wrong sort of signals. Were his superiors in Heaven tampering
with him or something? He didn’t feel at all like himself and he
was currently on course for gaining her trust the way they
wanted.
Still,
the feel of her soft breasts beneath his fingers in that flash of a
caress had his heart racing and palms sweating. He was a stranger
to physical intimacy but had witnessed enough carnal matters as a
watcher to know the sordid things humans did. It hadn’t interested
him much in the past, but the more he focused on his hand and the
area that had brushed her chest and on how beautiful Amelia looked
tonight, the more appealing interacting with her physically
became.
Cad.
The
object of tonight’s mission wasn’t seduction. It was forming the
foundations of friendship.
She
stared at him, making him heavily aware that he should have said
something to explain his reaction rather than drifting off into a
fantasy world.
“The wine
you have brought is not the problem... and it is most
appreciated... but... I just don’t really drink.” He shrugged and
hoped she would let it go and not pursue the subject. He wasn’t
sure what he would say if she asked him why he didn’t drink. Could
he play the role of recovering alcoholic? Would that dampen
Amelia’s desire for him?
Marcus
wasn’t sure whether that would be a good thing or a bad
thing.
“Oh.” Her
eyebrows rose, bringing her head up with them, and he wished she
would stop looking at him in a way that left him feeling
emasculated. She nodded a few times and then said, “So you don’t
drink coffee and you avoid alcohol. Are you one of those vegan
types too?”
“Hell
no.” He stepped back, horrified at the suggestion. He could eat a
whole cow in one sitting when on Earth. In Heaven, he didn’t have
to eat at all, but that certainly didn’t place him in the vegan
category. There was nothing wrong with abstaining from certain
substances that didn’t agree with your lifestyle choice, but this
wasn’t one of those times and he would be happy to prove it to
her.
Amelia
closed the door behind her and walked into his apartment, casting
her gaze over everything and then him, and he felt the challenge in
her look. She was trying to figure him out and he didn’t
particularly like the tone of her expression.
In a fit
of desire to prove himself a man, he strode into the kitchen,
unscrewed the cap on the wine and set it down on the counter.
Another flaw in his plan produced itself as he searched the dark
wooden cupboards for wine glasses but he overcame it by using two
short tumblers instead. If anything, rosé wine could only look more
manly in such a glass, surely?
He poured
two healthy glasses of wine as Amelia approached the open double
doors and then held one out to her. She took it without questioning
his choice of glass and then raised it towards him.
“Cheers,”
she said in a low sexy voice that had his gaze drifting towards her
lips so he could watch her drink and then added,
“Cheers?”
Marcus
realised he was supposed to respond in kind, so raised his glass
too. “Cheers.”
“Or
bottoms up.” Amelia giggled, turned and walked back into the living
room.
Bottoms
up.
Marcus’s
eyes dropped to her backside. The deep red material of her dress
clung to it, emphasising the shape of her bottom in a way that had
his blood pounding through his temples again. He took a deep breath
and joined her in the living room. Amelia sipped her drink. Marcus
stared at his.
Alcohol
hadn’t passed his lips in five centuries, not since the one and
only time he had dared to drink it and had awoken with a demonic
curse scrawled on his back. Back then, it had been a forbidden
item. Now, any angel could drink it without castigation.
Marcus
had no desire to do such a thing.
He took
another deep breath and blew it out, trying to psych himself up. He
could feel Amelia’s gaze on him and he hoped she didn’t think he
was spacing out again or had noticed his fear of what
with him or something? He didn’t feel at all like himself and he
was currently on course for gaining her trust the way they
wanted.
Still,
the feel of her soft breasts beneath his fingers in that flash of a
caress had his heart racing and palms sweating. He was a stranger
to physical intimacy but had witnessed enough carnal matters as a
watcher to know the sordid things humans did. It hadn’t interested
him much in the past, but the more he focused on his hand and the
area that had brushed her chest and on how beautiful Amelia looked
tonight, the more appealing interacting with her physically
became.
Cad.
The
object of tonight’s mission wasn’t seduction. It was forming the
foundations of friendship.
She
stared at him, making him heavily aware that he should have said
something to explain his reaction rather than drifting off into a
fantasy world.
“The wine
you have brought is not the problem... and it is most
appreciated... but... I just don’t really drink.” He shrugged and
hoped she would let it go and not pursue the subject. He wasn’t
sure what he would say if she asked him why he didn’t drink. Could
he play the role of recovering alcoholic? Would that dampen
Amelia’s desire for him?
Marcus
wasn’t sure whether that would be a good thing or a bad
thing.
“Oh.” Her
eyebrows rose, bringing her head up with them, and he wished she
would stop looking at him in a way that left him feeling
emasculated. She nodded a few times and then said, “So you don’t
drink coffee and you avoid alcohol. Are you one of those vegan
types too?”
“Hell
no.” He stepped back, horrified at the suggestion. He could eat a
whole cow in one sitting when on Earth. In Heaven, he didn’t have
to eat at all, but that certainly didn’t place him in the vegan
category. There was nothing wrong with abstaining from certain
substances that didn’t agree with your lifestyle choice, but this
wasn’t one of those times and he would be happy to prove it to
her.
Amelia
closed the door behind her and walked into his apartment, casting
her gaze over everything and then him, and he felt the challenge in
her look. She was trying to figure him out and he didn’t
particularly like the tone of her expression.
In a fit
of desire to prove himself a man, he strode into the kitchen,
unscrewed the cap on the wine and set it down on the counter.
Another flaw in his plan produced itself as he searched the dark
wooden cupboards for wine glasses but he overcame it by using two
short tumblers instead. If anything, rosé wine could only look more
manly in such a glass, surely?
He poured
two healthy glasses of wine as Amelia approached the open double
doors and then held one out to her. She took it without questioning
his choice of glass and then raised it towards him.
“Cheers,”
she said in a low sexy voice that had his gaze drifting towards her
lips so he could watch her drink and then added,
“Cheers?”
Marcus
realised he was supposed to respond in kind, so raised his glass
too. “Cheers.”
“Or
bottoms up.” Amelia giggled, turned and walked back into the living
room.
Bottoms
up.
Marcus’s
eyes dropped to her backside. The deep red material of her dress
clung to it, emphasising the shape of her bottom in a way that had
his blood pounding through his temples again. He took a deep breath
and joined her in the living room. Amelia sipped her drink. Marcus
stared at his.
Alcohol
hadn’t passed his lips in five centuries, not since the one and
only time he had dared to drink it and had awoken with a demonic
curse scrawled on his back. Back then, it had been a forbidden
item. Now, any angel could drink it without castigation.
Marcus
had no desire to do such a thing.
He took
another deep breath and blew it out, trying to psych himself up. He
could feel Amelia’s gaze on him and he hoped she didn’t think he
was spacing out again or had noticed his fear of what