Chapter 9
Three days later…
Angel said goodbye to Diana and hung up the phone with a smile, in spite of her churning emotions. So, Bishop is still here. Other than going on and on about her surprise and happiness at seeing her brother again, nothing more was said about him. Angel had to wonder if it was because he’d told Diana about them, or if he hadn’t said anything at all. Most likely that was the case. She doubted Diana would be accepting of Bishop’s decision to just cut Angel out of his life based on his reasoning.
Sighing, Angel pulled the towel from her almost dry hair. Diana had caught her just as she’d stepped out of her shower. Pesky Pests had said the gas they’d used to kill the termites didn’t leave a residue but she’d still spent the last three days cleaning, from morning till night. Beginning with her bedroom and kitchen, she’d done one room at a time. She was beyond exhausted, but happy at the progress she was making. The problem was when she went to bed and closed her eyes.
Her dreams were of Bishop. So hot and sexually graphic that she’d wake during the night, horny and drenched in sweat, yearning for his mouth and hands on her, fueling while feeding the hunger of her body and soul. Damn him! I should hate him for what he’s done. How could he just decide to give his country everything of himself? But Angel knew the answer to that. Didn’t they all make certain decisions in their lives for the greater good?
Angel shook the thought of him out of her head and went to the kitchen for her usual glass of wine before bed. While she was there she would make sure she had the ingredients she needed for quiche. Diana would be disappointed if Angel had lured her over for the quiche that she loved, and replaced it with something else.
Diana’s call had been the first one she’d received since being home. They’d had a wonderful cruise, her friend had said, taking a few minutes to tell her all about the places they’d seen in Europe. The Vatican and the leaning tower of Pisa were her favorites. She’d invited Angel over for lunch the next day in order to show her pictures. Thinking of Bishop, Angel had managed to bribe Diana to come to her place for home-made quiche instead. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to see Bishop, she wanted it too much, and she didn’t think she could take the hurt of seeing him again.
Glancing out the kitchen window as she poured her wine, Angel noticed the bright, full moon peeking through the tree tops. The sky looked like black velvet, dotted with tiny stars that blinked at her from above. Deciding to have her wine out on the porch, she opened the screen door and stepped down. She was so glad she’d had the porch screened in when she first bought the house. She enjoyed sitting outside in the evenings, especially after a long day at work. It was her downtime.
She sank down onto the old rocker and brought her knees up against her chest. Her small house was located on the main road leading into town, but even then only an occasional vehicle passed by. Once in a while the driver would flash their lights or honk their horn as they went past, telling Angel that it was someone she knew. It was their way of saying hello. She’d grown up in the small town of China, Maine and couldn’t think of living anywhere else.
As she brought her wine glass up to her lips a vehicle slowed down and turned into her circular driveway. For a split second the lights landed on her, and she blinked against the brightness shining in her eyes. Who the heck is stopping at this time of night? It occurred to her that it might be Diana with her vacation pictures. It wouldn’t be the first time her enthusiasm had gotten the best of her. She smiled, recognizing her friend’s truck.
“Couldn’t wait till tomorrow to show me your pictures?” Angel teased the second Diana opened her door. But the smile quickly faded from her face when the dome light revealed it wasn’t Diana exiting the vehicle. It was Bishop.
Her heart did a flip, and she forced herself to take several calming breaths. What’s he doing here? Angel wanted more than anything to look at his presence as a good sign, but she refused to jump to any conclusions. She watched his tall, muscular form walk toward the porch steps. He paused before opening the door.
“Hi,” he said, making eye contact with her.
“Hi. I wasn’t expecting to see you again.”
“Do you mind if I come in?”
“Not at all,” she said, proud of the calm in her voice. God, he looked good! Her gaze ate up the tee-shirt that was stretched across his chest, and the old tight jeans that hugged his lower body. “Why are you driving Diana’s truck?”
“She parked behind mine, and I didn’t want to take the time to move vehicles.” Angel nodded. “You forgot to leave me your phone number.” He leaned his butt on the edge of the brick wall that ran halfway down to the porch floor.
Oh, she had. “I’m sorry.”
“And I couldn’t look you up in the phone book because it occurred to me that I didn’t know your last name.” He sounded frustrated, crossing his ankles and his arms.
He’d tried to find her? For some reason that amused Angel. “It’s Smyth.” She finished her wine and set the glass down on the floor.
“I don’t need it now.”
Something in Bishop’s tone changed. The dim glow of the porch light allowed Angel to clearly see his expression and the hard glitter of his eyes. His gaze ran over her, reminding her that she was dressed for bed. All she had on was a pair of lacy black panties, and a short nightshirt. Well, he’d seen her in a lot less. That knowledge, and the sudden awareness exploding through her, made her feel like a volcano getting ready to erupt. It wasn’t fair that he was doing this to her.
“So, what do you need, Bishop?”
The question hung in the air between them for several long seconds. Just when Angel thought she couldn’t take much more of his silent stare he surprised her by saying, “You, I need you.”
She caught her breath at the timbre of emotion in his tone, unable to break eye contact with him. He needs me, what does that mean? “I didn’t think you needed anyone. Or have you decided to quit the SEALS?” The slightest grin appeared on his sensual lips, and Angel realized she wanted to chew on them.
“You don’t just quit,” he explained with amusement. “Maybe need isn’t the right word. But you gave me something to think about over the last few days. I’ve decided that you’re right. I made a commitment ten years ago. It was a good decision at the time. But that was then, and this is now.”
Angel was elated inside. “And?” She held her breath, sure there was more.
“Do you remember what I said to you that first morning? When I woke up and thought you were an angel?” Angel nodded. “You are an angel, Angel. You’re my angel. I didn’t realize I was looking for salvation until I touched you, and that’s when I began to feel human and alive again. The images of death and horror that were stamped on my mind began to fade into a bearable haze.”
“I can’t imagine what you’ve gone through,” she said softly.
“I want you, Angel,” Bishop said in a more serious tone. “I don’t know where this is going. I don’t know how long it will last. I only know that if I were called away right now, you’re going to be the upper most thing on my mind whether I want you to be or not. Somehow you’ve managed to break through the wall around my soul, and you’ve shown me there can be more to life than giving everything to my country.”
He wants me? That was all Angel was able to focus on at the moment, and that he wanted a relationship with her. She hadn’t been expecting that declaration. Deep down she was elated, because she knew they had something real and special together. Only she decided to keep her emotions in check until he backed up his comment with action.
“Everyone deserves the best they can get in life, Bishop. As a protector of our country, I can’t think of a more deserving man.” She picked up her empty glass and got to her feet. “Would you like a glass of wine? We can celebrate.” Their gazes locked and held as she waited for his answer.
Angel wanted more than a glass of wine to celebrate. Seeing Bishop again made her hot for him. What will it tak
e for him to reach out and take what he wants? What we both want? His caution made her smile inside. Is he worried I’ll push him away? Fat chance!
“Sure.”
There was obvious uncertainty in Bishop’s tone, which only amused Angel more. “Is red wine okay?” She was very aware he had followed her inside and was close behind her.
“Sounds good.”
With a little smile she opened a cupboard and reached for a wine glass. Keeping her back to him, she poured a generous amount of wine into his glass and swung around to hand it to him. A little gasp escaped her. Bishop was closer than she thought. She raised her gaze to his, smiling nervously. There was no denying the flare of arousal in the pupils of his dark eyes. He accepted the glass from her, and without breaking eye contact, took a sip.
Angel lowered her gaze first, watching his sensual mouth take in the deep scarlet liquid. When he was done a small drop of moisture remained on his bottom lip. Unable to resist, she reached up and gathered the liquid on her fingertip and brought it to her mouth. “I don’t like waste.” His nostrils flared when she closed her lips over her finger. Without warning, Angel found her wrist being grabbed.
“Are you playing with me?” His eyes narrowed down at her.
“Why would I do that? I’m an angel,” she reminded him teasingly.
Bishop only stared at her, as though trying to figure her out. Then his gaze traveled down the front of her body, and back up again. Angel knew the light in the kitchen afforded him an intimate glance through the thin material of her shirt. The tingling sensation in her nipples told her they were hardening. The warm flow of growing arousal in her lower region left her panties very wet.
She sensed his grip on control was slipping fast. She was vaguely aware of it when he set his glass of wine down, and then his hand was slipping around the back of her neck while the other continued to hold her wrist. He gave her a gentle tug to pull her closer.
Angel resisted, smiling. Her little move clearly didn’t amuse Bishop. The fierce desire in his eyes excited her, and even frightened her a little. The next thing she knew, he was pushing her up against the fridge and taking what he wanted.
This is the Bishop I want! Angel thought to herself, eagerly bending to his will. The alpha male asserting his strength and dominance over me in unrestrained passion. A blast of fireworks erupted inside her body, exploding in all directions so that there wasn’t a part of her not feeling his rough possession. He didn’t have to force her mouth open to his searching tongue, she willingly invited him inside. His kiss was a deep blending of two souls seeking the same complex emotions.
“Oh, Bishop!” Angel cried out, when his mouth moved on to kiss and nibble on her throat. “I’ve missed you.”
“I missed you, too, honey.”
She arched her lower body into his, relishing in the feel of his hard cock. Undulating her hips produced a rolling shudder through Bishop, and a growl of pleasure followed. He responded by grinding his erection into her. Then, before she could guess his intentions, he pulled her nightshirt open and feasted on her quivering breasts. He moved back and forth between them, loving them equally until they were swollen and aching. Using his tongue, he licked her nipples into painful, tingling kernels.
Angel cried out with intense pleasure when he suddenly took a nipple between his teeth and gently savaged it. A lightning bolt of sharp arousal shot down to her loins, soaking the lace covering her pussy. As he continued to lavish attention to her swelling flesh she reached down and caressed his cock over his jeans, and she wasn’t gentle. From the sounds he emitted, she couldn’t decide whether she was hurting him or giving him pleasure. But what she did know was that he wasn’t pushing her away.
“Aaaaah, fuck, Angel!” he rasped in a guttural tone. “I’m going to come before I get inside your pussy if you keep that up.”
“You better not!” She blindly unsnapped his jeans and then pulled the zipper down. “I want you inside me when you come, Bishop.” She reached inside his boxers for his hot, pulsing flesh, pulling his dick out and glancing down at it. His knees buckled slightly before he quickly caught himself. Their gazes met, and Angel leaned in until her lips brushed against his. “I want your cum inside me.”
The cock in her hand twitched strongly. She felt the pre-cum dripping at the head and used it as a lubricant, running her hand along his hard, veined length. His breath was harsh and uneven. Her words seemed to unravel Bishop, because suddenly and without warning, she was spun around and pushed up against the kitchen island. A hand at the back of her neck forced her down, and she felt his body bend over hers.
“I have to have you now, baby,” he said harshly against her ear.
Liquid excitement dripped down Angel’s thighs when she realized Bishop was going to take her from behind. “Yes!” she hissed, panting. “Fuck me, Bishop. I need you!” She was squirming with arousal, impatient for him to penetrate her. She could feel his hot, probing flesh against her butt crack, her panties preventing a more intimate connection.
“Bishop!”
With one hand at the back of her neck, Angel felt him remove the top half of his body from hers, and then his other hand moved between their bodies. His intentions were obvious and precise. He made quick work at moving her panties aside. She held her breath, feeling her heart pounding out of control. Finally, the scorching head of his cock was at the entrance to her pussy, sliding past her labia until he was buried balls deep inside her body.
“Awwwwww!” Angel shivered with delicious pleasure, clenching her muscles around Bishop’s huge cock as tight as possible. He groaned low, but didn’t withdraw, instead letting his shaft throb against the confines of her slick channel.
He leaned forward again, teasing her outer ear with his mouth. “Fuck, baby, you feel so damn good.” He slowly withdrew, only to ram forward again.
“Oh!” Angel shook wildly when his finger played with her clit. It didn’t take long before a mini-orgasm rocked her body. “Uuuhhh!”
Bishop’s rough laughter seemed out of place. “Did you just come?”
Angel confirmed it with a nod, convulsing around his cock. “I’ve been so horny for you,” she explained, panting. “The last three nights have been hell.” She felt his smile against her skin.
“I’m sorry, baby. We both suffered for my stupidity. Let me make it up to you.”
Angel couldn’t help but laugh. “Then shut-up and fuck me,” she demanded, bumping her butt back against him.
With a groan Bishop began to fuck her in earnest, holding nothing back. He took hold of her hips and positioned her so that every stroke of his cock slid over her sensitive clit, drawing a sound of pleasure from Angel. His dick also hit her G-spot, and she teetered on the edge of another orgasm. She was pushed over when he grunted and climaxed inside her.
“Oh fuck…oh fuck…oh fuck…” he repeated, timing his exclamation with each convulsive shudder of his body. He continued to shove his exploding cock inside her until he finally collapsed.
She bit down on her bottom lip to keep from screaming with her release. This was no mini-orgasm. As her body joined his in the throes of ecstasy, tears of deep emotion ran down her face. At that moment Angel realized just how much Bishop meant to her, and how important it was that he remain in her life. She was so thankful he’d come to the same conclusion about her.
“Fuck, baby,” he breathed hotly against the back of her neck. “You take a lot out of me.”
She grinned against the table top. “Well, if you can’t take the heat…” she purposely let her sentence trail off.
“For an angel, you can sure be a witch!” Bishop rose off her body, pulling her up with him. He surprised Angel by picking her up. “Where?”
She decided to direct him to her bedroom, which happened to be upstairs. He handled them with ease, and was careful not to hit her head when he ducked through the threshold leading to her room. The next thing Angel knew he had lowered them down on top of the coverlet, rolling so that she ended up
on top. She lay her head upon his chest as he wrapped his arms around her tightly.
“What now?” she asked softly, feeling comfortable and secure in Bishop’s embrace. “Will you stay the night?” Angel closed her eyes. It was late, and she was tired.
“I planned on it, honey.” He sounded tired, too.
“Then why don’t you get comfortable? It’s bedtime.” She yawned loudly.
“Too tired to move at this very second,” he explained. “Carrying you up those stairs sapped my strength.
Angel could tell by his voice that he was smiling. She called up a burst of energy and pulled away from his arms, straddling him. He looked at her questioningly, and with a droopy-eyed grin she began to roll his tee-shirt up his abs and chest toward his head. Without words, Bishop lifted up enough so that she could draw the shirt over his arms and head. Tossing it aside, Angel’s hands went to the opened front of his jeans.
With his help she managed to pull them, and his boxers, down and off. She crawled back up his body when she was done, her gaze landing on his deflated cock. “Poor baby.” She leaned forward and kissed it. Bishop groaned. “He looks all worn out,” she said with humor. Taking in his glorious nakedness, she slipped off her nightshirt.
“You’re beautiful,” he whispered, his gaze running over her nudity with hot awareness. He reached up and took a breast in the palm of his hand.
“You didn’t answer my question earlier when I asked ‘what now’.” Angel closed her eyes and gave herself up to the pleasure of his gentle caress.
“How about we take things one day at a time, and see what develops,” he suggested. “We already know we’re good together in bed.”
“We’re great,” Angel corrected without hesitation.
Bishop nodded his agreement, transferring his hand to her other breast. “Until I’m called back, we can use the time to get to know each other better.”
“I like the sound of that.” She moaned softly, arching into his touch. “And when you’re called away?” She dreaded the thought, but knew it was just a matter of time.
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