Page 17 of Achille's Earth Angel
“That was a close one, Angel.” The corners of his lips turned up but there was a warning glint in his eye. “You almost had a spanking coming.”
“About this spanking thing...”
“Talk later, eat now.” Achilles hustled her into the kitchen where he opened the warm casserole dish and took a deep, hungry sniff as he grabbed a roll out of the basket. “Mm mm...warm rolls...pure ambrosia.”
“Now we eat like ravenous pigs,” Ange declared, and grabbed some plates out of the cabinet and began dipping food out of a hot casserole dish filled with rice, cheese, goat meat, and spices. It was funny that she didn’t feel awkward or uncomfortable. It was nice to just be herself. She’d had several blind dates that hadn’t gone anywhere, and even the few men she’d dated more than once had never achieved this easy-going familiarity in such a short time. It was as if she and Achilles just fit together, like pieces in a jigsaw puzzle, and their two completely different lives were part of the puzzle background.
And yet they were worlds apart. He was centuries older than her. Their match would be a nightmare and could only end in tragedy for one or both of them. If they did get married, she would leave him by dying because he was immortal. If they didn’t get married, he’d probably leave her and go back to his world before they got into a serious relationship and allowed himself to be hurt.
She shot him a glance out of the corner of her eye, focusing on his huge hand gripped around the fork he was eating with. Just watching his fingers move as he speared his food and ate from two rolls at a time turned her on. Was lust all they would ever have?
Suddenly disgruntled, she wasn’t hungry anymore and she pushed her plate away. When another knock sounded on the door, she was glad to avoid his questioning gaze that spoke volumes without saying a word. He was far too in tune with her moods already, and where she felt comforted moments before, she now felt wide open to his scrutiny. She had nowhere to hide her feelings that his intuition couldn’t find.
She returned his gaze coolly, putting a lock on her feelings. It was time to start backing off. “I’ll get the door, you eat,” she said. If they kept going the way they had all day, they’d end up in bed together tonight. The little imp on her shoulder asked her why not live a little? To which she muttered, “Shut up before I smash your face in.” She completely missed Achilles eyebrows shooting to his hairline.
Over the next few days, Ange spent a lot of time in her father’s study going over paperwork. Partly, it needed to be done, but the other part was her hiding away from Achilles. They’d remained on cool terms since Wednesday night as she tried to figure out her feelings. He’d kept busy taking care of the goats and fixing the numerous small projects, like the broken gate latch her father had never gotten around to. He may have been the best warrior who ever lived, but he was also an excellent handyman.
Movement from the corner of her eye caught her attention and she realized Alex was passing the study window. She awaited the knock on the front door, but it never came. Finally curious, she went to see what was keeping him. She needed a breath of fresh air anyway.
***
ACHILLES WAS NEAR THEgoat pen when he saw Alex pull up into the driveway. He was just the person he wanted to see and he came around to the front to speak with him. “Hey, Alex,” he called, just as he was opening the latch on the front gate.
Alex looked up and smiled. “Achilles, how have you been? I see you fixed this old latch, it’s needed repairing for months. I always meant to, but never seemed to find the time.”
Achilles nodded. “It was an easy fix. Do you have a minute? I’d like to talk to you.”
“Sure, shoot.”
Achilles grunted. “Shoot?” He watched the other man grin.
“It means go ahead, tell me what you want to talk about.”
“I guess I’m more literal than that,” Achilles remarked dryly.
“Then I’m glad you didn’t have a weapon on you,” Alex replied jokingly. “So, go ahead.”
“I wanted to ask your permission to court Angel.”
Alex looked quizzically at him. “My permission?”
“In my world, it’s a custom for the man to ask a girl’s father for permission to court his lady of choice. If the father isn’t available, then a brother, or the next nearest male relative to whom he can state his intentions. Since you’re the only one I see in Angel’s life at the present, I’m asking you. Or is there someone else I should know about?”
Alex’s jaw dropped. “You mean...like marriage intentions?”
“When it comes to that point, yes. Right now, I want to woo her, make her fall in love with me, and get to know her. I’m interested in making her my wife if she feels the same way,” he answered impatiently. “I haven’t been interested in another woman in centuries, but I am in Angel. I intend to have her.”
Alex rubbed his jaw. “Those are some pretty strong words, Achilles. Does Ange know how you feel?” He ran his hands through his blond hair. “I mean, we don’t really stick to that old custom anymore. Nowadays, it’s the woman who picks her boyfriend and or husband. Father’s just get to give the bride away at the wedding.”
Achilles glared at him. “So, do I have your permission or not?”
“And if I said no?”
“Then I’ll do it anyway.”
“Then what do you need me for?” Alex threw his hands in the air with a chuckle. “I am a bit concerned as to how you’re going to make it all work if you do get married. You being immortal and all,” he said curiously. “Besides that, you’ve only known her for four days. And what about Zeus?”
“I’ll worry about all of those things. I just wanted you to know my intentions, and that they are honorable,” Achilles stated flatly.
