It was only natural to wrap her arms around his neck and return the pressure of his lips. But then, as his tongue made gentle, sweeping contact with hers, she was holding onto him for balance, in danger of losing her feet. One arm draped across the strong muscle of his shoulders, her fingers grasping and the other made its way into his thick, blond hair. It was silky and soft, the waves curving around her fingers.
She arced her body against his long and lean form. The heat and the proximity made her feel so sexy, so alive, she didn’t want to stop. His kiss melted all others from her memory. They were pale and two-dimensional compared to this colorful and explosive kiss.
Then he gently drew back and looked into her eyes.
“Until tomorrow,” he said.
“Tomorrow,” she echoed.
He helped her into the limo, closed the door, and stood watching as it drove off.
***
Alexander was surprised. No, more than surprised, he was completely taken off guard. He stood before his floor-to-ceiling living room windows and looked out over the city at the twinkling lights as he contemplated.
In the millennia that he’d lived, he had dallied with many beautiful women. But the kiss he shared with Raine had been a kiss like no other. And this time he was not under the spell of one of his own arrows, as he had been with Psyche. There was a vast difference between them. It was amazing he could still be surprised after living so long on the earth.
His initial feelings of guilt toward Raine had been replaced with curiosity. After making sure she arrived safely home, he couldn’t help wanting to know more about the woman whose heart had been broken as collateral damage. Both her aura and her openness intrigued him. Obviously his attitude about love irritated her. But, he found it oddly pleasant when she sparred back against his opinions. After what had happened to her, he was glad to be the one who could light a fire behind her lovely, dark green eyes.
She seemed to believe with all her heart in love, which was strange. Most people agreed with his point of view. How was it possible that someone raised in this modern world believed, as strongly as she did, in love? Especially after suffering such a betrayal. Normally, people became bitter and guarded after such an episode, but her heart was still open, still believing. She was a conundrum he looked forward to solving.
Initially, it had been an idle thought, to wonder what it would be like to kiss her. Her heart-shaped mouth with its full, pink lips begged for exploration. All through their conversation he’d watched her aura, observing her response to him.
Auras revealed the true feelings behind the things people said. Hers was interesting indeed. The colors correlated perfectly in meaning with her conversation. Nothing had been tempered or hidden. Which was why he didn’t understand why Donovan was still so suspicious of Raine. She seemed to be an open book. He would have to attribute it to Donovan’s protective nature.
Hopefully his actions today with the Sawyer case would appease his men. Several of them had unobtrusively come along just for the enjoyment of watching the true master at work. Bets were laid and the losers had had to pay up, he thought back with amusement.
He was infinitely glad that he’d come up with the idea of training other archers. He hadn’t been sure it would be possible, but mercifully it had. His idea had been born of a desire to no longer be a puppet of the gods. To live his own life. As an unexpected side benefit, the archers were now his family.
Finding the right candidates had been a real challenge. He had searched the world and discovered that demigods were among the best prospects. They lived long enough that he wouldn’t have endless turnover. But still, finding demigods with a talent for reading auras, strong archery skills, and an interest in matchmaking had been frustrating.
It was a small and very specialized list. It wasn’t until he got them together that he realized all the trainees were male and every one of them were descendants of his. Like the other gods, he had his share of illegitimate offspring. He’d researched the genealogy of every last one of them and found that they were, in fact, his family. It seemed that the talent for reading auras, and the power to change human will, was linked to the Y chromosome, something he had never known before. He wondered what Raine would make of it. What would she think of the fact that other men had been put in charge of love just because of a funny little sequence in their DNA that he’d passed down to them? No doubt she would frown at the thought of more men in charge of love. The vision of her frowning amused him.
The majority of the mens’ training took place at the hotel. He’d trained many of them himself and discovered that he really enjoyed teaching. His academy was the reason Las Vegas had such a high number of marriages…and divorces. Together they had created a top matchmaking business for the wealthy. Both men and women.
His men had formed an initiation challenge for new trainees that he found funny. In order to graduate, trainees had to successfully target a celebrity. Whirlwind celebrity marriages became a pattern in Las Vegas as a result, followed by whirlwind divorces, of course. The most famous of these was when Cole had targeted Britney Spears and Jason Allen Alexander.
His life, at the moment, was really quite satisfying. His business was going great, he had little interference from Mount Olympus and, in his spare time, he hung out with the archers. They were a fun group of men with a great sense of humor. Sometimes they would book a table at a local club or a cabana by the pool. With the fun and excitement in those types of places, the kaleidoscope of auras emanating from people was fascinating to watch.
The thought brought him back to Raine’s aura.
When he’d walked her to the limo, he had slung his arm around her on purpose, trying to get a read on what her reaction to him would be. He could tell earlier that she was experiencing physical reactions to him. All women did. But he wanted to see if she felt anything soul-deep. Nothing solid had revealed itself until they were saying their good-byes.
That’s when he had finally seen it. The color had peeked through as a small flare. It had no name, here on earth, but only women expressed it. It was the beautiful and erotic color of lust for a man, not just with their body, but with their being.
How would Raine look completely lit up with it? Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to find out.
Chapter Eight
It was no surprise to Raine that she had trouble sleeping that night. Finally, at 5:30 a.m., she put on some workout clothes, left her mom a note, and stepped out into the early rays of sunlight to go for a walk. The exercise usually helped her clear her mind, but it could not clear away the butterflies in her stomach when she thought of the kiss.
Her mother had been waiting for her last night when she came back, dying for the details. As usual, they settled in with some tea and goodies from the cookie jar. Chocolate macaroons this time, her favorite. Although she tried not to get too excited when telling the story, she could feel herself light up. And while her mother shared in her excitement, Raine couldn’t help but notice the sad glint to her eyes.
“What’s wrong, Mom?” she asked.
“It’s nothing honey. I was just remembering the days when I felt that way about your father.”
She squeezed her mother’s hand in sympathy wishing there was something she could do to help them get it back. What would become of them when they separated?
“Well, how do you feel about him now? Do you still love him?” she asked.
“I don’t know. There are some times when I feel like I don’t even know him. He just comes and goes as if I’m not even here anymore. I doubt that he still loves me.”
In a relationship as long as theirs, Raine doubted they even knew what was wrong anymore. The hurts, slights, and miscommunications had slowly built up into the mountain that was now dividing them.
How could she have not known, not seen what was happening?
The first night, when she arrived and her father had gotten home he’d been very happy to see her. But then, they’d all settled down to eat dinner and
it had been as awkward as she’d expected. Thankfully her aunt and cousin had joined them. Both her parents had seemed happy and conversant but she noticed how they subtly avoided talking to each other.
“I’m sorry, Mom. I wish I had known what was going on. Now I keep thinking of all the times I called you with my problems and you had ones of your own.”
“Don’t you worry about that. You know your father and I don’t like to air our issues. Besides, being there for you always helped me forget about my troubles.”
I supposed I was just trying to protect you like any mother would. It just didn’t seem right to me to talk with my daughter about the issues with her father. There are two sides to every story you know.”
She nodded. “True. Still, I wish there was something I could do.”
“Everything works itself out in its own way. Why don’t you go on up to bed? You’ll want to get your beauty sleep so you’ll look good tomorrow night,” she said with a smile. “I’ll clean up down here.”
Her arms swung and her heart pumped steadily as she found her stride. The air expanding and contracting her lungs was cool and nourishing. It felt as though she could walk forever sometimes. A slight breeze tickled her hair and the early sunshine on her face felt good.
No matter what had happened yesterday, each morning brought new hope. She could feel it in her soul. Each day was an opportunity to turn it all around. The question was how? The streets were bare, only one or two cars went by. The world was still asleep. But then she remembered someone who, most likely, was up and working right this minute. Her feet turned down the street to her cousin’s store.
It was a cheerful and cozy-looking storefront. The name Cupcake Crusaders was painted in yellow with the slogan beneath. “Changing the World One Cake at a Time.” The store had always been Jane’s dream and her mom helped her get it started. She had a love of baking from a young age. The whole family had been involved as guinea pigs in the beginning, sampling different flavors and different recipes for Jane and giving her feedback. Some of the cupcakes were even named after family members.
It took a few raps on the window before a surprised-looking Jane poked her head out. When she saw who it was, she smiled and hurried to unlock the door.
“What a surprise!” Jane said, giving her a hug. She had her long, dark hair in a ponytail and was wearing glasses.
“I was out for a walk and figured you would be here.”
“Come on back; you can help me frost. I have a big order I need to finish for a wedding today.”
“Frosting! My favorite,” Raine said.
“Just make sure you get some on the cupcakes and not all of it goes in your belly.” Jane laughed.
The store reflected Jane’s personality well. She always thought of others, and so it was decked out with a variety of comfortable chairs, sofas, and tables. There were spots for people with laptops to work comfortably along with free Wi-Fi and coffee refills. A magazine and newspaper rack was set up along one wall and the days’ offerings were written in beautiful chalk writing on a blackboard above the register next to elegant display cases.
The aroma of baking cupcakes filled Raine’s nostrils as she followed her cousin to the back.
“What are you making right now?”
“Devil’s Double Chocolate is in the oven right now. But there are whole bunch of Lemon Meringue Love and Cheery Cherry Mint that are ready to be frosted.”
She led Raine over to a work area and set her up with tools for frosting. It wasn’t the first time Raine had helped out in the store, so she was familiar with the process. She grabbed a clean spoon, scooped chocolate mint frosting from the bowl and licked it, sighing at the taste of chocolaty goodness. Her cousin had always been a genius in the kitchen.
“It’s so nice to have you here,” Jane said, as she went back to mixing some dough on the counter.
“I know! It’s been a while. I wasn’t able to sleep, so I just got up and went for a walk.”
“Must have been a good drink last night.” Jane grinned, her gray eyes glinting with mischief.
Raine blushed. “It was.”
“Well? Come on! I’m dying to know!”
“He was…very charming. I had fun getting to know him.”
“Uh-huh. And he’s sexy, too,” Jane drawled.
Raine laughed. “I know! I feel like a flustering idiot when I get near him. There’s just something about him.” She slathered frosting on cupcakes and tried to pinpoint exactly what it was.
“So are you going to see him again while you’re here?”
“Yes, we’re having dinner tonight.”
Jane squealed in delight. “No way! No wonder you couldn’t sleep! I am so happy for you. He seems like a real catch, I mean, from the little I saw.”
“We’ll see,” Raine said with a shrug. “But enough about me, what about you?”
“What do you mean?”
“The guy, the customer you mentioned that comes here all the time. What was his name? Scott, that’s it!” she said, with a snap of her fingers.
Jane groaned. “Oh. There’s nothing going on. He just stops by to get cupcakes. But he’s really cute.”
“Well, I mean, have you flirted with him at least? How is he supposed to know you’re interested if you don’t make it obvious?” Raine knew her cousin. She was the loveliest person, but shy to a fault.
Jane mixed the batter harder and avoided her eyes. “I…I don’t know. I suppose I have.”
Rained rolled her eyes and shook her head. That meant no, she hadn’t flirted. “Jane, at the very minimum you have to look him in the eye and smile. It’s not hard. I’ve seen you do that plenty of times with customers.”
The phone rang, cutting off the conversation. Jane went to answer it. In a few moments, she hung up. “That was my mom. I let her know you were here already. She’s going to pick up your mom in a bit and they’re coming over to hash out the final details of the party.”
“Oh! That’s right. I’d forgotten we’d said we were going to do that. Well, I guess it’s a good thing I showed up here after all.”
Just then, the bell on the front door jingled.
“Probably someone needing last-minute cupcakes for an office party or something. I’ll be right back.”
Raine edged closer to the door to peer through the small, square, window. A man had come into the store, an attractive man. He was tall, with dark hair and brown eyes. She could only see the back of her cousin’s dark ponytail but she could tell by how she moved that she was being shy.
Aha! It was him!
Jane got a box out and pulled cupcakes for him. He seemed to be watching her cousin, not even caring which cupcakes she chose. And who wouldn’t? She was a beautiful girl.
Ask her out already! she thought. What are you waiting for? There’s no one else in the store.
They awkwardly exchanged money and gave each other short, tense waves good-bye. Raine snuck back to her stool and picked up a cupcake and the frosting bag.
When Jane came back, Raine noticed a light blush had spread over her cheeks.
“So? Who was that?” she asked innocently.
“Just an early morning customer.” Jane waved her hand in dismissal.
“Ha! Don’t you lie to me Jane! That was him, wasn’t it?” She pointed the cupcake at her.
Jane’s mouth fell open. “You were watching?”
“I saw you out there, and I could totally tell!” She started to laugh.
“Okay, okay,” Jane said, with embarrassment. “Yes it was. How could you tell?”
“Oh, come on, I’ve known you forever. He was hot by the way.”
Jane started to laugh and picked up her mixer again. “He is, isn’t he? I just can’t help it. I get extra-shy when he comes in the store. I think it’s the way he stares at me. And when it’s just the two of us like that it’s even more intense. I just seem to go blank and not know what to do.”
She was familiar with that feeling having experienc
ed it recently while with Alexander. “You’re not the only one from what I saw.” She picked up another cupcake and squeezed frosting on it.
“What do you mean?”
“He’s interested, I can tell. Besides what man on earth would spend this much time and money buying cupcakes? No one cares that much about their coworkers.”
“Do you really think so?”
“Yes! He’s either interested, or he’s going to be huge very soon from eating all of those cupcakes. I just can’t believe he hasn’t worked up the nerve to ask you out yet. He must be as shy as you are.”
“Maybe,” Jane said. She spooned batter into the baking tins in front of her.
“In that case, it’s going to be a long wait,” Raine teased as she shook her head.
Jane swatted her with a cleaning rag and then they both slipped into giggles. “I miss having you around,” she said.
“Me, too.” Hopefully this guy would be the one for her. She would give anything for Jane to find the happiness in her life that she deserved.
Chapter Nine
At eight o’clock, the white limo pulled in to the Palazzo and the tension in Raine’s shoulders eased a fraction. Thank goodness she’d had a reason to leave the house tonight. Her parent’s polite facade had cracked and she had snuck away mid-fight as they argued with each other in the kitchen. Never in her life had she heard such anger in their voices. Fear and anxiety had washed over her making her feel like a little girl. Their fight seemed to be over the fact that her father didn’t get down to dinner when it was ready.
“You couldn’t hear me calling you over the last half hour?” her mother had yelled.
“I was coming down. What’s the big deal anyway? It’s just dinner!”
Things had continued to escalate. As they did, so did her anxiety. Her intestines felt all twisted up inside. From the window of her bedroom she’d seen the limo coming down the street and breathed a sigh of relief. She felt guilty about tiptoeing down the stairs and out the front door without saying good-bye to them but it would have been awkward to interrupt.
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