Cupid's Mistake (16 page)

They whispered the whispers of lovers and loved each other
by touch and by deed all through the night. When the dawn hovered on the brink
of a new day, she sprawled across his chest, perfectly exhausted, gloriously
wrecked. Utterly content.

Ben shifted her into his arms, but Allison barely registered
the move before sliding back into a comfortable doze with her back tightly
pressed to Ben's torso. Her bottom nestled snugly in the cradle of his lap, her
legs entwined with his, and her head pillowed on his arm. He stroked her hair
with his free hand while they watched the world lighten outside her window.

When the first birds began calling to the day, Ben tightened
his arms about her and dropped a kiss on her head.

"I have to tell you something, Allison," he said,
his voice a low rumble in her ear.

Her heart gave one hard kick at the thread of nerves she
heard beneath his words, but she shifted in his arms until she could look into
his eyes. His were serious, the green a deep, dark shadow in the dim light. She
couldn't read his expression.

Ben raised up on his elbow, putting more space between them,
and her nerves kicked harder. He was going to tell her he loved her. Finally,
finally. Words she'd never accepted—never wanted—from any other
man. Words she'd shared liberally with family and friends, but had never given
to a lover. She would say them to Ben.

Oh, God.

The importance of the moment shone with the radiance of a
million firecrackers going off all at once in her heart, and she bit the inside
of her cheek to prevent the tears from falling. Not yet. She wanted her gaze clear
when he told her, wanted to see the words reflected in his eyes.

Ben brushed the hair from her face with his free hand, then
trailed his fingertips over her cheek and across her lips. He kissed her there,
and cupped her face in his palm.

"Do you know what today is?" he asked, throwing
her. The day?

Hesitant, wondering what he was getting at, she said,
"Thursday?"

The corner of his mouth kicked up in that almost-smile she
loved so much, squeezing her heart in a painful vise. The long night of
lovemaking had left her emotions raw, vulnerable, much too close to the
surface.

"It's Valentine's Day."

"I—oh. I guess it is."

How could she have forgotten? She had an event later that
day, an anniversary cocktail party.

"It is. The first one in a very long time that I'd like
to celebrate. With you. Will you be my valentine, Alli?"

Warmth flooded her heart, along with a healthy dose of
relief. For a split second, she'd wondered if she'd read him all wrong and he
was about to leave her, his voice had been so serious. The smile that broke
over her face reflected in his eyes, brilliant and shining.

"Of course," she said, pulling him in for another
kiss. She traced the hard-pounding pulse at the base of his neck with her
fingertips, thrilled that his heart beat in time with hers.

"Good," he said when they broke apart. "Then
you can have your present."

"My present?" she said, mentally kicking herself.
"But I didn't get you anything."

Why hadn't she thought of that? But then, she hadn't
celebrated a Valentine's Day with a boyfriend since college. It hadn't even
been on her radar, other than as a day that tended to be good for business.

"Yes," he said, his gaze smoldering over her naked
body and shooting her pulse back to the stratosphere. "You did."

"Oh, did I?" Her eyebrows winged up in amusement.
Men were so easy. But still, her heart beat anxiously in her chest. Waiting for
the words.

Ben traced a finger between her breasts, a frown of
concentration on his brow. "I might need a second round to be sure."

"I think you mean ninth," she said, her grin
sitting smugly on her lips. Not that she'd been counting.

He laughed. "My mistake."

"Well, then, I definitely earned a present. What is
it?"

"You'll see. Hang on."

He pinched her bottom, then bounded out of bed like a
five-year-old on Christmas morning, all six-foot-seven of him. She hadn't seen
this playful side of Ben Turner before. He strode naked from the room, ducking
his head at the last moment to avoid cracking his skull on the doorframe, one
incredibly delectable specimen of manhood. But what was he up to?

Thirty-seconds later, Ben returned, a plain brown paper sack
in his hand. She started to scoot up in bed, but he waved her back down.
Climbing in to face her, his eyes full of secrets, he smoothed the frown from
between her brows with the tip of his finger. He must have hidden the gift in
her house at some point, he certainly hadn't had it with him last night. How
long had he been planning this surprise? Thoroughly confused, Allison waited,
her breath held.

"This isn't quite how I planned to do this," he
said, and Allison's heart rolled over.
Do what? Did he mean. . .
"I stashed this in the back of your wine cabinet
a week ago, waiting for the right time. I was going to do a whole thing. But
this feels right."

The bag rustled, and Allison closed her eyes briefly, too
many emotions fighting for dominance. Happiness, fear, anticipation,
nervousness.

Oh, God, oh, God, oh, God. . .

When he removed his hand from the bag, a lovely filigreed
locket hung from his fingers. A silent breath of relief won out over the
tiniest flash of disappointment. She'd been half afraid, half hoping, he was
about to propose to her. She would have said yes. She loved him, and she wanted
all of that, the whole package. Someday. And only with Ben. But not yet. Being
in love was so fresh and new, she wanted to savor each stage of the journey
with him, not rush pell-mell through the steps.

But she wanted the words.

Focusing on the locket, she said, "It's
beautiful."

His eyes traced the swinging bit of gold before shifting to
meet her gaze. "It was my mother's," he said.

Allison's heart simply dissolved.

"Oh, Ben," she said, her eyes misting as she
placed a hand against his cheek.

He turned his face into her palm, kissed her there, then
leaned into her hand as he looked at her. "It's not terribly
valuable," he said, and Allison thought,
You're wrong. It's everything
.

"It was the first gift my father ever gave her,"
he continued. "They started out with nothing, but they loved each other
and didn't care. My father made a fortune in the brief years they had before
they died. He bought her trunks full of expensive jewelry. It's all in a vault
at the bank. But this. . . this she wore every day. I never saw her without it.
I'd be honored if you'd wear it, Allison."

Wordless, Allison kissed him, trying to put every feeling
into the press of her lips against his. He brushed the dampness from her eyes,
and the smile he gave her was so full, so sweet, her heart swelled with love
almost too pure, too strong for a poor human heart to bear.

Ben spoke into her stunned silence. "Allison." He
wrapped her tightly in his arms, the locket clutched in his fist. "Some
people search for a lifetime to find that special one, wasting years in the
hopes of finding what I did on my first trip back into the dating world."

"I—"

He brushed a kiss against her lips. "I'm in love with
you."

His next kiss swallowed her sob. Those words, those
glorious, magical, incredible words. How could she have guessed the true power
they'd hold when uttered by the man she loved with all her heart?

"You make me happier than I ever thought I could
be," he said. "I know we haven't been together that long, but it's
been an intense few weeks. I know you. You know me. You make me happy, Allison.
Say you love me."

"Oh, Ben," she said. Brimming with joy, she rested
her hand against his cheek while her heart fluttered wildly in her chest.
"I love you. I do. It's crazy, but—"

"I don't care." He leaned up and she lifted her
hair out of the way as he clasped the locket around her neck. "It may be
crazy, but it's right."

Whispering the words to each other over and over, their
breaths mingled with their kisses, and their kisses deepened as they made love
for the first time with those words spoken between them. A promise and a prayer.

Their future spread before them, a golden vista full of
hope, shared dreams, and the joy that only comes with finding that special
someone and having the strength, the faith, and the courage to hold onto them
once found.

Through it all, through every sigh, and touch, every
whispered word, Allison's heart beat with gratitude. Because sometimes, Cupid's
arrow strikes the heart of a mistake. But sometimes, his aim is true.

EPILOGUE

Fifty-one years later. . .

"Happy anniversary, Grandma and Grandpa!"

"Here's to another fifty, Ben and Allison."

Allison's eyes misted as the toasts were made, Ben's arm
securely around her waist. Their friends and family spread before them on the
lawn of their home in Corona Del Mar, champagne glasses raised in their honor.
Children ran everywhere, laughing and shrieking like the gulls wheeling in the
sky.

It was a perfect day.

The sun shone brightly and the waves crashed as always,
providing the background music of their lives. The beach house had stood the
years with grace and style, thanks to constant maintenance and determination.
Not unlike herself and her husband of fifty years.

Oh, they were older now, wrinkled and grey, but there was
still plenty of kick left in their hearts and limbs. They'd proved their
youthfulness with a family trip to Costa Rica a few months ago, plenty of
hiking, kayaking, zip-lining and hang-gliding included. And they enjoyed it
regularly with the intensity of their lovemaking.

Dropping a kiss on her forehead, Ben stared into her eyes as
the rest of the party continued around them. The smiles they shared were
private in the midst of the public gaiety, as full of fun as they'd been from
the start.

"Put sunscreen on if you go down to the water,
love," he said, as he always did.

Ben kissed her temple again and squeezed her waist before
taking himself off for a game of catch with their grandchildren. She watched
his form across the lawn, as straight and steady as he'd been on their first
date all those years ago. Her fingers sought the locket resting in the hollow
of her throat, and the mistiness threatened to turn to real tears. Thankfulness
overwhelmed her, squeezed her heart with love.

Later, they would dance on the porch while their children,
grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and those of their friends, ate their
way through the spreads on the buffet tables in the garage.

Their oldest daughter, Brenda, had outdone herself with the
party decorations. Allison congratulated herself on that score. She'd made the
right decision in passing her event planning business into Brenda's capable
hands.

Through the open kitchen window at her back, Jeff's and
Greg's voices rumbled in low murmurs, counseling their grandson on his latest
girlfriend troubles. The boy was a heartbreaker. Every bit as handsome as Jeff
had been at his age, and just as determined to live life on his own terms.

On the beach, Mia and Derrick strolled arm in arm, two of
their granddaughters striding beside them. Allison wished for her camera, then
smiled to herself when she noted her youngest son capturing the moment for her
on the Nikon she and Ben had given him last Christmas.

It delighted her to have them all gathered to celebrate this
golden anniversary, all the more so to hold the event in the home she and Ben
had made and filled with love and laughter.

They'd had their share of hard times, of tears and tempers,
worries and woes. But the one constant had seen them through every tribulation
and increased the joy in every celebration—the love they held for each
other and the family they'd made together.

Cupid's Cavalry was no more. DeeDee had sold the business
and retired to Florida a decade ago, and the new owner had promptly run it into
the ground, not having DeeDee's business sense or her flair. But for Allison
and Ben, the dating service would always hold a special place in their hearts.

On this day, with the brightly sparkling 'Happy Fiftieth'
banners fluttering in the background, Allison whispered a special thank you for
the golden arrow blind Cupid had shot straight and true, forever joining the
hearts of a giant hobo and his high-maintenance party princess.

~THE
END~

COMPLETE
BOOK LIST

Did you enjoy
Cupid's Mistake
? Please consider leaving a review! They are very much
appreciated. Click the Buy Links below to purchase Chantilly's other titles, or
visit her website at
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for more information. Don't forget to keep reading for an excerpt from
Pearls
of Pleasure
!

Pearls
of Passion
 
http://www.amazon.com/Pearls-Passion-Contemporary-Short-ebook/dp/B007FL5LCO

Pearls of
Wisdom
 
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Pearls of
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Unwrapped
 
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EXCERPT
~ Pearls of Pleasure, by Chantilly White

REVIEW

"Chantilly
White has done it again with her
Pearls of Pleasure
. I have to echo the same sentiment of another
reviewer -
Pearls of Pleasure
is a wonderful addition to Ms. White's "pearl" stories -
Pearls
of Passion
and
Pearls
of Wisdom
. The story concept is
definitely interesting and unusual, you can't help but loving these characters,
and Ms. White pulls you deep into their story and has you rooting for them from
her opening page. A wonderful read all around. I definitely cannot wait for her
next book."