Read Online Angel Falling by Audrey Carlan - Free Book Online Page B

stakeholders that we were going to be fine and one in particular was ruthless.”
    “Just a bunch of pricks with dicks.” I kissed the side of her face along the hairline. “Now tell me why one of them was worse than the others?”
    “Because he’s my ex and I’m stuck working with him. He put a large sum of money into the magazine startup when we were together. Bad idea to mix business with pleasure, I guess.” Her eyes met mine. She tried to push off me, her face twisting into a grimace. I held tight, my grip relentless.
    “Nut uh. You ain’t runnin’ from me, Angel. We have a deal. Two dates.”
    The tension in her body visibly relaxed, her shoulders sagged. Her body melted against mine once more as she nodded into my neck. Her smell was all around me. Vanilla and honey. I inhaled deeply, contentment filling my pores. “I love the way you smell.”
     She pulled up and sat her heart-shaped ass on the edge of my bed. In my half-reclined position I moved over as far as I could to the opposite edge of the bed making sure not to jostle my shoulder too much. She sat and tentatively leaned against my chest and the good shoulder. “Is this okay?”
    “Better than anything,” I whispered. This small woman fit so perfectly in the crook of my arm, like she was made for me.
    “Tell me about you, Hank. I hardly know anything.”
    Her face snuggled into my chest, her cheek planted against the bare skin. My good arm cradled her. I yanked on the rubber band holding up her hair letting the waves of silk fall over her shoulder. It eased my pain to have her so near. Running my fingers through the strands of her hair calmed and soothed me. I had a sneaky suspicion it did the same for her. She took a deep breath and relaxed deeper into my chest. Her small fingers rested over my heart. Once more I thanked God I was able to reach her in time.
    “How about we start with the basics?” She nodded. “Okay. Family first. Mom is Julia, Dad is Henry. They are retired cattle ranchers. My brother Heath now runs the family business with his wife Jess. They have twin boys, Holt and Hunter. They’re four and putting my brother through the ringer. I love every minute of it.” Thinking of Heath and the boys made me chuckle.
    She joined in laughing lightly. “So all of the men in your family are named with an ’H’ I see?”
    I smiled and rubbed my chin against the top of her head. “Yes, ma’am. Old Man Henry likes it that way. And what Dad wants, Dad gets.” She smirked. “What about you, Darlin’?”
    “Well, my father is William Reynolds. My mother is Vivian Bright-Reynolds.”
    “Why would she hyphenate her name?”
    “Because she comes from a very well-to-do family. It’s customary in our circles. My name is hyphenated, too. Technically, I’m Aspen Isabel Bright-Reynolds. My mother insisted on all of her children having her maiden name included on their birth certificates.”
    “Different strokes for different folks, I guess. Will you change it when you get married or will you have five names?” Seemed ridiculous to have so many names.
    “I don’t know. Depends on the marriage.” She tapped her fingers on my chest. “Then I have my baby sister, London, who’s an interior designer and my older brother, Rio, who’s huge in real estate.”
    “Aspen, London, and Rio?”
    She smiled and nodded. “My parents named us each after the place they were vacationing at when they found out they were pregnant. It’s actually the only sweet story I know about their love. They’ve never been the happiest couple.” She seemed to burrow in closer when she spoke of her family.
    I tightened my grip on her small form. “I’m sorry.”
    “It’s okay. I’ve been very fortunate. Never wanted for anything growing up. Went to the best schools. I used my trust fund to start my company, and now I’m bigger in business than they ever dreamed.”
    I cupped her shoulder and squeezed her tighter. Being with her like this was