Page 32 of When the Angel Falls First

He shrugged, a quick up-down of his shoulders that would’ve seemed indifferent if not for the glint of… was that respect in his eyes? “You know I’m more spreadsheets than Shakespeare, but I’ll keep the invitation in mind.”

Before I could decipher his intentions, he strolled away, leaving me both irked and confused by his response.

It was my father who brought Caleb over to me by the arm, guiding him like a lost pet. “Caleb, what did you say you do again? Ah yes, independent contractor. Rather vague, isn’t it? And awfully convenient,” he said, glancing at my mother who had a poorly concealed accusation on her face.

“Yes, I’ve heard of these independent contractors,” my mother chimed in, leaning in closer to Caleb, wine sloshing in her glass. “You know,independent contractorswho help at family gatherings, work functions, or to make exes jealous. Quite the novel concept, isn’t it?”

“Or,” my dad continued, “he’s a real date and doesn’t yet know that Josie doesn’t doseriousrelationships.”

I felt a surge of anger bubble up inside me. They’d managed to insult both of us in a single go.

“No, no.” Mom shook her head. “Josie wouldn’tdarebring an online date to her great-grandmother’s one-hundredth-birthday party.” She glared accusingly in my direction. “Tell us the truth, dear.” Her nostrils flared, and the childinside me felt like she’d been discovered with her hand in the cookie jar. “Just who is this man, anyway?”

“He’s… he’s…”

I didn’t know how to finish the sentence, scared and panicked and ashamed all at once.

But Caleb stepped in, and I didn’t have to say a word.

FOURTEEN

Caleb

Josie’s parentswere like bloodhounds on a hot trail. Everything I said, they questioned, and both of their auras screamed distrust. It was a bit insulting, really, given I hadactually datedJosie in the past and had feelings for her now. Granted, not ones I could act on, but they were real. I couldn’t pin down why they were so sure we weren’t a real couple.

It wasn’t until they were dragging me across a damp lawn and accusing her of bringing a fake date that I realized how acutely they didn’t believe us. Her panic was so thick in the air, I could practically taste it.

“He’s… he’s…”

In that moment, watching Josie splutter, I knew exactly what I had to do. Call it angelic powers, call it intuition, call it basic male instinct. They were all in alignment, and I couldn’t let her finish the damning sentence.

I crossed the distance separating us in two long strides, sank my hands into her artfully-pinned curls, and slanted my lips across hers. Her eyes fluttered shut as electricity billowed out from thetouch, lighting every sense I had on fire. How could I need her this badly and not be meant to have her?

There it was again, that phantom ache in the wings I no longer had.

She was everything perfect, and I was instantly addicted like it was the first time. To her touch, taste, scent. I tilted her chin up with my hands and her lips parted, our tongues tangling in a timeless dance, right there on the lawn in front of the heavens and her entire family.

But even knowing what she did now, she didn’t pull away, didn’t shy back. Instead, she looped her arms around my neck, her fingers teasing the short hair at my nape, and I had to bite back a low moan at the delicious sensations that sparked through me. It was like every cell in my body sang, and if I’d had any doubts about why I’d thought she was my Chosen, they dissipated like the morning dew.

The sudden flare of heat between us turned achingly tender, as I felt the buffeting shock of all those watching, their auras mingling in a distracting cloud around us. The kiss softened, our movements slowing, and finished with me planting a gentle kiss at the corner of her now-puffy lips. I dropped my forehead to hers, hesitant as I met her eyes. They were wide, but I didn’t sense a hint of regret in them.

Until her mother spluttered in shock, barely a foot away. Josie winced, and I let my hands trace down her neck lightly to her shoulders, then pulled her tightly into my side. I wasn’t throwing her to these wolves, even if they were related.

“Well, hot dog. I’d say we’ve got a live one!” Nana Geraldine whooped with glee and started tapping her spoon on the side of her champagne glass a little harder than was truly necessary. Josie tried to burrow into my side as the crowd of familyand friends grew silent, and for a moment, it was as if they were all holding their breath.

“Here, here! For Josie and her hot-to-trot fella!” Nana Geraldine shouted.

A raucous cheer went up from every corner of the lawn, and Josie buried her face in my shoulder. I cupped the back of her head, suddenly questioning my choices.

The distrust had fled from her parents’ auras, though, with their signatures now reading sour butcuriousrather than accusatory. It was a baby step in the right direction.

Lena rushed up to Josie’s side and latched on to her other arm. “Come on, we’re taking a cousins photo down by the fountain. You’ll have to be parted from your lover boy for just a minute or two.”

Her father huffed his disgust at me being called his daughter’slover boyand walked off, dragging Josie’s mother along with him. Nana Geraldine just laughed and went back to chatting with nearby birthday well-wishers.

“Will you be okay here for a minute?” Josie asked, turning to me with a gorgeous flush in her cheeks.

“Absolutely.” I trailed a fingertip lightly over her rosy cheekbone and gave her a reassuring smile. I loved seeing her flush with need. That was something I’d never question.

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