Stealing Cupid's Bow (2 page)

“There you go,” he said.

“Thank you so much,” she said.

He wore a light knit shirt that tapered over his lean muscled form which could only be described as the mythical swimmer “V” every girl dreams of. The waves of his golden hair flowed stylishly back from his face.

The lady waiting in the aisle behind her coughed subtly, and she snapped back into action. “Oh, um, looks like I’m in the middle seat here,” she said, with another glance at her boarding pass. It was sort of both the aisle and the middle seat. She was seated in an emergency row and it only had two seats. The rest of the plane had three on each side.

“I’m the window seat,” he said. He brushed by her to slip into the narrow coach seats and she felt her pulse jump.

“I really appreciate you saving me from injuring that lady,” she said once she was settled into her seat.

“No problem at all,” he said with a smile. He was stretched out casually in his seat, looking quite comfortable. Strange, considering how small coach seats were.

“I’m Raine, by the way.” She extended a hand.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Alexander.” He took her hand.

His fingers were strong and slim. The contact caused a slight flush to steal over her cheeks. The tips of his fingers seemed a bit calloused from where they touched her, but other than that he had wonderful, supple skin.

The call came over the speakers to turn all electronics off, causing her to snap out of her reverie. She smiled and pulled her hand back, and then reached into her purse for her phone. As it powered down, she cursed herself for peeking at the screen.

Again no messages.

Although she did hate Brad, was it silly to want a call, a message…some kind of communication indicating he was sorry or wanted her back? Something that would give her the satisfaction of knowing she hadn’t been thrown out like yesterday’s trash? But no, she was sure he was too busy with his new girl. The memory of them together flashed again in her mind and she rubbed her eyes to try and stave off the tears that were forming.

It wasn’t long before the plane took off from John Wayne Airport. As they rose away from the ground into the air, the downward pull seemed to make her troubles press more heavily on her. She wished more than anything for a distraction and bemoaned that she’d forgotten to bring any reading material with her.

“Are you all right?” Alexander asked.

She turned to look at him and hesitated over what to say. Fine was several levels better than what she actually felt but she squeaked it out anyway. “I’m fine.” It wasn’t really polite to unload your feelings on a stranger.

He glanced over her face in assessment. Without a word, he reached into his pocket and offered her a clean, white, pressed handkerchief.

That’s when she noticed the tears escaping from the corners of her lids and her stuffy nose. His small act of kindness put her over the edge and the tears flowed freely. Accepting the small folded square with a mouthed thanks, she buried her face in it. It was embarrassing to wipe tears, makeup and snot all over the handkerchief. But she had no tissue in her bag and, the seat-belt sign was still on, so she couldn’t escape into the bathroom.

When she had tidied herself up, she turned the handkerchief over in her hands. It was made of very nice, soft, white cotton. An A was monogrammed on one corner with a little arrow as the crossbar. It struck her as strange for someone like him to have something so old-fashioned. Did men still carry them these days? Maybe it was a returning trend.

She patted away one last tear and then turned to him,  unsure what to do with the crumpled material in her palms. She’d never been offered one before in her life. Did you give it back right away, complete with snot, or offer to clean it first? “Um, thank you so much. If you hadn’t loaned me this, I would have been using my sleeve.”

“You’re welcome.” He gently curled her fingers back over it with his hands. “Keep it. You might need it again.”

She smiled weakly and fingered a strand of hair with one hand. She must look a wreck. “I’ve never been able to hide how I feel,” she explained. “I think I gave up trying a couple of years ago. Sorry if I’m disturbing your flight.”

She sniffled into the handkerchief again, thankful he’d allowed her to keep it.

“Actually, you’re not bothering me at all,” he said. “I’ve always had a soft spot for a damsel in distress. Is it anything you want to talk about?”

Talk about? Was this guy for real? Did he really want to hear about her problems? She couldn’t remember a single time when a man had offered, except her father. Okay, well, maybe a few uncles, cousins, and friends, too. Not all men were bad. She supposed couldn’t just sit here and tell him nothing after he’d loaned her his lovely handkerchief and saved her from maiming an old lady with her bag.

She took a deep breath. “Well, to make a long story short, I found out yesterday that my boyfriend was cheating on me.”

“That’s terrible.”

“I just don’t understand
why
, you know? I thought everything was great, so it all came as a huge shock. I just don’t know how a person could do that. I mean, if he felt at all about me the way I felt about him, then I really can’t imagine why.”

He seemed to consider what she said, his gaze never leaving her face. “I’m sorry. How long were you together?”

“Two years.”

He shook his head. “You hear stories like that a lot these days. It makes me wonder why people even try to be in relationships anymore. But what can you do? That’s just the way the world is now.”

“What do you mean?”

“People just don’t believe in love anymore. They want a temporary rush, then they go on to the next thing,” he stated.

She frowned and considered for a moment before answering. “Sorry, I can’t agree with you. I’m not like that, and my parents certainly aren’t either. They’ve been married for a long time. In fact, that’s why I’m going to Las Vegas. It’s their anniversary.”

“Really? How long have they been together?”

“It will be their fortieth.”

“That’s rare. You don’t hear of marriages lasting that long these days.”

“I know. Just goes to show that it’s possible.” She didn’t mean to say it in a firm tone, but that was how it came out.

“If you say so.” He shrugged.

“You don’t think so?”

“It doesn’t matter what I think. It’s easy to see marriage isn’t the norm anymore. You have to wonder if things are changing to the point where it will completely fall out of fashion.”

“'Fall out of fashion'?” she echoed the phrase. “No, there’s no way.”

He grinned. “You seem so sure.” The sun coming in the window lit his eyes just the right way, making them look sky blue. His hair caught the light as well, causing the golden locks to shine.

He was beautiful.

She yanked her train of thought back to the conversation. “Of course I’m sure. Love would have to pretty much cease to exist in order for marriage to go away, and that will never happen.”

“Really, you think so? But what’s so great about love?” he pressed. “Look at what happened to you. Wouldn’t it be better if it didn’t exist anymore? Then no one would experience such pain.” He leaned slightly in and fixed her with a serious gaze.

How could he say such a cynical thing? Were they seriously debating about the merits of love existing? Her eyebrows drew together. Maybe he was teasing her.

She searched his face for any break in his facade and found none. But then, in the next second, he assumed an innocent expression, and she knew at once he had been teasing her. They laughed in the same instant. Her chuckle was a bit soggy, and she had to blow her nose, but it was such a relief after the last twenty-four hours.

Alexander raised his voice to get the attention of the flight attendant walking by in the aisle, “Excuse me, miss.”

She stopped and turned to look at him. A flirtatious smile broke out on her face. Raine guessed she was not the only one to be instantly charmed by Alexander.

“Yes, sir, can I get you something?”

“My fellow passenger here has had a rough morning. I think a tea or coffee would do her some good.”

“Yes. Of course,” she said, “which would you like?”

The question seemed to be geared toward her but the flight attendant’s eyes never left Alexander. He looked at her, waiting for her answer. But she was struck speechless for a moment by how considerate he was. It was the second time, in the short while they’d met, that he’d thought of her comfort. Brad had never even opened doors for her, even on the first date.

“Tea would be great,” she said. But opening doors wasn’t the end of the world. When she was with Brad she’d always felt like a prize. And he had a zest for life that was irresistible. When they were together they always had fun. He worked for DSSI, a security system company, and whenever they got a new product he always practiced his sales pitches on her. Sure it had been kind of boring, but he said he didn’t feel right about it unless he practiced with her. It had made her feel special. Like she’d been contributing to his success.

Alexander gave the flight attendant a smile of thanks and she headed toward the back of the plane. Settling back in his seat, he turned to Raine again. “Anyway, what were we saying? Oh yes, I was saying I find it much easier to keep my expectations low.” He smiled a cheeky grin that took Raine’s breath away.

She smiled back, but inside she couldn’t help but disagree with him. She herself had high expectations. Love was a wonderful thing, something she’d looked forward to her whole life. She knew, once she found it, it would be even better than her imagination.

“You are such a tease. I know you don’t mean that,” she said.

He shrugged. “To each their own. The divorce rate doesn’t lie. In fact, it’s getting worse every year. Are you hoping to be one of the few, like your parents, who will be the positive side of the statistic?”

“Yes, I am, as a matter of fact,” she said.

“Well as long as you’ve accepted how low your chances are, I don’t think I can stop you from hoping,” he teased.

“So are you saying that, instead of dreaming about getting married and spending my life with someone I love, the most I should expect is for my life to be one long string of love affairs?”

“Love affairs. There you go again. Love is an old-fashioned idea. I believe ‘fling’ or ‘hookup’ are the more modern terms.”

She couldn’t help but laugh. He was charming even while saying things she disagreed with. “No it’s not,” she insisted, on to the game now. “It’s what everyone wants in life. Everyone.”

“Well then how would you account for the rising divorce rate? How do you explain all those people who say they fell out of love with someone else? I mean, if they were truly in love before why do they just throw it all away? Isn’t it worth fighting for? You’d think they would stick it out if it was really worth it,” he said in a challenging tone.

So, the man liked a good debate. He seemed to be baiting her and she found she kind of liked it. He had a way of keeping the tone light while still saying what he really meant. He also listened when she spoke. In fact, he was patiently waiting for her answer.

“People do fight for it,” she insisted. “I’ve seen it. And I have given a lot of thought as to why the divorce rate is rising the way it is. I think everyone should think about it, about what’s going wrong. The only way to not become a part of the statistic is to learn from other people’s mistakes.” If he wanted a silly debate, why not rise to the occasion?

“So you think that will fix it?”

He had the clearest blue eyes and his cheeks had strong planes, the kind found on male models in fashion magazines. There was the barest cleft in his chin, something she’d always thought was sexy. She caught the scent of his cologne, an intoxicating mix of things she couldn’t place. But it was that warm, male aroma. The kind that, if she caught a hint of it on a pillow, was entirely capable of making her long for its owner.

He gave a small smile as if in challenge.

Even though he irritated her a little bit she couldn’t help but smile back. Feeling a little light-headed, she decided to tease him back a bit. Lowering her voice, she said in a conspiratorial tone, “No. That’s not the only thing. You know, now that I think of it, not very much has changed about people or marriage in the last thousand years. So, there can only be one thing going on. Only one thing that really needs fixing.”

He cocked his head the slightest bit when she paused, an amused look on his face as though he was vastly entertained by her.

She took the plunge and said with mock seriousness, “Cupid has been slacking off. He’s not doing what he’s supposed to be doing.”

For a moment his blue eyes widened in surprise, and then he laughed at her. “Cupid? You mean that little baby with the wings who goes around shooting love darts at people? That’s your answer? No, you’re right, I take it back. It must be the fault of some ancient god.”

She laughed along with him, feeling cheerful now. Sticking firmly with her side of the debate, she continued, “Yes, he’s probably sitting somewhere on his lazy ass, eating grapes and slacking off on his job. Isn’t that what all those gods do? I tell you, if I ever meet him, I’m going to give it to him.” She punched her fist into her hand for emphasis. “And then I’m going to give him a piece of my mind. I mean who the heck thought to put a man in charge of people falling in love anyway? What do men know about love?”

The plane suddenly hit a very rough patch of turbulence. Raine sucked in a breath as it dipped sickeningly, shuddered, and then rose again. Passengers let out startled shrieks. She clutched the armrests. Looking out the window she could see there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Strange, must have been a random gust of wind….

As the plane leveled out and flew smoothly again, she eased her clench on the armrests. Alexander looked undisturbed, which she found odd.

“Turbulence,” he said.

He must be a hardened flyer. He wasn’t ruffled at all.

The flight attendant reappeared with her tea. As she walked back down the aisle Raine noticed the long look she gave Alexander. She was glad to see she wasn’t the only one who responded to him. Women probably fawned over him all the time.