Authors: Melissa Hosack
Stupid Cupid (7 page)
It was only when she reached for a
paper towel that the woman realized she wasn’t alone. She studied them
thoughtfully, hazy eyes unfocused. “Nice shoes,” she finally said. Then she
turned and clomped shakily toward the door in her heels.
She struggled with the locked door. She
tugged and cursed. She kicked the frame before reaching up to undo the lock.
“Tricky thing.” Then she stumbled out into the hallway.
When the door swung shut behind her,
Valen. They both burst simultaneously into laughter. “Is that another example
of humans only seeing what they want to see?”
“No. That’s called
falling on your ass
drunk.” Chuckling, he lifted her off of the
counter to stand. Then he pulled her into the closest stall, shut the door, and
flicked the lock. “Come here,” he demanded.
She didn’t need to be told twice.
into his arms.
Valen’s mouth was on hers the next
instant. His tongue forced its way into her mouth as he edged her panties to
the side and shoved deep within her.
She didn’t know when he’d exposed
himself, but his invasion was welcome. She whimpered and arched up on her
tiptoes with his action.
His hands grasped her thighs as he
thrust. His movements were swift and hard. His body pinned hers to the bathroom
door.
One of her legs came up to wrap around
his hip, and she clung to him. The sound of the door rattling in its frame was
something heard at the back of her conscious. At the moment, she didn’t care.
All that mattered was the Adonis who was currently filling her, body and soul.
“This has got to be fast,” he breathed
apologetically in her ear.
that first night in his bed. He’d taken his time, giving her orgasm after
orgasm. He’d had her writhing for hours. A girl couldn’t complain about a
quickie here and there when he was such an attentive lover. Besides, quick sex
held the recipe for intense orgasms. “Nothing wrong with fast every once in a
while,” she assured. Her nails dug into his back while he pounded into her as
hard as their position would allow.
Valen forced her higher up, using the
door to help hold her in place.
With this movement, her arms rose to
the top of the stall door, and she grasped it for support. “More,” she begged
through clenched teeth as her arms strained with effort. “Harder.”
Valen obliged. He slammed into her over
and over again until they both careened over the edge into orgasm.
She gave a hoarse cry as her body
clenched around him.
He growled out his completion as he
emptied into her, his shout matching hers.
ragged pants. She felt wild and untamed.
She was still trying to recover when
Valen withdrew from her body a moment later. He took a few sheets of toilet
paper and cleaned up the mess produced by their love making. He gently mopped
between her thighs, cleaning his semen away. “I love you,” he said softly.
Her mouth dropped open at that
confession and her hands slipped from the edge of the door. He was telling her
he loved her? In a bathroom stall? While he cleaned ejaculation from her
thighs? She couldn’t wrap her head around the unexpectedness of such a
revelation. She wasn’t sure how to respond, but giggles beyond the door saved
her from having to.
Rolling his eyes, Valen disposed of the
tissue. “We should face our audience, get this over with.” He smiled as he
straightened her dress back into place, his eyes crinkling in the corners.
Numbly, she nodded. She knew she should
be embarrassed, but she was too busy basking in the afterglow of amazing sex.
Tucking himself back into his pants,
Valen took a deep breath. Then he unlocked the door and led her back out into
the bathroom.
Roughly a dozen women stood giggling at
the sink. Upon seeing Valen, they began to clap. A few hooted, while one girl
gripped her friend’s arm and literally squealed.
sorry.”
A brunette snorted in appreciation. “No
need to apologize.” Her eyes swept over Valen and she gnawed on her lower lip
with longing in her eyes. “I totally get it.”
bathroom, her face flaming with embarrassment. Once in the hallway, she slapped
Valen on the chest. “You make me do crazy things!” Her accusation rushed
breathlessly out of her lungs. Had she been thinking clearly, she never would
have allowed him to seduce her in a public bathroom.
“You make me do crazy things, too.” He
took her into his arms and kissed her forehead. “Keep that in mind.”
At that, she relaxed into him, enjoying
the way his strong arms felt wrapped around her body. “I suppose we’re both
crazy.”
He nodded, his expression full of mock
sympathy. He kissed her forehead again before pulling back to look at her with
determination. “Now,” he said dramatically. “Shall we go home and continue
where we left off in the bathroom?”
She beamed up at him. “Yes please.”
Chapter Six
The past four months had been the best
of
life. She spent every free moment with Valen. She couldn’t seem to get enough
of the man storybooks called Cupid. Everything about him was innovative and
exhilarating.
Their relationship had started off
intense. She expected that intensity to dwindle over time, but it hadn’t.
Things were as amazing now as the first day she let herself be seduced by him.
Things were…perfect.
She was on her way to meet Valen now
for dinner after a grueling day of work. There wasn’t anything she looked forward
to more after the drudgery at the office than his smiling face. She couldn’t
think of a more perfect way to start off her weekend. He made her life feel so
fulfilling. And the sex? Yowza!
As she entered the restaurant where he
had first showed her his profession, Lincoln smiled as Valen’s face lit up when
he caught sight of her. They still did that to each other, even after all these
months. They were able to draw out that instantaneous smile of new lovers who
were excited to merely spend time with one another. She was not embarrassed to
admit she adored him.
He waved her over to their table and
stood at her approach. With an easy smile, he pulled her chair out for her. “I
missed you today,” he murmured, pressing his lips to the back of her neck as
she took her seat.
later, he still set her body aflame with the simplest touch. “I missed you,
too.”
“You look beautiful.” He took his seat
across from her, his delicate lavender eyes alight with emotion.
She rolled her eyes in response, trying
to hide her delight at his comment. “You always say that.”
“It’s always true.”
She squirmed in her seat. After months
of this treatment, she should be used to it. She wasn’t. His unwavering
kindness was always a pleasant escape from the harsh reality of the outside
world.
At her blush, Valen reached across the
table to take her hands in his. “Enough of this shyness.” He kissed the back of
her hand, his lips lingering sensually against her skin. “You are the most
beautiful creature on the planet.” His all too familiar, devilish smirk crept
up his lips. “You are so lovely that I wish to sneak you up to the roof of this
restaurant and make love to you under the stars.” He sucked her index finger
into his mouth and twirled his tongue along it suggestively.
Her eyes closed in delight. How was it
that he was still able to affect her this strongly? He had completely and
utterly bewitched her. She was like an addict, and he was her drug of choice.
“Valen…” She tried to think of a single good reason not to go up to the roof
and indulge in his affections.
“You know you want to,” he cajoled. His
tongue continued to tease her finger, urging her lust to take over common
sense. “Come on. Release your inner naughty vixen.”
hasn’t been put away since I met you.” A smile stretched uncontrollably across
her lips as he nibbled her fingertip. “You know I can’t say no to you,” she
whispered.
A low, sexual chuckle escaped him. “Nor
I you.” He shifted suddenly and dropped her hand. “Let me just match this
couple across the room, then it is me and you, sweetheart.”
In a content daze, she spun to look in
the direction Valen was now pointing one of his life changing arrows. It took
her a moment to fully take in the faces of the couple. Recognition had her
gasping in horror. “Valen, no!”
Her cry came too late. The arrow hit
her best friend in the chest.
Spurred on by Valen’s guidance, Amy
leaned toward
her waiter
and kissed
him.
“She’s married!” Her head swam with the awfulness of the situation. Her
boyfriend had singlehandedly destroyed her best friend’s life. “Damn it! How
could you?” Tears burned the back of her eyes as the happy bubble she’d been
living in for four months burst.
Looking at Amy, she realized Valen was
still all the things she’d originally accused him of.
She’d just allowed herself to forget. She’d
let attraction blind her. He still played God. He still messed with people’s
lives as if they were pawns in a chess game.
“You can’t just break up a marriage and
ignore the pain you’ve caused,” she spat at him. Thoughts of Amy’s husband
Kevin sprang to her mind and she nearly felt sick. This would kill him.
Shock had crossed Valen’s face at her
angry outburst. His arms dropped to his sides and he gaped at her in
dumbfounded silence. “I…I didn’t know.”
“That’s exactly my point!” Not
thinking, she yanked the bow from his fingers, and he seemed too stunned to
stop her. With trembling hands, she snatched up one of the arrows. “How would
you like it if someone shot
you
?
Would you like
your
whole life to
change without having a single say in the matter?” She was trembling so much
she could hardly notch the arrow.
Valen’s lavender eyes widened as he
comprehended what she was about to do. “
no!”
She saw the real terror in his eyes an
instant too late. Her fingers had already let go of the string. She watched in
confusion as the arrow slammed into his chest.
Valen’s body jerked backwards, and he
clutched at the arrow that had pierced flesh and meat. Unlike the usual
results, the arrow embedded in his chest, sinking deep. This wasn’t a mythical,
harmless event. This was real and true and frightening.
The bow fell from
floor. Instantly, she could see that he was hurt, badly hurt. She rushed
forward with wild eyes, not understanding what was happening. “Valen!” Panic
welled as she saw blood seeping around the arrow.
He sank to his knees and she dropped
down next to him, trying to support his much larger body as he teetered.
Her hands fluttered above the wound, but she
was too afraid to touch it. “What’s happening?”
Valen’s face was pinched with pain as
he clutched at the arrow. “My arrows…They’re lethal to me.”
Horror washed over her. She’d just shot
the man she was head over heels in love with. That sobering thought was enough
to put life back into perspective very fast. “I didn’t know!” She stared
helplessly at the blood flowing from his chest. “I’m so sorry, Valen. I never
meant… I was just so angry…”
Tears began falling unchecked down her
cheeks. “I can’t live without you,” she whimpered as she watched the color
drain from his usually tanned face. “You have to be all right. I need you. I
didn’t mean what I said. I didn’t!”
She fumbled with his shirt, wanting to
see how badly he was injured underneath the fabric. “You’ll be okay,” she said
desperately. “You will.”
Weakly, he grabbed her wrist. “No. It’s
like poison,
It’s racing through my system. I can feel it.” He shifted uncomfortably on the
ground and gave a feeble tug at the arrow. “Get it out of me.”
yanking the arrow from his chest. She lifted her head to ask for assistance,
but realized no one else had even moved. Everyone was going about their
business as if nothing had happened.
“
he said firmly. “Get it out of me.”
She bobbed her head tearfully. “Okay.”
It was her fault the arrow had pierced him. That meant it was her
responsibility to pull it out as well. She moved her shaking hands to the
arrow, her heart pulsing rapidly in her ears. “Okay. I’ll get it out.” Taking a
deep breath, she attempted to steady her nerves. “Okay. Here goes.”