by Anya Nowlan
“Yes?” he asked, a note of teasing in his voice, though he barely let go of the nipple he’d been tormenting.
“Fuck me.”
“Ask nicely,” he said, his voice dark and sultry.
“Please. Please fuck me!” she whined, doing as she was told and knowing it could be no other way.
She wanted to submit to this man, give him everything she had. The darkness and light were such a dizzying juxtaposition against one another, the way he was kind and playful on the ice and now foggy-eyed and desiring as much as she would give him now. It drove her wild with reckless abandon and her muscles tensed as he moved lower along her body, letting the head of his cock press against her slit.
Zaria tried to rock herself against him but he stopped her, two hands on her hips. Instead, he pulled her up by the legs, putting them on his shoulders as he lifted her up and pushed her forward at the same time while thrusting into her. Zaria squealed, her fingertips scrabbling along his strong arms, looking for something to hold onto as he filled and split her around his thickness.
She pushed her head back, feeling the tightness in her core throb wildly, getting tenser with each second. It seemed impossible that she could fit him, and her breath came in ragged little breaths, until Cupid had worked himself into her so far that she could begin to relax, begin to enjoy his size, his strength.
“Shh, Princess,” he whispered, reaching one hand to her face and pushing locks of hair off her forehead and cheeks. “Relax.”
But he didn’t really give her a chance, and she didn’t want one. Cupid pulled back slowly, letting her whimper as his cock pulled almost completely out of her, before he stroked into her again, now pounding down to the hilt. She gasped and screamed at the same time, nails digging into his arms, and he grunted, his hands fisting in the sheets as he did it again and again, plowing into her.
“Oh my fucking God!” she squealed, eyes wide as she looked at Cupid, his body a piece of art in regular circumstances, but when each muscle was straining against skin as he took her as his own, he was the most breathtaking vision she’d ever seen.
He grinned, a fevered, wicked smile as his pace grew faster, shoving her into the sheets with every thrust. She was leaving red streaks on his arms as she twisted underneath him, wanting to get even closer to him as he showed her what real pleasure could feel like. Pleasure bloomed in her, heavy and seedy and delicious, and she reveled in it, letting it take her entirely.
Suddenly, he threw her legs off of his shoulders and his hands reached underneath her, gathering her into his arms so they were now sitting face to face, her straddling him. Cupid kissed her and she kissed him right back, sucking on his tongue, adoring the way he tasted as her fingers coiled in his thick head of hair, their foreheads against one another.
“I haven’t stopped thinking about you since that damn speed-dating catastrophe,” he growled, the sound traveling straight through her and into her pussy, making her ache around him.
Zaria grinded down on him, making him tremble with ecstasy now, while she sucked on his lower lip. Her core was tucked into a ball of fire, sending bolts through her with every movement their bodies made. When he slipped his hand between them, his fingertips finding the swollen nub of her clit, she mewled into their kiss, almost sobbing.
She was so wet that when he started teasing her clit, it made her shudder immediately, adding to the inferno inside of her. She rode him harder now, clenching around his rod, sucking him in and begging for their joint release. Then, he kissed her again, one hand holding her by the hair until both of them were groaning into each other’s mouths, their bodies losing all control as they fell into their orgasms at the very same time.
Her pussy desperately milked him, clenching around his meaty girth, until he spilled his load in her. Zaria must have been screaming, she was sure of it, but she couldn’t hear anything over the humming in her ears and could see nothing because of the glimpses of light and energy that flashed in her vision. She was gone, completely taken over by their peak, and she could only faintly understand what was happening when Cupid softly set her down on the sheets, his hands still around her and his cock throbbing inside of her.
It took her a while to come to her senses and to feel the way his hand traveled down her body, caressing her gently. When she opened her eyes, her breathing shallow and fast, she was met by his bright blues smiling back at her.
“You do know we are just getting started, right, Princess?”
There were plenty of hours until Valentine’s Day rolled around, but Zaria got the feeling that she was going to be spending every single one of them in bed.
Which was probably for the best, because Valentine’s Day was cursed, after all.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Cupid
When Cupid awoke the next morning, he could barely feel half his body. Instinctively, his arms stretched out around him, looking for the hot, naked body of the woman he’d shared his bed with. But she wasn’t there.
First, a ripple of worry spread through him, one that seemed to resonate back in his buck. Then, his eyes flew open and he sat up as if he’d been shot from a gun, a frown on his face. It had taken less than a second to get Cupid out of his warm, happy cocoon of sleep and comfort and into battle mode, tracking his enemy. Or his woman, as it may be.
He hopped out of bed and haphazardly pulled on his briefs and jeans, buttoning the pants up as he walked out of the bedroom.
“Zaria?” he called, his voice echoing back in the high, empty ceilings. “Come out, Princess! I wanna play!”
A grin tinted his lips now, a faint one, brought on by the thought of finding her and dragging her back into the bed. Truth be told, he was still exhausted, but the sight of her mouthwatering ass, those thick thighs, or that sweet face could get him going at a moment’s notice. He couldn’t help it. It wasn’t simple affection he was feeling for the woman. He was catching feelings, fast. Too fast.
Just fast enough? he wondered, as he made it through the hallways with the bedrooms and into the kitchen-living room, with big windows that ran from the floor to the ceiling, overlooking the lake.
Last night was not supposed to go quite as it did. With the help of his brothers, he had arranged a romantic candle-lit dinner in Shifter Grove, as well as talked Slate into borrowing a helicopter from him so he could show her the hidden wonders of the beautiful regions that Big Red couldn’t possibly reach. But they’d never gotten around to it and obviously, Cupid didn’t particularly mind.
You can do all of that tonight, he thought, standing and looking around the living room. If you can find her!
But she wasn’t there either. He could see a steaming cup of coffee on the counter, obviously having been drunk out of already, and the makings of breakfast, but no sight of Zaria. Scowling in earnest now, Cupid walked through the kitchen, the pantry, and to the back door, facing a stretch of thick woods. It was there that he froze to the spot for a moment, his hackles rising.
A lion, he thought, cold rage mulling in the pit of his stomach.
Instantly, he threw open the door, revealing that it had been smashed in. He could smell Zaria too, and the heady musk of a full-grown lion hit him in the face like a smack. He bared his teeth in a snarl, his eyes flashing a deep brown for a moment as the buck was allowed to the surface.
Zaria wasn’t gone. She’d been taken. Someone had taken his mate from right under his nose.
Cupid didn’t have time to consider the fact that he’d thought of her as his mate, or even that it was Valentine’s Day, which meant things would go from bad to worse if given the option. Instead, he let out a feral growl and stepped into the snow, breaking out in a run as he headed toward the words, following the footprints left behind by the assailant.
Within a few steps, he had begun shifting, giving the animal full control over himself. His strong body morphed into that of a mature stag, with a full crown of antlers, sharp and deadly. He sniffed at the air even as he ran, the path becoming more and m
ore clear to him with each step he took, sometimes his steps carrying him over the snow while he should have sunken into it.
Only one thought pounded in his head. He knew Zaria had not gone of her own free will, and that she would not have left him so easily and without a word. She’d spoken last night about the man that would not leave her alone, an ex that was stalking her, but they’d laughed it off and gone right back to cuddling. It was now obvious that he was a threat that Cupid could not afford to ignore.
His blood pounded in his veins as he drove forth, not caring about the pain the sharp edges of snow caused as they cut into his legs. He needed to find her. Now.
The scent grew thicker and soon, he could hear Zaria’s voice, practically snarling at her captor. When they came into sight, Cupid felt a rage unlike any that he’d experienced before. He’d tied her hands behind her back and was tugging her along with him, the man easily a head taller than she was, broad and thickly built.
Cupid sped up, nostrils flared and his head lowered, making a beeline for the man. His hooves must have made a loud enough noise, because before Cupid could reach them, the man had turned to face him. He let out a yelp of surprise and anger and then leapt forward, his body beginning to twist as he jumped. By the time he landed, he was no longer a man but a full-grown lion, roaring at Cupid. He wasn’t fucking afraid.
It only made him go faster. The lion obviously wasn’t prepared for the wrath of a shifter whose mate had just been snatched from him, because when the big cat tried to pounce forward, Cupid caught him with his antlers, slamming him back down into the ground. His sharp hooves beat at him as he pulled back, only to drive into the man again, feeling the sharpness of the lion’s claws but ignoring them as they desperately slashed at him.
A few more jabs and the lion whimpered, backing away until his back was against a tree. Speed was on Cupid’s side. Cupid snarled, rising up on his back legs and then coming down with all his force, knocking the lion out and leaving him a crumpled mess on the snowy forest floor.
He breathed hard, heaving in snorting breaths, staring at the prone body of the beast before him. There was something to be said about going against jagged teeth and claws when you only had antlers and hooves, but every shifter knew that a man fighting for his mate would go to the very end. It was that kind of passion that could beat any set of growling jaws.
It took Cupid a moment to come out of the red-tinted haze that had fallen over him. When he heard a footstep at his side, he turned around, seeing fear and relief mingle in Zaria’s gorgeous gray eyes. Immediately he shifted back, though it was a chore assuring the buck that he had it handled.
If I’d had it handled, this would have never happened, he thought with not a small bit of guilt.
But the moment he stood on his own two feet again, barefoot and in the snow as he was, Zaria threw her arms around his neck and he embraced her tightly, littering her neck with kisses.
“Are you okay?” he asked, his words feverish. “Please tell me you’re okay. If he did anything to you, I’ll fucking kill him. It’s Brad, right? They’re always named Brad,” he growled, cuddling her close while tossing a glare at the man who’d managed to destroy his life in a few minutes, only to have it be rebuilt again when Zaria was safely in his arms.
“I’m okay,” she said, her voice trembling as she nuzzled her face into his neck. “He came out of nowhere. I was making breakfast for the two of us and he burst in from behind me. He dragged me out before I could scream. It was like he was possessed,” she explained, sounding winded and fluttery.
But Cupid would make it pass. The buck had known already, obviously, but the man had needed a definite push to understand that a life without Zaria would not be one worth living. He needed her, and he didn’t need to know her for months and months to understand this. When a shifter knew, he knew. She’d never be unsafe again. He’d make damn sure of that.
The cold chill of the snow beneath his feet bit into him and the wind clawed at his skin—shirtless as he was in the middle of the woods—but that didn’t bother him. He didn’t let go of her and he didn’t intend to as he nudged her cheek with his nose so she would look at him, and then he kissed her deeply, passionately, getting a little gasp out of her.
“It’s okay, Princess. I’ll never let another dragon get to you again.”
So he’d been as right as she had. Valentine’s Day was fucking cursed! But Cupid got a feeling that between the two of them, they could break that damn curse real easy.
EPILOGUE
Zaria
Transitioning from New York City to Idaho was no small task to undertake. Especially if one happened to be a career-driven woman with high goals set for herself. So Zaria and Cupid compromised.
They both loved their work, so they made a deal. They’d spend time at their jobs as they needed, and the time they had together would be put to good use, preferably in Shifter Grove. That time would most certainly include every damn Valentine’s Day, even if it meant that Zaria was sitting in the co-pilot’s seat, rattling off bad jokes at Cupid while he answered with much the same, sharing Chinese take-out grabbed from whichever city they’d flown through, and drinking alcohol-free cider instead of champagne.
Oh well. I guess I must suffer, Zaria thought with a grin, finding herself in exactly one of those situations, bare feet pulled up to the edge of the seat and her eyes tracking the lazy passage of the clouds above which they were soaring.
“I’m expecting we’ll get hit by a lightning storm any minute now,” Cupid said sternly, flicking his blue gaze over at her.
“Yeah? Looks like blue skies to me!” Zaria commented, scowling slightly at the perfectly mild weather.
“Well, it’s that day again,” he said with a frustrated roll of his eyes, all melodramatics and flair.
Zaria burst out laughing. They’d been together for a year now, and the shiny diamond ring on her finger marked her as soon-to-be Mrs. Zaria Frost, if they could ever get their schedules to sync up. A wedding took careful planning, plotting, and putting together, and frankly, both of them were far too busy with their jobs half the time. The other half of the time was spent ripping off one another’s clothes!
Brad was a distant memory now, and Zaria was glad for it. The local sheriff, Diesel, had shown up within an hour and hauled the guy to jail. The only lawyer in town had helped Zaria put together a quick file on him that she took with her to New York City, where the bitter lion got sentenced for harassment and attempted kidnapping and thrown in jail for enough years that Zaria didn’t find an ounce in her that was bothered being worried about him.
He was out of her life. Finally! And she didn’t wish him back, not one bit.
She’d been right about him, though. It was a streak of very lion-like jealousy that drove him to those horrific acts, and sometimes she even felt bad for him. It certainly cemented her view of Valentine’s Day being one screwy holiday, even if otherwise perfectly reasonable men could be driven to bouts of insanity!
“So that means our day will be ruined, right? You’ll have to ground Big Red and we’ll just have to not work?” Zaria asked, poking him in the arm and getting a wicked smirk in return.
“I think so!” he said with a mock pout, but his hands went to work immediately, plotting a course for a small, nearby airport.
Zaria hadn’t even been paying attention to where they really were before she recognized the airport coming into view below them. Shifter Grove! She squinted her eyes, seeing a row of trucks there in the usually-abandoned airport.
“Are we going to play hooky for a day, and stay in the lodge?” she questioned, storing the takeout away safely.
“You’ll see,” Cupid said, his expression unreadable.
Zaria frowned, giving Cupid a few questioning looks which he deflected easily. If there was one thing she could always expect him to do, it was surprise her. He had this way of always making her laugh and getting her out of even the foulest of moods with a little quip or a gesture, and she’
d come to love that about him. Like she loved everything about him, really. He made her world go around and she couldn’t be happier for it, because the world was one damn hard thing to keep in motion all on her own.
Big Red set down slowly and bit by bit, the situation dawned on Zaria. She could recognize the smiling faces of all her Shifter Grove friends, sitting on the hoods of their trucks and waving at them as Cupid eased them onto the tiny tarmac. She could also recognize some of her New York friends, and several of Cupid’s brothers, like Pran standing with his arms crossed and a smug smirk on his lips.
“Cupid?” she asked with a tremble in her voice as she recognized her parents standing in the crowd as well. “What’s going on?”
Finally, Cupid unbuckled his seatbelt and turned to her, grabbing her hands in his big, soft palms. He kissed the tops of her hands and it sent a happy tingle through her, as it always did. His soulful blue eyes stared into hers and she couldn’t help but smile, despite the fact that she was still confused.
“I figured we should put this curse nonsense behind us once and for all. And what better way to do it than have a Valentine’s Day wedding, right?”
Tears were rolling down her cheeks before she even knew what hit her, and she threw herself from the seat and into his arms. He kissed her and she fell into the kiss gladly, her heart beating heavily in her chest.
“Seriously?” she whispered, completely floored by the most romantic gesture she could think of.
“Seriously,” he said, standing them both up and giving her a peck on the nose. “Ru and Brittany and Pran got it all sorted out, with my executive decisions, of course. There won’t be a red heart in sight.”
“I guess Cupid knows best,” she giggled.
He nodded with a serious look on his face, one that broke into a smile. “You know it. Come on, we’ve got a wedding to slay!”
Cupid took her by the hand and pulled her along, Zaria following him with a blissful smile on her face. Fine, Valentine’s Day was not cursed. It was bucking awesome!