"Looks like he gave up his no spooning policy." A male voice broke through Angelica's dreams. She'd been dreaming she was in a warm cocoon. Enveloped in a hardness that made her feel both safe and protected. She opened her eyes just a sliver and could see Alex's green hair, and his thin, firm lips were pressed against her shoulder, blowing warm breath across her skin.
"Yeah, he's definitely spooning." a second voice said and Angelica felt the beginnings of fear. Who was in Alex's house and what did they want? She sunk down a little deeper in his arms and made sure her face was hidden by the blankets.
"Alex," she whispered as she felt him stir behind her. "Who's here?"
"A couple of homeless idiots who don't have the good sense to stay the hell out of my house.... Or my bedroom." he grumbled but she could hear the smile in his voice.
"That wasn't very nice." Tony said. "Thought you didn't cuddle after sex. Who's under there with you, Candy?"
"Once again, Tony, your stupid is showing." Todd said. "She smells a little like that ice cream he's suddenly been eating by the gallon."
"Who is Candy and do I really smell like ice cream?" Angelica whispered and Alex chuckled.
"First off, Todd and Tony, get the hell out of my bedroom, I'll come out in a minute." Alex said and Todd and Tony laughed and Angelica heard the door close. "Second, I think we took a really long nap because it's dark out." Angelica pulled the covers off her face and looked out the big window to see that yes it was dark. The dark night was lit with bright lights and neon signs.
"Who is Candy and do I really smell like ice cream?" she asked again. Alex sighed and kissed her neck, causing goose pumps to cover her skin and a tremor to pass over her spine.
"Candy is just a girl and she's nothing for you to be worried about and yes you smell like vanilla ice cream, only better."
"And who are those people that are here?"
"Todd and Tony."
"The other men in the band with you?"
"Yeah." Alex replied running his fingertips over her hand and then lacing his fingers with hers. "Todd is a vampire and Tony is a mortal who is missing a few brain cells."
"Can I...."
"Can you what?" Alex asked burying his nose deeper into her hair so he could breath more of her scent. He had never held a woman like this before and he could see now why men enjoyed it so much. He felt bigger and stronger, holding her small body wrapped so tightly in his arms.
"Can I talk to them?"
"They're pretty big losers but yeah you can talk to them, why?"
"I wasn't allowed to speak with Victor's visitors."
"I don't know if you noticed but uh... I'm not Victor." Alex replied as he pressed his lips against her neck.
"Yes.. I noticed." Angelica replied and she pulled out of his arms and away from the heat he was stirring in her. Alex sighed and sat up, flinging his legs over the edge of the bed.
"They're good guys, Angelica. You can trust them."
(Todd, make sure Tony knows not to mention the fact that she's my mate okay? I haven't told her yet and I'd rather she not hear it from the bald baboon.)
(I'll tell him, but you really should tell her.) Todd replied.
(Mind your own business sir sucks-a-lot.) Alex grumbled.
(Whatever, ass sniffer.) Todd said with a laugh and then the link closed.
"We better get out there before they come bursting back in here." Alex said to Angelica. She nodded and smoothed out her ponytail.
"I'm kind of scared." she admitted. Alex smiled and wrapped his arm around her waist.
"Don't be scared. They're harmless and even if they weren't, I could take both those wimps."
"I heard that!" Todd shouted and Alex chuckled. He kept his arm around Angelica's waist and led her out into the living room. Todd and Tony both looked at Angelica with surprise when they saw her. Alex looked down at her and could tell she was afraid but she still had a warm smile on her face.
"Angelica, this is Todd and Tony." Alex said motioning toward each man when he said their names. "You guys, this is Angelica, my...girlfriend." he said, knowing that the word girlfriend was a pitiful explaination of what she meant to him.
"Hi Angelica." Todd said, recovering from the initial shock of her scarred face first. "You smell delicious." he added, using his usual vampire humor that he used whenever he met a new woman. Angelica shrank away from him and looked up at Alex with true fear on her face.
"You do smell good." Alex said with a grin and a shrug. "I told you they were stupid, but harmless."
"I didn't mean to scare you." Todd said apologetically as he lifted his bottle of blood to his lips and took a drink.
"You have to forgive Todd, he's the dumbest of the three of us... Of course what else can you expect from a vampire?" Tony asked reaching out to shake Angelica's hand. Angelica looked at his hand as if it was a live bomb and Tony pulled it back.
"So what brings you two losers by?" Alex asked as he led Angelica toward the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator and pulled out a beer for himself and was about to grab a water for her but she reached in the refrigerator herself and grabbed a beer. He raised his beer and then smiled proudly and clinked their bottles together.
"Checking on you. You weren't here when we showed up this morning." Todd replied.
"I had better things to do then hang out with the likes of you two." Alex replied with a grin before taking a big swig from his beer. He watched Angelica take a swig from hers as well and shook his head. The woman was a constant surprise. Who would have thought that the woman who had once said 'I look a fright' would be the type of woman to drink a cold beer while standing in his messy kitchen with his buddies?
"Can we hang out now or are you wanting some more alone time with your woman?" Tony asked as he grabbed himself a beer as well.
"What do you say, Angelica?" Alex asked.
"About what?" she asked.
"About hanging out with us handsome fellas." Tony replied with a grin and wink. Angelica looked at his bald, tattooed head and his thick brown beard and at Todd's bright purple hair that was styled into six inch spikes on his head and she burst out laughing.
"What the hell is she laughing so hard about?" Tony asked, looking insulted. Alex shrugged and smiled broadly. Her laughter made him happy.
"You're not handsome." Angelica gasped through her laughter as her eyes watered and tears ran down her cheeks.
"Don't tell me you think that little green haired freak is handsome." Tony asked with disbelief as Todd leaned against the counter and watched with amusement. Angelica's scars had shocked him at first and he had felt sorry for Alex for about two seconds until he had seen the way his friend had looked at her. Now seeing her laugh and seeing her innocent nature even as she insulted him and Tony and sipped at her beer, he realized how lucky Alex really was. This was one hell of a woman and the perfect woman for his best friend.
"Yes I do think he's handsome." Angelica said, wiping her face and holding her hand against her aching stomach muscles.
"Well isn't that something... She's insulting me and instead of being mad I can't get over how darn cute she looks." Tony grumbled. Angelica blushed and put her face against Alex's chest.
"He called me cute." she whispered.
"Maybe he's not as stupid as I thought he was." Alex replied.
"So, Angelica...." Todd started.
"Call me Angel." Angelica interrupted.
"Okay. Angel, do you know how to play pool?"
"Alex taught me a little." she said and she felt Alex's gentle arm wrap around her waist and his hand rest on her hip.
"Well then come on and let's see what you've got." Tony said, downing the last of his beer. He and Todd walked into the living room and Angelica looked up at Alex.
"I've never been called handsome before." he said with a grin and she shrugged.
"I've never been called beautiful either." she replied. He gave her nose a gentle poke and then motioned toward the living room with his beer bottle.
"You ready to go play some pool?"
"Yes. I like your friends. They treat me like I'm normal."
"You are normal." he replied with a smile and he led her out of the kitchen.
888
"She's all right Alex. I like her." Todd said as the three of them lounged on the couches and chairs and Angelica took a shower. They could hear the running water and Alex was fighting the urge to go in his bedroom and join her.
"Thanks I think so too." Alex replied looking at the clock and seeing it was one in the morning. Despite his nap earlier he was getting tired already. Or maybe he was just wanting to go back to bed and hold Angelica in his arms again.
"How'd she get those scars?" Tony asked sipping at his beer.
"She was held prisoner by a demon for about five centuries. He and his son tortured her... a lot."
"They're not that bad... They look like cool tattoos only they're scars. I saw this broad one time that had a big three inch metal spike through her cheek... Now that was messed up." Tony said with a shiver. "She told me she had some other things pierced but after seeing that cheek there was no way in hell I was willing to check out the rest."
"You going to tell her that she's your mate?" Todd asked and Alex rolled his eyes.
"Some day." he replied and he could see Todd's disapproving look. "Don't judge me, Todd, let's wait until you find your mate." Todd shivered.
"I hope it isn't anytime soon. I've got too many other women I want to get to know first."
"Alex ruined it for me and that hot chick I was seeing." Tony grumbled.
"How the hell did I do that?" Alex asked.
"She was friends with Candy. Candy told her that you were a jackass and now she won't have anything to do with me."
"Sorry." Alex said with a grin that clearly said he wasn't really sorry. "Candy was really pissing me off." They heard the water turn off in the shower and Tony and Todd laughed at the look of anticipation on Alex's face.
"Well we'll head on out of here and let you have your alone time with the misses." Tony said standing up.
"We've got practice tomorrow at Tony's garage." Todd said and Alex nodded.
"I'll be there." Todd grabbed Tony's arm and the two of them disappeared, just as Angelica came out of his room with her hair soaking wet and hanging long and nearly to her butt. She was wearing one of his long black t-shirts and a pair of his boxers and Alex felt his mouth go dry at the sight of her long, lean, toned legs. He didn't even notice the scars, all he saw was the soft pale skin on those beautiful legs.
"Thanks for letting me shower. I felt dirty from crying so much today." Alex smiled at her statement that made no sense but somehow seemed completely logical coming from her.
"Are you tired?" he asked her when she yawned into her hand. She walked to him and he pulled her down onto his lap.
"Yes." she admitted. "Where did Tony and Todd go?"
"Back to wherever it is they live when they're not here."
"So who is Candy? I heard you saying something about her when I was in the shower."
"She's not important." Alex replied as he pressed his face against her neck and breathed her in.
"I want to know." Angelica said. Alex sighed and admitted defeat. She was clearly stubborn when she wanted to be.
"She was a girl that I slept with.. Once.. That's all it was and that's all it ever will be. Like I said it's not important."
"She still wants you." Angelica said and Alex wondered how she managed to know things like that... It was like she picked up on things that other people wouldn't notice.
"That doesn't' matter." Alex said matter of factly as he moved her hair aside and kissed the back of her neck. Angelica did her best to ignore the tremors and the tug she felt in her breasts and between her legs at the feel of his lips on her sensitive skin.
"So she wants to have sex with you and I can't... You must hate me... If you want to you can have her...."
"Shut-up." Alex said and Angelica winced when she heard the anger in his voice. He pulled his head away from her and she could see anger in his eyes. Surprisingly though she wasn't afraid of him. She knew that Alex would never hurt her, no matter how angry he was.
"Alex, I'm serious." she said. "It's not fair that I'm holding you back."
"Didn't I say to shut-up?" he demanded. "You need to understand something, Angelica, there is no way, and I do mean no way, that I would ever trade you for Candy. You don't even realize how amazing you are. You are innocent, kind, smart, funny. You have made such a difference in my life in such a short amount of time. I love you, Angelica."
"What?" Surely she had misunderstood him. He put his hands on her cheeks and forced her to look into his eyes.
"I am in love with you."
"You are?" her blue eyes were wide with disbelief.
"Without a doubt." Angelica took a deep breath for courage and then pressed her lips against his. He seemed surprised at first but then he kissed her back but he forced himself to keep the kiss gentle. He would not let himself get carried away again until she told him she was ready.
She pulled away and blushed as she looked down at her lap.
"I love you too." she whispered. "You're so different from anyone I've ever known."
"I'll wait on you forever if that's what it takes, Angelica. There is nothing that could make me turn away from you. You are everything to me." Alex shifted beneath her and suddenly looked nervous.
"What's wrong?" she asked and then she looked beside her. "Of course he isn't about to change his mind.... He says he loves me... You need to go back home." she said with narrowed eyes and Alex chuckled.
"You tell 'em." he teased.
"Hush." she scolded. Alex grinned but she could see the nervousness in his eyes.
"I need to tell you something." he admitted. Angelica felt herself growing nervous as well. Was he about to tell her that he hadn't meant what he'd just said?
"I don't want to know." she said trying to pull out of his lap. He tightened his arms around her and she was helpless to get away.
"You need to know." He took a deep breath. "Angelica, you're my mate." Her eyes widened and he wondered what she was thinking.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" she asked feeling betrayed.
"At first it was because I was an idiot but then as I fell in love with you, I didn't want to tell you because I was worried that you would think I was only with you because you were my mate..."
"Aren't you?" she asked as she jerked from his arms and stood up. "You must really hate fate for giving you a mate that looks like me.. My friends were right! I should have ran away from you in the beginning before I gave you a chance to hurt me!" Alex rose to his feet and shook his head. How was he going to make her understand?
"Sweetheart, this, you and I, this has nothing to do with being mates. Yes you being my mate is what drew me to you at first but that's not what kept me coming back and it's not what made me fall in love with you."
"I want to believe you." Angelica said desperately as she looked into his blue eyes.
"Then believe me." he replied and he closed the distance between them and ran his hand over her cheek. "Believe this." he added and he kissed her, doing his best to pour every ounce of love he had into it.
"Okay, I believe you." she said breathlessly as he pulled away and Alex smiled.
"Good." he was relieved more than he could say. He had been scared to death to tell her that she was his mate. The thought of losing her or her trust was his worst nightmare. "Will you stay here with me? I'll take you back to your cabin if you want me to but I would really like to hold you at night and wake up with you in the morning."
"My friends and I would love to stay." she said with a big smile on her face that lit up her eyes.
"Good." he said smoothing his thumb along her jaw. "But you're the only one allowed in the bed, your friends have to sleep on the couch." Angelica laughed.
"Okay." Alex wrapped his arm around her and led her to the bedroom. They curled up beneath the covers, the same as they had during their nap and as Alex drifted off to sleep he thanked his lucky stars that he had been given such an incredible woman to spend eternity with.