One week later
Jayden woke to Bella’s soft lips caressing his bare chest.
“Rise and shine, Jayden.”
He grinned, hoping that she greeted him this way every morning for the rest of his days.
Her hand snaked under the covers and she squeezed his erection.
“You need to get up if you’re coming to the store with me.”
She started to roll off the bed, but he caught her by the waist.
“You can’t just come in here and tease me like that, Princess, then leave without any follow-through.”
Although she still had bumps and bruises from her time with Ulric, he carefully tickled her ribs. She broke out into a fit of laughter as she tried to stop him.
When she gasped for air, he finally relented.
He kissed her deeply. “Good morning.”
“Good morning.”
The past week, they’d fallen into a routine. Bella still woke at four a.m., and thankfully, she allowed him to sleep a couple more hours. After rousing him, they’d head down to the square, to her shop. Slowly but surely, the town was coming back to life. Businesses had begun to reopen, and the evidence of the destruction from the Event had just about become a memory.
He noticed lights on in houses that had once appeared abandoned, and it seemed like more people were out and about. Yes, Saint’s Grove would once again be the thriving little town it had been before the mayhem struck. It may take a little time, but they’d get there.
They cleaned up the bakery together and had reopened two days ago, even though they still waited for the front window to be replaced and new sets of tables and chairs to arrive. The people of Saint’s Grove seemed happy to stop in for their sugar fix, even if they couldn’t sit down.
They also helped other business owners get their stores back in order. When people asked who Jayden was, Bella simply said a good friend from out of town whom she’d called when chaos descended. Everyone seemed to accept that without question, which was fine with him. He didn’t want to get into the fact he was a former Angel of Death.
Bella placed her hands on his cheeks, her eyes bright, and her grin wide. The sun shone through the window blinds, glinting off her hair, bringing out the light shades of purple. She radiated happiness, and it warmed his whole body. Sometimes, he feared that he would wake up and all of it—their love, their deaths, his time as an angel—would have been a wild dream, and he’d be alone.
“We should get moving,” she said, trying to squirm out from under him. “We need to get to town and help Anika clean up her antique store.”
He narrowed his gaze at her. Didn’t she understand what her squirming did to him? He wriggled right back, and her eyes grew wide as her cheeks turned pink. Now she realized how much he wanted her.
Lowering his head, he kissed her neck. “We should stay right here, for at least a couple of hours.”
A few moments later, she’d removed all her clothing and he smiled as he rolled on top of her. He couldn’t imagine being any happier. They didn’t need to sneak around to be together, or worry about some horrible, looming event. They were in charge of what their future held, and it felt so right, the way it should have been in the beginning, all those centuries ago.
He caressed her cheek, unable to wipe the smile from his face. “Are you happy, Bella?”
Running her fingers through his hair, she nodded, also grinning. “What about you?”
She wrapped her legs around his waist, and he sighed. “Yes, Princess, I am. I’ve always loved you, and I always will. Yet, the thought of spending the rest of our lives together is what brings me extreme joy.”
“You know, even though the Event was terrible and people died, I’m glad it happened. It brought you back to me. I love you, Jayden.”
He thrust his hips forward, sinking into her warm core with a groan. “And I love you as well, my beautiful princess.”