Tempting Nora (35 page)

"You mean they fell to…to…hell?" She clapped her hand over her mouth in horror.

"Yep.
" Gideon nodded. "God created that earthquake. It wasn't some random natural disaster."

"Just in case, s
houldn't we at least check the basement before we leave?" She wanted to make sure she wasn't going to have to endure something like this ever again.

"You aren't going
to let it go until we do, huh?" Gideon said.

"Yeah." She nodded.

Gideon knew her so well.

"Stick close to me," he warned her.

"Why?" A tremor of fear ran through her.

"I'm
worried the ceiling might crumble," Gideon said. "That house wasn't in good shape before the earthquake, so it definitely isn't safe now."

"I wonder who the house belongs to, anyway," she said.

"Who knows?" Gideon shrugged.

"Amon," she said.

Gideon raised an eyebrow.

"What?" She
frowned. "He does know."

A
grin crossed his face. He kissed the back of her hand.

"Oh, how I missed you," he
said.

"We were apart for less than
eight hours," she pointed out.

"It felt like years," he said. "I'm never going to leave your side again."

"For once, I don't have any complaints," she said. "I don't want you to go anywhere."

"Good." Gideon kissed her hand again.

"Can we go check now?" She frowned at him. "My head really does hurt."

"Okay, okay." Gideon led her
to the house.

After Nora followed Gideon inside, she trudged down the hall. Even
being in the house again made her shiver. Gideon noticed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, drawing her closer. He was protecting her, caring for her. Oh, how she loved him. Her resolved was strengthened as he led her down the stairs.

The moment she stepped into the basement, she gasped.
She'd expected to see a pit in the floor leading deep into the center of the earth. Instead all she saw was a puny crevice. She stared into it, searching for even the tiniest deep fissure. She saw nothing, nothing at all.

"What happened?" she asked.
"The pit is gone."

Gideon wrapped his arms around her waist
from behind, holding her close.

"God wouldn't leave
a gateway to hell open," Gideon said. "He must have sealed it."

"Wow," she
said.

"I told you we're safe," Gideon said. "Even if Amon manages to leave hell again, God will take care of
him. I'm sure of it."

She
was silent as she remembered all that had happened. God had not only saved Gideon, but he'd saved her too. All of her unease dissolved in an instant. With God looking out for her, why should she fear Amon? God was far stronger than any demon.

"You're right," she said. "We're safe."

"Mmm-hmmm." Gideon kissed the top of her ear.

"But Gideon…" She
frowned into the pit.

"Yeah?" Gideon said.

"Do you remember anything odd happening during the earthquake?" she asked.

"You mean besides the fact
that God created an entrance to hell?" Gideon raised an eyebrow.

"
Yeah, besides that," she said.

"
I guess that depends on what you mean by odd." Gideon rested his chin on her shoulder.

"
When the ceiling was falling, I thought I heard another woman screaming," Nora said.

Gideon stiffened and forced her to face him.

"You heard it?" he asked.

"Yeah." She nodded. "
You heard it too?"

"I did." Gideon nodded. "I saw something
as well."

"Really?" Her eyes widened in surprise.

"Do you remember that woman who died in the earthquake?" Gideon asked.

"Of course." How could she forget?

"Well, for a moment I swore she was with you, waiting to be rescued," Gideon said. "I know she wasn't really there, but…"

Gideon frowned, his eyes darkening.

"But what?" She didn't like seeing such darkness in his eyes.

"
Part of the reason I turned bad was because I felt guilty about letting that woman die," Gideon said. "I didn't particularly like helping Amon, but I did it because I wanted to make myself miserable."

"
Oh," Nora said.

"When the earthquake started, I
rushed to save you. The thing is, though, I felt like I was also saving her, just like I should have done as her guardian angel," Gideon said. "It was as though I was redeeming myself."

"
That explains everything," she said. "God must have known about your guilt. He wanted to ease your suffering."

"Indeed." Gideon shrugged. "
A giant weight was lifted off of my shoulders because of that. It's as though I finally did my job, so now I have the right to be happy again."

She placed her hands on his shoulders and stared into his face.

"And are you happy?" she asked.

"As long as you're by my side, I am," he said, holding her close.

Ditto,
Nora thought, shutting her eyes.

Chapter Twenty

The next day, Nora awoke in bed next to Gideon. As she glanced at the bedside clock, she thought,
I was asleep for sixteen hours. That's the longest I've ever slept.
Since she'd barely rested over the last couple of days, she wasn't surprised. She'd needed the sleep.

As she let out a sigh, Gideon shifted beside her.

"Are you finally awake?" Gideon asked.

She met his eyes and was zapped with electricity. Holy Toledo, staring into his face
right after waking up was enough to make her speechless. After she recovered, she managed a nod and propped herself up on her elbow. Gideon tucked a few stray strands of hair behind her ear. After he gave a small smile, he leaned closer. He let his hand linger on the nape of her neck as he took her lips, giving her a kiss delicious enough to make her melt.

When he pulled away, she was speechless.

"How's your head?" Gideon asked, his lips still only a centimeter away from hers.

"It's okay." She wasn't sure if her brain was swimming due to her injury or
because Gideon was so close to her.

"Do you want me to get the pain killers the doctor prescribed you?" Gideon
asked.

"No, it doesn't hurt that much."
Her head only throbbed a little now, though she had no idea when the bump was going to disappear.

"I'm glad to hear that." Gideon smiled at her mischievously. "Or else I would feel guilty."

"Why would you feel guilty—"

Before she could finish the sentence, Gideon rolled on top of her.
As he nestled between her legs, he claimed her mouth. His hands explored every inch of her, making her squirm beneath him. In that moment, she felt as if she was being submerged under water. She was drowning in Gideon. His kiss was stealing her breath, her thoughts, her everything.

His
embrace was possessive and devoted, fierce and yet loving. He pressed her harder against the bed, making her heart pound frantically as she curled her fingers in his shirt. A strange, desperate ache attacked her insides. As she whimpered against his mouth, he grunted in response and tangled his fingers in her hair, being careful not to touch her injury.

Unfortunately, that was when
Gideon pulled back. As he gazed down at her face, his eyes darkened with desire. She could tell that he ached for her just as much as she ached for him.

"How was
your good morning kiss?" He smiled before rolling off of her.

It took her several seconds to think again.

"It was good, but I don't think it counts as a good morning kiss," she said. "It's afternoon."

"
Close enough." He grinned and placed his hand on her stomach. "After all, you just woke up."

Fair point.

"You broke the bed rules, you know." She tried to sound like she cared, which she didn't. "No kissing in bed."

"What can I say, I'm a rebel." Gideon chuckled. "Now come here."

Before she could blink, Gideon pulled her into his arms and cradled her. Her heart pounded wildly again. She knew that as long as she was with Gideon, her heart rate would never return to normal. Not that it mattered. She was just glad to be with him. Hopefully, nothing would ever split them up again.

"You don't have any more secrets, right?"
She wanted to make sure she had no cause to worry about their future.

"Well,
there's a unicorn in my closet," Gideon said solemnly.

"Unicorn?"
Nora shot out of his arms.

Gideon laughed so hard the bed vibrated. That was
when she realized he was pulling her leg.

"Jerk." She punched his shoulder.

"Did you really think there was a unicorn in my closet?" Gideon grabbed her arm and pulled her back to the bed again.

"If
you can sprout wings from your back, it's not so farfetched to believe that there are horses with horns," she said.

"You're g
oing to keep me entertained for a long time." Gideon snorted and kissed the top of her head. "There isn't a unicorn."

After
she wrinkled her nose, she shoved thoughts of unicorns from her mind. Instead she once again thought about a much more practical topic—their future.

"Can we really be together?" she asked.

"Of course we can," Gideon said without hesitation.

"God worked so hard to get you back," she
said. "What if he calls you to heaven and we have to split up again?"

"
That's not going to happen," Gideon said. "You were made to be with me."

"How can you be so sure?" she asked.

"I've spent the last four hundred and thirty-five years in punishment. I still have another sixty-five years to go before I can even enter heaven again. Just because I repented doesn't change the fact I'm being punished." He held her closer. "Would you like to know how long you have left to live?"

"What?" She stared at him.

"Do you want to know?" he asked.

"I…I guess." Knowing something like that seemed
frightening.

"Sixty-five years, Nora," Gideon said. "You're going to live until you're ninety-three.
The date of your death coincides exactly with the end of my punishment. Do you think God would have made it that way if he didn't want us to be together? No, of course not. We were meant to be together. I'm going to love you every moment for the rest of your life. And when you go to heaven, I'll be at your side then too."

At first she could scarcely believe what Gideon was saying, but then she did.
God had planned all of this from the beginning. He made them meet right when they were supposed to so they would never have to spend a day apart. On top of that, she'd so often wondered why she'd been unlucky enough to have parents who abandoned her. Now she knew why. Due to her abandonment, she'd learned to value her chastity and refused Gideon. That was the reason he first followed her around…and then fell in love with her.

God's plan was perfect. There were no flaws, no imperf
ections. Even though there had been many bumps on the road to loving Gideon, she was now happier than she could have ever imagined possible. God had envisioned a wonderful future for her, a future more glorious than she'd even imagined for herself. All of her suffering was worth it because it brought her to this point. She'd never doubt or fear again.

At that moment a tear slipped out of her eye
.

"
We're really going to spend the rest of our lives together, aren't we?" Nora said.

Gideon picked up her hand and laid a kiss on her palm.

"We'll be together for more than the rest of our lives. We'll be together forever," he said. "It doesn't matter where you are, heaven or earth, I'll always be with you. And I don't think God wanted it any other way."

As she lay in bed, holding the man she loved close, she
wondered,
Can it get any better than this?
She realized that if it did, her heart might explode. Submerged in happiness, she stared at Gideon. He smiled warmly back at her and placed gentle kisses along the back of her hand. Between every kiss, he whispered her name. After he reached her wrist, he breathed out a sad sigh.

"I wish we could stay in bed all day," he said.

"Can't we?" she asked.

"I don't think your cat would be too happy
if we did," he said. "The animal has run around the bed three times already while you were asleep. I think he wants food."

"Chubby and Mr. Fleas." She flew into the sitting position,
ashamed that she hadn't thought of the welfare of her animals right away. "Amon didn't hurt them?"

"
No, he didn't. But there's something strange about that," Gideon said. "Did you happen to lock Mr. Fleas and Chubby in the bathroom before we left for the beach? After we came home from the hospital, I found them curled up in the bathtub."

"I didn't lock them in the bathroom." She
shook her head.

"Well, somebody did," he said. "And I think that's what saved them."

She gasped and stared heavenward.
The perfect plan.
While she sat frozen in awe, Gideon climbed out of bed. He laid a kiss on her cheek, pulling her back to reality.

"We really should get up, you know," he said. "Robert is coming by later. He's been texting me all morning
. I think the poor guy is about to have an aneurism."

"Robert?
" She frowned. "Why would he text you?"

"He wants to have a man-to-man talk," Gideon said.

"What?" She gasped. "Why?"

"I made you cry
, so he's mad." Gideon looked pained even as he said the words. "I'm sure he's going to rant awhile."

"But we're back together now," she
said.

"
Yeah, I told him that over the phone. I'm guessing he just wants to make sure I treat you right." Gideon grinned again. "Which I fully intend to do, you know."

"You'd better," she said.
"I can be a heck of a lot scarier than Robert when I want to be."

"Of that, I have no doubt…
sweetheart
," Gideon said.

"
How many times do I have to tell you, no nicknames!" She shook her fist at him.

"Even now?" He looked disappointed.

"Even now." She frowned at him.

"Tsk, tsk." He gave an exasperated sigh, but held out his hand.

Even as her eyebrow twitched, she accepted his hand…just like she knew she would be doing for the rest of her life—and beyond.

****

After Nora took a shower and brushed her teeth, she studied her reflection with a frown. It was funny how her life could spin so far out of control and then come to a screeching halt. Still she much preferred being at peace with the man—no, the angel—she loved.

Angel,
she thought, eyeballing her reflection.
I don't think I'm ever going to get used to thinking of Gideon as an angel.

As she frowned, she
padded out of the bathroom. She heard Gideon speaking to someone in the kitchen.
Who the heck is he talking to?
she wondered, wandering over. When she reached the kitchen, she lingered in the threshold. Gideon was talking to Mr. Fleas and Chubby. The dog wagged his tail and the cat pressed his fat body against his legs, purring up a storm. Gideon was holding what appeared to be deli meat and was handing out pieces to each animal in turn.

"
They like you now," she said.

She
didn't think their affection had anything to do with roasted turkey, though a little bribery did help.

"They must have noticed the change in me," Gideon said. "When I was a guardian, animals always loved me.
After I fell, that changed. Animals are smart enough to sense what I am."

"Well, it looks like you don't have to worry anymore," she said.

Mr. Fleas was lapping at Gideon's hand, his tail wagging so frantically that she thought he just might start flying.

"Ugh, about the dog…" Gideon made eye contact with her. "He doesn't actually have fleas, does he?"

"No, I just named him Mr. Fleas because he falls over when he scratches himself." She snorted.

"Just wanted to make sure," Gideon said.

"I should have told you he's flea infested to get back at you for your unicorn comment," she muttered.

"I'm glad to see you're a spitfire again," he said.

"I'll always be a spitfire." She winked.

"Good." He grinned
rakishly at her. "I'd hate to spend the rest of eternity with a nice, ordinary woman."

"Hey." She
glowered, half wishing she could shoot lasers from her eyes.

"There's the
scowl I love so much," he said. "My skin is practically melting off."

Just as she was about to
retaliate, the doorbell rang. Gideon kissed her forehead as if she wasn't glaring daggers at him and then skipped off to answer the door. As she bent down to pet Chubby—Mr. Fleas had decided Gideon was his new best friend and followed him—she heard the sound of loud talking in the hallway. It was Robert and he didn't sound happy. Uh-oh.

Wincing, she padded into the hall just as Robert stepped inside.

"Robert," she said.

"Nora, thank goodness you're okay," Robert said. "
Chloe called and said there was some sort of altercation at her house. Unfortunately, she didn't explain much. That woman needs to be less vague."

"Is
her husband okay?" She'd feel awful if he'd been hurt because of her.

"
Chloe says he's fine," Robert said.

"Does
she know I'm alright too?" The poor woman probably thought she was dead.