Page 7 of Guardian of Misty Mountain

“Um, yeah,” she answers in the least convincing voice. Amelia ignores the call and turns her phone to silent, placing it face-down on the table. The once bright and bubbly woman is gone, replaced by a timid and anxious version of herself.

“Amelia,” I say softly. “Who keeps calling you? Are you in some kind of danger?”

She won’t look at me, instead focusing on her hands, which are twisted up in her lap. Amelia shakes her head no at first,then shrugs. I’m on my feet in the next instant, checking the peephole in her front door and engaging both locks. Next, I head over to the kitchen window, peering out and taking note of any suspicious activity. I don’t see anything, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a threat.

“I’m okay,” Amelia whispers, though her voice cracks at the end.

I rush to her side, sitting next to her and taking her hands in mine. "I know you don't know me very well, but I hope you can trust me, Amelia. I was a Marine in a past life. It gave me a nasty scar on my face, but it also prepared me to fight and protect those in my life. I can protect you if you let me."

I hold my breath as I wait for her response. Clearly, someone is making her uncomfortable. I don’t care if they are in this town or on the other side of the world. It’s now my sole purpose to find them and make them pay for whatever they did to my sweet girl.

Amelia bursts into tears, the weight of the world pressing down on her shoulders. She extracts one of her hands from mine, using it to cover her mouth and silence her sobs. It breaks my goddamn heart to see a kind, precious creature in such obvious pain.

I don’t know what to say or how to help. Moving on instinct, I loop my arm around her waist and pull her onto my lap, folding my arms around her and blanketing her in my strength. Nothing will hurt her as long as she’s with me.

The beautifully broken angel sobs in my arms, letting me see her raw, vulnerable heart. I might not know what’s causing her distress, but the depth of her sorrow echoes my own. I hold her through the pain, rocking her gently to calm her down.

When my girl is all cried out, she sits back slightly, letting me see her tear-stained face.

“Amelia,” I whisper, cupping her cheek. I wipe away the remnants of tears with the pad of my thumb, then place her handon my chest, right over my heart. “Breathe with me,” I instruct. I inhale while she takes a stuttering breath. Slowly, I exhale, then repeat the process until she matches my rhythm. “That’s it,” I encourage. “Just like that.”

Her golden eyes are glossy and red from crying, the sight tearing me in two. What secrets lie just beneath the surface? What horrible thing could she be running from?

“I’m so sorry,” she says between breaths. “I ruined our evening.”

“Hey, now,” I say, giving her a soft smile. “You didn’t ruin anything. I’m just worried about you. Can you tell me who upset you so much?”

She nibbles on her bottom lip and looks away from me. “I… I don’t know. I just want to forget about everything from before I came to Misty Mountain.”

“I get that.” Fuck, I definitely understand that sentiment. While I want to know every detail about Amelia’s life and past, I can respect her boundary. For now. “Are you going to be okay here by yourself tonight?”

“Yeah. Of course,” she answers all too quickly. I raise an eyebrow, doubting her response. “I mean, nothing has happened to me so far, and I’ve been here for months now.”

My skeptical look turns serious. “That’s not a good enough answer,” I inform her. “Why don’t I sleep out here on the couch?”

“Oh. You don’t have to do that. It’s really not necessary. I’m just overreacting.”

Amelia tries scrambling off of my lap, but I anchor her in place with a hand on her hip. “Look at me, sweet girl,” I gently command. Her eyes focus on mine, her lips trembling even as she tries to hold her head high. “You deserve to feel safe in your own home. Would you feel safe if I stayed?”

She doesn’t say anything at first, she simply studies me, picking apart my intentions and weighing my words. Eventually, she nods, then looks away from me as if ashamed to even ask me to stay.

I cup her cheek once again, drawing her attention back to me. She leans into my touch, her eyes fluttering closed. I press a kiss to her forehead and breathe in her strawberry and honey scent.

“Then it’s settled,” I murmur. “We’ll watch a movie and then I’ll sleep out here on the couch, okay?”

“You really don’t have to do this,” she half-heartedly protests.

“I want to. I wouldn’t be able to sleep if I left you like this.”

Amelia leans back and then reaches out a hand, one finger tracing down the scar cutting through my left brow. I resist the urge to turn away from her. She was vulnerable with me, it's only fair that I do the same.

“Thank you for being so good to me,” she says softly, never taking her eyes off of my scar. The angel in my arms leans forward, brushing her lips against my marred skin. “You’re a good man, Adrian, despite the lies you tell yourself.”

Overwhelmed by her confession, I tilt my head up, our lips mere inches apart. Her breath tickles across my chin and cheeks, those golden eyes meeting mine. Soft, pink lips part ever so slightly, and I close the distance between us, sipping from her sweetness as she melts into my embrace.

Amelia wraps her arms around my neck as I continue to tease her with light kisses before diving in. I roll my tongue against hers, causing her to gasp softly and curl into me. I could stay right here in our first kiss forever, but I don’t want to take advantage of the vulnerable angel in my arms.

After a few more moments of pure bliss, I break our kiss and nuzzle into the side of her neck. “Perfect,” I whisper, pressing my lips against her pulse point. “Thank you for trusting me.”

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