Hearts Aflame Collection: 4-Book Bundle (7 page)

“Melissa.”

“What are you doing here?”

“May I come in? We need to talk.”

“Uh-uh. We do not need to talk. We definitely
don’t need to talk. You said everything you needed to say when we
got a divorce, remember?”

He turned pleading eyes on her, “Please Mel,
just a few minutes is all I’m asking for.”

She pursed her lips as she studied his big
frame, almost as big as Adrian’s; with his fair hair and eyes the
same color, they could easily be mistaken for brothers, but that
was where the resemblance ended. Where Jeremy looked like a
self-indulged playboy, there was a thread of steel about Adrian,
something a little more substantial, which her ex-husband
lacked.

“Please, Mel.” He repeated.

She supposed she could let him say what he
wanted to say. She didn’t feel like she owed him anything, but she
owed herself the freedom from always wondering. So she stepped away
from the door.

“Fine, come in. but you only have five
minutes.”

Once he was seated, she took the seat
furthest away from him. “How’s Christy?” She asked about the woman
he’d left her for.

“She left me.”

Melissa raised both eyebrows in disbelief.
Was this what this was all about? “Is that why you’re here?”

“I’ve been a fool, Mel. I love you so much
and I was a fool to let you go.” He sighed heavily.

“Well, I can’t argue with you there.”

He raised hopeful eyes to her, “Does this
mean you’ll take me back? I’ll do anything you want, I
promise.”

“Hell, no!” She jumped to her feet. Just what
kind of fool did he think she was?

Jeremy was also on his feet and he walked up
to where she was standing. “Give me another chance, Mel. I’ve
changed, you’ll see.” He reached out and tried to hug her, but she
quickly sidestepped him.

“Jeremy, are you out of your mind? We’re
over. Completely and utterly over and I’ve moved on. You come here
making noise about changing when I know that it won’t be long
before you’re your old, slimy self. What you did to me was
inexcusable and the very fact that you’re back here asking for
another chance just goes to show how pathetic you think I am.”

She was angry and didn’t bother to hide the
way she was feeling.

“Mel, just listen-.”

Just then the doorbell rang again. She lifted
a palm to halt Jeremy and with a disgusted shake of her head,
walked over to the door. This time around she used the peephole and
felt her heart miss a beat when she saw Adrian standing there.

“Hi Melissa, I’ve missed you.” Adrian pulled
her into his arms and kissed her passionately.

As soon as his lips touched hers, she forgot
they were not alone and wrapped her arms around him, returning his
kiss with equal fervor.

Suddenly there was a clearing of the throat
behind her. Adrian stilled, then took his mouth off hers. He looked
behind her and she felt his body tense.

With a stifled sigh, she pulled back and
turned to face Jeremy who was staring at her with a red face.

“Adrian this is Jeremy, my ex-husband. He was
just on his way out.”

“Who is this, Mel?” Jeremy demanded.

She pinned him with an annoyed stare, “None
of your business, Jeremy. It’s time for you to go. Now!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll go.” With that, Adrian
turned and disappeared down the stairs.

Chapter Six

Adrian tried to hold on to the feeling of
rage rising up inside him. First of all, he hadn’t known that
Melissa had been married before. He knew there was so much he
didn’t know about her, but they’d been on the phone practically
every second for an entire week, couldn’t she had found the time to
tell him there was an ex lurking somewhere in the shadows? And what
had he been doing in her apartment, anyway? The look on the jerk’s
face had been too possessive for his liking.

Half way down the stairs, it suddenly dawned
on him that if he didn’t move fast, he was going to lose her. He
stopped in his tracks and examined his feelings. He knew that he
had found the woman that was his soul mate. For Melissa, he was
willing to give up immortality and become mortal. She ran through
his veins like mortal blood and he couldn’t seem to get enough of
her. He’d spent the entire week slowly growing crazy. He realized
with shock that he was in love with her.

“So what are you doing standing here?”

He turned and at first there was no one
there, then the air shimmered and suddenly a slim, red-haired angel
materialized. It was no one he was familiar with.

“Who are you?”

“I’m your guardian angel.”

“My…my what?” Adrian spluttered in shock.
“Since when did angels need guardians?”

“Since they ventured into the human world and
took on human attributes. You’re more human than angel now, you
know.”

It made a weird kind of sense. “All right,
I’ll buy that.”

“You need to go back up there and let the
woman know you love her. Oh, and don’t forget to let her know
you’re an angel, too.”

Staring at his shoes, Adrian knew it was
another complication he’d much rather ignore. But if he wanted to
spend forever with this woman, and he did, he knew he’d have to be
completely honest. But how was he going to do that? He looked up to
ask but the angel had gone. He knew she would be hovering around
somewhere, but he figured his time would be better spent with Mel.
So he turned around and started up the stairs.

“Why did you leave like that?” She demanded
as soon as she pulled the door open.

“I was jealous.” Adrian said simply and was
surprised to discover that he’d left her speechless. “Is he
gone?

“He left as soon as you did.”

“May I come in?” He asked quietly.

She held the door open and as he walked
through, his arm brushed her chest. He paused then and took a sharp
breath as he felt desire slam through him. He looked down at her
chest and noticed her nipples had peaked and she wasn’t wearing a
bra. It reminded him that her ex-husband had just left her
apartment, so he forced himself to walk on.

He leaned against her fireplace, as far from
her as he could get and took a deep breath. “Here’s the thing, Mel.
I’m in love with you and I’m not willing to live without you, but
neither am I willing to have a sex relationship with you. I want
more for us. I’d like to get to know you better and know that I
don’t have to keep fighting the ghost of your ex-husband. What do
you think?”

She was silent for so long that he was
finally forced to look at her. She looked shell shocked.

“Melissa?”

“Did you just say you’re in love with me?”
She asked in a near whisper.

He left where he was standing and walked over
to where she was. He stood as close to her as he could without
touching her, “Yes, I am in love with you.”

She shook her head in disbelief, “I kept
telling myself it was too soon. It couldn’t happen just like that.
I told myself it was the great sex, but I know it’s not that. I
don’t get it.”

Adrian’s heart began to thump in his chest.
“What are you saying, Mel?” He asked carefully.

She lifted her eyes to his and what he saw in
them made him take a deep breath. “I’m also in love with you,
Adrian. I’ve never felt this way before and it scares me.” She
admitted softly.

He drew her close to him and claimed her lips
in an intensely passionate kiss. “I’m scared, too.” He muttered
against her lips.

Suddenly the inferno swept up and he drew her
closer for another kiss. She placed her arms around his shoulders
and wrapped a leg around his waist. Adrian felt his need for her
spiral and began to walk backward until his back hit a wall, then
he spun her around and pressed her into the wall.

“I can’t get enough of you.” He said as he
brought a hand to cup a breast. He ran his thumb over the nipple
and she moaned.

“Make love to me, Adrian. I’ll explode if
you’re not inside me.” As she spoke, her hands went the waist band
of his pants and she murmured her gratitude for the fact that he
was wearing sweat pants. She quickly loosened the string and dipped
her hand into his pants.

When he felt her hands around his erection,
Adrian shivered with need. He needed to taste her. Slipping his
hands beneath her top, he exposed her breasts and captured the
mauve tip with his mouth. Her moan fanned the flames in his blood.
He could feel her hands moving up and down his turgid length and
knew he had to be in her right that moment.

He lifted her skirt to her waist and lifted
her up. She immediately wrapped both legs around his waist. Leaning
her against the wall, he reached down and ripped her panties. His
erection was already free, so he wasted no time. With dexterity he
didn’t know he had, he maneuvered her to a comfortable angle and
slipped inside. He couldn’t hold back his groan as the exquisite
pleasure ripped through him.

“Oh Adrian, that’s so…so…Ohhh.” Melissa
panted and began to rock.

He positioned his hands beneath her, “I know
what you mean, baby.”

She held onto him as they moved in unison. He
slowly slipped in and out of her, trying to make the pleasure last
as long as possible. Before long, the pressure began to build and
he felt her body tighten with tension. She dropped her head on his
shoulder as she began to tremble.

“I can’t, I don’t…this is too much.” She was
almost screaming.

Suddenly she sank her teeth into his
shoulders and that pushed him off the edge. She let out a keening
wail just as he shouted her name and they climaxed together.

“I love you, Melissa. You belong to me.” Over
and over, Adrian murmured while he held her tight and absorbed her
trembles.

Finally they calmed down and he gently put
her down. “Are you okay, honey?” He gently caressed the hair from
her face.

She a deep breath then let it out softly.
“That was beyond words.” She said quietly.

He knew exactly what she meant. He lifted her
into his arms again and headed for her bedroom. “And that’s just
the beginning.” He said, feeling his erection stir again.

***

They didn’t come up for air till much later
in the evening. They were lying down on her bed, and as he lazily
ran his hands over her body, he knew he couldn’t delay it much
longer.

“There’s something you need to know,
Mel.”

He felt her stiffen at the tone of his voice.
Then she relaxed. “What’s it?”

“Er, I don’t know how to say this, but I’m an
angel.”

She said nothing.

“Mel?”

“You expect me to believe that you’re an
angel? Is this a joke?”

He sighed, knowing she would have a hard time
believing him. He stood up from the bed.

“Don’t freak out, okay?”

“Adrian?” There was fear and disbelief in her
voice.

He stretched his hands out and a soft
feathery feeling began at his back. Pretty soon a shiny pair of
gossamer wings appeared at his back.

“Oh my God!” She exclaimed, sitting up naked
on the bed. “What the hell is going on?”

“Calm down, I can explain.”

“Start talking!” She jumped off the bed and
grabbed her robe, wrapping it tightly around her body.

So Adrian explained about Cassel and Trina
and the condition they were given. He told her how when he saw her,
he knew that she was his soul mate. Through it all, Melissa had
listened with growing fascination.

“So are you saying you’re only with me so
your friend can have a chance with Trina?” She’d asked
haltingly.

Adrian hid his wings and hurried over to
where she was standing. He hugged her close to him and kissed her
soundly. “I know this is crazy and bizarre, but I would not be here
in this room if I was not totally and completely in love with you.”
He said earnestly. “Do you believe that?”

She nodded slowly. “I love you, Adrian. I’m
not sure I’m comfortable with this entire angel thing, but we’ll
work through that together.”

“Together Mel, never forget that.” He said,
his heart shining from his eyes.

She drew him closer and rested her head on
his chest. “Together.” She repeated.

They were going to do this together, somehow.
With that assurance, Adrian led her back to the bed. He finally
understood why Cassel would give up immortality for the love of a
mortal. He would give up his very life for this woman. He kissed
her gently and held her that bit closer.

Do you like this book? Be sure to check other books
in this series

The Heart Plunderer- Volume 2

An Angel in my Bed - Volume 3

Angel at Large - Trilogy (3-Book Bundle)

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Christmas Choices

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Chapter One