He released the material and tugged her close. Her sweetly unique scent traveled up his nose, nearly taking him to his knees.
He hardened himself against the fragrance, only to tumble headlong into the sensation of her free arm encircling his waist.
Exodus was lost. God help him, but he’d never felt more alive than he did in this tiny scrap of a human’s embrace.
The feel of Niki’s small yet curvy body swaying against his own had to be the most incredible thing he’d felt since being cast down to Earth.
How had he not seen her womanly figure before now? Niki Stanton was not some sickly girl to be pitied. She was a full-grown woman that deserved to be caressed and loved to distraction.
His heart began to beat in his ears to drown out the soft rhythm of the music spilling around him.
Exodus was playing with fire, and he knew it. He’d fallen under Delia’s spell at one time and allowed his lust to control him. But this wasn’t simply lust he felt for Niki… He felt something else…something deeper.
The song ended, but neither of them pulled back. Try as he might, X couldn’t bring himself to let her go.
Another song came on with a faster tempo than the previous one, pulling him back from the edge of temptation.
He took a step back, releasing her from his embrace. “Would you like some punch?”
“I would love some.”
Exodus led her to the long table and filled their cups with the champagne-spiked punch Faye had made. He then pulled out a chair for Niki and took a seat in the one next to hers.
Niki lowered herself into the chair, her eyes alight with what appeared to be happiness. “How did you do all this in one afternoon? And where did you get all this food?”
Exodus laughed. “I had some help. And the food came from the next county over. I hope you’re hungry.”
Niki picked up a chip and guided it through a bowl of dip. “Why are you doing this?”
Her question didn’t surprise X. Niki Stanton was not only intelligent she was suspicious as well. But that was one of the things he’d come to love about her.
Love? Where had that come from? He liked her and admired her. He even cared for her. But love? Impossible…
Chapter Sixteen
Niki’s body felt hypersensitive. She could feel every place that dress touched her skin.
Her nipples were in a continuous state of erectness behind the silky fabric of that silver gown.
But it was Exodus who took her breath.
He smelled so good she wanted to bury her face against his neck and breathe him in to her heart’s content.
“Because I like you,” he was saying, reminding her that she’d asked him a question.
She took a drink of her punch to hide the nervousness his words evoked.
Refilling her cup, she asked without looking at him. “You…like me?”
“I do.”
He spoke in a low, deep voice that sent goose bumps scattering along her skin.
She brought the cup back to her lips and downed its contents.
“Easy,” X rumbled, touching her on the hand. “That punch has quite a bit of champagne in it.”
Niki laughed softly. “That’s good. I think I’m going to need it.” And she meant it.
She could count on one hand the number of times she’d had alcohol in her life. Not that she didn’t enjoy it. She’d been advised against it due to her heart condition.
But she would make an exception tonight. It wasn’t every day a man like Exodus Brooks walked into her life. In fact, he was a once in a lifetime, the fairytale that had always been just out of reach.
The music changed once again to a sexy, sensual song that Niki had only heard once before. “Feelin’ Love” by Paula Cole.
Exodus took hold of her hand and stood, tugging her to her feet as well.
He guided her to the center of the room beneath the soft lantern lights and pulled her back into his embrace.
Niki was lost in a feeling she never wanted to let go of.
Exodus was so tall Niki’s head barely reached his chest. She didn’t care as long as she could smell his incredible scent…feel the muscles moving along his sides where her arms held him tight.
Niki wasn’t sure how long they remained in that spot, moving together, lost in the magic of moment, when she realized the music had stopped, and her shawl had slipped free of her shoulders.
She took a step back, her stomach tight with anxiety, and covered her chest with her left arm. “Will you excuse me for a moment?”
“Niki…”
“I—”
He reached out, wrapped his fingers around her forearm, and gave it a gentle tug. “I want to see.”
When she only stood there, staring up at him, he repeated, “Please? Let me…”
Closing her eyes in dread, Niki allowed her arm to fall away.
She knew he was looking at her chest. She could feel his gaze touching on her skin as surely as she could feel the blood draining from her face.
This is it, she thought, hating her insecurities. He will surely not want—
His mouth brushed against the top of her scar, cutting off the rest of her thoughts.
She opened her eyes in time to watch his head descend once more. The feel of his lips coasting down that raised pink line burned a path straight to her heart.
Exodus was kissing her scar.
Niki’s composure cracked. Butterflies took flight in her stomach, and her hands began to tremble.
He reached the tops of her breasts, hesitated there for several heartbeats before dragging his mouth up to hers. “You are so incredibly beautiful, Niki Stanton. All of you.”
His lips covered hers.
In all her twenty-five years, Niki had been kissed only once. And that was in junior high. In fact, she could barely recall the incident.
But if Niki lived to be a hundred, she would never forget the feel of X’s mouth moving against her own.
The warmth of his lips, his incredible scent, the feel of his hands sliding up to cup her face, all mingled together to light a fire low in her abdomen.
Niki’s shuddered sigh was swallowed up by X’s desperately seeking mouth.
She opened for him, marveling at the sensation his tongue evoked as it wrapped around her own in a slow, sensual slide.
And then her feet left the ground.
He lifted her high into the air, aligning her hips with his own.
Niki instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist, and her arms encircled his neck.
Exodus growled into her mouth, stumbled back several steps, and then spun her around until her back came into contact with the wall.
His hips dipped low, and he brought them up, pressing his erection against her overly sensitive center.
The sensations she experienced in X’s arms were too overwhelming for Niki to compartmentalize.
She could feel tears seeping from her eyes, but could no more stop it than she could stop kissing Exodus.
The sheer excitement and joy of being in his arms had taken control of her mind and body, leaving her a raw bundle of happiness that made tears leak from the corners of her eyes.
He pressed his erection against her once more, wringing a moan from them both.
Niki’s hips met his next gentle thrust as instinct took over, and nothing else mattered but Exodus and the way he made her feel.
She wanted him inside her, to be her first, her last…just…hers.
He suddenly stilled, his mouth hovering above hers, and his uneven breaths fanning across her face.
“X?” she whispered, her body still throbbing, craving him like she’d never craved anything before.
“Son of a bitch.” He set her on her feet, staggered back a step, and then spun for the door. “I’m sorry, Niki. That shouldn’t have happened.”
And with that, he left without a backward glance.
Chapter Seventeen
Exodus drove like a bat out of Hell back to
his cabin, disbelief and anger riding his back with every mile that passed.
He’d kissed Niki Stanton. Not only had he kissed her, he’d nearly taken her against the wall in that small diner.
“Really, X?” Leviticus drawled, appearing in the passenger seat. “Less than two weeks to go, and you decide to dip your quill in the ink?”
Exodus ground his teeth together. “I didn’t dip a damn thing.”
A theatrical sigh escaped Leviticus. “But you were tempted.”
“Why are you spying on me?” Exodus growled, glancing over at his infuriating friend.
“Like I said, you have less than two weeks before your judgment. Suffice it to say, you need to stay away from the Stanton girl.”
“I know.” Pulling the Jeep into the drive of his cabin, Exodus got out and strode toward the steps of his porch.
Levi followed. “I’m sorry, X. Truly, I am, but it’s obvious to me that you care for the girl. Seeing her again would only fuel your temptation. Not to mention give Delia a reason to destroy her.
X opened the door and entered his domain. “Delia has been sent back to Hell. I don’t think she’ll be a problem for Niki.”
“Are you sure about that?”
Stopping into the center of his kitchen, X turned to face the other angel. “Of course, I’m sure. Why would you ask that?”
Leviticus shrugged. “Perhaps because she found of way to escape before. I wouldn’t put it past her to do it again.”
Exodus ran a hand down his face. “Well, I’ll be leaving soon enough. I’ll just stay away from Niki from here on out. It’ll keep her off Delia’s radar.”
“I think you should leave the area completely. What’s to stop the girl from seeking you out?”
X gave Levi his back and set about making a pot of coffee. “She won’t seek me out. She has too much pride to do that.”
“Well, Delia doesn’t possess such pride. If she finds a way to return, you can bet your ass this will be the first place she comes to.”
“Let her come,” X muttered softly. “I’ll personally escort her to Gabriel. If she gets in his sights, she’ll never escape again.”
Leviticus shuddered. “I pray that Gabriel isn’t the one judging you in two weeks’ time. He has zero mercy when it comes to handing out punishment.”
Exodus understood Levi’s apprehension. “I know, my friend. I know.”
Ezra suddenly appeared in X’s kitchen. His tall, powerful frame sauntered around the bar to perch on one of the stools.
Pushing his long brown hair back from his face, he met X’s gaze. “What have you gotten yourself into this time?”
Though Ezra sounded serious, his brown eyes twinkled.
X sent him a nod. “It’s good to see you too.”
“Yes,” Ezra returned, clasping his hands in front of him on the bar. “It has been a while, my friend. But you haven’t answered my question.”
Exodus poured himself a cup of coffee. “Is that why you’ve come, Ezra? You think I’m in some sort of trouble?”
“It’s not what I think,” Ezra responded. “Hazel Stanton sent me. Apparently, she’s concerned for her granddaughter. She all but begged me to come.”
The mention of Niki caused an ache in X’s heart. “Then why come to me?”
“Because you’re the one who’s in love with her.”
“I’m not in love with her,” Exodus growled, denial tightening his gut.
Leviticus intervened, and not in a good way. “Hello, Ezra. If I may?”
Ezra sent him a smile and waved him on. “Please do.”
“Thank you. It really is difficult to get a word in edgewise around Exodus.” Leviticus took a deep breath and continued. “I can’t be certain that X is in love with Mrs. Stanton’s granddaughter. However, after what I witnessed tonight, I think it’s safe to say that he is definitely in lust.”
Ezra’s face fell. “You have been on this earth for a thousand years, and you give in to desire two weeks before you’re to be judged?”
“I did not give in,” Exodus practically snarled, angry that he’d been thrown into defense mode. “I kissed her, yes, but that was as far as it went.”
Levi raised an eyebrow. “So, the grinding up against the wall was simply a kiss? Another couple of minutes, and you would have had her on a table—”
Exodus was in Levi’s face before he could finish his sentence. “I would not have taken her on top of a table. Niki Stanton is innocent and pure. She deserves better than trash talk from you!”
“He’s in love,” Levi and Ezra chorused simultaneously.
X staggered back a step, his gaze locked on Levi. Was the other angel right? Did he truly love Niki Stanton?
“Get out. Both of you.”
Levi feigned shock. “Are you asking us to leave?”
A low growl escaped X. “Now’s not the time, Levi.”
Ezra gained his feet. “We’ll go, but remember this, my friend, you have less than two weeks until you’re to be judged. Don’t do anything stupid.”
“I’m not going to sleep with her,” X bit out. “I may be a lot of things, but I wouldn’t do that to her and then leave her.”
Levi stepped forward and clapped X on the shoulder. “We’ll get out of your hair. But just remember, if you need me for anything, all you have to do is ask.”
Exodus could only nod. He waited until both angels disappeared before swiping his arm across the bar, sending everything on its surface crashing to the floor.
How had he allowed himself to fall in love? He hadn’t seen it coming. Niki Stanton had somehow gotten under his skin and burrowed herself into his heart.
He loved her. Of that, he had no doubt.
“Son of a bitch…”
Chapter Eighteen
Niki spent the last hour clearing the dining room of any evidence of her makeshift prom.
Her hands trembled so bad she’d broken several saucers in her haste to get them to the kitchen.
Exodus had kissed her. And not just a small peck on the mouth, but a deep, penetrating kiss full of passion and something else she couldn’t name.
The feel of him grinding against her brought back the ache she had recently experienced in his arms.
She’d wanted him to make love to her. Hell, she wouldn’t have cared if he’d taken her up against the wall he’d pinned her to, as long he didn’t stop.
But he had stopped. He’d staggered from her as if she’d burned him.
Why had he run from her? Had she done something wrong, kissed him wrong?
Nausea quickly replaced her euphoria as the faithful insecurities began to set in.
She stumbled her way through the dark kitchen and entered her tiny office.
Dropping heavily into her chair, she booted up her laptop and clicked on the security camera above the register.
The dining room quickly came into view.
Niki moved the line beneath the record feed back far enough to see Exodus and Randal setting up for her prom.
Her heart hurt to watch it. X seemed almost excited, moving tables around.
With another click, she fast-forwarded to the second dance to watch X’s eyes slide closed when he pulled her close.
There was no denying the emotion evident on his face. He’d been attracted to her as well.
“Isn’t that just precious.”
Niki bit back a cry, jumping to her feet so fast her chair tipped over behind her.
There, standing in the open doorway was the most beautiful woman she’d ever seen.
Her waist-length black hair hung over her shoulders in a silky mass of ebony, a stark contrast against the white leather outfit she wore.
“Who are you?”
“I’m your worst nightmare.”
Niki swallowed her terror and confusion. “H-how did you get in here?”
The woman took a step closer. “I walked through the wall.”
She had to be insane, Niki thought, reaching for the phone on her de
sk.
“Go ahead and call the police. You’ll be dead long before they arrive.”
Niki’s fingers hovered above the phone for a second before she jerked her hand to the left and snatched up the letter opener. “Get back!”
“Do you mean to stab me with that?” The woman laughed, tossing her hair over her shoulder and opening the ties on her white leather top. “Here’s the best place. Strike hard and true now. Then we can both walk around with holes in our hearts. Some worse than others, mind you. I can practically hear the blood leaking from yours, the faster that defective organ beats.”
The room tilted around Niki. She held that letter opener in a white-knuckled grip.
And then it hit her. How did this stranger know of her heart condition? “W-who are you? What do you want?”
“My name is Delia. And what I want is the one you know as Exodus Brooks.”
Spots began to dance before Niki’s eyes. She knew it was only a matter of time before she passed out. She needed her medications, but they were upstairs in her apartment.
Blinking back her terrified tears, Niki whispered, “You know Exodus.” It wasn’t a question.
“You could say that.” Delia laughed, a manic sound that echoed through the small space of the office. “I’ve known him for more than a thousand years. Quite intimately, I might add.”
Niki could feel her palm sweating around that letter opener. “You’re crazy.”
“Am I? Why do you think Exodus created this little prom night for you, because he wants you?” She laughed again. “He pities you, Niki Stanton. He can sense, as well as I can, that you have very little time left on this earth.”
Niki shook her head, the tears she’d been unable to shed now spilling from her eyes to track down her cheeks.
“Awww,” Delia purred, taking a step closer. “I’ve hurt your feelings. How insensitive of me.”
Staggering back against the wall, Niki fought to stay upright. “Listen to yourself,” she wheezed. “A thousand years? You need to be locked up.”
The corner of Delia’s mouth lifted. “Oh, it’s been much longer than that. Exodus has been on Earth for that long.”
The spots in Niki’s vision grew worse. “You’re telling me that Exodus has been on Earth for a thousand years?”
Heroes Among Us: A Paranormal Romance Collection Page 7