Page 14 of Cupid
My heart was beating fast as I closed my fist around his shirt, holding him in place as if he might try to leave me. “So, it’s true? We’re meant to be together?”
His lips barely brushed against mine before he nodded. “The connection I see between you and me is stronger than any I’ve ever seen before. Yes, we are meant to be together.”
“Oh, thank fuck.” My whole body relaxed against his chest as he rumbled out a laugh before scooping me up into his arms and carrying me inside.
“Well, you sound happy… I think.”
“Very happy.” My lips found the crook of his neck and I kissed him softly. “I knew that was true, but hearing it from you just makes it more real. Not that I really needed confirmation.”
And I didn’t.
Arrow was mine, and I was his.
At some level, I’d known that since the moment I met him. And now I knew we would never be apart.
TEN
ARROW
After coming clean with Jude about our fated connection, I wasn’t sure if it would fade.
With most couples, once they were united and had accepted their relationship, their bond disappeared until there was a nearby threat or they were expecting.
But as the days passed, I could still clearly see the purple haze glowing between us. It not only reassured me that I’d made the right decision in confiding in him about my job, but Jude was different too.
He was more confident about his place in my life. He knew I was going to be a part of his life forever, and we could make plans based on forever, rather than worrying about moving too fast.
For me, a huge burden lifted off my shoulders once he knew the full truth. I hated keeping secrets from him, and now there weren’t any.
At least not on my part.
After spending a few weeks together, taking walks on the beach, experimenting with new recipes, and just getting to know each other as we watched the sunsets, it began to feel like we’d known each other forever.
Which was why I could immediately detect when something started to change with Jude.
We were just a few days away from flying back to Santa’s Village for the next few months while Orion managed the short-term rental listings when Jude started to get anxious. At first, I thought it was about leaving his cousin in charge of his house. There was a lot of responsibility involved in running a B&B, but Orion was excited to do it. He’d already interviewed and hired housekeepers to come in after each tenant left, and he added more cameras to make sure the tenants took care of Jude’s home.
All of those things could have been the reason for Jude’s stress. But it seemed like something else. I wondered if maybe he was just nervous about leaving the place he’d come to love, but he assured me that wasn’t it.
At first, he used the excuse of not being much of a traveler. The long flight was long, so that was a valid reason. In fact, I was starting to believe him, until we were actually on the flight back to my home.
Jude was curled up in the middle seat, resting most of his body on me as I leaned against the wall of the plane in a window seat. He fell asleep as soon as we got in the air, and I was grateful that he relaxed enough to rest, instead of worrying the whole flight.
I tried to sleep too, but I wasn’t so lucky. The purple haze between us still hadn’t faded, which made me wonder if he was resisting the bond. Maybe he hadn’t fully accepted me as his mate and the bond wouldn’t be firm until he did.
But after just a few hours in the air, Jude’s eyes popped open, and he went completely pale. “I don’t feel good.”
I recognized the signs of motion sickness and immediately reached for the plastic bag tucked in the pocket in front of me. “It’s okay, sweetheart. If you’re gonna be sick, that’s okay. I’ve got you.”
A line of sweat broke out across his forehead, but he was clammy to the touch, and his face took on a greenish hue. “Yeah, I think I’m gonna need that.” He opened up the bag and positioned it over his mouth and nose, slowly breathing into it as if trying to regulate his air intake.
I rubbed his back, wishing there was more I could do to ease his discomfort. I wanted a way to just snap my fingers and make him feel better, but there wasn’t anything I could do. Some people just got altitude sickness.
The first time I pulled the sleigh with any real weight, I got sick. It was a common problem with air travel of any kind. Luckily, we were over an ocean at the time of my nausea, so nobody was showered with my breakfast. Regardless, puking was never a pleasant experience.
“Just breathe and let it out. You’ll feel better after, sweetheart.”
After a bit of gagging, Jude emptied the contents of his stomach into the bag, and I immediately took it from him, sealing it so nothing, including the aroma, escaped. “Thank you.” Jude closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. “Actually, I do feel better now. I’m good.”
