Page 69 of Cursed

“It was a nice surprise.” He smiled and removed his shirt in one fluid motion.

My eyes feasted upon his beautifully sculpted body openly for the first time. When the reality of what we were about to do hit me, I sighed, “I don’t want to fuck up our friendship.”

“Let’s heal you.” He slipped off his pants and stepped out of them. His proud cock waved as he sauntered forward. “Why don’t we just see where this all goes? Yeah?”

“Yeah. I’d like that.”

* * *

I’m brought back to the present when Rourke clears his throat.

He rubs the back of his neck nervously. “So… Here’s the thing… I feel weird right now.”

“I understand.” I sit down on the huge bed. I pat the spot next to me. “I feel odd too. Everything’s different now.”

He walks over, standing right in front of me without accepting my invitation to sit next to me on the bed. “Do you even love me anymore after everything I did?” he asks.

I turn my gaze up to him. My eyes are wide with shock. “How can you even think that?”

His eyes turn bloodshot with held-back tears. “I fucked it all up her… and you. I can’t help but think this whole situation is my fault.”

I grab his hands and pull him down into my lap. He lets himself fall into my embrace. “Sure, you messed up with Shayla in the beginning. But you didn’t turn her over to your father. You neverwantedto hurt her. And she’s forgiving you. I think she already has forgiven you. She’s just been waiting for the right moment to solidify the bond, which likely would have happened soon if it weren’t for our failed rescue mission.”

“At the hospital, she told me to leave to help you,” Rourke says. “I wanted to keep fighting with her. But she demanded that I protect you and Myra. Fuck! I should have refused. Stayed. Saved her.”

“Even though I appreciate she was thinking of me and I would have died if you didn’t help, I’m pissed off about it.” My whole body vibrates with my anger. “I’m angry that we even went there in the first place.”

“But, Myra?” Rourke looks to the room where she rests peacefully, unaware of the turmoil and tragedy she caused.

“Myra might not live through the day anyway. If we had stayed here, I’d be nuzzling you and our sweet girl, sipping fermented nectar juice… and we wouldfucking have her HERE!” I end my statement as if a raging hurricane is spilling out of me.

“Hey, babe.” Rourke pulls me into a fierce hug, and we fall back onto the bed.

He soothes me with gentle strokes. It’s so unlike what we’ve become together in the last few years—as my anger about him not claiming me grew. His soft touch reminds me of how we were at first. We had explored our affectionate sides back then.

But as he refused to acknowledge what we had in society, the pain turned into trying to control what I could—our sexual relationship. And Rourke began to yearn for that dominance to get out of his head, and he craved for me to demand the pleasure we shared.

“I know it sounds crazy,” Rourke pauses, thinking over his next words. “But I feel in my bones that she’ll make it out of this… That maybe this was supposed to happen. Shayla said earlier that she believed we all were brought together for a reason. I have to believe that the Goddess wouldn’t have placed Shayla in our lives just to tear her away forever.”

“You don’t know that,” I grumble. I want to believe that fate is at work, and the Goddess will be kind. But I haven’t been a big fan of fate most of my life. I had my birth parents murdered when I was a child, and I was sold to my adoptive guardians, who suspect murdered my real parents. And all they’ve done since is tortured and abused me.

When they demanded that I betray Rourke, they didn’t expect me to fall in love with the dragon shifter.

Rourke sighs, knowing I don’t trust life to have a happy ending. “I don’t want to believe I missed my chance to love her properly. Just like I probably missed my chance to properly love you.” Rourke kisses my temple and presses his cheek to my forehead.

“Given up on us then?” I ask, momentarily distracted by his claim.

“No. But now that you have Shayla, she’s the love of your life.”

“Both of you can be that. If Shayla can love us all equally, then why would I be incapable of loving both of you with all my heart and soul?” I pull back and look at him. “Unless you don’t thinkyoucan love us both if she were to choose you as a mate?”

Rourke smirks. “So part of youdoesbelieve that she’s returning to us?”

I huff since he made me focus on her possible return. I realize I don’t accept that she’s gone forever. Iwillhold her in my arms again.

Leaning forward, I press my lips to his.

Rourke tenses. “You don’t have to pleasure me when you feed on me,” he says. “I can finish myself off. I don’t want to make you feel pressured into something with me again… especially when she’s not around.”

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