Cupid's Heart: Western Contemporary Small Town Romance (Return to Cupid Book 6)

by Sylvia McDaniel

  Was it a business weekend? Things were different between them.

  "Somehow, I think, if you were driving a bus and I was standing in the road, you would run me down," Drew said, sitting back in his chair smiling at her. "Counselor, you did a great job of outmaneuvering the opposition."

  "I've never driven a bus, you might need to worry," she said, leaning into him. "And the outmaneuver--easy."

  When they arrived back at his apartment, Drew put on soft music, clicked on the fireplace, and opened a bottle of wine. Everything he always did to seal the deal and win the girl. Chloe would be no different and hopefully she'd wake up in his bed in the morning.

  For a second, his conscious twinged, reminding him he promised her father no seducing his daughter. But they were here, the dinner was nice, he enjoyed her company more than he cared to admit, and well, wasn't this all leading up to how he treated all the women he dated. He seduced them.

  Chloe sat on the couch, watching the fire as he walked over and handed her a glass. "More alcohol?"

  "Seemed fitting. It feels good to be relaxing here in my own place again. Though, I know spring is here, I love this little fireplace."

  Sinking down beside her as close as he could, he slipped his arm along the top of the sofa behind her. They watched the flames lick the fake logs and sipped their drinks.

  "We can put one of these in your grandmother's house. There is that old fireplace that gas logs would be perfect for," she said.

  "I agree," he said and took her wine glass out of her hand and placed it on the table. As he moved closer, she frowned at him. That move was one of his signature advances and worked every time.

  "What are you doing?" she asked breathlessly, her sapphire eyes shining at him, sending trickles of desire spiraling down his spine, centering in his groin. Right where he needed those feelings.

  "What I've wanted to do since you walked out of the guest room looking beautiful."

  His lips came down on hers, covering her mouth, seducing her and hoping she felt the same hunger, that somehow, he held at bay all evening. Opening her lips, his tongue slipped inside, tempting and tantalizing her, making her want him as much as he wanted her.

  Like an alluring morsel, he savored her lips as he gently laid her back on the couch, until she lay sprawled beneath him. While he enticed her mouth, his hand trailed down until he found her breasts. Kneading the full mound through her dress, he anticipated the moment he could remove the filmy material from her body.

  Their lips came apart, her breathing ragged as he pressed against her center, letting her feel his hardened shaft, wanting her to know what she did to him.

  "Chloe, let's move this to my room," he said as he placed kisses down her neck.

  "No build-up, no foreplay, straight to your bed?" she inquired.

  "Oh, honey, I'm going to make you so hot for me, you'll be screaming," he promised.

  Her body tensed and she pushed him off.

  "What a wonderful idea," she said softly, sitting up beside him.

  A surge of happiness and anticipation had him eagerly standing up and pulling her. The need to get her into his bed overwhelmed him.

  Placing her hand on his chest, her blue eyes scorching him with heat. "It's been a lovely evening. Tonight, you answered my question about us. You just want into my panties. Goodnight, Drew."

  Before he had the opportunity to respond, she strolled to her room and shut the door, leaving him standing in his living area bewildered.

  Unable to stop himself, he cursed, not believing she had walked away from his seduction. Coming home, he stepped right into the old Drew's modus operandi. Only this woman had slammed the door in his face, literally.

  With a sigh, he turned off the gas logs, emptied the wine glasses in the sink and switched off the lights and went into his bedroom alone. Stunned, he couldn't fathom, she turned him down.

  As he undressed, his cell phone rang. Glancing down at the number, he recognized Anna's name.

  "Hello," he said. "How was your date?"

  "A complete disaster. How about you?"

  "Frustrating," he responded.

  Anna laughed her deep voice sending a shiver down his spine. "Your builder, she doesn't sleep with you?"

  "No, and I don't want to talk about her. What are you wearing?"

  "Absolutely nothing. Why don't you come over and turn a bad evening into something special for both of us?"

  Without hesitating, he reacted like the old Drew. "See you soon."

  "Hurry," she said. "I need you."

  Ending the call, he was out the door and all the way to the garage to jump in his car, just like the old days, when his conscience kicked in. Why did it seem like he was cheating on Chloe if he went to Anne's house? Because he knew exactly what Anne was offering, and he had no obligations to Chloe.

  Yet, there was this bond with her. Instinctively, he understood if he went to Anne, there would be no chance in hell of ever dating Chloe.

  And damn it, he wanted to date Chloe. Not because of her father, but because he was attracted to her in ways he didn't understand. She made him consider things he’d refused to think about for a long time. She made him look at his actions in a meaningful light.

  Twice tonight, he'd fallen back into the old Drew's routine. Twice tonight, he realized his mistake. Maybe there was hope for him and for Chloe yet.

  Yanking out his phone he dialed Anna back. "Sorry, I can't do it. I'm crazy about Chloe and I'm not cheating on her."

  The next night they pulled up in front of Chloe's house exhausted. Saturday, they picked out the flooring, lighting, and other items she needed and even visited several art museums before they headed back to Cupid.

  The day had been fun with no mention of the night before.

  "I'll carry your suitcase in," he said as he opened her door.

  "You don't need to see me to the door," she said, trying not to think of the weekend as a date. The night before, he had no idea how hard it was for her to end his kiss and walk back to her room. His kisses seemed to cause certain areas of her body to heat until near combustible levels.

  But she was his builder, and he didn't want forever. And she wasn't going to be another one of his booty call girls. Obviously, the model-thin girl he'd talked to at dinner had been one of his exes and wanted to restart the romance.

  Chloe couldn't help but enjoy his discomfort when she'd invited the woman to join them for dinner. She refused to be jealous of these women because they meant nothing. If the two of them were to ever be in a relationship, then she wanted nothing like what he had with them.

  Shaking his head at her, he frowned. "Yes, I need to make certain you're in the house just fine. It's almost eleven, the house is dark and I'm not letting you go in by yourself."

  "This is Cupid, not Dallas," she said, though secretly, she liked the fact he was concerned.

  "Yes, but my mother raised me better than to let a woman go into a house alone at night. Don't you watch horror movies?”

  "Not really," she said.

  He carried her suitcase up the sidewalk while she found her keys. Once inside, she turned on lights and moved about the house, checking the rooms.

  "Everything is fine," she said.

  "Did you look in the closets and under the bed?" he asked.

  Laughing, she said, "Hardly. The boogie man escaped years ago."

  Walking up close to her, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him. "This weekend I had a great time with you. Loved how you invited my old girlfriend to join us for dinner, rejected my advances, spent my money to pick out furnishings. Chloe, you definitely know how to keep things interesting and me wondering what's going to happen next."

  Though he was serious, she giggled. "It was fun. I especially enjoyed the Kimball art museum. We made a start on things we need for the house. Dinner last night was fabulous. Your seduction typical."

  A deep chuckled rumbled from his chest. "Now you can say you received the same treatment as
all the other girls."

  "That's the problem, I don't want to be just one of your women."

  "And I don't want you to be." For a moment, his green eyes darkened as he stared at her. "Something you said bothered me."

  "What?" she asked, wondering what would upset him.

  "The meal, the way you looked that night, the wine, the fire, it felt like the perfect moment. The old Drew came out and slipped right back into his habits of seducing a woman."

  A smile lifted her lips. Could they have crossed some internal barrier keeping them apart? "Yes, and he's quite the charming fellow. Now I understand why so many women fell for him."

  Picking up her hands in his. "All right, I admit I wanted to get into your panties in a bad way. If you'd given me the chance, I would have taken it as far as I could’ve last night. For once, I agree. You were right to put a halt to things. This weekend showed me I want to be involved. I'm crazy about you and I want us to date."

  "You don't want to marry," she said, her voice sincere and quiet as his hands gripped hers.

  "Why can't we date and find out where this goes."

  "Because I fear I'll be the one who will get hurt. You've made yourself perfectly clear about marriage and I've told you I'm looking for someone to spend forever with."

  Biting his lip, he stared at her. "I understand. Give me a chance. Let's put the idea of marriage on the shelf for now and see if there is something between us. Let's have fun together and then later if we realize we're falling in love, we can then discuss what we're going to do."

  A glimmer of hope filled her. "You understand there will be no premarital sex? You'll consider marriage after we date a period of time or let me know your views are the same?"

  When she stared into his emerald gaze, he smiled, reassuring her, making her almost giddy.

  "Yes, I agree to no premarital sex and wedding bells are not out of the question."

  She grinned at him, her heart racing. Maybe Cupid was working for them. "So, when is our next date?"

  "This Friday at Jim and Shadow's rehearsal dinner. I'd love if you were my date."

  "What should I wear?"

  Chapter 6

  Chloe sat next to Kelsey, Drew's younger sister, at the rehearsal dinner. The woman's interest was obvious when she found out her brother had brought her as his date.

  "Jim rescued Shadow after he did the Cupid dance," Kelsey whispered. "And the same for me and Cody. He picked me up after running the statue. In fact, I think all our friends and family met after dancing naked around the fountain."

  An uncomfortable feeling overcame Chloe. She wanted to confide in his sister, but being the preacher's daughter, no way would she tell her how she and Drew bumped into each other. If that story reached her father's ears or her surrogate mothers, they would hold a prayer vigil in her front yard.

  As it was, she often wondered if they weren't already praying, hoping she would find someone to love. Especially her father with the men he sent her way. Fortunately, the trickle of nerds had slowed. Finally, he had gotten her message. Let her find her own man.

  "You were the first woman Drew saw after he did the Cupid dance?" Kelsey blurted out.

  No harm in telling her that much.

  "Yes, I was Drew's first after doing the dance."

  "Oh, tell me what happened?" his sister said.

  Chloe shifted uneasily in the chair. Kelsey was nice, but she couldn't tell her the truth. All she could admit to was running into Drew after his dance and she hoped everyone assumed they met after he put his clothes back on.

  "Oh, look, I think the boys are going to do the first toast," Chloe said, trying to draw her attention away from her and Drew.

  Cody stood. "Shadow and Jim, as we prepare to celebrate your special day, you need to thank me for this happy event. Our little wager has now found forever after for three of the four of you."

  The small group laughed. "The four of us have been friends for a long time. None of us believed in this God of Love superstition, but because Kelsey and her girlfriends danced, I'm now happily engaged and you're getting married. May your lives be rich with happiness, blessed with children, and happily ever after. To Jim and Shadow."

  Everyone raised their wine glasses. Chloe was happy for the couple, yet part of her twinged with jealousy of the love she could see shining from their eyes when they glanced at one another. Chloe wanted that same kind of love for her and Drew.

  Ryan Jones stood. "I'd like to say as sheriff, I don't condone this dancing without your clothes around the statue, but I, too, am a happily married man because of that silly rock in the town square. To Jim and Shadow, may your days be joyous and your nights filled with love."

  They all laughed and lifted their glasses.

  Kyle rose from his seat. "To Jim and Shadow. Jim, love has been a long time coming. Frankly, after watching Shadow and you together, you couldn't have found a more perfect woman. Shadow helps you relax and live a little and you give Shadow stability. On this journey of life, may your days be many, your life be overflowing with love and happiness and rugrats. Congrats!"

  The crowd cheered as they clinked champagne flutes. Then it was Drew's turn.

  "How many of you here have been affected by this superstition?"

  Drew was asking this question? That surprised her after his earlier comments about his own Cupid experience.

  Swallowing hard, Chloe stared in shock at the number of people who hoisted their hands. Could it be that Cupid would show her and Drew they were meant to be together?

  With a longing gaze at Drew tonight, she had watched him interact with his brothers, taking pictures with Jim and Shadow. So many things about him drew her to him. She liked his intelligence, his wit, his persistence - she didn't like his one-night stands. But even that had changed. After all, he confessed he had not slept with a woman in six months.

  "I'm shocked," he said. "In order to fulfill a bet, I did the Cupid dance and the first woman I ran into was the lovely Chloe who is here with me. Tonight is not about me and Chloe, but Jim and Shadow."

  Pausing for a moment, he turned to his new sister-in-law. "Shadow, when Jim introduced you, I thought he struck gold. You're the right person for my brother and I'm happy he's found someone to spend his life with. Jim, you've become the patriarch of our family and taken on responsibilities to keep our business going. We're proud of you and honored to call you brother. May the two of you live long and prosper and fill that big old empty house with lots of babies for me to spoil."

  Chloe's eyes pricked with tears. Could the Cupid statue and returning to the town change Drew? Maybe the bad boy was beginning to realize long lasting relationships mattered most in life. Not just fleeting fly byes in the night. Maybe, just maybe, soon, he would look at her with love in his eyes.

  The next day at the wedding reception, Drew watched his sister and sister-in-law tag team Chloe with the bouquet. Shadow aimed right for her and Kelsey played linebacker making certain no one had a chance but Chloe who looked mortified.

  Not only was everyone trying to put the two of them as the next engaged couple, but they acted like she should be thrilled she tamed the bad boy.

  They both knew that wasn't true, and in fact, Drew had already turned one girl down this afternoon. This new dating arrangement was still so new and fragile for them, they were fumbling their way through a major life event together. The women he went out with were well versed in what to expect.

  Chloe was different. It was one of the things that drew him to her. Before they left her house, she warned him just so they were clear, she wouldn't accept his hound dogging ways. If she even caught a glimpse of him flirting and carrying on with another woman, he would receive a swift kick in the rear and a resounding goodbye. The woman didn't play around.

  Her morals were simple. One man, one woman with a ring on her finger vowed to each other for a lifetime. A partnership she planned on lasting forever.

  While it seemed like a simple enough pledge, Drew was not s
ure he could uphold to her high standards. Shocking, he agreed with her and that's why he never pursued a real, honest relationship - his way everything was superficial.

  The only promises made lasted the night and not the rest of time.

  For his own good, he needed to change, but part of him resisted giving up his freedom. When a man took a wife, he made a vow to honor, protect, support her, and their children in sickness and health.

  In his line of work, examples of men who failed at that job miserably were too numerous to count. A lot of women failed as well. Nasty divorces, lunatic break-ups, and meanness the likes of which he'd never considered.

  If he promised a woman forever, he would die honoring those vows. The carefree playboy had no commitments except to himself. The husband had responsibilities to those he loved. Falling in love was harder than a quick tumble between the sheets.

  Walking over to where Chloe stood, taking pictures with the bouquet, he grinned at her. Standing beside Shadow, Chloe appeared stunning and he could imagine her in a lacy white dress. His chest squeezed and he reminded himself they were dating. Nothing more.

  "Poor girl," an older woman watching nearby said to her friend. "Absolutely, she has the worst luck with men. Always chooses the wrong one. And now that lawyer and her? He's a player chasing after the good girl."

  Yes, he pursued Chloe. No longer did he want to be known as the bad boy in town. Before his gigolo ways had been a status symbol, but now, he no longer wanted to be that guy. The local Othello.

  "I know," the other woman said. "Chloe was devastated when she caught Austin cheating on her. She'll soon find this one between some woman's legs."

  Drew fought the urge to defend himself against the old biddy, but realized he would come out looking like the loser. Taking a deep breath, he released it slowly, nothing should ruin his brother's big day.

  Finally, the photographer had enough and walked away. Drew stepped around the little old ladies wanting them to know he heard every word.

  "Hey, look at you," he said, approaching the woman he couldn't stop thinking about. Right now, she seemed a little frazzled and that surprised him. Always in the past, she'd been so certain of herself.