Dear Cupid Read online

  He remained quiet for a long time before setting the glass aside. “You’re right,” he said at last, moving closer. “In fact, for tonight, I think we should forget the whole thing happened.”

  “Yes.” She bit her lip as his hands settled on her shoulders and every muscle down her back melted. Why did his slightest touch affect her so profoundly? She fought the temptation to lean against him, to absorb his strength.

  “Let’s forget everything,” he whispered as he bent his head to brush his lips up the side of her neck. A shiver followed the caress, and she closed her eyes. “Forget everything but this.” His arms slipped around her middle as he nuzzled her ear.

  How tempting that sounded, to forget everything but the feel of his arms about her, the touch of his lips on her flushed skin. To simply feel, and enjoy, and believe for one brief moment that what Mike felt for her was love. That she would find the courage to return it. And that it would last forever.

  “Yes,” she breathed, and turned in his arms to face him. Trembling inside, she opened her eyes and caressed his cheek. “Yes.”

  He studied her face, probing for answers she wasn’t ready to give. Rising up, she offered him the only thing she could give, the brush of her lips, the press of her body.

  With a groan, he accepted the offering as he pulled her against him and deepened the kiss. Her heart soared as he pressed her back against the counter, fitting his hips to hers. Heat blossomed within her at the feel of his hardness nestled against her soft belly. She stroked his back, his arms, until the kiss turned greedy. His hands moved possessively over her. When he cupped her breasts at last, she broke the kiss to gasp for air.

  “I want you, Kate,” he growled against her neck. “I need you.”

  “Yes,” she managed to rasp past her own need. She started to reach for him again, but some small part of her brain reminded her where she was: standing beneath an open loft with her son sleeping directly above her. “Not here, though,” she said, nudging his chest.

  He frowned in confusion as she wiggled out of his arms. Then the lines in his face melted into a smile as she took his hand and started walking backward. They moved quietly past the ladder, stopping once to embrace and kiss. Touching and turning, like dancers, they continued toward the bedroom door. The row of buttons down the front of her dress came undone, as did the ones on his shirt, giving them each access to bare skin.

  The moment they entered the bedroom, darkness enveloped them. Her heart soared as his tongue swept inside her mouth, caressing and possessing by turns. Everything about him excited her, his tenderness, his strength, his control, and his hunger. She wanted and needed all of that tonight.

  Pulling out of his arms, she crossed to the bed to turn on a lamp. Soft light dispelled the darkness. When she turned to face him, she found him looking at her as if she were a miracle. Slowly a smile curled his lips.

  The fist that had formed in her stomach relaxed. Returning his smile, she shrugged out of her dress. His gaze followed its descent as it dropped to the floor. She reached behind her and released her bra. His eyes darkened as it, too, fell. With shaking hands, she shipped off her panties so she stood before him completely exposed.

  With one hand, he reached back and closed the door before moving toward her. His expression made her feel cherished, beautiful, alluring: things she hadn’t felt in a long time. Things she wanted to go on feeling forever.

  She closed her eyes to savor the moment as he cupped her face and gently touched his lips to hers.

  Yes, her heart sang as he ran his hands downward, over her body, then back up to cup her breasts. They filled his palms as he circled her nipples with his thumbs. A whimper escaped her as he bent his head to suckle her, gently at first, then with growing hunger. Her head fell back as she gloried in the sharp pleasure that knifed through her, cutting clean to her soul.

  Even though they’d touched before, enjoyed each other’s bodies, this was the first time she’d given so deeply from herself. She captured his head in her trembling hands, brought his face back up to hers. “Love me,” she whispered, thinking how he made everything seem new. “As if it were the first time.”

  Mike frowned at the uncertainty shimmering in her eyes. Didn’t she know how completely he did love her? How she held his very heart in her hands? She was the one with the power to accept or reject, yet he saw his own vulnerability in the fathomless green eyes that stared back at him. At a loss for words to express what he felt, he simply cupped her face and met her gaze steadily. “With you, it’s always like the first time. Always.”

  He captured her mouth and poured himself into a kiss, into her. She responded with the honest inhibition that enthralled him and left him shaking. The mere feel of her in his arms, moving against him, drove him to near madness. His heart and mind wanted to be gentle, to show her everything he felt, but his body overrode his better intentions.

  Sweeping her into his arms, he laid her on the bed amid the silk pillows. She looked like an erotic dream, the bewitching kind of woman who lounged fully nude on a Victorian couch.

  “God, you drive me crazy,” he said as he shed his own clothes and joined her. Her arms wrapped eagerly around him. He drank his fill of her perfumed neck, her soft breasts, her quivering stomach. Every taste, every sip left him more intoxicated than any liquor.

  She touched him with equal abandon, trading gasp for gasp, sigh for sigh. He’d always felt connected to her in some strange way, but never so much as now. Each time he suckled her breasts, he felt an answering tightness in his own chest. Each time he dipped his hand to the hot nest between her thighs, his own groin jumped in response. And each time she ran her hands over his taut skin, he saw her eyes go heavy and wild with desire.

  The fever swirled around them, through them, binding them in a hot web of pure need. He stretched on top of her, thrilling to every soft curve that yielded beneath him. He buried his hand in her hair as their mouths joined in a frenzy and their bodies moved as if straining to get inside each other’s skin.

  With a curse, he broke the kiss, stared into her eyes. “I love you,” he said fiercely as he settled between her legs. “And you love me,” he said as he pressed at the threshold of her body.

  For a second, her dazed eyes focused, and she shook her head in denial.

  “You do,” he said again, and nuzzled her neck. “Say it, Kate. Say it.” He moved against her, teasing and enticing—and all the while hoping.

  “Yes,” she said at last, then gasped and arched beneath him as he drove inside her.

  “Again,” he whispered against her ear as he moved inside her, hard and steady. “Tell me you love me.”

  “I do,” she wept in a choked voice. As if a dam had broken, she repeated the words as she kissed his shoulders and face. “I love you. I love you.”

  He wanted to shout with joy as each stroke drove them higher. The sheer, piercing pleasure mounted until the tide ripped through them both, sweeping them away. He tightened his arms about her, felt her cling to him with equal strength as they rode the crest and crashed over the other side.

  The moment receded slowly, leaving behind a warm sense of contentment. A laugh rumbled in his chest. Raising his head, he gazed down at her in wonder. She smiled back, looking equally awed. I love you, he told her again in silence as he captured her lips in a tender kiss. She kissed him back, with the same gentle abandon, as if equally overwhelmed by what had just passed between them.

  With a sigh, he settled down beside her, smiling as she snuggled in his arms, Never in his life had he felt so physically drained, yet so emotionally filled.

  Chapter 24

  MIKE woke to the pleasant sensation of having Kate’s body nestled in the rumpled bed beside him, her head on the opposite pillow facing him. He indulged himself a moment, watching her. Relaxed in sleep, her face wore an expression of childish innocence, which made him smile since it was framed in the orange blaze of her siren’s hair. Kate, he thought, letting the name sink deep into his bone
s. My Kate. He could have lain like that for hours, simply watching her.

  Eventually, though, the call of nature could not be put off. He eased from the bed, slipped on his pants, and went in search of a bathroom. He found it tucked between the bedroom and living area, a room no bigger than a walk-in closet and filled with fascinating feminine clutter. A floral-patterned silk robe hung on the back of the door, while talcum powder and scented deodorant crowded together with hairspray and body lotion on a shelf over the tiny sink.

  After finishing in the bathroom, he couldn’t resist exploring the place a bit more, as if it held secrets to the woman who lived there. He slipped silently into the living area and heard Dylan’s soft snores drifting down from the loft. A few toys littered the floor, with even more stuffed into a large grapevine basket in the corner. The faint tinge of red light creeping over the horizon drew him to the windows. He looked outside, marveling at the sheer beauty of the mist-shrouded lake at sunrise. Then, he turned back and let the feel of the room settle around him. Peaceful, he decided. And welcoming.

  This place had the one thing his house on Challenger didn’t have. It felt like a home. The feeling had nothing to do with the structure or the décor, and everything to do with the people who lived within these walls—and how they felt about each other.

  Now that Kate had admitted she loved him, she and Dylan would move into his house and help him capture this same feeling—just as soon as they married.

  A smile tugged at his lips as he made his way back to the bedroom. He closed the door quietly, and tiptoed over to the bed. He found her still asleep. The morning light pressed through the sheer curtains, dusting her hair and cheeks with gold.

  He crawled back beneath the covers and eased his body along hers. She turned instinctively and snuggled up to him. Could the world possibly be more right? Well, he thought of one thing that would make the morning even sweeter.

  “Kate,” he whispered, kissing her forehead. “Wake up, sweetheart, it’s morning.” With any luck, they’d have a few minutes alone before Dylan woke.

  “Wha—?” she muttered and raised a hand to rub her eyes. He watched in amusement as she blinked away a few layers of sleep and half focused on his face. A smile softened her lips and turned up the corners of her eyes.

  He smiled back. God she was sexy all rumpled from sleep. “Good morning, sleepyhead.”

  “Morning,” she repeated in a contented purr. Then, her smile faded, replaced by a look of confusion. “Morning?” Her eyes widened. “Oh, my God.” She glanced about as if she were the one who had awoken in a strange room. Her gaze zipped back to him. “Mike! What are you doing here?”

  He cocked a brow and waited for her to remember last night. He knew the instant memory returned.

  She sat bolt upright, knocking him backward as she clutched the covers to her naked breasts. “You’ve got to get out of here before Dylan wakes up.”

  “Can’t,” he told her. “I don’t have a car.”

  “What?”

  “I drove Jim home in his truck. We sort of forgot to plan on a way for me to get home.”

  “What! Why didn’t you tell me this last night?”

  “Perhaps because the subject didn’t come up?” he offered helpfully.

  “Oh, never mind.” She turned to the clock on her nightstand. “Look what time it is! I can’t believe I didn’t set the alarm last night. I’ve got to get you out of here. No, wait, I’ve got to get Dylan ready for school first.”

  “Kate, hey, it’s all right.” He rubbed her arm. “In fact, I kind of hoped we could tell him this morning.”

  “Tell him?” She blinked.

  “You know, about us.” He smiled sheepishly.

  “Us?” She drew back. “Oh, Mike, please don’t do this.”

  The words were so unexpected, they took a second to sink in. He sat up, slowly. “What do you mean? What about last night?”

  “Oh, God.” She hid her face in her hands. “I am not going to discuss last night, at least not now.”

  “Kate?” He caressed her shoulder as foreboding tightened his chest.

  “No.” She scrambled from the bed and ducked into the closet. “I’ve got to get Dylan ready for school.” She reappeared an instant later, wearing shorts and a crop top and running her fingers through her tangled hair.

  “Wait a second.” He leapt up, still wearing his trousers, to block her way to the door. He waited until she lifted her eyes, and her frightened expression twisted his gut. “Look, Kate ...” He rubbed her bare arms. “I know you’re a little freaked out about how fast things are going between us, but—”

  “No, please!” She stepped back and wrapped her arms about her middle. That simple act frustrated him to the point of anger even as her eyes pleaded with him to understand. “Promise me you’ll stay in here and be quiet until I have Dylan out of the house.”

  She was right, of course. Dylan shouldn’t know he’d stayed the night. That, however, didn’t make him any less angry at the moment. Had last night meant nothing to her? Did he mean nothing to her? “We need to talk about this.”

  “Yes, we do. But not now. We’ll talk as soon as I get back from taking him to school, all right?”

  “Sure,” he said in an even voice. “Fine.”

  He watched her go, grinding his teeth. How could she insist nothing existed between them after last night? She’d admitted she loved him, dammit! Did that mean nothing to her?

  ~ ~ ~

  Kate still had no idea what she wanted to say to Mike when she returned home. Her tight stomach and shaky hands made thinking straight impossible.

  She found him sitting on the far end of the sofa, his arms crossed over his chest, his feet propped on the coffee table. Even with the sullen expression on his face, he looked far too at home, and far too firmly implanted into her world for her peace of mind.

  For a moment, they simply stared at each other.

  “So, you’re back,” he said.

  “And you’re angry.”

  “I’m not sure if ‘angry’ is the right word.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Think about it, Kate. How would you feel if you told someone you loved them, if they admitted they felt the same way, and then they turned around and tried to hide you in a closet?”

  “I didn’t hide you in a closet. I—Never mind. You’re right.” She came forward and sat gingerly on the opposite end of the sofa. “I’m sorry.”

  “Kate ...” He turned his head away as if he couldn’t bear to even look at her. Hurt by the gesture, she watched his throat move as he swallowed. “I’m trying very hard to understand, but none of this makes sense to me.” He turned back to nail her with a wounded look. “Why is it so hard for you to accept what’s happening between us?”

  “Because ...” She searched for words that didn’t exist. “It’s happening too fast. Don’t you see? I need time, Mike. I just need time.”

  “Time?” He looked confused. “What the hell does time have to do with anything? Ten years could pass, and I’d still feel the same way. I’m in love with you. And I have been from the moment I first met you.”

  Seeing the conviction in his eyes, she almost believed him—almost believed he’d fallen for her at first sight. “I’m sorry. I’m just not ready.”

  “Why? Because some jerk who was too stupid to realize what he had let you slip through his fingers?”

  “What if it was my fault, though?” Tears clogged her throat. “What if I just wasn’t enough?”

  “That is such bunk!” He sat forward. “How can you even think that?”

  “Because I’m scared, okay?” Her vision blurred and she wiped at her cheeks. “I’m scared!”

  He stared at her incredulously as her heart pounded against her ribs. “Of what?”

  “That I’ll fail again.”

  “You won’t.”

  “I don’t exactly have the best track record for success.” She tried and failed to dry her tears.

 
; He stared at her as if dumbstruck. “So, that’s it, isn’t it? You haven’t lost faith in men, or even love. You’ve lost faith in yourself.”

  She nodded as more tears spilled.

  “Ah, Kate.” He gathered her in his aims. “Do you have any idea how wonderful you are? Do you have a clue what I see when I look at you, what I feel when I’m around you?” He cupped her face and stared into her eyes. “You are the most incredible person I’ve ever met, because you’re filled to the brim with life. You’re intelligent, compassionate, funny, and wise. I want to spend the rest of my life getting to know you. Every time I’m with you, you simply take my breath away. And if that isn’t love, then I don’t know what is.”

  She searched his eyes, and marveled at the sincerity she saw there. “I want to believe you. But it’s so hard. I don’t know if l can survive letting someone else down. Especially—” Her breath caught. “Someone as wonderful as you.”

  His face softened as he wiped away her tears. “You could never let me down. If there were some way I could prove that to you, I would. Unfortunately, you’re going to have to accept it on your own. To do that, you have to learn to believe in yourself again. To believe in your own judgment, and believe that you are very, very lovable.”

  A car horn sounded. “What’s that?” She glanced at the door, breaking the contact of his hands.

  “Frank. I called and asked him to come get me.” He took one of her hands in his and squeezed. “Kate, all I’m asking is that you give us a chance. Give yourself a chance.”

  “I—” She stared at their joined hands, searching for courage, but found none. “Maybe if we took a break. Some time apart would allow us both room to think this through. To be sure.”

  “I’m afraid that’s not possible.”

  “Why not?” She glanced up, frowning.

  “Because,” he sighed, “last night, Dylan asked me again to be in his play, which is this Friday. And since you didn’t exactly forbid me from doing it, I—well, I told him I would do it, all right?”