Cursed-epub by Ann Mayburn Read Free Book Online Page A

. Flipping over to the back, she sucked in her breath as a picture of Sean held her gaze. He was looking through the fringe of his fair lashes with a devilish smile quirking his lips. His hands were placed on a complicated turntable, and the background was a misty forest. The more she stared at his picture, the more it seemed as though he was looking right back at her.
    A whisper of desire moved through her as she examined his lips. Not as full as hers, they were firm and well shaped. Her nipples hardened into aching tips as she imagined what it would be like to kiss him, to lick the top curve of his mouth. Would he taste cold and fresh like the ocean where he was from?
    Too distracted by his image to read the titles of the songs, she slipped the CD in and played one at random. Her heart swelled as the music drifted from the speakers. It was a belly dancing song, similar to the ones her mother used to play when she danced. At first, it was just an introduction of drums, clean and simple, powerful. Then a woman's voice flowed in, blending with the drums. Finally, Sean began to spin, mixing synthetic melodies and bass beats into an intoxicating rhythm.
    Carmella watched herself in the mirror. Light filled her eyes, and her chest rose and fell as her breathing accelerated. The hard tips of her nipples stuck out through the thin cotton of her shirt, and her pulse visibly throbbed in her throat. Her imagination took over, and she could see Sean spinning this music, could feel him in the echo of the base through her bones.
    The raw emotion and need she saw in her face was too much for her. Closing her eyes, she let the music take her. It filled her limbs, made them light as air and full of energy. A deep throb settled itself into her hips, grounding her feet with its strength.
    Lifting her arms in front of her, she began to dance with a careful flexing of the fingers, flowing in a wave down her arms. Isolating her chest, she gave a pop of movement, rolling it down her stomach in a controlled undulation of muscle to her hips. Briefly, she wished she was wearing a belled scarf to chime around her hips, but the music took hold of her again.
    Eyes closed, one with the beat, she let it lead her in the dance. Faster bass now, a fixed shimmy with her hips, shifting her weight to her back as she rolled her lower body in a tight figure eight. Cleansing, purifying, the music moved her across the room, her arms arching and a sweat breaking out over her skin.
    In her mind, she danced for Sean. Enticing him with the flash of her hair, seducing him with the arch of her back. Each move and breath done to show him what she had to offer, what could be his if he had the courage to approach her.
    The song began to wind down, the bass backing off, the woman's voice left on its own. She followed the simple melody, isolating her stomach muscles as she shimmied her chest. For a moment, she enjoyed the breath panting out of her body, the buzz of her muscles, and the endorphin rush.
    Clapping broke the silence, and her eyes flew open in shock. Reflected in the mirror was Sean and his crew manager, both smiling and clapping. She stared at them with an embarrassed blush blending in with the flush of her cheeks. Her mortification once again turned her into an insecure mess. Emotions fought within her, the darkness of depression struggling to reassert itself against the newfound heat of her desire.
    “I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to play the music so loud. Please forgive me, I didn't mean to disturb you,” she babbled out and twisted her hands behind her back.
    The shaggy man looked puzzled, but Sean gave her a smile that made her heart pause a beat then thump all the harder. Sweat trickled down the side of her face, and she dashed it away.
    “Carmella, you're an amazing dancer. I am honored that one of my songs inspired you to move like that,” Sean said in his lovely accent. The way his eyes went soft when he said her name made her smile back at him with