Page 72 of Coveted By Cupid

“You said his name when I mentioned your ole man,” she says pointedly.

Annoyed, I throw my hands in the air. “I said his name because you meant Cupid.”

“Pretty sure you scholars call it a Freudian slip, psych gurl.”

“Whatever,” I grumble. “It doesn’t matter what I think. Nobody asks or cares for my opinion on anything that’s happened in the last few days, anyway.”

Marlene rolls her eyes. “Oh, please. Stop acting like you don’t get a say in any of this.”

Offended, I go on the defensive. “Acting? I’ve not been in control of anything that’s happened to me since meeting Cupid.”

She raises an eyebrow. “You’re telling me you haven’t been given an out at any point?”

“Nope,” I answer, folding my arms across my chest and shaking my head.

She gives me an Oh, come on look. “Think harder. I’ve known Cupid a long time. He’s not the kind of man who doesn’t give a woman a choice.”

Sighing, I replay the last few days in my mind: our first encounter at the garage, the race, finding him in my apartment, him talking about crossroads…

“You’re at a crossroads, Vanessa. One way this plays out is you telling me to fuck off, and I’ll honor your wish. The other way is you finally give in to me, and we both get what we want. Either path has no return, so choose wisely.”

Oh. My. God.

He’d given me an out, and I was too focused on him getting me off to pay his words any mind.

I close my eyes, groaning at my stupidity.

“Told you,” Marlene says, sounding smug.

“He rode into my life, causing a shit-ton of chaos and calling all the shots. I’m just along for the ride as a wary passenger,” I argue weakly, looking at her and hoping to find some trace of empathy with my situation.

“But the ride is worth it,” Marlene says, smirking before her face turns stoic. “Listen, I get things feel…messy right now. Give the relationship time to settle down before making any rash decisions.”

“Not like I have a choice. I have no place to go,” I mumble, motioning to my items blended in with everything of Cupid’s. “He made quick work of it, too.”

“Cupid is one of the best men I know. He may not give off cinnamon roll vibes like my Oaks, but he cares about this crew—his family—deeply. For him to want to make you a part of his life is massive for him. He doesn’t just let anybody into his orbit, and definitely not this fast.”

I believe her, especially after recalling Cupid telling me he hasn’t been with another woman in a couple of years. He keeps his circle tight and his choice in a partner even tighter.

“You’ll never have to worry about his loyalty or chasing fender bunnies for funziez. If he’s picking you, it’s because he’s chosen you as his person and no one else. Cupid is not a man who has had relationships in the past or fucks whoever walks into his view.”

“Why hasn’t he been in any committed relationships before? Does he have something against relationships?”

“Not at all. He’s always been the matchmaker of the crew, long before he was assigned this chapter. He has a real knack for setting couples together who withstand the test of time and often gives great relationship advice,” Marlene says. “It’s why the club named him Cupid.”

My brows pull together, having a hard time picturing Cupid as a dating coach. “Really?”

“Really. Hell, if he hadn’t convinced Oaks to go for me, I’m not sure if Oaks would’ve had the balls to do it himself, and I might not be talking to you today.”

“Is his reason for not being with someone more of a those who can’t, teach scenario?”

“Naw. He’s very selective to where the crew was certain he’d never find his person without lowering his standards. He told Oaks once that if his chest didn’t flutter like a butterfly the moment he laid eyes on a woman, she wasn’t the one for him. You must make his chest flutter, or you wouldn’t be here.”

Absorbing her words, I can’t help but look over my shoulder at the butterfly canvas on the wall. Could I really be the one for him?

Marlene is cracking through my thick barriers, getting to the heart of the concerns I could not address with Cupid. My record of keeping a steady relationship with a partner who has not cheated on me is in the toilet. I’ve kept the bar in hell for so long that raising the bar to the high level Cupid has put it at seems short-lived given my relationship history.

I pick at my nails nervously, asking, “Don’t you think we’re moving too fast?”