If I’d Known (Cursed 1)

He glances down at the blade glistening between his legs.

"Lana?"

I don't redirect my eyes from the douche who's cutting off the circulation in my arm.

I gently tap the crotch of his jeans with the flat part of the blade. He jolts away like I've shocked him. I don't hesitate to escape, finding Joey waiting for me at the front corner of the house. I ease the blade back into the handle and conceal it in my pocket just as I reach him.

Joey eyes me curiously, glancing behind me. "Everything okay?"

I provide the most honest answer I can offer at this second. "I need a drink."

Nina, Tori and Lincoln are standing beside a car I don't recognize. It's huge and old. It looks like a tan tank with a black canvas top. When I look more closely, I notice Gary, Nina's boss from the strip club, in the driver's seat. What the hell? He's the biggest perv in existence. Way too many hands touching girls who are barely legal. I met him once and had to shower immediately after from just being molested by his eyes. Why is he here?

"Finally!" Tori exclaims when she sees us approaching. She grabs my arm and pulls me away from everyone. "Where have you been? You didn't get in a fight or anything, right? I was getting worried when I couldn't find you. I had a bad feeling because half of these girls are skanks, and I was about to claw someone if I had to stay at this party a single second longer, so I knew you were probably on the edge of taking someone out. Is everything okay?"

"Take a breath, Tor." I raise my hands for her to see that they're blood-free.

There's obvious relief in her eyes.

When we turn back to the car, everyone's seated inside, not leaving us many options. Tori glares at Vic, who is sitting in the middle of the backseat, between Joey and Lincoln. I know she wanted to be the one sitting near Lincoln. She opens the passenger door and slides in beside Nina.

I'm about to squeeze in after her when she looks up at me and says, "Sit in the back," followed by a wink.

She closes the door before I can respond.

When I open the back door, Joey is smiling up at me.

"Hey," I say, unable to hide my smile.

He pats his lap. "C'mon in, pretty girl."

Chapter Five

"Lying is the worst kind of betrayal."

I watch the tear drip from my mother's nose onto the pillow as I lie across from her in bed, her hand holding mine tightly.

"Don't ever lie to protect someone from the truth. Untrue words hurt as much as a knife to the heart."

"Are you comfortable?" Joey asks, leaning in so that his voice hums in my ear.

I'm beginning to think this is his way of unraveling me. It's more intimate than the hand he has resting on my hip. I tilt my head toward him, my cheek brushing against his freshly shaven skin. He smells so good. I almost close my eyes to inhale him.

"I am," I reply, leaning a little farther back into the corner of the car, my legs draped across his, so I have a better view of him.

"I'm impressed with your beer pong skills." His mouth quirks, giving a hint of his dimple. "You sure you haven't played before?"

"I'm sure." I smile wryly. "Yo

u owe me a zebra."

"I do."

He's slowly moved closer, so now he only has to lean his gorgeous head in just a little to kiss me. Lost in his attentive gaze and seduced by the low rumble of his voice, I want him to kiss me. I brush my hand along his neck, transfixed.

"Want some?"

It's like someone shook me and I'm awakened from a trance, dropped back into the middle of reality with music blaring and bodies squeezed in next to us. I catch Nina's scrutinizing eyes in the rearview mirror. Whatever she sees, she isn't happy about it. I remove my hand from Joey's neck and sit up a little straighter.