by Weil, J. L.
We should have known that being so called inventive would backfire. Like striking a match, we went up in flames. His hands squeezed at my hips while mine busily wandered over every inch I could get my fingers on.
I wanted to be devoured.
I wanted to devour him.
I wanted him to make me forget it all…at least for a little while.
I wanted to make him forget.
With his lips moving over mine, I felt the same from him. He wanted to lose the guilt that was munching away at his insides. Seeing his cousin suffering and bitterly angry was darkening his soul. It wasn’t because he had killed a man, but that it had caused this strife between him and Travis.
I could sense the turmoil inside and the darkness that was swimming within. Chase was fighting his own personal demons, and I was going to do whatever I could to keep him from going over to the demon side. There was this unmistakable part of him that would always be deadly and dangerous. Today…it was rapturous.
A sane person would be wary, frightened even. Not me. I was attracted to it. That line he traveled between demon and human was exciting, thrilling. He tried to keep that part of himself shielded from me, the only problem was…now were we connected on multiple levels. It was impossible to keep that piece of him hidden anymore. Truthfully, I never would have wanted him too.
I wanted all of him.
The good, the cocky, and the demon.
The ornate mark at my hip tingled as his lips locked on mine, searing me his. Bunching my hands at the end of his shirt, I tugged up. The cotton tee was in my way, and I wanted no barriers between us. Yet somehow Chase and I weren’t on the same wavelength.
With lightening speed, he pulled back, keeping me at arm’s length. I leaned forward wanting, needing the closeness of him, but his arms didn’t budge. “You have to follow the rules if you want to play.”
“Rules?” I echoed confused. When did we have rules?
“You got it toots. The clothes stay on.”
Annoyance flickered in my midnight blue eyes. I honestly couldn’t believe that came out of his mouth. “This is your idea of being inventive?” I asked panting.
Eyes like liquid fire eyed me intently. “Not exactly. With you things always seem to get out of hand.” His voice was gravelly and sexy.
Love and passion for each other swirled in the air around us. I never felt so close to anyone as I did to Chase at this moment, and never wanted anyone more. It was more than the connections we shared, it was deeper.
Tipping my chin up, I looked into his smoky eyes. “Angel Eyes,” he murmured, his voice trailing off.
I ran my hand through his dark silky hair and for a moment I forget to breath. “Hmmm,” I muttered, staring at his lips. I really wanted to kiss him again.
“Your eyes are doing that freaky thing again.”
I shot him a look of exasperation. “No thanks to you.”
He chuckled. “It’s hot. Really hot.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Only you would think so.”
He placed a kiss on the tip of my nose. “I think about you more than I should.”
That was one way to get a girl’s heart pumping. “Good. Now can we get back to business?”
“Sorry Angel Eyes. You’re cut off.”
Biting the inside of my cheek, I shifted on his lap.
He closed his eyes and moaned. “You are evil.”
I laughed as his hands on my hips lifted me like a bag of sugar and tossed me to the other side of the couch. Served him right. Grinning, I stared into his smoldering gaze. “I play dirty.”
His eyes darkened to a smoldering honey. “I’m in so much trouble,” he groaned.
I only laughed harder. He had no idea.
Angel and Chase’s story continues in…
CHASING ANGEL
Coming soon a Novella about Emma and Travis…
BREAKING EMMA
~*~*~*~
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Acknowledgements
First I have to thank Elena Boteva for taking time away from her busy day to comb this book with a fine eye that I just lack. Also Amber Bungo, you are a reading ninja. You are guys are A-ma-zing. Thank you so much. Between these two guys I might actually have a book without all the usual pesky typos. I want to give a GIGANTIC THANKS to the readers and book bloggers. I heart every one of you! It still amazes me that anyone reads my books. Kisses.
*Bonus* Straight from the mouth of Chase Winters
(Unedited – read at your own risk.)
~*~*~*~
She was leaning against the porch banister watching me intently with eyes the color of wild blueberries, sweet and tart. I tried my damnest to ignore the fluttering in my stomach. With Angel, it was utterly pointless. She was part of me now.
And damn if that didn’t excite me. It made my blood run wild, but I would never admit that to anyone in a million years, least of all Angel.
Travis walked across her yard toward me, looking like he had seen better days. My cousin’s heart had been through the wringer the last year. Just another reason for me to avoid the plunge. Falling for a girl had not been on my list of things to accomplish before college. Being bonded to a girl hadn’t even crossed my mind. And yet here I was…
I gave a short lift of my head in a guy-kind-of greeting as we met me halfway between our yard and Angel’s.
“You better treat her good or I’ll wipe the floor with your demon ass,” Travis said in what I took as sort a brotherly warning. The kind we normally used with Lexi.
I arched a brow at my cousin, wondering where that had come from. Sure he was going through a tough time, and I hated the shadows that lingered behind his eyes. But I didn’t have time to dwell on what was going on with Travis because my eyes caught hers again and my breath slammed into my chest.
Something was up.
I could feel it charged in the air. I could feel it coming from inside her, it was written all over those expressive eyes. The fact that they now changed hues with her moods helped. It wasn’t hard to read what kind of mood she was in currently. Troubled. Sad. Confused. She chewed on her lip, and I knew she was working through something in that head of hers.
Lord help me.
But it didn’t stop her from looking at me like she wanted to gobble me right there on her porch. It was all just part of my irresistible charm. However, if she kept eyeballing me like that, I wasn’t going to be held accountable for my actions. So instead I shoved my hands into the pocket of my jeans and looked her over. I needed to make sure she was okay after last night and more so because I wanted to. “Hey,” I greeted. “You look better,” I added, my gaze finally landing on her face.
She shuffled her feet in a cute nervous gesture, and the corner of my mouth twitched. The fact that I found all her little habits cute was alarming. Very alarming. What was it about this girl that got to me? Never before had someone gotten so completely under my skin as Angel did. Why her?
The question plagued me night and day. Don’t get me wrong, it had more to do with than just her being stunningly beautiful, or maybe that was just the way I saw her. I’d been attracted to other pretty girls before but this…this was way different. This was on an entirely different level, even before the soulbond thing, I’d felt it. Really, if I was being totally honest with myself, I’d known the second I caught her on my porch that first day looking lost and unsure of herself. Well that was before she got her panties in a wad, which hadn’t taken much effort.
“Better than what?” she countered.
I looked forward to this. No one bantered like Angel and I did. “Do you always have to argue with everything I say?”
Her eyes flashed. “Maybe.”
I leaned a hip against the railing needing a little breathing room. I could smell her shampoo and the subtle sweet scent of her skin mixed with perfume. It was intoxicating to say the least. The last thing this little minx needed was to know how much she affected me, how much power she had over my actions. What I needed to do was get to the point. I hadn’t come over to be seduced by her or seduce her, but suddenly the idea had merit.
Focus.
Pulling my gaze from her lips, I got to the point. “I didn’t get a chance to mention it last night, but I think it would be best if you didn’t let it get out…what you can do. Not everyone will like the idea that you can get inside their head.”
Understanding dawned in her cornflower eyes. “They’ll think I’m a threat.” I could see the wheels turning in that brain of hers, putting together all kinds of scenarios. Her chin lifted just a fraction. “I don’t plan on broadcasting it over the six o’clock news.” She shuffled her feet again over the wood planks of the porch.
She had gumption, loads of it and I couldn’t help but grin. Something was definitely on her mind, other than being able to play with people’s minds. One way or the other I was going to pull it out of her. “Okay, with that settled, you can stop the nervous shuffle and just spit it out.”
Her lips turned down in a delectable frown. “Why would you think I have anything to say to you?”
My brow shot up.
She looked down at her hands, and I wanted to reach out, pull her into my arms. Whatever it was, it was making her very nervous. Sighing heavily, she relented. “Fine.” Then she crossed her arms and leaned back into the railings. “I don’t understand what is going on between us. One minute you are all over me and the next you can’t get far enough away. What gives?”
What gives? If she only knew. Too much was the problem, there was too much going on between us and for the first time, I felt my control slipping, no tumbling away from me. Sure, I’ve struggled with control my whole life, being part demon was no walk in the park, but this thing going on between Angel Eyes and I made my demon seem miniscule. “Nothing gives, except your bad taste in company.” I couldn’t resist the jab at my cousin and the opportunity to change the subject.
“Did you and Travis have some kind of falling out I don’t know about?” she asked.
I shrugged. “We just have different ideas of what’s right. This Emma thing hasn’t got him thinking straight.”
Her lips were set in a thin line. “Let me guess, your way is the right way.”
I gave her my signature grin. “Of course.”
She didn’t look convinced. “That still doesn’t explain why you are acting all weird. I feel it remember?”
Yeah, I didn’t need a reminder. She wasn’t the only one who was dealing with this connection. I wasn’t used to having these extra emotions, the extra worry about another person, and don’t get me started about the persistent and annoying separation anxiety. This bond could be darn inconvenient at times.
Like now.
“Ever since we got back from seeing Ives you’ve been acting strange. What could he have possibly said to make you bug out?” Her voice was filled with frustration.
I glanced over my shoulder staring into the woods behind her house. I didn’t want to lie to her, but she made me feel so exposed. Vulnerable. I didn’t like the feeling. Not. One. Bit. But I owed her honesty.
Here went nothing. “I’m not bugging out. And it’s not so much what he said, but our situation.”
“Situation?” she echoed, puzzled. “You’re talking about being strapped to me for all eternity?”
Immediately I got defensive, the demon in me roared to life. “It’s not like that and you know it.” Never for me. I didn’t let myself think about the future, or what our future would be. If I did then I would hope and hope wasn’t something I trusted. Hope in my book equaled pain.
Like always with me, she answered in anger. That I could count on. Her sarcasm usually cloaked hurt. “What is it like Chase? Because I’m not getting it. If you are having second thoughts–”
My eyes slammed into hers. If there was one thing I didn’t want to cause her, it was pain. “I don’t regret the outcome of what happened that night I saved you. I would do it again in a heartbeat.” There I’d said it. It felt like an enormous weight had been lifted from my chest. So I kept on going. Hell why not. I’d come this far. “I just wish that I had been able to save your soul. Knowing that it’s been darkened by hell kills me.” I pushed off the banister, standing in front of her. “Then there are all these feelings that I don’t know what to do about. When I’m not near you, it feels like there is a gapping whole in my heart. The further and longer I’m gone, the bigger it gets. Suddenly, I find myself unable to get a grip on my control. It gets more difficult every day I see you.”
How was that for honesty?
Seconds ticked by turning into minutes and she hadn’t said a thing, just stared at me like she hardly recognized me. Wasn’t exactly the reaction I’d been expecting, but then again I wasn’t really sure what I had expected. Surely not her looking so…thunderstruck.
“Angel…say something,” I said, breaking the silence.
Nothing but more silence. It was driving me crazy. And then I was distracted by her eyes. They were the darkest blue almost black and such a contrast to a few minutes ago when she had been nervous. “Your eyes are doing that weird voodoo thing again,” I commented, trying to fill the lack of response.
Her mouth dropped open, and the look of surprise on her face made me wish I had told her sooner. “You’ve always been in control around me,” she rationed.
That couldn’t have been farther from the truth. With Angel, I wanted more than anything to lose myself into that part I buried. The demon surfaced more and more where she was concerned. I was getting tried of fighting it. But I couldn’t trust that part of myself around her. She could get hurt, and I would die before I hurt her.
Taking a step closer, I boxed her in. “Then I put on a good front. The truth is, I’ve never felt more out of control than when I am with you.”
Let’s see how she handled that. I assumed that I would shock her or frighten her. I should have known that Angel Eyes would never fail to knock me off my feet.
She slipped her fingers into the front pocket of my jeans and tugged. Our bodies slammed together and this time I was the one left speechless. But not for long. Pressed against her, instinct took over. The darkness inside me rose like wildfire, swift and hot.
She shivered in my arms.
The static electricity surged through the air around us as things started to heat up between our bodies. I couldn’t tear my gaze away from hers. There was something brewing behind those stormy eyes, and I was afraid I knew what it was. Part excitement and part disbelief that she could feel for me what I felt for her overwhelmed me.
“Angel, don’t do it,” I growled. “Don’t you say it.”
But it was too late. There was determination in her eyes and her chin was set. The words were already at the tip of her tongue and tumbling from her berry colored lips. “I love you,” she blurted.
And just like that, the universe threw me a curve ball I wasn’t prepared for. My hands fisted on the banister behind her, and I clamped my eyes shut not wanting her to see the reaction that tore through my whole body from head-to-toe. Clenching my teeth against a sensation that wasn’t quite painful, but not entirely pleasurable, I waited for what felt indefinitely for the new link between us to seal itself to my heart, seal her deeper to me. The mark at my hip tingled vigorously. She didn’t have the foggiest clue what she had just done.
“You don’t know what you’ve done,” I said when I was finally able to. My voice was still strained with the emotional onslaught I couldn’t yet get a handle on. Her love for me engulfed me in waves after waves.
Okay. That might not have been the smartest thing to say.
Eyes the color of twilight shot daggers in my direction. “I take it b
ack. I take it all back. I despise you. I hate you. I loathe you.” She shoved at my chest, oblivious as to what had just happened, and I wasn’t in any condition to enlighten her. I needed time to process what had happened.
She jerked in my arms, attempting to take off. I held onto her unable to let go. Not yet. I wanted, needed more time with her. The new bond she had just forged demanded it. I demanded it. I stare into her eyes that were deep blue pools of hurt and rejection. “You can’t take it back. I won’t let you.”
Her eyes quickly blazed with anger and she ran an unsteady hand through her hair. “I can’t stand you,” she spat, lashing out and I didn’t blame her.
I was more than not an insensitive pig, but I needed to make her understand. I needed to put things back the way they were between us until I could figure this out. “Liar. You can’t keep your hands off me.”
And then because I wanted it more than anything, I kissed her. I poured all those feelings that she had just given me into this one mind-blowing, crushing kiss. And she responded, clinging to me as if her life depended on it. Right now, it felt like that both our lives depended on it.
Tenderly I pulled away and said, “You’ll probably regret loving me. I don’t deserve it, but…” I searched her eyes, begging her to understand why I couldn’t give her the words she wanted in return. “I’ll never let anything bad happen to you. Never again.”
She lifted her hand and outlined my cheek with her fingers, running her nails alongside my jaw. God. She was driving me mad, crazy with the need for her. Couldn’t she see, feel what she was doing to me. My whole body tightened as I fought to control the beast that was hammering to be set free. He wanted Angel as much as I did. Sometimes I think he wanted her more.
And that was some serious scary shit.
“Chase,” she murmured my name.
I loved hearing my name whispered for her lips. My name. Only my name. Whether I wanted to think about us as a future, I knew then that I would only love her. I might not be ready to seal this heartbond completely, but she already had my love. There would never be another soul for me. I would never love another as I loved Angel.
