When Angels Fall (9 page)

Melody awoke alone in the vast bed. The heavy drapes were closed, but there was a sliver of light breaking through a gap near the top of one of the windows.

This was a lifestyle worth getting used to. Unfortunately, it wasn’t her choice. Therefore, she stretched out with a gaping yawn and just took a moment to luxuriate in the soft cotton sheets. Eventually a loud obnoxious rumble from her stomach forced her upright.

“I take it that’s my cue for breakfast.” Although it wasn’t necessary to pat her stomach to appease it, she did it anyway.

The dressing room she walked into was identical to the one below. Upon entering she expected to see her few bags of shopping from the day before, but to her astonishment, she found all her clothes from her flat as well. A set of drawers sat open as did a cupboard door, both filled neatly with her things. The small amount looked rather pitiful in such a large room dedicated to clothes. She stood there deciding between food and a shower, and her stomach growled again impatiently—food it was, then. She dressed quickly in a short sundress, with matching lingerie underneath.
Well, it doesn’t hurt to make a bit of effort.

When she popped into the bathroom to ensure she was presentable, and to give her mouth a rinse-out, she realized she shouldn’t have been surprised to find her toiletries adorning the shelves.

That makes sense. At least he was thorough.

She smiled to herself and proceeded with her ablutions, finishing off with a slick of plumping lip gloss.

When she was finished, she ran downstairs. As she reached the ground floor hallway, the smell of bacon frying wafted to greet her. Another rumble.
Fine! I’m going!
Her impatient stomach received another gentle pat.

Alec stood at the stove, a large frying pan in one hand as he dished up bacon, eggs, mushrooms, tomatoes, sausages, black pudding, and haggis.

“Oh my God, I think I’ve just died and gone to breakfast heaven!”
Don’t drool, don’t drool.

“I’ve got some tattie scones coming if you want them?” He nodded his head toward the table, and she turned to see it already set.

“If you insist...seeing as you’ve made them.”

Alec smiled broadly.

Melody smiled back. “I like this Bed and Breakfast. I think I’ll come back here.” She looked around for a moment, then out the back doors toward the sky. The doors were open wide, letting a warm breeze in.

Alec placed two plates on the table and then went to the fridge before returning with two orange juices and a bottle of brown sauce.

“What time is it, Alec?” Melody sat down in front of the delicious-smelling plate of food.

“Just after twelve. I thought you could do with a decent sleep-in. As you’ve obviously realized, I nipped out and got your things for you. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Mind? Not at all, but just how long are you intending on keeping me here?”
Please say forever, please say forever.

“As long as necessary. Your flat’s not safe, it’s much better that you stay here.”

Not quite forever, but it will do nicely for now.

“I actually think you should probably drop the lease on your flat.”

“Excuse me?”
Did he really just say that?
“But...wouldn’t that put any new tenants in danger?” She was all for moving into the luxurious house with the man of her dreams, but not at the expense of innocent lives.

“No. Once all your belongings are gone and you’re not there regularly, your essence will disperse quite quickly. A day or two.”

“Then won’t I put this place in danger?” Helping to protect her was one thing, but surely this was putting a great big bullseye on the front door.

“As strong as yours is, mine is more...potent. Any demons going past this place will only sense that something powerful that they really don’t want to mess with lives here.” His smile sent a shiver through her that had nothing to do with being cold.

“Okay, then. I’ll move out of there, and move in with you...I mean move in here.” And just like that, the shiver was replaced with a heat that shot up her chest to her cheeks and temples.
No, I’m not desperate at all.

Alec’s shoulders moved up and down in a silent chuckle.

“Oh, shut up and eat your haggis.” She took a bite of her own, and smiled at the idea that he wanted her there with him, indefinitely.

They continued their meal in silence. Melody savored each and every mouthful, and after she mopped the final bits of yolk up with her scone, she finished the last bite with a very satisfied sigh.

Alec had already finished and pushed his chair back slightly from the table, as if giving his stomach room to expand. He needn’t have bothered; she knew those six-pack abs looked just as perfect under his loose T-shirt as they did yesterday.

Melody sat back in her chair, glad she had a dress on and not a pair of jeans. Otherwise she was sure, she’d have to undo the button and zipper to make room for all the food she’d just eaten. “Okay, if I’m going to live here, and you’re doing all the cooking, I better haul ass to the gym!”

Alec laughed heartily. It was the first time Melody had seen him look truly relaxed, and she was struck again at how much younger he looked with it.

She tilted her head and stared at him across the table. “Alec, how old are you meant to be?”

He took a sip of juice and smiled again indulgently. “I’m surprised you didn’t look when you had my driver’s license.”

Her nose wrinkled slightly. “You know, I didn’t even think about it. I was more interested in your name.”

“Well, my driver’s license would tell you I’m thirty-five. Why, how old do I look?” He lifted his left eyebrow in a questioning manner, a sly smile still playing across his lips.

Melody nodded coolly. “That seems about right. You’ve certainly got more of the Kevin McKidd about you than the Rupert Grint.”

His eyes narrowed in mock offense. “Did you mention them because they’re both ginger?”

Melody rose from her seat and walked around the table to stand in front of Alec before speaking. “I mentioned both of those men”—she hitched her short skirt a few inches higher—”because”—she stepped forward, straddling his chair”—I find them”—she sat on his lap—”hot!” His erection sprang to life against her already wet core.

The raised eyebrow and sly grin returned as he looked down to where their bodies converged, and then up at her face through his eyelashes. “We have things to do today, Melody.”

“I’m sure. That’s why I thought we should get started.” She arched her back in a stretch, pushing her breasts forward, her nipples grazing his chest through the lace and cotton covering them. She moved an inch up his body, delighting in the feeling of his erection rubbing against her.

He placed his hands at the top of her thighs, his thumbs sitting comfortably at the crease between her legs and body.

“I gave you that breakfast so you’d have energy to do some training today.”

She pouted. “I like my idea better. Anyway, you said there was nothing I could do to protect myself against the demons?”

“I know, but after last night I’ve decided it probably wouldn’t hurt for you to have some self-defense lessons. This”—he pushed her hips back gently—”can wait.”

There was a nice bulge trying to bust through his cargos. “Your friend thinks otherwise.” She nodded toward his zipper.

“My friend doesn’t think; it reacts. Besides your safety is more important to me than a quick thrill.”

“Who said it would be quick?” She winked and leaned in, kissing him. As she pulled away she tugged lightly on his bottom lip, a gentle nibble, before letting it pop back.

“Work now, play later.”

She looked at his face; he was amused, but she knew there would be no getting around him on this. Melody stood, resigned to her fate, and if she stayed on his lap any longer she might just come from the friction alone.

“Fine, slave driver. Where do you intend on having this little self-defense class?”

“In the drawing room. I’ve already shifted furniture and put some crash mats down.”

“Just happen to have some crash mats lying around did you?” Sarcasm really did come naturally to her.

“Actually, yes. It’s funny what you accumulate when you’ve been alive for over a hundred years.”

Melody could hear Alec laughing as she stalked away.
Bloody angel!

It had taken Alec a considerable amount of restraint to refrain from ripping the flimsy dress from her body and taking her immediately. To be honest, they’d done it once in the kitchen already; food seemed to be their aphrodisiac. However, he’d meant it when he said her safety was his prime concern, because each passing second she was with him, he felt more intensely that he could never let her go. Thus, his first step was to keep her alive; his second step, however, was already planned and ready to go in the drawing room.

By the time Alec got to the lounge, Melody was waiting for him. She stood looking out the large window to the street, and didn’t turn around when he entered. She’d changed out of the little sundress, more’s the pity. He’d liked the thought of her getting hot and sweaty, the light fabric clinging to her thighs and chest.
Damn man, get your head in the game.

She had opted for cut-off shorts, old jogging bottoms by the look of the material, and a sports crop top. His gaze wandered down her back. The shorts sat low on her hips, accentuating her slim waist. The examination continued up her back to her strong, beautifully square shoulders. She had pulled her hair up in a high ponytail, which she was twirling in her fingers, and he saw a tattoo, a little smaller than a credit card in size, halfway down her neck and inching on to her back. It was an odd-looking creature, reminding him of seahorse, though made up of the striking curves and points that symbolized New Zealand Maori design.

“What’s your tattoo of?”

Melody turned to face him, not startled by his voice—she obviously had heard him come in then, she was just choosing to ignore him. She smiled rather wistfully. “It’s a manaia. Mine has the face of a bird, body of a person, and the tail of a fish. She’s said to be the invisible light that surrounds each person, and a guardian angel. Funnily enough, they are messengers between the spirit world and the mortal realm—sound familiar?” A cheeky wink accompanied her smile.

Alec felt a smile touch his lips as a crease lined his brow. Melody’s tattoo represented her life-force. Maybe it was real; maybe that’s what was enhancing her aura. The beliefs of all the cultures on earth had their origins on the higher and lower planes, so it made sense that the manaia would be one of them. Especially something that was so specific to Melody—and him.

“Is there something wrong?” She looked slightly concerned by the expression on his face.

“Not at all. I was just thinking how well your tattoo suited you.”

Her body relaxed, and she looked relieved. “Oh, shall we do this then?”

“Yes, let’s.” He sounded more eager than he’d intended.

Her eyes widened in mild alarm. “I can tap out if you hurt me, right?”

He was across the floor to her in an instant, cupping her face in his hands. “I would never hurt you, Melody.” His voice was fervent. “I just need you to be safe.”

Need?
As he thought this, he realized
need
was indeed the right word. Yes, he wanted her safe, without question, but it was as if his own life depended on her safety as well. He released her and stepped back a couple of paces. “Are you ready?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” She smiled weakly.

The smile he returned was much broader. “Let’s begin then.”

He put her through her paces, teaching her the best way to stand, kick, hit, where to aim, and how to break holds. He broke each move down for her, and then made her repeat it multiple times, until she could do it in real time without really thinking about it.

Three hours later, he was lying facedown on the crash mats. She’d just subdued him for the umpteenth time, using an arm lock and a few good mock knees to the head.

He rolled over onto his back, propping himself up on his elbows. “You’re doing really well. Now let’s do it again, but I want you to be more aggressive. You’re not going to hurt me. I want you to feel the strength you need to use.”

However, before he could get up, she’d straddled him, confining him to the mat.

“No,” she said, her tone serious. “We’ve been at this for three hours and I think I could do most of it in my sleep. How about we call it quits, and enjoy what is left of the day!”

“What did you have in mind?” He didn’t bother to suppress his grin and before she could move an inch, he turned the tables on her. He pulled her toward him, rolling them both over, so he was on top of her. “Because I’ve got a few ideas of my own.”
Let step two commence.

She didn’t bother to struggle, but smiled instead. “You tell me yours, and I’ll consider telling you mine.”

He leaned down, using his arms to keep his weight off her body, but close enough for her hard nipples to brush his chest. Heat coursed through him.

“First of all, I think we should get you out of these
hot, sweaty
clothes,” he whispered in her ear, accentuating the words “hot” and “sweaty.” Her back arched and she pushed up toward him. He moved forward, the hard length of him rubbing slowly along her opening, and her thighs tightened against his hips, then fell open wider. He tried to ignore how good it felt, knowing how much she craved him.
It’s just sex...yeah right.

“Rules apply. Do you trust me enough to play by the rules, Melody?”

“Yes.” Her voice was breathy. Her eyes sparkled; he could see the want in them and he was determined to pleasure her like no other man had,
or ever would again—
she belonged with him. Alec shook his head once, trying to expel the thought.

“Close your eyes, and keep them closed,” he coaxed.

She obeyed without hesitation, her body tensing with anticipation. He pulled her forward to a sitting position, lifting the crop top. She raised her arms to assist its removal, and he threw it across the room, his gaze feasting on her body. Placing his fingertips at the base of her throat, he glided them down the center of her body. It made her look like a magician’s assistant in a trance as her body lowered back to the floor. He kept his touch barely more than a phantom, and never leaving her skin.

As he reached the top of her shorts, he used both of his hands to glide her remaining clothes down. Melody tilted her pelvis up, allowing a smoother transition of the fabric. The pieces joined her crop top on the other side of the room.

He stood above her for a moment and admired her beauty.
If only it could always be this way, if only she could stay with me forever
.