Damned

Chapter Four

I was driving to Daniel's house, thinking about Dolores. Today, she was officially moving in. She assured everyone it was just temporary, but I wasn't fully convinced. I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt, but people had burned me in the past. I shake my head, tossing the thought from my mind.

There are a lot more pressing issues I need to focus on. One being, Sarah Good. I know she's planning something. There's no way she would leave the way she did if she wasn't brewing something up wherever she was. I had planned to spend this weekend meditating, trying to get a vision. That lasted a couple of hours, then Daniel texts me.

All it took was one text from him and I was in my car. 

Dara was spending the day at the library and mom was with Gellar. I'm not sure what Gran was up to, but she had been gone when I left. I think everyone was mentally preparing themselves for Dolls' move in. She tried to take back her old room, which happened to be Dara's room. Gran put her foot down, telling her she could take the spare bedroom. There was enough space for us, we didn't all have to be cramped on the second floor. 

I get out of the car, walking down the driveway. I'm on autopilot as I knock three soft rasps on the front door. I could walk in, Nancy's car is gone. It's probably only Daniel home. Giu is rarely ever home, she's always on a date or out. I don't really ask Daniel what all that entails. I shiver as Daniel opens the door. 

He's shirtless -- that's the first thing I notice.

My jaw drops a little, head tilted to the side. His complexion is better, nearing on bronze. My eyes wander down his abs, following his happy trail. He's wearing black jeans that hang on his hip lowly. Was it hot in here? I wiped my forehead with the back of my hand.

I was glad Daniel text me, distracting me from everything.

"Hey," Daniel's voice was smooth. He knew he was causing this reaction in me. I looked over my shoulder, making sure no one was around. 

"Hey," I couldn't help my eyebrow raise, suggestively. 

Before I knew it, Daniel's arms were reaching forward, grabbing me. One arm slung around, lifting me upwards and his other shut the door. It slammed with a force that should have scared me, but I was preoccupied. My heart raced against his bare chest. 

In a blur, he ran us up the stairs and into his room. Again, he shut the door and it slammed shut loudly. All of which happened in mere seconds. I hadn't breathed since he opened the door. My head spun and I started to get dizzy. When I was with Daniel I forgot a lot of things, apparently breathing was one of those things.

He lowered us onto the bed. His bed was a mess of sheets and comforter in disarray. He positioned me on top of him, but he held me tightly. I let my hands wander as I took a deep breath in. His skin was damp like he just got out of the shower. It explained the extra springy curls. During all of this, I hadn't thought about if I wanted to stop.

Things seemed to be moving forward. Did I want to go all the way with Daniel? As my fingers traced his bicep, I thought about it. His hands gripped my waist, holding me tightly against him. It drove me crazy. We were as close as you could get with clothes on, it was a tease. I think I did want him, but then randomly Erik popped into my mind.

It wasn't anything bad, just a memory of me, him, and Addie at the lake. It was an innocent thought, but why was I thinking about Erik while I was making out with Daniel? Slowly, I pulled away, rolling off Daniel. I laid on my side, staring at Daniel. He was hot and he had told me he loved me twice, what was wrong with me?

I sighed.

He frowned at that.

"What's wrong?" He asked me, reaching to stroke my cheek. It was the first time he acted soft towards me. Lately, everything was quick, passionate, and lusty. I hadn't minded, but a part of me missed how Daniel used to act. He had been the most innocent and kind person, being Cursed had changed him. I liked this version of Daniel too, it was just different.