Cursed (7 page)

“So, what did she say?” Hunter asked.

“Well, we haven’t really talked about that.”

“Did you go native on us?” Randy asked.

Colton pushed away from the table where they’d been playing poker. Randy’sshoulders were slumped, and his face was filled with an expression of complete despair.

“No! I would never do that. It’s just complicated. I mean, how do you broach a topic like that without seeming like you’re only in the relationship for that? I didn’t want to jump the gun too soon and have her send me off for good.”

“I see your point,” Randy said.

Relief shone in his Randy’s hazel eyes, and Colton felt guilt eat at the happiness he’d found. What he was saying was partially true. He’d waited to give them time to develop without the pressure of the curse hanging above their heads. The thing was, the longer he waited, the easier it became to coast along, not thinking about the task that’d been set on his plate.

“How long have you guys been bumping uglies now? Two months?” Hunter asked. “That seems like plenty of time to get things set up.”

“Why the sudden interest, Hunter? You could care less about settling down.” Colton took a long swig of his bottleneck as Randy turned his head to peer at Hunter.

“That’s a good point, Colton. What’s going on with you, Hunter?”

Thank God, I bought myself some more time.

“Why does anything have to be going on?” Hunter’s voice sounded calm and unconcerned, but his green eyes were too wide and his cheeks tinged a smidgen of pink.

“I don’t know why you’re trying to keep a secret. It’ll come out in the end anyway.”

“Look, I don’t want to get my hopes up until we see what’s going to happen with the Voiles, so back off, all right?” His tone was serious. It was a state you didn’t see Hunter in often, unless it was work related.

“Okay, man.” Randy held his hands up in mock surrender.

Colton narrowed his gaze, but nodded in agreement. Who could’ve caught his eye since the Voiles moved into town?

There was no one else new, was there?

“So you’ll ask her about the curse soon, right?” Hunter asked.

“Yeah.” Colton nodded.

“Cool, let’s finish this round of poker, so I can get out of here. I got a date.”

“On a Tuesday?” Randy asked.

“There’s no wrong day to enjoy a woman’s company,” Hunter said.

Colton chuckled and dealt the cards. He couldn’t wait to see Hunter knocked on his ass by love. If the karmic debt Avalyn had mentioned was real, he was past due to be collected on.

“Where are we headed?” Avalyn asked. She could sense the excitement that coursed through him as they drove.

“Some place I really think you’ll like.”

“You won’t tell me anything more than that?”

“No, it’s supposed to be a surprise. Relax and enjoy the ride.”

She gave a mock scowl, but did as he suggested. Business was picking up in the store, and it was nice to relax. Her mother had ordered her to take this Saturday off, and Avalyn had been happy to grant her wishes. With their hectic schedules, she usually only saw Colton at night or for lunch. Neither was very conducive to a real date. This would go a long way toward easing the nagging concern that he only wanted her for her spellwork. Gran hadn’t brought up the fact she was dating an Edgeworth since their chat on the porch, but she didn’t need to say anything to make her disapproval known.

Avalyn used her peripheral vision to study Colton. Things between them were going well. He was still the funny, kind, well-mannered man he’d been when they’d first met. It made her nervous.
Jeez, how screwed up am I?

Life had taught her to wait for the other shoe to drop, at least when it came to love. They’d talked about her powers briefly, but never in depth. His easy acceptance of who she was and what she was capable of wasn’t natural. She chided herself.
Enjoy your time with him and chill. You’re ruining things before they have a chance to really get started.
She forced her tense muscles to relax and rested her head against the seat. She turned to the right and watched the scenery dance by.

When they pulled up, she read the cream-colored oval sign that read
Baxter Botanical Gardens
. A large glass building with a dome sat in the distance. It was surrounded by a vibrant array of colorful art created with plants. The frog made up of two different shades of green was whimsical. Her spirits rose as she drank in the beauty, and the tranquility washed over her.

She turned to look at Colton, shocked at the look of revelry that appeared on his face.

“Coming to this place is one of the few vivid memories I have of my mother. She loved flowers and kept a food garden in the backyard and a flower garden in the front. I remember spending a lot of time helping her outside. It was really just an excuse for me to play in the mud, but she always made me feel like what I was doing was important.”

A sweet smile curled the corner of him lips upward, warming her heart. There were few things as touching or telling about a man as the way he treated his mother. It was obvious Colton had adored her.

“She sounds like she was amazing.”

“She was. I wish you could’ve met her. I know she’d love you. She was very into living off the land and giving thanks to God and respect to the people around you. Even after all these years, those things are etched into my mind. I was lucky to have her for six years, but I would’ve loved to have many more.”

A twinge of apprehension struck. It was her family who was partially responsible for the premature death of his mother.

Was this the moment when he’d ask her to remove the curse?

He slipped his hand in hers and tugged. “Come on; it’s even more beautiful inside, and I have a special surprise I think you’ll love.”

She allowed herself to be pulled along behind, clamping a lid tight on the negativity. It wasn’t like her to dwell on things like that. There were things in the universe that loved chaos, but they were barking up the wrong tree. She imagined the white light of healing beaming down on her, vaporizing the negative vibes and restoring her balance. Tonight she needed to meditate.

She gave his hand a gentle squeeze with the hope she was conveying her appreciation. He’d really thought outside the box.

While cookie cutter dates like dinner and a movie or the local bowling alley were always fun, special outings like these were relationship-defining.

For weeks, she’d been going back and forth, asking herself if being with Colton was worth the lukewarm reception she was getting from her gran, the pitying looks from her mother, and the guilt that twisted her gut on a daily basis. It might seem silly to some, letting the opinions of others affect her so much. But family was forever and supposed to come first. Dating Colton went against everything she’d been taught. Still, she couldn’t deny the message from Viola or the uncanny feeling she was exactly where she should be.

“What do you want to see first, the outside or the inside?”

“Your choice.”

“Inside then.”

The brilliant hues of the flowers mesmerized her as they moved from display to display. He told her a bit about each one, and she got the feeling he came here fairly often. When she asked as much, he answered, “I come here when I need to get away and think. This place holds some of my fondest memories, though I’ll deny it if you tell my brothers.” He flashed a wicked smile and winked. “I don’t care what other people think about me, but Randy and Hunter can be like a dog with a bone when they get a hold of the right information.”

She laughed. “I can tell you love them.”

“Oh, yeah. They just make me want to kill them from time-to-time.”

“I think it’s a family requirement.”

They toured building, and he led her to the garden display set up outside.

“You’re such a tease, drawing out the surprise even longer.” She said as they walked through beneath the lush green arches decorated with deep red blooms.

“That’s the first time I’ve ever heard those words from a woman.” He laughed. His eyes darkened with lust, and she grinned.

“I get the feeling I’m a lot of firsts for you, Mr. Edgeworth.”

“That’s because you Voiles are in a class of your own.”

“What does that mean?” She placed her hands on her hips and cocked her head to the side.

“It means y’all are a handful.” He pulled her close to him and placed an arm around her shoulders. “Of course, that’s one of the things I adore the most about you. Never a dull moment.”

“Mmmhmm.” She fought back giggles. Truth was, his family was just as crazy as hers. The stories she’d heard about his Grandpa Willie had made her laugh until she cried. They were on equal footing in so many different ways. Finally they reached a smaller building that sat away from the main one that housed the botanical gardens.

“Come on inside.” He steered them inside the building, and she gasped. It was a butterfly house!

Millions of tiny wings fluttered at different intervals. She saw blues, oranges, reds, and whites. A child-like awe filled her.

They moved toward the center, where a sandstone waterfall had been set up. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the tiny life forces fluttering around her. She summoned a cooling breeze that swirled around her, toying with her hair and giving the butterflies wind to glide on. She imagined their delicate wings brushing against her skin as the peaceful sound of the waterfall renewed her. Her body tingled as she was refilled with positive energy and happiness. She opened her eyes and smiled as the butterflies did one last circle around her head before they flew off.

“Sorry, I couldn’t resist doing a little communing with nature.”

“You’re amazing,” Colton whispered.

Avalyn turned to face him. His features were soft and open. He took her hand in his and squeezed. “I’ve never known anyone like you, Avalyn. I know we haven’t been dating long, but I can see this lasting a long time.”

“I can too, Colton. I wouldn’t go against my family if I didn’t.”

“This is all so new for me. I feel like I’m floundering,” he mumbled the words almost to himself.

“You’re doing just fine.”

His ability to show his vulnerability was rare in men and one of the many things she loved about him. She was so sick of the men who thought being manly meant never showing emotions and staying in a role that had gone out with the nineteen fifties.

“Good. Let’s take a closer look at the butterflies. There’s all sorts of creatures hiding in the pool.”

They moved closer to peer into the clear water, and she laughed. A medium-sized box turtle sat on a rock, sunning himself. Fat white and orange Koi swam around, occasionally surfacing for air. They sat watching them for a while.

“Would you like to see the rest of the butterfly house?” Colton asked.

“Definitely. This place is magnificent!”

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side as they continued on the path that wound its way through the building.

***

“I did too I’ve never told anyone else about the butterfly house. It’s always been my secret with my mom.”

“No one?”

“No, but I knew you’d love it just as much as she did, if not more. It was the right thing to do. I want you to see every part of who I am, Avalyn.”

His words pushed her over the edge she’d been trying to avoid. This had long surpassed, casual dating. She was falling in love with him.
Please, God, let this be real
.

“Thank you for trusting me with this.”

She leaned over the console and pulled his face toward her. The scratchy feel of his five o’clock shadow on her palms made her shiver. He was so damned sexy. She moved in to kiss him, and they met in the middle. Their mouths melded for a slow kiss that made her toes curl. The gentle lovemaking their mouths were doing was new. Before it had always been fast, an explosion of passion and naughty words. This was different. She closed her eyes and tilted her head, allowing him more access to her mouth. His hands moved up to cup her face, and she moaned as his tongue tangled with her own. He was like a drug she couldn’t get enough of. Avalyn released his face to run her hands through the short silk of his auburn hair.

She began a gentle message that made a growl rumble in his chest. They pulled apart for air, and he chuckled. “Woman, you got me out here necking like a teenager.”

“Maybe we should christen the backseat then while we’re at it.”

“Mmm, tempting, but not tonight. Tonight I want you in my bed.”

The rich baritone deepened even further, and she licked her lips to moisten them as her core pulsed in anticipation of what was to come next. “Then what are we waiting for?”

She turned and opened the door of the truck. He rested a hand on her shoulder, and she paused. She looked over at him.

The serious expression that covered his face stunned her. “What’s wrong?”

“I want you there all night, Avalyn. No more taking you home in the dark of night and dropping you off with my lights off. Your father’s not waiting on the porch with a shotgun.”

“Okay, no more sneaking around.”

“They already know we’re together. It’s time we stopped tiptoeing around everyone and just be.”

The conviction in his tone made her smile. “Okay.”

“Okay?” he asked, his voice filled with disbelief.

She laughed. “Were you expecting me to say no?”

“I’m not sure what I thought. I know how much you love your family.”

“I do. But I can’t let that love and respect be at the expense of us. There’s enough room for you and them in my life.”

He answered her with the press of his lips against her own. He wrapped his broad hands around her hips and pulled her over the console to rest on his lap. Her skirt belled out around her, and his hardness strained against his jeans. Her pussy gushed in response. She rested her palms on his firm chest and rocked her hips against him. The contact sent sparks traveling through her body. He squeezed her ass, and she gasped when he took over the rhythm. He brought her closer to the edge and ground his hips up into her. She felt him swell beneath her. The rough denim teased her through the thin black lace of her boxer briefs.