Bishop's Angel (9 page)

“You know what, Bishop?” She waited for him
to turn her way. Their gazes met. “You fight for your country, but
you won’t fight for yourself. If you’re not willing to take a
chance, maybe you don’t deserve what other people have.”

His jaw tensed. “I don’t want to hurt you,
Angel.”

“You can’t have it both ways,” she said
angrily. “Emotions have a sneaky way of attaching themselves to
physical situations between people after a while, unless you’re a
machine. Maybe you should go back to your bimbos!”

“Angel—”

“Don’ worry about me, Bishop. It’s been a
nice few days, and you certainly took care of the itch I had.” At
that, his expression turned dark, his lips thinned. It was clear he
didn’t like her making light of their time together, yet he
remained stubbornly silent.

She wanted to say something to hurt him, the
way that she was hurting, anything that would get a reaction out of
him other than stony silence. If they’d been in her home she would
be picking up things and throwing them at him right now.
Damn
him! Why is he in such control when I’m torn up inside?
It
wasn’t fair! But then Angel realized she couldn’t. She didn’t want
to hurt him, especially if this was the last time they’d see each
other. Not when every assignment he went on could be his last.

Knowing that took all the fire right out of
her. “Stay safe, Bishop. Maybe we’ll see each other again
someday.”

With a quivering bottom lip Angel picked up
her bag and swung around. She slammed the front door behind her,
got into her car, and drove home.

Three days later…

Angel said goodbye to Diana and hung up the
phone with a smile, in spite of her churning emotions.
So,
Bishop is still here.
Other than going on and on about her
surprise and happiness at seeing her brother again, nothing more
was said about him. Angel had to wonder if it was because he’d told
Diana about them, or if he hadn’t said anything at all. Most likely
that was the case. She doubted Diana would be accepting of Bishop’s
decision to just cut Angel out of his life based on his
reasoning.

Sighing, Angel pulled the towel from her
almost dry hair. Diana had caught her just as she’d stepped out of
her shower. Pesky Pests had said the gas they’d used to kill the
termites didn’t leave a residue but she’d still spent the last
three days cleaning, from morning till night. Beginning with her
bedroom and kitchen, she’d done one room at a time. She was beyond
exhausted, but happy at the progress she was making. The problem
was when she went to bed and closed her eyes.

Her dreams were of Bishop. So hot and
sexually graphic that she’d wake during the night, horny and
drenched in sweat, yearning for his mouth and hands on her, fueling
while feeding the hunger of her body and soul.
Damn him! I
should hate him for what he’s done.
How could he just decide to
give his country everything of himself? But Angel knew the answer
to that. Didn’t they all make certain decisions in their lives for
the greater good?

Angel shook the thought of him out of her
head and went to the kitchen for her usual glass of wine before
bed. While she was there she would make sure she had the
ingredients she needed for quiche. Diana would be disappointed if
Angel had lured her over for the quiche that she loved, and
replaced it with something else.

Diana’s call had been the first one she’d
received since being home. They’d had a wonderful cruise, her
friend had said, taking a few minutes to tell her all about the
places they’d seen in Europe. The Vatican and the leaning tower of
Pisa were her favorites. She’d invited Angel over for lunch the
next day in order to show her pictures. Thinking of Bishop, Angel
had managed to bribe Diana to come to her place for home-made
quiche instead. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to see Bishop, she
wanted it too much, and she didn’t think she could take the hurt of
seeing him again.

Glancing out the kitchen window as she
poured her wine, Angel noticed the bright, full moon peeking
through the tree tops. The sky looked like black velvet, dotted
with tiny stars that blinked at her from above. Deciding to have
her wine out on the porch, she opened the screen door and stepped
down. She was so glad she’d had the porch screened in when she
first bought the house. She enjoyed sitting outside in the
evenings, especially after a long day at work. It was her
downtime.

She sank down onto the old rocker and
brought her knees up against her chest. Her small house was located
on the main road leading into town, but even then only an
occasional vehicle passed by. Once in a while the driver would
flash their lights or honk their horn as they went past, telling
Angel that it was someone she knew. It was their way of saying
hello. She’d grown up in the small town of China, Maine and
couldn’t think of living anywhere else.

As she brought her wine glass up to her lips
a vehicle slowed down and turned into her circular driveway. For a
split second the lights landed on her, and she blinked against the
brightness shining in her eyes.
Who the heck is stopping at this
time of night?
It occurred to her that it might be Diana with
her vacation pictures. It wouldn’t be the first time her enthusiasm
had gotten the best of her. She smiled, recognizing her friend’s
truck.

“Couldn’t wait till tomorrow to show me your
pictures?” Angel teased the second Diana opened her door. But the
smile quickly faded from her face when the dome light revealed it
wasn’t Diana exiting the vehicle. It was Bishop.

Her heart did a flip, and she forced herself
to take several calming breaths.
What’s he doing here?
Angel
wanted more than anything to look at his presence as a good sign,
but she refused to jump to any conclusions. She watched his tall,
muscular form walk toward the porch steps. He paused before opening
the door.

“Hi,” he said, making eye contact with
her.

“Hi. I wasn’t expecting to see you
again.”

“Do you mind if I come in?”

“Not at all,” she said, proud of the calm in
her voice.
God, he looked good!
Her gaze ate up the
tee-shirt that was stretched across his chest, and the old tight
jeans that hugged his lower body. “Why are you driving Diana’s
truck?”

“She parked behind mine, and I didn’t want
to take the time to move vehicles.” Angel nodded. “You forgot to
leave me your phone number.” He leaned his butt on the edge of the
brick wall that ran halfway down to the porch floor.

Oh, she had. “I’m sorry.”

“And I couldn’t look you up in the phone
book because it occurred to me that I didn’t know your last name.”
He sounded frustrated, crossing his ankles and his arms.

He’d tried to find her? For some reason that
amused Angel. “It’s Smyth.” She finished her wine and set the glass
down on the floor.

“I don’t need it now.”

Something in Bishop’s tone changed. The dim
glow of the porch light allowed Angel to clearly see his expression
and the hard glitter of his eyes. His gaze ran over her, reminding
her that she was dressed for bed. All she had on was a pair of lacy
black panties, and a short nightshirt. Well, he’d seen her in a lot
less. That knowledge, and the sudden awareness exploding through
her, made her feel like a volcano getting ready to erupt. It wasn’t
fair that he was doing this to her.

“So, what do you need, Bishop?”

The question hung in the air between them
for several long seconds. Just when Angel thought she couldn’t take
much more of his silent stare he surprised her by saying, “You, I
need you.”

She caught her breath at the timbre of
emotion in his tone, unable to break eye contact with him.
He
needs me, what does that mean?
“I didn’t think you needed
anyone. Or have you decided to quit the SEALS?” The slightest grin
appeared on his sensual lips, and Angel realized she wanted to chew
on them.

“You don’t just quit,” he explained with
amusement. “Maybe need isn’t the right word. But you gave me
something to think about over the last few days. I’ve decided that
you’re right. I made a commitment ten years ago. It was a good
decision at the time. But that was then, and this is now.”

Angel was elated inside. “And?” She held her
breath, sure there was more.

“Do you remember what I said to you that
first morning? When I woke up and thought you were an angel?” Angel
nodded. “You
are
an angel, Angel. You’re my angel. I didn’t
realize I was looking for salvation until I touched you, and that’s
when I began to feel human and alive again. The images of death and
horror that were stamped on my mind began to fade into a bearable
haze.”

“I can’t imagine what you’ve gone through,”
she said softly.

“I want you, Angel,” Bishop said in a more
serious tone. “I don’t know where this is going. I don’t know how
long it will last. I only know that if I were called away right
now, you’re going to be the upper most thing on my mind whether I
want you to be or not. Somehow you’ve managed to break through the
wall around my soul, and you’ve shown me there can be more to life
than giving everything to my country.”

He wants me?
That was all Angel was
able to focus on at the moment, and that he wanted a relationship
with her. She hadn’t been expecting that declaration. Deep down she
was elated, because she knew they had something real and special
together. Only she decided to keep her emotions in check until he
backed up his comment with action.

“Everyone deserves the best they can get in
life, Bishop. As a protector of our country, I can’t think of a
more deserving man.” She picked up her empty glass and got to her
feet. “Would you like a glass of wine? We can celebrate.” Their
gazes locked and held as she waited for his answer.

Angel wanted more than a glass of wine to
celebrate. Seeing Bishop again made her hot for him.
What will
it take for him to reach out and take what he wants?
What we
both want?
His caution made her smile inside.
Is he worried
I’ll push him away?
Fat chance!

“Sure.”

There was obvious uncertainty in Bishop’s
tone, which only amused Angel more. “Is red wine okay?” She was
very aware he had followed her inside and was close behind her.

“Sounds good.”

With a little smile she opened a cupboard
and reached for a wine glass. Keeping her back to him, she poured a
generous amount of wine into his glass and swung around to hand it
to him. A little gasp escaped her. Bishop was closer than she
thought. She raised her gaze to his, smiling nervously. There was
no denying the flare of arousal in the pupils of his dark eyes. He
accepted the glass from her, and without breaking eye contact, took
a sip.

Angel lowered her gaze first, watching his
sensual mouth take in the deep scarlet liquid. When he was done a
small drop of moisture remained on his bottom lip. Unable to
resist, she reached up and gathered the liquid on her fingertip and
brought it to her mouth. “I don’t like waste.” His nostrils flared
when she closed her lips over her finger. Without warning, Angel
found her wrist being grabbed.

“Are you playing with me?” His eyes narrowed
down at her.

“Why would I do that? I’m an angel,” she
reminded him teasingly.

Bishop only stared at her, as though trying
to figure her out. Then his gaze traveled down the front of her
body, and back up again. Angel knew the light in the kitchen
afforded him an intimate glance through the thin material of her
shirt. The tingling sensation in her nipples told her they were
hardening. The warm flow of growing arousal in her lower region
left her panties very wet.

She sensed his grip on control was slipping
fast. She was vaguely aware of it when he set his glass of wine
down, and then his hand was slipping around the back of her neck
while the other continued to hold her wrist. He gave her a gentle
tug to pull her closer.

Angel resisted, smiling. Her little move
clearly didn’t amuse Bishop. The fierce desire in his eyes excited
her, and even frightened her a little. The next thing she knew, he
was pushing her up against the fridge and taking what he
wanted.

This is the Bishop I want!
Angel
thought to herself, eagerly bending to his will.
The alpha male
asserting his strength and dominance over me in unrestrained
passion.
A blast of fireworks erupted inside her body,
exploding in all directions so that there wasn’t a part of her not
feeling his rough possession. He didn’t have to force her mouth
open to his searching tongue, she willingly invited him inside. His
kiss was a deep blending of two souls seeking the same complex
emotions.

“Oh, Bishop!” Angel cried out, when his
mouth moved on to kiss and nibble on her throat. “I’ve missed
you.”

“I missed you, too, honey.”

She arched her lower body into his,
relishing in the feel of his hard cock. Undulating her hips
produced a rolling shudder through Bishop, and a growl of pleasure
followed. He responded by grinding his erection into her. Then,
before she could guess his intentions, he pulled her nightshirt
open and feasted on her quivering breasts. He moved back and forth
between them, loving them equally until they were swollen and
aching. Using his tongue, he licked her nipples into painful,
tingling kernels.

Angel cried out with intense pleasure when
he suddenly took a nipple between his teeth and gently savaged it.
A lightning bolt of sharp arousal shot down to her loins, soaking
the lace covering her pussy. As he continued to lavish attention to
her swelling flesh she reached down and caressed his cock over his
jeans, and she wasn’t gentle. From the sounds he emitted, she
couldn’t decide whether she was hurting him or giving him pleasure.
But what she did know was that he wasn’t pushing her away.