Underworld Lover (A Guardian Angel Romance #2) (21 page)

“Tell me you will not stop until the morning,” she whispered.

He smiled wickedly. “Careful for what you wish for.” Josh was sure she didn’t know that while it would be possible for him to do such a thing, she probably could not. “But I will give you all you need, and then some.”

“Yes,” she said as she sat up, moving her chest to press against his. Josh liked her initiative.

“You’re sure you’ve not done this many times before?” He chuckled as she headed down to suckle his nipple and then began to lower her mouth further.

“You make me feel this way. You bring it out of me.”

This stopped Josh cold. “No, Melanie,” he said as he held her face between his hands. “You must understand, I am not doing this. I am capable of altering your state, but I am not doing it. This is all you, love.” He stroked her back, ending in the plump roundness of her buttock cheek.

“It doesn’t matter. I don’t care,” she whispered as she disengaged her face and kissed the other nipple.

“But I do, Melanie. I do.”

She was on him, pushing him to his back as she drew one thigh over his and balanced her soft peach over his stiff erection, stroking it with the red-hot lips of her vulva. On one of the long rubbing motions, his cock became snagged in the flesh at her opening, and his head found the way to her core. She took him into her body so deep he was worried for her comfort. She shuddered, moving up and down his shaft, eyes closed, hands pleasuring and squeezing her own breasts.

He held her hips, moving them back and forth as she ground her body down on top of him, then up in a graceful arch to the tip of his head, then back down again. He felt the rhythmic pressure of the muscles deep inside her, clamping down around him, drawing him out, and then deeper still.

Melanie’s body rocked in spasms as she looked into his eyes. He watched the pleasure of her orgasm in her sweet face as he felt the pulsations around his cock.

He shifted their bodies, continuing the gentle pumping as they turned to their sides, and then he raised her knees above his shoulders and pressed deep into her as she lay on her back. She held his shoulders, squeezing them, digging her fingernails into his flesh. His chest pressed against hers. He could feel the soft mounds of her breasts, could feel her legs giving him deep access to her so that he was buried to the hilt. Again Melanie’s body began to spasm, and she looked at him. In that fleeting moment, Josh saw fear.

“Yes. Sometimes it happens more than once. Sometimes it’s stronger the second time.”

She closed her eyes and smiled dreamily. He watched as she gave herself into the passion. He blew a little breath over her and her eyes opened wide, then another smile, which he quickly claimed with his lips.

She began to moan as he felt his release come forward, filling her. Her little body shook. He poured into her as if it had been one hundred years of need.

Maybe it’s three hundred years.

She was sleeping, tucked into the cradle his chest and thighs made, her backside against his groin. His lips buried in the blond hairs at the back of her neck and he inhaled her essence. He could sleep but didn’t want to miss a minute of their pairing and the delicious aftermath, basking in the glow of their love.

Though he knew it was unwise, he felt safe with her. He felt as if everything was as it should be. If the universe came crashing down around them, as he knew it surely would, they would be safe if they could remain together, wherever that might be.

He remembered Claire, and how she had fought to stay with Daniel but in the end, had left him for the safety of Heaven. Josh was sure he would not have made that same decision. He would follow Melanie wherever she had to go. For them, there could never be a separation. So, instead of living, like Daniel and Claire, perhaps theirs would be a love shared in death.

Got to keep my wits about me. Can’t forget to stay focused.

As he kissed her shoulder, he knew he would have to be thinking for the both of them now. She was fully his responsibility. The entanglement and tether he felt filled him with a pleasure he had never experienced before.

Melanie trusts me.

He wasn’t so sure he could trust himself so unconditionally.

Chapter 29

Josh and Melanie lingered in bed until she’d noticed how late it was and headed for the shower. He thought for a few minutes about a world that could never be, where they could leisurely get up and have breakfast, go for long walks in the woods, or spend the night at the beach. Missing from the dream was the danger he now felt laced into everything he did. The longer he waited the more minions Peter was collecting, calculating, and preparing himself for battle with the forces of Heaven.

He’d been popular and had hordes of acquaintances, even fans, like Beau Bradley did. But how many of these were true friends? Who could he trust?

I’ve done it alone for centuries. I wanted it that way.

He’d tried to “turn” a partner in crime. He regretted not being able to claim Daniel’s soul, his one failure as a dark angel. If he’d succeeded, they would have rutted their way through the underworld together. Cure Josh’s boredom.

But Daniel got shagged by love.

And now I am. Melanie has claimed my dark soul.

Suddenly he thought about the former Guardian, Claire. Could he benefit from her wise counsel? That is, if she’d agree?

The sight of Melanie draped in a towel, standing at the foot of the bed, made his cock stand to attention, as he was sure she intended.

“I guess I could be a little late.” Her coy smile hid halfway behind golden curls. Her alabaster shoulder called to Josh—he needed to feel his lips on her moist flesh.

“You are wearing me out, little one,” he said, smiling.

She came to the bed and dropped her towel. “And you’re a bad liar.”

Josh watched her blond curls fall to his belly as she peeled off the covers and licked the length of his cock. She pushed it between her two plump lips and wrapped her tongue around his shaft. He suddenly didn’t care if she ever opened up the shop again. She belonged here.

With
him
.

A half hour later, she was dressed and ready to start the day.

“For your protection, I won’t be kissing you in public, okay?” he said as he embraced her at the top of the stairs. Josh had remained naked. “Go now, but watch for anything strange and call me the instant you feel you need to.”

She nodded.

“I’ll come by for lunch. Your help is coming today?”

“Yes, he’ll be there at eleven.”

“Mel,” he squeezed her as hard as he dared, “We have things we have to discuss. It’s what I came here last night for, but I can’t seem to…”

“I’m glad I distract you. I love you, Josh.” Her blue-eyed gaze pierced his chest all the way to his heart.

“And you are the love of my life.” He sighed. “Please be careful. I wish I could stand beside you all day, but I have much to do. There are things I need to arrange.”

“Yes. I’ll see you at lunchtime, then,” she said.

It was difficult seeing her walk down the stairs and out into the street, unprotected and unaware of the dangers lurking all around her. Josh waited until he heard her car drive away before he closed the door and headed for the shower.

An hour later, he stopped to get a cappuccino and dialed Felix.

“Thought you said you’d let her choose,” Felix said bitterly.

“I think she has. But I’m going to set up the meeting today. You on?”

“Hell yeah. You think I’ll give up without a fight?”

“You have to remember, we are on the same side.”

“So you said. So you said. You have fun last night, you asshole?” Felix wasn’t going to back down.

“You still have a choice, son. My side or Peter’s. You think he will share?”

“Will you?”

“No.”

“There you go.”

“You get everything cleaned up?”

“Put him in the Dumpster at a church. Hope they search the bag for my fingerprints. My parents will love that. Almost makes me want to go home.”

Josh thought it was a good sign Felix was returning to his old self. A little humor at their desperate situation was a good thing.

“And the bed?”

“Cost you an extra two hundred, but they delivered it and set it up last night around six.” Felix chuckled. “Should have seen their faces, taking away the old mattress. I’m sure they’ve never seen something like that before. I’d have given anything to understand Spanish—they were chirping like a bunch of birds.”

“You cleaned it up a bit first, right?”

“Of course I did. Cut out all the bloody parts. He was fairly cauterized, but I removed anything red and left the black stuff. That’s the part that freaked them out so.”

Josh chuckled as well. “Good job. Thank you.”

“It occurred to me I was helping you put in a new mattress so you could ball my girlfriend on it.” The tone in Felix voice had softened. “But then, I had years and years to seduce her and didn’t. Lesson learned.”

“You’ll find someone. I know you will. I’ll help you.”

“No, thanks. I don’t need your brand of help. Don’t like it when the cook sticks his big cock in my food first.”

They agreed to meet in the early afternoon. Josh would give him the address once he had arranged it.

Next he dialed Melanie. “Hi,” she said, picking it up on the first ring.

“Everything okay?” he asked. It was thrilling to hear her voice, and the soft lilt of it in his ear.

“Yes. Everything looks fine. I’ve been busy with customers since I got here.”

“Anybody strange?”

“You mean stranger than you?”

“That wasn’t what I was asking.”

“Truth is, everyone looks strange to me now, Josh.”

Welcome to my world.
He understood her statement completely. He felt a twinge of guilt for having changed her perspective.

“Just hang in there for a couple of hours, and I’ll see you around eleven-thirty or twelve. But call me before if anything comes up. Especially if you see Peter.”

“I will. I miss you.”

“It’s only been an hour.”

“Too long. Way too long,” Melanie sighed into the phone. Josh adjusted his pants. Melanie spoke before he could respond. “Gotta go. I have another customer.”

“Love you,” Josh said.

“Love you more.” Melanie hung up.

Josh drove down the little gravel driveway he had frequented so many times in the past. At the end was a two-story cottage, now blanketed in a protective layer of flower hedges and blooming vines he knew to be Claire’s doing. Daniel’s old Mercedes was parked out front. Josh decided to park closer to the street and take the rest of the driveway on foot.

He heard music, cranked up so high he figured Daniel had certain hearing loss. Josh looked through the dining room window he knew Daniel had stood at, that night when he came home early and found Audray pleasuring the fat surgeon on Daniel’s couch by the fireplace. It had been one of Josh’s best plans. But his plan to turn Daniel had failed. Right now, he was thanking his lucky stars for that failure. Daniel had fallen in love with his Guardian angel, and now perhaps the couple would be an ally for him.

Daniel was leaning over one of his paintings, adding color from a chalk, then dipping his fingers in water and rubbing the soft white paper like the flesh of his angel, Josh thought. He watched as the painter blew on the paper and stood back to watch the drying.

Josh was going to just appear through the door, but decided to knock. Daniel would be aware of the choice he made.

He rapped solidly on the wooden door and heard the music turned off inside. The curtains at the side window fluttered. The front door opened. Daniel stood barefoot, paint smeared over his jeans and kaki shirt. A brush of yellow paint grazed Daniel’s cheek below his left eye.

“Josh.” Daniel’s eyes searched his, no doubt looking for evidence of treachery. This bothered Josh a little today.

“If I had an olive branch, it would be in my hand.” Josh nodded his head as he added, “But I understand your caution. That’s good, actually. You want to stay on guard. These are strange times, my friend.”

“What’s this about?” Josh noticed Daniel had not asked him in, but instead guarded the doorway. That probably meant Claire was home.

“I need to speak to both of you.”

“Look, it was nice seeing you the other night, but I think the less we have to do with you the better,” Daniel said with finality.

“Yes, and that is probably wise, especially now.” Josh lowered his head, examining his black boots. Then he looked into the face of a man who had been able to do something Josh wasn’t sure he could do: Daniel sent his love away to safety. This human man was stronger than he was in one very important way. And for it, Father had rewarded him by bringing Claire back as a human, no longer an immortal.

“Daniel, I have a problem, and I don’t know who to talk to about it.”

“Daniel?” A female voice from the other side of the room. “Who’re you talking to?” Claire’s face, glowing from a light inside her skin, poked around Daniel’s side. When she recognized Josh, she walked in front of Daniel.

“Josh! Wow, this is a surprise. Come in, please.” She grabbed his arm and pulled him with considerable strength through the doorway, into the living room.

“Wait a minute, Claire. I’m not sure this is wise.” Daniel was frowning, trying to get between the two of them.

“Oh, stop it, Daniel. Of course I’ll invite him in. Can’t you see? He’s in pain.”

Josh winced. Had he sunken so far, he wondered? Was the turmoil in his gut so evident that a human woman could sense his fear? He made a note to work on steeling himself. Perhaps he was the second-strongest angel in the Underworld, but he still had a standard to maintain and recruits to be an example for.

Claire’s comment made Daniel give a little laugh. “You don’t know him like I do.” He walked over to her, shaking his head.

Claire stepped to Josh and held his cheeks between her two palms, searching his eyes. Josh felt the power of the goodness in her soul, and the lack of fear for things she should be fearful of. He purposely didn’t breathe on her and kept his inhaling and exhaling shallow.