Nathaniel Teen Angel (10 page)

Chapter Thirteen

When Nathaniel woke, his heart melted. He couldn’t believe he’d slept all night with Eloise in his arms. Gazing at her beautiful face, he thanked the Lord for allowing him to have this precious time with her, though he wished it could last forever. Even asleep, her face was exquisite. She had an adorable heart-shaped mouth that he longed to kiss and thick dark lashes that curled at the tips. She just had to be an angel.

Feeling the silkiness of her long brown hair, he inhaled her sweet scent in the hope of remembering it forever. She looked so peaceful asleep on his chest, he didn’t want to disturb her, not yet. It was only seven o’clock and they’d kissed for hours before falling asleep. She needed some rest before going to class. He suddenly realised that school didn’t finish until three-thirty, and that meant they’d only have half-an hour together before his time as a human ended. But he couldn’t tell her. He couldn’t ruin her day like that. Heartache was worse than any physical pain he’d experienced so far, and he certainly didn’t want to inflict it on her.

As he thought of physically leaving her forever, uncontrollable tears trickled down his face. Finding out Eloise loved him as much as he loved her was making everything harder. Their love for each other was much stronger than he’d ever expected, and though he had no regrets, he had the deepest sorrow. Oh, why couldn’t he just stay as a man and be with her forever? It was so unfair. And the thought of her spending her life with another man was tearing him apart. Holding her hand he closed his eyes, then with all the concentration he could muster, he sealed the memory of their love deep into his psyche, hoping
no angel, man, or demon could ever remove it.

Eloise stirred on his chest, then smiled up at him, her eyes dreamy from sleep and her lips still pink from last night’s kissing. “Have I died and gone to Heaven?” she murmured. “I can’t believe you stayed with me all night.”

Nathaniel quickly wiped his eyes and kissed her forehead. “Good morning, beautiful. I hope you slept well.”

The prettiest smile stretched across her lips. “I did and I had a wonderful dream. I dreamt you took me flying through the clouds. I didn’t want to wake up, but then I realised I was actually in your arms, and that is just a dream come true.” She slid her hand across his stomach, just beneath the waistband of jeans, catching him off guard and sending a thrill through his whole body.

He froze, not daring to move or speak, then he grabbed her hand and moved it to his chest.

Looking at his crucifix, she fiddled with the chain around his neck. “Nathaniel, I still can’t believe you’re really an angel. It’s just
so
incredible.”

“Hey, I’m not just an angel, Eloise. I’m your
guardian
angel.”

She quivered. “I love the way you say my name, Nathaniel. Say it again.”

“Why? How do I say it?”

She smiled. “I don’t know, but you kind of
breathe
it.”

Tilting her chin, he gazed into her incredible green eyes. “That’s because I love you so much, baby.”

“But why do you love me? Tell me. I want to know.”

He raised his brows at her insecurity. “Because you’re sweet and kind and your soul is pure.”

She pouted. “But that’s not what I wanted to hear.”

He smiled teasingly. “Why? What did you want me to say?”

“Anything but that.” Grabbing the tight skin around his waist, she nipped it hard.

“Ouch! What did you do that for?”

She grinned. “You said you were a fallen angel, so I was checking to see if you had any human feelings as well as spiritual ones.”

Rolling her onto her back, he leaned over her. “You little temptress.”

She bit her lip. “Why are you calling me that?”

“You know very well why. You saw my human feelings last night.”

“Yes, but now you think I’m boring?”

“What? Why would you think that?”

She rolled her eyes. “If you don’t know, I’m not telling you.”

“Oh, I see. Well, if you want me to tell you what I really think of you, I’ll have to restrain you first so you don’t attack me again.” He gripped her wrists and held them against the pillow.

Staring at him, she grinned. “I can still kick.”

“Is that so?” Holding her gaze, he brushed her lips with his. “You’re irresistibly sexy and if I stay on this bed with you any longer, I might just ravish you, so I think we’d better get up.”

She giggled. “I can’t 'cause you’re holding me down.”

He raised a brow. “Yes, I am, aren’t I?”

“So are you going to ravish me?”

He sat up. “Most certainly not. You’re only eighteen and you have to get up and get ready for school. Oh, and don’t forget to phone your mother to see how she is.”

Eloise stared at him, her mouth wide open, then she glanced at the clock. “But I have plenty of time. It’s only seven thirty. Anyway, I’m not getting up until you kiss me.”

Grabbing her by the waist, he lifted her off the bed and plonked her on the carpet. “I’ll kiss you after you’ve phoned the hospital. You never know, your mother could turn up here anytime. I’d hate to see you get into trouble—and she’d kick me out for sure. Plus I need to use the bathroom. Now, scoot.” After giving her a little smack on the backside, he pointed at the door. “Go!”

She glowered at him. “You have some nerve treating me like a child.” Then she laughed and ran into the hall. “I’m going to the bathroom first now, so you can wait.”

Nathaniel shook his head. She never ceased to amaze him. She wasn’t just beautiful and kind, she was full of fun and so very sensual. He blew out a breath, wondering how he was going to survive the day without her.

After hearing the shower going in the bathroom, he hurried to the toilet. Another annoyance that angels didn’t have to put up with, though the benefits of being human well outweighed the bad. After washing his hands in the laundry, he walked back to the guest room and sat on the bed to wait for Eloise. He didn’t have to wait long before she poked her head around the door.

“The bathroom’s free now and I phoned my mum. You can relax because she’s not coming home until my dad picks her up tomorrow. He’s driving back tonight. Anyway, I told Mum I’d visit her this afternoon after school. Do you want to come with me?”

Knowing he had to be at the lookout by four o’clock, he shook his head. “I’d better not. She would recognise me anyway, remember?”

Eloise giggled. “Oh, that’s right. She’ll think you’re an intern. Okay well, since you don’t want to kiss me, I’m going to make breakfast.” Without waiting for a reply, she took off to the kitchen.

As he hurried to the bathroom, he figured he only had an hour left with Eloise before she had to leave for school—and now that she was visiting her mother this afternoon, he wouldn’t even see her before Michael turned up. Deciding to make the most of their time together, he jumped in the shower and washed his hair. After drying off, he brushed his teeth and shaved, but this time he avoided the cologne. After wrapping a towel around his waist, he padded out of the bathroom, but as he turned into the hall, he smacked into Eloise.

“Ooops, sorry, babe.”

Still wearing her robe, she looked him up and down and gulped.

“What’s wrong, honey?” he said, taking her hand. Her eyelids were swollen as if she’d been crying. “Is your mother all right?”

“Yes, she’s fine.”

He brushed a stray curl from her forehead. “Have I said something to upset you? If I have, I’m sorry.”

She gazed up at him, her lip quivering. “No, it’s just that I’m afraid you’re going to leave me.” She sniffed as tears rolled down her cheeks. “I know you said you’ll stay, but I have this horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach and I always get it just before something really bad happens. Now, I’m scared that when I get home this afternoon, you’ll be gone and I’ll never see you again.”

“Oh, honey.” he held her face between his hands and kissed her tears away. “Please don’t cry. I’ll never leave you, not ever.” He wanted to cry himself, but he didn’t dare, and he couldn’t tell her that he would only be with her in spirit after four o’clock.

“Promise?” she said, rubbing her nose with her knuckle.

“I promise, baby.”

She slipped her arms around his waist and held him tight. “I love you so much, Nathaniel. I don’t
ever
want to lose you.”

As he rocked her gently in his arms, he was sure he was going to die from a broken heart. Deciding not to waste one more second, he lifted her face with his hand and smiled. “Get dressed and come back to my room, okay?”

She nodded. “Okay. Oh, and I was just coming to tell you breakfast is ready, but I’ll bring it to your room.”

“Wonderful. I’ll get dressed, then help you carry it.”

“It’s okay, I can do that.”

“It’s a date then. I’ll see you in a few minutes.” He hurried into the guest room to dress before she came in. At least he could walk her to school. After pulling on clean boxer shorts, he stepped into her father’s torn old jeans. Though they were faded and ripped, at least they had dried in the night from the heat of his body, but where he was going, it didn’t matter what they looked like. At least they were clean after he’d rubbed them down in the bathroom last night, and they didn’t stink of sweat like the tracksuit he stolen. He’d just managed to zip his fly shut before Eloise walked in with a tray of hot drinks and food.

“I hope you like what I’ve prepared,” she said placing the tray on the dresser. “It’s hot chocolate and blueberry muffins.”

Just the smell of the food made his stomach growl and he picked up a muffin and took a huge bite. “Mm, that’s delicious,” he said, stuffing the rest of it in his mouth.

“I knew you’d like them,” she said, holding her hand in front of her face so he couldn’t see her chewing.

Nathaniel drank his warm chocolate in one go, then licked his lips. “Ah, that was pure bliss.”

She turned on the radio. “At least we have something in common.”

“What’s that?” he said, sitting on the bed.

“We both like sweet things.”

He waved her towards him. “Okay, come here and give me some more sugar.”

“I’m glad you like my cooking.” She picked up the plate of muffins and walked towards him. “I don’t want anymore, so you can have them.”

After taking the dish from of her hand, he dumped it on the floor, then pulled her onto his lap. “The breakfast was delicious, Eloise, but you’re the honey I want.”

She blushed. “You’re just saying that because you feel sorry for me because I was crying.”

“Is that so? Well, I really need that sugar fix and I intend to take it.” After lifting her up, he plonked her on the bed, but as he lay down next to her, he noticed she was wearing a green dress instead of her uniform. “Hey, you can’t wag school today, Eloise. You have to hand in your homework.”

She sighed. “But I’m going to leave school if my father agrees. I told you that.”

Nathaniel frowned. “But what if he doesn’t agree? Then you’ll fail your exams. Be sensible, honey, you have to go to school. You only have a few months left before you graduate.”

She rolled her eyes. “Okay, but I’m not putting my horrid uniform on yet. School is only five minutes away.”

“So you promise to go?”

Sitting up, she attempted to get off the bed.

He pulled her back. “Hey, where are you going?”

“Why? You’re just stalling to avoid me, so I’m going to school.”

Laying her back down, he leaned over her and traced his finger down her forehead to the tip of her nose. “You’re impossible, Eloise. But I absolutely adore you.” As he gazed into her eyes, a song called, ‘
You’re Beautiful
’ came on the radio. The timing was perfect and as the lyrics burst from the speakers, Nathaniel grazed his lips across hers. “That’s exactly how I feel about you, baby.”

Trembling beneath him, she wrapped her arms around his neck. “And you’re the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen.”

His heart melted and he brushed her hair from her forehead. “I love it when you say things like that to me, babe, though I’m quite jealous of that singer’s voice.”