Read Devils Roses 01 - Cursed for Free Online

Shane's family owned. Shane’s mom had kicked him out, only to find out, he moved in with his twenty-five year-old employee.
    Shane had taken it hard, just as any of us would. Eighteen is too young, to have a family torn apart by a new stepmom. In particular, one that’s only seven years older than her new stepson.
    Alise had been sucked into the drama, her specialty if truth were told. She had gone from nearly dumping Shane to a devoted woman. She loved drama. It made me sick. As Shane went from being Plain Shane to heartbroken Shane, she got more into him. She never stopped cheating on him though.
    I never understood why he chose to date my sister. He never seemed to enjoy the relationship. He hardly ever hung out with her, and when he did, they barely spoke. Alise had complained about it, but our father told her Shane was distracted by the tragedy in his family.
    Shane’s mom had been vacationing more than normal in the last few months. In such a small town it had people speculating, she was in reality, in a center somewhere. I felt bad for Shane.
    His only saving grace, was that he had an older sister in university in the city. She came back on weekends, even though it was a five-hour drive, to help him out while his parents were both AWOL.
    The music from the house could be heard from the long driveway. The large waterfront home seemed to have every light on inside and out, even though it wasn't dark yet.
    Cars lined the driveway, as Alise found a spot up beside Shane's truck. People bailed from her old car, boys picking girls up and running with them over their shoulders, and girls screaming in joy. I was certain, I watched someone climb out of the trunk.
    The music stopped and my heart skipped a beat for a second. Shane came out to greet us. Behind him, the open door revealed a packed house. The huge windows in the living room looked like peeking onto a set of an American Pie movie.
    He stood there looking breathtaking. His eyes zeroed in on me. “Hey Aimee, I’m glad you came. Hi Blake.”
    I wanted to take it the wrong way, but I knew why he wanted me there. I noticed out of the corner of my eye, Blake stood closer to me and puffed up his chest. I blushed, thinking that he must have noticed my crush on Shane and resented it.
    I gave Shane a small wave and tiny smile. Mostly, I tried not to look at his lips and imagine what they would be like to kiss.
    My sister walked up and kissed him on the cheek, making me want to disinfect him, so I could continue my fantasy.
    Blake and I leaned against the car and watched the scene, taking it in. After my sister's little indiscretion of not coming home a month ago, our father had laid down the rule of no more parties. He had given her one option, take me as her companion, which translated into chaperone. He had bet on the fact I would never go, and clearly he had bet wrong. I knew deep down, he wanted to see me out socializing with someone beyond Blake. Not to mention, he was probably relieved I would be there to keep an eye on Alise.
    I looked at Blake and noticed he looked handsome. I realized he didn’t have his glasses on, which was odd. I wasn’t sure if he even owned contacts, or if he had come blind, hoping to look less like a nerd. Either way, he looked good without glasses and a gadget in his hands.
    I grinned at him, he looked nervous but like he was excited to be there. I was the opposite; I wasn’t nervous and didn’t want to be anywhere near the popular people. Except one. But alas, Satan had spit on him, like he was the last donut on the plate, so my option became viewing him from a distance.
    “ You want to go in?”
    Blake nodded. “Yeah.” He swallowed hard and we walked up to the house. He seemed massive with nothing in his hands to make him stoop over until he was my height. He looked put together in his beige cords and blue t-shirt with a science-camp logo. I smiled, knowing no one there would even come close to recognizing the logo. I felt short