Cursed Hearts (A Crossroads Novel) (28 page)

“Wait,”
she panted.

Christian
thrust forward, penetrating her in one, smooth motion. Her whole body went
rigid and she cried out in pain. He held her tight in his arms as she got used
to the sensation of having him inside of her. She was trembling beneath him,
her eyes squeezed tight in the most beautiful display of agony. She was
shattering in his arms, and he’d never seen anything more amazing. Christian
started moving inside of her slowly, kissing over her lips to muffle her quiet
cries. He pulled her knees up around his body, delighting in her gasp as he
slid in deep.

“Aria,” he whispered, pressing his forehead gently to
hers.
She enveloped
him like hot velvet, so tight, and wet, and smooth it felt like his first time.
He bucked into her sharply – quick bursts of movement followed by long, slow
drags. She was moaning and making desperate, sexy fucking sounds. “Do you like
that?” he asked, pressing himself flush to her body and moving his hips back
and forth, fast and hard.

“S-Slower,”
she pleaded.

Christian
slowed his pace, grunting softly as he tried to hold back. The languid motion
of his hips was unbearable. He needed more, he needed so much more.

“You’re
so tight,” he panted, feeling her clenching involuntarily around his shaft. His
hips were rocking into her with abandon, making her claw into his chest and
back. Her nails felt so good he was fucking into her even harder until his body
was glistening with a light layer of sweat.

“Please,”
Ariahna breathed, “it hurts.”

Christian
clamped his hand down over one of hers, threading their fingers together
tightly. He was so close his body was spasming with a frenzied need. “Ahh,” he
breathed, clenching his eyes shut as white dots exploded behind his eyelids. He
was shooting out inside of her, thrusting roughly for each bursting wave of
pleasure that washed over him. Christian nuzzled his face into her neck, trying
to relearn how to breathe.
He pulled out,
kissing along her jaw to ease her discomfort.

“I’m
sorry,” he whispered.

Now was when Christian would normally collect his clothes
off of the
floor and
leave. Instead, he rolled over onto his back and pulled her protectively
against his body. He was moving his fingers gently through her hair, kissing
and soothing her. “You are so amazing,” he said.

Ariahna
curled up against his side, resting her head on his shoulder. Her hand fell to
his chest, touching him softly and trying to fight back the desire still
burning strong inside of her. She was sore, and hurting, and aroused. As much
as she didn’t think she could take any more of that, she didn’t want it to end.

Christian
flicked his hand lazily in the air, cleaning the both of them up. Her sheets
were a bit messy, but at least she wouldn’t have to wake up to dried blood on
her legs. Somehow he knew that would freak her out.

A
still silence blanketed them as they laid together in the soft darkness. Except
for the gentle beating of their hearts, the world had become quiet again.
Christian wouldn’t have thought it was possible, but just lying there with
Ariahna almost felt better than sex. He felt loved for the first time in his
life. And that, more than anything, scared him.

She stirred beside him, touching him restlessly. He was
ready
to black out,
but Ariahna had other plans. He made a soft groaning sound as she slid down the
length of his body, trailing kisses over his skin. He was too groggy
to even realize what she was doing until she took
him into her mouth
. The soft heat of her wet tongue left him gasping.

Aria sucked on him teasingly, laving her tongue over his
sensitive tip.
She’d
tried to relax, to fall asleep in his arms. The animal inside of her was having
none of it. It wanted sex. It wanted completion. She scratched over Christian’s
thighs gently as he panted beneath her. He was slowly becoming aroused again,
growing hard and heavy in her mouth as she tried her best to please him in a
way she’d never learned how.

“Ah,
teeth,” he exclaimed, pressing a hand to her shoulder. Aria relieved the twinge
of pain she’d caused by sliding down farther over his flesh. Her tongue traced
a thick vein on the underside of his cock and he cursed softly into the sheets.
He wasn’t ready to go again so soon, it was too much. Nothing like this had
ever happened before. He’d never tried to do it twice in a row, and he’d
certainly never had a girl go down on him afterwards – especially not a virgin.

“Mm,
gentle,” he rasped. She was making the bottoms of his feet burn. “…I can’t.” He
couldn’t believe he’d just said that. When it came to sex, the words, ‘I
can’t’, weren’t in his vocabulary.

“Don’t
underestimate yourself,” she said in a sultry voice. She
prowled back up the length of his body to press an
affectionate kiss to his
lips. His erection brushed against the inside
of her thigh and she rocked back on him eagerly. His hands slid up to her hips,
guiding her back onto him as their tongues folded wetly into one another’s
mouths.

Aria gasped sharply as he pushed inside, letting him fill
her slowly
. It was
different being on top. The angle felt better, and she could set the pace, but
it also meant she had to take more of him than her body felt comfortable with.
He was buried in her to the hilt, and all at once it felt excruciating and
fantastic, painful and right. Ariahna pressed her body against his chest,
rocking back on him leisurely and feeling the sparks of a slow building bliss.
Christian’s hand twisted into her hair as he kissed her insistently. His legs
were shaking as he moved in time with her thrusts. He leaned up, wrapping her
in his arms and trying to roll them over. Aria pressed her palms to his chest,
nails biting into skin as she pushed him down onto the mattress.

Her
eyes flashed brightly in the dark.

She
was being dominant, and he loved it.

“Fuck,
me,” Christian said, dragging out the words. Even his voice was shaking. She
sat back, riding him smoothly as his hands glided over her perfect, round
breasts. That was one thing he’d always liked about her – she had incredible
tits. “Are you trying to kill me?” he grinned.

Ariahna
laughed, stilling in her movements before bending down to nip at his neck. She
was being playful and free. She’d never felt so untamed. “If I was, would you
die happy?” she breathed.

Christian
thought he was going to melt into the sheets. He was right. She was the
sweetest little fuck he’d ever had. He doubted anything would ever be able to
compare to this moment.

“Yeah,”
he nodded. He watched her arch her spine and flip her hair back. The display
left him biting at his bottom lip and bucking up into her. He had her bouncing
on top of him as he tried to relieve her of her control. He just wanted to flip
her over and pound her into the mattress. Or better yet, bend her over and take
her from behind.

Aria
stared down into Christian’s eyes, mesmerizing him with her
gaze. She was commanding him and slowing the
rhythm of their bodie
s with a single look. She rocked on top of him in
slow, sweeping strokes, feeling her
orgasm
building inside of her. She was so very close when suddenly
Christian
came with a broken moan. He was begging her to stop as she continued using him
to push herself over the edge. A wave of pleasure spread through her limbs,
radiating into her body like heat from a flame. She cried out as an intense
pulsing sensation erupted from between her legs. She was bathing in a
pool of ecstasy, like light shining down from the
sky and illuminating the
two of them in this moment of perfection.

“Sweet
fucking Jesus,” Christian hissed. His skin was on fire.
Aria was still rocking back on him subtly and clenching around him so
hard it hurt.
His fingers tore at her
sheets, feeling every muscle in his body contract.
She went
limp, collapsing gently against his chest, and he released a weighted breath.

“Hold
me,” she whispered.

“Okay,”
he said, “but just until morning.”

The
two of them ended up spooning beneath the sheets. And as the silence embraced
them, they fell into a blissful, dreamless sleep.

Chapter 26

There
are moments in life when you feel like you’re staring at a mistake you haven’t
made yet, regretting already a decision you know is going to change the outcome
of everything. That was exactly how Christian felt. He was standing between
Ariahna’s bed and her door, watching her as she slept. He knew he shouldn’t
leave. Deep down, he didn’t want to. His chest was heavy with an emotion he couldn’t
place, and it was that which was making him so angry. He was frustrated, torn
between what he knew he was going to do, and what he really wanted. He finally
slipped out of her room, startling at the unexpected sight of Rome.

“God,
what are you, her stalker?” Christian said.

Rome
frowned as a sharp pain cut through his chest. She’d slept with him. She’d
slept with Christian, and now he was sneaking out on her.

“You’re
such a piece of shit,” he breathed. “Do you even register the fact that other
people have feelings too, or is all you care about yourself?”

“She
had a good time. Not that it’s any of your business. But man, you should have
seen her. She was moaning and screaming my name, and letting me fuck her like a
little bitch.”

Rome
was seething.

“You
make it really difficult for someone to want to help you.”

“You
can keep your fucking help. I don’t need you.”

“Oh,
don’t worry,” Rome said. “You are completely on your own. I don’t care if you
come to me bleeding from the ears and crying because it hurts so bad you feel
like your head is going to explode. You are going to learn that your actions
have consequences. People aren’t pawns. They aren’t there for you to use and
discard as you see fit… She trusted you.”

“She
knew what she was getting into. She’s a big girl who can make her own
decisions. It’s not my fault that she decided to play with fire.”

“Is
that what you think you are?” Rome asked. “Fire? Take off
that mask and you are nothing more than a scared
little boy crying out for
attention.”

“I
think you’re confusing me with someone else,” Christian smiled. “Correct me if
I’m wrong, but isn’t that Kaleb’s jacket you’re wearing? Do you really think
you’re fooling anyone with that act of yours? Just fuck him already and get it
over with. See, the difference between you and me is, I do what I want, when I
want, and I don’t care who gets hurt along the way. That’s how life works. No
one is going to look after you. No one is going to keep you safe. Everyone is
out to get everyone else, and if you don’t look out for yourself, then you’re
fucked, because no one else is going to.”

“No,”
Rome said slowly, “that’s not how life works. And the difference between you
and me is that in the end, I’m going to have all the things you realized too
late in life that you wanted. And you, you’re going to be completely alone, and
you’ll have no one to thank but yourself.”

“You’re
just bitter because I got to her first. Thanks for that glass of wine, by the
way. You practically threw her right into my arms. I guess that means I
actually have you to thank, doesn’t it?” Christian smirked. “Funny how that
works. What’s the saying? Nice guys always finish—”

“—last,
but not least. My mother used to tell me that. For what it’s worth, Christian,
I actually feel sorry for you. Whether we share the same parents or not,
someone should have been there for you.”

“Fuck
you,” Christian breathed. “Fuck you and your righteous bullshit. You and your
mother can go to fucking hell for all I care. Listen to me carefully, we are
not brothers, and we never will be.”

Rome
took a deep breath as he watched Christian walk away. He’d been intending to
skip town, but now, somehow things just felt different.
Ariahna was going to need him, and Kaleb was right. He couldn’t run away
from his problems. If he did, he’d only be leaving everyone else to deal with
the aftermath. Besides, he had a feeling there wasn’t a sign out of town that
read:
Now leaving Redwood Bay.
Congratulations, your death curse is
behind you.

Rome
slid a note under Aria’s door and knocked gently, rousing her.

She made a sleepy sound, cuddling further under the
comforter.
“Who is
it?” she mumbled. Her eyes slid unwillingly open, blinking into the soft
dimness of her room. Early morning light was just starting to shine through the
window, cascading into the room like a waterfall. Aria sat up slowly,
recalling the somewhat hazy events of the
previous night.
She slipped out of bed, clutching a thin sheet around
her body, and padded over to the door. When she cracked it open, there was
nobody there. Ariahna closed her door again, frowning curiously at a small slip
of paper near her feet. Had Christian left that? she wondered. She retrieved it
from the floor, flipping it open to read the single sentence inside.

Do
you know what makes you beautiful?

She stared at the words for several heartbeats before
setting the paper aside on her desk. She couldn’t believe she’d actually done
it.
It
had happened – with him.
She found herself picking her clothes up off the floor, trying to
collect the pieces of clothing like errant thoughts. The garments, and a red
stain on her sheets, were the only proof that remained of what they’d shared.
Her panties were mysteriously missing, and she blushed at the thought that he
could have taken them.

Aria dropped her clothes on the bed, wondering
what the hell she was doing—what the hell she had
 
done
. She sat down,
gripping the edge of the mattress and grappling with her inner demons. She
couldn’t help but wonder, did Christian really care about her? Would he think
it had been a mistake? Would he still want to see her? She was getting herself
worked up over what-
ifs, worrying over
questions she couldn’t answer. She glanced over at the
note where it sat
on her desk, remembering the way he’d stroked her hair and kissed away her
pain. And there was no doubt in her mind. Everything was going to be okay.