Page 114 of Never Fall for an Angel

My chest clenches with the butterflies taking flight in my stomach.

“You shouldn’t say things like that to me.”

“And why’s that?”

My heart feels like it’s going to fly out of my chest.

“Because it makes me think thinks I shouldn’t.”

He opens his mouth to speak, but I cut him off.

“You said youwerein the FBI. Why did you stop?”

He blows out a breath through his teeth, his chest heaving. He’s quiet, and I almost give up when he speaks.

“I didn’t quit. I was fired.”

“Why did they fire you?”

“Because a year ago they wanted me on another job. I refused.”

“Why would you refuse?”

He looks at me, studying me.

“You know why, Mila?”

Tears sting in the backs of my eyes and I look away. So much has happened that led us here, and yet, I’m learning more and more about him every day.

His fingers intertwine with mine, and we hold each other’s hands for a long time, neither of us speaking. After a while, he releases me, only to hold out his arm instead.

“Come here,” he murmurs gruffly, rolling onto his side to face me.

I stay where I’m at, eyeing him apprehensively.

“It’s not like you’re not going to end up here, anyway. Just so we can sleep,” he explains, holding his arm open for me to slide into.

I go, nestling into his warmth, and a cold chill sweeps over me when he wraps his arms around me, holding me against his chest.

Just like old times . . .

“What you said last week . . .” he starts, his voice barely legible over the crashing of waves against the rocks outside. “You lost something precious . . .”

“Welost something,” I whisper softly, a silent tear slipping down my cheek. “I don’t know when it happened. Probably when you . . .visited me.”

Thinking about that day, the moment I found out? Ithurts. Like running a knife over the same wound, letting it heal, and then repeating the process over and over again.

“I wasn’t far along.” I clear my throat past the lump lodged there. “I didn’t even know.”

Absentmindedly, his fingers stroke over the scars on my stomach, but he doesn’t speak.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner,” I whisper, blinking back the tears that cling to my lashes and willing the familiar numbness to take over. “It . . . just hurts knowing . . .”

His arms tighten around me and he presses his lips to the side of my neck where my hair’s fallen away. It’s gentle and sweet. Protective and possessive. Everything I’ve always wanted from him and everything I know I never should.

“The Universe put those men on this planet, Mila,” he murmurs roughly against my ear. A shiver ghosts up my spine despite the warmth of him at my back. “And when I find them, I’m going to take them out.”

He leans down, pressing a kiss to the top of my head before leaning back against the pillows.

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