“Oh, don’t lie. It was too slow, and I screwed up in some places.”
He leaned close, wafting his scent past her nose. She inhaled deeply, smiling into his eyes.
“But how did it feel to play again, Abigail?”
“Wonderful. Peaceful. I’ve been wanting to again for a long, long time.”
“Would you like to try something else?”
“Not right now, but I’d love to hear you play.”
Zach took the instrument and adjusted the end pin. As soon as the bow touched the strings, goose bumps rose over Abigail’s arms. The man had a gift, and to say he played well was a gross understatement. He played the first minuet from Suite No. 2 in D minor without music as Abigail listened in awe. She couldn’t imagine being able to play like that, with such passion and emotion. She’d have to take lessons for a century to be that good, and even then technique like he demonstrated wasn’t taught. You were born with it.
When Zach put away the cello and led her back to the sitting room, Abigail didn’t want to leave, but she could barely keep her eyes open.
“You should get some rest. Will I see you for breakfast?” he asked.
“Yes.”
He embraced her, and it took all of her resolve to leave the room and make her way back to her own suite. She fell asleep remembering the soothing sounds of Bach and the look in Zach’s pewter eyes as he watched her play.
Chapter Nineteen
Abigail ate a huge breakfast the next morning, and she couldn’t stop smiling as she sat across from Zach and next to Emmett. They chattered on about their plans for the next party—a forties theme this time—and Abigail wished she could stay an extra two weeks so she wouldn’t miss it. The thought of leaving made her sad, so she pretended she didn’t have to.
“I have some work to catch up on this morning,” said Zach, “but I hope I’ll see you later.”
Emmett put his arm around her. “Oh, run along and fiddle with your spreadsheets. Abigail and I will find something to do.”
The jealousy that passed across Zach’s face surprised Abigail. She began to wish she’d spent the night with him, despite her tiredness. He’d given her such a special gift last evening letting her play his cello. She hoped he knew how much it meant to her.
“Don’t wear her out,” said Zach, before planting a kiss on the tip of her nose.
Emmett laughed as Zach strolled toward the exit. Just before he reached it, he turned around and smiled at Abigail. Her heart gave a little lurch, and she knew right then and there, without a shadow of a doubt, that she had fallen in love with two fallen angels.
What the hell was she supposed to do now?
“So, what would you like to do today?”
She looked into Emmett’s ice-blue eyes and bit her lip. Memories of the other night flashed through her mind, each one more erotic than the last. This simply wasn’t possible. She thought she’d been in love exactly one time before now, and that hadn’t turned out very well. This couldn’t be real. It was the angel magic or whatever power they held over the women here, nothing more. Once she returned home, she’d realize this had been nothing more than a fling. Temporary lust, that’s all.
“Earth to Abigail…” Emmett waved a hand in front of her face, and she blinked a few times.
“Let’s go outdoors. I want to walk in the snow.” Maybe the cold would snap some sense into her?
Emmett held her hand, and Abigail stopped thinking about the cold. She could see their breath in front of their faces as they talked, but one touch of Emmett’s gloved hand and her entire body was as warm as if they were sitting next to a roaring fire. Even her feet were warm. Of course, two pairs of socks and snow boots probably helped, but she had her doubts about that. It had been the same way with Zach in the sleigh. The warmth came from him.
“Did all of you buy this property at once or over a period of time?” They were on the opposite shore of Glacier Lake. Across the water, the lights of the resort shimmered on the frozen surface like jewels.
“We didn’t buy it.” Emmett’s sheepish grin made her want to kiss him until neither of them could breathe. “Lilith sort of helped us…acquire it.”
“You mean illegally.”
“Not exactly. It was land that the state owned, but hadn’t yet decided what to do with. She called in some favors, and she knew people who could forge documents.”
“Emmett, the first day I was here, you said she was more like the demon. Sounds to me as though she actually is a demon.”
“Would that surprise you, Abigail?”
Abigail shuddered. “Should we be expecting a visit anytime soon from her?”
Emmett laughed. “I doubt it. As Zach told you, we rebuked her favors. We don’t mess with demons. She’s done with us.”
“How large is the property?”
“About two hundred acres. Most of it we left undeveloped. We wanted to keep it secluded and not easy to reach. It adds to the mystique.”
She took his arm as they continued walking. “Do you remember anything about before you were banished to Earth?”
“I remember everything.”
His voice was wistful, sad. So many questions bubbled up she couldn’t decide which one to ask first.
“You want to know what heaven is like, don’t you?”
She stopped walking and looked into his eyes. “Only if it doesn’t upset you to tell me.”
He touched her face. “I will miss you so much when you leave, Abigail Emily Cosslin.”
She swallowed against the sudden lump in her throat. “I’ll miss you, too, Emmett.”
“Heaven is what I see when I look into your eyes,” he said softly. “Kind, tender, caring. That’s what it’s like.”
“Emmett…” He captured her mouth in a gentle kiss as heat surged through Abigail’s body. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close when his tongue slipped inside her mouth, working its magic. She loved to kiss Emmett, loved the dizzy feeling of letting go that enveloped her as his lips moved over hers. His scent filled her head, and she forgot about the cold, the snow, and thoughts of Lilith and heaven. There was only Emmett.
His mouth moved off hers, and he buried his face in her hair. “Abigail,” he sighed, “if I wasn’t absolutely certain you’d end up with frostbite on your ass, I’d make love to you right here, in the snow.”
She giggled at his words. “My ass is pretty sore and tender already from the paddling. I’m not sure I could handle frostbite on top of that.” The aloe Zach had given her helped a little, but it would take some time to heal.
“Are you really complaining about the paddling?” His smart-ass grin made her blush.
“Oh, aren’t you clever? You can read my mind, can’t you?”
“Maybe. Or maybe you’re just so transparent I see your thoughts on your face.”
“You brat.” She bent down and scooped up a handful of snow.
“You wouldn’t dare…”
“Oh yes I would.”
Emmett sprinted away from her and ducked behind a tree as she lobbed the snowball, missing the tree by several feet. Before she could scoop up another fistful of snow, something smacked the back of her coat. She turned to see him grinning, another snowball in his gloved hand.
“This is war!” she cried, tossing the snow at him. It struck the tree this time, but missed him. As she bent down again, he threw a lump of snow toward her, but she jumped out of the way and tossed one at him.
This time it connected with his arm, and the playful look of outrage on his face made her laugh. They threw snow at each other for a minute or so, but neither one got hit again. As Abigail was piling up more snow, a shock wave of cold slid down her back. She jumped and turned around to see Emmett, a wicked grin on his face.
“Too fast for you, eh?”
“You put snow down my back! I can’t believe you did that.” She tried to reach it, but couldn’t. “How did you sneak up on me like that?”
“Magic.”
“I’ll give you magic…”
Abigail took the snow in her gloved hand and smeared it all over his face, then ran. Her laughter and the cold made it impossible to make it more than a few feet before he knocked her to the ground and fell on top of her. He managed to rub a small amount of snow in her face before she pushed him off.
“We’ll freeze to death,” she said, wiping her face.
He scooted over and put his arm around her. “No, we won’t.” Glancing around, he pulled her to her feet and took her hand. “I have an idea. Come with me.”
Emmett led her down a trail that wound through the woods. A battered barn came into view, and they went inside.
“It’s just as cold in here,” she said, hugging her elbows as he rummaged among the shelves. Blinking her eyes to adjust to the dim light, she watched him move aside pieces of plywood and tools, finally pulling out a lantern and a book of matches.
“Now let’s hope they light.” He struck one, and nothing happened. “They’ve been in here for years.”
“Can’t you just use your angel magic or something?”
He turned and gave her a droll look. “Angel magic? Really, Abigail? If I could do that, I’d make it summertime for an hour or so. Problem solved.”
She laughed and moved closer. “So you were lying about how you sneaked up on me.”
“Yes. I’m just faster than you.”
She grinned. “Okay, genius. If those matches got wet, they won’t light.”
The second one only sparked once and gave off a slight odor of sulfur, but the third one lit. Abigail clapped her hands as Emmett lit the lantern.
“Now to find a blanket.” He rummaged around again and finally pulled out a plaid blanket covered with dead leaves. After shaking it out, he laid it on the cement floor. “Not exactly the luxury we have at the resort, but…” He pulled Abigail into his arms and held her close. “I would very much like to make love to you, Abigail, if you’ll let me.”
She didn’t answer. Instead she kissed him as she’d never kissed anyone, shoving her tongue inside his mouth and reaching for the bulge in his jeans. They undressed each other like horny teens. Abigail didn’t think about the cold or the hard floor and dusty blanket, and she forgot all about the snow he’d put down her back. She ran her hands over Emmett’s skin, drawing warmth from it. His hands were like fire on her skin as he pulled her into his arms and caressed her.
He slid his rock-hard cock into her wet pussy, their mouths still locked together. Abigail moaned into his open mouth as a rough orgasm overtook her. She wrapped her arms and legs around him and held on as he pumped mercilessly, filling her completely. He released her mouth and cupped her face, staring down into her eyes with nothing short of adoration.
Abigail couldn’t tear her gaze away—she didn’t want to. She wanted to stay here, in this beautiful place, and make love to him and Zach for the rest of her life. She was sore and tired, but she no longer cared. Every fantasy she’d ever had came true in their arms and their beds, and nothing in her life would ever be the same again. No experience she could have back home would measure up to her two weeks here with her beautiful, perfect fallen angels. How could she leave them?
When she climaxed again, Emmett came with her. Their cries and groans filled the barn, echoing off the walls. Abigail began to shiver, and Emmett helped her stand up and begin to dress.
“I don’t want to leave,” she said.
“The cold can’t hurt me, but it can hurt you, Abigail. Let’s go back, and I’ll build you a fire in my room.”
“No, I mean I don’t want to leave this place. This resort.”
He cupped her face. “We’ve been down this road before. I told you to stay. Just stay, Abigail. You don’t have to leave.”
“If only it were that simple.”
“It is, but you have to be the one to make the decision. We can’t make it for you. You have to choose us before we can take that final step.”
What was he saying? She couldn’t stay here with them. She had a house, a job. She owed her father a boatload of money. Well, Malcolm owed it to him, but he’d already made it perfectly clear that since he couldn’t recover it from Malcolm, Abigail would have to be the one to repay it. What choice did she have? Could Emmett and Zach make her debt disappear? Could they give her a job and a home?
Even as she ticked off all the reasons she couldn’t stay, she knew with absolute certainty that if she asked them to do those things for her, they would. Abigail backed away from him as panic settled over her. The blood pounded in her veins, and she was no longer cold. The electrical charge in the air she’d grown used to suddenly felt malevolent, as though it might consume her rather than warm and protect her. This was too much, too fast.
It was also crazy and impulsive, and Abigail Emily Cosslin never did anything like that. She planned things out and consulted her parents. She weighed the pros and the cons, and took her time making a decision.
Then why had she come here and not told her parents or her coworkers where she was going?
Emmett took her hand. Abigail blinked back tears at the look of profound sadness that settled in his eyes.
“Come on,” he said gently. “Let’s get you back indoors.”
Chapter Twenty
When they returned to the resort, Abigail told Emmett she had a headache and spent the remainder of the day in her room, trying to sort out her feelings. He hadn’t protested, which made their afternoon outdoors all the more poignant, as though it might be the last time they did anything so fun together.
She walked around the sitting room and bedroom, touching everything, trying to burn the memory of the fabric, the smells, and the colors into her brain. She never wanted to forget this place. Her cell phone was still plugged in, charging, where she’d placed it the first day here. She unplugged it from the charger and began to snap pictures. The only thing keeping her from walking through the rest of the resort to take more pictures was the fear she’d run into Emmett or Zach. When she finished, she turned off the cell and tossed it into her purse, along with the charger.
She didn’t need pictures of them. If she lived to be one hundred years old, she’d never forget their faces or their scents. She’d never forget what it felt like to touch them or have them inside her. And she’d be able to picture their eyes for the rest of her life.
What would happen to them? Would they choose a woman eventually and live a mortal existence? That was what Emmett had been talking about in the barn. She knew it was. He’d practically told her that all she had to do was choose them, and it was a done deal. But what did that mean? That they loved her? She found it impossible to believe. Even Malcolm hadn’t been in love with her. She knew that now.
Men didn’t fall in love with her. She was too uptight and dependent on her parents. There was no reason to believe Emmett and Zach would feel any differently. And they were way, way out of her league. They’d forget about her and move on to another guest as soon as she was gone. But she would never be the same again.
* * * *
Zach wandered through the lobby, toward the dining room, intending to grab a sandwich and take it back to his office. He wanted to clear his schedule for tomorrow so he could spend the day with Abigail. As envious as he was that she and Emmett had been together all day, he hoped she was having fun.
He rounded the corner near the far end of the lobby and stopped short at the sound of Emmett’s laughter, smiling at the thought of seeing Abigail this evening. He hadn’t expected to see her until tomorrow. His smile faded as he spotted Emmett sitting in a chair near the fireplace, surrounded by four female guests.
They sat at his feet as though he were a Greek god or a king. All four wore looks of lustful expectation. One was even feeding him Wheat Thins or something. Zach’s heart began to pound, and his hands curled into fists. What the fuck was going on? Where was Abigail? If that asshole had done anything to make her feel like shit, he’d fucking kill him.
Emmett caught hi
s eye, and the stupid grin on his face fell at once. Zach stood rooted to the spot only because he knew if he advanced toward Emmett right now, he’d make an ass of himself in front of their guests.
Emmett whispered something to the four women, and they turned toward Zach, lust shining in their eyes and curiosity stamped on their faces.
“Zach, come over here and join us.” Emmett held up a bottle of red wine, nearly empty. Perfect. He was drunk, surrounded by four horny women, and who knew what the fuck had happened with Abigail.
Zach took a few steps toward him, only so he didn’t have to shout across the lobby. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Luis at the front desk, trepidation filling his face.
“Emmett, can I speak with you for a minute? Alone?”
“No, I’m fine right here. Come on over and meet…”—he glanced around—“these lovely ladies.”
“Nice, Emmett. Really. You don’t even know their names.”
One of the women giggled.
“I don’t know my own name right now, buddy boy.”
“What did you do to Abigail?”
A look of despondency passed over Emmett’s face, and Zach’s heart froze. He turned toward Luis. “Did she check out?”
Luis shook his head. “No, Zach. She ordered dinner in her room.”
Zach took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. There were guests in the lobby. He had to keep control of this situation. “Emmett, I need to speak with you. Now.”
“You’re so controlling,” said one of the women, giggling as she eyed him.
Zach ignored her as he watched Emmett. Instead of rising to his feet, he drained the wine bottle. “Luis, we need another one,” he called.
Luis glanced at Zach with a desperate look in his eyes. “That’s his second one already, Zach.”
“Find one of the others,” said Zach. “Whoever isn’t busy right now. Ask him to come to the lobby and entertain these four guests while Emmett and I have a chat.”
Zach strolled over to Emmett and pulled him to his feet by one arm. The bottle made a soft thud on the carpeting as it fell. “He’ll join you later, ladies.”
Spanked by an Angel [Notorious Nephilim 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 13
