Angel (Fallen Angel, #3)(29)

“Are you kidding me?” As I stared across the table at that beautiful head of golden curls, the broad shoulders under a fitted black suit jacket, Halo looked up from his plate with his knife and fork in hand and froze. The look in my eye clearly conveyed just how wrong I thought he was. “Angel, if I didn’t know you already, I’d be calling all over New York trying to find out who I needed to pay, fuck, or screw over to get a one-on-one with you.”

Halo’s mouth fell open, and then he let out a soft laugh that made me smile. “You say the sweetest things.”

I shrugged as I picked up my utensils. “It’s the truth.”

“Hmm,” Halo said as he cut into the tenderloin, his eyes still locked with mine. “That’s hot.”

“So are you. Jesus. If you want the other four courses after this, you need to stop looking at me like that.”

Halo laughed at my frustrated tone but luckily took pity on me, as he popped the mouthful between his lips and chewed. The elk was tender, and something neither of us had had before, and as our plates were cleared away, Halo raised his glass back to his lips and finished off the rest of his wine.

“The food here is delicious. Have you been here before?”

I sat back in my chair but made sure to keep our feet connected under the table. If I couldn’t have my hands on him, then I wanted something in contact. “No. I actually asked Levi for a recommendation.”

Halo’s eyes widened a fraction. “Really?”

“Trust me. No one is more shocked than I am.”

“That you asked him for help? Or that you actually like him, period?”

So I wasn’t the most open person when it came to change. But considering what a motherfucker Brian had been, there was no way I’d been about to hand my trust over to someone blindly. But over the past couple of months, Levi Walker had proven to be one of the best decisions we’d ever made, and when I’d been looking for a place to take Halo tonight, I knew Levi was the man who’d know best.

“Yeah, he’s okay,” I said.

“Which means you like him.”

“It means he’s okay.”

Halo grinned and reached for his water. “I think he’s pretty awesome.”

“In that case, I hate him.”

Halo shook his head as he put his glass down and fingered the linen tablecloth. “Liar. But seriously, he’s been great, don’t you think? With the band? With us? He never makes me feel uncomfortable like Brian did.”

“Agreed. We should’ve kicked that asshole to the curb a long time ago. But he’s gone now, and yeah, Levi is great,” I said, and really meant it. He’d handled the press following Tonight with Jaime Jones, the album release, and the Rolling Stone cover reveal like a boss. He’d had security set up for Halo and myself, and all in all, things had been pretty smooth, considering our faces were splashed all over every entertainment and music channel and magazine right now.

Halo was the new “it” guy in the industry, Fallen Angel was the hottest band on the planet, and Levi had managed to give us some semblance of normalcy in our lives. That made him my favorite fuckin’ person around—not that I’d ever tell him that. I was quite happy with the little love/hate dynamic we had going on, and so was he.

“Sooo,” Halo said, as he looked around the empty restaurant and then brought his eyes back to me. “Are you going to tell me what we’re doing after dinner? Or is it still a secret?”

Flirty angel. Halo knew exactly what he was doing to me as he ran his eyes down to my mouth and licked his lips.

I arched an eyebrow. “It’s a secret.”

Halo pursed his lips, and fuck, I really wanted to taste them, more so than the dessert that was brought out two courses later. It was all I could do to get through the rest of the items left on the menu without saying to hell with it, shoving everything off the table, and reaching for him, but when the final dish was finished and Halo dragged his thumb across his lip and sucked the chocolate truffle from it, I groaned. Enough was enough. I was only human.

I tossed my napkin on the table and got to my feet, and as I did, Halo looked up at me with a knowing light in his eyes. He knew exactly what mood he’d provoked over the last fifteen minutes, and when I reached his side of the table, I put a hand on top of the pristine linen and one on the back of his chair. Then I leaned down until my lips brushed his and said, “If you don’t get up from this table right now and come with me, I’m going to bend you over it and make you come for me instead.”

Halo’s eyes fluttered shut as his lips parted on a soft groan, and I got the feeling he wouldn’t have objected in the slightest if I’d decided to go with plan B. I flicked my tongue over his lower lip, and when he craned his head back, offering more of himself, I almost caved, but then I remembered why I’d planned this night in the first place. I had something extra special to give to my angel tonight, and while I knew he would be the best thing I would eat in this restaurant if I took a bite, I would save that particular delight for later.

“Angel…” I whispered, as I took his face in my hand, and when Halo’s gorgeous eyes opened and locked on mine, I said, “Come with me. The night’s not over yet, and there’s something I want you to see.”





Twenty