Hunting Angel 2 (30 page)
Authors: J. L. Weil
How was that for honesty
?
Seconds ticked by turning into minutes and she hadn’t said a thing, just stared at me like she hardly recognized me. Wasn’t exactly the reaction I’d been expecting, but then again I wasn’t really sure what I had expected. Surely not her looking so…thunderstruck.
“Angel…say something,” I said, breaking the silence.
Nothing but more silence. It was driving me crazy. And then I was distracted by her eyes. They were the darkest blue almost black and such a contrast to a few minutes ago when she had been nervous. “Your eyes are doing that weird voodoo thing again,” I commented, trying to fill the lack of response.
Her mouth dropped open, and the look of surprise on her face made me wish I had told her sooner. “You’ve always been in control around me,” she rationed.
That couldn’t have been farther from the truth. With Angel, I wanted more than anything to lose myself into that part I buried. The demon surfaced more and more where she was concerned. I was getting tried of fighting it. But I couldn’t trust that part of myself around her. She could get hurt, and I would die before I hurt her.
Taking a step closer, I boxed her in. “Then I put on a good front. The truth is, I’ve never felt more out of control than when I am with you.”
Let’s see how she handled that. I assumed that I would shock her or frighten her. I should have known that Angel Eyes would never fail to knock
me
off my feet.
She slipped her fingers into the front pocket of my jeans and tugged. Our bodies slammed together and this time I was the one left speechless. But not for long. Pressed against her, instinct took over. The darkness inside me rose like wildfire, swift and hot.
She shivered in my arms.
The static electricity surged through the air around us as things started to heat up between our bodies. I couldn’t tear my gaze away from hers. There was something brewing behind those stormy eyes, and I was afraid I knew what it was. Part excitement and part disbelief that she could feel for me what I felt for her overwhelmed me.
“Angel, don’t do it,” I growled. “Don’t you say it.”
But it was too late. There was determination in her eyes and her chin was set. The words were already at the tip of her tongue and tumbling from her berry colored lips. “I love you,” she blurted.
And just like that, the universe threw me a curve ball I wasn’t prepared for. My hands fisted on the banister behind her, and I clamped my eyes shut not wanting her to see the reaction that tore through my whole body from head-to-toe. Clenching my teeth against a sensation that wasn’t quite painful, but not entirely pleasurable, I waited for what felt indefinitely for the new link between us to seal itself to my heart, seal her deeper to me. The mark at my hip tingled vigorously. She didn’t have the foggiest clue what she had just done.
“You don’t know what you’ve done,” I said when I was finally able to. My voice was still strained with the emotional onslaught I couldn’t yet get a handle on. Her love for me engulfed me in waves after waves.
Okay. That might not have been the smartest thing to say.
Eyes the color of twilight shot daggers in my direction. “I take it back. I take it all back. I despise you. I hate you. I loathe you.” She shoved at my chest, oblivious as to what had just happened, and I wasn’t in any condition to enlighten her. I needed time to process what had happened.
She jerked in my arms, attempting to take off. I held onto her unable to let go. Not yet. I wanted, needed more time with her. The new bond she had just forged demanded it. I demanded it. I stare into her eyes that were deep blue pools of hurt and rejection. “You can’t take it back. I won’t let you.”
Her eyes quickly blazed with anger and she ran an unsteady hand through her hair. “I can’t stand you,” she spat, lashing out and I didn’t blame her.
I was more than not an insensitive pig, but I needed to make her understand. I needed to put things back the way they were between us until I could figure this out. “Liar. You can’t keep your hands off me.”
And then because I wanted it more than anything, I kissed her. I poured all those feelings that she had just given me into this one mind-blowing, crushing kiss. And she responded, clinging to me as if her life depended on it. Right now, it felt like that both our lives depended on it.
Tenderly I pulled away and said, “You’ll probably regret loving me. I don’t deserve it, but…” I searched her eyes, begging her to understand why I couldn’t give her the words she wanted in return. “I’ll never let anything bad happen to you. Never again.”
She lifted her hand and outlined my cheek with her fingers, running her nails alongside my jaw.
God
. She was driving me mad, crazy with the need for her. Couldn’t she see, feel what she was doing to me. My whole body tightened as I fought to control the beast that was hammering to be set free. He wanted Angel as much as I did. Sometimes I think he wanted her more.
And that was some serious scary shit.
“Chase,” she murmured my name.
I loved hearing my name whispered for her lips. My name. Only my name. Whether I wanted to think about
us
as a future, I knew then that I would only love her. I might not be ready to seal this heartbond completely, but she already had my love. There would never be another soul for me. I would never love another as I loved Angel.
I was scared shitless.
Closing my eyes, I laid my forehead against hers, praying that I had the enough strength left as it was quickly evaporating. The air stirred around us, picking up pieces of her hair.
Her fingers teased the ends of my hair at the nape of my neck. “You don’t have to rein it in with me. I trust you.”
“That’s just the thing Angel Eyes. You shouldn’t. You really shouldn’t. But with you I can’t help myself, and it scares me. I refuse to hurt you.”
“You won’t,” she assured, and then proceeded once again to surprise me. She nipped my lip, grazing them with her teeth.
If only I could share her confidence. “
I
don’t trust myself.”
“Let go,” she murmured against my lips.
Sweet Jesus
. What was she trying to do to me? It didn’t matter at this point, because I was kissing her before she had finished the words. Then I did what I’d never done before. I let go. Our lips met in a fiery and hot – explosive kiss. The demon I tried to keep banked purred inside me. I could feel its need for more – one shattering kiss would never be enough. And it wasn’t long before I reached a point where just kissing wouldn’t be enough for any of us.
When we finally broke apart, she looked up at me like I was the moon, the sun, and the stars. I didn’t deserve that kind of devotion, or that much love, but I wasn’t fool enough to turn away from it. I knew that she wanted me to give her the words, but I couldn’t. Not yet.
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