He glared at her. “Just feel.”
“Why are you looking at me like that’s a bad thing?”
He let go of her. “Because it is. The whole demon/ angel thing? Not good. I don’t want to feel this way. But I can’t help it anymore.”
“So that’s why you want to get rid of me?”
“What are you talking about now?”
Val sighed. “You want me to use the key so I’m not around anymore.”
“I want you to use the key so you can be happy.”
She frowned. “Can we rewind a little? Seriously, I’m really confused—”
He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her to him and kissed her deeply.
He adored her? What was he, crazy or something?
Just then, she heard a cell phone.
“Um . . .” She pulled away a little and looked up at him. “I think your pants are ringing.”
Without moving his gaze from her face, he reached into his pocket to pull out the small phone, then quickly glanced at the call display. He pressed a button and slid it back in his pocket. “They can wait.”
“You don’t want to get in any more trouble than you’re already in.” She frowned again, thinking about Julian’s cell phone exchange with the head office earlier. “So, now what do—”
He sighed. “What more do I have to do to prove myself to you?” He kissed her again.
She pushed against his chest, feeling dizzy and unsteady on her feet. “Look, buddy. Reggie’s not going to wait at that mansion forever, you know. We’re talking priorities here. I don’t know what you think you’re doing, but I—”
Third time was the charm. She finally shut up.
He lifted her into his arms and carried her up the flight of stairs without another word.
Reggie could keep himself occupied at the mansion till the cavalry rode in, she thought. He was a self-sufficient rodent, after all.
Nathaniel explored her mouth fully and completely before he moved down her body in hot, electric lines. Val wasn’t thinking about anything anymore. It didn’t matter where they were.
Heaven, Earth, the Underworld, Hell. She was with him. He was with her. And it felt so right.
So perfect.
This is Heaven, she thought.
Oh.
No, wait. That was Heaven.
“Valerie . . .” Nathaniel moaned just before he met her lips again.
“Uh-huh?”
“Is this okay?”
“Oh . . . yeah.”
“Good.” He smiled at her, his mouth only a couple of inches from her own.
She raised an eyebrow at him. “You’re sure you’re not going to stop this time? Maybe throw another side table? You want to just get it out of your system?”
He leaned back to look down at her, his eyes were dark with desire now . . . no flames need apply. “Not unless you want me to stop.”
“Um. Nope.” She ran her hands through his hair, down his back. “It’s all good.”
“Good.” He moved down to kiss her neck, her collarbone, and—
She grabbed his face and pulled him up to meet her gaze again. “Nathaniel . . . what about the rules?”
“What about the rules?”
“Aren’t you worried they’re going to find out?”
He stared down at her and smiled. “I don’t care about the rules anymore.”
“That’s not a very good answer. Nathaniel?”
“Yes?”
“Is that your cell phone again?”
“Ignore it.”
“But aren’t they—”
“Just ignore it.” He kissed her slowly and deeply, and then pulled back again to stare into her eyes as she held his handsome face in her hands. “Oh, and Valerie . . .”
“Mm-hmm?”
He nuzzled close to her neck and his lips grazed against her ear. “Remember that ‘adoring you’ thing I mentioned earlier?”
“Uh-huh?”
“I lied about that.”
She immediately tensed up and a breath caught in her throat. “What?”