Page 57 of Angelic Vengeance

I began to drift off when a loud bang woke me up. I jumped, trying to understand what planet I was on. Rubbing my eyes, other loud knocks came from the front door.

Groaning, I got up to open the door for Natalia. I appreciated her help, but she checked on me too often when I was sick.

Without checking the peephole, I unlocked and swung the door open, expecting to see a 5’7 Natalia dressed in probably pink. However, I was met with a man’s large chest. My eyes rounded before I looked up to meet Zach’s angry eyes.

I opened my mouth to say hi, or maybe try to explain why I sneaked out on him, but before I even registered it, he grabbed my face in his hand, squeezing my cheeks. He leaned down, examining me with dark, sharp eyes. My heart raced, thinking he was going to kiss me.

For the first time in my life, I felt… Insecure. The last time he’d seen me I looked a damn mess after being thrown in a goddamn river, and now he was seeing me at my lowest during a cold.

My throat tickled, and before I could even think about stopping, I had to cough. I didn’t open my mouth, attempting to hide it, but the thump in my chest was unmistakable.

Zach’s eyes turned to slits and he scoffed in disbelief. As he straightened, he pushed my face away and moved past me, entering my apartment.

I blinked, trying to ignore the sharp pain in my chest at what he’d just done. Unsure how to react, I busied myself by closing and locking the door.

Fixing my face and posture, I followed him into the kitchen. “If this is about what happened–”

“Did you walk home in your wet clothes?” He advanced towards me, and before I could stop myself, I took a small step back.

I faltered at the anger radiating off him. “What? Um, well yeah, I–”

He ran his hands through his hair, a deep, dangerous laugh rolling through him. “You know, Maria, the whole fucking point of getting you under hot water was that you wouldn’t get sick.”

I blinked in response. He wasn’t mad that I lied and left with no explanation? “You’re mad at me because I caught a cold?”

“Mad? I’m fucking pissed off.About a lot of things.” Insinuation carried his voice.So both;great.He closed the space between us. “You better pray you don’t get pneumonia or some shit, because if you do I swear I’ll–”

“Did you come all the way here just to yell at me?” My voice came out more of a whisper than I would’ve liked to admit. And because of the cold, and because I was exhausted and hungry, I felt my eyes get just a little bit glossy.

Zach frowned at my expression before running a hand down his face and sighing. He turned his back to me, getting back to whatever he was doing on the kitchen island.

“I brought you hot food. Natalia said you weren’t eating.”

I took a deep breath and regained myself. “Thanks.”

Zach began unpacking the takeout I hadn’t even noticed he’d carried inside.

He pinned me with serious eyes. “Eat.”

“I’m not really–”

“Don’t start right now.” He slightly shook his head, his face softening, but I didn’t miss the slight hurt that passed through.

I sighed and took the soup to the couch. I didn’t have the energy to fight him anymore. Moments later, Zach sat next to me with his own food, before throwing a blanket over my shoulders.

I gave him a small smile but he didn’t see it. And although I was already too hot, I didn’t remove the blanket. Maybe it was exhaustion, but maybe it was guilt over how I’d left things between us. He had every right to not speak to me again after I lied; over and over again…

And yet, here he was. It wasn’t like he’d done the impossible by bringing me food and keeping me company, but I appreciated the gesture, especially since we weren’t necessarily friends.

In the next hour, we ate in silence and finished the romantic comedy – which I was surprised Zach made no complaints about – before he cleaned up for us, and I left to shower and freshen up again. When we settled back on the couch, I gave him the privilege of picking the next movie. Then he put his arm around the back of the couch, and after a few minutes, dropped it around my shoulders. We didn’t look at each other, which actually made me glad since I couldn’t have covered the stupid smile on my lips even if I’d tried.

A familiar smell invaded my lungs as I began to wake up; a dark masculine fragrance. It filled my lungs, turning my mind hazy. I breathed in again… smoky aroma mixed with sage, mint, and wood. This time, it went straight between my legs, throbbing softly. Never in my life had I been so turned on by a scent before.

Without opening my eyes, I shifted closer, snuggling into the blanket. My bed felt better than normal; warmer and firmer.

I gave myself a few minutes before I softly opened my eyes. My head was still cloudy from the scent consuming my senses, and I had to blink it away a few times.

I blinked again, clearing my vision to see familiar tan, tatted skin. A chill rushed through me, realizing I was laying on Zach, his T-shirt from last night now gone. I looked above his chest – still scarred from my knife – to see the Sunday Moto GP race playing on mute on the TV.