Page 26 of Archangel

I laughed, pulling my friend into my arms for a hug. “About Archangel.” I pulled back and smiled at them both. “I might have overreacted just a touch.” I tried to grin, but I knew my expression looked as forced as it was.

“You were protecting yourself,” Bella said softly. “You weren’t leaving because you didn’t want him. You were leaving because you wanted him too much. When that woman showed up… Well, that was the feeling you were trying to avoid. By leaving before he could convince you to stay.” Of course, Bella knew what I was feeling. Felt like the three of us had been friends forever.

“I’m still going to look at what Ripper finds before I talk with Archangel. But I’m not going to assume the worst. He told me what happened, and I believe him. His next actions will tell me all I need to know.”

Linnie nodded. “I think that’s a good assessment. Take all the time you need. I’ll call you tomorrow and bring food.”

“Make it tomorrow evening. I’m going to try some of that meditation shit Angel was trying to teach me.”

“Seriously?” Linnie traded a look with Bella. “She’s got it pretty bad, Bella.”

“Meditation? Who are you and what did you do with Sonya?”

“Shut up.” I grinned. “I’m going to be all right. In fact, now that I’ve decided to grow the fuck up and stop acting like a sulking teenager, I feel better about the whole situation.”

“You just tell us what you need and we’ll make it happen. If that means we drag Archangel here by his hair, that’s what we’ll do.” Bella was the sweet one, but she was also fierce as a dragon when someone messed with her family.

“I got this, Bella. Thank you, guys, so much.” We group hugged. “You’re the best friends ever.”

“We love you, Sonya. You need us, you call or text. We’ll come with reinforcements.”

“I will, Linnie.”

After they’d gone, I’d soaked in the jetted tub for the better part of an hour. Thinking. Meditating. Trying to find my inner peace like Archangel had taught me. I was surprised, but I had a measure of success. I managed to float in a sea of calm until my mind was quiet and I could find my inner strength once again. The first thought when I came back to the here and now was that Archangel would be proud of me. That was when I realized I was torturing us both by not talking with him.

I got out of the bath and dried off, wrapping a towel around myself. My hair was still up in a messy bun to keep it out of the water so I didn’t have to dry it. I picked up my phone and opened my texting app. I stared at Archangel’s name for a long moment before opening the last messages we’d traded. I took another unsteady breath and texted him with shaking fingers.

Me:Archangel? Are you up?

Immediately, the dots of an incoming text flashed.

Archangel:Always.

Crap. The guy was smooth. I couldn’t help but smile. The butterflies in my stomach made me shiver.

Me:If you’re not busy, would you like to talk?

Archangel:When and where?

Me:The girls got me a suite in Palm Beach. You could come here whenever you have time. I’ll share the key with you on the app.

There was a whirr as the door to the room opened and Archangel stepped inside. He put the Do Not Disturb sign on the door, then shut it, turning the lock as well as closing the safety latch.

“Angel!” I jumped up and took a couple reflexive steps back. “You asshole! You scared me to death!” I tried to be mad. I really did. But all I felt was relief. I grinned and threw myself at him, wrapping my arms and legs around him.

He chuckled. “Ah, baby. I missed you.”

“Were you sitting outside my door? That’s a little fuckin’ creepy.” I laughed. Because he was waiting for me to call him. He was watching over me. And he respected my privacy by not coming in before I invited him. Yeah. I was a goner on this man.

“Like I said. I missed you.”

“I was only gone a few hours.”

“Way the fuck too long.” He hugged me as hard as I hugged him. “Though I confess I hadn’t expected this kind of greeting.”

I pulled back to grab him and kiss him all over his face. He laughed until our lips finally met.

Archangel responded to my eager kisses with equal passion, his hands sliding down to cup my towel-clad bottom as he held me against him. Our lips moved together hungrily, tongues tangling. I felt like I was starved for a taste of him. Angel had given me a small bite and I wanted the whole fucking pie.

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