Redeeming Angel by J.L. Weil Page A

his hands over my hips as he
pulled me into his lap, eyes searching mine.
    “ You make me happy,” I said, tracing my fingers over the nape of
his neck.
    He lowered his forehead, pressing it
against mine. “What I did—”
    I pressed a finger to his lips,
silencing him and shaking my head. “I don’t want to talk about it.
Not yet.” There was a goose-sized lump in my throat, and I forced
the tears that threatened to take over back down. “I don’t want you
to regret the choice you made bargaining for my soul.”
    His bright golden eyes twinkled as he
looked down at me. “I would make the same choice a thousand times
over. You’re worth every fight, every bloodshed, and I’ll never
stop fighting for you.” He placed his mouth to my ear, his breath
tickling the sensitive area. “I love you, Angel Eyes.”
    I was breathless, and he hadn’t even
kissed me yet.
    It was so easy to slip into his arms,
slip back into this radiant feeling he enticed inside me with just
one steaming look. We might have only been apart for a few weeks,
but gazing into his dreamy eyes, it felt like a lifetime. I wanted
him to make me forget everything else but him. I wanted him to hold
me and never let go.
    Chase seemed to be able to know what I
wanted without my having to tell him. I could thank our bond for
that and his deep feelings for me.
    One of his hands moved to my thigh,
slipping his fingers under the cotton material of my long shirt. As
his hand inched up, his lips made a hot line of kisses down my
throat, causing warmth to flood over my body. This was real. He was
real.
    And I didn’t want to think or feel
anything but this moment, if only for a little bit. “Will you love
me?” I whispered. The embarrassment I was feeling leaked through my
voice, staining my cheeks.
    “ Now?” he growled, his lips
reaching my jawline.
    I nodded, unable to speak as I watched
his irises meld from silver to gold.
    “ Are you sure? You’re not
too tired?” There was heat in his tone.
    I rolled my eyes. “I think I’ve slept
long enough. Make me feel again,” I murmured.
    I never saw him move, but
suddenly his lips were on mine, and it was as magical as I
remembered. My hand moved into the silky strands of his hair, our
breath mingling as I deepened the kiss. I wanted, needed more of him. It
felt like forever since he’d kissed me, and I let my eyes drift
closed, my insides lighting up from the power of his
kiss.
    His arms dropped to my waist, and then
I was lying on my back, staring up into his face. “Are you feeling
anything yet?”
    I wrapped my legs around his as we lay
hip to hip, his weight sinking into me in the most delicious way. I
traced my finger over the curve of his cheek. “Exceedingly happy,”
I said, along with more emotion than I could name. Chase evoked all
of it and so much more.

Chapter 12

    {Chase }
    Every limb in my body was buzzing with
the aftereffects of being with Angel. I didn’t know what I’d been
expecting when she woke up—who she’d be or what she would remember.
She had definitely caught me by surprise.
    Slipping on my rumbled shirt, I sat on
the edge of the bed as Angel clutched the sheets to her chin. There
was this shy quality in her expression and a sense of
what-in-God’s-name-do-I-do-now?
    Angling my knee on the bed, I peered
down at her and my heart skipped a beat. “How about a shower?” I
suggested. “Then you should eat.”
    “ Okay.” She glanced up at
me, soft eyes drifting over the planes of my face in a dreamlike
trance.
    Hesitating a moment longer, I
eventually forced myself to stand up. She was only going to be in
the next room. At least that was what I kept telling myself. It did
nothing to stop the panic fluttering in my chest or the fact I just
wanted her close to me.
    Who was I kidding?
    I was afraid if I blinked she would be
gone. We might have some serious separation anxiety for a while. Or
a decade.
    Placing a fresh towel on the bathroom
vanity, she followed me into