Page 82 of Angels In The Dark
Yes, his touch makes me melt, and the tender way he looks at me stops my heart, but I don’t know him.
Not really.
But it’s the first pleasant feeling since Jay left, and I’m grasping onto it desperately.
Ember calls to let us know they’re on their way back, and Sage finds me pacing my room shortly after.
“Darling, you need to calm down.”
I roll my eyes.
A woman really should know better than to tell someone to calm down.
She has a point though.
Why does this man twist me up like this?
What makes him so different?
And why don’t I feel guilty about my feelings for him when I already have Jay?
I don’t have time to question any of this though when I hear the garage doors open from downstairs.
I snap my head towards Sage and see how my panicked expression startles her.
In the moments I cannot avoid her, she walks around me on eggshells.
The nervous energy is turned back on me, transforming the butterflies in my stomach into hummingbirds.
I want to throw up.
Instead, I straighten myself. My dress hangs a little bit loose on my body, but thankfully it looks at least a little bit intentional. I run my hands down my sides and pray to whoever is listening that this doesn’t blow up in our face.
I can feel Sage studying me, but she says nothing.
So I turn and march myself out of my bedroom.
Griffin’s sitting on the couch and looks so out of place. In his hands, he has a box, and he’s fiddling with the top nervously. The sight of this gorgeous, tattooed man with shining ocher eyes fiddling with anything is enough to make me melt.
He looks up, and we lock in on each other.
A warmth spreads through my body, and I want to run to him. We are only steps from each other, yet neither makes the first move. I gaze down at this man I momentarily thought to be a figment of my imagination.
Finally, he breaks the silence. “I… I made you these.” Rising, he thrusts the box towards me.
A small smile escapes my lips, and I accept the gift gratefully from him. Looking inside, I see mini muffins of all things.
I can’t help my laugh that breaks through.
“They’re gluten-free.” He blushes.
“They’re perfect. Um… did you really make them?” I step towards him, and he visibly relaxes.
“Uh, yeah, I did.” His hand reaches back to grip the hair at the base of his neck. The flex of his biceps grabs my attention, and I drool at the sight of his muscles flexing.
“Sage kind of spilled you’re a stress baker.” I giggle. There are other people in the room, but I don’t care.
“Right. About that…” He steps towards me, but his eyes have traveled over to the woman in question. “I need to tell you some things.”