Stealing Cupid's Bow (11 page)

“Ah, that’s right. I forgot that you think I’m not godlike,” he teased. “Hm.” He tapped his fingers on his leg as he thought. “So, let’s see…godlike. What could I do that would make you believe me?” Slouching lower on the couch, he stretched his legs out onto the coffee table, looking very much like he was enjoying himself.

“I’m not sure,” she said, “What can gods do? I know! Maybe…can you turn my wine into water?” She lifted the glass in her hand.

He groaned. “No, no. That is so cheesy. Besides, I’ve even seen Criss Angel do that trick, so I doubt that would be convincing.”

“Well, does each god have their own gifts or are you all…you know, omnipotent?” She hoped she was using the right word.

He cocked his head at her. “You weren’t joking; you do have a million questions.”

Who wouldn’t?

“Let’s see…we have a number of powers, enough that mortals would call us omnipotent, but we each have our own unique gifts as well.”

“Like what? Can you read my mind?”

He laughed. “No. But that would come in handy.”

“Can you see through my clothes?”

“What is this? Superman?”

“Oh wait, I know!” She slapped her hand on her lap as she remembered. “Cupid has wings. Aren’t you supposed to have wings? Maybe you could just show them to me.” There was no way he could get out of this one.

He snapped his fingers back at her in response. “Done.”

“Really?” She lifted a skeptical brow. There were clearly no wings on his back right now. Even though he might be toying with her, she couldn’t help but acknowledge that she hadn’t felt this good in a long time. She was content just sitting next to him on the couch, even if the conversation was a little crazy. But if it was somehow true…were people allowed to make demands of gods? Was a mere mortal allowed to demand proof of godliness? Should she be allowing a god to rub her hands in the sinful way that he was doing? She decided she didn’t care.

“Sure, I’ll show them to you. But let’s talk about your parents first. That’s what you needed help with wasn’t it?”

“Yes it is. They’re planning to separate as I told you before.”

“But they haven’t yet.”

“No,” she said. Where was he going with this?

“Married people fight all the time and say things they don’t mean. What makes you think they’re serious?”

She thought for a minute. “Well, first of all, my mother told me that they were serious. And secondly I’ve never seen them this way before. In fact, they were yelling at each other when I left the house. I could tell it’s serious by what they were saying and how they were saying it.”

“Maybe you should wait, and see what happens.”

She shook her head. “No, absolutely not. Separation never leads to anything good.”

“Did you ever consider that maybe separating would be the best thing for your parents?”

She groaned inside. Not this conversation again. “No. I can’t let it happen. It was true love that brought them together. I know my parents; I grew up watching them. They would be miserable apart. Can’t you do something to help them?” She was still on the fence with regards to believing he was a god but said it anyway. How could he be so jaded?

“The shooting of an arrow is a very serious matter.”

What was that supposed to mean? “Does that mean you won’t even try?”

“If I thought it would help, I would. I’m not convinced that it will.”

Frustration rose up inside her. Why did it have to be him? If it was
him
, anyway. He was so stubborn on this topic.

“But you’re a god. The god of
love
,” she said. “You have the power to make it happen. Who else could help them but you? This is your area isn’t it?” she argued. Could it really be such a big deal? Didn’t he do this sort of thing for his clients all the time?

“It is my area and I’m telling you, Raine, even if I were to help, it wouldn’t last anyway. You’d just be putting off the inevitable.” His tone told her that his mind was made up.

She stayed silent, feeling deeply disappointed. His words disturbed her down to her very core.

She decided drop it for now.

“I’m sorry,” he said, “I know you were hoping for something better.”

“It’s all right,” she said, but she didn’t mean it. It most certainly was not all right. But she couldn’t think of a way to change his mind right now.

She remembered, long ago, her mother going round and round with her father trying to convince him that they needed a new car. Her’s had been towed to the garage, for the tenth time, for repairs. Her father had been adamant that the car could be fixed. It was a paid-for car and he didn’t want to spend money on another one.

When she’d asked her mother why she kept arguing with him about it, she’d explained that determination and finesse were necessary when trying to change a man’s mind. “He’ll come around,” her mother had said. “Just you wait and see.” And he had. A few months later a new car sat in the driveway. She wished now that she had paid more attention to her mother’s strategy.

The memory gave her a new determination not to give up. Alexander might be a god, but he was also male. And, if there was one thing she was, it was persistent.

Alexander was watching her. “Do you still want to see my wings?”

She nodded. Of course she did, she needed to see proof that he was Cupid. If there was any possibility that this was all a hoax, she would be relieved. Then she could completely disregard anything he’d said.

He eased himself from the couch and removed his jacket. Her eyes latched onto his hands as he unbuckled his belt and slid it from his hips. She flushed; the moment was becoming decidedly intimate. He untucked his shirt from his pants, released the buttons at his cuffs, then reached for the top one near his neck. Her breath caught, disappointment forgotten, and unable to look away from his fingers as his shirt slowly came undone. With each new peek of skin that was revealed her blood warmed a few degrees. She resisted the urge to fan herself.

His eyes glittered in the dim light.

She forgot that he was simply going to show her his wings. The energy in the room had heightened to an almost tangible level of sexuality. Pectoral muscles and a highly developed abdomen were uncovered. His skin was a light gold tan and she could tell that, if she were to lay her fingers on it, it would be soft and supple.

Peeling the shirt away, he removed his arms from the sleeves and flung it on the couch next to his coat. Standing there, gorgeous in his tailored black pants, he watched her with his intense sky-blue eyes.

And then she noticed the white feathers unfurling from behind him. They appeared first as white curves above his shoulders. She watched in awe as two sleek, giant, wings unfurled and stretched to their full wingspan, framing his silhouette.

His wings were not what she would have expected from all the drawings and sculptures she had seen throughout her lifetime. They didn’t look like the fluffy wings cherubs or Victoria’s Secret models had. They were glossy and sharp and built for speed like a bird of prey. She could feel her mouth hanging open.

His laugh broke the spell. Stepping closer he offered a hand to help her up.

Dazed, she took it. Was it possible that he could be even more beautiful than before?

He looked smug. “Do you believe me now?”

Words escaped her but she managed to nod. There was a glow radiating from him, as if he were awash in the light of sunrise.

“And? What do you think?” His voice was soft, hesitant, even as he pulled her closer.

She felt his warmth as she came closer, their bodies almost touching. Even with her heels on he towered over her, tall and powerful.

“They’re beautiful. You’re beautiful.” The words stumbled from her mouth, embarrassing her.

“Well good. Does this mean you finally believe me?”

“Yes.” There was no way to dispute it now. He was the god of love.

“I think you’re gorgeous, too,” he murmured.

It caught her off guard. Eyes locked with his, she was trapped in his gaze. Slowly, he lowered his head and kissed her, causing a pleasurable scrambling of her senses as they tried to keep up. The man oozed passion and sensuality like a tangible force. It seeped into her wreaking sensual havoc with her body, making her forget about the fact that he might not help with parents. Her own needs shot to the surface, drowning those thoughts out, drawn by his erotic pull. She was helpless to resist him.

He pulled her up against him and her arms found their way around his neck. It was a kiss of pure intoxication. His lips were firm and experienced, and when his tongue quickly captured hers in a deep sensual kiss it felt as though he was entering her, even thought they were still standing in the living room fully clothed. Except for his shirt that was. Her breath came rapidly. He wasn’t holding back this time, and she welcomed it.

Her hips and chest were already pressed against him and all she could think was that she wanted to get closer and her clothing was in the way. Clinging to him, she grasped at the firm softness of his shoulders.

He held one hand on her back, supporting her. The other stole into her hair. A small sigh of passion escaped her causing him to respond with even more. He trailed kisses across her cheek to her ear and then down to her neck awakening each and every sensation on her skin.

It was all she could do to keep her feet. Or maybe she wasn’t keeping her feet anymore, she couldn’t tell. He raised his head and met her eyes and she wanted to tell him not to stop. It was one of those moments she wished she could freeze in time. His wings had furled forward to surround them and it was as though they were in their own soft, white cocoon.

His hair was as soft and thick as she’d imagined. From the intensity of his eyes she deduced that he liked her touch so she dared to venture further. Her fingertips stroked slowly down the firm plane of his cheek and when they arrived at his lips he gently kissed her fingers.

He bent his head to her lips to start the madness again. This time she responded more fully, his beauty and power awakening a desire in her that she’d never known she had.

When he picked her up to carry her to the bedroom, she gave no word of protest. She was ready. The night simply had to be continued. What he’d released in her was too potent to be bottled back up again.

He set her down in the bedroom, her toes registered the feel of lush Berber carpet and she realized she’d lost her shoes somewhere along the way. Her hands slipped to his chest and the muscles beneath her fingers were even better than she had imagined. His upper body was thick with muscle, more than a human, because of the additional muscles that powered his wings.

He seemed to be waiting for her, his gaze hungry. He placed his hands over hers where they rested on chest.

“Can I touch them?” she asked.

He looked astonished. “You want to touch my wings?”

“Yes.” She was extremely curious. Would they be soft as well?

In answer, he extended the left one toward her and watched as she gently examined the feathers. They were glossy and strong and of different sizes. The longest was probably over four feet long. She traced the shaft of one to the bone it was attached to and then fingered the smaller feathers along the upper line of his wing.

She felt him shiver and looked back to him. The look in his eyes blazed red hot and she took it to mean that he liked the feel of her fingers on his feathers. “Don’t move,” she told him, “I want to see more.”

She eased away from him and walked behind to his back to see where the wings joined his shoulders. Muscles rippled all over his torso as he folded and tucked them to rest on his back. Turning his head slightly, he followed her movements with his eyes but, other than that, remained perfectly still.

She stepped close and traced her fingers on the top of his back, feeling where the wings joined the skin. There was no denying the firm bone that was attached. At last, the entire fantastical truth of the situation sank into her. He really was the god of love. Which meant all the other gods must be real, too.

Holy crap.

She absentmindedly ran a hand down the length of a wing, feeling the silky strength of it, and he shivered again. His shivers made her feel aroused and powerful. She ran her fingers along the opposite wing.

He turned suddenly and crushed her to him, his mouth taking fierce possession of hers with deep thrusts of his tongue. One of his hands ran down to cup the upper surface of her buttock and press her more firmly against him. She could feel the lean hardness of his erection clearly, and it was her turn to shiver.

Her hands grasped the sides of his trim waist and she felt him kick off his shoes. His mouth moved to the side of her neck, his other hand moving her hair so that he could gain complete access. She thought she might die from the sensation of his lips on her neck. When he nipped her with his teeth, it erupted a whole new set of sensations. A moan escaped her. The pleasure he stirred within her had to be life-threatening. There was no way her mere mortal body could take it.

She clenched at the material on his hips, her breasts pressing against his chest as he continued. She couldn’t have been more relieved when he gently unzipped the back of her dress and unhooked her bra. The garments slid to the floor, her underwear going with them, and then she was standing naked before him. She could see desire in his eyes as he took in the shape of her body in the dim light.

Scooping her into his arms, he turned and laid her on the bed, his body joining hers smoothly. She gasped at the contact of her bare nipples on his chest. His mouth captured hers again, his tongue plunging deep. She pulled him tightly against her with her arms wanting, needing, the full contact of his torso with hers.

Her body was aflame with pleasure.

He shifted a hand to cup her breast, the stroke of his thumb over her nipple causing her breath to come faster. He propped his other arm so he could lean to the side and moved to take it into his mouth. The feel of his tongue on the sensitive flesh awakened nerve endings she didn’t know she had. She could feel moisture building between her thighs. Her hips thrust upward when he nipped her, causing her to ram more fully against his erection. She didn’t know if she could take anymore but there was nothing on earth that would make her tell him to stop. She didn’t want him to stop. Ever.