Cursed Love: Cursed Love (Cursed, #1) (2 page)

“Dude, what are you doing here? Isn’t it like election night or something?” he asks, standing up against the door frame with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

I look to him and punch him in the shoulder.

“Yeah, it’s something alright. I was bored out of my mind and needed to get out of there fast.”

“Linc, your parents are going to kill you. Are you sure you should be here?”

“I’m sure, now let me in and let’s play some video games.”

I make my way through the door and follow Daulton back to his room.

The house is eerily quiet and dark. I know his mom is here, I saw her car parked in the garage. It’s really no bother to me, so I shrug it off and plop myself down on one of the bean bag chairs in front of the TV.

Daulton loads a game into the Nintendo and hands me a controller. For the next hour or so we battle one another, each of us winning a game or two.

Lights flash across his bedroom wall from the outside and I hear a car door slam.

My ear perks to a noise coming from the front yard. It sounds like someone’s yelling, but I can’t make it out.

Daulton grabs my hand and I follow him into the other room.

He quickly closes the old, cracked, wooden closet door after us and we slide back to the wall behind the musty clothes and boxes.

My body is trembling and I can hear Daulton’s teeth chattering in fear.

What the heck just happened?

All I remember is playing video games in his bedroom and before I know it, he’s pulling me into the guest room closet.

I follow his lead, completely clueless as to what’s going on. A million thoughts are racing through my head.  

Is it his mom? His dad?

Is there a robber in the house and we’re hiding so that he doesn’t find us?

Is there a chance that something bad is going to happen and I’ll never make it home to see my family again?

Daulton and I have been best friends since Kindergarten. We’ve played tee-ball together and even made the traveling baseball team this year. The two of us have been inseparable since we first met.

He’s the one friend I can get along with and be myself. I don’t have to pretend around him, and I sure as heck don’t have to act like a congressman’s son when we’re together.

No matter how badly we mess around or bully one another on the playground, I always know I’m safe with him…that is, until now.

I rest my head in my hands and can feel the tears prick the back of my eyelids. I never should have snuck out of home and ridden my bike to Daulton’s house tonight. It was a big mistake and now I’m scared to death to be here with him.

When my parents find out that I’m gone, I’ll be in more trouble than ever before. But one thing is for sure, being grounded for life is better than hiding in this closet.

A door slams in the other room and I hear a muffled cry. Three loud sounds vibrate the wall behind us and I can only imagine what could be causing the thumping noise.

Our bodies both jump at the clamor coming from outside the closet. I hear his mother’s scream and the sound of something slamming into the wall.

Daulton moves his body further back into the closet and I look in his direction. All I see is pitch black except for the subtle light coming through the space between the bottom of the door and the floor.

Sounds echo from the other room and more shouts and screams follow. I can’t make out what’s happening, but the fear coursing through my body tells me that something isn’t right in this house.

A loud bang goes off…and then another. Daulton reaches his hand out to me and our bodies shiver together.

Moments pass by—I’m not sure if it’s seconds or minutes—but it feels like a lifetime.

The front door slams shut and I can feel my heart pounding through my tuxedo shirt.

This has to be the worst night of my life and I can only imagine what’s going to happen next.

Chapter 1

20 Years Later

Birmingham, Alabama

The sirens are blaring, the police cruiser’s lights are flashing, and my eyes are filling with tears as I stare out onto the front lawn.

It’s early November and the temperature is a mild sixty-five degrees, but my body feels as though I’m sitting on a block of ice. I’m freezing and I can’t stop my teeth from chattering.

I’m standing on the front porch wrapped in an itchy blanket, waiting for my parents to come get me.

My entire body is shaking like a leaf and I don’t know if I’m more scared of Dad or what I just heard.

Men and women are rushing in and out of the house and I see Daulton coming toward me out of the corner of my eye. I turn my head to face him and I see his clothes covered in blood. The pain in his eyes shows me that he’s just as scared as I am right now.

I close my eyes to hide from the red and my body starts to convulse.

A loud bang goes off in my head and I grab for my ears. The blanket begins to fall from my body and I desperately reach to grab it. I pull it up over my head to hide what my eyes see and the sounds that echo through my ears.

The vision is still so clear in my head. I can’t stop the noise, the sight of all the blood, and the lifeless body that lay before us.

My body flies up into a sitting position in my bed and I can barely catch my breath. My heart is beating a mile a minute and there’s a golf ball sized lump stuck in my throat. I’m covered in sweat, and as I look down toward my feet I can see that my covers are a tangled mess.

It’s been so many years since that dreaded night and I’m
still
waking from the nightmare of what I saw. I try to pull the sheet out from in between my legs and climb out of bed.

The hardwood floor creaks beneath my feet as I move from my bedroom toward the bathroom.

Trying to regain some composure, I rub my tired eyes and move through the dark hallway. My body is still in flight mode from the visions of my dream and goose bumps cover my arms and legs. I run my hands through my hair and feel the dampness of my nerves that the nightmare left behind.

Flipping the light switch in the bathroom, I turn to look at my pathetic and sleepless reflection in the mirror. My face is pale white and huge black circles surround my eyes. I haven’t woken with a nightmare like this in the past few nights. I thought I was free from it all, but as soon as I believe that the terrors in my sleep will go away, they come right back to haunt me.

I’m a grown man for God’s sake; I need to get a grip on life and move forward. I’ve managed to deal with my issues to a point—well, I’d like to
think
I have. But nevertheless, I need to rid myself of this shit once and for all.

I turn on the faucet; the water begins to run freely as I let the steam and heat of the pooling water melt into my skin. I stick my hand into the warmth and splash it onto my face.

A chill runs through my body as I stand in my boxers in front of the vanity in the bathroom. I continue to cover my face and hands in the now scalding hot water until I’m numb.

No matter what I do, the sight is still there behind my closed eye lids. It’s as fresh as the night it all happened, and I fear that I’ll never be able to make it go away.

I jump at the loud bang of the front door slamming shut and I curse my roommate as I reach for a hand towel.

Fucking Daulton.

I hear him laugh as he tells someone that he’ll be right back down. He stomps up the stairs and I stick my head out into the hallway.

“Hey, shit stabber, you should have come out with us tonight. I brought back a few guests. Get your shit together and get your ass downstairs.”

I toss the damp towel into the sink and shake my head while running my fingers through my hair.

“Nah man, I’m not up for company tonight.”

“What the fuck do you mean you’re not up for company? I have three chicks down stairs waiting on you, well, waiting on
us
,” he says clapping his hand onto my shoulder.

“Seriously, I was in bed and just got up to take a piss. I’m not in the mood tonight, Dault. Just deal with them yourself.”

I push past him and walk back in the direction of my room.

“Have it your way. There’s plenty of
Big Daddy
to go around,” he replies with a hearty belly laugh.

“Fucking prick,” I mumble under my breath as I shut my bedroom door.

In the darkness, I make my way toward my bed and attempt to pull and flatten out the mess of sheets. They’re damp from the sweat of my nightmare and I let out a growl as I rip them off the mattress. Instead of grabbing new ones from the hallway linen closet, I lie down on the bare bed. At this point, I really don’t give a flying fuck what I sleep on…I just need to sleep.

Closing my eyes, I paint a picture of something other than that of my dream. Black lines swirl behind my closed lids, color decorates pale skin. It’s amazing, it’s beautiful, and it’s my talent.

Within minutes, I find myself yawning and rolling onto my side into a deep sleep.

I’m awakened by loud giggles and footsteps stomping down the stairs.

I let out a huge burst of air and sigh, placing my hands under my head on the pillow.

Sounds like Daulton had a good night last night. At least
one
of us is getting laid on a regular basis.

The thought of sex encourages my morning hard-on to tent my boxers as I roll onto my back. It’s been a few days since I’ve allowed myself to sink into a willing pussy, and I desperately need the relief of a good hand job.

I reach my fingers into my boxer briefs and grab onto my shaft. It’s pretty damn pathetic that I need to get myself off when I could have been banging three random chicks last night.

My dick grows to full size in my hand as I picture a hot, naked chick standing in the room.  I run the palm of my hand up and down my cock and close my eyes. 

I envision a tall, shapely brunette walking slowly over to me, swaying her hips more seductively with each step.

She bats her long lashes before she kneels down in front of me and spreads my legs with her small delicate warm hands. Her bright green eyes stare up at me as she gives me a sexy smirk.

With my dick in my hand, she leans forward and her slick tongue licks the pre cum off of the tip. I let out a groan and lean my head back, enjoying the feeling that’s coursing through my body.

My adrenaline spikes as her tongue runs down me, encouraging the speed of my hand to pump faster up and down. The feeling is overwhelming. My body quivers as I enjoy the sheer pleasure of this moment. I reach out for her head and push her down, watching as her plump pink lips take me all the way into her mouth.

I lick my own lips as I draw closer to my climax and watch as she pumps me in and out of her hot wet mouth. She sucks me all in and brings me back out just enough to swirl her tongue from tip to base. I rake my short nails along the underside of my cock, imagining her running her teeth along my throbbing vein.

Increasing the speed of my jerking motion, I can feel my balls begin to tighten and before long, my release is spurting on my hand.

She moves to stand and walk away, but as much as I want to call her to come back I can’t…she’s not real. She’s just an image I created in order to get off.

The front door beneath my room slams shut. I open my eyes and come back to reality. I’m sitting alone in my room. No hot chick, no blow job, just my hand…damn me and my imagination.

Mother fucking Daulton.

I can’t even enjoy rubbing one out in peace without him interrupting me in one way or another.

Damn cockblocker.

I get up from my bed and reach in the hamper for a t-shirt to clean myself off. Tossing the shirt back in the hamper, I pull my boxer briefs back up and glance at the alarm clock on my nightstand.

It’s only seven thirty and I don’t need to be at work ‘til eleven.

I grab a few things from my dresser, a pair of jeans, and a t-shirt. Deciding to take a shower before making my way downstairs isn’t a bad idea. I need to wake myself up and scalding hot water will do the trick.