For the Love of Cupidity: A Valentine’s Day Novella (Heart Hassle Book 4)

Mossie disappears out the door with Amorette in tow, and I face my mates, absentmindedly wringing my hands. I look at each of them, and they’re all staying stubbornly silent.

After a few more seconds, I can’t stand it anymore. “Well? Do I look okay?” I ask anxiously.

When I see Evert shake his head, my nerves spike. “No. You don’t look okay. You look fucking gorgeous.”

I swallow thickly at the heated look in his eye.

“He speaks the truth,” Okot agrees in his magnanimous way of speaking. “You are a vision, my beloved.”

Sylred steps forward and gently cups my cheek, pressing his lips to the corner of my mouth. “You’re perfect. As always.”

When he steps back, I notice that my guys are all dressed to impress as well, wearing very debonair clothing. They’re all in black or white, impeccably fitted tunics and pants, held up by fancy belts. Ronak has shaved his brown head of hair short and trimmed his beard, while Sylred has his pink hair combed, the longer ends curling at the base of his skull and behind his ears. Evert’s black hair is tousled but neat, and even though he shaved, his pale skin always shows the sexy shadow across his jaw that I love. Okot’s bright-red mohawk is slicked back, and they all look so freaking handsome I’m tempted to push the nearest one down and ride him right here on the floor.

“She’s giving us sex eyes again,” Evert muses, his lips curling up mischievously.

“Can you blame me? You guys look hot. If we’re quick, can we just…”

They chuckle, and Sylred shakes his head. “Not if we want to be on time.”

I try to hide the disappointment in my face, but I don’t think it works, because Evert laughs again. “I’m with Scratch. Let’s blow off the fuckers and stay here. I’d much rather peel off that dress she’s wearing and have our wicked way with her than go to dinner, anyway.”

“Don’t encourage her,” Sylred laughs. “We’ll peel off her dress later,” he adds, shooting me a wink.

“I’m going to hold you to that,” I warn him.

“Oh, we’ll give you something to hold,” Evert adds, wagging his eyebrows.

Ronak comes forward, and holds his elbow out to me. “May I escort you?” he asks, surprising me with the gentleness to his voice.

“You may,” I say, shyly taking his arm.

He leads me up the stairs and outside. The soft, lavender light of dusk shrouds the landscape, and I can hear birds singing the last of their songs as we make our way to the end of the path.

Waiting on the road is an extra-large wooden carriage that is roomy enough to comfortably fit all five of us. Ronak helps me inside, and I settle between him and Sylred while Okot and Evert sit across from us.

The carriage driver urges the horses forward, and I start mentally going over all seven of their parents’ names. I know that they’ve all lost at least one father, but Sylred lost his mother, too. Sylred has two fathers still alive: Yored and Perel. Evert has his mother, Evia, and his father, Welk. Ronak has his two fathers, Hesh and Gullen. And then of course, Ronak’s mother, Resha.

I say the names over and over again in my head, but I’m probably making a weird face, because Evert cocks a brow. “Thinking too hard again?”

I nod. “Yeah,” I say honestly. “Your family has a lot of names, and since we don’t see them much, I’m doing flash cards.”

Evert’s eyes flick down to my empty hands and then back to meet my gaze. “Mental flashcards. Like, in my head,” I explain.

A grin spreads across his face. “Of course.”

“I have a plan,” I say, after a few more minutes of name-flashing.

“Oh, yeah? And what’s the plan?” Sylred asks.

“I decided I’m just gonna make Ronak’s mother like me.”

The guys blink at me.

“I have it all planned out. She’s probably still a bit mad that I’m not a nice, high-society genfin female like Delsheen, and she’s also probably upset about the fact that we haven’t let her come see us or be around Amorette. So, to deflect away from all of that negativity, I’m just going to be so lovable that it’ll be impossible not to like me, and then all of that disapproval will be water under the bridge. See? Easy,” I tell them, looking around expectantly. They’re bound to realize my geniusness and comment on it.

Silence follows.

Yep, they’ll probably commend me any second now…

Still nothing.

I frown. “It’s a good idea,” I tell them, because clearly, they haven’t deduced this on their own. I guess we can’t all be geniuses in this covey. Good thing they’re so hot.

“Just so that I’m understanding this right, your plan is to force Resha to like you?” Evert asks.

“Exactly,” I smile.

Ronak clears his throat. “My mother is very alpha. She has always run the household and my fathers since I was a child. She has very strong opinions, and she doesn’t hold back, even when she should. Honestly, I’m not expecting much from her tonight.”

“What he means is, his mom is a bitch, and everyone knows it,” Evert says dryly.

Ronak doesn’t even get mad at that. He just shrugs.

“Yeah, well, I’m totally gonna cure her bitchiness. After tonight, I’m going to be her new favorite person. Just watch.”

Evert chuckles. “This oughta be good.”

The carriage lurches to a stop, and I peek out the window, seeing that we’ve arrived at the fancy restaurant in town. The street is busy with some kind of fair, so vendors and entertainers are out in droves, and the entire road is lit up by lanterns and magical twinkle lights hanging from every building.

“Ready?” Sylred asks, offering his hand.

“Yep, totally ready.”