No change.
“Well so much for that,” Jack said with a sigh.
“Maybe if you touched them?”
His mouth twisted, then he reached up and tapped the chandelier above the table.
The house went dark.
“Check that out.” He nudged her. “I guess you women can be useful after all.”
Angie clicked her teeth, and with a little more force than necessary, she punched his arm.
“Ugh!” Sean’s annoyance echoed through the dark, covering up Jack’s cry of pain. “We should’ve known better than to blow out all the candles.”
“I’ll help you light them again.” Dianna pushed away from the table and stood.
“I hope you didn’t ruin the whole electrical system,” Angie said as Sean and Dianna walked around the room, matches in hand.
“I’m hoping it will work the same way in reverse.”
“Like a touch lamp?”
Jack chuckled. “Yeah, something like that.”
“Let’s make sure we remember to do that.”
“We will, don’t worry. Now let’s get comfortable and watch the show.”
***
“Got any threes?”
“Go fish.”
Dianna picked up a card. “Ha! I picked a three.” She laid the last of her cards on the table. “I win.”
“Yippee.” Sean twirled his index finger in the air.
Dianna studied her friend’s drawn face as he gathered up their cards and shuffled them. “Do you want to go to bed?”
He looked at her through sleepy eyes, his mouth set in a sexy grin. “Don’t toy with me, woman.”
She giggled and shook her head. “I mean to sleep.”
“No. Let’s play.” He dealt the cards.
Dianna placed her hand on his. “Sean. You look exhausted.”
He stopped mid-deal and checked his watch. “I guess it is getting late.”
“Okay.” Dianna stood and looked out the window. She couldn’t see much, but the far-off thunder they’d been hearing for the last fifteen minutes told her another storm was brewing. Great, just what she needed. To go home to an empty house with no power in the middle of a thunderstorm with the possibility of someone following her here still lurking in the back of her mind. And all she had for protection was a flashlight.
Like every horror movie she’d ever seen.
“Would you like to spend the night, Princess?”
She gulped. “No, I’ll be fine.”
“Dianna—”
“Okay. If you insist.”
Maybe she was being a bit of a damsel, but damn it she hated thunderstorms.
Chortling deep in his throat, Sean picked up the candle and flashlight from the table. Handing her the light, he held out his hand to lead her up the stairs. He stopped outside the guest room.
With what she hoped was a grateful smile she stepped over the threshold. “Goodnight.”
The click of the door echoed in the small room and Dianna set her flashlight on the side table next to the bed. The thunder grew louder now, and lightning that had only been a soft flicker in the distance was lasting longer, flashing brighter.
After removing her bra, socks and sneakers, Dianna turned off the flashlight then climbed between the cool sheets in her T-shirt and shorts.
As much as she disliked storms and having the power out, she was happy for it. She’d had a great time tonight. Really great. A lovely warmth covered her as she snuggled beneath the covers and drifted off to sleep.
Chapter Nine
WITH A DEEP SIGH, Dianna stretched and turned away from the bright light coming from the window. Why did morning have to arrive so fast? Burrowing into her pillow, she opened her eyes slowly. Then gasped and jerked back when they focused on Sean’s sleeping face.
Oh, great. She’d done it again. Why was it every time she slept in the same house with Sean, she wound up in bed with him? Usually, they’d be upstate at his parents’ mountain home. Apparently, her slumbering mind didn’t care where they were. If it knew the man was around it sought him out in the dead of night.
She studied him, listening to his deep breaths, lying on his stomach with the sheet around his waist, hugging his pillow. She studied the dips and slops of his toned shoulders, traveling down his muscular back until it disappeared under the linen. She could image what lay beneath by the way the sheet arched up, molding itself to his butt. She never noticed before how squeezable it looked.
With a start as to where her thoughts were heading, she returned her gaze to Sean’s face, praying he wasn’t awake watching her with that wicked grin in place.
Thankfully, he was still asleep.
Those long lashes were more evident with his eyes closed. She’d always admired them, his perfect nose, and defined mouth. An undeniable urge had her reaching out, wanting to trace her fingertips along the prominent outline of his lips. They looked strong, yet soft. Words that described the man perfectly.
She stopped, her fingers inches away from his face, and dropped her hand to the small space between them.
What the hell am I doing?
Why did she want to touch him so badly? And why was she inching closer for the sole purpose of inhaling his scent? Woodsy, masculine, with a hint of cinnamon.
She must still be only semi-conscious. Although, that didn’t explain away her impulse. She’d just lie here quietly and ease into full consciousness.
Then Sean opened his eyes. He looked at her for a second, offered her a sleepy grin and then his face contorted in horror as he yelped and dove off the bed.
She sat up, confused by his reaction. “Sean?”
His head popped up over the side of the mattress and he glared at her, snatching the sheet from the bed. “Dianna, what the hell are you doing here?”
“Why are you freaking? It’s not like this is the first time I sleep-walked into your room at night.”
He jumped up, holding the sheet in front of him, like a magician about to reveal his illusion, his face flaming red. “I didn’t—I wasn’t expecting—” He took a breath and gulped. “I’m naked.”
“Oh.” She placed her hand over her heart. She knew he usually slept naked, but he’d grown accustom to wearing something to bed when they were upstate. “That could’ve been awkward.”
“Ya think?”
“Well, damn.” Dianna threw her feet over the edge and stood. “Someone got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.”
His mouth twisted in annoyance. “I had no choice. Someone was sleeping on the other side.”
Dianna tried to hide her smile as she walked around the bed, over to him. “I know what the problem is.”
Sean inched away glancing down, behind the sheet then back to her. “You do?”
“It’s guilt. Shame.”
He gulped, even louder this time. “You-you know about that?”
“Of course I do.” She placed her hands on his shoulder, and damned if the man didn’t look terrified. “And you can stop worrying because I forgive you. Just don’t ever treat me like a nuisance again.”
“Oh.” His shoulders slumped and he let out a long breath.
An odd reaction. “That is the problem, right?”
“Yup, that’s it.” He wrapped the sheet around his waist and nodded his head toward the door. “Let me get dressed and I’ll take you out for breakfast.”
“Great. Give me time to shower and change. I’ll meet you at my house in twenty minutes.”
After collecting her things, she left his place a tad disjointed. The way she’d had to force herself not to touch Sean while they were in bed bugged her. But she wouldn’t let it ruin her morning. She and Sean were heading back to normal and she refused to let some sleep-induced haze screw it up for them.
***
“Angie, what’s your hurry! Dianna told Sean to give her twenty minutes. There’s no rush.”
She halted her journey from the house to face Jack, walking oh so leisurely down Sean�
�s pathway. “Have you forgotten we had to park the car a block away?”
“It’s not going to take us twenty minutes to get there.”
“Maybe not, but isn’t it better to be prepared for unforeseen events?”
“You worry too much.”
Geez, he could argue with her about anything.
As they waited for enough time to pass, Angie raised her face toward heaven, praying for the patience to deal with this man. Willing herself to go visible so she can fully enjoy her body’s senses, she waited for the floaty feeling to subside before breathing in the wonderful scent of fresh cut grass.
The sun’s rays momentarily peeked out from behind the clouds, warming her cheeks. The sky reminded her of the time in Oklahoma when she’d last seen her sister, Jan. The last time she’d ever heard Jan’s soft voice, the last time she’d ever seen her smile.
How much of Jan’s life had Angie missed since she died?
As she allowed herself to swim in her poignant memories, a beautiful stream of golden light caught her eye. At first she thought it was another of the sun’s rays, but it descended from behind the large fluffy clouds all the way toward the street. It disconnected from the sky, morphing into a human shape with large glowing wings. It drifted down further still, and the instant it touched the earth, it changed into their Guardian. Angie had to stop herself from gasping at Adriel’s dark-haired beauty. Although the angels had different appearances, they all were tall, perfect, with the same piercing ice blue eyes. Unlike human eyes, they actually seemed to be glowing.
“Adriel!” she greeted in surprise.
With a loving smile, he walked toward them, his arms outstretched. “Hello, my dear children.”
“You’re not here to take us Home already, are you?” Jack hurried to her side and grabbed her hand.
“Goodness no, you still have work to do. However, we have some issues with the way you’re dealing with Sean and Dianna.”
Jack glanced at Angie, then back to the angel. “I thought we were helping them.”
Adriel put a comforting hand on each of their shoulders. “You’re harassing them.”
She shifted uncomfortably. “I think that’s a little harsh.”
“You have Dianna thinking she’s being stalked, that her house is haunted, and poor Sean is so confused he can hardly look at her. Besides that, you are making far too much noise.”
“But we have to follow them. Otherwise how will we know what they’re up to?” Jack asked.
“And as for making noise, we try to be quiet but sometimes he drives me so crazy.” Angie pointed an accusing finger at her sidekick.
“At least I didn’t knock over her pencil holder.”
“Children, Children. Let us not fight. How about we go over a few rules since you seem unable or unwilling to read the instruction manual we sent down with you.”
She turned to Jack and swatted his arm. “I told you.”
“It is all in the past.” Adriel held a finger up to his lips when she tried to argue. “I am here now. We will go over the rules together.”
“Okay,” they said in unison, but she shot a glare at Jack. Forever getting her into trouble.
“I see you have learned that you can walk through walls. This can be a useful ability; however, we find that to be a bit Gothic. We prefer to enter into a scene gracefully when necessary.”
“Enter into a scene?” She had no idea what he was talking about. She hated not knowing. If only Jack hadn’t hidden that book.
“Indeed, which brings me to my second point; it is not necessary to follow them everywhere.”
“How do we keep track of them?” Jack’s face reflected the confusion she felt.
Adriel reached out his arm and beckoned toward the sky. A ball of fluff emerged from behind the clouds. Although it was similar in shape, its color wasn’t pure white like the others, but a lovely pink.
In a flash, it settled in front of Adriel, its size and shape that of an average doorway. Curious, she stood next to her Guardian and gasped at the scene before her. Like watching TV or a movie, Sean and Dianna were just walking into the local pancake house.
“I knew there had to be an easier way,” Jack said.
Angie reached out to touch the screen, but stopped when Adriel placed a gentle hand on her wrist. “It’s probably best you don’t do that, unless you want the patrons of this eating establishment to see your disembodied hand.”
“Is this happening right now?” she asked.
“Yes. We call it a custodio.”
“That’s Latin for watch,” Angie said.
“Correct, and it’s very easy to do. I’ll show you.”
Starting at the top edge of the custodio, Adriel ran his hand across its surface and, in one quick swipe, erased the cloud like one would a chalkboard. He faced Angie. “Think about who you want to view and gesture toward Heaven.”
She concentrated on Sean’s name and waved her hand in the same manner as Adriel. When a cloud spat from the heavens and landed in front of her, she shrieked with delight. It wasn’t pink, like Adriel’s, but a deep purple. Her glee quickly turned to confusion when the cloud revealed a dark bedroom. It took her a second to realize the banging coming from the cloud was that of a headboard hitting against a wall. And then the moans of pleasure started.
Adriel stepped forward and shooed the cloud away. “That was Sean Donovan of Tulsa, Oklahoma. We prefer not to invade the privacy of charges not assigned to us. And if the cloud is dark purple, it’s best to try again at a later time.”
She buried her face in her hands. Somehow her thoughts of Sean must’ve meshed with those of her sister. She was so horrified she thought she might cry, until she felt the gentle touch of Jack’s hand on her back.
“Give it another try,” Adriel said. “Instead of just thinking Sean’s name, picture his face.”
Angie did as told and this time it worked. Within seconds the custodio showed Sean and Dianna sliding into a leather restaurant booth. “I did it!”
“Very good.” Adriel’s smile hinted of pride.
“What does a pink cloud mean? Hungry?”
“Joy. We will go over all the colors. You can also reference them in the book we gave you.” He turned to Jack and winked. “Which I’m sure you’ll find once you get home.”
Jack’s smile was impish. “I’ll look for it.”
Adriel bowed his head then returned his focus to Angie, pointing to the restaurant. “Walk in.”
Her throat closed and she had to swallow over the lump to speak. “What?”
“Go on, don’t be afraid. However, in this instance it would be best if you cannot be seen.”
“I don’t know how to tell, unless I’m in front of a mirror.”
“Snap your fingers.”
Well, that seemed silly, but what the heck? She pressed her thumb and middle fingers together and snapped. Then she looked at Adriel. “Okay?”
“Now go invisible and try again.”
Angie did as instructed, and snapped her fingers again.
No sound.
“That’s how you know you’re invisible.” Adriel swept his hand toward the scene with Sean and Dianna.
Okay, feet. Move.
But they didn’t. The terror on the faces of the girls she’d scared at the beach was still fresh in her mind, as was the distress they caused Dianna last night. She never wanted to be the reason for such fear again. She reached her hand behind her, and without a word, Jack took it. Together they moved forward. Her vision blurred and ears popped as the sense of walking through pulsating dry liquid engulfed her body. The sensation lasted only a second and then people hungry for breakfast surrounded them.
Angie scanned the crowd, but no one seemed to have witnessed their arrival…or notice them at all.
Jack gripped her hand tighter. “This is so wild.”
She nodded, amazed at the things they could now do, but still overwhelmed by it all. “Let’s go back.”
She turned
to step through the cloud but all she saw was the rest of the restaurant. Had Adriel left them? No, he would never do that.
“How do we get back?” she asked Jack.
“Simple.” Adriel materialized beside her. “Just beckon for a custodio and walk back through. Once you have mastered it they will appear in the blink of an eye. Then you can check up on your charges wherever you are.”
This time Jack called forth the portal, but when it appeared, both of them jumped back.
The custodio—at least, that’s what she thought it was—had no color, but still kept the same shape as the previous clouds. This one she could see right through, but it was distorted, like peering through a rain-soaked windshield.
“What did you do?” Angie swatted Jack’s arm.
“Nothing! I just thought of our car.” His voice held confidence, but his face reflected uncertainty.
“Great, you broke it!”
Adriel snickered and placed a calming hand on her arm. “He didn’t break it. The portal is clear because a car has no emotion and there’s no person attached to it at the moment. Go on. Step through.”
As Adriel promised, the cloud brought them to where they’d parked their car. Once they were all through the barrier, Jack wiped downward from the top edge, just as they’d seen Adriel do a few minutes before and it disappeared. “This is so much easier than breaking and entering.”
“Yes. Quite,” Adriel agreed. “Let’s try again.”
Angie lost track of how long Adriel had them practice. By the time he nodded in approval, they were pros.
“You have done so well, my children. A custodio is not to be your default transportation. Use it sparingly, when necessary. And please, always remember this is not a spectator sport. You must only observe when the situation concerns you and your charges. “
“Don’t worry. We’re not going to watch anybody shower,” Jack said with a laugh.
Adriel arched a brow at him. “I should hope not.”
Jack cleared his throat and looked away. “What else can you tell us?”
“That’s all for now.” A ray of light shot down from the sky, scooped Adriel up and he disappeared.
Angie slumped against the car. “It looks like our job just got a whole lot easier.”
Angels in Seashore Cove (Love and Laugh in Seashore Cove Book 2) Page 11