’s features, and it made her curious as to why he had been thrown from his old clan, and why he was so willing to help someone that he barely even knew.

“Well it smells amazing.” Ramona could see Tomas visibly relax when he realised she wasn’t going to ask him about his clan. He nodded and turned back to the stove, piling random pieces of food onto two plates before setting one down in front of her.

“You’re look much better now.” Ramona noticed the colour in his cheeks and the shy smile on his handsome face. Since their first meeting, Tomas was beginning to slowly gain more confidence when talking to her and actually keeping eye contact with her. She had wondered many times over the past few days what had caused this handsome, broad-shouldered man to become so submissive to anyone that raised their voice to him.

“It’s being around another shifter and my...” Tomas trailed off at the end of the sentence, causing Ramona to frown at him.

“Your what?”

“Nothing, I didn’t mean to say that.” He kept his gaze on the table in front of him and Ramona watched as he retreated into himself once again, remaining quiet through the whole breakfast. His face was a mask of worry as he cleaned away the plates.

“I don’t have work today, do you want to keep reading the journal or do you have somewhere you need to be?” Ramona begun to fill the dishwasher as she spoke to Tomas, making sure to keep her back to him so he didn’t get scared of her once again. There was some urge she felt towards Tomas that made her want to keep him safe, but on the other hand she wanted to pin him down on her bed and ride him like a cowgirl.

She stood up so abruptly that she banged her head on the edge of the dishwasher. She cried out and placed her hand on the affected area. Tomas rushed over and removed her hand before gently placing something could against the painful bump.

“You must have been pretty distracted with your thoughts to bang your head like that.” Tomas chuckled and Ramona felt her cheeks flush. He couldn’t have known what she was thinking about, could he?

“When you were in the cafe the first day I smelt something coming from you. What was it?”

“A shifter can scent different emotions such as fear, desire, hatred and sometimes even love. Each scent has a different smell. Fear can smell either sickly sweet or like rotting flesh, sometimes it can be between. It was probably fear you smelt on the first day.”

“Why were you scared of me?”

“It’s a long story that I don’t want to talk about just yet.”

“Okay. Do you want to go back to the journal?” Ramona poured herself another cup of coffee and headed back into the living room. She wasn’t going to force Tomas into telling her anything that he didn’t want to. She wasn’t that cruel.

“Thank you for understanding.” Tomas smiled gratefully at her before sitting down on the sofa and taking the leather bound journal, opening it to where they left from last night. Sitting this close to Ramona was having a very strong effect on him, and he meant that completely in his body reacting to her beauty.

August 29
th
1967

It had been four days since I found out that I was cursed. There was one small part that the old lady had told me that I couldn’t stop thinking about. She had said, and these were her exact words, “the children that you bare will suffer dreadful consequences in your passing.” I wasn’t quite sure what that meant but I had a feeling that if I were to have children and then died that my child would take the curse upon themselves. I couldn’t let that happen. I could subject my daughter or son to this type of torture. The type of pain and suffering that you couldn’t stop, no matter how much you want to.

September 25
th
1967

I was hoping that the curse was a onetime deal. This wasn’t the case, it appeared. The previous night the same thing happened that happened last month. I was determined to live with the curse and had cut all illegal activity from my life. I’d heard that Jason had gotten in with a rough crowd and was currently being held in custody. I wasn’t going to get involved with him, after all it was his fault that I and my children are cursed. I met a young lady at college today. She has the most beautiful eyes and her skin is flawless. When I close my eyes I think of her, I can still smell her as I write these words, I can still hear the high pitched voice that feels like my heart has been captured by angels. I’m not sure what this attraction is to her but I know that I must have her, she must be my own.

“I think this is where your father must have met his mate, your mother.” Tomas trailed his fingers over the black ink with an affectionate smile. His parents’ relationship had never been one of romance. They weren’t even true mates; they were an arranged marriage to fix a feud between the two families.

“What is a mate?”

“A mate is someone that you are destined to be with, your soul mate or your other half, whatever you wish to call them. Once a shifter finds their one true mate then they are unable to stop thinking of them, unable to stop wondering what life would be like with them, unable to stop the desire coursing through their veins for the need to touch them, hold them, pleasure them...

“It’s the most vicious type of love you could experience. It’s when all you can do is think about that person; they take control of your mind and soul. A feeling when thinking of them with someone else makes you sick to the stomach. Where you want to look after that person when they’re sick but also to make love to them all night long.” Tomas whispered the words out and turned to face Ramona as her hand slowly rested his on his thigh, a curious look on her face.

“Have you found your mate yet?”

“I’m not quite sure.” Tomas looked into Ramona’s eyes and could see as well as smell the slight fear that was coming from her body. He had never felt as much desire for anyone else as he felt for Ramona. He wanted to take her in his arms, lay her down on a bed and treasure every inch of her body, to make her feel like nothing she had felt before, to have her craving his touch and for her to only ever want his touch again.

“Tom...” Ramona’s voice was a mere breath as she sat up on the couch before swinging her leg over and positioning herself in his lap, her hands reaching out cup his face. He couldn’t seem to look away from her dark, alluring eyes and the pink lips that he wished to dominate with his own. He took a deep breath before he placed his hand at the small of her back and slowly brushed it up until he wrapped his palm around the back of her neck, bringing her closer to him.

No words were exchanged as they spent a few moments looking into each other’s eyes, the desire almost electric between them. He wasn’t sure who made the first move but in a matter of mere seconds his lips were on hers, his hand wrapped in her long black hair.

Tomas couldn’t help but pull her as close as possible with their clothes on. He cupped her face in his hands and dominated her mouth with his own, his confidence growing by the second as he caressed this astonishing woman in front of him. His lips never moved from hers as he reached down and tugged gently at the hem of her shirt indicating he wanted her to remove it. They separated long enough for Ramona to remove her shirt, and as she did Tomas kissed a gentle line from the dip in her throat to the swell of her breasts.

Ramona cradled the back of Tomas’s head as his mouth moved across her chest, his hands switching from holding her back to running his fingertips down her spine. After a few passes of his hands down her back he slowly reached up to unclasp her bra. Ramona willingly bent backward and allowed him to strip her of the garment. Tomas knew he was staring but he couldn’t help himself. Every inch of flesh he revealed from her caused him to want her for his own even more.

“Tomas, you’re staring.” Ramona giggled quietly and reached down to remove Tomas’s shirt so she didn’t feel as exposed. She ran her hands over the man’s chest in amazement. She was surprised as to what a mere shirt could hide from her. Tomas’ chest was like an adventure playground for her, he was full of dips and ridges that she wanted to explore with her fingers and mouth.

“You’re the one staring now.” Tomas covered the side of his ribs slightly and Ramona frowned as she saw the dark purple bruising there.

“What happened to you?” Ramona climbed from his lap and knelt in front of him. She gently moved his arm away from the bruised area and bent forward to place a barely there kiss on the tender flesh. Tomas gasped quietly and Ramona’s hands slid down his stomach and to the buttons on his jeans before looking up at him for permission. He nodded very slowly and she felt a smile spread across her face as she unbuttoned the tight jeans Tomas was wearing.

“I was beaten up because I was the runt of the litter and they never allowed me to live it down. I had my coming of age ceremony four months ago and they kicked me out because I shifted into an albino bear. They’re bad luck in our community. An albino is supposed to be the cursed bear.” Tomas’ whispered quietly, keeping his head resting on the back of the sofa to look at the ceiling so he didn’t have to see Ramona’s look of pity.

“Your old clan seem like a bunch of dicks, really.”

Tomas looked down at her in shock and didn’t see pity in her eyes but fury. He couldn’t help but fall in love with her in that moment. He knew that falling in love with a cursed shifter would never end well for him, but he couldn’t help the feelings he felt towards the beautiful women in front of him. He knew it had only been a few days, but he was once told by a wise person that it’s like jumping into water and hoping that it isn’t shallow enough that you break your face.

“It’s okay. Ignore it for now.” Tomas stood up and shoved his jeans off his legs, lifting Ramona up and onto the sofa. She wasn’t heavy but moving her pulled on his still bruised ribs; but he didn’t show the pain, he didn’t want her to worry over him. He stripped her of her clothing before leaning back to sit on his heels and just look at her. He wasn’t sure what he had done to deserve someone as beautiful as Ramona, but the fates had decided to gift him with her. For only him.

He let his hands wander over her soft skin and had the satisfaction of watching her gasp in pleasure, or watch as her body arched into his touch. While he may not have had many intimate partners, he knew how to please a woman; but with Ramona he wanted to pleasure her so that she craved his touch, that she couldn’t think of anyone else touching her in a sexual way.

He pushed himself up and knelt on the couch between her spread legs before gently bending down and kissing the side of her neck. Ramona whimpered quietly and tilted her head to the side to allow him more access. As his mouth explored her neck, his hand was slowly moving down to the most private part of her body.

“Tomas, please. I need you.” Ramona moaned quietly and reached between their bodies to grasp him in her hand. He couldn’t help but moan in shock at the tight grip she had on him.

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You’re not going to hurt me; I know when I’m ready. Please, Tomas.” She reached up and wrapped her hands around his neck to pull him down gently, and kissed him with as much passion as she could.

“Do you have protection?”

“There should be some in the bathroom upstairs.”

“I’ll be back in a second then.” Tomas kissed her once more before he rushed upstairs; he tried not to think of how ridiculous he must look running up the stairs with an erection. He wasn’t overly bothered about what he looked like as long as he could be inside Ramona. He managed to find two condoms and sighed. He needed to go to the shop soon, then.

When he returned Ramona had turned herself around on the sofa and turned her head to watch him descend the stairs, a smile on her face. Tomas couldn’t help but return the smile as he settled back between her thighs and reached down to cover himself.