PHANTASM FRIDAY

CUPID'S FAILED LOVE MATCH

(FOR NOW...)

Cupid stood in the corner of the kitchen and watched Madison and Phoenix. Life had dealt Madison an unfair hand, but Cupid aimed to alter a little bit of her luck. Phoenix Birmingham was the perfect man for her, the type of man to keep her bed warm and someone who understood her dilemma. Oh, yeah…Cupid nodded his head. He was about to do Madison and Phoenix both a favor and end their lonely nights and cold beds.

Lifting his Love Laser, he took aim and blasted them both with his special imbued magic beam. He holstered his weapon, crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the refrigerator, watching his magic unfold…

♥♥♥♥♥

Phoenix placed a halting hand over hers, keeping her from packing up the first aid supplies and motioned to her neck. "You're bleeding, too."

Surprised, Madison touched her throat and couldn't believe it when her fingers came away smeared with blood.

"May I?" He held up the medical supplies.

She nodded and watched as he doused gauze with antiseptic. "Dr. Nix is at your service," he said with a grin, two adorable dimples charming her where words failed.

Madison rolled her eyes, leaned forward, and tipped her head to the side to give him better access. He brushed her hair off her neck, back behind her shoulder. Such a simple gesture, and yet it felt terribly personal. The air grew thick and sticky with her awareness of him, which made her uncomfortable enough to shift in her seat and cross her legs.

Madison stared into his eyes. Green, she thought, his eyes are green, gorgeous and intense, with ridiculously long eyelashes women would fantasize about. And if they didn't, they should. A flicker of compassion, concern, and something else she couldn't identify flashed in his eyes.

"Ready?" he asked.

The husky tenor of his voice forced her gaze to shift to his mouth. Nice, sexy lips. The better to kiss you with, my dear, she thought insanely, and out of character. She gave a mental shake, but couldn't shake the curiosity of how his mouth would feel on hers.

"Madison?" Humor deepened his voice, a touch of a smile tilted the edges of the lips she'd been fantasizing about and realized she still stared at them. "You ready?" he asked again, and her eyes widened in embarrassment over her foolish stupor.

She swallowed hard. "Yeah," she whispered past the lump in her throat and forced her vision to lock on the wall over his shoulder. Good God, what was wrong with her? Her pulse throbbed like crazy and she felt woozy.

Lack of blood! Must be why she reacted this way. No other explanation made sense.

Even though the antiseptic stung like hell, the gentle touch coming from such a gruff man surprised her.

"It's not bad," he said as he dabbed the blood away. "Just a nick."

Well, she could nix the blood loss theory. Tired and stressed were the only other excuses she could come up with.

"I've suffered worse." Her voice sounded off, kind of hoarse. She tried to clear her throat delicately; he must have noticed her unease, because his perceptive eyes met hers. Again, she thought she caught the edge of concern reflected in their green depths.

♥♥♥♥♥

Cupid frowned as Madison rose from the table and replaced the first aid kit back in the cabinet. Phoenix and Madison were obviously attracted to one another, that much of his magic had worked. But they should've kissed when Phoenix finished cleaning Madison's wound. He scratched his head, wondering what could've gone wrong.

Scowling, he yanked his Love Laser off his hip and checked the battery power. It flashed a full charge. He expelled a frustrated sigh, pondering their ability to resist his special magic. It wasn't often subjects on his radar could resist his RX for Love. Maybe now wasn't the right time. She was stressed over her son's problem and Phoenix…eh, Phoenix would nail her on the table if Madison would show just a smidgeon of interest.

He took a longer look at Madison as she stared out the kitchen window. She sounded tired and world-weary. In that moment, Cupid realized she was so jaded, and her heart already ripped in two, it wouldn't be easy for Madison to trust anyone with her heart again.

Cupid stepped up to her and whispered in her ear, "Listen to me baby...listen to the master of love." He wasn't ready to give up on love. Not by a long shot! And he refused to let Madison give up on love either. He needed to regroup and start fresh with new tactics…

♥♥♥♥♥

I hope you enjoyed the sneak peek into Madison and Phoenix's first flash of attraction from Gracen Miller's "coming soon" novel, Pandora's Box. Gracen and I wrangled over this excerpt, but I won the tussle. I always win. *wink* I promised Gracen I'd tell you this excerpt is unedited, so it could change prior to its release. To learn more about Madison's life before Pandora's Box begins, visit Madison's Life Lessons on the Road to Hell...but a small warning, it is not for the faint of heart.

Leave Gracen a comment today and you'll be entered for a chance to win a pair of Valentine Betty Boop socks.

Have a fabulous weekend, Darlings!

Kisses,
Cupid