“You didn’t want me to stay the night again,” I say shyly.
“I had a bad day at work, one of the worst I’ve had in a while, and I didn’t want to burden you with it. I’m my own worst enemy when it comes to something that I consider a failure. When the souls don’t want to move on, I take it personally and it eats away at me. I didn’t want you to have to deal with my mood, or complaining. That was a mistake, I realize that now. I didn’t understand that part of having a partner is being allowed to express yourself, no matter the emotion.”
“Always, Mors. I don’t expect you to always be the shoulder to lean on, never,” I tell her and she smiles.
“What do you say we get out of here, sweet cupid?”
“If you guys have any friends who are willing to move to Ireland,” the Earth Nymph says, and I turn over my shoulder to glare at her. “Right, okay. Well, don’t forget I helped you build your self-confidence, cupid.”
My glare subsides. But I’ve been through too much to grant her forgiveness right away. Maybe there’s a slight petty streak in all cupids.
I take Mors’ hand as she pops us back into her apartment.
Mors’ hands are on my face as soon as our feet hit the ground.
“I can’t believe you thought this was all luck.”
“I never said I wasn’t a stupid cupid.”
“My stupid cupid,” she whispers, her hands drifting up to tug on my curls. “That’s as long as you aren’t having revolutionary thoughts about Eros anymore.”
I glare at her, and she smiles.
“I think I need some revolutionary words of my own. My ego is hurt, little cupid.”
“I think it will survive,” I say, grabbing her hips.
“You said and I quote ‘take me home, to my love nest, with the stupendous Eros by my side.’ You can’t blame a reaper for feeling jealous,” she says, even though I know she’s trying really hard not to laugh.
“Which one of them told you? Love or Death?”
She shrugs her shoulders and I grip her hips harder.
“You need words?” I ask her and she arches a brow at me.
“Yes, don’t you?” she replies.
I lick my lips and nod, knowing that I need her words of affirmation just as much as she needs mine.
“I’m falling in love with you and it’s terrifying. No one has ever made me feel so special and sometimes it’s scary. I feel like I’ve been my best self since I’ve met you and I can only imagine how amazing our future can be the more time we spend together. I want you, only you, your good days and your bad days,” I say, and look up to see her glossy brown eyes.
Her lips meet mine, the kiss reinforcing every feeling I just said, until she pulls away.
“I was falling for you before I ever knew you. You make my world brighter, and you’re the happiest part of my day. You make me proud to be your girlfriend, and if you’ll let me, I plan on showing you just how special you are for the rest of our very long lives.”
This time, I grab the back of her neck and bring our lips together. This is a far deeper kiss, one filled with promises anddesire. Nothing besides our lust and interest in one another brought us to this point—well, besides a little meddling from a small cupid and some lies from an Earth nymph.
But this? This overwhelming feeling of being content and cared for? That’s all us, no magic arrows, no lucky charms. Mors wants me for me, and I want her for the same reason in return.
Her one hand is cradled in my hair as the other grabs a fistful of my ass, making me moan into her mouth. She’s walking us backwards to her bed until the back of my legs hit the frame.
“I think it’s time to show you how lucky you are, sweet cupid,” Mors says sweetly, before pushing me back, my body bouncing against the mattress.
“I’m going to make a fucking mess out of you, sweet cupid. Then I’m going to let you please me. You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” I say as I tug off her ridiculous pink shoes.
“I want to touch you.”
“When you’ve earned it,” I tell her softly, losing my patience with all the clothes.
