Nathaniel Teen Angel (8 page)

“Okay, it’s music.”

He smiled. He was glad she didn’t choose the TV. He didn’t want her distracted with a movie when he kissed her, but music would be wonderful if she picked the right songs. When she took off to the lounge room, he washed the plates and put them in the rack to drain, then he hurried to the bathroom to brush his teeth. Though he liked the pleasure of food, he wasn’t used to the feel of it in his mouth and he didn’t want Eloise complaining he had bad breath. He’d heard her grumble to her friends about boys with smelly breath and he certainly didn’t want to be one of them.

When he walked into the lounge room, his heart nearly jumped into his throat. Eloise was leaning over the stereo and her dress, oh, Lord, it was barely covering her underwear. Her legs were so perfectly shaped and her curves were amazing. Holy Heaven, what was he doing? He was an angel of God and shouldn’t be thinking such things. There was no way he should ask her to dance. If he did, he didn’t know what he’d be capable of.

Once she’d finished fiddling with the speakers, she glanced up and smiled at him. Then after hitting the play button, she shimmied towards him to the sound of
Bruno Mars
singing, ‘
Locked Out of Heaven’
.

Nathaniel couldn’t help chuckling to her song choice. It was so ironic. And he wondered what she’d say if she knew he really was locked out of Heaven. As she swayed to the music in her beautiful white dress, his heart pumped with delight. She looked so beautiful and though he wanted nothing more than to dance with her in his arms, he was far too afraid. Instead, he sat on the couch and gazed at her longingly.

Boogying towards him, she grabbed his hand and tugged. “Beings you won’t come to the party with me on Saturday night, you could at least dance with me now.”

Not wanting to hurt her feelings, he stood up. “I’m not much of a dancer,” he said, slipping an arm around her waist and holding her hand with the other one.

She gazed up at him, her eyes twinkling. “You don’t have to worry about that, Nathaniel, because neither am I.”

Holding her gaze, he smiled. “That’s not true because I just saw how much rhythm you have. You’re a born dancer.”

“You’re such a charmer,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. “But you’re so cute and your curls are divine.”

He scowled. “Oh, so I’m cute like a baby with curly hair?”

She grinned naughtily. “Definitely not like a baby, Nathaniel. I meant cute as in hot.”

Twirling her around, he smirked. “So you don’t think I look like a smelly scarecrow?”

Her mouth dropped wide open. “Nathaniel!”

“What?”

“You were
spying
on me?”

“Well, not on purpose. Actually I was hiding from you. I was walking up the road and I saw you coming towards me. I was afraid to talk to you after leaving so abruptly, so I darted behind the bus shelter. I couldn’t believe it when you sat there and started talking on your phone, and I knew if I left, you’d see me.” He sighed. “You see, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop on you, or hear the things you said.”

Her face went bright pink and she bit her lip. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Nathaniel. How embarrassing. I hope I didn’t say anything else.”

His mouth stretched into a big wide smile. “You did actually.”

She covered her eyes with her hand. “Oh, crap.”

Tilting her chin with his hand, he forced her to look at him. “You said I had a body to die for and that I was the most beautiful guy you’d ever seen.”

She gulped. “You heard all that?”

“Yes, and more. You said it was love at first sight. Did you mean it?”

She blinked. “Nathaniel, I... I...”

Terrified she was about to say no, he thrust his fingers through her thick luscious hair and pulled her to his chest, then as the harmonious voices of
One Direction
singing
‘
Last First Kiss
’ played on the stereo, he
kissed her eyes, her cheeks, her neck, then as he moved to her soft full lips, he teased them apart with his tongue, enjoying the feel of her surrender as she went limp in his arms and moaned into his mouth. “Oh, Eloise,” he breathed. “I love you with all of my soul.”

As she trembled against him
, he realised he didn’t need to hear her say those three little words, he could tell how she felt by the way that she kissed him. He knew it would be best if they sat on the couch, but his feet were stuck to the carpet and his whole body was shaking.

Eloise ran her hand along the hard muscles on his bare chest and gazed up at him. “I wish you could come to the party with me on Saturday night. Please, Nathaniel, say that you will.”

Looking into her pleading green eyes, he breathed a low sigh. “Oh, I wish I could, babe, but I can’t. I’m so sorry.”

She tucked her hair behind her ear. “Oh, okay.”

He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and held her close. Seeing the disappointment on her pretty face was breaking his heart. He knew how much she wanted him to take her to the party, and now she’d probably go with Tom. His heart sank. Just the thought of her dancing and kissing that hot-blooded boy was boiling his blood with white hot jealousy. And knowing she’d be married to another man one day was breaking his heart into a trillion little pieces. Inhaling the scent of her beautiful hair, he wondered how he’d got himself into such a predicament. Then as he glanced down at her sad face, he realised he was wasting precious moments when he could be making her happy.

When ‘
Take it Home’,
sung by
Johnny Ruffo,
exploded from the speakers, Nathaniel turned the lights down low, then he grabbed Eloise’s hand and twirled her onto the floor. Her face lit up and she hugged him tight as they danced around the room to the beat of the music.

“You’re such a good dancer, Nathaniel.”

“Not as good as you, honey.” He gave her a quick kiss on the lips, then whirling away from her, he attempted to Hip Hop, but he tripped over his own foot and fell on his belly on the floor.

Laughing hysterically, she held her hand out to help him up. “You are so funny, Nathaniel.”

He jumped to his feet and grinned. “Hey, I wasn’t trying to be funny. I was trying to impress you.”

She pulled him over to the couch. “But you did impress me, honey.”

Sitting down next to her, he wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “Thank you so much for inviting me here, Eloise. You have no idea what it’s meant to me, and the pizza was wonderful.”

Chuckling, she held her hand to her mouth. “I have another treat for you, but you have to sit here and wait while I prepare it. And no peeking.”

He raised his brows. “Oh, okay.”

“Say you promise not to peek first.”

His heart began to race, wondering what she was up to. He hoped she wasn’t going to change into a sexy nightie. Then he’d really be in trouble. He gulped. “Um, okay. I promise.”

“Don’t fret. I’m not going to give you medicine.” As she rested her hand on his thigh, her fingers slipped through a rip in the leg of his denim jeans, sending a jolt of electricity right to his trimmings. His eyes grew big and his whole body tensed as he tried not to move. Holy Heaven, did she give him torn jeans on purpose? The way things were going, he’d be dammed to Hell before ever having a chance to get his wings back.

“Nathaniel, Are you all right?” she said, feeling his brow. “You’re very hot.”

His hands sweating and a pain in his chest, he looked at the fear in her pretty green eyes, but he couldn’t seem to move his throat muscles and his breathing was rapid. Good grief, was he about to have a heart attack?

She grabbed his face between her hands and stared at him. “Nathaniel, answer me! Are you ill?”

Terrified, he blinked twice.

Chapter Eleven

Eloise knelt on the carpet in front of him and grabbed his hands. “You’re probably just having another panic attack, Nathaniel. Take deep breaths, come on you can do it.”

Just the touch of her fingers seemed to calm him and he breathed deeply, taking long hard breaths until his heart slowed down again. Then closing his eyes, he clutched his crucifix and silently prayed.

Sitting back beside him, Eloise wrapped her arm around his waist and retested her head on his shoulder. “Nathaniel, please tell me you’re all right.”

Opening his eyes, he glanced at her. “I am now, thanks to you. It was like you said, I was just having another panic attack.”

She frowned. “Well, you sure scared me. Have you seen anyone about these attacks? You seem to have a lot of them.”

He sighed. “I’ll be seeing someone about them pretty soon when I go home.”

Her eyes grew wide. “You’re not married, are you?”

Gazing at her, he stroked her cheek. “No, honey, I’m not. You’re the only girl I’ve ever loved.”

She blushed. “But you only just met me.”

He raised a brow. “Well, you only just met me, yet you said it was love at first sight to your friend. I heard you.”

Biting her lip, she looked away. “Right then, now I know you’re not going to collapse and die in front of me, I’m going to make you a treat. Hopefully, it will make you feel better.” On her way to the kitchen, she wagged a finger at him. “Now, don’t you peek.”

“I won’t leave my seat. I promise.” As he watched her walk to the kitchen, he wondered why she avoided talking about his eavesdropping. It didn’t make sense. She obviously had strong feelings for him, but for some reason, bringing it up only embarrassed her. She certainly didn’t seem to want to say that she loved him. He sighed. Although he yearned to hear her say those three little words, he was grateful to be spending this magical night with her. He prayed her surprise wasn’t to tempt him to sleep with her, and though he couldn’t think of a better way to spend his remaining hours with her, there was no way he would do that. It wasn’t allowed, not if he wanted to get his wings back.

Humming to herself, Eloise walked back into the lounge room with a tray of steaming drinks. As she placed it on the coffee table, she smiled. “There you go” she said, handing him a mug.”

Holding the handle, he sniffed the aroma. “Mm, it sure smells good.”

“It’s hot, so don’t burn your lips.”

After blowing into the cup, he took a small sip. “Wow, it tastes even better than it smells.”

For some reason she burst into giggles, then she sucked in her cheeks as if to stop herself. “Okay, now close your eyes and open your mouth.”

He raised a brow. “Oh, I see. You’re going to give me some horrible medicine for my pain, aren’t you?”

She shook her head. “No, I’m not. Come on, Nathaniel, do what I said.”

“Oh, all right.” Closing his eyes, he opened his mouth and waited to see what she was up to.

Chuckling, she placed a small hard square on his tongue. “Now don’t speak until you’ve finished it.”

Guessing it was a sweet he’d seen humans eat, he rolled it around his mouth. Mmm, it tasted wonderful and was much more delectable than he imagined it to be. As it melted, the flavour increased and he sucked on its essence, savouring every sticky morsel as it stuck to his teeth and trickled down his throat. It wasn’t anything like the chewing gum she’d given him. That had a fresh sharp taste, but this was soft and warm like the hot drink he’d just tasted. It was certainly giving him an immense sensation of pleasure. After swallowing the last bit, he opened his eyes and licked his lips. Whatever it was, it left a wonderful aftertaste in his mouth. He smiled. “Mmm, that was good. What was it?”

She looked at him oddly as if she was trying to read his thoughts. Uh-oh, Now what had he done? He blew out a breath. Human girls were hard to figure out sometimes.

“It was chocolate,” she said, tossing him the rest of the bar. “Enjoy it. I’ll be back in a minute.”

As she ran out the room, he bit a chunk from the bar and waited for it to melt in his mouth. He didn’t know why she was frowning again, but he guessed she was still annoyed with him because
he wouldn’t take her to the party. Well, he wasn’t going to let her sulking spoil his enjoyment of the chocolate. It would be the only time in his existence he’d ever have the pleasure to relish such a delight, though he knew he’d trade it in an instant if he could have more time with her. Nothing in the universe was more exciting than holding Eloise in his arms.

Hurrying back, she sat next to him. “It’s good, isn’t it?”

His mouth was still full of the lovely stuff and he rolled his eyes to let her know he was enjoying it. Then he offered her some.

She shook her head. “No, thanks, you eat it.”

Ignoring her, he popped a large piece in her mouth and gave her a sticky grin.

Still giving him an odd look, she moved closer to him and began fiddling with the chain around his neck.
“
Nathaniel, how come you didn’t take your crucifix off when you had a shower? You’re not a priest, are you?”

Swallowing his mouthful of chocolate, he stared at her. “No, I’m not a priest, but I am religious. Don’t you believe in God?”

She shrugged. “Of course I do, but I take my crucifix off in the shower.”

His eyes grew wide. He didn’t want her to take it off, not ever. What would happen if Devlin or Lucifer turned up? “Why do you do that? You should keep it on for protection.”

“Protection from what?”

“
From evil, of course.”

“That’s silly and superstitious. I’m not wearing a cross all the time. Sometimes I like to wear a colourful necklace.”

He grabbed her hands. “Eloise, please listen to me. You have to wear your crucifix all the time. Promise me you will.”

After swallowing her piece of chocolate, she licked her lips. “But why?”

He glanced at the ceiling. “Because I worry about you. Please, promise me you’ll wear your stone cross when I’m gone.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “How do you know I have a stone cross?”

“I ... I guess I saw you wear it.”

Looking deep into his eyes, she ran her fingers through his hair, then traced them down his face to his neck. As he shivered at her touch, she whispered in his ear.

“No, you didn’t, Nathaniel.”

His heart pounding, he held her gaze. What did she mean?

She moved her hands down the hard muscled on his chest and stopped at his waist, sending electricity shooting right to his very core. He sucked in a sharp breath. What on Earth was she doing? Her raging teenage hormones were going to get them both damned to Hell if she didn’t stop. Darn it! She was so frustratingly sensual, he didn’t know how he’d be able to resist her now, no matter what she did to him. Wondering if she’d put something in the chocolate, he gazed into her eyes.

Smiling, she slid her fingers back to his throat and griped the chain around his neck. “Are you really called Nathaniel?”

Fearing she’d break his gold chain, he grabbed her wrist and peeled her fingers away from it. “Of course I am, that’s my name, but why are you asking me?” She was so close, he could feel her soft breath on his face and he had an urge to kiss her, but he wasn’t sure what she was up to.

Leaning over him, she squeezed his shoulders. “Kiss me, Nathaniel, Angel of Fire.”

His chest tightened and his eyes grew wide. She
remembered
him? Pulling her into his arms, he smiled. “Oh, Eloise, how did you do it?”

She searched his face. “Do what?”

He traced her lips with his finger. “Remember me. How did you manage to remember me?”

Her brows bunched into a frown. “I don’t know what you mean. I don’t
remember
you, but I know you’re a fallen angel.”

“
What?” He swallowed a hard lump in his throat. “I don’t understand. How could you know that? And why did you call me Angel of Fire?”

She rolled her eyes. “It was the chocolate. There’s hardly anyone that hasn’t tasted chocolate, yet you didn’t even know what it was. The wounds on your back are shaped like wings, you don’t seem to have a home, and you acted like you’d never tasted a burger, a coke, or a milkshake before.”

Nathaniel threw his head back and laughed. “Eloise, for someone who doesn’t know how to keep up with her lessons at school, you’re pretty darn smart. No one but you would’ve figured it out. But how did you know my full name?”

She shrugged. “Research. I did a web search on angels. Anyway, now you can answer all
my
questions. What did you mean when you said I remembered you?”

He looked at her for a long moment, wondering if he should tell her. Then he realised it wouldn’t matter after tomorrow afternoon. They could at least get to know each other, even if it was for only a day.

“Come on, Nathaniel, you have to tell me. I answered your question.”

“Okay.” He took a deep breath. “You know your stone crucifix? Well, I gave that to you.”

She twirled one of his curls around her finger. “How could you have given it to me? A priest left it for me when I was in the hospital having my appendix out.”

Nathaniel looked deep into her eyes. There was no other option but to tell her the truth. He couldn’t risk her not wearing her crucifix, and by tomorrow afternoon she wouldn’t even remember him, but hopefully she’d remember the cross. “Listen to me, Eloise. The priest didn’t give it to you, but you must wear it at all times. I gave it to you to protect you from that priest. He’s evil.”

Her eyes wide, she backed against the wall. “You’re scaring me now, and how do I know you’re not evil? Maybe I should’ve listened to my parents and not talked to strangers.”

“Eloise, please. If you’re scared of me I’ll leave, but I’m telling you the truth. You see,
I’m your guardian angel.”

Holding her mouth, she gasped, then she laughed. “Yeah, right.”

He raised a brow. “Do you want me to prove it?”

Nodding, she glanced at the door, then at the window as if looking for a quick escape.

“Please, don’t be afraid, Eloise. There’s no way I’d ever hurt you. You mean everything to me.” He reached for her hand, but she yanked it away.

“This is all too weird,” she said, chewing on her knuckle.

“All right I’ll leave soon, but first I’ll prove to you that I really am your guardian angel. Your crucifix is made out of stone. It glitters and has all the colours of the rainbow. Your mother is called Madeline. Your father is called Matthew and your best friends are Brooke and Ruby. You have another friend called Francesca, who you don’t particularly trust, and you’ve known Tom since kindergarten. You had your tonsils out when you were seven and your appendix out a month ago.” He raised a brow. “Is that all correct?”

Folding her arms, she squinted at him. “How do you know all that about me? Have you been
spying
on me even longer than today?”

“Oh, I see. That’s why you were angry at me for eavesdropping on you at the bus stop.” He ran his hands through his hair. “Listen, Eloise. I’ve been in this house with you since the day you were born. That’s how I know everything about you. You just couldn’t see me.”

Laughing hysterically, she bolted for the door.

Nathaniel jumped up and ran after her, grabbing her wrists and spinning her around to face him. “Why do you think God burned my wings off?”

Her mouth dropped wide open. “I don’t know, but I think I must be having a weird dream. This is crazy stuff.”

“Eloise, that dream you had about an angel taking you to see the shooting star. Well, it wasn’t a dream. It really happened and the angel was me. And your crucifix, well that’s part of the shooting star I grabbed for you.”

She just stared at him with the strangest expression on her face and he couldn’t tell what she was thinking.

“But ... but why did you get your wings burned off? Did you do something bad? Are you a bad angel?”

Closing his eyes, he let out a long breath. “It was because I kissed you.”

“What? How can that be? When I saw you in my garden earlier, we’d never kissed.”