Free Daniel and the Angel by Jill Barnett Page B

of D.L. Stewart.
    But the best Christmas gift Lilli received came in the form of laughter.
    Lilli met Daniel at the top of the stairs one evening.
    He stopped. "Go on down to dinner. I forgot something."
    She walked down the stairs, humming "O Holy Night," a kitten tugging at her skirt and two puppies yapping in her arms. She reached the bottom step.
    There was a loud whoop.
    An instant later Daniel slid down the banister, off the newel post, and sailed into the foyer just as Gage opened the front door.
    Daniel kept going.
    He bounced down the icy marble steps until something on the sidewalk finally stopped him.
    His attorney, Karl Wallis.
     
    "I'm not certain I'll ever be able to sit again," D.L. said, wincing as he crossed the library and handed Karl a drink.
    Karl took the drink. "You weren't at the Van Cleves' dinner party last night. "
    D.L. took a swig of Scotch. "No."
    "Prescott was there."
    "I'll call and set up a meeting with him sometime next week."
    "I've never known you to miss an opportunity like this. The man has a fortune to invest."
    D.L. didn't respond.
    "Have you gotten that release signed?" The look Karl gave him spoke volumes.
    "I said I'll take care of it, and I will."
    "Tell me something."
    "What?"
    "What is she to you?"
    "I don't know what you're talking about."
    "You damn well know what I mean, D.L."
    "Stay out of it, Karl."
    "I've never seen you act this way about a woman."
    "She's different. I don't know how to explain it." He'd known the night he took her to the concert. She looked lovely, but she'd been too quiet and out of place in that crowd—like fine silver exposed to the harsh elements. She had lost her luster. He felt some odd need to protect her from anything that would or could hurt her, anything that would steal her laughter.
    Karl got up and set his glass down. "I'm not here to pass judgment. I was concerned, both as a friend and as your attorney."
    "Don't be. I can handle this."
    "Will I see you at the club?"
    He shook his head. "Not until after Christmas."
    Karl went to the door and opened it, then paused. "I hope you know what you're doing."
    "I'm fine. Everything will be fine," D.L. said, but he wasn't certain if he was talking to Karl or himself.
     
    A clock down the hall struck two.
    Daniel didn't move, didn't even take a breath.
    She stood by the light of her bedroom window, the moon shining down and making her look like the angel she claimed to be.
    "You can't sleep either," he said.
    She shook her head. "No."
    She hadn't looked at him, but he could see that she had known he was there. It didn't surprise him. There was something between them, some elusive chain that bound them together.
    Whenever he was near her he could feel it, as if it were a live, animated thing, this acute awareness that she was the other half of him—a side that had been lost or perhaps had never existed until he found her.
    He crossed the room and stood behind her. She didn't step away but just slowly looked up at him.
    He reached out and swept a hank of hair from her face, then cupped her cheek in his hand. Her skin was so soft and pale, and it made him even more aware of how fragile she was.
    He trailed his fingers down her cheek and caressed her jaw, tilting her head up. He had never in his entire life touched a woman this way. Never had he run his fingers across her features, memorizing them with his hands.
    But with Lilli it was a sensory need he had to fill.
    His mouth touched hers once, the barest of touches —the brush of an angel's wing. Moments later their kisses were dizzying and deep and felt as necessary as air. He craved her flavor, the same way he craved her scent, the sound of her voice, the brightness of her smile.
    His hands floated down to her breasts, skimmed them and cupped them, brushed the tips and felt them react to his touch.
    "Daniel." Her whisper was dreamy and wanton, and it made him want her more.
    She was dressed in his shirt and nothing else. A slight touch here, a button