I’m a little disappointed that the man I wanted to impress is nowhere in sight. Looks like I’ll have to wait a bit longer to blow his mind.
I help Monkey down from the chair and lead him back to my room. After slipping on a robe, I scrub off the spaghetti sauce from August and tuck him into bed. I barely get through the second page of his storybook before he dozes off, snuggled up with his stuffed dinosaur.
I stroke his hair and wait until August is soundly asleep before slipping out quietly. I leave the door cracked open so Khatri can hear if something goes wrong. August doesn’t have nightmares like I do, but his calm still feels fragile to me.
I turn and freeze when I come face-to-face with my mate. Angel is casually leaning against the wall with his armscrossed, eyes locked on me.
Mother. Fucking. Shitballs.
Angel looks breathtaking in a sleek black suit laced with sparkling silver vertical lines, paired with a black dress shirt underneath. The top three buttons are undone, giving me a glimpse of those hypnotizing markings on his chest.
His jacket curls around his biceps and shoulders like a sin, and the way that shirt clings to his deliciously sculpted muscles should be illegal.
I discreetly swipe under my chin to make sure I’m not drooling. I’m hit with this strange urge to run my hands all over him. The thought alone has me clenching my thighs, aching for something to relieve the tension.
I’m so caught up admiring him that it takes me a full minute to realize Angel is doing the same. His eyes roam over me, lips slightly parted like he’s forcing himself to breathe. I want to squirm under his heated gaze, but my body loves the attention too much to move.
“What do you think?” I ask, spinning slowly before moving closer to loop my arms around his neck. I can’t help myself as I press a soft kiss to his jaw. He looks irresistible tonight.
As if my kiss snaps him out of a trance, Angel grabs my hips, pulling me closer. His gaze burns with longing as he traces every curve and dip of my body with his fingers.
Suddenly, I’m painfully aware of how this dress molds to every inch of me. I don’t think either of us would mind if it accidentally vanished into thin air.
“You look absolutely scrumptious, sweetheart. Let me show you exactly how much I appreciate my gorgeous mate.” Angel leans in and crashes his lips to mine, and I moan the second we touch.
This kiss is fiercer than any we’ve had before. Angel isn’t holding back tonight. He’s devouring me. He swiftly turns us until my back hits the wall, his body pressed into mine. When his hips grind forward, I feel his hard bulge pressing into my stomach.
Angel pulls away, but before I can complain, his mouth finds my neck. He alternates between soft kisses, passionate sucking, and desperate little bites that drag louder and louder whimpers from me.
“Oh… oh my virgin eyes! Stop it, you horn dogs!” Seiji’s sudden screech startles us both, making us whip our heads towards the sound.
His interruption breaks the spell, and we finally remember the world around us. I can’t help but snicker as Seiji runs away, screaming about how we’ve ruined his innocence.
Angel drops his head on my shoulder with an annoyed huff. “I’ll finish what I started, my sweet girl. I promise.” He whispers into my neck, sucking lightly just below my collarbone.
Angel helps me fix my dress while I smooth out his suit before he laces our fingers together and walks us downstairs.
What should’ve been a quick goodbye to Khatri turns into him repeatedly assuring us that he can handle a sleeping toddler just fine. In the end, he has to physically shove us into the elevator to make us leave.
By the time we reach the parking lot, everyone is already settled in their cars. Seiji, Grace, Hazel, and Rick are taking one car, while Angel and I will take another in case we need a backup vehicle for an emergency.
As Angel pulls the car out of the lot, his hand slips under the hem of my dress, rubbing soft circles on my thigh over the stockings.
For the first half hour on the road, I keep anxiously fidgeting with the rings on Angel’s fingers. I can tell the silence is bothering him, but he doesn’t push me to talk, even when my unease hangs in the air, nearly suffocating us.
“You’re awfully fond of my rings, sweetheart.” He says softly. “Maybe I should get you your own.”
“No need. I’ll probably twist my fingers off and break them,” I reply absentmindedly. I start counting every white car we pass to anchor myself in the present.
“But you have no problem twistingmine?”
“Nope.”
It’s not my fault that his hands are always so warm and grounding. But tonight, even with my guardian angel beside me, the horrors of my past won’t stop replaying in my head.
Ever since we found Harvey, my mind has been playing cruel tricks on me, taunting me, trying to convince me that Harvey wouldn’t want anything to do with me now.
It was different when we were in that hellhole together, but after everything he went throughbecause of me,it’s hard to stop the vultures of doubt from circling.
