“Am I sure? Nevaeh, every time you touch me, my heart jumpstarts like it has come back to life. Even the lightest brush of your hand stays with me for days. This isn’t just love, sweetheart… I’m devoted to you. Mesmerized beyond sanity.”
I try to hold myself together, but with every word he speaks, I fall even deeper than I thought possible.
“You make everything better. Your smile lights up my world. Your strength inspires me. I love your heart. Sorry, I know I’m rambling.” He scratches the back of his head nervously. “I’m all over the place, aren’t I? I just saw you in my clothes, and it all came pouring out and… now you’re crying.”
Angel wipes my cheek gently, still looking at me with those world-melting eyes full of understanding.
“I… um…”
“Take your time, sweetheart.” He brushes my hair out of my face. “If you told me you loved me out of the blue, I’d probably be speechless too. I want to say you don’t have to say it back, but… honestly? I don’t think my heart could take that. But don’t say it now because I said that—”
I cut him off by kissing the daylight out of him. Just the thought of Angel doubting my love is enough to snap me out of self-created reservations. He loves me. And I’m done second-doubling that.
I don’t let him pull away. I need to savor this moment a little longer, just in case I wake up tomorrow and find out it was all a dream.
“I love you, Angel,” I whisper, before pulling him for another soft kiss.
Angel tenses up, and for a second, I panic, thinking I misheard him or he didn’t mean it. But then he mirrors my doubts. “You do?”
“Of course I do. Angel, you accept all of me. Even the crazy bits. You love me without conditions. When I’m with you, I never have to worry about anything. I can just shut my brain off because I know you’ve got me. And… you protect me from those dangerous table corners like my hero—” I squeal when Angel pinches my waist, tickling me until I’m a giggling mess.
Holding his face, I confess, “Falling in love with you was the easiest thing I’ve ever done. It was inevitable. And let’s be honest… your gorgeous emerald eyes have held my heart captive since the night you saved me. Why do you think I call you my Angel?”
Before I can blink, I’m pinned beneath my mate. Angel straddles my hips, holding my wrists above my head.
The kiss begins soft, playful, both of us teasing each other, but the moment Angel bites my lip, innocence is the last thing on my mind.
Angel traces my bottom lip with his tongue, asking for permission. I gladly part my lips, letting him in.
I whimper when he pulls away, but it melts into a breathy moan as his lips trail down my neck. Featherlight kisses dust along my jaw, drifting to my collarbone. The soft kisses quickly deepen into biting and sucking, each sting followed by the soothing heat of his tongue.
I’m a mess of moans and whimpers beneath him. Burying my fingers in his curls, I pull his lips back to mine.
Angel tugs at the bottom of my hoodie, silently asking for permission. Thank Fates because this room’s turned into an oven.
The hoodie’s gone in seconds, and his mouth is on my neck again, trailing heat down to my collarbone and down the top of my bra.
Angel’s love is burned so deep into my soul that I don’t even flinch at my scars being on full display. The way he looks at me, I feel like I’m…flawless.
“Can I take this off, sweetheart? I want to feel your tits in my hands.” I’m so stunned by his words, I barely remember to nod. “Words, sweetheart.” He presses a soft kiss to my lips, waiting as I struggle to breathe, let alone speak.
I finally manage to whisper a shaky yes, and my bra is gone the next second, flung somewhere across the room.
Angel lets out a pained groan, forcing me to snap my gazefrom his lips to his eyes, but he’s not looking at me. His eyes are locked on my chest, full of raw, unfiltered lust. And it’s only intensifying the longer he stares.
His hands roam every inch of my skin he can reach, his eyes following their path hungrily.
Angel traces each scar with a tender kiss, and I gasp when he suddenly takes my nipple into his warm mouth, sucking like his life depends on it. Angel kneads my other breast, savoring the weight before squeezing firmly.
I cry out his name louder with every pass of his tongue over my nipple. My eyes roll back as I fist his hair to hold him there.
I think I’m about to pass out.
He releases one breast with a soft pop and moves to the other, lavishing it with the same care while his thumb teases the now neglected nipple.
My hips buck, and he presses a hand on my stomach to still me, teeth grazing my nipple in a silent warning to behave.
I thought it couldn’t get any better, but Angel slides his hand lower, proving me wrong by brushing the top of my upper thigh.
