A Little Bit Cupid: A Collection of Short Stories Read online

  A Little Bit Cupid

  A Collection of Short Stories

  Melissa Belle

  Melissa Brown

  Lea Coll

  JH Croix

  Anna Edwards

  Bailie Hantam

  Tracey Jerald

  Leigh Lennon

  Stacey Lewis

  Jodi Linton

  Bethany Lopez

  Kayti McGee

  S. Moose

  Dani René

  Lauren Smith

  Jen Talty

  A Little Bit Cupid

  A Collection of Short Stories

  Copyright © 2020 Lady Boss Press

  All Rights Reserved

  This book may not be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission from the author. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. All characters and storylines are the property of the author and your support and respect is appreciated. The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Cover Art: Jen Talty

  Published by Lady Boss Press, Inc.

  Contents

  Introduction

  Wild Valentine

  I’ve Just Seen A Face

  Swept Away

  Crash Into You

  Easy Prom

  Their First Chance

  The Perfect Proposal

  Three Hearts

  Wrong For Me

  Date Night

  Cupcakes & Macaroons

  Vitamin D

  Falling Fast With You

  Breaking the Rules

  Cocktail

  It’s Always Been You

  Coming from Lady Boss Press

  About the Author

  Lady Boss Press is delighted to introduce you to sixteen short stories written by some of our very talented authors!

  Coming in the Spring of 2020, you’ll be able to read novels by some of these and other authors as a part of Kristen Proby’s Boudreaux Universe!

  Be sure to visit ladybosspress.com to stay up to date on news and information.

  And if you’re an author who could like to submit your work for consideration, please do so through the website.

  Wild Valentine

  Wild Valentine

  A Wild Men Story

  By Melissa Belle

  Wild Valentine

  Copyright © 2020 by Melissa Belle

  All Rights Reserved. This book may not be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission from the author. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. All characters and storylines are the property of the author and your support and respect is appreciated. The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Chapter One

  Bella

  “Mile high club?” Ayden shoots me a sexy half-grin from his first-class seat next to me.

  “No,” I say immediately.

  We’re at cruising altitude on our way to an awards show in Las Vegas. It’s the biggest industry event of the year for singers, songwriters, and musicians, and I’m nervous as hell. I’ve been nominated twice this year, and while I’m excited for the event, I’m also super shy. Walking the red carpet and having cameras in my face always terrifies me.

  Ayden knows this. And he knows I need to relax. So, he always comes up with new ways to help me out. Example A—an invitation to have sex in a cramped bathroom. On a plane.

  “Bella…” He draws out my name and his gorgeous, ocean-blue eyes shine wickedly as he runs a hand through his messy, dark hair. His handsome face wears a familiar teasing expression, and I immediately know what he’s about to say next.

  I try to stop him. “Ayden, I’m so stressed about the awards show. I just don’t think this is a good idea…”

  “I dare you.”

  There it is.

  Those three words he knows will get me.

  I dare you.

  Ayden and I started our “I Dare You” game when we were kids. It began as a way to conquer a problem without letting our fears paralyze us from going after what we wanted.

  And despite the fact that we’re now adults, neither of us has ever refused a dare. We take it as a challenge, and we’ve both always been pretty competitive. But the main reason we’ve never declined a dare from each other is bigger than any desire to win. It’s trust. We trust each other, and I know Ayden only dares me when he thinks I really need it—to move forward, to heal, to get something I want. I do the same for him.

  So I know what he’s doing right now. He’s daring me to let go in private before I have to step out in public and sing a song that’s so personal to both of us. I desperately want to do well tonight. And I’m shaking at the thought of it.

  “Why will the mile high club help me?” I ask him.

  “Because.” He leans in and his hot breath on my neck makes me shiver. “I’ll make sure you let go. And you know what else?”

  I’m already caving. “What?”

  He takes both of my shaking hands in his firm ones. “I’ll make sure you feel so good you won’t be nervous anymore. I guarantee you’ll nail your performance.”

  I squeeze my thighs together. “But we’ve already joined that club in the past. Twice if I recall. Remember?”

  Now he peppers kisses along my jaw and down my neck. And crap, he’s giving me chills. Turned-on, lighting-me-up chills. “You’re worth multiple trips to the club, babe.” He lazily continues to drag his lips along my jaw before he teases my mouth with a light, feathery kiss.

  Trying to ignore the coiling in my belly, I hold tightly onto his hands. “You’re trying to persuade me,” I say as I lock eyes with him. It’s like staring into an endless ocean of blues and greens. “And it won’t work.”

  But my nipples harden, and my cotton bra and thin cami do nothing to hide them.

  “Really?” Ayden’s gaze goes to my chest. “It’s not working?”

  “Ayden,” I say quietly. “People are going to be staring at me. As I walk down the aisle to the bathroom, they’ll be whispering about the woman with the hard nipples. Not to mention that they might recognize me.”

  While I’m not exactly Taylor Swift recognizable in the world of singer-songwriters, I do get asked for selfies and autographs on occasion, a fact that never ceases to amaze me.

  “That’s what’s great about flying first class. It’s only half full, and everyone in our section is asleep. No one will notice you. And as for your hard nipples…” Ayden slides his mouth over mine again, kissing me a bit harder this time. “I’ll lend you my sweatshirt.”

  “Oh, how chivalrous.”

  And that’s how, five minutes later, I walk down the aisle wearing Ayden’s sweatshirt. I slip inside the vacant restroom and shut the door but don’t lock it.

  Not more than a minute after, Ayden joins me.

  “That was too fast!” I whisper. “The flight attendants could have noticed.”

  “No one’s paying attention. The flight attendants aren’t around right now. It’s the perfect time.”

  I pull him closer for a kiss. “Then, get over here and tou
ch me.”

  He helps me pull his sweatshirt up and over my head, making sure to kiss my neck along the way. Then, he drags the strap of my cami and bra off my shoulder. He moves aside my bra cup and latches onto my pebbled nipple.

  “Oh, God, Ayd.” I arch my back as he sucks harder. “That feels so good.”

  “That’s the idea, B.” He drags his teeth over the sensitive bud, and I bite back on a moan.

  I’m so turned on right now. How did I get this turned on so fast? My husband and I have been together for years, and he still knows exactly how to drive me wild.

  His hand slides below the elastic of my yoga pants, and he finds me wet and swollen.

  “Fuck.” He runs his finger through my core. “You feel amazing.”

  I tug at his t-shirt, and he obliges me by reaching behind his head and pulling his shirt up and off.

  For a second, I’m speechless as I stare at his bare torso. Ayden’s in better shape now than he was when we first started dating, something I wouldn’t have thought possible.

  “All that landscaping work you do has its benefits,” I say as I drag my hands up his rock-hard abs and across his ridiculously-muscled chest.

  He chuckles. “That’s my sole purpose for working,” he teases me.

  I lean in and lick his nipple. “It could be,” I mumble into his skin. “You could model underwear as a side job.”

  “I think I’ll pass on that,” he says. “You’re the only person I want to take off my clothes for.”

  “That makes me very happy, actually.” I release the button on his jeans and reach into his boxer briefs. His thick length greets me, and I stroke him until he’s trying to stifle his groans against my neck.

  “Hurry,” I beg him.

  “Oh, are you ready?” he asks with a smile playing around his lips.

  I nip his bottom lip. “Of course I’m ready! You always make sure of that.”

  “Damn right I do.” He slides his tongue inside my mouth and kisses me so thoroughly I’m limp when he pulls back.

  Before I’ve recovered, he bends me over the sink, sliding my yoga pants down my legs.

  “No panties, huh?” He gives my ass a light slap. “Were you thinking we’d end up where we are right now? Fucking in the bathroom?”

  I shake my head as he lines up behind me and I feel his hard cock graze against me.

  “No, I just wanted to be comfortable for our flight.”

  “Being comfortable is good.” His hot breath blows against my ear, and I shiver. “You sure you’re ready for this?”

  He pushes inside me just an inch, and I bite down on my lip to stop the moan from coming out.

  “I’m ready,” I say. “But I’m afraid I’ll make noise when I come.”

  “Turn your head.”

  When I do, he catches my mouth with his. His kiss is urgent and passionate as he drives his cock all the way inside me in one hard thrust.

  I moan into his mouth, but his kiss swallows down the sound. And, he doesn’t let up. He drives in and out of in me relentlessly, hitting that spot inside of me that only he can touch.

  I come so hard I see stars.

  Ayden swallows my screams and kisses me through his own release. He holds onto my hips as he drives into me all the way through his orgasm.

  “Jesus, Bella.” He kisses my neck tenderly. “You always blow my fucking mind.”

  As he pulls out of me and we go about making ourselves presentable to leave the restroom, I put my hand on his arm.

  “I love you, Ayd.”

  “I love you, too.” His eyes search mine. “You okay?”

  I nod. “You were right. This did help with my nerves. I’m just emotional is all.”

  “I know.”

  I know he does.

  We don’t talk about our pregnancy failures often. But every month that I’m late, we get hopeful, and this month, I’m over a week late. So, I’m hopeful again. Cautiously hopeful. And he would never say it, but I know Ayden is, too.

  He takes my face in his hands. “You’ll always have me, Bella. No matter what, we’ve got each other. Okay?”

  I stand on my toes so I can give him a kiss.

  I mean for it to be quick, but I’m still emotional, and so is he. He kisses me deeply, and it’s filled with everything we’ve shared—the love and the lust and the pain and the joy—it’s us over the last four years together. We’ve experienced so many blessings and so much success. Our marriage is filled with unconditional love, trust, and happiness. Only one thing has marred our experience, and it’s something we’ve stopped talking about for the most part.

  Not every couple is blessed with a pregnancy and a child. Not every woman is successful with fertility treatments. And after all of that loss, sometimes a couple just needs to accept the gifts they do have and let the rest go.

  Because Ayden and I are lucky. We have lots of nephews and nieces to shower with love. We have an amazing family to support us. And most importantly, we have each other.

  I think about the unused pregnancy test in my purse.

  I should wait to take it until after the show tonight.

  I can’t take it now anyway. My purse is back at my seat.

  But, once I get to Vegas, I could take it then.

  Chapter Two

  Bella

  It’s hotter than sin under these lights.

  And while I love this song—I love to sing, period—I’m just not feeling it tonight. Despite that fact, I managed to shake off the last of my nerves before I stepped onto the stage and, like Ayden promised, I’ve nailed my performance. I look straight at him in the audience as I hit the last note perfectly, and he stands immediately and cheers. I do a final riff on my guitar before waving to the crowd and ducking backstage.

  The next presenter stands out on an adjacent stage and reads off the nominees for Best Song that—for the first time in my career—includes me.

  I’m nominated for a Golden Gem Award, the most prestigious in the singer-songwriter community. My song ”Someday” is something I wrote last year and released on a whim as a single without an album backing it up. Listeners related to it, and it climbed up the charts, giving me my first Top 10 hit.

  The presenter tears open the envelope and leans into the microphone. “And the winner is…Bella Wild!”

  I’m numb with excitement as I make my way over to the stage to accept the award. I look out into the crowd of people, and I freeze, having no idea what to say. But then I lock eyes with Ayden, his gaze intently on me. He winks at me, and the words come.

  “This song is for anyone who’s struggling with a dream,” I say softly. The next words get caught in my throat, and I have to force them out, “Sometimes, we don’t know when or how our dream will come true. I wrote this about my struggle, but I wrote it for all of you, to let you know that we’re all in this together, and if we keep trying, life has a funny way of working out.” I say the next part directly to Ayden, “To my husband and best friend, for always having my back and never giving up on me. With you by my side, I never feel alone.”

  I thank my family and all of Lucky Bay, Maine, as well as my fans and my label, and then I hurry backstage before I start crying on live television.

  * * *

  Ayden

  Bella’s off. And I don’t mean musically. Her song was exquisite, and she hit every note. And she looks beautiful as always. Her long blond hair is styled with some knot or something on top of her head, and her stage makeup shows off her amazing hazel eyes. The knee-length purple dress she’s wearing fits her model figure to a glove. I can’t take my eyes off of her. But she could be wearing a t-shirt and cut-offs and I’d feel the same way. I’ve never been able to take my attention off of Bella.

  But as I watch her, I can tell something in her body language isn’t right.

  Especially when she accepts her award. Her voice is shaking and not from nerves. Yes, she’s always shy when she’s public speaking, but it’s something else.

  She�
�s carrying some pain around with her on stage, and I haven’t been alone with her to find out what it is.

  I’m not sure when things changed, because she seemed fine when we walked the red carpet together. She always hates being interviewed, and as usual, she was relieved when the reporter brought me into the conversation.

  We were laughing when we got to our seats because my phone was already lighting up with one text after another from my best friend, Peter, and my cousins. Each text gave me more shit than the last one about what I looked like on screen, and how come I didn’t shout them out, blah, blah, blah.

  Bella and I spent the first five minutes firing back a few pointed replies together. Then, the show started, and Bella presented an award before she had to go change and prepare for her performance.

  And then she sang her heart out, and won the biggest award of her career.

  Yet, she looks like she’s about to burst into tears.

  She’s the most important person in my life, the only woman I’ve ever loved, and I hurt when she does.

  I want to rush the stage and make her pain go away. But that’s obviously a bad idea. So, I wait until Bella disappears backstage, and then I exit my seat. I need to get to her dressing room and find out what’s going on.