I liked the bossy Annabelle. I smirked and yanked her down onto my lap. Nuzzling her neck I nibbled on her ear. Mmm, she tasted so good. I needed to talk before I got distracted. Easing away, I turned her to sit side on. Reaching up I undid the pins in her hair and let the beautiful honey colored hair out. It flowed in waves down her back and I hadn’t seen anything so gorgeous. It was silky smooth and so soft as I ran my fingers through it. “The Silvermans have what my family calls a gift. I’ve always called it a curse. The tale goes, in the old country, the Silvermans helped save a group of gypsies, and in thanks, the gypsies gifted us with prosperity and the ability to know our soul mate. Our one true love.” I closed my eyes and took a calming breath, inhaling her amazing scent, as anger at what my ancestors had shoved at me consumed me.
“I bet it sounds romantic. It sounds like the best gift. Ha! My idiot ancestors should have known you never receive a gift that powerful without some consequences. You know the double edged sword and all that. The gypsies forgot to mention the drawback to their so called gift. When we find our soul mate, we turn into possessive cavemen. I’d say controlling arsesholes, but I’ve been called that before all this.” I chuckled as I realized not much had changed for me besides my behavior towards Annabelle.
I clutched both her hands in my own. “Before you, I’d given up believing in the curse. I thought the story was wrong and that we didn’t help the gypsies and they cursed us. I believed for years that the gypsies’ gift was bullshit. I now know I was wrong. I’m the oldest in my family to find their soulmate.” I let go of her hands and lightly fingered a loose tendril of hair. Her hair was so soft. “You, Annabelle, are my mate. My soulmate.”
Her laugh was a light musical sound. “So you’re telling me that you kidnaped me because you believe your family is cursed, no sorry, ‘gifted’ by gypsies, and that I am your soulmate.” She gasped and giggled between every couple of words.
I looked over at Rafe to see his expressionless face. Joseph had a huge grin on his, and I could see Mathew trying not to laugh. Thomas looked his usual stoic self. I wasn’t going to get any help from them. I needed to find another way to convince her.
“Haven’t you wondered why you’re not scared of me? Why you’re not freaking out more? Why you’re not terrified? I kidnaped you. You should be crying, screaming, and begging me not to hurt you. There’s a reason for that. For you not being scared of me. You’re attracted to me. You feel the connection between us. Admit it. It’s the gypsies’ curse. The curse is why you’re not reacting like you should.”
Annabelle stopped laughing and then slowly stood up. “Okay. No more talking you.” She pointed at me as she paced back and forth.
I had to get other people besides me to explain the curse. Going to her, I gathered Annabelle to me and sat on the sofa and gently placed her on my lap. She wriggled attempting to get away, but I wasn’t letting her go. I reached in my pocket and took out my phone.
“No. You’re talking to me. Explain why you took me.” She snatched the phone from my hand and I grabbed it back.
“I told you why.” I ran my fingers through my hair, frustration and agitation at Annabelle not believing what I was saying. My stomach rolled. I needed her to believe me.
I dialed my oldest brother Duncan. I was going to get my family to tell her about the curse. I was going to convince her the curse was real even if I had to listen to every one of my family members explain it.
Chapter Three
Annabelle
Opening my eyes I had a moment of panic. I couldn’t move. An arm held me tight against a hard chest and a thick heavy leg, slung over my own legs. My hands rested on a muscular chest. Taking a deep breath in, I snuggled deeper into the embrace. Pine cones and lime, yum, he smelled so good. I sniffed the beautiful body beneath me. Mmm. This was a wonderful dream.
“Did you just sniff me?” The body shook beneath me.
The husky rasp sent a shiver of pure lust through me. I closed my eyes as the day before came flashing back to me. That sexy rasp belonged to Carl. Crazy Carl, who believed he was cursed, or gifted, by gypsies to find his one true love. His soul mate. Who he thought was me. Ha, what a loon.
After explaining the curse last night and why he’d taken me, he’d then called his family to help convince me. After they told me story after story, I lied and told them I believed their bullshit. That wasn’t the worst of last night. The wanker beneath me had not only made me promise to give him a chance, but to move in with him. He’d recorded my agreement and statement that I would move in with him and I’d had to repeat it again to the bodyguards. The deal had been struck that if I wanted to leave this ‘cabin’ and go see my mother, those were the only things he would agree to. So instead of being turned on by the gorgeous man, I should be pissed. But for some reason my body wasn’t cooperating.