Angel Rule #10: Don’t just plan for the worst. Plan to fix the worst.
Tony stared at Sally. He thought he would throw up. It was too soon, damn it. He’d been so close to telling Rebecca. So close to doing the right thing, to making sure she understood why she couldn’t keep wanting him this way. But now Sally was going to ruin it all, and destroy his only chance with the woman he loved.
No. Hell no. He couldn’t let that happen yet. He wasn’t going down before he’d ever really had a chance.
He stole a glance over his shoulder at Rebecca’s stricken face. “Be right back,” he muttered, then stepped outside, using his body to push Sally back so he could close the door.
“What are you doing here?” he growled.
“I’ve come to check on Rebecca. It’s been nearly two weeks since we last spoke. Has she remembered what she is yet?” Sally regarded him with cool interest.
“No. She’s only remembered a few minor things. Nothing of significance. And before you accuse me of anything—” He raised a hand. “I took her to the scene of the accident today. She remembered feeling upset because the clerk called her Miranda’s mother. That’s all.”
“Ah. I see.”
Her lingering gaze made him flush. What must she see in his thoughts? Probably more than he’d be comfortable with.
“I’ve come to speak with her,” Sally said.
Tony’s stomach dropped out, and his throat constricted. “You can’t,” he said, and shook his head. “She’ll leave me. You said I’d have a chance! I just need more time to tell her—”
“You’ve had two weeks. Clearly your tender care hasn’t been enough to restore her memories. It’s time for me to step in, before you do any more damage with this misguided attempt at love.”
Tony scowled. “Misguided? You don’t know what I think, or feel. You have no right to tell me my feelings are misguided.”
Yet the look she turned on him said she knew exactly what he thought. Exactly what he felt. And exactly what she thought about it, and what she intended to do.
“You can’t. You can’t just decide her life this way!” he said.
“Isn’t that exactly what you tried to do?”
“No!” Tony ran a hand down his face. “I may have let her believe—”
“Lied to her, you mean. Let’s not sugarcoat this.”
“I may have allowed her to draw her own conclusions.” Tony exhaled slowly and tried to calm himself. Sally made him feel dirty, like a complete bastard, but he couldn’t fly off the handle. “I was trying to protect her. To keep her safe. I can’t be faulted for having feelings for her. I’m only human.”
“Yes, you are. But she isn’t meant to be.”
Tony glowered at Sally. So much for angels being nice. Wrath of God didn’t even begin to cover it. Was she enjoying this? Was she enjoying terrifying him with the mere thought of life without Rebecca?
“No,” Sally said. “I’m not. And I’m not so cruel as you thi—”
Her icy composure broke into a look of sheer mortification, shortly replaced by concern. She stared over Tony’s shoulder. Tony frowned. What was wrong with her?
“Oh,” Sally said. “Oh, Rebecca…I’m so sorry.”
Rebecca.
Tony’s palms were slick with sweat. He swallowed heavily. If he turned around, she’d be there. Looking at him. Hating him.
He turned slowly. He felt like he was facing the firing squad. The door stood open. Rebecca watched him, her face pale. She knew. It was there in her eyes: that snapping awareness, and that searching stare that said she remembered every last fight, every embrace, every kiss they’d ever shared.
And she hated him for it.
Tears streaked down her cheeks, but it wasn’t the tears that made him sag against the wall. It was the look of utter betrayal, stabbing into him and twisting deep. He’d done this to her. He’d concealed the truth from her. Tried to shelter her from the very thing she’d needed.
And he’d lost her after all.
…
Rebecca stared at Tony. He’d lied to her. Tricked her. He’d kept her here, and let her believe she’d cared for him. Let her believe she loved him. How could he? How could he do that to her?
“Rebecca,” he said. “Listen to me, please.” His voice cracked with desperation. He reached for her, but she jerked out of his grasp.
“No.”
“But I never meant to—”
“I don’t want to hear it!” Did he think she would just smile, nod, and forgive him like a good little angel? No way in hell.
Not this angel.
“Why should I listen to you?” she spat. “So you could lie to me again?”
The pain felt like it would rip her apart, and not even her anger could hold her together. She wanted to curl up and hide somewhere dark and quiet, where no angel or man could ever find her. Tony had taken advantage of her. Betrayed her.
She was lucky she hadn’t ended up another notch on his bedpost.
She’d been so stupid. She’d fallen for his game, and thrown herself at him at every turn. Another day or two and he’d probably have reeled her in, hook line and sinker.
After all, how many men could list an angel among their conquests?
“It’s not like that,” Tony protested. He reached for her hand, but she snatched it back.
“Don’t touch me.” She shoved him away. It felt too good to see him stumble, and watch the hurt flash across his face. Bastard. “Don’t you ever touch me again.”
He blanched. Quite a performance. “You have to understand! I was trying to—”
“I know what you were trying to do. Were you going to get me to do a little scarf dance for you? Maybe strut on the catwalk and wave my fake wings around? Which fantasy were you hoping to try out first?”
“I wasn’t hoping to try out any fantasies!” He stared at her, his bright green eyes pleading. She hated that even now, those eyes had the power to cut her so deeply. “Look, I was a dick. I’m a guy. I don’t exactly think with my brain all the time. But I wasn’t trying to get you in bed. If I hadn’t told you we’d lived together, you’d have had nowhere to go. No home, no family. Nowhere you belonged, until you could heal and go back to your duty as an angel. Anything that happened between us was—”
“An accident?” Rebecca snorted. “So lying to me was accidental?”