Cupid Help Me! (Return to Cupid, Texas Book 4)

by Sylvia McDaniel

  That she thought so much of him filled his heart with warmth. No one had ever called him a hero before.

  "Does this mean you no longer think I'm a serial killer?"

  A deep, resonate throaty laughter sent a tingle of awareness trickling down his spine like a waterfall of sensuality.

  "What woman wouldn't have reason to be worried. Broken down on a highway in the dead of night, a man dressed like a redneck. No, I don't think you're a serial killer. In fact, I'm quickly learning you're a man with a big heart."

  The words filled him with pride and his chest swelled. She was right. If he truly did not believe in the Cupid superstition, then he should stop worrying that she was the first woman he saw after that silly dance.

  Concentrate instead on what mattered to him. The sound of her voice lowered his blood pressure, causing a relaxing effect on him, smoothing his ruffled edges and leaving him oddly content.

  Gazing into eyes the color of a Texas spring, an invisible cord connected him to Shadow. "I'm going to sit in Kelsey's office. Take all the time you need."

  Kelsey glanced at her brother, her mouth open, staring at him.

  Shadow gave his arm a squeeze and he turned and walked to the back of the store. As he passed the naughty closet, two women stood inside, giggling. Good grief, he couldn't believe his sister was peddling sexual toys.

  An hour later, he went out into the boutique to see how much longer Shadow would be.

  "Where's Shadow," he asked Kelsey.

  A giggle came from her lips and then she pointed in the direction of the closet.

  "Crap," he said, walking toward the room he wanted to close. Maybe he shouldn't go after her, maybe he should leave her in there, but he wanted to see her, find her.

  Sticking his head in the door he didn't want to enter, taking a deep breath, he stepped into the small room, and glanced around at the different lotions, vibrators, books and toys available for a couple.

  In order to use these, you needed a partner. Three long years had passed since Jim experienced the pleasure of a woman.

  "Jim, look at this. This is my favorite massage lotion. I've been looking everywhere for this brand. Smell this," she removed the lid and squirted the liquid in her palm. Rubbing her hands together, she took his arm and rubbed the oil on it. Warmth and a musky scent of mandarin orange and basil assaulted his tightly secured sexuality.

  No, he refused to get excited.

  "Isn't that delightful. They use jojoba, coconut, and almond oil. Don't you love the way it heats up when it's spread over your body."

  Soft satiny fingertips, rubbed the silky liquid into his arm. The image of them naked, slathering the warm oil over each other's body, her giving him a massage, filled his brain.

  With a sigh, he bit the inside of his lip to keep from groaning. Oh, please, no, he refused to get excited. Picking up a bottle, she added it to her growing pile of things she was purchasing.

  "I think I'll buy a bottle while I'm here and take home."

  Walking through the small closet, she picked up a vibrator, turned it on and held the wand against her neck. A moan sounded from her and he thought he would die right there on the spot. The image of her naked and using that vibrator on both of them, left beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

  Oh yeah, there was no denying it any longer, he was excited.

  Never one to believe these kinds of toys were necessary, he scoffed to himself. After all, if you knew what you were doing, who needed vibrators.

  A giggle escaped her. "Oh my, look at the erotic novels. I wonder if she has any of mine."

  His eyes grew large and he choked.

  Turning toward him, she gave him a quizzical glance. "Are you all right?"

  "Fine. Books you own?" he asked, his chest tightening, instinctively knowing, realizing before she even said the words.

  Chuckling, she stared into his eyes and said proudly, "No, I'm an erotica author. Writing women's fantasies. Imagining what would turn women on and hoping it sells."

  Oh my God, the woman wrote porn. She was sleeping over and...

  "Diego, welcome to my shop. How can I help you?"

  Maria's husband stood right outside the room talking to Kelsey. Jim didn't want him to know he was here with Shadow, hiding in the naughty closet.

  "Try this," Shadow said and a pulsating vibrator touched his arm.

  All he could think about was where that vibrator would be put to use. Yet, he never felt the need to share that experience with any of his lovers. At this moment, he wanted to experience using that piece of machinery on the woman standing next to him.

  "Shh..." he said pointing outside the door. If Diego walked in here and found him with Shadow, his employees would razz him mercilessly.

  As if sensing his tenseness, her brows drew together in a frown. "Jim, what's wrong? Here, let me try this one on you."

  Oh my God, the woman was running a male looking vibrator along his neck. Like he wanted a fake rubber dick on his body.

  "What do you think of that one? Do you like the one with the knob on the wand better than this one?"

  Why was she asking him? Was she planning an orgy tonight?

  "A man has no use for a vibrating rubber penis," he said, his voice quiet and stern.

  Mesmerized, he watched her emerald eyes grow larger and then narrowed. "Never hurts to ask which one you preferred."

  Like he cared which dildo she purchased. A real man didn't need no vibrating body part.

  In a lower voice, he said, "It's your decision."

  "Have you considered some lotions?" he heard Kelsey say. Fear catapulted through him, causing his heart to beat faster. What if they walked into the closet?

  "No, I would rather buy her lingerie," he said and relief surged through Jim as he released a pent up sigh. For one of his employees to find him in Kelsey's naughty room checking out sexual toys would be an embarrassment from which he’d ever recover.

  "Sexy lingerie is nice, but I'd prefer the lotions or creams or toys, you know something you can use together," Shadow said, picking up different objects and laying them back down.

  Why was she including him on this part of the shopping trip? Did she have any idea her rubbing and talking about vibrators caused his jeans to squeeze the life out of him. At the first opportunity, he was out of this hell hole and would sit in the truck.

  "Oh, try this one. There's a flicker on the end."

  Oh goodness, this was getting harder and harder along with his dick. The image of her naked using the lotion or vibrator on herself or him, had him almost exploding.

  Holding the vibrating penis up against his neck, somewhere inside he snapped. A growl escaped him.

  Pulling her to him, his lips crushed hers, his mouth consuming her as an explosion of need burst through him. Twisting her around, he pushed her against the door, pressing his hardened body against her, letting her feel all of him. All one hundred percent solid male, not rubber, and how she affected him.

  To be sexually aroused by her, he didn't require lotion or vibrators or anything else. Just the scent of her body, the touch of her hand made him hard as granite. And she'd teased him all afternoon until he reacted.

  The voice of his employee faded and in the background a door open and closed to the boutique. But he didn't stop. Oh no, he could go on and on kissing Shadow.

  "Jim, where did you go?" Kelsey called.

  For once, he didn't want to answer his sister. In fact, he wanted to ignore her calls, but feared Kelsey would walk in and find them in the midst of the hottest kiss ever. The urge to avoid Kelsey and continue experiencing Shadow's lips was strong until he realized he wanted to do something even naughtier than kiss Shadow Wilson.

  Shocked, he stepped back, released her lips and stared in surprise at the woman. His intent had been to keep her quiet, not kiss her savagely. He'd only meant to shut her up so they wouldn't be discovered. Damn that kiss had been explosive and way hotter than anything he could remember experiencing in years.r />
  "I'm sorry," he said, pulling her away from the door needing to escape before he said something really foolish. "I don't know why I did that."

  "Stop," she said, staring at him with her emerald eyes wide. "Don't ruin what happened by saying something stupid."

  She pulled his lips to hers and kissed him hard.

  What the hell was happening? Somehow, she had wrested control and was kissing him instead of him kissing her. This was not supposed to happen, but damn the touch of her mouth, set off an eruption of need.

  Leaning back, he broke the kiss. He stared into her eyes shocked. "I'll wait for you in the truck."

  Stepping away, he yanked open the door and strolled out at odds with what happened in there. All he meant to do was kiss her, but some kind of explosion just rocked his world.

  Two days later, Shadow sat outside on the patio looking at the stars. Living in the city, it was hard to stargaze. Here there was no light pollution and it was such a pleasure sitting by a fire blazing in the outdoor fireplace, a blanket warming her legs, dreaming of where and what she would do once she left Jim's ranch.

  Music streamed from the playlist on her phone and occasionally she would hum along with the melody.

  "Mind if I join you," he asked, his deep, rich baritone voice sending shivers rippling like a waterfall down her spine.

  "Of course not," she said with a laugh. "It's your home."

  Glancing at him, she couldn't help but think about the kiss they shared at Kelsey's boutique. She'd been totally unprepared for the hunger that had rocked her when he slammed her against the door and devoured her mouth. Frankly, she'd been surprised. That kiss had been aggressive, searing hot, and she was stunned at her reaction.

  "Yes, but seldom do I come out here alone. Only when the gang comes over and we sit around the fire, drink a few beers and talk," he said.

  How neat to have a place where your friends gathered to suck down a beer and enjoy a rip-roaring blaze.

  "Look, a shooting star," she said excitedly. "Make a wish."

  Closing her eyes, she said a quick mantra for her article to be successful and for secrets to be revealed regarding the statue. Opening her eyes, she noticed Jim staring at her.

  "Did you make a wish?"

  "Hardly. I don't believe in wishes. Hard work gets you what you want."

  "Maybe," she said. "Everyone needs a little luck."

  "Perspiration and hard work create good luck," he said.

  "Agreed. 'But I, being poor, have only my dreams. I have spread my dreams under your feet. Tread softly because you tread on my dreams,' said William Butler Yeats," she responded, wondering why his sister called him rigid.

  Since the night he rescued her, she quickly learned he liked things in their proper place. And the kiss in the naughty closet of his sister's store had unfortunately not been repeated. In fact, it seemed like he had been avoiding her.

  Suck it up, buttercup! Their lips had come together and kissed in a mating frenzy that had been dynamite. Now, he could deal with the desire that sparked between them like a Tesla coil.

  "What are your dreams?" he asked. "Do you plan on always being a journalist or do you have bigger ambitions?"

  Why was he asking? The night the car burned, she told him she was a journalist, a writer, but she never told him the reason she had traveled to Cupid. She couldn't. Not if she wanted to learn more about the superstition and how it came about.

  "Nope, I love what I do," she said. "I write articles for magazines. Everything from travel interest, to the best places in Texas to see a ghost, the Marfa lights, the shrimp boats on the coast, the Davis Mountains.

  “My stories are quite often in Texas Love Magazine. Then I do some side work while penning erotica novels. I'm even considering becoming a blogger. I guess you could say that I'm a jack-of-all-trades writer."

  As long as the money came in on a consistent basis, she was happy. Though the traveling got old, she liked her carefree, gypsy life. Especially when you broke down in the middle of the night.

  "Why don't you work for a network or a paper?"

  "Too confining. A network, you're on call twenty-four seven. Newspapers are dying and pay crap. No, I'm receiving more assignments and dollars doing freelance. Maybe I don't make as much money, but hopefully someday that will change."

  She dreamed of someday being a women's fiction author, but for now, she was too busy focusing on paying the bills, which would soon include a car payment.

  A coyote howled in the distance, the sound lonely and she sighed in chorus with him. The animal sounded sad and she wanted to howl with him just for fun.

  "I don't think he likes my music," she said glancing at Jim.

  A big grin spread from his eyes to his lips. "I'm a country and western fan myself, so I can't say I blame him."

  "You don't like Meghan Trainor?"

  "Never heard of her," he said. "She's got a good voice, just needs to sing with a little more crying in her beer."

  Shadow looked at him in the darkness, the glow of the fire danced across his face creating shadows. With a quick glance, she wondered what it would feel like to run her hands through his hair or trail a finger down his cheek. Would she find his beard rough and scratchy or soft?

  "That's what we like here in the country. Rednecks, fights, beer bongs, and horseshoes."

  Just from the way he said the words, she realized he was kidding her. One thing about Jim, he had a dry sense of humor that if you weren't watching, he would slip something by you.

  "Quit trying to bullshit me," she said laughing.

  An easy smile slid over his face. "Can't blame a guy for trying. Most people think they need to live in a high traffic, fast paced city. We're known for getting around a little slower and I think people think our brains move at that speed as well."

  She laughed. "No, when you wear overalls, we think you're a serial killer."

  "That too," he said.

  "Wait?" she said, cupping her ear. "Is that banjoes I hear?"

  "My mother refused to let us watch that movie and then one night we went to Cody's and were shocked," he said shaking his head. "It wasn't what we expected."

  "Who could forget Deliverance," she said. "My mother let me see anything I wanted. Sometimes it’s not ideal for a child to observe grown-up movies."

  "Nope."

  Staring out at the darkened pastures, she smiled, thinking of the tiny apartment she shared with two other girls in downtown Austin. Loving the quietness, the peacefulness of being out of the city. No sirens, no honking horns, and no music blaring.

  "Frankly, I think you're living a dream many people would love to experience. Surrounded by pastures of cattle, trees, land with no nearby neighbor's stereo turned as loud as it will go, their favorite band blasting through the neighborhood. What's the downside of being out with nature?"

  "Loneliness," he said quietly.

  The memory of coming home to the echoing emptiness of an vacant apartment. Sure, her things were still there, but he'd taken most of the furniture, leaving her alone. Just like Jim had no one.

  "When my parents were alive, this was the best place in the world for a kid to grow up. Now they're gone, my brothers and sister are grown, yet, I'm still here."

  Nodding, she stared at him. It almost sounded like there was someplace else he wanted to live.

  "Don't you want to be here?"

  "Yes and no. Being a rancher was not how I envisioned my life. My degree is in architecture."

  "What's stopping you from being one and working from here?"

  He laughed. "This place takes a lot of time. Right now, we're about to start the spring calving. Then we'll hold a round-up and cull the cattle we're taking to market. There is always something that needs fixing and in the fall, it's show season."

  Shocked, she saw his confusion and how he didn't understand that even though he longed to be an architect, he loved the ranch.

  "And you love it."

  "Excuse me?" he said. She kne
w he had heard her, but didn't believe what she said was true. Maybe he didn't see his love for the property was obvious in his pride, the way he showed off the land, the way he handled his men and the way he took care of the animals.

  "I said, you love this land. You love the ranch," she said softly.

  "No, I don't," he said faltering. "Everyone else was in college. Someone had to help Mom, so I gave up my job as an architect and came home to take over the family business. I gave up my dream so they could achieve theirs. Drew is a lawyer, Kyle a vet, and Kelsey...you met her at the boutique."

  "That's admirable. Sacrificing your dreams for your brother and sister."

  "Yes," he responded, his back straight.

  Sitting there silently, Shadow listened to the night sounds, frustration radiating from him, wanting to ask him more questions. From the visible stiffness of his body, she knew the discussion was over.

  After ten minutes of quiet, he finally asked, "What does the insurance company say about your car?"

  Oh yeah, he was done letting her in and revealing his secrets.

  With a sigh, she told him about her fight with the insurance service people. "That tornado that hit this area has them working overtime writing up reports for damages. A car fire...well, that is on the list of things to be looked at as soon as someone has the time. In the meantime, they will send me a rental car when one becomes available."

  "What do you mean available?"

  If she were in Austin this wouldn't be such a long dragged out affair, but being two hundred and fifty miles away, certainly made things slower.

  "Seems there is a big event in Dallas. A national golf tournament made short supply of rental cars. So I'm in a holding pattern. Then I've been talking to Mabel at the Cupid Love Nest Bed and Breakfast. She hopes to have rooms open by next weekend. Someone can come pick me up if you want me to leave. Otherwise, I'd be grateful to stay until I at least have a car."

  A yellow Lab came slowly lumbering up to Jim.

  "Lady, how are you doing, girl," he said, ignoring Shadow as he lavished the dog with attention.

  With a surprise, she realized the dog was expecting. In her dazed state the other night, she missed the animal's protruding belly or low hanging breasts.