He grinned and led her to the window.
Evie stepped onto the fire escape first. Without waiting for him, she climbed onto the wobbly railing and executed a perfect launch—with her still wearing Mary’s ridiculously high stilettos too. No more clumsy emus for her now she had her golden wingtips.
She flew over the city, the moon low in the sky, the dawn imminent.
Her magnificent wings were more powerful, her speed unprecedented as she soared into the night, enthralled, the rapid purr of the wind rippling through her end feathers.
Despite her newfound speed, Caleb caught up with her and then overtook her.
She matched him and flew close, their wingtips mere inches away from each other.
Caleb flapped his wings hard and fast, causing a downwards gust and disrupting the aerodynamic flow of the wind.
She dropped several feet while he sped in front, his laughter echoing into the navy sky.
In a flash, Evie recovered, catching up with him and doing the same. She left him behind again as she erupted into a fit of giggles.
He caught up with her once more and flew beside her as the buildings grew less compact. The dim orange glow of the streetlights gave way to darkness as they raced like rockets over the countryside and towards the coast.
Exhilarated, Evie landed on the shoreline, her stilettos sinking in the cold sand. She emitted a whoop and punched the air. “That was amazing!”
Caleb landed beside her, grinning like a buffoon.
“You’ve been holding out on me, Caleb. Could you fly that fast the whole time?”
“Yeah, kind of,” he said sheepishly. “I was being gentlemanly, letting you win now and then.”
She rose to the challenge. “You let me win? How about another race and no holding back this time?” Flapping her wings, she readied her take-off position.
“Maybe later. Look.” He pointed towards the sea, the freshness of predawn hanging in the air.
The navy sky lightened to paler blue, interspersed with clouds of violet and pale pink, and the inky blackness of the sea contrasted with a sliver of bright orange peeking above the horizon.
Caleb sat, then began smoothing the sand beside him with his wing. “Take a seat and watch the sunrise with me.”
How could she refuse?
Evie joined him, flicking off her shoes and curling her bare toes in the sand.
“What on earth possessed you to buy stilettos? Not that they aren’t dead sexy—” He cleared his throat and took his shoes off. “You’ve said before how you can’t walk in heels.”
“I didn’t. Mary at the hospital lent them to me. That’s how I hurt my ankle.” She circled her foot. Pain-free and the swelling had gone down too. “I tripped over, right in the middle of a crowded dancefloor of all places.”
Caleb chuckled a soft tinkle that made its way straight to her heart. “Sorry, I shouldn’t laugh, but I’m imagining a clumsy emu right now—your words, not mine.”
She laughed too. “Oh, it was worse, believe me. I was mortified.”
Their laughter died down, and a quietness descended, the contented silence she remembered. She’d missed that too.
Maybe being just friends wouldn’t be so bad after all.
She looked out to the horizon, the sky brighter now, the sea a rich indigo. Something niggled at the back of her mind. “There’s still one thing I don’t understand, Caleb.”
“What?”
“I don’t get why Ophelia and Raphael came to my flat. Why would they go there to find you to tell you I’d been approved?”
Caleb drew a breath. “Because they knew I would be there.”
The air crackled with uncertainty, the comfortable ambience gone, replaced by those unspoken words again.
He picked up a pebble and threw it towards the sea. “I’m sorry, Evie, but this isn’t going to work. I thought I could do it, but I can’t.”
“What do you mean?”
“Ophelia and Raphael came to your flat because they knew I was coming to tell you something.”
“You’re not making any sense. Tell me what?”
“Let me try to explain, then…” he swallowed, “then we never have to see each other again.”
Whoa, where did that come from? Her heart hammered inside her chest.
“Do you remember when you tried to kiss me not long after we met?”
Her breath hitched, and she could only nod.
“I wanted to kiss you back, believe me, but you were my student. I would not allow myself to abuse my position or disappoint those who put their trust in me. I thought I could live with being your teacher and nothing more.”
Evie could hardly believe what he was saying. “We’ve been more than student and teacher for a long time, Caleb.”
“I know. I wish I’d never suggested the dating agency the day you told me you didn’t want to face eternity alone.”
“I wish you hadn’t either.”
“But you seemed so keen to go on those dates.”
“Yeah, and look how they turned out.”
“My dates weren’t great either, but I never wanted to go on them in the first place.”
“Why did you then?”
“Because I’m a stubborn idiot.” He picked up another pebble, stared at it in his hand. “None of it matters now. That’s not what I wanted to try to explain. After your date with the warlock, I took advantage of your fragile state. One moment of weakness, and I forced myself on you, dragging you into your bedroom without stopping to think of the consequences.”
Is that what he thought? She touched his hand, made him look her in the eyes. “No, Caleb, don’t you ever think you forced yourself on me. I knew what I was doing, and I wanted it.” I wanted you. She couldn’t stop the smirk that tugged at her mouth. “I seem to recall there was an equal amount of dragging.”
“I thought what happened was because you saw a dark part of my past. I panicked because I thought you were only interested in the bad guys.”
“Thanks very much.” Her tone was laced with sarcasm as she withdrew her hand.
“I’m not that man anymore, Evie.”
“I know, Caleb. I didn’t make love to you because I thought you were a bad guy.” It was his vulnerability that had weakened her defences.
Her resistance crumbled like the sand beneath her feet. She’d made love to him because her heart melted, and her belly fluttered every time he looked at her.
“I’m sorry, that came out the wrong way. I wasn’t blaming you. It was all my fault because I’m an old fool who was too stubborn to admit what was staring me in the face the whole time.”
She softened. “You, stubborn? Never.”
He cupped her neck, his touch tender, his gaze intense. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but can you find it in your heart to forgive me, Evie?”
“I already have, Caleb.” Her gaze sought his lips, and she yearned to taste them again, lose herself in their softness, feel the tip of his tongue as he flicked it inside her mouth…
“I guess what I’m trying to say is…” he swallowed, “I owe you a roast dinner with all the trimmings—veggie roast for you, of course.”
Evie gasped. The bet they’d made that whoever found love first would cook the meal. Her heart swelled with hope and the possibility of an eternity of happiness, but she still needed to hear him say it. She held his jaw, stroked her thumb over his stubble. “Try harder,” she whispered.
“I’m in love with my best friend, and I want her back if she’ll have me.”
Her world spun on its axis. Slowly, her lips curled upwards. “Then we’ll have to cook the roast dinner together because I’m in love with my best friend, too.”
Caleb’s smile was breath-taking. The golden feathers on his wings glinted with flashes of heavenly light. Evie’s wingtips sparkled too, a blessing from those Above that this was meant to be.
“It’s a date then,” he said as he delved into his pocket and brought out a small box. “But first, there’s
something I want to give to you.” He handed her the box. “The gifts I gave you before your dates were only a bit of fun, but this one is special.” His voice cracked.
Evie opened it and gasped. Nestled on a blue velvet cushion was a stunning engagement ring, a diamond heart at its centre—not so big as to be pretentious—and a gold band intricately engraved to resemble four interlocking angels’ wings.
“Will you marry me, Evie?”
She looked up and grinned. “I thought you’d never ask.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really.” She chuckled, finding it irresistibly charming that he would still doubt her answer. “Yes to everything. Yes to marrying you. Yes to this amazing, immortal life, and yes to sharing it with you.” Happy tears gathered on her eyelashes.
Caleb touched his fingertips to her chin and drew her towards him, slowly, tentatively.
Evie met his gaze, his piercing green eyes she wanted to dive into and never come up for air.
He kissed her as the sun’s first rays bathed them in cool, yellow light.
Neither noticed the sun rise above the horizon, but it didn’t matter. They had all of eternity to watch a million sunrises together.
PUBLISHER’S NOTE
Publishers and authors are always happy to exchange their book for an honest review. If you have obtained a copy of this book without purchase or from the publisher or author, please consider leaving a review on one of the vendor sites, as reviews help authors market their work more effectively. Thank you.
ABOUT ABBEY MACMUNN
Abbey MacMunn writes contemporary, paranormal and erotic romances. She lives in Hampshire, UK, with her husband and their four children.
When she’s not writing, she likes to watch films and TV shows – anything from rom-coms to superheroes to science fiction movies.
Abbey is a proud member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association.
Find Abbey Online:
Website: http://abbeymacmunn.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AbbeyMacMunnAuthor1
Twitter: https://twitter.com/abbeymacmunn
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/abbeymacmunn
Tirgearr Publishing: http://www.tirgearrpublishing.com/authors/MacMunn_Abbey
OTHER BOOKS BY ABBEY
LOVE BITES: A DATING AGENCY FOR PARANORMALS
DATING A VAMPIRE, #1
Released: September 2020
ISBN: 9781005280086
When witch Harper Clarke, owner of Love Bites: A Dating Agency for Paranormals, can’t find a match for her latest vampire client, Damon Vertefeuille, she agrees to date him herself. But one look at his witchy date and he has a sudden desire to sink his fangs into her. Thing is, she wants it. When Damon’s brother threatens to tear them apart, the lines blur between loyalty, love, and dark desires.
DATING A WEREWOLF #2
Released: October 2020
ISBN: 9781005634315
Alpha werewolf, Grayson Beckett, thinks money can buy anything—including a wife. But when he joins Love Bites, finding a mate proves harder than he thought. Dating agency coach, Jamie Osborne, reluctantly agrees to go on the date. Tensions run high, but things go better than expected when Grayson turns out to be a doting dad with a tragic past. But can the alpha win her trust and melt her heart?
DATING A DRAGON #3
Released: March 2021
ISBN: 9781005432201
Cursed by a jealous sorceress, fire dragon Phoenix has spent centuries searching for his soulmate. Amnesiac Kat Foster longs to learn her true identity but afraid of what she'll find. While looking for her runaway dog, Kat sees a naked man hiding in a bush. Inexplicable flashbacks of her previous lives begin to make her think they may have met before. The sorceress hellbent on keeping them apart.
OTHER BOOKS BY ABBEY
THE EVOXIAN LEGACIES
VIOLET SOULS, #1
Released: September 2018
ISBN: 9780463153697
Bree Mills discovers a subculture of aliens with supernatural abilities living on Earth. And she’s one of them. Quinn Taylor, the 324-year-old Evoxian, knows his destiny is tied with hers. Before he can declare his love, she must sense the Akui, a mysterious force tied to ancient Evoxian law. When she’s kidnapped, will Quinn still love her when she’s faced with protecting her half-human daughter?
VIOLET SPIRIT, #2
Released: February 2020
ISBN: 9780463059920
Ever since Lexie Mills learned she was half human, half alien, her life has been far from ordinary. Evoxian shapeshifter, Drew Morgan, longs to tell Lexie he’s her destined soulmate, but she must first embrace her heritage. As their friendship blossoms into something magical, Lexie uncovers a heart-breaking truth about Drew and must make a choice—Accept her destiny with him or decide her own Fate.
MORE BOOKS BY ABBEY
TOUCHED
Released: July 2016
ISBN: 9781310425691
Cami Wilson is the revered offspring of an immortal mother and a mortal father. The title comes with her very own super-sexy guardian—jaded immortal Joseph Carlisle. Chemistry sizzles but there’s a problem—the hybrid's curse. Cami’s touch proves near fatal to her and all immortals, Joseph included. But her curse is the least of their concerns when deadly betrayal threatens to tear them apart.
ONE NIGHT IN KUALA LUMPUR
City Nights series, #31
Released: August 2017
ISBN: 9781370631353
Successful artist, Ziva Clarke, visits Kuala Lumpur as her creativity has been uninspired. Exotic Malaysia is just what she needs. Sam Tempest is visiting on business. Duty bound to join his family’s business, he longs to follow his true passion—wood sculpting. A chance meeting leads to a night of confessions and steamy sex. Can one night of passion be the answer to both of their dreams?
Dating an Angel Page 9