Stealing Cupid's Bow
Page 17
“Remember when I pulled your wedding dress out of the closet while I was painting and got paint all over the skirt? We got over that.”
She nodded. “And the time I accidentally flushed the ring your grandmother gave you down the toilet? You forgave me for that.”
“So why is everything so different now? I know we’ve been angry, Mary, and it’s been building for a while now but, I hate to say this, I can’t even remember what we’re really fighting about. Do you remember why so much animosity built between us?” he asked.
She looked at him and considered. “I…why? I don’t know why.”
They both started to laugh and Alexander could see something that he never expected to see. There was a flicker, a slight burst and then he distinctly saw a spark of love come from each of them, from their own auras, not from the energy surrounding them.
“What do you make of that, boss?” Donovan asked.
Alexander had no idea what to answer for he’d never seen anything like it. He was witnessing love fighting its way through the indifference, somewhere he’d never thought it could return. It struggled from inside both of them to break through like the flickering embers of a fire trying to ignite. Raine’s love and her words must have caused an override of some kind in the power of the indifference.
The color was not just the color of alignment between two auras. It was pure, true love struggling on its own to exist like a newly hatched chick. And with its struggle Alexander felt something flicker within him as well, something he hadn’t felt in a long time. Hope.
Another flicker, another flare popped up. The red cloud haze was beginning to dissipate and turn pick as it diffused and began to fade away.
In that moment Alexander knew he had to make a decision, a very important decision, the most important decision of his life, and finally he decided…to believe.
With swift and sure hands he raised his bow and loaded two gold-tipped arrows onto it. There was no time to waste. Cole and Donovan stepped back in astonishment. He paused for the barest moment to watch with a sharp, discerning eye for exactly the right moment to release. How he knew he couldn’t exactly say but only an expert, a god such as he, would even have any hope of making this shot and righting all the distortion that had taken place.
Time seemed to slow into fractions of a second and there was no hesitation within him when the moment came. He released as he detected the very beginning of a spark in them both. The arrows went streaking across the room to meet them and they embedded themselves in each parent with flawless timing. It was like flames meeting oxygen. The two flickers roared at once to full strength and engulfed them in full body auras from head to toe.
True love.
They bent their heads together to kiss and the whole room gave a great shout. The clapping and cheering of the onlookers reached a new height.
Alexander stepped back in wonder. The beautiful sight filled his soul with passion and life. His bow warmed and vibrated in his hands with a new vitality. Both of his men exclaimed as their crossbows hummed on their backs, too. This was the job that he’d been created for, what he had been born to do. The rightness of it surged within him.
Looking back at the years he’d wasted in denial filled him with remorse. How many people had lived and died in that time never knowing the glory of love? Hundreds. Thousands. No, millions. It couldn’t happen anymore. Raine had been right all along. It was all connected with him. He was filled with a new sense of purpose and determination that things would change starting now.
“Amazing,” Cole said. His eyes were wide as he took in the dancing couple and then looked at his crossbow.
“Good work, boss,” Donovan said thumping him on the back.
“When do we get our chance to put together a match like that?” Cole asked.
Alexander could see the eagerness in his eyes. Had it always been there in his men and he’d never noticed? He felt sorry now that he’d been depriving his men of their true purpose. It had gone on for much too long.
“Soon,” he told them. He meant it. His business was about to undertake a massive restructuring. No longer would they patch couples together. From now on they would deal only in true love.
Jane stepped back into the room. “What happened? Did they get the music on?” And then she caught sight of the couple dancing on the floor. She clasped her hands to her chest and smiled.
“May I have this dance?” Cole asked extending a hand to her.
“Sure,” Jane said. Her gray eyes filled with surprise.
Cole tucked her hand under his arm and led her to the dance floor. It looked like there would be more than one happy ending tonight. Other couples began making their way to the floor as well.
Alexander’s gaze found Raine. She was no longer standing up front at the microphone. She’d moved to the side of the room and was staring at him. Had she seen him draw on her parents again? Did she understand what had been done? Could she ever understand how he had been changed by her? He made his way over to her through the crowd. There was confusion in her eyes.
The song had changed and other couples were moving out to the dance floor. “Dance with me,” he said and pulled her by the hand to the middle of the dance floor. She followed him limply.
“What happened?” she asked him with tortured eyes. “Did they need a second indifference arrow to fix what I did?”
“No they didn’t.”
“Then…was it arrows of hate?”
He shook his head and brought her closer. “No.” He slid her arms around his neck and smiled down at her.
“Love?” she guessed again with disbelief.
He nodded.
“But I thought you said there was no fix after indifference.”
“It turns out I was wrong.”
“You were?” Her mouth dropped open.
“It all started with you. Your love for them…had an effect. Your parents, as well, have something very special. Between the three of you fighting against it, the indifference didn’t even have a chance. I just helped things along at the end.”
She whooped and hugged him close. “Alexander, you don’t know what this means to me! Thank you so much! Thank you!” Joy suffused her being. She smiled the biggest, most beautiful smile he’d ever seen and he was glad that he’d been the one to help place it there.
She spared a glance at her parents and he looked, too. They were in their own private world dancing close and talking in low voices. He didn’t bother to bring their words to his ear. It was a private moment.
Raine turned back to him, her smile transitioning to puzzlement. “But why? Why did you finally help me? You said from the beginning that you wouldn’t.”
He tightened his arms around her. She was a treasure that he never wanted to part with. Not only was she beautiful but she had the most loving, compassionate heart he’d ever encountered.
“That’s where I have you to thank,” he said.
“For what?”
“For bringing me back to myself. For having faith. You were right.”
“I was? About which part?”
“About all of it. I was jaded and cynical about love. I have been for…well, a long time. But you and your parents proved me wrong. Tonight I saw something I thought I would never see. Love struggling to survive on its own. It was there before me as clear as anything and it’s a truth I can no longer deny. That’s why I shot those last arrows. Your parents belong together.” He pulled her closer and lightly kissed her lips. “And so do we,” he whispered. Her eyes lit with pleasure from his words. He lowered his mouth to hers once more and engaged her in a mind numbing bliss that promised more to come.
~ABOUT THE AUTHOR~
From a young age, Jewel Quinlan has had an abundant imagination and strong desire to write novels. She particularly enjoys writing paranormal and fantasy romance. An avid traveler, she has visited fifteen countries so far (which she enjoys using as settings in her novels) and has plans to see more of the world. She has a
particular fondness for Bavaria and studies the German language as one of her hobbies. During the day, she works as a pharmaceutical sales representative and, at night, she writes romance. She currently lives in Orange County, California with her two dogs; Shimmer and Penny.
You can visit with Jewel at
www.Jewelquinlan.com
Cupid’s Promise by Kimberly Quinton
Shot through the heart...
Cupid's Secret promises to set Laurel Cove on its ear with a sexy new boutique that answers what a woman desires. When the owner ends up in the hospital it's up to Lena Ridgeway to make sure this heart-stopping opening goes off without a hitch, but she finds her every idea challenged by a no-nonsense businessman.
Capitalizing on a feeling...
Marcus Blackwell is a bottom-line kind of guy and he knows that sex and hearts sell. When he arrives to find his latest venture in chaos, his partner injured, and a model-turned-manager in charge, he rolls up his sleeves and dives in. If only he could keep his mind-and hands - off the sultry model with her whimsical faith in a fake holiday.
Can't fight this fortune...
Lena can't help teasing the straight-laced, business-only boss who keeps sneaking into her dreams. One passionate kiss has her believing he may be the one she's waited for all her life, but she'll need every arrow in Cupid's arsenal to prove she is his true Valentine....
The Blind Cupid
Was Cupid blind?
Anne Sommer, a spinster firmly on the shelf, does the unthinkable. She hires a man to give her pleasure for one night. Anne wants the erotic memories to keep her company in the lonely years ahead. She did not expect the young man who showed up at her door to move her in ways she never imagined.
Desmond Glover gives pleasure---for a price. An orphan whose childhood was mired in scandal and poverty, Desmond has learned to close off his emotions with regard to his occupation. He did not count on a lonely spinster to awaken his hidden passion.
Not only do the years separate them, but their social standings. Can Anne and Desmond cross such a chasm and find mutual desire---or love?
Contents
Title page
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
~ABOUT THE AUTHOR~