Fallen Angel (26 page)

“I wasn’t babysitting you, but if you don’t need me anymore I’ll go.” His voice was soft and when he closed the door behind him it was a soft click but the sound of her heart pounding in her ears was
like thunder. She hadn’t had a nightmare since that first night but the idea of closing her eyes without him there was daunting. She laid awake in the dark until long after she thought everyone should be asleep then she crept from the room. She went to the barn it was quiet all the animals were bedded down, even Ice was asleep in her stall. Angelica was tempted to wake her but decided against it finally she just went back to the house.

Keeping up the charade the next day was even worse. She was exhausted from lack of sleep and worse she really missed Luke, she didn’t realize how dependent she had grown on him until she decided to spend the day without him. He was out with the herd or doing whatever it was that he did during the day so it wasn’t like she had to avoid him but it was hard not to be with him anyway
.  That night she did sleep out of exhaustion only to dream of herself as a bitter withdrawn shell of her former self. It wasn’t as terrifying as her usual nightmares but in some ways it was even more disturbing. 

Angelica was surprised to see Matt walk through the door the next afternoon. She hadn’t expected to see him for quite some time or maybe she had been hoping she wouldn’t.

“Hi Angelica, it’s nice to see you back on your feet.”

“Thank you, it’s nice to be back on my feet.” She said reserving her usual friendly smile, she wasn’t feeling very friendly.

“I have brought the official new you.” He handed her a bundle of documents.

“What?” She asked taking the documents from him.

“You’re new identity. Your new name is Angie Huntington, we have had any accounts in the name of Angelica Austin transferred to your new name. Just so you know if you so desire the Rangers would be happy to relocate you, help you establish a new life.”

“Thank you.” She said very noncommittally.

“Well whatever you decide to do please keep up notified of your location. We will need you to testify when we arrest your father.” She nodded and he smiled, “Well great talking with you.” He turned and walked back out the door he had come in through. Angelica stared at the papers before her. Is this what she had been waiting for?
It didn’t occur to her until now but Angelica Austin was dead, a dead person couldn’t get married, was that what Luke was waiting for? She took the papers and put them in her room. She had put it off long enough she really just needed to have a conversation with him.  She went to the barn as soon as she opened the door she heard voices.

“Oh he is definitely alive, they just found a woman’s body in Houston, she was left in exactly the same state as all the other victims.”

“You didn’t tell her that did you.”

“No. Luke you know if he gets an inkling that she is still alive he’s going to come here looking. She is the only thing we have linking him to the crime, we need her to testify.”

“Well now you have a new set of crimes in Houston, go get your evidence there and leave her out of it.”

“Luke just let me relocate her, I’ll put her somewhere safe.”

“No, I told you as long as she wants to be here, she stays.”

“Damn you’re stubborn.” Matt’s voice was getting louder as if he was getting closer. She backed out the door and turned and walked back to the house.  “Are you still planning on getting married?” Matt asked when he reached the door.

“I am.” Luke said. He was feeling a little unsure of what was actually going to happen but that was still his plan.

“Well you have my congratulations and I wish you good luck. I will do everything I can to find enough evidence to put a noose around his neck without your new bride having to testify.”

“I appreciate that.”

Once she was safely back in the bedroom she let her brain process what she had heard. Her father was still killing people, and even Matt believed it was only a matter of time before he came here. Luke had said as long as she wanted to be there she stayed, he didn’t tell his brother that he was going to marry her, so that was it. He still hadn’t told anyone, he probably wouldn’t get another chance to tell Matt. More importantly Matt had confirmed that her father was in fact alive and that her being here put all the people she cared about in danger.  She stood quickly before she could change her mind. She found her mother in the makeshift bedroom they had made her.

“Pack your things, we are leaving at first light.” Angel looked up surprised.

“We are?”

“Yes and keep it quiet please.” She turned and left before her mother could question her change of heart. She went back to the bedroom and followed her own instructions, she packed.

After all the emphasis she had put on sharing meals with this adopted family know
ing that this would be the last one she should have been enjoying it, savoring every minute but she wasn’t. She couldn’t she was too wrapped up in her own misery.

She waited until everyone had left and the house was qu
iet again and then wrapped a shawl around her shoulders and went out the door. She walked to the rock alcove, it was east facing so she couldn’t watch the last of the sunset but it didn’t matter she only needed the solace anyway.

“Great view.” She jumped and gasped spinning around. Luke was standing right behind her, she hadn’t heard a single sound to indicate there was anyone there.

“Oh you scared me.” She put her hand over her pounding heart.

“Sorry about that.”

“I’m going to tie a bell on you or something, you move like a ghost.” She turned back to the view. He stepped up behind her and slid his arms around her waist. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against him, he felt so good.

“I didn’t mean to startle you.” He said close to her ear.

“You’re only saying that because you don’t want to jingle when you walk.” She muttered and he laughed. She clenched her eyes shut at the sound, forcing back tears she was going to miss that sound, there wasn’t anything about him that she wasn’t going to miss. “Why don’t you tell me what is bothering you.”He said his voice still soft as he spoke right into her ear. She turned in his arms and put her arms around his waist.

“I woul
d like to stay out here tonight, will you stay will me?”

“Of course.”

“Great, will you build a fire and I’ll go get some blankets.” She didn’t wait for a response, she pulled out of his arms and disappeared around the bolder to the path. Luke had a fire going by the time she returned.

“This time of the year it stays pretty warm even at night, I don’t think you’ll need that many.” He was eying the big mound of blankets she had brought. She shrugged and then smiled at him.

“I would rather be prepared.”  He watched her lay out all the blankets and layer them on top of each other and smiled, whatever blankets weren’t used for cover would be padding, he smirked at her.

“What?”

“You like the stars above, but not so much the hard ground below.”  She looked at the bed and then back to him and smiled. She didn’t bother to deny it. He was crouched beside the fire, she watched the firelight dance on his skin she wanted to touch him so badly but suddenly she was nervous. She walked out past the firelight and looked up to the stars just beginning to appear in the sky. She felt Luke behind her, once again she didn’t hear him but it didn’t startle her this time.

“I haven’t quite figured out a glass ceiling, how ‘bout a wall of windows.”  He was speaking right into her ear again as he wrapped his arms around her waist. She smiled he was thinking about the last night they had spent under the stars too.

“With this view?”

“Sure we’ll put it right up there.” He pointed at the outcropping above them and she laughed.
She leaned back against him and sighed as she watched the sky fill up with stars.

“I think this may be the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my life.” She whispered and he laughed. “Why is that funny?” She
looked up at him.

“Because next week you’ll have a whole new most beautiful thing.”

“I will not.” She protested.

“You just don’t appreciate true beauty.”

“I do too. I am not saying it’s not beautiful it is.”

“But it’s not the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen.”

“Nope.”

“Alright, tell me what is the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen?”
She said, challenge evident in her voice.  He turned her slightly, cupping her face with his hand. He looked into her eyes and whispered,

“You are.” Angelica felt her breath catch as her stomach flipped. Then he kissed her
. She turned into him and grasped the front of his shirt. She wasn’t sure if that was from habit or because her knees felt like they were about to buckle.  She felt his lips part under hers and she met him readily she felt his tongue under hers and felt the familiar weight in her abdomen. She felt tears sting her eyes as she wondered if this would be the last time they would be like this. She couldn’t imagine anyone else would make her feel like this, she didn’t want to. She felt the tears slip out from under her closed lids and she wrapped her arm around him pulling herself tightly against him.

“Hey,
what is this?” He swept his thumb across her wet cheek. She looked up into his eyes she felt like she was losing everything she ever wanted but she couldn’t tell him that he wouldn’t understand.

“Make love to me,” She said softly, “right here, right now.” For one second she thought he was going to argue, she wouldn’t be able to do it if she had to talk him into it first.
But then he kissed her again, relief washed through her and she melted against him. He pulled her tightly against him, he broke the kiss moving to her neck he pulled her ear lobe into his mouth and her knees nearly buckled.  He stepped away from her, his fingers sliding down her arm till he reached her hand he grasped it and pulled her gently. She saw where he was leading her and smiled. She stopped at the edge of the bed she had made and silently unbuttoned his shirt. He helped her pull it free of his pants and quickly pulled it off his arms and tossed it away. She gazed at him in the dim light watching the firelight dance across his skin. She knew she would never forget the way he looked. She had never seen another man without his shirt but she didn’t think there was a man alive that could look better. As her eyes traveled up his torso and over his shoulders they came to rest on his eyes, the fire was dancing in his eyes as he watched her and she realized he was waiting for her. A slow smile spread across her lips she splayed her hands on his stomach and slid them up the flat plane and hooked them around back behind him and griped his shoulders.

“I think you may be the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” She whispered and he laughed.

“That doesn’t sound very manly.”

“What would you prefer I say?” She pressed her lips to the center of his chest. “Handsome?” She pressed a kiss slightly to the right of the first. “Debonair?”
another kiss, “Impressive?” another kiss, this time he caught her face and tipped it towards his.

“You don’t have to say anything, just keep looking at me like that.” He whispered
then kissed her. He wrapped his arm tightly around her waist then dropped down to one knee. She let him guide her and he laid her gently on the blankets. He started kissing her neck again, tasting her skin with his tongue. When she felt his teeth scrape lightly over her shoulder she realized that he had unbuttoned her blouse. She felt his hands as they slipped beneath her camisole and heard herself sigh. Having him touch her was even better than being able to touch him. She lifted her arms and he swept the garment over her head she felt his fingers at the waist of her skirt and soon he was divesting her of that too. He pulled the blanket, she had left for cover, over them but she wasn’t cold. She wasn’t even aware of anything but him, not the cool night air or the hard ground. All of her senses were focused on him. He smelled delicious spicy and slightly musky with just a hint of hay. The way the firelight danced on muscles bunching and stretching as he moved was something she would remember forever. More than anything else the way he felt dominated her consciousness. He was touching her and kissing her, the feel of his tongue on her skin made her want to beg him to stop and pray he never would at the same time. She couldn’t even think clearly enough to continue her quest to touch all of him. She could feel his bare legs against hers but she had no idea when he had taken off the rest of his clothes and she didn’t care.  She felt his hand caressing the length of her body, starting at her face where he was kissing her again, it trailed over her shoulder and then lightly cupped her breast, his thumb swept over her nipple that was so hard and sensitive that the simple touch sent shockwaves through her that made her squirm. His hand continued its journey down her side and under the curve of her hip. He pulled up her leg and wrapped it around his waist. Then she felt his fingers part her flesh and she gasped arching against him. His caresses there robbed her of the last of her cognitive abilities she could only grip his shoulders as if she might spiral out of control completely if she didn’t hold on.

He moved above her and she felt him pressing against her, he pressed slowly into her and she sucked in her breath as
she stretched to accommodate him. He had only moved in a little bit when he stopped, she wondered briefly if that was it but then he thrust all the way in and she felt burning pain as he tore through the maiden head, she cried out from then pain and he stopped. She lay still as the pain subsided then she realized she could feel him all the way inside of her. They were one, he was a part of her now in a way that no else had ever been or ever would be again. No one would ever replace him she wouldn’t let them. He began to move within her and she felt waves of sensation wash over her with every movement. It felt like nothing she had ever experienced she heard her own voice moaning softly with each stoke but she couldn’t make it stop. He started moving faster and she had to hold on tighter as she felt her control slipping, she heard his deep voice murmur something in her ear but she couldn’t think coherently enough to decipher what he said and then something inside of her exploded. She heard herself cry out again but this time it wasn’t from pain it was from the pure pleasure. She couldn’t even move. She felt him ease out of her and she felt empty, she wished he hadn’t moved she wondered if it would be possible for them to sleep while still engaged. She smiled at her own wanton thoughts.