“This is why he went missing a couple of days after prom night, but you told the cops he went out that night and never returned?”
“I failed her. I killed him. We checked for a pulse, but he was dead.”
Licking her lips, the tears fell down her cheeks, and she wiped them away gently.
“What did you do?” he asked.
“We wrapped his body in a shower curtain. I could drive; Ashley couldn’t. We stored him in my car and drove him out to middle of nowhere. We buried him deep into the earth. I was going to go to the police, but she wouldn’t let me. She told me not to go down for him. When we got back, we scrubbed the house clean. In the backyard we burned our dresses and everything we wore.”
Curse pulled up a chair, and he cupped her cheeks.
“Baby, look at me,” he said.
She returned her gaze to his.
“You waited the weekend and said he went out that night.”
Mia nodded. “Yes. We stayed home. No one saw me at the school. We stayed in eating ice-cream and cursing all men. No one has ever found him, and Ashley didn’t return to his house. Ashley took the money her mother left her, and she stayed with me for some time before I went away to college. I kept this secret for a long time. I’ve got blood on my hands, Curse. I’m not some innocent woman.”
He pressed his lips to hers, and she moaned. She didn’t expect him to kiss her like this after what she told him.
“Why?” she asked, breaking away from his lips.
“Do you really think I’m innocent?” He ran his thumb along her lip. “I’ve killed more than one sick f**k who needed it, Mia. You shouldn’t stop yourself from loving or being with a man because of guilt. That f**ker doesn’t deserve you to think about him. He was raping his own daughter. Don’t give him the satisfaction of letting him win.”
“I’m dirty, Curse.”
“No.” He forced her to look at him. “You’re not dirty. You’re beautiful.” He pressed his lips to hers. “You’re my woman, Mia. You’ll listen to me, or I will put you over my knee, understood?”
“Yes, I understand.”
Wrapping her arms around him, she held on tightly to Curse. He was her lifeline, the chance to have something more than the pain that she had always felt.
Chapter Ten
Curse held her as she sobbed against his chest. Her breath fanned across his neck, and through it all he held her. His c**k tightened at the feel of her against him. Mia’s body was soft to his hard. Her br**sts pushed against his chest distracting him.
Come on, f**ker, stay down. She’s hurting.
His c**k didn’t care. Mia was close, and he wanted to f**k her.
From the moment Whizz told him about Ashley’s father who disappeared he figured the two women had something to do with it. He didn’t care that Mia had killed the man. From the sound of it, the f**ker needed to die for screwing his daughter. Thinking about Ashley, he now knew why she always looked in pain. Sleeping with every man she met helped her not to make any commitment. The club didn’t ask for a detailed description of their sexual past. Providing there was no sexual disease no one cared about what happened in people’s past.
Picking Mia up in his arms, he carried her upstairs.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“I’m taking you upstairs to bed. I want to hold you, make love to you, and force the rest of the world to disappear. The only way I get to do that is to be with you like this.”
She wrapped her body around him, and he lowered her to her feet at the bottom of the bed.
“Curse?”
He pressed a finger to her lips. “No. I don’t care what you did. No one is perfect, and I never expected you to be perfect. When I saw you in the diner, Mia, I wanted you. I wanted to f**k you and call you my woman. I’ve got to do that, and nothing you say is going to change that.”
Fingering the end of her shirt, he worked it up her body. She wore a plain grey sports bra.
“Jerry loaned me the clothes. His wife won’t be too happy with her clothes being used,” Mia said, folding her arms across her br**sts.
Taking hold of her hands, he pushed them out of his way. “You don’t get to hide from me. I like seeing your body on display, and it’ll never change for me.” Reaching around her, he unsnapped the bra and started to drag the straps from her body. He was careful not to touch any of bruises or her cuts.
“I love you, Curse.”
He paused. Tilting her head back, he stared into her eyes.
“I know you don’t feel the same way, but I wanted you to know that I’ve fallen in love with you.” She laughed. “Great, I’ve gone and said it twice.”
Claiming her lips, he stopped her from talking. She loved him, and happiness filled him at knowing the truth. Stroking her cheek, he smiled into her eyes.
“I love you, too.”
“You don’t have to say anything.” She stared down at the floor.
Curse tilted her head back. “It’s something I can’t control. I love you, and I don’t give a f**k about the trouble I’ve caused, baby. Dale touched you.” He lightly touched her cheek where the bruises were stood out in stark contrast to her pale skin. “I will kill every person who tries to hurt you, who even threatens to hurt you. I love you.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck.
Running his hands down her back, he gripped her ass and rubbed his c**k against her. “Feel how much I need you.”
Her moan vibrated through her body. Curse fingered the sweatpants she wore. Shoving them down her body, he watched them pool at her feet. She didn’t wear any panties.
Mia worked his pants off. He removed his jacket throwing it over to the other side of the room. Kicking the jeans aside, he sank his fingers into her hair, fisting the length. She made no motion of pain, and he pulled her head back to expose her lips to his kiss. Plunging his tongue into her mouth, he tasted her. She moaned, opening her lips for him to explore.
“I’ve got you, baby,” Curse said. “I’ve got you for the rest of our lives, and I’m never letting you go, not for anyone.”
He laid gentle kisses to her bruises, making sure not to hurt her. The purple marks around her neck made him angry at the ease with which he’d killed the other man. Her voice was a little hoarse when she spoke but not enough to change how she sounded.
Sitting on the end of the bed, he tugged her between his thighs. No words were necessary as he skimmed his fingers up the outside of her thighs. Her body shook as he stroked her, taking his time over her flesh. He hated seeing the evidence of the pain she’d been in. Each bruise was a testament to his failure to protect her. Curse should have forced her to take the money.