Page 5 of Must Love Fallen Angels

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone sitting on a rocky outcropping near the water.

Turning slowly, he walked from the lot to the beach, and the person came into view.

His breath hitched, and the ache across his back warmed and then disappeared.

The instinct to protect rose inside him as he drew close enough to see her fully.

The dark-haired beauty had her arm looped around her bent knees, her attention on the water and the rising sun.There was something about her that he couldn’t quite put his finger on.He made his way across the beach, and when he was within a few yards of her, she seemed to sense him and straightened, meeting his gaze.

She was stunning.

This time, his breath didn’t just catch in his throat; it froze, and his damn heart pounded so hard he was sure it would break through his ribs and flop around on the sand.

He opened his mouth to speak, but only an undignified squeak came out.

Grimacing, he cleared his throat and said, “Hello.I’m Venice, one of the Sable Cove police officers.”

She lowered her bent knees and twisted on the rocks to face him, smiling softly but warily.

“Hi.I’m Tessa.Am I not allowed to be here or something?”

“What?No, of course you are.I just…” He wasn’t sure how to finish the sentence.He was sure he’d come all the way to the beach that morning because of her.But a quick inhale told him that she was human, and that meant she was the one who’d come to town yesterday and was renting the nearby cottage.Humans didn’t necessarily understand the feeling of being called toward someone, and he was suddenly unsure of it himself.

Was he just so damn lonely that he was making something out of nothing?

“You were just what?”she prompted.

“Coming to say hello.You’re new in town?”

Her eyes narrowed slightly.“Small town, I guess.”

“Definitely, with very few secrets.I don’t mean to pry.I’m on patrol, and I saw you on the rocks and wanted to say hello.”

He rocked back on his heels, thinking he probably sounded like he had been dropped on his head several times.

“Sable Cove is an interesting name,” she said.

He hummed.“It’s because the water is really dark here in the harbor.It’s black like sable.”

“Oh, that’s cool.I’ve never seen a working lighthouse before.I looked out the window last night and could see the light shining over the water.”

“Have you met the lighthouse keeper?His name is Cassian.He and his mate, Zia, are really nice people.She operates a greenhouse next to the lighthouse.”

“I’ll have to introduce myself.”

There was a pause, and he wanted to say several things about how he’d been drawn to the beach because of her, and that he thought they were meant to meet, but old fears reared their ugly head, and he stopped the thoughts before he voiced them.

“Well, I’m going to get back to my rounds.If you need anything, call the main number.”He moved close enough to hand her a business card.

“Thank you, Venice.It was nice to meet you.”

“You too, Tessa.”

He smiled and walked away, his scars tightening and burning.

When he’d been near her, he’d felt normal.Without the burden of the past and worry over his future plaguing him.The moment he walked away, he felt her absence acutely.

He knew what it meant, but he didn’t trust it.