Page 76 of Angel

At one point, waist-deep, Angel turned me in his arms and held me close.

We remained with our arms around each other as the ocean washed around us.

When I tilted my face up to his, I found his eyes on me, and my breath hitched.

‘Why, Rox, is it that when I’m around you the temperature is always sultrier, and freakin’ delicious? Could get addicted, beautiful.’

I shivered at his heated rasp, shot him a wry smile, and laid my head back on his chest as he stroked me from my nape to just above my ass.

Heaven.

The heat of the day vanished into the black swell beneath us, as the quiet shadow of the cliffs stood guard over the empty shore.

Afterward, we took a slow walk along the waterline, our bare feet sinking into the wet sand before returning to our spread blanket to investigate our bounty.

The hamper contained a feast of marinated octopus salad, wedges of pecorino cheese, sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, and a loaf of crusty walnut bread.

Nestled at the bottom were two frosted bottles of homemade limoncello.

We uncorked the liquor, sipping the sweet fluid straight from the glass as we lay back against the cushions.

The intense lemon spirit hit my system fast, warming my stomach and loosening my tongue.

‘I’m feeling this,’ Angel admitted, his voice dropping an octave as he chuckled at a ridiculous comment I made about the seagulls wheeling in the sky above us.

We stared at each other on a warm summer night in Capri beneath the stars, exchanging sloppy smiles, both of us tipsy.

Soon, however, the laughter died away, replaced by a charged silence that made my pulse hammer in my throat.

Angel shifted onto his elbow, propping himself up so he loomed over me.

His silver-smoky eyes locked on mine under the silver glow of the rising moon, holding my gaze captive for a long, breathless string of seconds.

The heat in his expression pinned me to the blanket, making the rest of the world fade into nothing.

Slowly and with deliberate intensity, he leaned in closer.

He stroked my cheek with the back of his fingers, his calloused skin sending a shiver of heat down my spine.

His hand moved, stroking my earlobe, then his thumb descended to trace the soft outline of my lips.

‘You’re such a treasure, Roxanne,’ he rasped, his timbre hoarse with a vulnerability I had never heard from him before.

My heart lurched with pure joy.

I reached up for him, sinking both of my hands into the thick, damp strands of his hair, pulling him down to close the final distance.

His lips found mine, and a gasp caught in my throat as I melded into the man I’d loved for my entire life.

My breath hitched as Angel slid a thigh over my own.

I stared into his scorching, beautiful eyes, stunned that I was the reason he was flaming on the inside.

‘Honey,’ I whispered.

His eyes narrowed on my lips, and his mouth fell on me.

Hot, so scorching, yet so firm, and soft at the same time.