Bitter Angel Read Free Page A

When I put my hand to it, the damaged skin disappeared, and it always made me feel like I was in his life for a reason. I was meant to make his scars go away. In the same way, his softness wrapped around my hard edges, reminding me that fighting wasn’t the only way to solve an argument.
    “To the moon, I hope,” I finally said. I’m thinking it sucked ass because I was so distracted daydreaming about his visit, but I was praying I was over exaggerating my failure.
    “When will you know?”
    “Monday, probably.” I leaned forward and kissed the scar.
    He put his hand to my cheek. “I’m sure you did great.”
    I smiled and he leaned in to kiss me again.
    We both had family demons that lurked in our shadows, but I’d always felt that together we could block out those demons. Maybe we couldn’t drown out those voices on our own, but with his hands on my ears, mine on his, and our eyes locked together, we could be our own people and live our own lives. Be our own family, our own way. Someday. Maybe.
    Breaking for air, I sighed, a luxurious frivolous sound. “God, I missed you.”
    He propped his head in his hand. There was a smile in his eyes while his finger twirled a lock of my hair. “Have you rethought leaving this dusty place behind and joining me in the evil city?”
    I laughed. He knew me so well. “Of course,” I replied. “Being with you— awesome. But you know that by the one-hundredth taxi honk, I’d probably pull out my semiautomatic rifle that I’d somehow managed to stash in my purse and shoot whoever that bastard was. Then they’d haul my ass off to jail.” I gazed at him affectionately. “We don’t want me spending my life in jail, do we?”
    I could tell his silence was an inner eye roll…and some hidden sadness. He’d been trying to talk me into leaving this school for a while.
    I propped my head on my hand and sighed again. This time it was an apology. “You know I love you.”
    His eyebrows creased ever so slightly. “I know.”
    He did, but there was a note of something that told me he wasn’t all that sure—or maybe it was the fear of our uncertain future. This insecurity about our future had popped up once or twice before. We were way past the long-distance thing taking its toll. But what other choice did we have? He hated this small town, and I hated the city. He had offered to transfer here once or twice, but no way was I letting him leave his art school.
    Someday, when I was a doctor and he was a teacher or something (his major was still in the undecided phase), we’d probably settle somewhere in between. Who knows?
    I hated this talk.
    I tipped his chin toward me, forcing his eyes on mine. “Can’t we just enjoy tonight? I stayed behind for you. Don’t get all introspective on me now, please?”
    He smiled, but I recognized the struggle still in the lines of his face. Rolling me onto my back, he rubbed his nose against mine, nipping it playfully. “No one but me?”
    My hands flanked his face. “Never.”
    He kissed me, soft and sweet, then hard and raw, pushing me dangerously close to attacking him again. I moaned and he growled in the back of his throat. I was suddenly reminded that we were still very naked in my bed, but before things could take a turn for the steamy, he stood up, grabbed my hand, and hauled me up.
    He started rummaging the floor for his clothes.
    I frowned. “What are you doing?”
    “It’s nice out.” He grinned, pulling on his black boxer briefs. “I wanna go for a walk.”
    “Okay,” I said excitedly. I loved walks. He knew I loved walks. I found my underwear on the floor at the foot of the bed, followed by the rest of my clothes, and threw them on as fast as I could. I slipped my feet into a pair of flip flops—it was barely still warm enough—then I hopped around while I waited for Jay to finish dressing.
    He chuckled at my eagerness. “Hold your sexy horses. Just a second.” He stuffed his arms and head through an OSU scarlet and