by Sable Hunter
As much as Canyon wanted, he couldn’t risk taking her up on her offer. He knew if he ever started touching her, he might not be able to stop. “Yea, I bet if I touched your hair above your forehead, I’d feel little horns trying to sprout.”
“Not nice, Brady.” She tried to think of further proof she could suggest. After some contemplation, she sighed. “The only way I can prove it to you is by doing what I do best – taking care of you.”
The nonchalant way she declared her plan of action impressed Canyon. “Well, I have to say one thing – you sure do have a one-track mind.”
“Where you’re concerned, yes,” she agreed with him as she brought her feet up into the chair and stretched the end of the T-shirt down over her knees.
Canyon felt a soft spot growing in his heart. She was such an enigma, a riddle he desperately wanted to solve. Half-angel, half sexy imp, she intrigued him as no other woman ever had. “Okay, how’s this?” Yes, he must be crazy. “You can stay here until we figure something else out. And while you’re here…”
She smiled and squealed with absolute delight. “While I’m here I’ll watch over you, I’ll take care of you, I’ll clean and cook for you!”
“Do you even know how to cook?” he asked with amusement at her exuberance.
“No.” She shook her head. “But…how hard can it be?”
He held up a calming hand. “Don’t worry about the cleaning and cooking, we’ll do that together. What I do want from you, however,” he paused and realized she was waiting with bated breath for him to finish his sentence, “are stories. I want you to tell me things that will amaze me.”
“Like Scheherazade? You want me to entertain you with secrets of the universe? A thousand and one nights of fabulous tales?”
“Well…maybe not that many. Let’s just see how it goes, okay?” He glanced around. “Tomorrow, while I’m at work, you can make yourself at home and try to stay out of trouble. Okay?”
“No.” Seren frowned, shaking her head so hard, her spiral curls bounced in the air. “I have to go with you. You have more accidents at work than anywhere else.”
“Now, how will I explain you to Jacob and Denver? Answer me that, pray tell.”
Seren screwed up her mouth, thinking. “Well, tell them I’m your apprentice.” She held her arms up and made fists. “I’m strong!” When he gave her a disbelieving stare and shook his head, she made another suggestion, “I know! Tell them I’m your niece! Or, your sex slave!”
Canyon had picked up a crumb of bread on his thumb and put it in his mouth. Her last suggestion caused him to suck the morsel of food down his windpipe, which set off a paroxysm of coughing.
She jumped up and came to him, ready to perform the Heimlich Maneuver. He held up a hand, staving her off. “I’m fine.” Cough. Cough. “Water,” he gasped.
Seren grabbed his glass and filled it with water, bringing it back to him posthaste.
He drank the liquid, gasping for breath. Once he drained it, he set it down and lifted his head to glare at her. “How in the name of all that’s holy does an angel know anything about being a sex slave?”
“Your Amazon Fire, I watched the movie Fifty Shades of Grey.”
Canyon felt his cheeks growing warm and his cock growing harder. “Did you like it?”
Seren blushed. She put her hands up to feel her warm cheeks. “Yea, it was weird, but I liked it. I got so into it, I didn’t make it upstairs to stop you from stubbing your toe on that wooden box where you store your boot polish.”
“Yea.” Canyon grimaced at the memory. “That hurt like a son-of-a-bitch.” As he reminisced, he realized he wasn’t arguing any more about the fact she seemed to know everything that happened to him – down to the smallest detail. Okay, tomorrow, just for his peace of mind, he’d look for cameras and bugs.
Somehow… he suspected he wouldn’t find any.
“Okay. It’s getting late and I have to work tomorrow.” He stood up next to her. “Let me show you to your room. If you must go with me tomorrow, we’ll just tell them…” Hell, none of her suggestions would do. “Hell, we’ll come up with something, I’m sure.” Holding up his hands in surrender, he headed down the hall with her following close behind. “Just try and be good. No hanky-panky.”
“Hanky-panky? Me? I’m an angel, remember?” She held her hands behind her back as she followed in his footsteps.
“A watcher, you mean.” He opened the door to the guest room. “Here you go.”
“Yea, a watcher.” How he thought she was going to guard his sleep from here, she wasn’t quite sure. Seren decided not to say anything, she’d wait until he fell asleep and take her usual position. “Thanks. I’ve always liked this room. Blue is my favorite color.”
“Yea, well…it’s a room.” He flipped on the light. Canyon didn’t think anyone had ever slept in here. After Kim left him, he’d sold the home they’d shared with Matty, moving to try and escape the painful memories. “Do you think there’s enough cover for you on the bed?”
She surveyed the bed in question, noting the old-fashioned quilt. “I’m sure this will be great.” Seren remained in place, waiting for him to leave. He seemed…reluctant. “Don’t worry. I won’t bother anything. I’ll leave everything just the way it is.”
“Oh, no. Didn’t cross my mind.” He still lingered.
Seren giggled. “Well, I know you’re not worried that I’ll skip out on you in the middle of the night.”
Canyon mirrored a weak chuckle. “No, that didn’t cross my mind either.” What was crossing his mind was picturing her in the bed. All warm and cuddly. Maybe – she might get too warm and slip off his shirt. She’d be naked again, like he saw her earlier. All smooth, soft, creamy curves. “Uh. Dammit!” He shook his head to get rid of the erotic image. If she was indeed an angel, he’d probably end up getting struck by lightning for his lascivious thoughts. “Goodnight,” he said quickly and took his leave, pulling the door shut behind him.
* * *
“Daddy, don’t let me go. Hold me tight. I hurt so bad.”
“I’ve got you, Matty. I’ve got you.” Canyon’s heart broke into a billion pieces as he held his little boy close. He’d give his life to take away the child’s pain.
Cancer was a fucking cruel bitch!
He clutched his little boy to him as tight as he could without causing him more discomfort. His little body was so frail. So weak. He closed his eyes and counted every precious exhale of breath that brushed his neck.
And when those tiny puffs of air ceased, he bellowed his anguish…
“No!”
“No! Matty, no! Don’t leave me! Please, God. Don’t leave me!”
Canyon thrashed in the bed, reliving the agony of his child’s death.
Seren rose from her place across the room where she’d been watching over him. Going to his side, she placed a soothing hand on his brow. “Matty’s with his grandmother, but I’m here, Canyon. I’m here.” How many nights she’d hovered near while he suffered with the horrible memory, she didn’t know. “I won’t leave you. I’ll never leave you.”
The voice sounded so familiar. As Canyon drifted between wakefulness and sleep, he could swear he’d heard that same voice a million times before. As he tossed his head from side to side, his chest aching with indescribable anguish, her soft hand offered him comfort. Her voice, more audible this time, seemed to reach through the depths of despair to provide a lifeline for him to grab onto.
“Shhh, Canyon, I’m here, love.”
Reaching up, he grasped that hand – holding on. He could no longer reach Matty, but he could cling to this woman who offered him a gentle touch and the gift of peace. As he clawed his way out of the webs of the nightmare, all of the events from losing Matty to this moment seemed to swirl around him, making Canyon feel like he was being sucked through a vortex, a whirlpool of memories. With great effort, he opened his eyes to see Seren’s face. Her eyes were closed too. A myriad of emotions clawed at his chest and throat.
He felt confused and resentful. “What are you doing in here?”
Until he touched her, she’d been in control. Her sole aim to soothe and console, to ease him from reliving the unthinkable.
When his hand clasped hers, however, everything changed.
She felt overwhelmed with emotion.
From the beginning, Seren was inexplicably connected to this man. Specifically designed to love him unconditionally, her very existence was devoted to standing between him and any harm that might come his way.
But now…in the mysterious state she found herself in, seemingly with one foot on Earth and one still in Heaven, Seren experienced desire for the first time.
She trembled as his touch awoke something within her she’d never known before. A pleasure unlike any other. A longing for more of him.
When she didn’t answer, Canyon pushed himself up in bed, dislodging her hand. The vestiges of the bad dream kept his heart hammering in his chest. A cold sweat beaded on his temple. The woman offering him solace was staring at him with an odd expression on her face – one of surprise – and something else he couldn’t readily identify.
“Fuck.” He threw the covers back and jerked to his feet. “I’ll ask you again, what are you doing in my room?”
“The same thing I always do. Watching over you. You were dreaming. I woke you up,” Seren almost mumbled her answers, distracted by the epiphany she’d just experienced. This fracturing of her concentration was further proof that things were different.
She was different.
“Get out.” Canyon strode to the door of his room, clearly expecting her to follow. He wasn’t so much angry as embarrassed to be seen in such a weak moment. “I don’t need or want a stalker in my life. If I wanted you in my bedroom, I’d invite you.”
Seren found herself reacting to his words. “I’m not a stalker.” The fact that the word fairly accurately described a watcher was beside the point. “I’m your bodyguard – of sorts.” She was still reeling from the way his touch made her feel. “I have nothing but your best interest at heart.” And rubbing his chest to see if it was as delicious to the touch as it was to the eye.
“I don’t care what you are. I want you out of my room.” Before he flipped her on her back in his bed and begged her to stay.
When they came to the door, he held it open until she walked through, then he shut it – locking it behind her.
“Dang it,” she whispered when she was effectively shut outside Canyon’s room. Just for argument’s sake, she pressed her body hard into the wall. If things weren’t crazy for her, she’d have melted right through the solid surface, emerging on the other side. Invisible, yet very much present at Canyon’s side. “Arg,” Seren growled softly when all she succeeded in doing was bruising her backside.
With a huff of resignation, she sank to the floor, determined to keep her ear to the wall and stay as close to her unwilling charge as possible.
CHAPTER FOUR
The rising sun roused Canyon when a particularly piercing ray sliced across his eyelids. He tentatively squinted and flopped over, hoping it was earlier than he feared. Frowning at the clock, he saw the alarm would go off in five minutes. With a disgruntled grunt, he slapped the button before the annoying noise sounded. Turning to his back, he stretched, running his hand down his chest. Spread-eagle, Canyon filled up the bed. He was big with hard muscles, used to bending iron to his will as he wielded a hammer over a hot forge.
Letting his hand ease on down his body, he encountered a hefty piece of morning wood. The moment he cupped his poor, neglected cock, Seren’s beautiful face and delectable naked body came swiftly to mind. Rising from the bed, he took the vision with him, jacking-off in the shower, coming harder than he’d come in years.
While toweling dry and dressing for work, he recalled last night’s reoccurring dream. During the day, when he was busy, Canyon could push away the heartache. At night, in the dark, the regrets and sorrow blanketed him like a heavy quilt. Still…Canyon felt a bit guilty for the way he reacted after awakening and finding Seren whispering comforting words in his ear. He knew she’d meant no harm. As disorders went, there were worse things a person could believe oneself to be than an angel of mercy.
As he slipped on his boots, all the correct details she’d revealed about his life came back to haunt him. Those, he couldn’t explain. Was she psychic? Was this some elaborate scheme to gaslight him? Somehow, neither of those explanations rang true. “Stop it.” Canyon shook his head to clear his mind as he stood to put his wallet and keys into his pocket. He could believe the woman was an angel, she sure looked the part – but of the earthly variety – sans wings.
Ready for the day, there was time for a quick breakfast before heading to Kerrville. If his visitor intended to tag along, she’d better be up and ready herself. Canyon chuckled as he flipped the lock to open the door. This one action on his part would convince most guys that he was the crazy one in this odd relationship. What would possess a red-blooded male to lock a beautiful woman out of his bedroom? “Hell, what was I thinking?” he muttered to himself as he turned the knob and yanked the door toward him.
Plunk!
“Christ, baby.” Canyon was taken aback by the sight of Seren at his feet. “What are you doing on the floor?” He didn’t really need to ask the question. Obviously, she’d been sleeping so hard, when the surface she’d been leaning against moved, she’d fallen over like a sack of potatoes.
Seren blinked, groaning softly, “I slept.” This fact unnerved her. She’d never slept before. “Anything could’ve happened and I wouldn’t have known.”
Seeing her huddled at his feet, dismay on her face at the fact she’d gotten a bit of rest instead of standing guard at his door all night – just did something to him. “Come here.” Bending, he gathered her into his arms and picked up her slight weight to cradle her close.
Seren clung to his wide shoulders as he lifted her from the floor. Her mouth opened in astonishment at the all-encompassing pleasure of being enveloped in his embrace. She could feel his heartbeat, the movement of his chest as he breathed, the warmth of his skin – the caress of his breath. When he tightened his arms around her, the ecstasy overwhelmed her as tingles raced over her body, centered in the secret place between her legs. “Oh, Canyon,” she keened as every fiber of her being shattered into the most amazing rainbow of infinite colors. “What’s happening?” She clutched him to her, trembling and shaking, whispering gasps of wonder.
As Canyon held her against him, he was shocked at her reaction to his simple touch. Yea, it had been awhile since he’d been with a woman, but not so long that he’d forgotten how it felt to hold a woman in his arms while she came. Stunned, he gazed down at Seren’s gorgeous face, verifying his belief that a woman was never more beautiful than when she was in the throes of orgasm. How was this possible? “Seren?”
Burying her face in his neck, she shivered and whimpered as waves of pleasure washed over her. “I’ve…never been held before.”
Canyon was trying to process what she was saying. He heard her words – she’d never been held before. Did she mean she’d never climaxed before? Or did she really mean she’d never been held in anyone’s arms? Either option seemed utterly impossible. Beyond words, all he could do was hold her while she trembled. Unable to resist, his lips brushed the top of her hair. “Are you okay?”
“Yes.” Her voice was low and shaky. “I’m sorry.” She wiggled a little against him. “You can put me down now.” For some reason, she was embarrassed. Seren didn’t really understand why. “I’m not sure what’s happening to me.”
“I’m not sure either.” He set her gently on her feet. Seeing the blush on her cheeks, he felt his own body warm. Reluctantly, he let her go. Wow. Stepping away from her, he put a bit of distance between them. He was so aroused, Canyon was afraid he might do something similar and shoot a wad in his jeans. “If you’re going to go with me to Tebow, you’d best get ready.”
“Okay.” Still s
haking from heightened awareness, Seren felt a bit sticky and very vulnerable. “Could I use the shower?”
“Certainly.” He pointed to the guest bathroom. “Just hurry.”
“I will.” She did hurry, an unfamiliar urge compelling her to head to the toilet. “Oh, my goodness. This is new.” She settled on the porcelain seat and did what her body demanded. Sitting still, she pondered what this meant. Adding together all the recent happenings – her visibility, hunger, a more immediate awareness of her surroundings…and now this biological development – all added up to one unbelievable conclusion. “I’m becoming...human.”
Why was this happening?
Seren closed her eyes and endeavored to return to her former state. She needed to find out what this meant. Usually, just a thought would transfer her from one realm to another. This time, no matter how hard she tried, Seren remained anchored to the physical world.
“Well, poop,” she muttered – then proceeded to do so. “Good grief, this doesn’t seem to be the most convenient way to handle this stuff.”
Oh well, who was she to question things she didn’t understand?
After cleaning herself, she took a quick shower, loving the cascading water as much as she had the tub. As she rubbed her body with soapy hands, she considered her reaction to Canyon’s touch. Was her amazing response normal? It couldn’t have been. If humans felt like that every time they touched – that’s all they would do! She giggled, covering her mouth, remembering the amazing explosion of pleasurable sensation. “I guess this explains all the hugging and kissing I see on television. Humanity is very blessed.”
When she emerged from the shower, it dawned on Seren that she had nothing to wear other than the rabbit suit or Canyon’s shirt, neither of which was exactly appropriate for the occasion. “Oh, well. I don’t really have a choice, I guess.” She trusted Canyon would have an answer. “At least I have my sandals.” She retrieved her sandals from the guest room and sat down on the floor to put them on.