Page 58 of Angel

I wanted so badly to believe I mattered to him, but the shadow of Evangeline always loomed in the back of my thoughts.

Climbing into bed, I tossed and turned, unable to settle down.

An hour later, sudden thirst dragged me out from under the comforter.

Needing a glass of water from the kitchen, I grabbed a robe and went to the door, turning the brass knob.

When the oak surface swung open, my jaw dropped.

Angel sat slumped on the wooden jamb, his chin resting against his chest, fast asleep.

The hell?

‘Angel?’ I gasped, dropping to my knees to shake his broad shoulder. ‘What are you doing on the floor?’

His eyelids fluttered apart, dazed as he took in my worried face.

I tugged on his arm, trying to hoist his muscled frame off the floorboards, but he scarcely budged.

‘Get up,’ I urged.

With a grunt, he rose but stood swaying in the hallway, still half asleep.

Realizing I couldn’t drag him down the hallway to his own room, I guided him toward my bed instead.

He tumbled onto the soft sheets, his massive body taking up more than half the mattress as his head hit my pillow.

I stood next to him, hesitating as I stared down at him in the moonlight.

‘Get in here, Rox,’ he repeated, his timbre sleepy, thick, and non-negotiable.

I climbed under the duvet, but my pulse was racing so fast I knew I needed a safety boundary.

I grabbed three throw pillows and lined them up down the center of the mattress, dividing it into two sides: his and mine.

Angel’s smoky eyes cracked open, staring at my makeshift border in pure, unadulterated disbelief.

‘The hell you think that’s gonna do?’

He propped his head up on his hand, peering over my pillow wall with a dangerous glint in his eyes.

‘If I intended to tear you up, beautiful, you really think a fortress of fluff is going to stop me?’

Heat rushed to my face, my cheeks burning as I stared down at my embarrassing attempt at security.

‘You know,’ he drawled, a lazy smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth, ‘I’m shocked SWAT doesn’t use this tactic. If they just threw down a couple of throw cushions, not even one crim would ever cross the line.’

‘I don’t expect the pillows to keep you out,’ I said, holding my ground. ‘They’re just a buffer against any stray moves in the dark.’

‘Ah.’

He stretched out the word, his voice dropping an octave, his chest rumbling with silent laughter.

‘Can’t have any stray moves.’

‘Exactly. I might roll over in my sleep, and feel you up. I’d hate to take advantage of you.’

Knifing up, he tossed two of the pillows onto the floor and dragged me right over the third.