CupidRocks

by Francesca Hawley

“C’mon. It’s cold out here. Let’s get warm.”

  He groaned, but followed her into the bathroom where it was considerably warmer. She opened the shower door and turned on the water. It took a couple of minutes for the water to heat and he took the opportunity to empty his bladder before following her into the fall of warm water. He sighed as the hot water hit his skin, leaning back and wetting his hair, then he felt his mate’s hands follow the path of the water over his chest and down his belly. He lifted his head and looked down at his girl. She reached over to the wall, turning a switch. A second shower head turned on—one pointed right at his gut.

  “Fancy set up.” She bit her lip and looked a little guilty. “Ah shit, Zach installed this for you didn’t he?”

  She fought a giggle. “He helped me. We weren’t mates so he always taught me how to do stuff so I could manage on my own if I needed to.”

  He pulled her close. “I’m sorry I’m so jealous of him, but damn…just knowing you were lovers gets me.”

  She slid her arms around him. “Okay, what about this freaks you out so much?” He frowned, not wanting to screw up their light, fun morning with old baggage. “Hey, this is me. I’m your True Mate and I should know about your past. And her name was Valerie, right?”

  He groaned, “Do we have to?”

  “Yes. Just spill it.”

  “She’s human and we were in a relationship for five years. At the end of it, she told me she was pregnant and I was thrilled. What the hell did I know? I thought it was mine.”

  “It wasn’t?”

  “No. When the boy was born he had red hair, just like our drummer. She finally admitted it belonged to him and I left the band. And her.” He swallowed hard. Why had he been so fucking gullible? Trusting? It still pissed him off.

  She hugged him. “I’m not her, okay? I’ll never cheat on you.”

  He looked into her eyes and what he read there reassured him. She belonged to him. Now and forever.

  “She met your folks?”

  “When she was pregnant, what was I gonna do? Pretend she wasn’t? As far as I knew, it was mine.”

  “So what happened?”

  “Father didn’t buy it for a minute. He took me aside and told me she didn’t smell like wolf and I said that was just because she was human. He never believed it and he didn’t like her.” Joe shook his head, “And he was right. God that was almost worse than the betrayal.”

  “How?”

  “My father saw through her when I didn’t. That hurt.”

  She winced for him. “Well, that’s in the past, right?” He nodded. “And it’s you and me forever, okay?”

  He smiled. “You and me forever. I like that.”

  “Me too.”

  She stood on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his lips. He dipped his head and met her mouth, loving the taste of her. The soft curves of her body pressed into his. He stroked down her body, cupping her ass. They slipped against one another in the hot water.

  Mandy sighed against his mouth, opening for his kiss. He groaned as she stroked his cock. Her fingers grasping the shaft, running the length of him. Up and down. He’d wanted to go slow. Gentle. But he was ready for her already. He tugged away from her, dropping to his knees in front of her. He leaned in to taste her, flicking his tongue against her clit. Her soft sob hit him right in the gut so he slipped his tongue deeper, sucking at the nub of nerves while he eased his fingers inside her. She was wet and her inner muscles tightened in welcome. He stroked her, building a slow, sexy rhythm.

  She widened her stance, letting him in while she clutched his hair. He licked harder, Tonguing her faster. Building her up. He watched her as he ate her pussy. His angel was gorgeous. Her head thrown back as water beat on her breasts. He fingered her.

  “Play with your nips, angel.”

  With one hand she reached up and tugged on her tight nipples and he groaned. Between the taste of her and the sight of her, he could almost shoot without any other stimulation. She was just so fucking perfect.

  “Fuck me, Joe. Please?”

  Her eyes opened. So slowly. As if she could barely focus. He met her gaze and growled, surging to his feet. He cupped her ass and lifted her up. He pressed her to the wall of the shower stall and slid home. His head dropped and he stood still. Savoring the feel of her sheath clutching him. Holding him inside her. He eased out of her and thrust upward again. Their mouths meshed. He tasted the water spilling over them while he pumped. Taking her higher. Deeper. Her legs draped over his hips and her arms wrapped around his shoulders.

  He braced her against the wall and rode her. Grinding into her. Seeking to give her more pleasure before they both went over the top.

  “God, yes. Joe! Faster.”

  He moaned, driving into her. Taking her body with his. She was so tight around him. It was like a damn vacuum and it felt so fucking good. He rubbed his body against hers, pressing frantic kisses against her skin.

  “I’m almost there, angel. Come with me.”

  “Oh, yeah. Take me.” She twisted in his arms, her pelvis rolling.

  He could barely catch his breath as he lunged into her body. She pressed soft kisses along his shoulder while soft little cries escaped her. Only occasionally could he make out the word yes. She shook and arched into him, a shriek escaping her open mouth. Then her pussy began to pulse as she shuddered.

  He groaned as her orgasm shook her and her inner muscles nearly crushed his cock. His balls tightened and then the spasms of release took him. His cock jerked and he threw his head back as his cream shot into her convulsing pussy. She sobbed, pressing her face into his shoulder. As he emptied himself into her body, he gasped, fighting a sob of his own. Every time they fucked it got better. One of these times, he might die from it. But he wouldn’t complain a bit. It was perfect and he never wanted to be anywhere else with anyone else.

  She slowly began to relax in his arms, even though she continued to tremble. He lowered her to her feet but she grasped him tight. He kissed her cheek.

  “I love you, Mandy,” he whispered to her. “I always will.”

  She held his gaze. “You can never say that too often.”

  “I’ll remember that,” he grinned.

  * * * * *

  Mandy kept her camera out for the day, taking pictures of breakfast and other candid shots of the family. As the morning slipped into afternoon, Mandy considered her gift for Joe. During the drive to visit his family, they’d had the radio on and he’d hummed along to a couple of songs, complaining that he hadn’t been able to find sheet music for the songs and he wanted to add them to the band’s repertoire. She’d gone to the music store in town and found the sheet music for him. But somehow that didn’t seem like enough. Or personal enough. Joe had gone out to the studio to practice, so now was the best time for Mandy to go looking for the right present for him.

  “I think I’m going to take a walk,” she announced and pulled on her coat and boots. Her parents raised their brows and so did Joe’s but no one asked where she was going or asked to come along. Maybe they assumed she was going out to the studio to jump Joe. That worked in her favor.

  Rather than drive, she decided to walk and headed for downtown. Idly trying to decide what to get for Joe that would be really special. She picked up a couple of cute musician-related presents to add to the sheet music but there was nothing that really worked. That showed him how much she loved him and how glad she was that they’d found each other. When she got back to the house, she went to her office to wrap the presents and sat down at her computer, turning it on.

  She loaded all the photos she’d taken in the last few days from the concert forward and began to go through them. It was when she got about halfway through the concert shots that she came to a dead halt.

  It was a picture of Joe on stage. He was focused on his guitar and the music he was coaxing from it. Mandy stared at the image, certain it was one of the best shots she’d ever taken. It seemed to capture Joe’s essence. The music in h
im. The way music filled his soul. She leaned back in her chair and studied it, biting her lip. She knew she would love receiving it as a gift. But would Joe? Would he want a picture of himself? He wasn’t vain but the picture was just…perfect.

  Rather than second-guessing herself she cleaned up the image. It was a full color shot but she played with the possibilities, viewing it as a black-and-white image, adding and subtracting filters and finally trying it in sepia tones. That was it. An art shot of her True Mate in sepia. What’s more, she had the perfect frame for it too. It was how she saw him. The beauty of him when he was filled with creativity. She just hoped he’d like it as much as she did. She printed the image, matted it, framed it and wrapped the package. She slipped out to the living room and placed her additional presents beneath the tree and tucked the framed photo toward the back.

  * * * * *

  Joe sat in the studio running through a fingering exercise. Over and over he played it, closing his eyes until his fingers knew the movements without him thinking about it. Almost of their own accord, his fingers shifted on the strings, changing the key. Adjusting the notes. He liked it and played it again. And again. It was soft. Romantic even. Not his usual sort of song at all. But that didn’t matter. He felt creativity flowing. Joe worked through the piece multiple times. Figuring out the melody, the harmony, the bridge. As he played it completely through, he realized he’d written it for Mandy.

  He found blank music staves paper. He noted the key and wrote out the music. After he finished writing out the song, he played through it again keeping his True Mate in his thoughts. Words started to filter through his mind. He considered phrases. The chorus came to him first then parts of the lyrics. He worked almost feverishly. It was rare when he had those moments of channeling a song from somewhere, but this was one of those times.

  When he was done he went back to edit. Working through the lyrics and the music until everything flowed together. It wasn’t perfect, but no song ever was. He flipped on the light to let people know he was recording, then he laid down some tracks, keeping it simple. When he finished, he listened to it and nodded.

  He wasn’t sure exactly how to give it to her as a gift, but Mandy’s Song was done. It really deserved a better title than that, but he wasn’t sure what to call it. He smiled. Hell, if John Denver could get away with Annie’s Song as a title, he was in good shape calling this love song Mandy’s Song.

  He flipped off the recording light and almost immediately, someone knocked on the door and opened it.

  “Hey, are you going to come in and join us for supper? Mandy said it’ll be ready in about half an hour,” Eddie called.

  Joe bit his lip. He needed another set of ears, but having Eddie hear it? He wasn’t sure. Then he swallowed and decided to tough it out.

  “Hey, I just wrote something. Could you come in and listen to it?”

  Eddie wandered in. “So what’s up?”

  “Have a seat.”

  He went to the console and queued up the song. Joe closed his eyes and flipped the switch. Trying to listen as if he’d never heard it before and as if it was written by someone else. At the end of the song he turned around to face Eddie. His father-in-law tilted his head.

  “You wrote it for Mandy, didn’t you?”

  Heat filled him. Was it terrible? Too sticky sweet? “Yeah.”

  Eddie nodded. “I think if you take the second line of the bridge up a third, it would be stronger. But the words? Spot on.”

  Joe picked up his guitar and played the bridge the way Eddie suggested and nodded. Making the change on the sheet music.

  Eddie leaned back in the chair and watched him. “You want to record it again?”

  He looked at the older wolf. His mentor and friend in so many ways, but he didn’t know if he could sing this song with only him around. Eddie had made his disapproval of the new relationship pretty plain.

  “Go on into the sound booth and I’ll run the console for you.”

  Joe laid down the tracks again with Eddie giving him some direction and the final version was much better than the original. Eddie had an amazing ear for getting the most of the music and creating the best phrasing for the lyrics. They listened to it together.

  “That’s good.” Joe nodded, saving a copy to his iPod.

  “Yeah.” Eddie studied him. “You really love her like that, don’t you?”

  “I do.”

  “So soon?”

  “Didn’t you love Carly the minute you met her?”

  “Yeah, but I resented her too.”

  “You were only twenty. I’ve been waiting to meet Mandy for years, man. She’s all I ever wanted.”

  “I can hear that…in the song.” Eddie studied him. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have jumped you. Made all kinds of assumptions. I know you better than that.”

  “It was your shit getting in the way.”

  “It really was. Mandy’s right. I sounded just like Carly’s old man. He hated my guts and it sunk in and I transferred it to my daughter’s guys.”

  “Well, I hope I’m the last guy your daughter dates,” Joe winced.

  “No worries. She’s like her mother. Faithful as the day is long.” Eddie eyed him. “I know you’re going to sing it to her when we open gifts. But are you up for performing it?”

  “In public?”

  Eddie laughed. “That’s what performance is.”

  “At the concert, you mean?”

  “Yup.”

  Joe thought about it. “Only if Mandy likes it. And if she’s okay with it. It’s kind of…personal.”

  “Every good love song is. And that’s a damn good love song.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. If I had any doubts about you and Mandy before, they’re gone now.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “Absolutely. Welcome to the family, man.”

  Joe stood and then he and Eddie gave each other an awkward, bruising bear hug. Joe put his guitar in the case and the two men went up to the house arm in arm.

  Chapter Fifteen

  When her mate and her father came into the kitchen through the back door, they were laughing. Together. Shared amusement. She didn’t know what the hell had happened, but they’d made up. Eddie didn’t seem to have a single concern about Joe anymore. It was almost as if their fight had never happened.

  What’s going on?

  Eddie came around, I guess. Joe smiled at her and winked.

  “What’s for supper, angel?” He came up behind her and gave her a hug. She leaned back against him, smiling when he pressed a kiss to the curve of her neck.

  She pulled open the oven. “Freshly baked lasagna with garlic bread. Be a love and change the oven over to broil and pop the garlic bread in for me.”

  She lifted the lasagna onto the counter while Joe changed the oven and put the garlic bread under the heat. Mandy started to cut into the lasagna and met her father’s gaze.

  “Eddie, call them all in for supper. Joe and I will be at the head and foot and you guys fill in along the sides.”

  He grinned and went to do her bidding. She dished up vegetables and placed them on the table while Joe watched the bread. When it was golden, he pulled it out. The rest of the family filed in and took their seats. Mandy dished up the lasagna and served up drinks.

  She pulled an apple crumble that she’d prepared out of the fridge and placed it in the oven to cook while they enjoyed their supper.

  “This is excellent,” Maria assured her, taking another bite of the hot pasta.

  “Thanks. Any plans for tonight?”

  She glanced around the table and Joe considered. “A movie?” Mandy glanced at her parents and raised her brows. Eddie and Carly nodded.

  “Sounds great. Ladies choice,” Carly called and the guys groaned.

  “That means a chick flick,” Julian sighed.

  “We’ll discuss and let you know.” Carly patted his arm.

  So after Mandy fed them dessert, she got ready to clean
up but Maria called a halt to that.

  “I believe the cook sits to watch. Everyone, I need your help.”

  Mandy laughed as Maria put everyone to work loading the dishwasher and putting away leftovers. Then they popped popcorn and set coffee brewing before settling into the living room. Mandy showed her mother and Maria her movie collection. The argued among themselves for a while and then opted for The Sound of Music.

  At first they sat and watched Julie Andrews twirl her way around a mountain meadow. But then the atmosphere changed and it was Joe that started it. He grabbed a blanket, wrapped it around his head when Maria ran into the Abbey. In a quavery falsetto he sang along with the nuns, asking “how do you solve a problem like Maria?” Jake and Julian joined in and suddenly, The Sound of Music was enacted by the entire family like a midnight showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

  It was an evening filled with laughter and family closeness. She could see that even Joe and his father seemed at ease with one another. They all sang along to Climb Every Mountain at the very end of the movie. They clapped at the end of the movie and began to swap family stories.

  Mandy laughed as Maria told stories of her sons as toddlers and Carly shared embarrassing tales of her own youth. After a pleasant evening, everyone went to bed except Mandy and Joe.

  She took the empty coffee cups into the kitchen and Joe followed her in with a few cups in hand too. Quietly they shared the tasks of unloading the dishwasher and putting everything away.

  “Let’s go turn off all the lights and enjoy the tree lights. So when did you start decorating trees for something other than Christmas?”

  “I don’t know. It just seemed important to decorate for Valentine’s Day since that’s my parents’ anniversary. After a while, I just began to decorate for every holiday and I included a tree. It’s weird, I know, but I like doing it.”

  “It’s unique. Just like you.” Joe pulled her close for a hug. “Now, let’s go enjoy the warmth of the fire and cuddle on the floor,” he suggested.

  “Do I detect ulterior motives?”

  “Hell, yeah. But that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the cozy, romantic ambience. After all, Valentine’s Day is tomorrow.”