These are incredible.
I chewed on a thumbnail, a sliver of self-doubt creeping up my spine.
“Come on, Chandler, get out of your head,” I said, tapping a pencil against one eyebrow. “You graduated in the top ten percent of your law class. You got this.”
“Do you always talk to yourself?”
Blinking, I looked up from the magazine and there he was.
The Man-God.
And good lord, does he look like an angel among men.
Um, whoa. There was no way I should be comparing this guy to angelic beings when I had Kyle waiting for me back in New York. I simply wasn’t that kind of girl. No siree Bob.
I shifted in my chair as the Man-God watched me with a bemused expression.
“May I sit?” he said after an extended silence, motioning to the chair across from me. It was only then I realized I had been staring at him without saying a single word.
I bobbed my head, watching as he sat down and made himself comfortable.
“Um, I don’t mean to sound rude, but how did you find me?”
His eyes swept over me, his lips curving into a smile as he ran a finger along the line of his jaw. And then, the most extraordinary thing happened. My stomach flip-flopped.
Reaching into his pocket, he extracted a small, leatherbound book and set it on the table.
My day planner.
“You dropped this on the bridge earlier.” I waited for him to hand it to me, but instead, he flipped open to the first page and recited my name, street address, and phone number aloud. Then, turning to today’s date, he continued, “Tuesday, eight-thirty a.m., The Literary Experience with Professor Julien Benoit, Classroom 1A. Ten-thirty a.m.—coffee at Café Procope.” He closed the book with a snap. “Thank God I’m not a stalker. If I were, you would have no one to blame but yourself for whatever misfortune befell you.”
I huffed. “Okay, so I like to keep a detailed schedule. That’s not against the law, is it?”
His smile widened. “Fortunately not, since it led me to you.”
Heat crawled along the sides of my neck, and I reached for the menu at the edge of the table, fanning myself generously.
Maybe the café’s air conditioner was on the fritz?
“Well, thank you for returning it.” I shoved it into my bag. “I’d also like to apologize for earlier. The accident was my fault, and I’m willing to pay for any damage to your bike.”
He waved away my offer, folding his arms. “Not at all necessary.”
I tried and failed not to notice the way his shirt stretched across his broad, toned shoulders, the thin cotton accentuating his muscular chest. To distract myself, I hastily reached for my coffee mug, nearly upending it.
“Right. So, since you know about me, maybe you can tell me about you. Like your name, for starters.” I sipped the lukewarm coffee.
“Gabriel.”
I choked, spluttering.
Gabriel, the angel.
“You’re joking, right?”
Gabriel the angel stared at me with a hint of amusement. “No, I’m afraid not.” Handing me a napkin to wipe my mouth, he said, “Okay, my turn to ask a question.”
I gave him a wary look. Then again, I was sitting here with coffee stains down my shirt in front of a guy who’d seen my underwear, so it wasn’t like my dignity was on the line.