by Kahlen Aymes
His green eyes glowed and finally closed, his heart both heavy and full at the ache in her voice. Hurting her was the last thing he ever wanted to do. She was the most precious thing and he’d spend as much time as necessary to ease her fears.
Finally, the emotion and the pleasure became too much and he came inside her in a series of powerful spurts, embedded as deeply as possible, while her body still jerked and squeezed his. Alex held Angel tight and found her mouth again, still moving inside her and on her. Even as their bodies came down, they kissed again and again, unable to get enough of each other—kissing as if they were only starting to make love rather than finishing. Finally, he rested his cheek against her temple, her hair clinging damply to both of them, their breathing still heavy and hard.
“I fucking love you so much. I never want to be anywhere but where you are.” He pushed into her again to prove his point. “I love you, babe. Please believe me. Trust in me.”
Angel’s hand lifted and her fingers traced along his jaw, now slightly scruffy and her eyes locked with his. She nodded and he kissed her once more.
Alex rolled away just enough to slip out of her gently, but never letting her out of his arms. His fingers stroked her back and hair as she lay draped over him, each of them needing to soak up the closeness. Angel lifted her head and kissed his chest, her lips moving in a reverent path of open lips and slight sucking. Alex’s heart tightened when he felt her hot tears drip onto his skin. “I’m scared,” she whispered.
“You don’t need to be. I’m here and I’m not going anywhere. Ever.”
“Promise?”
“I want to marry you and make babies. What does that tell you?”
She gasped in surprise, her head lifting so her chin rested on him and she could look up into his face. “Are you serious?”
“Babe, seeing you with Jillian, being with you, the insatiable desire and the protectiveness I feel, the desperation when we’re fighting with each other, the jealousy… Are you fucking kidding me?” He shook his head incredulously. “I know it’s only been a few months, but you’ve wrecked me.”
Her arms tightened around him, and she closed her eyes, laying her head back on his chest. “I love you more than I can take.”
“I know. It hurts, but in a good way.”
Angel felt compelled to tell him everything. “Alex, it was me. I was with you. You weren’t dreaming that night.”
His gentle fingers touched the velvet softness of her cheek. “I know. I could smell you on the sheets afterward, but it was so breathtaking; at first I thought it was my imagination. I realized I was in love with you that night.” Her arms tightened around him, but she remained silent. “What made you come to me?”
“I was scared, worried for both of us. I needed you. I just… I wanted to be close to you, to feel you, to be safe and know you were, too. Plus, I was miserable… missing you.”
“Knowing now what you went through that night, I realize I could have hurt you. I’m sorry if I did. I’ve never hated anyone as much as I do Mark Swanson. I could kill him for what he’s done to you. My methods were probably wrong because you were so stubborn, but my intention was only to take care of you. Can you forgive me?”
“It’s over now and I know why you did it. There’s nothing to forgive.”
They lay together in silence, soaking each other in, until Alex couldn’t help himself.
“Angel…” His fingers wound into the hair at the back of her head. “Tell me about Kyle’s tattoo.”
She sighed, one shoulder lifting in a slight shrug. Part of her thrilled that he was jealous and she could tease him, but she sensed he was hurting. “It’s nothing. He got it after we split up. It was his way of showing he cared, and he was trying to get me back. Sheer stupidity on his part.”
“What did he do to make you leave him?”
“He cheated. With that air-head, Crystal.”
“He’d choose her over you? No wonder you were so upset tonight. I’m an insensitive ass.”
Angel snuggled into his arms, understanding, but choosing not to address the issue of Whitney again.
“Kyle and I wanted different things. He wanted to continue with the band, and I wanted to go to grad school. We were drifting apart, and I suppose he turned to her when I wasn’t there for him anymore.”
He digested what she said, continuing to stroke her hair. It eased the ache in his heart knowing she wasn’t heartsick over Kyle, even when she left him. It was somehow unbearable that she would feel this deeply for anyone else, ever.
As if reading his mind, Angel reinforced his thoughts with her words. “It wasn’t like it was tonight. Tonight… I was dying, Alex.”
Alex rolled her over onto her back again and settled into the cradle of her body in one fluid motion. His fingers were tender as they brushed against her face, first her cheekbone and then her chin. He needed to make her understand the depth of how he felt.
“Angel, listen to me. Look at me,” he commanded.
Her eyes met his, and even in the darkness, she could see the shimmer in his eyes. “I was overwrought with jealousy. I have no excuse for how I acted, but I couldn’t breathe; I couldn’t see straight. When I saw him touch you… Well, I wasn’t prepared for how I felt.” His voice was low, urgent. “My world imploded.”
“I understand…”
“No, let me finish. For the first time, I didn’t think; I just reacted. The whole time, you’re all I thought about… how much I wanted you and how much it hurt. I was beside myself to find a way to stop the pain.”
“Don’t tell me you thought about me when you were with her.” The sorrow in her eyes made Alex even more determined.
“Understand what I’m saying. It wasn’t like that. I… love you.” Alex insisted with a smile and then huffed with a small shake of his head, his eyes burning into hers. “You’re always with me, even when I don’t want you to be. It’s not a choice. It’s just how it is.”
Angel returned his smile and nudged his jaw with her nose, wanting nothing more than to touch him and to be held in his arms. “Better get used to it,” she whispered.
Alex’s breath rushed out in amusement, and he smiled down at her. Her lips lifted in the start of a smile, her finger running down the side of his face as they stared into each other’s eyes. Alex’s face sobered as his body found hers and she surged up to take him inside.
“With pleasure,” he groaned. “So much pleasure.” His mouth closed hungrily over hers.
Coming soon, Alex and Angel’s story concludes in
*~Promises After Dark~*
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