Red Hot Valentine: Falling for Cupid (6 page)

I smirked back at him. “That doesn’t exactly
narrow down the field.”

“
I know.” He flashed a
smile before walking back to the SUV.

The moment he opened the door, Lisa yelled,
“You look hot. Go have fun.”

I knew my cheeks were as red as my lips when
I lifted my gaze back to Coop.

A smile played on his lips. “You look
gorgeous.” He closed the distance as Lisa drove away. He extended
an arm towards me. “Shall we?”

Someone please pinch
me.
“I suppose we shall.” I linked my arm
through his and let him escort me inside.

White and creams from the stones to the
statues lent an understated opulence to the restaurant. The
monotone color palette forced the eye to discover the exquisite
details, such as the cherub carvings on the buttons tufting the
plush cream chairs that sat before tables covered in fine white
linen that seemed to glisten when the light hit it.

“
Do you come here often?” I
asked as we approached a hostess station. The employees, aside from
the doorman, were dressed in all white.

“
Never. You?” He gave the
woman his name and looked at me, waiting.

“
Never.” I knew my smile
was tight. This place made me nervous. It was nothing short of
stunning, but with all the white and cream everywhere, I could
picture myself spilling something red already. It was the same fear
that plagued me every time I stepped into a wealthy client’s
home.

“
Looks like it’s a first
all around.”

Why did I suddenly want to pull a Cupid and
bolt? “Looks like it is,” I said.

We followed the woman to a table. My breath
hitched as I caught sight of the bouquet of at least two-dozen red
roses. A quick check around showed other tables with a low cut,
white rose and cream carnation arrangement.

I looked at Coop. “You?”

He shrugged, pulling out my chair. “Isn’t
Valentine supposed to be a romantic?”

Unease wound through my chest. You shouldn’t
do things because you’re supposed to. You should do them because
you want to.

I paused, studying the restaurant again. It
was beautiful. Every detail was a work of art, but all of my adult
life I’d worked in homes and shops full of luxury and the same
attention to details, and never had I relaxed inside them.

The truth was, I didn’t want fancy dinners,
multiple closets and a grand flower arrangement. I wanted to live
comfortably, to be comfortable enough to spread my wings and give
this thing a real try. I couldn’t be myself at this table because I
wasn’t a fine dining kind of woman. And looking at Coop, despite
all his professionalism, I got the feeling he wasn’t either.

“
Is everything okay, Miss?”
The woman was cordial but not genuine.

“
Can we have a minute,
please?”

“
Of course.” She bowed her
head and backed away.

I turned face and stared
straight at Mr. Dreamy.
It’s time to start
chasing your dreams, Daisy.
“Moment of
truth here.” I fought the flush I felt stealing over me. “I’ve
never been so enamored by someone I didn’t know. You pretty much
star in my dreams every night, whether you realize it or not, and
have been since the moment I laid eyes on you. I don’t know what
that says about me, other than perhaps I need to get laid.” I
chuckled nervously. “You said you felt like you were doing what you
were supposed to do; granted, I don’t know you really, but that’s
not what the man in my dreams does. The man in my dreams does what
he wants to do, what feels right. And this, though I appreciate it,
doesn’t feel right to me, Cupid.”

His expression tensed. His muscles stiffened
as his eyes darkened. When he spoke, he spoke with a taut jaw. “If
I did what I wanted, I would skip the date, bypass all formalities
and take you right to bed. You’re not the only one who dreams. But
you deserve more than that. Women are not a prize to be
claimed.”

“
Yet you treat the flowers
and restaurant like a bait and hook.”

“
Perhaps, but it’s me that
keeps them on the line.”

“
Okay, well I’m not taking
your bait. What’s your backup?” I folded my arms over my chest,
waiting, hoping, he had a comeback.

His gape was calculated, like the answer to
my question was written in my eyes. “You get to drive Red to the
grocery store. I’ll buy what we need. Then I’ll drive you to my
condo. We’ll open a bottle of wine and cook barefoot together
before eating on the couch while watching whatever cheesy movie is
on TV. When you’re relaxed and content, I’ll make my move.”

Chills chased down my spine. My nipples
strained against my strapless bra, my breasts swelled as desire
warmed me to the bone. Anticipation pressed low in my stomach. “Now
that’s just cruel. I’m the kind of woman who enjoys dessert first.
Serve yourself up with whipped cream before wine and food and we
can leave together now.”

He licked his lips. “Deal.”

My face split devilishly. “Well, what are you
waiting for Cupid? Shoot your arrow and knock me off my feet.”

“
I’m going to forgive you
this once for that line.” He grabbed my hand and swiftly led me out
of the restaurant. He tossed me the keys to Red, a shiny, candy
apple red Corvette, after he opened the driver’s door for
me.

I kicked off my heels and glided in behind
the wheel. I stuffed my clutch beside me and started the car. The
engine purred like a sexy feline.

He tossed his jacket over the seat and got
in. He pulled his tie loose as he shut his door.

“
New idea,” I started. “We
skip the grocery store and run by my place so I can change. Then
we’ll go to your place, be naughty, order take-out, open whatever
alcohol you have and crash on the couch in front of the
TV.”

“
Stop talking and drive.”
He practically growled, his need obvious.

I couldn’t contain my pleasure as I sped
off.

—

Cupid

Men typically started out wanting to be
bachelors forever. No responsibilities, no commitment; fun and free
all the time. But then your friends start to marry off. You witness
their happiness, all the benefits of a partner, and eventually
jealousy builds, tainting your glass so it looks dirty rather than
rosy. I’d been at that point for years. Hell, I’d embraced my
namesake and helped restore that look of love and adoration in
their eyes, but I never found the woman who put it there for
me.

My best friend, Brian, told
me the day he met his wife. “There’s just something about her.
Yeah, she’s hot, but it’s not just looks. I barely spoke two words
to the girl, but I’m tellin’ ya, Coop, that’s
my
girl. She was meant for this stud
to mount forever.”

It’s a soul deep reaction most men are too
macho to admit. I was almost too stubborn to admit it. Brad damn
near beat it out of me. I knew I could have fought him off, but I
didn’t want to. I just wanted her, and I was tired of making
excuses.

As insurmountable as it seems, I knew it was
Daisy from the moment I laid eyes on her. If I had to bend some
rules to be with her, well, my gut said she’d be worth it, and I’m
Cupid after all. If there’s one thing I know, it’s love. And damn
was I going to love Ms. Daisy and all her curves tonight.

—

Daisy

The moment I stepped out of the car, his
mouth was on mine. His lips were soft yet commanding. I felt every
straining muscle as he pressed his body against mine, fighting to
remain in control. He was still trying to seduce me, but he was
kissing me the way he thought he ought to.

I bit his lip, halting him. “Kiss me the way
you want to or not at all. I’m an all in kind of woman.”

He nipped my bottom lip before he pulled
away. “Lead the way, gorgeous.”

I bent into the car and grabbed my heels,
purposefully giving him a full view of my ass in my tight body
hugging dress during the process.

When I straightened he pinned me again.
“Don’t think because I have a girl’s name that I’m going to take it
easy on you.”

I smiled, loving the new Coop that was
emerging. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

—

Cupid

She brought out the manly beast in me. She
made me drop all pretenses and embrace what I wanted. She made me
wonder if all the romance I’d dished out before had been a lie, a
lie I myself even fed into. For so long I’d turned living up to my
name into a lifestyle, literally what my life revolved around. Then
she stormed in and with a few hard lines, she debunked all I
thought I stood for. She stripped the façade I didn’t realize
existed and forced me to look within and embrace the real me.

When had I ever skipped the formalities, the
niceties with a woman? When was the last time I wasn’t trying to
live up to a name I had disliked my entire life but resigned myself
to make the best of?

Shit. I’d let a fucking name direct my entire
life.

It was all happening so fast, but she was the
first thing that felt right, genuine to what the real Coop wanted.
She was who I’d needed all along.

—

Daisy

The moment I unlocked the door to my second
floor apartment, he threw it open and claimed my lips, backing me
in blindly. This time he held nothing back. This time he kissed me
like he’d been waiting all his life to.

I heard him kick the door shut before he spun
me and pressed me to it. The door was cold against my back, but he
was so warm at my front, like a fire in the middle of a
snowstorm.

His tongue plunged between my lips carnally
tasting every inch of my mouth. There was a hint of sweetness to
him, a subtle lingering spearmint flavor. “I want this off,” he
snarled, feeling around my back for a zipper.

“
There isn’t one. This
dress is like a present. Pull the material from between my breasts
and unwrap me.”

He drew back yanking furiously on the
material at my chest. The storm brewing in his depths was nothing
short of my dreams. Desire darkened his pale eyes until sapphires
and emeralds pierced me, ensuring I saw that he wanted me. The
determined pucker between his brows told me he was going to take me
how he wanted.

Slowly he unwrapped the garment until the
rest could pool at my feet. Hunger, raw, savage hunger, blazed
through him as he took me in. No man had ever looked at me like
that, like he wanted to consume me, like I was going to be helpless
to fight him off me if I wanted to.

Need slicked my pussy. Goose bumps freckled
across my flesh as longing built within me. Sweet cherry pie I
wanted him. I was ready to make this dream come true. I was ready
to thrust my fingers through his hair; I was ready to dig my
manicured nails into his flesh as he fucked me with knee melting
intensity.

Abruptly, he hooked me by the panties and
pulled me against him. “Much better.” He took my mouth, stealing my
breath, stealing my demand that he strip too. He unhooked my bra.
The moment my breasts were free, his hands were on them, massaging,
teasing the tender globes. His thumbs worked my nipples to turgid
peaks.

I felt my control slipping. For so long I’d
held myself back. Brad was right. This one time- No, wait, two
times. These two times he was right. It was time.

I tugged on his tie until it came apart. My
fingers fumbled with the buttons on his vest and shirt, jerking
them both off at once. I planted my palms on his pecs, feeling the
hard masculine plains of him unabashedly.

We explored each other, feeling every valley
and peak. I memorized the feel of him against me, creating a mental
road map.

My hands dove for his pants the moment he
wrenched my panties at the waist.

“
Ladies first,” he ordered.
His mouth sought my neck and kissed a trail down me as he removed
my lace panties.

I gasped as he nudged my legs apart and dove
for my pussy. I fell back against the door, a moan escaping as his
tongue tested my entrance before drawing a line up and circling my
pulsing clit. I thrust my fingers into his strands, holding him for
balance.

He obliged my silent plea and worked my
sensitive bud until I was a shuddering mess. His eyes never left
mine, forcing a level of intimacy. He wasn’t letting me hide. He
demanded to see the pleasure he laved upon my abundant curves.

I found myself writhing into the steady
sweeps of his tongue as pressure burned through me, overpowering
flittering pleasure with the need for more.

He sucked my folds, pulling back, leaving me
whimpering like a pup. My body was wound tight to the point of
discomfort. “Don’t worry.” He chucked his shoes and the last of his
clothes. God he was gorgeous. The deep grooves between his muscles
alluded to his strength, to the powerful male he was. “I’m about to
send us both over the edge, honey.”

I nodded my head. I’d never craved someone so
desperately. My chest hurt, my limbs were stiff; my heart pounded
against my lungs making it hard to breath. “Fuck me, please.”

He reached for his pants on the floor and
rifled through his pocket. Within seconds he tore into the condom
wrapper and donned it. He stepped into me, aligning his cock at my
sopping folds. Our gazes locked; he wouldn’t release me. Instead,
he moved closer. He enclosed his arms around my waist, bringing all
of my lush roundness against him. He held me so tight a sheet of
tissue paper couldn’t fit between us.

I felt him lift me to my tiptoes before he
slammed into me, to the hilt. We both groaned. Pleasure burst
through my core. Like fireworks blasting from within, sensation
burned then fizzled, leaving me hankering for more immediately.