But based on that criteria, my Valentine either does not exist, or I let him go in 1987.
I wish he'd return, or at least show himself.
I have a history of lousy Valentine's Days. In the 4th grade, my 'boyfriend' gave me a beautiful, homemade tissue paper heart in a box frame. I still have it, believe it or not! And in the 7th grade, my first 'true' boyfriend made me a pink and purple pipe cleaner anklet I wore for several weeks, until I was teased about it. (At the time, being with the same boy for more than a week or two was considered 'weird', and to add to the bewilderment, mine went to a rival school! What was wrong with me? Ah, the horrors of junior high....)
In high school is where I began to go wrong. In the 9th grade, I screwed up my courage to ask my crush if he wanted a 'kiss'. A real one if he said yes; or a Hershey's Kiss shown if he said no, with a 'too bad' tossed in (he looked startled and said 'no', then laughed and accepted my 'kiss'!)
In the 10th, I broke up with my boyfriend because I'd heard a rumor a basketball player was going to ask me to a dance. Didn't happen, and it took me six weeks to win that boyfriend back.
As a senior, I had a heart-shaped cookie with 'Te Amo' written on it delivered to that basketball player, since we were friends, and the entire school thought we were already a couple. I then chickened out and didn't go near him for two or three days. We remained friends, but never mentioned the cookie. I'm thinking about asking him at our 30th reunion if he remembers it, and what his reaction was!
In college, I formed a bad habit of breaking up with my boyfriends on Feb 14th. The relationship(s) had grown stale, and the one time I DID receive flowers, they meant nothing, because I ended the relationship two days later.
Even when my spouse and I were dating, I had to tell him what to get me. And my most heartbreaking Feb 14th was in 1996, when we had a fight and he announced he was going to leave me as soon as he went back to work. Funny; he didn't return to work until nearly June that year, giving us time to repair our relationship (God was looking out for us:). We're still together, though we have discussed going our separate ways many times. So now I just make sure our kids know they're my special Valentines. I buy them chocolate hearts, and fix a special dinner if we can't afford to go out to eat.
So for me, my Valentine is in the form of the various heroes I create. Kyle, Troy, Bryan, Kevin...you embody the Valentine I'm still looking for. If one won't come to me, I can at least make my heroines very happy.
Since I'm also posting today on another blog, here's my favorite Valentine scene from my alter ego's latest book, Forbidden Love (You DID know I had another pen name, right? LOL!). I had to change this to a September 'reunion' scene, but it originally takes place on Valentine's Day. Enjoy:)
Kyle’s hands roamed her body as he helped remove the lacy fabric. He swung her up in his arms, causing theteddy to fly across the room and drape across a lampshade. Keri laughed when she saw
where it landed, but he silenced her with a kiss, a hot, passionate kiss as he lowered her
onto the double bed. She tugged at his clothing as they came together with a wild
urgency, a demanding of total satisfaction, and almost desperation of being apart for so
long. Keri screamed, pulled his hair, and kept begging for more. When it was all over,
they'd fallen off the bed with the blankets and pillows twisted around them, both soaked
with sweat.
"Good God." Kyle shook his hair out of his eyes. "What the hell was that?"
"I want to do it again." Keri tried to catch her breath. "How…how did we get down
here?"
He burst out laughing. "Because, you little minx, every time I pushed into you, you
slid across the bedspread. I'm surprised you don't remember." He kissed her and
smoothed her hair. "That was pretty intense."
"I liked it."
(later)
Keri awoke the next morning to a tickling sensation down her back. Kyle trailed his
fingertips up and down her spine, even dipped between her legs. She needed to use the
restroom but didn't want to ruin the moment. She rolled over and kissed him then could
no longer ignore her bladder.
"Be right back." She scrambled out of bed and rushed into the bathroom. When she
returned, he patted her spot. Keri slid under the covers and let his warmth flow over her.
His hands cupped her rear end. "Do you know how long it's been since you've slept
naked with me?"
Keri shook her head. "You said June."
"Too damn long." He slid his tongue across her earlobe. "God, I can't get enough of
you."
She kissed him and slid her hand down to grasp him, then rolled over to guide him
into her, but he stopped. "My turn. Be right back."
After his trek to the necessary was over, it was her turn to warm him then a game of
mutual give-and-take before he slid inside her once more.
"What time is check-out?" Keri fluffed the pillow behind her head.
Kyle lit a cigarette and blew a smoke ring. "Why? Need your chocolate fix?"
"No, although hot chocolate would be nice."
"Noon. Want scrambled eggs and bacon?"
"Yum!"
He reached for the phone. "I'll order room service then I think we'd better remove
that peach thing from the lamp before the waiter sees it. After breakfast, I want to devour
you again and wash your back."
"I like that plan." Keri felt the color rise in her cheeks.
"You know, that's what I like about you." Kyle pulled her back into the circle of his
arms. "We've been sleeping together now, what, nearly two years? And you still turn that
pretty shade of pink when I talk dirty to you."
"Shut up and kiss me."
"Demanding now, huh?" He bent his head and kissed her until room service arrived.
Forbidden Love available at Secret Cravings, Amazon, B&N, and ARE.
