Stealing Cupid's Bow Read Free Page A

should expect is for my life to be one long string of love affairs?”
    “Love affairs. There you go again. Love is an old-fashioned idea. I believe ‘fling’ or ‘hookup’ are the more modern terms.”
    She couldn’t help but laugh. He was charming even while saying things she disagreed with. “No it’s not,” she insisted, on to the game now. “It’s what everyone wants in life. Everyone.”
    “Well then how would you account for the rising divorce rate? How do you explain all those people who say they fell out of love with someone else? I mean, if they were truly in love before why do they just throw it all away? Isn’t it worth fighting for? You’d think they would stick it out if it was really worth it,” he said in a challenging tone.
    So, the man liked a good debate. He seemed to be baiting her and she found she kind of liked it. He had a way of keeping the tone light while still saying what he really meant. He also listened when she spoke. In fact, he was patiently waiting for her answer.
    “People do fight for it,” she insisted. “I’ve seen it. And I have given a lot of thought as to why the divorce rate is rising the way it is. I think everyone should think about it, about what’s going wrong. The only way to not become a part of the statistic is to learn from other people’s mistakes.” If he wanted a silly debate, why not rise to the occasion?
    “So you think that will fix it?”
    He had the clearest blue eyes and his cheeks had strong planes, the kind found on male models in fashion magazines. There was the barest cleft in his chin, something she’d always thought was sexy. She caught the scent of his cologne, an intoxicating mix of things she couldn’t place. But it was that warm, male aroma. The kind that, if she caught a hint of it on a pillow, was entirely capable of making her long for its owner.
    He gave a small smile as if in challenge.
    Even though he irritated her a little bit she couldn’t help but smile back. Feeling a little light-headed, she decided to tease him back a bit. Lowering her voice, she said in a conspiratorial tone, “No. That’s not the only thing. You know, now that I think of it, not very much has changed about people or marriage in the last thousand years. So, there can only be one thing going on. Only one thing that really needs fixing.”
    He cocked his head the slightest bit when she paused, an amused look on his face as though he was vastly entertained by her.
    She took the plunge and said with mock seriousness, “Cupid has been slacking off. He’s not doing what he’s supposed to be doing.”
    For a moment his blue eyes widened in surprise, and then he laughed at her. “Cupid? You mean that little baby with the wings who goes around shooting love darts at people? That’s your answer? No, you’re right, I take it back. It must be the fault of some ancient god.”
    She laughed along with him, feeling cheerful now. Sticking firmly with her side of the debate, she continued, “Yes, he’s probably sitting somewhere on his lazy ass, eating grapes and slacking off on his job. Isn’t that what all those gods do? I tell you, if I ever meet him, I’m going to give it to him.” She punched her fist into her hand for emphasis. “And then I’m going to give him a piece of my mind. I mean who the heck thought to put a man in charge of people falling in love anyway? What do men know about love?”
    The plane suddenly hit a very rough patch of turbulence. Raine sucked in a breath as it dipped sickeningly, shuddered, and then rose again. Passengers let out startled shrieks. She clutched the armrests. Looking out the window she could see there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Strange, must have been a random gust of wind….
    As the plane leveled out and flew smoothly again, she eased her clench on the armrests. Alexander looked undisturbed, which she found odd.
    “Turbulence,” he said.
    He must be a hardened flyer. He wasn’t ruffled at all.
    The flight