21. Cupid
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CUPID
Goddamn, this woman makes me wild. I knew I would suffer her wrath when she woke, but I had hoped I’d be back from the club’s gym, showered, and back in bed with her to break the news to her gently when she opened her eyes.
Having her find out on her own by waking up alone in a strange environment with all her stuff moved in had to be alarming, especially since I wasn’t present to answer for it.
My woman is angrier than a bull at a rodeo, ready to buck me out of her life. If I have any hope of breaking through to her, I need to deescalate the situation.
“I’m sorry I was not here when you woke up. I should have been with you.”
Vanessa’s eyebrows jump in surprise. She either wasn’t expecting me to apologize, or she’s not used to a man taking accountability for his actions.
“It was a big oversight on my part. Scalpel mentioned you’d probably be asleep most of the day, and I got my workout in while you rested. I should have skipped the weight room today to make sure I was here in case you woke up early. You have every right to be upset with my absence.”
My woman squirms on my lap, ducking her face from my view, like she’s uncomfortable having a heart-to-heart. I get it—it’s new for me, too. But I’m willing to plow through the discomfort as long as it gets us on the right path for our relationship to be strong.
When she says nothing, I continue. “I made a call last night to move you in here with me. No woman of mine is going to remain in a building with a busted lock on the complex main entrance and a flimsy apartment door that doesn’t even have a deadbolt.”
Releasing her wrists, I take her beautiful face in my hands, tilting her face toward me. I want to see her hazel eyes take in everything I tell her, to let my words hit home.
“Whoever those men were, I would not give them a chance to come back and finish what they started. You’re too precious to me to leave you in a compromising position.”
Something shifts in Vanessa’s demeanor. Her posture relaxes and her eyes soften, growing misty. “Cupid,” she murmurs sweetly in a hushed tone.
“While I took care of you, I had my crew pack your things, clear out your apartment, and move your stuff here. Don’t worry.
Your bike is here—I wouldn’t claim you and not your baby, too.
It’s in the garage, out of sight from whoever may watch you.
My VP asked his ole lady—Marlene—to organize everything.
She handled your personal stuff, too. No way in hell was I going to be okay with any of those assholes—brothers or not—packing up your panties. ”
Vanessa’s face flushes bright red, probably realizing what else I’m hinting at. It’s fricken adorable.
“Did Marlene put my, um, thing in your nightstand?”
It takes all my willpower not to burst out laughing. Instead, I smirk—I can’t help it. “You found it already, did you? And the answer is no. I took care of transporting your super-suction, battery-operated boyfriend.”
She smacks me in the chest, realizing I’m teasing her. “Asshole.”
“Your asshole,” I correct, grinning.
She rolls her eyes, fighting to hide a smile from me. But I see it. I see everything she does.
“Fine,” she says, feigning indifference. “My asshole.”
My smile stretches, pulling my skin tight from lack of using the muscles. I seem to smile a lot these days, thanks to Vanessa.
“You have no idea how ridiculously happy that makes me hearing you say that.”
Vanessa bites her bottom lip, looking nervous. “I’m not used to this.”
“Not used to what?” I ask, eager to learn everything about her.
She waves a hand at me. “This. I’m not used to a person taking care of me.
The last person to give a damn about me was my grandpa, and he’s been gone since last summer.
Even while he was alive, I was independent.
My grandpa always respected my need for space, letting me grow.
It wasn’t until after he was gone that I learned he had prostate cancer and had been battling it for years.
I realize now he was preparing me for a world where he wasn’t in it. ”
Vanessa pauses, her mouth slightly parted like she realizes something. She looks at me with those gorgeous hazel eyes of hers and says, “I’ve never told anyone that before.”
This is big. My woman has shared something incredibly personal with me—only me.
“Thank you for sharing it with me. Your grandpa was a wise man. I would’ve loved to have met him. Although I’m sure he wouldn’t have been too fond of me. He probably thought no one was good enough for you—it’s how I would be in his shoes.”
She hesitates before admitting, “Actually, I think he would have liked you a lot. He would have related to you.”
“He was a bike man like me,” I surmise, nodding.
“Yes, but that’s not what I’m referring to.”
I cock my head at her, waiting for her to explain.
“My grandpa knew my grandma was the one for him the first time he met her. He fell head over heels and did everything he could to woo her.”
My ears perk up with interest. “How long did it take him to win her over?”
Vanessa puckers her lips. “I’m not telling you. You’re going to use it against me.”
“Why? Wait. It happened fast, didn’t it?”
She sighs, as if she knows the answer will tickle me pink. “They were married within a month.”
Ha! I’m definitely going to use her grandparent’s relationship as the example for our relationship when she gives me crap about us moving too fast. It clearly worked out for them—it will be the same for us.
I chuckle to myself. “You’re right. I would have gotten on well with your grandpa.”
Vanessa gets lost in her head for a moment, reminiscing about the past. “I never met my grandma. She passed away before I was born, when my dad was a boy. But I feel like I knew her, with how much my grandpa talked about her and how he said I looked just like her. My grandpa loved her so much that he never moved on after she was gone. Can you believe that?”
“Absolutely,” I say, gazing at my Butterfly like she’s the center of my universe.
“He always said if a man doesn’t look at you like you’re his entire world right from the moment he meets you, he is not the one.”
I stare at her, watching her process her grandpa’s words like she’s hearing them for the first time.
When it sinks in, her eyes widen. Slowly, her gaze meets mine.
“You’re finally accepting it, aren’t you?”
“I—l,” she stammers, swallowing hard.
Noticing she’s short-circuiting from downloading everything and not wanting her to have a meltdown, I hold up my hand.
“Think of our living situation as a trial run—it ain’t for me, but to humor you, we’ll say it is. We don’t know for certain who’s behind these abductions, meaning you’re here with me for the foreseeable future. You might as well use the time to see how our life together can be.”
“And if it doesn’t work out?”
It will, but I keep it to myself.
“After we catch who’s behind your attempted abduction, and you’re still not happy staying with me, you can return to your life—in a different apartment.
Your old place is not safe, and I don’t foresee the landlord making the pricey and necessary changes to upgrade it to a secure facility.
Besides, your lease has been terminated as of this morning, and your deposit will be refunded to your bank app by the end of the week. ”
She baulks. “And my landlord went along with a non-tenant who was not me ending my lease?”
My jaw ticks, uncertain how much I should confess. I don’t want to frighten her, but she should understand who I am and the power I have.
“You’ll learn I can be very convincing,” I say cautiously, trying hard to keep the sharp edge out of my tone.
“I was more than ready to threaten your landlord to let you out of your lease if he didn’t take my bribe.
Lucky for me, he’s a slimy fuck and took the money, no questions asked, and all the more reason for you not to be there.
If he’s willing to take a bribe from me, he could easily take one from your attackers. ”
“UGH! I can’t believe my slumlord would fuck me over like this! And figures you’d terminate my lease—it makes it harder for me to leave,” she mutters more to herself than to me, aggravated with me going over her head.
There’s no point in denying the obvious.
I’ve done everything in my power to make her leaving me more difficult, especially when she no longer has a place to retreat to.
Finding affordable housing in Fort Collins is a challenge, especially for someone young without a full-time job and paying for their own healthcare.
Yes, I had Cipher do a background check on her, searching to see if there was anything in her past or present that would make her an easier target for the men who tried to abduct her.
Her accounts and socials are locked up and private, making it near impossible for anyone to stalk her through them.
There’s no easy way to gain access to my woman that doesn’t go through me and my crew.
A deep dive into her finances showed the sale of her grandpa’s garage and home after he passed paid off the loads of college debt she gained from her schooling.
There wasn’t a lot remaining from the sale of the estate after paying off her debts, but it was enough to allow her to work only part-time while finishing school.
Still, between insurance, rent, and bills, she wouldn’t be able to find a nicer place to live without working full-time.
It makes her staying with me the best option available.
Her eyes narrow, studying me with skepticism. “You’ve gone to a lot of trouble to make sure I stay put here with you. Do you honestly expect me to believe that if we don’t work out you’ll let me leave?”