Love & Curses (Cursed Ink) (8 page)

Calista smiled. Yeah, she thought so, too. All these years of broken hearts and pining after whichever latest boyfriend had dumped her. What a waste of time—except for the fact they’d led her to the most giving and wonderful man she’d ever met. All the others were nothing compared to her Andy.

A potent heat swirled through her chest, increasing her pulse and snagging her breath.
Her Andy.
Oh, yes. She liked the sound of that.

Her gaze shot toward the kitchen door again. He’d said he loved her, but his confession had come at the culmination of a terrifying night where they’d both almost died. He hadn’t said the words again since. Not that she
expected
him to tell her he loved her every ten minutes, but surely he would have repeated the sentiment sometime during the last three days.

She narrowed her gaze on the doorway. He did love her, didn’t he? Her Andy.

Beyond everything she knew, she loved him. There was no doubt he was the one she was meant to spend the rest of her life with. He was unlike any other man she’d ever known, and she was at a loss for how she could’ve been so blind over the last eighteen months. Wasted time.

She fiddled with the napkin in her lap, her fingers knitting the soft cloth only to smooth it out again. Of course, she hadn’t repeated those three little words she’d uttered in her smoke-filled bedroom to him either. Why not? She knew the truth in her heart.

“Calista,” her aunt’s quiet voice called her attention.

She turned, meeting the older woman’s gaze. The woman who’d watched over her since she was a child. The woman who’d cursed Ben Walker because he’d broken her heart. The woman who stared at her now, a sage expression in her eyes—pride, love, and something else indefinable swirled in her golden stare.

Aunt Nadya reached up and tucked a strand behind Calista’s ear, her mouth curving into a gentle smile. “Don’t over think things, child.”

“I’m not,” she lied. “I was just wondering what was taking Andy so long.”

“Things take as long as they will.” Auntie patted her hand. “Now fix yourself. You should look nice for your Andrew when he returns.”

Peering at the napkin she clutched in her lap, she spotted the dark peach stains on the white cloth. She grabbed her purse and fished out her lipstick.

“There you are,” her aunt remarked after Calista had swiped the color onto her lips and returned the tube to her bag. Aunt Nadya sipped her coffee. “Perfect.”

“Sorry I was gone so long.” Andy slipped into the seat next to her. “Chefs can be so temperamental. Not me, though.”

“Of course not.” Giggling, she stared into his dark gaze, and her heart stuttered. God, he was gorgeous. Everything about him called to her, and she took a deep breath. No more waiting. Her heart belonged to him, so why not tell him?

“Andy, I wanted to—”

“Calista—”

She laughed. “Okay, you first.”

His expression sobered. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.” A few more seconds wouldn’t change the way she felt or what she intended to say.

His gaze flicked to Aunt Nadya and then back to her. He swallowed and glanced down as though gathering his thoughts. Good Lord, what was he about to tell her?

Dread flooded her chest. Oh no. He was getting ready to dump her. Her lungs squeezed, and tiny darts of pain pricked her heart.

“I’ve lived next door to you for a year and a half,” he said, his voice so serious each word jarred her nerves. “And these last few days have been….” He lifted his gaze to her aunt again. “Enlightening.”

Aunt Nadya gave a quiet snort and tapped her finger on the table.

The corner of his mouth twitched, and he shifted his attention to Calista. Taking her hand, he drew her focus. “Your aunt’s, um, special talents. I mean, she
cursed
a guy. And not that I ever believed in any kind of magic, but some really strange things happened afterward. Scary things. Whatever she did, she worried how the consequences would affect you.”

“I know.” She leaned toward him. “I didn’t mean for you to hear—”

He squeezed her fingers. “Death.” He clenched his jaw, and a shadow passed over his face. “You almost
died
, Calista.”

“But I didn’t.”

He nodded. “True. But some people believe you can’t change fate, can’t alter destiny.”

She gulped. Oh crap, he was about to tell their relationship was destined to fail, that she was too much trouble to have in his life—what with her aunt’s crazy notions and her own episodic emotional implosions. That she’d nearly suffocated to death had merely been the last straw. Her eyes burned with tears, but she blinked them away. She couldn’t blame him for wanting to leave her. Hell, she would escape her own life, too, if she could.

Andy gave her a serious stare. “Love can.”

She frowned and trembled with the myriad sensations whirling inside her.

“Love can change destiny. It already has.” He slid from his chair and dropped to one knee before her. Still holding her hand in his, he lifted his gaze to hers. “You are my whole life. The other half of my soul. You’ve done the one thing no other woman ever has. You’ve made me whole.”

Releasing her hand, he dug into his pocket and retrieved a small box. Anticipation danced in his eyes as he opened the velvet lid to reveal a marquis diamond set in a band dotted with gold topaz stones. Behind her, Aunt Nadya gasped.

“Just like the moment I saw you and my heart was yours, the moment I saw this ring, I knew it belonged to you.” He glanced at the box in his hand. “The diamond is beautiful and strong like you.”

“And the topaz?” she whispered.

“Ah, the topaz.” He grinned. “They reminded me of your eyes.”

Aunt Nadya sighed.

Andy removed the ring from the box and held it up. “I will carry your love in my heart and be forever faithful to that love until the day comes we leave this world.” He met her gaze. “And even after.
You
are my destiny, Calista. For all eternity, I will love you. Will you marry me?”

His words enveloped her, their promise washing over her with a certainty she’d never experienced before. Elation wound through her, seeping to the very tips of her being.

“Yes!” She slipped from her chair and into his embrace. “I will spend my life with you.”

Applause rippled throughout the restaurant, adding to the magic of the moment. Grinning, love dancing in his eyes, he lifted her hand and pushed the ring onto her shaking finger. The brilliant gems sparkled with the promise of their life together. Andy dipped his head and captured her mouth, his lips branding her with a heat she never wanted to escape.

Oh, how she loved this man.

Chapter Ten

Six months later…

Ben Walker crossed between the automatic doors, leaving behind the tortuous humidity of the outside afternoon and welcoming the air-conditioned climate of the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. The city was awesome, but it was time to move on.

If he were a smart man, he would head for the cooler Northeast. But he’d never allowed anything or anyone to dictate his life. Having no one else to consider but himself was exactly how he liked it. He enjoyed his random flow, never knowing what might await him at his next destination—a long-legged blonde, a sexy brunette. Maybe both at once? The possibilities were both enticing and arousing.

He grinned to himself, remembering how he’d let fate decide where he would travel next. Before he’d left for the airport, he’d pulled out a map, laid it out flat, and closed his eyes. When his trusty finger had landed, he’d opened his eyes.

Texas.

So, San Antonio it would be. More heat, but hopefully less humid, and really, when he thought about it, the laid back city would be perfect. A couple buddies lived there and loved it. They’d offered him a booth in a number of local tattoo parlors—one was even on the Riverwalk. Yeah, he could have his pick of prime shops. He could get into that.

Prime tail, too. All that easy-going, southern hospitality. The women were no exception. Yep. New Orleans was an excellent city, the clubs had been full of female tourists all hot and heavy to get it on with a bad boy, but he had a feeling a change of pace might be good.

San Antonio. A rush of excitement ran along his veins at the thought.

Ben rolled his shoulder and frowned. Damn thing had been aching for weeks. For the life of him, he couldn’t remember how he’d injured it. Had it been with the blonde bartender, who hauled him off to the storage room for a quickie, or the Brazilian chick who rode him in the backseat of her Firebird? He smirked. Did it matter?

Reaching beneath the neck of his T-shirt, he strained to scratch the area on his shoulder blade. Damn it. He dug his fingernails into itchy skin and almost sighed with relief.

Stepping forward, he grabbed his boarding pass from the ticket agent and made his way to the gate, stopping off at the fast food chicken place to snag some grub to munch on the plane. Navigating through the throng of people, he noticed a thin, busty redhead. She must have just gotten off a plane and seemed damn excited to be in the city. Eyeing her long limbs and ample curves, he considered following her—maybe catch a hot fuck in the men’s room?

He glanced at his watch. No. He had a plane to catch. No time for a quick piece of ass.

Food in hand, he turned to leave and slammed into a smaller body he hadn’t been aware was in front of him. Fried chicken and mashed potatoes ran down the front of him and smeared into his fresh white T-shirt.

“Damn it! What the—” He glanced at the person he’d run into. “Calista?”

“Ben?” She frowned. Reaching down, she grabbed a handful of napkins from the dispenser on the table and wiped a bit of gravy from her forearm. “You might want to watch where you’re going. Looks like you’ve made a mess of yourself.”

Damn she looked amazing. All that dark hair. She’d pulled it back into a ponytail at the nape of her neck, but he still remembered winding his fingers through the thick, wavy tresses. If he had any regrets about New Orleans, it would be that his fling with Calista hadn’t lasted longer. She was a sweet girl. Then again, he didn’t do sweet, did he? And her damn aunt was certifiable.
Whatever
.

“Uh, yeah. Sorry, didn’t get any on you did I?”

“Just a bit of, um…gravy?” She dropped the napkins in a nearby trashcan and pointed to his shirt. “But that looks like it’s gonna stain.”

“Yeah, probably.” He gave her a once over, images of her hot and panting beneath him flooding his mind. She’d never called him back. Could she have followed him to the airport, hoping for a second chance? Might be worth hanging around a couple more weeks. “How’s that tat working out for you?”

A taller dude moved in close and wrapped his arm around her. He glared at Ben as though he wanted to punch him. “Everything okay here?”

“Yeah. Fine,” he said. “I was just asking Calista how she liked the tattoo I gave her a while back.”

“Oh, you mean the swallow inked on her left shoulder?” The dude nodded and angled her bare shoulder around, revealing the tribal style bird he’d inked. “We like it fine.” He tugged her against him. “You okay?”

“Yes.” She smiled. “Ben just ran into me. Literally.”

“Hmm.” The guy eyed him. “Maybe you should pay better attention in the future. You could hurt someone.”

Ben got the distinct feeling the dude wasn’t talking about bumping into anyone.

“Yeah, I’ll do that.” He glanced at Calista again and noticed the shiny ring on her hand accompanied by a golden band. “You’re married?”

Her face burst into a broad grin. Holy shit, there was that killer smile he remembered. “Yes, Andy and I got married yesterday. We’re off to Hawaii for our honeymoon.”

“Huh, congratulations, I suppose.” He shrugged off the odd sensation in his chest. Indigestion, he guessed, except he hadn’t eaten yet. Hunger, yeah, that was it.

“Thanks.” She snuggled closer to the man who held her tight to his side then met his gaze with direct intent. “You know, Ben, I have you to thank for Andy. In a roundabout way, you were pivotal in bringing us together. So, thank you. I truly hope you find someone to love one day. Maybe then you’ll realize the peace you feel in your soul when it’s content.”

He grimaced. “Hey, I’m happy for you and all, but my soul is content just the way it is. You and your man, have a great life. I’ll do the same just as I always have.” He nodded to them and strode off toward his gate.

Yeah, San Antonio never sounded better.
Love. What a load of horseshit
. He found peace every time he sank his dick balls deep into a woman. Love had nothing to do with it. Never had, never would.

As he stormed down the ramp to his plane, a shiver coursed through him, and the old biddy’s words came from nowhere.
“I curse you to roam the world, watching those around you find true love while you continue in your self-absorbed existence.”

“Fucking horseshit!”