Page 17 of Must Love Fallen Angels

He tilted his head back and closed his eyes as she gently explored the scars.And then he turned to face her, opening his eyes and lowering his head, knowing this was the moment he’d come here for.

“You’re my truemate, Tessa.Until I met you, I wasn’t even sure that fallen angels get truemates.”

“But you’re a supernatural person.Why wouldn’t you get a truemate?”

“Because I fell.”

“And?”She tilted her head, her gaze searching.

“What if falling meant that I don’t get the chance at love?And I thought I knew what I was doing when I fell, but I had misread every damn thing about that woman and what she thought of me.I was a fool, and I don’t think fools get rewarded.”

“I’ve only been in town since Friday.That’s four days,” she said.“I wasn’t looking for anything but a fresh start when I came here.But when I drove into town, I knew this place was different.When I met you on the beach Saturday morning, I didn’t want to put it into words at the moment, but I knew I was meant to meet you.I never considered that I might be someone’s truemate.Humans don’t really have them.Unless they’re the truemate of a supernatural person.”

She stared up at him, her dark eyes wide and full of trust.

“I’m scared to get hurt again,” he said.“But I’m more afraid to lose you than I am that my heart might get broken.”

“I think you’re brave, actually.I think love is about taking risks.And my past is messy too, and I wasn’t looking to start up anything romantic when I came here, but fate is a funny, fickle thing, and I don’t think we can control when love shows up.”She went onto her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck.“I’m showing up for you, Venice.If you’ll show up for me.We don’t have to make any decisions right now, we just have to know the one basic truth.”

“What truth is that?”

“That we’re truemates.Everything else can come in time.No secrets, no worries.Just you and me, getting to know each other.And maybe you could take me out on a date?”

He exhaled with a smile.“I would love to.”

Lowering his head, he kissed her.Sweetly, softly.

They might have met on Saturday, but things were just now getting started between them.And he was ready for it.

Emboldened by the kiss, he pulled her closer and let himself go into the kiss until they were both gasping for breath and holding onto each other.The truth of what he’d shared with her, and what she’d accepted, hit him right in the heart.

Holy shit.

Tessa was his truemate.

Note to Self: Sunset dates with fallen angels are addictive

At six o’clock on the dot, there was a knock at Tessa’s front door.Her heart pounded in anticipation as she walked to the door to open it.

For her first date with Venice.

After he’d shared so much about his past with her, they’d cuddled on the couch for a while, and then he’d left to get ready for their date.He’d told her to dress casually but bring a sweater in case it got chilly after the sun set.

She’d opted for her favorite outfit: a long, pale blue skirt and a white peasant blouse.She’d always considered it a romantic outfit and had hardly ever worn it.But it seemed like the best time to wear it.

As she walked to the door, one word kept pinging in her mind: truemate.

Part of her thought she should maybe be worried about a word that carried such weight with it.Truemates meant forever, and she was just getting to know the fallen angel.

Venice was sexy, and he had the best smile.

And she really just liked him.

It was easy to imagine a future with him, and not just because the word truemate sounded so serious.But they’d agreed to take things slowly and get to know each other, so she wasn’t going to get ahead of herself.Especially when she felt like she needed to prove to him that she didn’t see him as a novelty, the way the woman from his past had.

He was a person of worth, and he was important to her, and not because he’d been an angel at one time.

She opened the door, and the first thing she noticed was that he was holding a large crystal vase of carnations.They were white, pink, and yellow.