He's No Angel (Heaven Can Wait Book 1) (15 page)

What did it feel like to be looked at with such tender concern and care? Damned if I knew. But based on Mr. Gallagher’s reaction, it felt bloody damn good.

Envy gripped me by the throat, shocking me as it was an emotion I’d rarely felt in life. After all, what was there to be envious about? I’d always had anything I wanted. I’d had everything.

Or so I’d thought.

But I’d never had what I saw pass between my humans tonight.  What they’d shared was more than lust. More than passion and desire. More than just a physical joining. It was caring. Respect. Admiration. Trust. It was just…
more
. More than I’d ever experienced. And I instantly coveted it. Wanted it for my own. Which completely, utterly shocked me as I’d never considered such a thing before. Had never wanted anything even slightly related to the tornado-like mass of emotions I saw swirling between my humans, surrounding them in a shower of colorful sparkles that only those without the gift of life could discern.

During my lifetime and the past two centuries in my Pre-Pearly Gate prison, my long-standing cynicism had prevented me from believing True Love existed. But based on what I’d witnessed tonight with my own eyes, coupled with the impossible-to-ignore glitters sparkling in the air around my humans, I had to consider that everything I’d always believed was simply… wrong.

Was it possible True Love did exist after all?

I had four weeks to find out. And I could only hope it did as it was the only thing that could set me free.

Chapter Thirteen

“You win the lottery?” Dave asked four weeks later, eyeing Liam up and down as they stored away their gear in their adjacent lockers at the end of their twenty-four shift. Their last call had been a barn fire on a farm on the outskirts of town. Liam’s muscles ached with fatigue, but his weariness was offset by the satisfaction that there’d been no injuries and the fire had been successfully contained before spreading to the acres of surrounding forest. Definitely a good end to their busy shift.

“Lottery?” Liam repeated, pulling a clean T-shirt over his head. “’Fraid not. Why? You need a loan?”

“Nah. Although it would’ve been nice if the kid’s godfather and honorary uncle was a Mr. Moneybags. College costs are gonna be a bitch.”

Liam chuckled. “The baby isn’t even here yet and you’re already worried about college?”

“Dude, I haven’t stopped worrying since the moment Melanie told me she was preggers. The fact that she could go into labor any second has me-- ”

“Mildly unglued?” Liam interrupted with a grin. “Yeah. I’ve noticed.”

“Right. You, on the other hand, look more relaxed than I’ve seen you since… ever.  Since you didn’t win the lottery, and given that except for this shift I’ve barely seen you for the last month
and
you can’t seem to wipe that loopy grin off your face, I can only guess that things are going well with the librarian.”

Liam’s heart gave a single hard thump. An image of Emma flashed in his mind as she’d looked early yesterday morning, gorgeous and rumpled and flushed from the soft, slow pre-dawn sex they’d shared before he’d left her apartment for his shift. “Things with the librarian are going well,” he agreed.

When he didn’t elaborate, Dave’s brows shot up. “That’s it? That’s all you’re giving me? I’m a drowning man here. I’m desperate for something to think about besides my impending fatherhood and labor pains and epidurals and all the other scary shit imminently facing me-- which in case you haven’t noticed is sort of
freaking me out
-- and all you’ve got to say is things with the librarian are ‘going well?’”

Liam closed his locker and set a firm hand on Dave’s shoulder. “First, you need to take a deep breath. Everything with the birth will be fine. You’re going to have a healthy, beautiful kid, and you and Melanie are going to be great parents.”

Dave pulled a hand through his hair and nodded. “Yeah, yeah, I know. But I just want the kid to be born already. The thought of seeing Melanie in pain… I’ll just be glad when it’s over.”

“We all will,” Liam teased. “You’re driving everybody nuts.”

“Ha, ha. So seriously, what’s up with you and Emma?”

“Seriously? I’m in love with her.”

Dave’s eyes widened. “Wow. I’ve never heard you say that about any woman before.”

“Never felt like this about any woman before.”

“Happened pretty fast. You’ve only been dating a month.”

“Says a guy who told me after his
first date
with Melanie that she was the woman he was going to marry.”

“True ‘dat,” said Dave with a sheepish grin.

“Besides, I’ve known Emma longer than a month, just not in a dating way. And since that first date we’ve spent just about every non-working minute together.”

“Hey, man, no need to convince me. I’ve never seen you so content.” He clapped his hand on Liam’s shoulder. “I’m happy for you.”

Content. Yeah, that’s what he was. In a way he’d never been before. In a way that made him feel… complete. Like there’d been a piece of himself missing, one he hadn’t even known wasn’t there until he found it. In the form of Emma. Emma, who made him smile. Made him laugh. Challenged him and fascinated him in ways no other woman ever had. He loved her in bed. Loved her out of bed. He just… loved her. Everything about her, from her sharp wit to the crazy things she knew (he’d never met anyone who could recite the periodic chart of elements, the entire Gettysburg Address, and who knew every state and world capital), to the fact that she was totally tone deaf but still loved to sing in the shower. And God help him, her favorite song to belt out was Copacabana.
Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl
… A smile tugged at his lips just thinking about it.

“There you go with that goofy grin again,” Dave said with a laugh.

“Better get used to it. I can’t seem to help it.”

No, he couldn’t. He just couldn’t stop smiling. During the past four weeks he and Emma had spent every available moment together, and with each passing minute his feelings for her, his respect and admiration, had deepened. It didn’t matter if they were strolling along London’s quaint village streets, picking apples at the nearby orchard, tackling one of the dozens of local hiking trails, cooking dinner together, or watching a rented movie, she just made him feel so damn
good
.

And as if that weren’t enough? Not one nightmare or daytime flashback since he’d told her about the fire. Clearly confession really was good for the soul.

“You dropped the L word yet?” Dave asked.

Liam shook his head. “Not yet. Been trying to plan the right romantic moment-- ”

“Don’t,” Dave broke in. “Don’t plan it. Just say it. Right at the instant you feel it. Life’s short, dude. Don’t waste time, not if you’re sure she’s The One.”

“You mean just let the words flop out?”

“Worked for me.”

Liam nodded slowly. “Not the direction I was leaning, but I’ll definitely consider your advice, Great Wise One. I could tell her tonight when I see her… but what if she’s not ready to hear it?”

“Hey, no one ever said putting your heart on the line wasn’t risky. My damn knees were knocking the first time I told Melanie I loved her. But you gotta go for it. YOLO, man.”

“YOLO? What’s that?”

“You Only Live Once.”

Liam laughed. “Where do you hear this stuff?”

Dave shrugged. “I may have, um, glanced at Melanie’s People Magazine. Bottom line is Emma’s a smart girl which means she’s gotta know you’re a good guy. Good? Hell, you’re like the best dude on the planet. Plus, you’re almost as good-looking as me.”

Liam’s lips twitched. “Thanks for the endorsement. I’ll be sure to list you as a reference if she asks.”

Dave’s cell phone rang. He paled a bit when he looked at the caller ID. “It’s Melanie,” he said then quickly answered. “Hey, babe. Everything okay?”

Liam watched the rest of the color drain from Dave’s face. “Okay. Hang tight. I’ll be there in five minutes. Five minutes.” He ended the call and looked at Liam with a half panicked, half awed expression. “Her labor started. I gotta go.”

“Scram,” Liam said. He slapped a hand on his friend’s back. “Good luck. Give Melanie a big sloppy kiss for me.”

“Will do. I’ll call you after the kid’s here.” Impossible as it seemed, Dave paled even more. “Holy crap, the next time I see you I’ll have a kid.”

“That’s right. So get going. And don’t faint. And take good care of my future niece or nephew.”

Dave flashed him a huge grin then dashed from the locker room yelling, “I’m gonna be a dad!”

Dave’s ecstatic shout echoed in Liam’s head as he pulled his gym bag from his locker, and he knew without a doubt that he wanted to someday say those exact same words. Wanted everything that Dave had with Melanie. The happy marriage, the house, the yard, the kid. The whole shebang. And he wanted it with Emma.

He pulled in a deep breath and the scent of chocolate chip cookies assailed him. A vivid image of Emma materialized in his mind and he swiftly turned around, fully expecting to find her standing behind him. He shook his head and exhaled a sheepish laugh. God, he was so crazy deep in love he even
smelled
her when he wasn’t with her.

That inexplicable whiff of cookies slammed him with an overwhelming, couldn’t-wait-another-minute urge to see her. He glanced at his watch. She’d be leaving for work soon. He’d planned on going home to catch up on some sleep before seeing her tonight, but the hell with that. He wanted, needed to see her. Now. And if he hurried, he could catch her at her apartment before she left for the library. He grabbed his jacket, closed his locker then swiftly left the firehouse.

~~~

I sat in the passenger seat of Mr. Gallagher’s truck, chocolate chip cookie in hand, chortling with glee as he turned the vehicle in the direction of Miss Heely’s apartment. By God, True Love
did
exist! He loved her!

Based on my observations of the past month, I’d have wagered that was how Mr. Gallagher felt, yet he hadn’t said so. Since I wasn’t able to read his mind (so frustrating!), and with the deadline to complete my task a mere forty-eight hours away, I’d been desperately fighting off the panic nipping at my heels at the thought of failure. But then, like a gift from above, came Mr. Gallagher’s words to his friend: he was in love with Miss Heely.

I took a huge bite of my cookie. Ah, yes, once again, the delicious aroma of the treat had proven irresistible and served me well, compelling Mr. Gallagher to see Miss Heely immediately. Now if only he’d tell her he loved her, and she’d repeat the sentiment, I’d be released from my prison. Good-bye Pre-Pearly Gate,
helllooooo
Heaven.

If it had been possible for me to do so, I would have hugged the fireman Dave for encouraging Mr. Gallagher to tell Miss Heely his feelings right away. Yet in spite of that encouragement I’d still detected Mr. Gallagher’s hesitation. I could easily imagine him waiting until this evening-- or worse, even longer, in an attempt to manufacture some nebulous “right” moment. And that simply would not do.

Bloody pesky human. I couldn’t possibly wait until this evening-- or worse, even longer-- to hear him say the words that would set me free. I wanted, needed him to tell her
now
. Thus I’d immediately employed the mouthwatering magic of the chocolate chip cookies, hoping the scent would push Mr. Gallagher into immediate action.  Rather like a cookie cattle prod. And I’d succeeded.

Filled with excitement and hope, I popped the last bite of cookie into my mouth. By God, these things were divine. I’d indulged in the treats with alarming frequency over the past month, a habit that if I were alive would have proven disastrous to my weight.

Chalk up one advantage to being dead. Yippee.

I swallowed the last delectable morsel, and bristling with impatience and unable to sit still, I left Mr. Gallagher and zoomed ahead to Miss Heely’s residence. I found her in the kitchen, wearing the short pink robe she always slipped on after her shower, a fact I knew as over the past four weeks I’d witnessed her exiting the shower numerous times (yes, I’d watched her leaving the shower. She’s a most fetching sight in the nude. So sue me).

“Here you go, Fluffy,” Miss Heely said, setting down a bowl of food for her unfortunately named pet. The cat shot me a squinty-eyed glare then turned his attention to his meal. The animal and I had reached a détente of sorts. We both knew the other existed but in the interests of peace, gave each other a wide berth.

A good compromise given the exorbitant number of hours I’d spent in Miss Heely’s lodgings while observing my humans. The good news was that after spending that first night together, they’d required very little interference on my part to advance their relationship.

Oh, I’d still kept my hand in things to insure their progress didn’t slow down. After all, time was of the essence. On several occasions I prodded Miss Heely into tripping, which worked out quite well as this sent her careening into Mr. Gallagher’s strong arms and immediately shifted him into his fireman’s I-Shall-Rescue-You mode.

The bad news pertained to their sex life. The fact that my humans enjoyed such frequent and varied bed sport was, for the purposes of my successfully completing my task, very good news. Unfortunately, being near them when they indulged their passion filled me with gut-wrenching envy, which meant I’d spent a great many hours alone with my torturous thoughts while I sought to spare myself the torment of watching them partake of the carnal pleasures I could not enjoy.

Or could I?

The question had plagued me, along with so many others, these last four weeks as I’d watched the relationship between my humans grow and deepen.

And it was all
her
fault. She who I refused to name. Her and that damnable, infuriatingly unforgettable kiss.

Over the last two hundred years I’d thought little about passion and desire. Why would I as they were lost to me forever?

Until that damnable kiss had filled me with a raw yearning, a naked hunger that could not be slaked.

One entire month. Four interminable weeks during which time I’d thought of little else except that damn kiss and the shocking, inexplicable sensations it had wrought upon me.

How
had I felt such desire?
Why
would I feel it? And most baffling of all, why with
her
?

A trifecta of agonizing questions that had haunted and tormented me to the point of pain, a situation made all the more difficult and unpalatable by my forced proximity to Mr. Gallagher and Miss Heely who spent what felt to me like endless hours in sensual exploration. Naked. Kissing. Touching. Their bodies entwined--