Playing Cupid
Page 24
The heat of his mouth met with mine as I leaned in to be closer to a feeling I never knew could exist. It was both safe and wild. Calm and completely dangerous. It engulfed my heart in flames, destroying what was left of the wall, and I could feel his heart meet the pace of mine as our chests pressed together.
Time stopped.
There was no one else.
Only us.
“How’d you get to be so smart?” he asked as he pulled back, his eyes warm.
“I may have had a little help.”
His smile reached ear to ear, his hazel eyes sparkling in the light. He held my face on either side and pulled my lips to his. I closed my eyes and fell into the comfort of the guy I’d somehow fallen in love with when I wasn’t paying attention. My heart thumped in my chest as it flipped around, every cell in my body responding to him.
Leaning down further, he deepened the kiss. He wrapped one arm around my waist while his fingers slid up the back of my head and tangled in my hair. For a split second, I felt his hesitation, tasted the fear that comes with putting your heart out there, the fear of potentially losing another someone close. I sensed his panic and longed to ease his trepidations. I ran my hands across his chest and held them over his heart. He settled into the touch, the tension easing under my fingertips.
We were no different, Jay and me. He was just as scared as I was. No, terrified. But we were together, and together we’d make it through anything. Amadeo had been right all along. Love could be simple, if humans just let it be.
When the kiss slowed, Jay lifted his head and caught my gaze. “So, what now?” he asked, his expression mirroring my own feeling of amazement.
“How ’bout we start simple,” I said, smiling. “Call me Meggo.”
He laughed and, catching my hand in his, led me to the booth.
“You know, for a minute, I was scared you might change your mind,” he said as I slid into my seat. “I thought you actually might bail.”
“Me? Bail? Never.” I paused. “It just took me a while to get here.”
And it was true. It’d taken me a while to get where I was. But I’d come a long way, and my heart was better for it. But that’s life, I suppose. You gotta take chances. Take risks. Put yourself on the line, lay it all out, and have faith that love will see you through no matter what. Like someone wise once said, nothing good has ever been easy.
And I wouldn’t change it for the world.
Epilogue
Amadeo slung his bow and quiver on his back and stretched his arms out wide. It’d been difficult to play injured the past couple of weeks, but this time, he knew it was imperative for his mission’s success. He pulled out his notebook and flipped to the last page where Jay Michaels was written in red calligraphy. Taking a pinch of glitter from his pocket, he sprinkled it over the script. The letters wavered and morphed until a new name appeared on the page.
Megan Cooper.
Smiling, he crossed it off with his pen in a broad stroke before tucking everything away.
“Well, even I have to admit, that was pretty clever,” a voice said from behind.
Amadeo smiled. “What’d you expect, Eros? Failure?”
Eros shrugged. “How did you know she’d come around?”
“Tsk, tsk. How can you be a direct descendant and still not understand that love is more powerful than anything in the universe? It’s like you don’t even try. You owe me a golden toaster, by the way.”
“No need to get snippy, Deo. You’ll get what’s yours. A bet is a bet, and I’m a cupid of my word.” Eros chuckled. “But getting hit by a car and faking the injury? That was brilliant. And the whole thing about being bound as your assistant? Where do you even come up with this stuff?”
“Just all part of the genius, my friend. Sometimes faith, love, and a little patience can really pay off.”
Swinging his arms in big circles in front of him, he knew he’d done the right thing. Not only that, but he’d won the bet with Eros and solidified his reputation in the realm. By Venus, he was good. He raised his stiff arms high above his head in victory as Megan and Jay kissed in the cafe.
“And that’s how you win the toaster!”
He let out a loud whoop, his voice ringing out to the heavens. Releasing his wings fully for the first time in nearly fourteen days, he gave them one mighty flap, lifting himself high into the sky. He soared upwards, heading back home at double speed, the wind working with him as he slipped through the fold in space leading up to his realm and leaving Eros far behind.
Acknowledgments
Playing Cupid has been a long time coming. I can absolutely say that this book would not be here today if it were not for Rebecca Carpenter and Kate Foster. Rebecca, you were the first set of critical eyes on this manuscript and you helped me understand what I needed to do to make it better. Kate, you have always been a champion for this book, and you gave me such sound advice and encouragement as I sought publication. You have been a fabulous boss, mentor, and friend. Working with and learning from you both is a gift I will forever be grateful for.
I’d also like to send a fabulous thank you to the entire Parliament House Press production team for all your time and attention to make this book a success. Shayne and Chantal, you are some rad people. And a special acknowledgment goes out to my editor, Jennia, for her unbridled enthusiasm and encouragement when I decided (at the last minute) to rewrite the first seven chapters. I knew it was crazy, and wasn’t even sure I could pull it off, but you stood with me and supported my artistic vision. You had my back every step of the way. Thank. You.
To all my readers. Thank you for coming along with me on this journey. Creating these stories would not be half as exciting if it weren’t for all of you.
To my mom, Carolyn, and my godmother and aunt, Debbie; my first readers when this book was just a short story. It’s come a long way, baby. Thank you for always lending a willing tablet to read my early stuff.
For my friend, Vicki-Ann. You always know what to say when I need to hear it. Thank you for listening to all my blabber when things are going (and not going) my way. We’re in this together to the end.
Megan and Jay. This thank you goes without saying. So I won’t. We can talk about it over dinner.
And finally, a big (and I cannot say this enough) thank you to my family, for dealing with all my nonsense, including, but not limited to...asking for off the wall opinions, reading random sentences and expecting you to know what I’m talking about, forgetting to eat and then complaining that I’m hungry, taking my laptop to non-laptop events, leaving my journals scattered around the house like glitter, and talking about my characters like they’re real people and then expressing frustration when you don’t know who they are. Your patience is appreciated.
About the Author
SC Alban has a degree in English Literature and a passion for all things quirky and humorous. She currently lives with her family, which includes one grumpy cat and three (terribly) lazy dogs, in an old Victorian farmhouse in the beautiful Pacific Northwest where she’s continuously on the lookout for the world’s best nachos, loitering outside of a local donut shop (Bavarian crème-filled ones are her favorite), or getting lost in bookstores.
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