Page 4 of Sleeping Redemption
I would have hoped so. I had only tossed together the fake corporation in hopes that she would recognize me and we could forgo these games.
“That is why I reached out to you. I heard you’re the best in Brixton.” I shot her a charming smile, laying it on thick. She used to tell me that my smile alone could convince her to take on the world.
Knowingly, she gave a smile with a shrug of her shoulder. “I am, and my rates are priced appropriately. For a base package, which includes top-tier security, personalized software, and white-glove customer service by the CEO – me – you’re looking at fifty minimum.”
I nearly choked on the coffee I had begun to sip. “Fifty grand?” My brow lifted in complete shock that she got anyoneto pay those prices. Not unless she was using her manipulation tactics.
Her hand reached across the table, fingertips lightly stroking the back of my hand. Lowering her voice the way you whisper to a lover, she said, “Now it’s seventy-five for scoffing at my first proposal.” She smirked as her finger traced a few circles along my skin.
Narrowing my eyes on her, I watched her moves carefully. A warm tingle spread from her touch onto my skin, and it wasn’t just my imagination or longing for her. She was trying to use her angelic powers of persuasion on me.This is a joke, right?
The charm she tried to bespell me with was a wasted effort on a non-human. Angels couldn’t use persuasion on other angels, or demons for that matter. I knew I had undergone some changes since my return to Earth, ones which I couldn’t even begin to explain, but I hadn’t realized that I wasn’t even recognizable as an angel, specifically one sent to watch over her.
“Fifty and you let me take you out to dinner,” I countered, making it clear that she wasn’t going to be successful in her efforts to take advantage of me.
Kinley’s brows furrowed as she realized her charm hadn’t worked its magic. She tried once more, the prickle of energy spreading up my arm but still falling flat on my body’s natural defenses.
I grinned. “Still offering fifty grand and dinner, but you better make up your mind quickly. This offer won’t last long.” Another lie. The offer would always be on the table for her.
Obviously troubled by her failed efforts, she quickly withdrew her hand. I could almost see the wheels spinning in her mind after I presented her with a challenge.
Agreeing, she named her sole condition. “Fine, but I choose the restaurant.”
The first bit of light shone in my slate blue eyes for the first time in a very long time. “Deal. Tonight at seven.”
Her teeth briefly bit into her lower lip before she smiled at me. “In a rush to spend your money?”
With a shake of my head, I responded, full of confidence. “I’ve been waiting a long time to find the right woman for the job, angel.”
It was hard to explain, but the amount of giddiness inside of me was akin to having your crush accept your invitation to a dance. We were incredibly beyond the first, second, or three-hundredth date, but it didn’t seem to matter when she wasn’treallyseeing me. I was determined to make her remember me, to pull her out of the darkness that clouded her vision.
From what I had heard amongst the few others who were privy to my return, losing me had pushed her over the edge. I hoped the stories of her cruel games were exaggerated; I couldn’t imagine my soulmate taking part in such callous disregard for human life. Sure, deserving souls should get punishments fitting for their crimes, but from the rumors, she had been non-prejudicially abusing humankind and discarding the bodies like broken and unwanted toys.
Leaning over, I smirked. “Just make sure you leave room for dessert.”
She mirrored me, leaning in. “I was just about to tell you the same thing.”
Before I could reach out to touch her face, she settled back into her seat. Tonight, I intended to pull out all the stops to remind her of herself, the true Kinley.
She needed to see that I came back for her, and everything could be righted after that asshole Nicodemus attacked me on that snowy mountainside. My mind drifted back to the snowbanks of the St. Cassius Mountain centuries ago.
I tackled Kinley into the large pile of snow, both of us sinking into it more than expected, prompting another fit of laughter from each of us.
“Atlassian! My hair is going to be soaked before we make it to the peak!” She scolded me despite the smile on her face that reflected how much she enjoyed my playfulness.
Pulling us both back onto our feet, I grinned and brushed as much of the snow off of her as I could. My hand rested on her cheek that bore a light pink hue from the bitter cold of the wind. I drew her face near my own as I lightly kissed those delicious lips of hers.
“It’s not your hair I’m concerned about soaking, Kinley,” I said with a wink.
Her hand smacked my chest before she grabbed the front of my dark green jacket and pulled me closer to her. “Keep it up, Atlas, and Lucifer will have my wings for being late to the meeting with this demon, Nicodemus.” She lovingly kissed me, making everything in the world feel perfect.
I blinked as I chased the memory back into the depths of my mind. Sitting back and looking at her, she had lost that lively aura about her. She had always been a fighter and strong-willed, but the woman before me was so far gone she couldn’t see past her own twisted corruption.
Her arctic-hued eyes continued evaluating me, unclear what to make of my immunity to her power to bend my will to hers. All the while, she kept explaining a basic plan for my nonexistent company. Everything from online security to platforms to integration of a point-of-sale system.
The sound of her voice, no matter the words she spoke, was enough to put a piece of my heart back in place. I caught myself imagining all the dirty words I wished she would whisper to me when she commanded my attention, and I had nearly forgotten the fake name I had given her until she repeated it several times.
“Alex? Hello?” She sighed, running out of patience after realizing that I had dazed out.
