Cupid's Coffeeshop Set One: Boxed Set: Books 1-4

by Courtney Hunt

  "Val! There's a line at the register!" Mallory called. Val jerked away from Mac, staring at him, his flushed face and swollen mouth, his hair mussed and sticking up all over, his breathing as ragged as hers.

  The door swung shut, cutting off the noise of the bustle of shoppers as Val continued to stare at Mac. She wanted more, another taste of him. She licked her lips and watched as his eyes dilated, turning dark and hot with desire for her. He swallowed hard and drew a deep breath, shifting her away from him, onto her own feet. She stepped back, shaken by the force of the passion between them. She'd totally forgotten where they were and if Mallory hadn't come in...

  "My address is in the card. Come over tomorrow night. "Mac ran his hand through his hair and snagged the clipboard.” I think I've got a plan to make you love Valentine's Day again."

  When she shook her head, he held out a hand, palm up. "Don't say no. Just think about it, okay?"

  Val swallowed hard and nodded, once. He backed out of the shop and, with a wave, disappeared into the gently falling snow.

  With the Valentine's crush keeping the store packed until closing time, Val locked the door behind the last customer and dashed across the square, slipping and sliding on the snow covered cobblestones in her fashionable boots. She would be the last to arrive at her hastily called confab with Joy, Kennedy, and Claire. She rushed through the snow, falling heavily now, and into the enticingly warm coffee shop, enjoying the rich scent of fresh coffee.

  Zooey worked behind the counter, training a confused looking teenage boy in how to use the cash register, while Patrick and Joe shifted boxes in the small, curtained off storage area behind the counter. Val wended her way through the empty tables to the couches near the fire and plopped down next to her friends, already seated on the cushy sofas with their drinks.

  "Sorry I'm late."

  Kennedy wore a stained petal pink chef's coat and cradled a large red mug in her hand, sipping slowly, as she watched Joe work. "Been up since 4 am. I'm desperate to go home and climb into bed. This better be good."

  Claire nodded as she munched one of Joy's heart-shaped frosted sugar cookies, scarlet sprinkles cascading down her ivory cable knit sweater. Val fished her Valentine from Mac out of her coat pocket and handed the crumpled envelope to Joy. She stood, removing her coat and tossing it over the sofa arm. "Mac gave me this today. Read it while I grab a coffee."

  By the time she returned to the sofa, Claire and Kennedy grinned like Cheshire cats at her while Joy chewed on her bottom lip, her arms crossed over her chest, staring down at the card as though it might explode at any second. Val sat down and took a sip of Cupid's Kiss, the Coffeeshop’s drink of the month. She savored the hit of spicy cinnamon, reminded of the taste of Mac and flushing. "Well?"

  "Go for it!" Kennedy said as Claire nodded in fervent agreement.

  "The card is really sweet." Joy tapped the pretty stained glass heart on the front of the card. "So, what do you think will happen if you go over there?"

  "Lots of hot sex." Claire put in. "Just what you need, Val. Go and enjoy yourself!"

  "Is that what you want?" Joy asked Val who shrugged.

  "I don't know what I want. That's why I called you all."

  "Doesn't every girl want that?" Kennedy laughed.

  "There is more to a relationship than hot sex." Joy snapped.

  "Who said anything about a relationship, I'd like to know?" Claire picked up the card. “I think this is an invitation to sexy times. Not a date. I say indulge yourself."

  "Do you want to date him, Val?" Joy asked.

  "I don't want to date anyone."

  "I mean, are you interested in him?" Joy persisted.

  Val shook her head and Kennedy rolled her eyes. "I suppose that's why you were blushing the other day around him."

  "I was not blushing. I bumped his arm and--"

  "Wow, the ice queen blushes. What next?" Claire laughed.

  "I am not the ice queen. After everything with Jonathan--"

  "He stomped on your heart, that's true enough. But Val, do you intend to live like a cloistered nun the rest of your life?"

  "I'm not a cloistered nun."

  "You're not? And how many men have you been out with, since you caught Jonathan and that awful woman together?"

  Val took a sip of coffee and pointedly didn't answer Kennedy.

  "None." Kennedy answered for her. She rubbed her eyes and said, "Go for it, Val."

  "You're a fine one to talk." Claire said, jerking her chin at Joe's broad back as he shifted boxes.

  "If I weren't so tired, I might go for it now. As it is, he'll have to wait for a day I'm not making fifty prix fix menus for Valentine's Day. Val, you're a big girl. Are you attracted to Mac, at least enough to go over to his apartment on Valentine's Day?"

  "Of course she's attracted to him." Claire sipped her drink and continued. "He's handsome enough, got a lovely swagger to his hips, he'd show you a good time."

  "That might work if Val wasn't going to see him every day." Joy put in. "If you do indulge in a one night stand with him, won’t that make work awkward?”

  "Maybe." Val shrugged. "He mentioned something about moving into management. I'm not sure how much longer he'll be delivering here."

  "So jump him while the jumping is good!" Kennedy sighed. "He's handsome, sexy, and sweet. Just what you need."

  "Weren't we just saying the other day you should get back on the horse that threw you?" Claire nodded. She picked up her coffee cup and settled back. "As far as I can see, the biggest decision you've got to make is which color lacy panties to let him peel off you."

  Joy blushed and rolled her eyes. "Val, won't a one night stand just make you feel worse in the end?”

  “Maybe.” Val shrugged. “I’ve never had one so I wouldn’t know.”

  “Or maybe it’ll make you feel better.” Kennedy put in. “I know you had a bad experience with Jonathan but not all men are like that."

  "Useless bastard." Claire said. “You should give your Mac a go."

  "He's hardly my Mac."

  "Not yet anyway." Kennedy smirked. "Tomorrow ends your stressful time of year. Sex is stress-relieving. Go enjoy yourself. Unless you're not attracted to Mac?"

  Val stayed silent for a long moment, considering that hot kiss in the backroom. Her cheeks heated and she nodded, once.

  "So, if you're attracted to Mac... I say go have fun. It's not a marriage proposal. It's a sexy times invitation."

  "He obviously likes you quite a bit." Claire patted her leg. "Go on and have some fun."

  "Do you want to go?" Joy asked quietly, playing with her engagement ring. Patrick came over and poured a refill for Kennedy and Claire. Joy looked up at him and smiled softly. He grinned back at her. Claire, Kennedy, and Val exchanged glances, eyebrows raised. It looked like Val was not the only one nursing a new romance. Would Joy finally throw useless Chris over and take a chance?

  For that matter, would Val?

  Val picked up the card and slipped it into the wrinkled envelope, sliding it into her purse. "I'll think about it. Claire, tell us about work."

  Chapter Six

  All day on Valentine's Day, as she rang up frantic last minute shoppers, Val's thoughts were with the scarlet envelope on her desk. Should she go? Based on the passion in their kiss, she knew they'd end up in bed, probably less than three minutes after she walked in the door. There was no denying the sizzling attraction between them. Mac was handsome, sexy, and sweet. And she liked him too.

  She'd like to get to know him better, both in bed and out.

  And there was the crux of the problem. She could just be like Claire and Kennedy and indulge herself with a casual fling from time to time. But Val had never been like that. And if she just wanted a casual fling, Joe Lockhart would be great at that. He specialized in no-strings-attached sex and Val just knew he'd be excellent at it.

  But after Jonathan’s betrayal, her heart shattered. She swore off men and all their complications. The store was her lif
e now. As she paced the aisles, trying to wrest some order from the chaos of Valentine's Day, she wondered if it was enough anymore.

  Maybe she should go indulge herself.

  By lunchtime she'd paced a hole in the carpet but was no closer to a decision. Kennedy popped in to bring her a sandwich. "So, are you going to go?"

  "No. Definitely not."

  "Well, Claire and I might catch a movie. Tag us later if you want to come along." Kennedy waved, heading back to the cafe.

  Maybe she should go see Mac. She didn't have to sleep with him after all. Maybe they could just get take-out and hang out. Val looked at the card again as Joy called.

  "Calling to check on you. How are you surviving the big day?"

  "The lunchtime rush is nearly over. Almost done with the holiday for another year." Val munched some of Kennedy's homemade sweet potato chips. "How are you and Chris celebrating?"

  "He got me this really sweet figurine and a lovely card." Joy paused while Val made appropriate coo-ing noises. "Thanks for picking it out."

  "I didn't." Val stammered, shocked that Joy figured it out. Was she beginning to see the light about what a useless loser Chris was?

  "It's fine, Val." Joy sighed. "Tell me, are you going to go see Mac?"

  Val drew a deep breath. "Yes."

  "You are?" Joy paused and then said in a rush, "I just don't want you to get hurt again and..."

  "I won't. It's just a casual, one night deal."

  Joy paused for a several seconds. "Are you sure that's what you want? Because I think you like Mac more than you want to admit. I think you might really want a relationship with him."

  Damn, Joy wasn’t usually so perceptive. She bit back a retort about Patrick and sighed. "Maybe."

  After the store closed, Val headed back to the back room. She could start setting up for Easter tonight. Part of working in a card store meant that she was always far ahead of the seasons and holidays, putting one up as another came down and never really getting to celebrate any of them. She smoothed her hand over the red envelope on her desk. She could go celebrate Valentine’s Day…

  Idly, she programmed Mac's address into her phone. Just about half an hour away by car. She glanced down at herself in her dark jeans and a gray sweater patterned with hearts. Maybe she should go home and change into something sexier.

  But, she knew if she went home, she'd chicken out. She'd end up in her oldest pajamas, ordering Chinese food, and falling asleep in front of the television. Just like she did most weekend nights.

  If she went to see Mac...

  Val pressed her fingers to her lips, remembering the desire in their embrace just yesterday. She wanted to feel that again.

  But desire that hot meant she'd likely get burned... again. Better not to risk it.

  She opened a box of Easter cards and then stopped. Would she spend the rest of her life mourning Valentine's Day just because of Jonathan? She dropped the glittery bunny and chick cards back into the box and scooped up her keys. She set the store alarm and headed out to her compact car.

  Twice on the way there, as she shifted onto the bustling highways near the city, Val nearly turned around. But she gripped the steering wheel and drove on, determined to take something for herself this time, even as her heart thrummed against her chest. She easily found street parking near Mac's building, a miracle in bustling Pentagon City, but she took it as a good sign.

  On shaky knees, she headed into the elevator and stabbed the button for his floor. After making her way down the hallway, her knees feeling like Jell-O, she paused in front of his apartment, her fingers shaking as slow, bluesy jazz poured out from inside. Slowly, she raised her hand and knocked.

  After an eternity, Mac opened the door. He stood, barefoot, in jeans and a dark t-shirt. He smiled slowly at her and said, his voice low and raspy, "Hi."

  "Hi." Val answered, her voice squeaky. She sounded like Minnie Mouse. He stepped back and waved her into a tidy living area done in shades of chocolate with touches of navy and hunter green. Wide windows stretched toward a soaring view of the city beyond. A gleaming entertainment console, with a giant flat screen, covered one wall of the apartment with two game controllers tossed on the floor in front of it.

  The apartment was brightly lit, cozy and welcoming. Overall, it didn’t look like the scene for a grand seduction. She turned back to Mac, twisting her hands together in front of her and held out a bag from the store.

  “I brought you something.”

  Mac peeked into the bag and smiled at the shoulder rice pad. “Thanks. I got you something too.”

  "You didn't have to--" Val started to say as he handed her a gift bag patterned with pink hearts. She recognized it from her store and thought she recognized Mallory's dab hand in the artful spray of matching tissue paper sticking out of it.

  "Open it."

  Val reached past the tissue paper to brush her shaking fingers over something soft. She tugged out a pile of fabric that resolved itself into a pair of navy sweatpants, a Yankees t-shirt, and a pair of fuzzy socks bearing the Yankees logo. Bewildered, she looked up at Mac.

  "I thought you'd want something more comfortable to slip into." Mac explained as Val continued to stare at him in puzzlement. He rubbed the back of his neck, a dull flush covering his cheekbones and not meeting her eyes. "I ordered a pizza with extra pepperoni. I hope you like Manhattan style. But I can order a different kind if you like that better."

  "A pizza?" Val parroted, feeling totally at sea.

  "I figured we could watch Aliens--totally not a romantic movie--while we eat and then, I've got an awesome gaming system. I couldn't find a game where you can shoot Cupid though."

  Val blinked and then her conversation with Kennedy spooled back through her mind. "You were listening to me and Kennedy."

  "Guilty." Mac shrugged, stuffing his front hands in his pockets, a bashful smile flirting with his mouth. "I wanted to make you love Valentine's Day again."

  "Wow." Val smiled at him, touched at his kind gesture. "I don't know what to say."

  "Change your clothes, put your hair up and let's eat pizza. Your couch awaits." Mac ushered her to the small bathroom. "And if you play your cards right, I might even be persuaded into a foot rub."

  "Did anyone ever tell you that you're a dreamboat?" Val smiled at him.

  He tucked her hair behind her ear, stroked her cheek, and smiled. "Just you."

  Mac woke to the rosy light of dawn the next morning with a crick in his back from sleeping sitting up on the sofa all night, Val's head propped on his chest. He shifted her to the side and stood, admiring her the way the rosy light of dawn turned her hair into a shimmering bonfire of russet, amber and gold. He could catalogue the colors in her hair for hours. Gently, he tucked a plaid throw blanket over her and headed off to get ready for the day.

  He smiled to himself as he showered, thinking of how confused she'd been at first last night and the priceless look on her face when she unwrapped the sweatpants he'd gotten her. After a few moments of awkwardness, they fell into chatting as they ate their pizza. After a spirited round of video games, they'd cuddled on the sofa to watch a movie, his arm wrapped around her. When she'd fallen asleep with her head over his heart, he hadn't wanted to move her and instead just enjoyed the novelty of holding her close, laying his cheek on her sweet smelling hair and drifting off.

  It had been the perfect Valentine's Day. He hoped Val would think the same. After he dressed, he brought Val a mug of coffee and watched her eyes blink open, the color of sunshine through honey this morning. She sat up, wrapped her fingers around the mug, and glanced outside, blinking owlishly at the dawn.

  "Guess you start your day on the early side." Val rasped.

  "Usually, I go for a run." Mac sat on the sofa and pulled her feet into his lap, rubbing absently. “But I overslept today, cuddled up with you.”

  "Thank you for a lovely Valentine’s Day.” Val sipped her coffee, tilting her head so her hair cascaded over her face. She raked her
hand through it and bit her lip, before meeting his eyes. "When you said you could make me love Valentine's Day, I thought..."

  Mac smoothed her hair back from her cheek. "You thought what?"

  "I thought we'd end up in bed."

  "We will." Mac kept his gaze on her face as she flushed. He ached with want and desire for Val but he wanted more than that too. He wanted a real relationship with her and rushing them into bed didn't seem the way to get it. "You were so tired and worn out last night. You just needed time to relax and have fun."

  "Most men don't get that."

  "We'll get there. No need to skip ahead." Mac smiled at her, leaning over to drop a kiss on her cheek. If he claimed that tempting mouth, he was pretty sure he would want to skip ahead too much. "You stay as long as you want. I've gotta get to work."

  "Are you going to give up your truck?" Val asked as she stood and folded the throw blanket.

  "That depends on you." Mac answered as she gathered her things to dress.

  "On me?" Val glanced over her shoulder as she stepped toward the bathroom. "How?"

  "Can I see you again?"

  Val nodded and smiled shyly. "Pick me up at six tonight."

  "It's a date."

  Chapter Seven

  Just after sunset that evening, Mac arrived at Valentina's charming row house in Ashford Falls, just two streets over from her store. He grabbed the arrangement of pale pink and coral roses out of the front seat of his pickup truck. He took a deep breath as he walked to her red lacquered front door. He swiped his hands on his dress pants before ringing the bell. After a minute, he rang again. Still no answer. As he raised his hand to knock, Val opened the door, wrapped in a fluffy dressing gown that made him think of a newborn chick, if newborn chicks were purple with pink spots.