redeeming cupid 01 - struck by eros (5 page)

“Always.” Only one topic of conversation would turn this evening around. “Now, can we talk about our wedding?”

Our meals came, and I picked at the sauce-covered meat, not really a fan of veal, and moved on to the noodles and green veggies instead. Len and I worked to repair the damage my tardiness and Tara and Angelo’s visit had done, but the conversation seemed stilted and forced. My heart wasn’t invested in planning a wedding when the bride was supernaturally bound to another man. Hell, knowing my luck, I’d be standing at the altar and Zeus would send a bolt of lightning to strike down my cheating ass.

Maybe I could convince him to aim that bolt at Grayson and Cupid, and zap them out of my life forever.

Four

Up Yours, Cupid

At exactly 11 a.m., I wandered into a popular campus coffee shop, and searched among the many multi-cultured individuals that made up the student body of San Diego State University for Grayson. In the center of the crowded room I found him. He filled one seat of a two-top table, the other occupied by a petite brunette with hair so long and wavy I hoped she was sporting some extensions, because hair that gorgeous didn’t happen without some kind of cosmetic intervention.

Instead of interrupting what looked to be a titillating conversation, I took one of the last vacant seats at the counter. Far away from her enamored giggling, hair tossing, and vomit-inducing flirting. College girls. When would they realize the ditzy routine wouldn’t get them anything but a one-night stand and a venereal disease?

A display of sugar-coated pastries sat to my right, an empty chair to my left, both preferable to listening to Grayson charm her thong off. I spun a spoon in my pomegranate tea, waiting for a red arrow to appear over one of the other patrons. There was a bright side to my day. Len taught in the Department of Economics, three buildings down. I planned to surprise him between classes.
After
I finished Cupid’s bidding.

My many not-so-white lies had kept me up most of the night. Len deserved more. I needed to make it up to him. Too bad I had to wait for our soul mates to make an appearance before I could move on to the more important portion of my day. Sucking up.

The clueless brunette grabbed Grayson’s hand and wrote something on his palm in black Sharpie. Phone number? Bra size? Winning Lotto numbers? He gave her his dazzling I’m-a-horny-hunk smile.

She kissed the cause of all my problems on the cheek, and then tottered off in her wedges. To my surprise, Grayson didn’t spare a moment glancing at her wiggling backside. He searched the room until he found me, then motioned me over.

I made him wait.

When her chair had cooled off, I snatched my cup off the black-granite counter and wandered over. “New girlfriend?” I sat on the opposite side of the table, and took a sip of my cranberry-colored beverage.

 “Jealous?”

I spun tiny cyclones in my drink. “Not a chance.”

“I’ll have to work harder.”

“You’ll be working until you die.”

Grayson’s smile wilted and he leaned back in his chair. I propped an elbow on the table. My only plans for today were kissing Len’s ass and making Grayson’s morning miserable. Part two of the plan was in full effect.

The door chimed, a happy ding announcing a new costumer. Grayson smacked my arm and knocked it off the table. “Red’s here. Geeky professor type the college girls must swoon over. He could use some time in the gym, but he’s got a nice ass. Lose the glasses, remove a little hair product, and he’s pretty good looking. Looks like it’s your lucky day. A Scenario Eight.”

Sounded like Grayson wanted a date with our Scenario Eight himself.

The idea that today’s connection wouldn’t require more than a bump and nudge brightened my gloomy morning. But one look at that morning’s love match and a dark cherub-shaped cloud poured all over that brief moment of brightness.

A dark red arrow floated high in the air. I followed its pointy tip down to the head of our Scenario Eight. Familiar not-a-place-out-of hair. Deep-brown eyes. Comfortably worn, college-professor blazer. Not just any Scenario Eight. My Scenario Eight.

Len.

Dynamite detonated. Exploded in my heart. Aftershocks rocked my brain.

NO.

Rush to Len.

Hurry. Hurry. Hurry.

Grab him. Save him. Save us. Save myself.

But I didn’t run to Len. Didn’t fight. Didn’t do anything but jump up from the table and push out a panicked, “Be right back,” hoping Grayson didn’t notice the pain on my face.

Rushing into the bathroom, I collapsed on the beige toilet, sucked in some deep breaths to calm my jittery nerves. I twirled the engagement ring around my finger. The smaller stones on the side of the band caught the light and mocked me with their brilliance.

This couldn’t be happening. Len belonged with me. We’d been together before Cupid waylaid my life. Before Grayson. Before soul mates. Before weeks of deceit. Things weren’t ideal, but we were happy. In love. Engaged. We were the end game. Not Len with someone else and certainly not Grayson and me. Didn’t it matter that I had been with Len before the arrow struck?

Arrow.
I rushed to the mirror, breath held prisoner in my lungs, praying that the matching arrow bobbed over my head. A quick peek. Bupkis. My head and shoulders slumped, and my breath
whooshed
out.

A sharp knock sounded on the door, and then Grayson’s voice drilled through the solid wood. “Hey sunshine. Stop messing around and let’s find this guy’s soul mate. I’ve got a dentist appointment in an hour.”

Here, let me quickly hand my heart to someone else, so you can get your teeth whitened.

Hiding in the bathroom to avoid what waited for me in the other room wouldn’t solve the problem. If I stayed missing in action, Grayson would make the connection without me. I couldn’t let that happen. I needed time. A plan. Divine intervention.

I steeled my spine, unlocked the door, and yanked it open. “Wouldn’t want to keep you from anything important.” I slipped past him, pushed my hair over my shoulder, head tilted up, shoulders squared. On the outside I looked confident, in control. On the inside, a small tornado tore apart my insides.

Grayson grabbed my arm and spun me around so fast I had to put my hand on his chest—that strong, chiseled, masculine chest…STOP!— to keep from falling over. “Is there something wrong?” His left eyebrow rose to his hairline, but his voice was soft and caring, irritating.

“Upset stomach.” The words spilled out fast. I pushed his hand off my arm and walked back to the table.

My fiancé stood at the counter, placing his order. The red arrow bobbed over his head like Cupid’s middle finger.

He paid, stood off to the side, and waited for his usual chai tea, focused on his phone. They called his name and he took his cup, turning in my direction. He couldn’t miss me. Or Grayson. Who now stood next to me, clueless to the drama about to play out.

Len spotted me and his smile lit up my heart. He crossed the busy shop and stopped at our table.

“Noel.” He gave me a long, lingering kiss on the cheek. “What a surprise.”

“How’s your day been?” My words sounded chipper. Fake.

“Better now.” He brought my hand to his lips and kissed my knuckles. “What are you doing on campus?”

“I had business.” I ignored Grayson, hoping Len wouldn’t notice him hovering behind us. “Then I was hoping to steal you away for lunch.”

“It’s a date.” Len pulled out my chair and waited for me to sit. I fell into my seat before my legs gave out and dumped me on the floor. Instead of sitting down, Len inclined his head toward Grayson. “Friend of yours?”

“Um.” My past-the-due-date pause hinted at my guilt. “Yes. I mean no.” I pointed to Grayson. “He’s my co-worker.” After last night, I purposely didn’t say Grayson’s name.

My partner took care of my slight. Grayson held out his hand to the man I hoped he would never meet. “Grayson Adler. Nice to meet you.”

Len took Grayson’s hand and while they shook, he took in every inch of Grayson’s chiseled chin, beyond-blue eyes, supple, sensual mouth. Features that would make the most secure man jealous. “You’re Noel’s co-worker. I’m Len, her fiancé.” There was a slight emphasis on the last word.

Nervous energy made my knees bounce under the table, and my insides hollowed. The rest of this conversation would determine how long our engagement lasted. Let’s see if Grayson had a heart buried under his perfect pecs.

Grayson’s lips pressed flat before turning into a wicked smile. A smile I knew well. A smile he used when we were in bed together. A smile that told me he planned on having a good time tormenting me. He settled into the chair across from me. “Must be a new engagement. Noel hasn’t mentioned it.”

My knee jerked, knocking into the bottom of the table, causing everything to rock.

Liar, liar, Cupid’s dirty diaper on fire.

“I asked her two days ago.” Len lifted my left hand and showed Grayson the ring, his finger rubbing my knuckle. “After two years, I figured it was time.”

Grayson’s gaze dropped to our entwined fingers. “Two years. You must know everything about each other.”

If we were in court, I would have yelled objection for leading the witness.

Grayson turned his attention to me. “I’m surprised you didn’t tell me the exciting news at work yesterday.”

“Yesterday? You didn’t mention you were with him yesterday when his name came up?” Len’s voice was filled with more disapproval than my Dad’s when I told him I was going to art school.

I wrapped my arms around my stomach to stop my breakfast from making a second appearance.

Grayson drummed his finger on the tabletop, and I swear I heard the beat to “
Your Cheating Heart
.” I wanted to take my spoon and shove it down his throat.

My fingernail scratched across the arm of the plastic chair. I didn’t want to say anything in front of Grayson. Give him any more ammunition to use against my relationship, but Len’s furrowed brow and pinched lips clearly said I better have a good explanation. “You were already mad. I thought if I told you it would only make things worse.”

“So instead you made it seem like you never see him?” He placed his hands on his thighs. “Even though two random people in a restaurant, who obviously thought you were more than co-workers, saw you together at a cafe? Then today I just happen to run into the two of you together?”

It looked like that cemetery’s worth of skeletons I wanted to reveal when Len proposed to me was about to rip out of their graves. I opened my mouth to explain myself, but lacked the words.

Grayson stopped tapping. “What couple?”

“Tara and Angelo.” Len spoke before I had a chance.

“Our first job together.” He stretched out his legs, nice and relaxed.

Len’s eyes tick-tocked between us. “How long have you been working together?”

Grayson looked at me as if asking me what I wanted him to say. Very unusually considerate of him, but this wasn’t his mess to clean up. “Only a few weeks,” I answered.

“And most of the time, it’s just a quick job. We hardly spend any time together,” Grayson added.

“Is that true, Noel?” Len’s voice had softened, but a hint of jealousy still added a hard edge to his words. Once again I wished we were tucked away in the privacy of our home having this conversation, but that’s what I got for letting all this linger and fester.

I tugged his arm to pull him down into the seat next to me. At first he stiffened, but then he finally followed my lead. “Yes. Like I told you last night, Grayson is nothing to me.” My voice was low, hoping to keep this between us and not the prying ears across the table.

It didn’t work. Grayson sat up straight, crossing his arms over his chest. I refused to look in his direction or give him any attention.

Len put his arm around my shoulders. “I’m sorry. Guess I was still a little sore about how last night ended up.”

“It’s understandable.” I rubbed his leg through his pants. “That’s why I wanted to do lunch today.”

The door dinged and Grayson nudged my leg under the table, cutting off any more public displays of affection.

I looked up and Len’s matching red arrow floated over a woman in black-lycra, running pants and a sports bra. The sweat on her six-pack abs only made her look sexier. She tucked her stylishly short, blonde hair behind her ear and adjusted her ear buds while waiting in line.

My heart flip-flopped and landed in a puddle of despair.

I quickly glanced at Len to see if he noticed, but he had his nose buried in his phone, checking emails. When he finished, he tweaked the tip of my nose. “I’ll be right back.” He left in the direction of the bathrooms and the opposite direction of his soul mate.

“Are you all right?” Grayson leaned across the table and placed his hand on mine. His usual cocky grin replaced with a pity-filled frown.

The shake of my head started out slow, as if I was unsure, but picked up speed when I finally realized I wasn’t all right. Not even a little bit. Not even at all.

“Maybe you should go home. It’ll be an easy set up, I can handle it on my own.”

If I left now, Grayson would push Len in Little-Miss-Lycra’s direction and then I would lose the man I loved. Could I handle life without Len? Life without Len meant putting my heart out there. Opening myself up to more hurt. Len wouldn’t hurt me. He was safe and secure and comfortable and uncomplicated. That’s why I wasn’t leaving.

“I’m fine.” I spun the ice in my drink faster and faster to conceal how un-fine I actually was.

Grayson studied Len’s matching arrow while she waited for her order. “At least she’s pretty.”

“So am I.”

“She’s available. You’re not.”

“You don’t know that,” I interrupted, looking for any reason why she wasn’t the better woman for Len. “And even if she is available, Len’s engaged to me.” I pointed to Len’s intended with my spoon. “Cupid made a mistake putting you and me together, maybe she’s a mistake, too.”

Grayson’s finger inched closer to mine, but I put my hands in my lap before we touched. He pulled his hand back and let out an almost silent laugh, but not silent enough that I didn’t notice his amusement. “So, typical Scenario Eight. I follow her when she leaves and stall her. You bring Len out. We make sure they bump into each other and
pow
.” He clapped his hands together. “They’re connected.”