Chapter 9

"Lady was here?"

I'm shocked. I was supposed to be Lady. I was supposed to control her. How the FUCK did she manage to do that? She must have taken over somehow.

She must have taken over MY body!

She must have taken the pink pill herself after taking over my body. It explains how I lost so much time. My mind is blown right now. Somehow Lady managed to not only take over my body but also I don't remember a fucking thing. Inside I am freaking out and my face must be showing it because Storm looks concerned.

"You OK?"

"Just surprised."

Storm shakes his head, "You? Imagine my surprise, man. My ex-girlfriend shows up blasting me about my relationship with you. I'm confused as fuck.

"Your ex?"

I would think Storm would have been a little bit more generous with how he described Lady especially after the amazing sex that I had with him while I was in her body.

"After her temper tantrum I don't think she's really changed the way I thought she has," Storm explains, "I thought she was definitely...different, but no. Same Lady. It turned me all the way off. Glad I didn't invite her."

I can't help but to feel good about the fact that Storm vibed with Lady when I was making decisions for her but whatever happened yesterday had nothing to do with me.

"I'm so sorry she did that," I state.

He seems confused, "Why are you sorry? Did you tell her to show up?"

I shake my head, "No. I didn't..."

That is the issue. How the fuck was Lady able to get here? How the fuck had she done what she had done. I should have had control of everything. The last thing I remembered was seeing her reflection in the mirror. It was almost as though she was still in me somehow.

Storm sighs at that moment, "She seemed to know you were going to come here. She actually left something for you."

Weird.

"What?"

Storm goes to the top drawer in my room. He opens it. He digs to the back and pulls out a little plastic baggie. I am confused on what it is but when I see what it is my mouth drops open.

A pill. A pink pill.

"She told me to tell you that you need to take it," he states, "She seemed insistent."

I grab the pill out of his hands. This bitch was crazy. She really left a pink pill with Storm of all people and asked Storm to give it to me. All of a sudden I think about telling him everything. Then I remembered. I had sex with Storm as Lady. That had to be the most foul type shit someone could do. If I told Storm what was going on with Lady he would never want to speak to me again. There was no way I could put that information out.

But Lady could have also told Storm as well if she wanted to. Somehow she had gained control. It creeps me out even thinking about it. But at least I know Lady doesn't want to completely reveal my little secret as well.

"Fuck."

"What is it?"

"Nothing..." I panic.

I run to the bathroom with the pill. I put the pill in the toilet.

I flush it immediately.

There was no way that I was letting her take over. Somehow she had gained control. I'm not sure how but this shit was getting out of hand. She had come to the cabin and basically threatened Storm. I couldn't fucking have that.

"Everything OK?" Storm asks me.

He's standing at the threshold of the bathroom. He looks concerned. He also looks damn sexy with his arm bent in a posture that makes his biceps pop. I can tell why Lady is obsessed with Storm. Someone would have to be blind and dumb not to be obsessed with Storm. The boy was FINE. The thing that made him so sexy wasn't the same thing that made Gunner sexy too. Storm would squint at you and lick his lips. He would be sexy without even knowing he was.

"I'm fine Storm," I state trying to walk out of the threshold.

He stops me. He blocks me. Not in the same aggressive, rude and annoying way that Gunner did it. Storm does it in a sexy way. His touch sends shivers down my spine. He looks me in my eyes and I see this true concern.

"What was the pill?" he asks me.

"Nothing."

"Man, are you OK for real?" he asks me, "You are shivering."

That's when I notice it. I'm really cold. My body temperature is actually cold. It was partially Storm's touch but it was something else too. It's not normal. It felt like something was happening to my body. I remembered how I used to get hot. This definitely is weird. Malachi wasn't around to ask about the side effects of this drug. I was alone in this.

"Must be the change in weather," I tell him.

"Come here."

"Storm, I'm good."

"Nah you ain't," he tells me, "Come here."

Storm grabs me putting his strong arms around me and warming me up. He presses me close to him. This isn't the first time he's holding me. The drop in my body temperature seems to go away as he touches me. I feel the warmth of his touch and I just hug him back. We hold each other in that bathroom and there is that connection again. It's that chemistry that lets me know that I will always love Storm.

Always...

"You do realize this is really gay right?" I state laughing, "Petty P would say, 'this is sweeter than Punani.'"

He laughs as well, "Well you gay, ain't you?"

"But you aren't."

"Right now I don't know if I care. It just feels right," he says, "You want to hear some real gay shit?"

"Shoot."

"I can't believe I'm telling you this," he laughs.

There is a slight pause. I'm anxious, awkward and scared when he seems to be hesitant to tell me what this "gay thing" was that was on his mind.

"Storm, are you nervous right now?" I ask him, "I don't think I've ever seen you nervous before..."

"There isn't a lot that makes me nervous but I want to admit something to you."

"I'm listening."

He pauses. It's definitely something weighing on him at this moment.

"When I hung out with Lady before we connected. The only reason we connected though is because I kept thinking about how similar she was to you. I called her your name during sex."

I try to feign surprise but I don't think it works.

"Really?"

"You don't seem shocked," he says, "You don't think that's the gayest thing? Calling out a guy's name during sex. Man...I'm sitting here in a bathroom holding you and I don't even care. This is weird and I could care less. It feels like the most natural weird thing ever."

Interesting. I smile at that moment.

"You're not questioning your sexuality are you? Because if you are...please let me know. That would make my entire universe," I admit.

It was clear I had a crush on him. I mean he had to know by now. The long lingering stares weren't for nothing. He had even told his little friends that I was in love with him. He knew. He had to know how I felt. I wasn't shy or nervous about being open about it.

"I looked it up. Sometimes people are attracted to souls. Pansexuals. You can fall in love with anybody. You fall in love for who they are, not what they are."

He's throwing around the word 'love' a lot. I'm not sure if he is talking about love as me or just the general idea of love. Either way we are still holding each other and this conversation is getting more intimate by the moment.

"Do you think that's what you are?" I ask.

"I don't know."

"I can help you find out," I state.

There is a pause. It's awkward. A part of me wonders if I am pushing him a little past what he wants, especially when he stops holding me. I expect him to just take a few steps back and run away. I think that Storm is thinking about it too. He looks back towards the bedroom and then the door that leads to the hallway as though thinking about turning around and leaving.

Something makes him stay though. He turns back to me. He squints at me. It's almost like Alice and the looking glass. He's trying to see what is behind this interest. It may just be curiosity for him. I may end up getting hurt bad. But I'm willing to take the risk.

And so is he.

"How? How can you help me?" he asks.

"Kiss me," I respond.

He starts laughing. It isn't nervous laughter. It's the kind of laughter that makes me think he really thought I was telling a joke.

"Quit playing."

"I'm serious. Kiss me. If you feel some type of way then we go from there. If you don't then it was all for nothing."

He thinks about it.

"Man...you got to be joking. Let's go downstairs..."

He turns.

I grab him.

I turn him back towards me and kiss him. Hard. I plant my lips on Storm's lips forcefully. He's shocked. I see his eyebrows raise before I close my eyes. My eyes do close though. I'm putting my tongue in his mouth at that moment. He doesn't stop me. He doesn't stop me from intermingling my fingers in his either. I press up harder and he tries to move away shimmying towards the sink.

He leans on the sink.

He's clearly trying to stop the kiss and for some reason I keep pushing and pushing.

"Eh-erm..." someone clears their voice.

I turn.

It's Tempest.

She is looking at me damn near force myself on her brother. I completely lost it. I can't blame it on Lady. I can't blame it on anyone. That was all me. I wanted to force my kiss onto him and I feel so fucking stupid right now. I feel even worse when his sister catches us.

I fall back feeling like an idiot to the other side of the bathroom.

"What's up?" he asks Tempest as though she didn't just catch me trying to force my tongue down his throat.

"Are you OK?" she asks her brother.

At that moment I feel like a pervert. She's worried about him. It was clear he didn't want the kiss. It was clear he was trying to stop the kiss. It was clear I was forcing myself on him.

I partly think that he is going to just kick me out of the house like he did Gunner.

"I'm fine," he tells her, "What's up?"

"We are in the hot tub," Tempest tells us.

"We're coming down now," Storm explains.

Tempest nods. She looks at me, clearly shooting me this really shitty stare that lets me know that she knows what I'm trying to do. I have to admit that she's right.

I lay down in the bed and I just want to die. Storm literally just saved me from Gunner trying to force himself on me and how do I repay Storm? In turn I try to force myself on Storm. I'm no better than Gunner. I'm no where near as close.

Tempest nods. She looks at me, clearly shooting me this really shitty stare that lets me know that she knows what I'm trying to do. I have to admit that she's right. I can't believe that I just did that to Storm. I can't believe I just forced myself on the only person in the world that really meant something to me.

As soon as Tempest's leaves I realize I'm on the brink of tears.

"Storm, man I'm sorry, I---"

Storm isn't having it.

"I'm going down stairs," he cuts me off immediately with this look on his face of being disturbed.

"Can we talk at least?"

"No. We definitely cannot talk. Not after that. I'm going downstairs. Maybe you should skip the hot tub man."

"I'm sorry."

"I'll see you later."

~

~

It's the next day when I get a knock on the door. I've spent the entire day in my room. I can hear them outside laughing and carrying on. When I get to the door I see Ebony of all people. Ebony comes in the room at that moment. She is so goddam pretty.

"What are you doing hiding up here?" she asks me, "We are going horseback riding."

"Horseback riding? You guys don't seem like the type to go horseback riding."

"I know. C`mon it's Storm's idea."

"Did he invite me?"

She smiles. It's a sly smile.

"Actually he told us that you guys were not in a good place so you probably wouldn't want to go," Ebony explains.

"Storm doesn't want me to go? I'm not going," I state.

He's avoiding me. He has every reason to avoid me.

"C`mon. Please. I need some company. My sister gets annoyed with Miles and asks me to pretend to be her. I need a reason to say no today."

"You and Ivory switch places?" I ask.

"Yeah. It gets annoying. She isn't attracted to Miles but he's rich so Ivory doesn't want to break up with him. So she has me pretend to be her a lot."

"That's foul..." I state.

"Welcome to the Dollhouse," she responds.

"The what?"

She shakes her head, "Nevermind. You coming or no?"

I hesitate.

"I don't know."

"If Storm didn't want you to be here he would have sent you home for whatever reason like he did with Gunner. He clearly didn't. He clearly still wants you here."

She had a point. I hesitate. I did want the opportunity to see him again and maybe even apologize.

For some reason I agree to go.

I get dressed and find Ebony downstairs. The girl is sweetheart. There is no doubt about that. She smiles at me as we leave the house to join the others. The horses have already been out there for all of us as well as the little instructor who is going to tell us how to ride them down the trail. Seeing the horses puts me in a good mood. We walk in when they are almost done with the instruction but luckily I've ridden a horse before so I know how to do it now. I'm almost in a good mood until I see Tempest and the expression she has on her face when she sees me. Tempest just seems annoyed to say the least, I kind of expect that but what hurts even worse is when I see Storm. He stares at me at that moment and he just seems upset.

"You...came," Savannah says at that moment.

Her and Ivory exchange laughs.

Storm glares at me like I'm a straight up enemy. I must have really betrayed his trust by forcing myself on him like that. It's clear he is hurt. How the fuck do I apologize for some shit like that? I've never tried to force my sexuality on a straight man before. I don't know how to really apologize.

I start walking towards him in an attempt to at least say hello but he quickly turns away.

"I'll start up the path first," Storm says.

He quickly mounts his horse and doesn't wait for me or anyone else for that matter. There is almost an immediate awkward vibe from the others. They probably think it's clear Storm is acting weird. Maybe it's just me though. I'm not sure how to react to him and luckily the others have started mounting their horses too so I have something to distract me.

The horseride would be beautiful and calming if I couldn't see Storm leaving everyone else behind the trail. He looks back every few minutes but for the most part he is keeping his distance from me.

The tension is so thick you can cut it.

"What happened with you two?" Ebony asks me.

"Nothing. Just...nothing."

"You can trust me," Ebony says from her horse, "I'm not going to throw you under the bus. You do know that right?"

I did need someone to talk to. Cupid wasn't here and he wasn't really messing with me anymore. It was hard to trust someone who hung out in this group but if I had to make a real friend it would definitely be Ebony. I look at her hoping that she was indeed someone who was trustworthy. The others are out of earshot but I still lean in with my horse riding close to her so no one overhears.

"I'm gay," I tell Ebony.

"No shit," is her reply.

I don't get that often. I'm not a feminine guy like Cupid. I'm not even fashionable like Gunner. I am a basic guy so a lot of times people assume I'm straight. I guess in this group its different though. From me embarrassing myself to Lady coming around and filling in the embarrassing moments that I had left behind, I knew that this crowd definitely was well aware of my sexuality.

"I kind of like Storm," I reveal.

She sighs, "I think that is clear. The way you stare at him isn't leaving much to the imagination."

"Am I that obvious?" I ask her.

"Yeah you are. Why do you think Savannah hates you? Believe it or not she's nice to a lot of people. She just happens to hate you. And Lady."

I couldn't imagine Savannah being nice. She was a raging bitch. Even right now she is riding up the path with Tempest looking like she is doing nothing but talking a bunch of shit.

"Well I tried to kiss him."

"Nice," she says.

I'm actually surprised when she says that.

"Excuse me?"

"Listen, I love Storm. He's a good guy," she explains to me, "After seeing how Ivory uses Miles, I've always been against people being used. Savannah and Lady want to use Storm. I can tell you honestly like him. And it isn't just cause he's hot or popular or successful. The two of you have this connection. It's weird honestly but everyone sees it."

"You think?"

"Hell yeah," she explains.

"Well he wants nothing to do with me now," I respond, "After I forced that kiss."

"We'll work on that," she responds.

"We?"

"I got your back," Ebony tells me, "I'll put in a good word for you. But you have to apologize for forcing yourself on him."

"I'm trying to."

"You aren't trying hard enough if you are sitting back here with me," she responds.

Ebony gives me a specific smile. It's one of those motivational smiles. I look ahead at where he is. He is sexy as fuck. His ass is so perfect as it sits on that horse. I start making my way up towards him. For some reason I know that Ebony has a point. I have to apologize to him.

I can see Tempest and Savannah's eyes when I pass them. They both look pissed for probably two separate reasons. Luckily Ivory is having some trouble riding her horse and their attention can't be taken off of her for too long.

He notices me next to him. He turns slightly but doesn't say anything at first.

"Hey..." I state.

He grunts at me at that moment. He doesn't really speak. It's just a quick dismissive grunt. It's almost like he can't really be bothered.

"Can I talk to you?" I ask.

I sound not too far from pathetic honestly but I don't care. I was in the wrong. It's up to me to make things right with him no matter what.

"Nah I'm good, There's nothing to talk about."

"You going to be mad forever?"

"Not mad."

He's short when he says it. Not only is he short but he says it like he's mad.

"Listen. I'm sorry."

"Demarco!"

"I'm sorry!"

"STOP!"

"I'm not going to stop, because I'm sorry."

"No! LOOK!"

It's too late before I notice exactly what Storm is trying to warn me about. My horse is freaking out all of a sudden and I don't know why. That's when I see a snake in the road. The snake spooks my horse and it's beginning to buck.

The fit is getting worse! Storm attempts to calm my horse as it continues bucking.

"Flex his head. Hold onto the reins," Storm is shouting out instructions, "Relax Demarco."

He is attempting to calm me and the horse down at the same time but it isn't really working. The snake has sent the horse into a fit and I'm falling hard off the saddle. I almost hear laughter from Savannah when the horse bucks me completely off the saddle.

I am falling way too far and way too hard. I hit the ground harder than I expect and black out for a second.

I open my eyes and I see someone come over to me immediately.

"Take the pills," the girl says.

My eyes focus. Lady! Holy shit!

"What?"

Had I heard her correctly? That's when she repeats it but it sounds different, "You fell down the hill."

All of a sudden I realize it's not Lady. It's actually Ebony. She's sitting right next Storm and the others have gotten off their horses as well. Tempest is standing near crossing her arms. Savannah and Ivory look amused when I do that.

"Is he alright?" Miles asks.

"I'm fine. Let's keep going."

"Hell naw, we aren't going to keep going," Storm says, "Your leg looks swollen."

"I don't want to ruin this for everyone," I respond.

Storm nods, "I'll take you back. The rest of them can keep going."

I want to argue with Storm that I'm good to keep going but I don't think he will take that as answer. I ride back on the back of Storm's horse. The others go after my horse who has run away somewhere.

I feel stupid and sloppy falling off the horse and not seeing the snake. Storm doesn't say anything about it on the way back to the cabin though. Matter of fact he doesn't say anything at all. Feeling the comfort of his back is everything. She smells so fucking good too. I try not to get too comfortable but it's hard especially while I'm holding tightly onto his firm, sturdy waist.

We make it back to the cabin and he helps me off the horse. He is delicate and soft.

"Does it hurt?" he asks.

"I'm good."

"You scared me back there man...when you blacked out..."

It's not the first time I've blacked out. Ever since I took the pills it seems like any type of fall would cause some type of blackout. I can't believe I imagined seeing Lady once again. It's almost like she is haunting me. It's really starting to freak me out.

The first thing I have to do when I get back to the city was throw away those pills.

All of them.

This shit was getting way out of hand.

"I'll get you some ice."

Storm puts me down on a lounge chair and goes to get some ice even though I try to stop him. He comes back and starts icing up my foot. At first I'm staring at my foot but then I start staring at Storm...again. The lights hits him in a way it illuminates all the beautiful parts of him. The perfect milky skin tone is smooth. You would think he never had acne a day in his life. His eyes have this intense sexy focus in them. Those are the eyes of a determined ass man.

"I"m OK, really," I tell him, "Besides I want to apologize for what happened earlier."

"Jesus Chris man. You don't have to apologize," Storm says.

We are in the living room. He is focusing on my leg.

"I do have to apologize," I tell him, "I tried to force myself on you."

Storm laughs.

"Wait is that why you think I've been upset? You think I feel victimized?"

He looks up at me. He squints.

"Isn't that the reason you've been avoiding me?"

"No...it's the opposite."

My mouth drops and Storm's smile fades. He starts looking at me very seriously and it scares me but probably no where near as much as it scares him. He pulls back. I can see him thinking about stopping this conversation. I am really beginning to read Storm's facial expressions.

"If you didn't feel victimized then how did you feel?" I ask him.

"I can show you better than I can tell you."

I'm not expecting it when Storm reaches over and starts kissing me at that moment. Storm Underwood starts kissing me. He pulls me into him. It's a hungry kiss. He grabs me. That's when Storm does something else. Storm takes off his shirt.

Storm drops his pants.

"Holy shit," are the only words I can say at that moment.

He's hard! STORM IS HARD!

"So remember how you told me you were going to help me figure out whether I was pansexual?" he asks, "Well I figured it out. And I figured out that your soul, male or female, turns me all the way on. I want you Demarco Carter. I want you to be mine..."

'To read the next chapter in advance go to www.crusedcrown.com