Earth Angel Read Free

put them in her car and go home before opening them. Now she couldn’t resist. She whipped open the tucked-in flaps.
    The first thing that stared up at her was a picture of her and her grandfather taken when she was twelve.
    “Oh,” she said, swallowing back a rush of emotions. “Oh.”
    At the sound of her voice, Miles turned around from getting another box. She was gazing at something inside the carton, and to his horror, a single tear rolled off her cheek.
    “Catherine.” He put his arm around her in awkward comfort, not quite knowing what else to do. She sniffled. He got out his handkerchief and put it over her nose.
    “Blow,” he ordered.
    “You blow.” She pushed the handkerchief away, then swiped at her tears. “Really, Miles, it was just a sniffle. You didn’t have to shove the handkerchief in my face.” She paused. “You’re being kind, and I’m snapping. I’m sorry.”
    “I understand. Allan was my friend too.”
    She smiled slightly, and he sensed she was softening to him a little. That pleased him. He was all too aware of her body close to his. It was as if the air pressure between them changed with each subtle shift and movement. Perfume swirled through his senses, mesmerizing him.
    The strong urge to claim her, coupled with an overwhelming need to protect, surged through him. How Catherine provoked that response in him, he didn’t know. He only knew that she did.
    “I’m okay now,” she said, and her firm voice shored up his faltering control.
    Reluctantly, he let his arm drop and stepped away. Her armor might be back in place, but that didn’t stop what he was feeling. He stared at her in frustration, wondering if she’d ever stop punishing him.
    “I only asked you once to go to bed with me,” he muttered.
    She stiffened, not looking at him. “My wedding was three weeks away at the time,” she replied in a cold voice.
    He grabbed the second box and slammed it onto the hood of the car. “You weren’t married yet.”
    “That didn’t mean I was fair game.” She yanked things out of the first box and slapped them onto the hood, half hoping she’d scratch the umblemished paint. “I had a commitment I wasn’t about to break.”
    “It was dead in the water before it even got started. Anyone could see that.”
    Catherine gave him a glare worthy of his grandmother. He realized he might have gone too far with that last remark.
    “I never had any intention to be another notch on your belt,” she said, then added, “Or should we look lower?”
    “Be my guest.”
    “No thank you.”
    He leaned against the car. “What’s the matter? Afraid to find out you’re attracted to me?”
    She steadily met his challenging gaze. “I am not attracted to you.”
    “Then let’s test that theory, shall we?”
    He straightened and pulled her to him, covering her mouth with his before she could protest. He pried her lips open and thrust his tongue inside. At first she resisted as he searched the sweet interior, then her tongue mated with his in a way that sent his mind spinning. The soft wanting of her mouth rocked him. His blood pumped hot and heavy, surging like an unstoppable tidal wave. Herbody fitted perfectly to his, her breasts barely caressing his chest in a slow torture. His fingers tightened around her arms, bringing her closer. The kiss was fiery, filled with every long-suppressed fantasy about her …
    She broke away abruptly. He blinked, then grinned.
    “So much for your theory about attraction,” he said.
    “And I was just thinking that you’ve been without a woman too long to kiss so heavy-handed,” she replied, turning back to the boxes.
    He refused to be baited. “I don’t know, Catherine. My tonsils could tell a few tales about that kiss.”
    Her cheeks pinkened, and she rummaged more diligently through the boxes.
    “Cat got your tongue?” he asked. “I’d be happy to find it again.”
    “Why don’t you go see your friend in there, the smiling chimpanzee in