Wings on Fire ~ Falling (Book 1)

Chapter 12

My first kiss with Daniel had only left me craving more, but he seemed to be perfectly content to go back to sitting side by side, holding hands, and chatting. I tried nuzzling his neck and nibbling on his ear to tempt him into more kissing, but he told me that we should probably slow things down.

That's right... HE told ME that we should take things slow. For the first time in my life, I was ready to jump in with both feet and go full speed ahead, but the male I wanted to get naughty with wasn't interested.

I felt hurt and ashamed to be the one pushing for more physical intimacy, but I had never felt this way before, and I wanted to explore our attraction to each other. Dropping kisses along Daniel's chiseled jawline, I used my hand that wasn't secured within his to turn his face towards mine for another of his life-affirming kisses.

"Kerry! I'm trying to do the right thing here, and you're not helping," he chastised me.

I flopped back onto my pillow, feeling rebuffed and hurt. "I thought guys always wanted... I mean, I know you're not like human males... If you aren't interested..." I searched for the right words to convey my concerns, but none sounded quite right.

"Oh, believe me, I want to," Daniel responded, his eyes bulging in my direction to enunciate his words. "And you're making it incredibly difficult to restrain myself."

"Then don't," I tried one last time, reaching up to brush a finger under his chin. I pouted my lips in an attempt to make them look available, kissable, and hopefully irresistible.

My plan backfired because rather than gracing me with another mind-blowing kiss, Daniel got up from my bed and settled himself back in the plastic chair.

I felt like I had been slapped. Evidently my facial expression betrayed my hurt feelings because Daniel quickly explained.

"I want to do this right and take things slowly with you. I have had your entire life to get to know and grow to love you, but you have only just met me."

"But I already have strong feelings for you." I justified my behavior and tried not to sound too pouty.

"I'm sure the angel thing is a little overwhelming," he splayed his hands. "Have you considered that you might like the idea of me, but that you don't actually know the real me?"

His words hurt. There was no denying that my attraction to him was real, and I didn't like having him try to talk me out of it. "Why are you doing this?" My voice sounded unnaturally high and squeaky. I silently vowed not to embarrass myself by crying and hoped that I would be able to keep that promise to myself.

"What happens when Trent shows up, huh? Are you going to introduce him to your new invisible boyfriend?" He spat the words, making me feel like he was angry, but I had no idea what had brought about the shift in his attitude.

My own anger flared at his sudden change. "If you've been around as long as you say you have, then you know that Trent doesn't care one bit about who I date." Admitting out loud that my lifelong best friend and secret crush wasn't romantically interested in me was difficult, but necessary.

"You sure about that?" Daniel asked me.

"Yes." I answered matter-of-factly because it was obvious that Trent didn't view me as more than a friend. It felt cruel of Daniel to make me say it.

"We'll see," was Daniel's quiet and cryptic answer, and it suddenly dawned on me that I had discovered my perfect angel's flaw... he was moody.

Being moody was something that I was familiar with from my own highs and lows. I could deal with this. "It doesn't matter what Trent thinks anyway. What matters is what you and I think. I, for one, think that you are the best thing that has ever happened to me."

His eyes snapped to mine. "Really?" At my confirming nod, the tension on Daniel's face dissipated. "Do you think you might someday be able to get over Trent?" His voice sounded so vulnerable when he asked the question.

"Trent who?" I joked, which made Daniel bellow with laughter. I beamed back at him, thrilled to have my happy angel back.

As we sat there smiling like fools at each other, I realized that moodiness wasn't Daniel's only flaw. He also had a jealous streak. But his jealousy only served to make him more appealing to me. It made me feel wanted and like he truly cared about me. Okay, maybe his simmering jealousy was almost more of an attribute than a flaw. Almost.

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