Her Guardian Angel (Her Angel Romance Series #4) – Chapter Three

It’s time for another chapter of Her Guardian Angel (Her Angel romance series #4) as part of my Paranormal Pandemonium 2011 Blog Tour. I’ll be posting the first five chapters for FREE. You can find them all by clicking here: Her Guardian Angel chapters

Her Guardian Angel is currently available in e-book direct from my website, Amazon Kindle Stores, Apple iBookstore and Smashwords. It will soon be available from Barnes and Noble, Sony, Kobo, and also as a paperback from Amazon sites.

Other stories in the Her Angel series are: Her Dark Angel, Her Fallen Angel and Her Warrior Angel. Details of them and where they are available in e-book and paperback can be found at my website: http://www.felicityheaton.com/ebookseries.php?series=Her%20Angel

Felicity Heaton
A simple mission becomes a fight for survival in this fantastic instalment in the Her Angel series.

A guardian angel dedicated to his duty, Marcus will do whatever Heaven asks of him, but even his loyalty has its limits. When his superior orders him to gain Amelia’s trust through seduction, Marcus starts to question his mission and his feelings for the beautiful woman he has watched over since her birth.

Amelia has gone from one bad relationship to another, so when a gorgeous guy moves in next door looking like Mr Right, she hopes he doesn’t turn out to be another black knight in disguise. But there’s more to Marcus than meets the eye, and when he rescues her from three demonic men, Amelia is thrust into his nightmarish world—a world where God and the Devil exist, and only one angel can save her from death—Marcus, the angel she’s falling in love with.

On the run from demonic angels and the Devil himself, aided by Marcus’s angel friends and their amazing women, fighting for survival against the odds, Marcus and Amelia discover a love that will last forever.

A love so strong it will shake Heaven and Hell.

ebook price: $3.99
genre: paranormal angel romance
length: 110000 words
rating: sultry
released: July 2011
Book 4 in the Her Angel series

Available in e-book from:
Author’s website: http://www.felicityheaton.com/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Guardian%20Angel
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005EUJIG8/
Amazon Kindle Germany: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B005EUJIG8/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005EUJIG8/
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/77776

Marcus was still pondering how to gain Amelia’s trust the next evening as he walked back towards his apartment building near the centre of London. The street wasn’t affluent or run-down. It sat somewhere in the middle, and was far nicer than the first area Amelia had lived in when she had moved out of her parents house. This was a safe neighbourhood, full of mortals who worked in Central London and were paid well enough to live only a few Tube stops from the office. Cafés, restaurants and shops lined the busy street, mortals coming and going as they went about their business. It was Saturday and, since waking around noon because of the heat, he had passed the entire day wandering the city, watching mortals as they interacted with each other. The local park had produced the most interesting results. The bright sunny summer’s day had drawn many couples, both long-term and aspiring, into the lush green park, where they had sat on blankets and talked, amongst more carnal things.

Marcus had sat in a large oak tree, invisible to mortal eyes and shaded from the heat by the thick leafy canopy, surveying them with interest. Given the number of couples that were kissing or looking as though they were going to kiss given an opportune moment and the correct signal from their chosen partner, a picnic seemed too intimate for his requirement but it had given him some ideas about how to gain Amelia’s trust, although he wasn’t sure if it was necessary for his mission at all. Amelia had allowed him into her home last night. Based on that, he concluded that she already trusted him on some level, and since he had protected her from her ex-lover, proving his ability and strength, when the time came, she might do whatever he had to ask of her.

He only wished he knew what he was going to face during the event they were heading towards. If he knew that, if his superiors would give him more information about what they had seen, then perhaps he would be better prepared to deal with it and complete his mission. There had to be a reason they weren’t telling him though, and it was his duty to obey his orders without question. A good soldier did what was asked of him, regardless of what it was.

Marcus blew out a sigh. He could do that because the mission would end if he did and he would be free of Earth and the mortals.

“Hi.”

Marcus raised his head and looked at his surroundings, surprised to see that he was back at the old redbrick apartment building.

Amelia stood before him, her hand still raised in greeting, a smile on her face.

“You spacing out?” She bit her lip. “Don’t tell me it’s lack of sleep. I still feel terrible about last night.”

Marcus shook his head and scrubbed a hand down his face.

“Shoot, it is lack of sleep, isn’t it? I’m sorry.” She nibbled her lower lip again, entrancing him.

It wasn’t just her soft mouth that held his attention today. The evening sun shone down on her, highlighting her shoulder-length dark hair with ribbons of gold and warming her skin almost as much as her blush. She was radiant and the trace of shyness in her eyes as she glanced at anywhere but him only added to her allure.

She had always been so confident in the past when he had been watching her. What had her acting so feminine and shy now?

Her grey eyes briefly touched on his and then dropped to the black leather purse she clutched over her shoulder.

Marcus resisted the desire to follow the strap down over her slender bare shoulder and take in her body. The thin cream ribbon of material that sat close to her bag strap hinted at another flimsy dress. It had been hard enough to cope with the feelings her slip had produced in him last night. He wasn’t sure how he would react to the sight of her in another revealing item of clothing.

She cleared her throat and his silver-blue gaze drifted back to her face. Her cheeks darkened and she covered her mouth with her hand and then let it fall away and raised her head, locking eyes with him.

“I’m going to buy you a coffee.”

Marcus raised a single dark eyebrow at the force in her tone and the command in her words. That was more like the Amelia he knew so well, yet the quaver in her voice gave away her underlying nerves as much as her rapid heartbeat pounding in his skull. Perhaps his superiors were correct in their assumption. Amelia liked him.

Could he use that against her in some attempt to gain her trust?

It felt wrong to do so and nothing at all like the correct behaviour for an angel.

He followed her gaze over his shoulder to the small café a few doors down from their building. There were some couples sitting outside at the tables that lined the pavement close to the wide glass windows, shaded by large pale sun umbrellas.

Marcus considered declining her order but found himself nodding before he could put voice to his refusal.

A bright smile curved her lips and lit her eyes, and his heart thudded hard against his chest.

Amelia breezed past him and his eyes followed her, slowly dropping to the cream summer dress she wore. It hugged her slender figure even more than the slip had, revealing the tempting luscious curve of her waist and flaring out over her full hips. Marcus stared at her backside, riveted by how the pale-pink-flower-spotted material swayed with each step.

An angel.

Or perhaps a demon for tempting him so easily.

He cocked his head to one side and followed her, unable to resist her silent siren’s call. She looked back at him as she reached the glass door, the evening light adding to her radiance, and it struck him that she had never looked as beautiful as she did today. The usual warmth in her look had increased until she shone with what he could only conclude was happiness. She radiated it in waves that reached through him, warming him too and bringing a smile to his face. He had never seen her like this. She had been through a lot in life, especially since deciding to leave home at eighteen. A string of bad relationships had followed that, and poor luck with employment and also with her family. She had lost her mother three years ago and even though he hadn’t realised it at the time, he had felt for her as he had watched her grieve, had desired to go to her and offer her the comfort she clearly needed. Her family had neglected to give it to her, or perhaps they hadn’t seen what he had. Around them, she had put on a brave face, playing the role of the strong daughter and giving comfort to others, taking none for herself.

She deserved so much better than this life that fate had given to her.

If her smile was because of him, if he was the cause of her happiness, then he was glad.

He had never cared much for mortals.

But he was starting to think he cared for her.

He wasn’t sure where that would lead though. Their worlds were separate and he had always maintained his belief that they should forever remain that way. Other angels he knew had fallen for mortals and forsaken their position to be with them, but that wasn’t something that he could do. His duty was his reason for living. He had been given this existence in order to serve his master, not so he could callously turn his back on his creator and the gift given to him.

Marcus surmised that it was his duty to watch over Amelia and protect her. It was natural that he cared for her because of it. That was all this feeling was. Compassion born of duty.

He cared about her because he cared about his mission.

She crooked her finger and Marcus obeyed, following her into the colourful interior of the café. The scent of coffee filled his nostrils, swirling in his senses, and stirred a curious hunger to taste the liquid that went with it.

He couldn’t.

He wouldn’t dabble in such substances.

Not again.

“What can I get you?” Amelia said when he reached her at the glass cabinets full of delicious looking pastries beside the counter and he stared at the black boards on the wall, unsure of what any of it meant.

He had studied the mortal realm and knew more than most angels about living on Earth and what things were. Most angels only knew mortal inventions from the regular reports they received. Those fortunate enough to watch over Earth in the pools in Heaven that recorded the history of mortals had learned more about it than others, including languages throughout the ages, and about food too. He had been studying Amelia for her whole life and had come to know her favourite foods, drinks, and all about the technology she regularly used. In his month on Earth, he had learned how to use such modern items too, and had indulged in tasting a lot of human foodstuffs and drinks. Food was a necessity. Angels used vast amounts of energy in the mortal realm, mostly expended on maintaining their glamour, which is why he often opted for the less energy consuming path of putting his wings away and donning mortal clothing.

The couple in front of them at the counter ordered. The female opted for a latte and the male for a cappuccino. He searched for those on the board behind the people serving the coffees and taking orders. Latte and cappuccino fell under the coffee heading. He raised an eyebrow again when a small footnote on the board declared that coffee was also available decaffeinated. Marcus presumed that meant they had removed the stimulant. He turned to Amelia.

“I am not really a coffee drinker. It’s the caffeine… it keeps me awake.”

Her grey eyes widened and her lips parted. “There’s herbal tea.”

Tea didn’t seem a very manly drink. He frowned.

“Decaffeinated means without caffeine?” It wasn’t exactly how he had wanted to find out. Asking her what something meant was bound to make him appear less appealing to her. He didn’t know something so basic. How had he missed such things?

He realised that Amelia always drank straight coffee. She had never opted for anything foreign sounding or decaffeinated in all the times he had watched over her. These past thirty years, he had been so focused on her that he had only learned about the things that she liked. Chinese food, Italian cooking, Spanish tapas, and straight coffee. Sometimes a fruity shake, a smoothie they called it, or some frozen coffee drink. Occasionally a glass of wine with friends. Never beer or mead. He grimaced, stomach turning at the memory of what too much mead could do to an angel.

“It’s not quite without caffeine. I think they sort of extract it or something. It leaves a hint of it behind.” Amelia didn’t look sure.

Marcus nodded. “Decaffeinated cappuccino then.”

It sounded manly enough and he could handle any effect it might have on him. He hadn’t tucked in his white linen shirt today because he had wanted to feel the slight breeze, needing it to cool down in the hot summer sun. The tail hung loose, covering his dark jeans to the apex of his thighs. If the coffee produced any sort of negative effect on him, he would be able to conceal it.

Amelia ordered the drinks for him and even paid. He hadn’t noticed in time to stop her, dropping more points in the manly stakes. He had wanted to insist on paying so her trust in him would increase. It seemed to work for the other men in the queue, gaining them smiles from their females.

Chivalry, he supposed. A code of honour he was familiar with. Did it only take chivalry to gain a female’s favour?

He caught Amelia looking around the coffee shop. There were a few tables free on the buzzing inside, but some outside too.

“Why don’t we sit in the sun?” he said before she could make a decision and then added, “I will pick up the coffees while you find us a table.”

She nodded and smiled at him, a brilliant one that drew another hard thump from his heart. At this rate, he wouldn’t need even a trace of caffeine to embarrass himself. Whenever Amelia smiled at him, her grey eyes warm with it, he wanted to reach out and brush the straight lengths of her hair from her face so he could take it all in. The feel of her skin beneath his fingers would definitely be too much. When she had touched his hand last night, he had felt the warmth of her caress for minutes after she had released him. In fact, he could still feel it now if he focused hard enough on remembering that moment, as though a ghost of her touch remained.

The man making the coffees pushed two white mugs towards him and said something about decaffeinated. One looked frothy with a sprinkling of chocolate on top and the other was straight white coffee. Definitely their drinks. He took the two mugs and wove through the patrons in the café, heading for Amelia where she waited for him at a table in the sun.

The evening was drawing on but the light was still warm on her face, highlighting her soft features and shattering the momentary control he had gained over his emotions. How was it that she could distract him so easily?

He placed the coffees down on the round dark metal table and took the seat opposite her, studying her face and trying to keep his attention on the conversation and what she was saying. It was impossible as he looked at her, his knuckles throbbing with the memory of how she had iced them for him, and how gently she had held his hand.

Being around her today was different. Was it because of last night? They had never touched before. They had barely spoken a word to each other beyond pleasantries on meeting in the hallway outside their flats. She had rarely looked at him in the past.

But now she was looking right at him, her gaze boring into his with such intensity but such shyness that he couldn’t look away. Transfixed. Mesmerised. Bewitched. Three words that sounded so innocent yet felt so dangerous to him.

He couldn’t allow things to head in this direction, but he felt powerless to stop them.

Marcus sipped his drink, making appropriate responses whenever he caught what she was talking to him about and enjoying the slight buzz the remaining trace of caffeine gave him. Not enough to cause adverse effects on his body but enough that it created a tingle in all the good places.

Amelia was animated now but the shyness still lingered beneath her layers of confidence, betraying that inside her tough exterior beat the heart of a female, a woman that he was affecting by only sitting and drinking coffee with her. Was this enough to gain her trust? Would it satisfy his superiors or would they demand he took things further?

He wasn’t sure how he would respond to such an order. Drinking coffee with her seemed innocent enough. He wasn’t seducing her or using her feelings against her. He was merely being friendly and it was forging a stronger connection between them. Every minute that passed, each sip of coffee she took and smile she flashed, she was growing more confident and more at ease around him.

The sun bounced off the shop windows on the opposite side of the street and played on her face and her body, stuttering as cars and red double-decker buses broke the beams of warm light. Amelia didn’t seem to notice. She continued to talk about small things such as their neighbours, work and the weather. Idle conversation. He’d had practice in that during previous missions on Earth and also from his time in Heaven when he’d had to speak with angels he wasn’t overly familiar with.

Her eyes sparkled as she smiled again, overflowing with warmth and life, gloriously radiant.

Marcus forgot his coffee and just watched her, stealing this moment with her, unable to believe that after all this time he was actually speaking with her directly, talking to her like a mere mortal and not her protector. It was a strange experience. He had never truly spoken to a mortal before and the workings of her mind were fascinating. She bounced around subjects so quickly that he couldn’t keep up with the flow of conversation, and whenever he fell behind, she smiled brightly and apologised.

Another thing he had never noticed about her before last night.

He had never seen her apologise so profusely to anyone.

She paused in the middle of her conversation about a news programme she had watched about the upcoming planetary alignment.

“Are you sure last night didn’t wreck your sleep?” she said, concern in her eyes as she leaned across the table, affording him a view down her cream dress that he refused to take advantage of.

Marcus held her gaze instead and smiled faintly. “Maybe a little. Have I been… spacing out again?”

That was what she had called it. Spacing out. He presumed that meant he was currently occupying another galaxy. It seemed apt for his behaviour over the past half an hour with her.

“I’m sorry.” Amelia reached across the table and took hold of his left hand, her touch jolting him. His gaze leapt down to her fingers. Her thumb softly caressed his knuckles and her fingertips brushed his palm, bringing everything he had felt last night back to a rolling boil inside him. His pulse raced and his breathing quickened.

Desire?

Couldn’t be.

But even as he stared at their joined hands he couldn’t form a denial.

He inhaled sharply, trying to catch his breath and instead catching her sweet fragrance on the dusty warm air. Blood pounded in his temples and he could only watch the gentle sweep of her thumb across his fingers in abject fascination.

Images of her flashed across his wide eyes, dressed in her satin slip or in the tight summer dress she wore now, twirling and spinning towards him until her hands pressed against his chest and she was smiling right up into his eyes, her lips parting in invitation.

No.

He had never cared about anyone.

Had never desired a female.

He couldn’t start now.

Available in e-book from:
Author’s website: http://www.felicityheaton.com/ebooks.php?title=Her%20Guardian%20Angel
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005EUJIG8/
Amazon Kindle Germany: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B005EUJIG8/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005EUJIG8/
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/77776

Be sure to come back next week for the next free chapter of this angel romance novel!