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followed willingly. They stopped in front of what he guessed was a covered easel.
I made this last night after I got home, she said. My nerves wouldn t let me sleep
so I started drawing, and this came out.
She pulled away the covering.
Seth almost stopped breathing.
The picture portrayed a creature of darkness skulking in the shadows near a
beautiful woman as an angelic being, bright and glowing, hovered above. No, not an
angelic being&
Him.
With wings.
He touched the image. A representation for her. For him, this was the reality he d
been seeking for so long. A reality that would never come to fruition if he didn t fulfill
his obligations to the Angels of Death.
If he didn t let Lyndi die.
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Chapter Seven
I call it The Guardian.
Lyndi examined man versus drawing. She d definitely nailed his likeness. The
square jaw, the broad shoulders, the lines of that magnificent chest. It was stupid, but
Seth looked right with wings. They suited him.
Physically, he made the perfect angel at least the way she pictured angels. None of
those chubby-cheeked little cherubs for her. No, sir. Solid men with miles and miles of
rippling muscles and in Seth s case, an impressive package to complement that
physique now that was what she thought of when she pictured angels.
I m going to put it to canvas as soon as I m sure the image is what I truly want it to
be, and if it s ready in time, I plan to make it a last-minute addition to my Light and Dark
showing. It ll be pushing it, but I think I can do it. For you. She linked their arms. This
is how I think of you when I look back on how we met. About how you seemed to come
out of nowhere, like you d been there the whole time, watching me to make sure I
stayed safe.
I wasn t there for you, he whispered, his voice so soft she wondered if she d
interpreted the sounds correctly.
I know you weren t. She kissed his arm. Did he really think she thought he d
been there, invisible to the world, watching and waiting? Surely not. You were
walking, I know that. I didn t mean
That s not what I was talking about. He turned away from her and, with ground-
eating strides, stalked to the opposite side of the room. Not before she noticed some
very dark emotions hardening his features. Pain? Guilt? Sorrow?
Something even darker?
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Seth? She wanted to go to him she also wanted to give him some space, like
he d given her when she d told him about Daryl. What happened? What did I do?
You didn t do anything, Lyn. Didn t do anything but fall for a fucking bastard like
me.
A bastard like him?
That didn t jive with the Seth Jones she d made love to. On the contrary, Seth was
the furthest person from bastard status she knew.
She took two steps closer. Was he referring to some criminal act he d committed in
his guarded past, something that made him think of himself as a bastard? He d said he
was here on vacation but he kept mentioning work he had to do for his boss.
Talk to me, she implored. Tell me what s got you so upset. If it s not me then
what? Whatever you ve done, I ll understand. I
You don t want to know, trust me. Eyes clenched shut, back against the wall, he
slid to the floor. He looked defeated.
She knelt beside him. I wouldn t have asked if I didn t want to know.
The expression on his face was one of pure conflict.
Seth, please& Her heart hammering out a wild rhythm, Lyndi cupped her hands
around Seth s cheeks. Talk. To. Me.
His hands balled into fists. His knuckles turned white. And when he opened his
eyes, she almost quit breathing.
Pure self-loathing painted his eyes the most awful shade of brown. You won t
believe me even if I told you.
Try me.
He shook his head, unshed tears sparkling in his eyes.
Try me, Seth, she implored. Talk to me. Please.
I& I
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With no warning, he hooked a big palm around the back of her neck and crushed
her into a kiss that almost sucked the life out of her. His mouth moved hard against
hers. It was as if he were funneling every ounce of passion he possessed into the act,
and she held on for all she was worth. She didn t know what secrets fueled his actions
and she didn t care. She wanted him to trust her enough, to love her enough.
Seth pulled back, tears glistening on the side of his handsome face, voice gravelly
when he spoke. I swear to you I m gonna make this right. I won t let you die, Lyn. I
can t. I won t.
Die?
Before the shock of his words had time to set in, he continued. Promise me you ll
stay in your apartment where it s safe.
Seth, what
Promise you won t leave and that you especially won t go near a lighthouse.
What?
Promise me! No matter what. Don t. Leave. Your. Studio. His voice was firm, his
face hard.
She nodded. She didn t know what else to do. She knew when to stop arguing and
this was it.
Thank you. He kissed her once more then leapt to his feet.
He was halfway to the stairs before she d so much as moved. Seth! she shouted
after him, pushing herself onto shaking legs. She needed to stop him and make him
explain.
I won t let you die, Lyn&
None of this made sense. Was he some kind of dirty cop who d gotten mixed up
with the mob or something? That hardly seemed likely. He was a cop, yes or had that
been a lie?
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Tempted
Or maybe he was deep undercover and his involvement with her had somehow put
her in danger? Both of them in danger? He said he hadn t been in the park for her and
their first night he d said something about needing to finish some work, even though he
was supposedly on vacation.
Had he been at that park to investigate the creep, like a stakeout or something? To
watch him and hope he led Seth to the bigger fish . Then she d showed up and Seth
had been forced to reveal himself, putting his life in danger.
Oh, God, what had she done?
Seth, wait! Since his clothes still lay scattered on the floor, she grabbed them and
the robe she always kept on a hook by the stairwell and sprinted after him.
His voice echoed from the bottom of the stairwell. I love you, Lyndi.
The door slammed shut.
I love you too! She ran faster, fumbling with the tie of her robe as her feet
pounded each step in quick succession. Shit, shit, shit, these damn stairs had never
seemed so long.
I love you, Lyndi.
When she reached the exit, she ripped the door open and
Daryl?
What the fuck?
Before she let her mind unravel the sudden appearance of her shit-for-brains ex, she
bulldozed her way past Daryl and into the tiny parking area behind the building. Seth
was nowhere to be seen. Only her little car and what had to be Daryl s phallic-attempt-
at-male-compensation red convertible sat in the parking lot.
Maybe Seth had walked here? The man did like to walk. In the buff? No way. Still&
She had to check.
She ran to the corner of the building. Nothing. As she was running back to the other
side, Daryl stepped in front of her. Blond hair, blue eyes and a dick just not big enough
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Brandi Evans
to justify his ego, Daryl Williams was the last person she wanted to see right now. Or
ever.
Hey, babe, he drawled. Don t I at least get a friendly hello?
Her heart pounded like a crazed gorilla s, but she didn t know if her need to find
Seth or her desire to castrate Daryl was the true culprit. The man that just ran out the
door, she began, maybe Daryl could be of use after all, which way did he go?
It s nice to see you too, Lynds.
The man, Daryl! Which way did he go! She wished she could strangle the bastard
right here. Trying to converse with Daryl was like talking to a brick wall only the
brick wall was smarter and less annoying.
If she killed him, she d go to prison and then she d never be able to find Seth.
What if she just maimed him?
There was no man, Daryl said.
What? He must have come outside at the same time you walked to the door. I
opened the damn thing before you even knocked!
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