Curse's Claim (Chaos Bleeds)(12)

Mia stared down at her clasped hands on the table. Unlike everyone else, Curse threatened her whole world. The attraction between them was hard to deny even if she did think it was insane. He was handsome, could have any woman he wanted, and yet, he wanted her.

Then, she thought about his offer of money along with Jerry’s offer that afternoon. Were there really men out there who’d pay for her … services?

She cut the thought off immediately. There was no way her mother would ever allow her to use her body for sex.

Would she ever know?

Facing her mother would be extremely difficult afterward. She’d rather work the two jobs than have to deal with her mother’s pain of knowing why she was sleeping around.

“I don’t show favoritism with customers. You come to the diner, and I’m more than happy to help.” She offered him a smile.

“You came to the party when the Chaos Bleeds crew returned. The day Ripper got his ass handed to him. You danced with Pussy, Death, and Devil. None of them posed a threat to you. Yet, me, you won’t give me two minutes to show you how good it can be between us.” He drained the pasta, reserved some cooking liquid then poured the cooked pasta into the pot.

In quick moments, the pasta with the cheese mix was finished, and he served it up.

“There, dinner is served.”

He put the plate in front of her, sitting opposite.

Picking up her fork, Mia wondered how she was going to stay immune with him looking more tempting than the food he offered.





Chapter Four



Curse watched Mia eat her food, doing her best to ignore him. Her raven hair fell around her in waves. The glossy length tempted him to reach out and touch. She didn’t dispute his claim, and he had an idea as to why she was nice to others but kept him at arms’ length.

Her palm stayed still on the table, and he wondered what had happened in her past to make her this unapproachable to other men. Whizz had gotten in touch with him while he’d been waiting in the pharmacy for her mother’s pills. While he was there, he’d gotten the morning after pill for Mia to take. The pills were effective for up to forty-eight hours after the encounter. Part of him wanted to hand her those pills while another wanted a reason for her to be with him. Ashley and Mia had been best friends even though they’d been different. Where Ashley was the cheerleader getting attention at every turn, Mia was the bookworm. In the yearbook they got voted for the strangest friendship in school.

Whizz had sent him the pictures in an email. Curse read every little detail on his phone as to the mysterious woman before him. Mia was an only child while Ashley had no family to speak of, and on prom night Ashley’s father was reported to have left the house and never returned. Ashley reported him as missing after three days from the prom.

There were holes in their lives that even Whizz thought was suspicious. The pictures he saw of Mia showed a happy-go-lucky, kind of girl. She didn’t resemble the girl in the picture. This woman in front of him had the weight of the world on her shoulders.

He didn’t want to bring up her past tonight. Curse wanted her to relax around him, get used to his company in order for her to confide in him.

She ate her pasta without making a sound.

“This is pretty good,” she said, offering a smile.

“I told you I can cook. I’m awesome in the kitchen.”

“You certainly look good. I bet more cookbooks would sell with you naked on the front cover.” Mia paused with the fork perched in front of her face. “Forget I said anything.”

“You think I’m sexy, Mia?” He watched her cheeks heat loving the way they glowed. She bowed her head over her plate, refusing to look at him.

Every chance she got she was always pulling away from him, creating a distance.

“Do you really need me to tell you?” she asked.

“I like hearing you admit it.” He stared at her, watching her look at her food, then up at him.

“Well you’re going to be waiting around a while. I’m not going to help your ego. It’s already big. I’m surprised you can fit into this small kitchen.”

He chuckled. Here she went pushing him away.

They finished their food, and he took the dishes, spilling them into the sink. He’d never been the one to do dishes, and he’d arrange for one of the women to clean the place. Grabbing her hand, he lifted Mia out of her seat and led her out of the room.

“Where are we going?”

Curse didn’t tell her. He took her upstairs to the main bedroom. Not giving her a chance to dispute him, he pressed her up against the nearest wall. The door was open, and he reached over to slam it shut. Flicking the lock into place, he kept his lips over hers to keep her in place.