Chapter Three
The morning sunlight filtered through the thin curtains of Cody’s small living room, painting the modest space in hues of gold and cream. His house wasn’t much, just a single-story with a handful of rooms, each filled with secondhand furniture and mismatched decor. It was cozy, though, and entirely his. The battered couch sagged slightly in the middle, and the coffee table bore scratches from countless restless nights with his feet propped up on it. His favorite room was the tiny kitchen, where he stood now, frying bacon.
Cody flipped the sizzling slices, the spatula making a satisfying scrape against the pan. The smell was heavenly, rich and smoky, wafting through the house and making his stomach rumble. At his feet, his calico cat, Duchess Poppy Von Fluffington, wound around his legs with persistent meows.
“No.”
He pointed the spatula at her. “You’re not getting any bacon. You’re strictly on cat food, Miss Royal Pain.”
She didn’t care. Duchess gave him a demanding yowl then hopped onto the counter with the practiced ease of someone who did this all the time.
“Duchess!”
Cody groaned, setting the spatula down. “How many times do I have to tell you—”
He reached for her, but the cat had other plans. She darted away, knocking over the salt shaker in her escape.
“Spoiled rotten.”
Cody grabbed a paper towel to wipe up the spilled grains. He gave her an exasperated look as she stared back at him from the top of the fridge, smug as ever. “You’re lucky you’re cute.”
The cat tilted her head as if to agree.
Returning to the stove, he grabbed the spatula just as the bacon began to crisp. As he flipped the last piece, a strange sensation prickled over his skin. That same awareness he’d felt in the woods—and at the vet clinic yesterday—the undeniable sense that someone was watching him.
Gripping the spatula tightly, he glanced around the kitchen. Nothing. Just him and Duchess, who now watched him from her perch with eerie stillness.
“Okay,”
he muttered, his voice tight. “This is fine. Totally fine.”
He moved the cooked bacon to a paper napkin.
The feeling didn’t go away. It pressed against him, heavy and suffocating, until he couldn’t take it anymore. Whirling around, spatula raised like a weapon, he swung wildly at the empty air.
Thwack ! The sound of metal hitting nothing echoed in the kitchen.
“Ow!”
A voice, deep and sarcastic, filled the room. “Do I look like a pancake that needs flipping?”
Cody froze, eyes wide. “I knew it!”
he swung the spatula but didn’t hit anything solid this time. “Show yourself, you—whatever you are!”
“I’d rather not get smacked with kitchen utensils again,”
the voice replied, sounding amused.
“I’m serious! Either show yourself or I’m calling animal control!”
His grip on the spatula tightened, wondering how animal control could help when it came to an invisible man.
A sharp flash pierced the room, and suddenly, he was there—the same half-naked man from the woods. “I don’t know why you insist on seeing my ugly mug.”
Cody stared, open-mouthed. Duchess Poppy Von Fluffington took one look at him, arched her back, hissed like her life depended on it, and bolted. Unfortunately, she misjudged her trajectory and smacked headfirst into a chair leg before scrambling out of the room in a flurry of fur and indignation.
The stranger raised an eyebrow. “Charming.”
“You’re real.”
Cody pointed the spatula at him, ignoring how good he looked in those black leather pants.
“Unfortunately,”
the guy replied, his tone dry as he crossed his arms, leaning casually against the counter. “And you’re still waving that thing around like you’re in a fencing tournament.”
Cody dropped the spatula onto the counter with a clatter. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“Here to eat some bacon, apparently.”
The stranger’s gaze flicked toward the stove, his expression amused.
“Don’t avoid my question!”
Cody snapped, stepping back to put the small kitchen table between them. “How did you—”
He gestured vaguely, frustration mounting. “I mean, you just—poof! And now you’re in my kitchen?”
The stranger tilted his head, an eyebrow arching. “Poof?”
“Yes, poof!”
Cody glared, exasperation laced through every word. “And don’t act like this is normal! People don’t just—appear!”
“I’m standing here, so I beg to differ.”
Completely unfazed, the guy reached for a slice of bacon cooling on the napkin.
Cody’s jaw dropped farther. “It’s a huge deal!”
His gaze darted between the stranger and the bacon as the guy took a bite, his lids briefly closing in what could only be described as bliss. Did he always look like he was having an orgasm when eating bacon? “Hey, that’s mine!”
“It’s good,”
he said, ignoring the protest. “Really good.”
Glancing at the napkin, Cody wondered if the strips would have the same effect on him. He’d never had a sensual reaction just from eating bacon.
“Thank you,”
the guy said, his tone infuriatingly smooth.
Cody started to say something about the way the hunk stood there, so utterly at ease in his small kitchen, but the words faltered. Had his house just gotten hijacked by a runway model?
Whoever, or whatever, he was, he looked like he’d stepped out of a Renaissance painting, all bronzed skin and chiseled features.
“You still haven’t told me who you are and why you keep following me.”
The demand was quickly forgotten, too focused on how the guy’s neck muscles slid up and down as he chewed and swallowed, making Cody wish he were that piece of bacon right now.
The gorgeous jerk stared him in the eye, licking every single finger with exaggerated effort. Now he wished he were those fingers and was dying to close the distance and lick the man’s lips.
Pull yourself together. He’s been following you around and pops into your kitchen, and all you want to do is beg him to bend you over the table?
Cody cleared his throat, managing to sound indignant. “Tell me who you are, buster.”
“Call me your guardian angel, handsome.”
He winked. “Or you can call me Raziel.”
Handsome? Now he knew the stranger was full of shit. While Cody didn’t think he was bad-looking, he was a realist and was nowhere even close to this hunk’s league.
“What are you?”
Raziel opened the fridge as if he lived there, retrieving a carton of orange juice. “Thirsty,”
he replied simply.
“Hey!”
Cody picked up the spatula, ready to…paddle his nicely shaped ass.
Day-am.
“Can I have a glass?”
Raziel asked while searching through the cupboards.
“Sure, help yourself,”
Cody muttered. Absentmindedly, he picked up a strip off the napkin, crunching on the bacon while watching all those beautiful, bronzed muscles flex with every movement.
“I’m a celestial being who wants some more bacon.”
He poured a glass of orange juice, set it on the counter, then drank from the carton. Once again, Cody’s gaze focused on the man’s throat muscles.
Wait…
“Are you saying you’re an angel?”
Large, white, feathery wings shot out from Raziel’s back, knocking over a few things in the small kitchen. The sugar bowl rolled across the counter then took a dive toward the floor.
Holy shit! Fuck, was he supposed to say “holy”
when cursing? Was he even supposed to curse? Should he bow or offer Raziel a lifetime’s worth of bacon?
“Guardian angels are a real thing?”
He wrinkled his nose. “I thought that was just in movies.”
Raziel spread his arms, the orange juice carton gripped in one hand. “So, what else are you making to eat?”
Cody’s mind was melting, and the angel wanted to eat? “I would tell you if I’d invited you to breakfast.”
He was fed up with the angel’s rude manners.
But was still impressed as hell too.
Shit, stop saying biblical curse words.
Raziel stood there studying him, and that was when Cody noticed the angel’s eyes. Just a moment ago they were green. Now… He stepped closer, momentarily forgetting his fears. The irises swirled, and… He moved even closer, nearly on top of the guy. Were those shooting stars?
“You’re awfully close, handsome.”
Raziel’s voice had grown huskier, pulling Cody out of his daze. He quickly stepped back, his breath hitching.
“Are you following me because I’m about to die?”
He wasn’t ready to die. At only twenty-nine years old, he had his whole life ahead of him!
The angel snorted. “Do I look like a reaper to you?”
His wings tucked in, and then he eyed the napkin. “Are you going to share the rest of your bacon?”
Cody simply stared at the guy, his brain short-circuiting under the sheer absurdity of the moment. This was it. He’d officially cracked. A half-naked, bacon-stealing angel with runway-model abs was standing in his kitchen, drinking straight from the orange juice carton like he was never taught any manners.
“That stuff isn’t cheap, you know.”
Cody pointed the spatula like it could ward off celestial beings.
Raziel raised an eyebrow, completely unfazed, and took another long sip from the carton before slowly setting it on the counter. “Are you saying I’m needy?”
His tone was teasing, but there was a flicker of something—something quiet and guarded—just beneath the surface.
“You’re not needy.”
Cody scowled, tossing the spatula into the sink. “You’re just rude.”
Raziel leaned against the fridge, crossing his arms over his chest in that maddeningly casual way of his, those eyes still mesmerizing the hell out of Cody.
Stop using biblical curse words.
“You’re staring, handsome,”
Raziel drawled, his voice dropping an octave, smooth and husky like a late-night radio DJ.
Cody blinked, snapping out of whatever celestial-induced trance he’d fallen into. “Your eyes are…different,”
he said. “Do they always do that?”
It seemed his brain was on delay if he was just now pointing that out.
The guy chuckled softly, the sound sending an unwelcome ripple through Cody. A shiver that made him want to move closer. “Only when I want them to, or if I’m experiencing extreme emotions.”
“Well, stop it,”
Cody said under his breath, glancing away and busying himself by picking up the now-empty bacon napkin. He was not going to stand here and ogle an angel like some lovesick fool. He wasn’t.
Raziel’s gaze lingered on him, unrelenting. “You’re curious, though, aren’t you?”
“About what?”
“About me.”
Cody scoffed, though it came out weaker than he intended. “Well, duh. You broke into my kitchen and ate my breakfast. Of course I have questions.”
The angel still hadn’t told Cody why he was following him, but right now, he was using all his energy not to outright gawk at the gorgeousness.
Straightening, Raziel stepped closer, and Cody instinctively took a step back. “I didn’t break in. I walked in.”
His voice was low, laced with indignation, the swirl in his eyes growing frantic.
“Walking in requires using the door,”
Cody shot back. Angel or not, he refused to let the jerk push him around. “Doors you conveniently ignored.”
“Details.”
Raziel shrugged, his lips twitching in amusement.
Why did the very first angel he met have to turn out to be a pain in the ass? Weren’t angels supposed to be nice?
And he wished Raziel would stop looking at him with those mesmerizing eyes. Cody had called them different, but in reality, they were breathtaking. Yet, there seemed to be a hint of sorrow behind them, as if Raziel was using his persona as a shield. Who was he trying to protect himself from?
“Okay, fine,”
he said. “Who sent you? What’re you even doing here?”
Raziel seemed to consider the questions. “No one sent me. I came because…”
He paused and briefly glanced at Cody’s lips before meeting his gaze again. “Because I wanted to…”
A deep sorrow emanated from Raziel’s eyes, a sadness that seemed to weigh heavy on his shoulders. He attempted to conceal it, but Cody could see the ache in his gaze, making him wonder if this was a common characteristic of all angels, or if Raziel was simply jaded.
His heart began to race and his throat constricted as he waited for Raziel to speak. What could an angel possibly want from him? The answer seemed unimaginable, yet here he was, standing in his kitchen waiting for an explanation.
Raziel’s smile was slow and purposeful, as if he knew exactly how much it unsettled Cody. “Have breakfast.”
The words hung in the air, absurd yet strangely sincere. It felt surreal to have an angel casually invite himself into his home and raid his fridge. But Raziel seemed completely at ease, as if he belonged there, unaware of the turmoil churning inside Cody.
“So, you just decided to show up and…what? Steal my breakfast?”
He tried to sound braver than he felt, but his voice strained under the weight of his pounding pulse. Still, Cody refused to let Raziel see how unnerved he truly was.
Hell if he was going to let some hot jerk just barge in here and run shit. The guy had lost his gorgeous mind.
“More or less,”
Raziel replied smoothly, amusement tugging at his lips as if this were an entirely reasonable explanation. He reached for another piece of bacon.
“Oh, no, you don’t!”
He swatted the guy’s hand away, giving him a warning glare. “Back off, buddy. I cooked it, so it’s mine.”
Raziel’s laugh was deep, sultry, and just this side of sinfully wicked. Cody’s brain sent warning signals about exactly how disarming that sound was.
I’m in over my head.
Raziel crossed his arms, the movement causing his chiseled muscles to shift and ripple. Now Cody wondered if he could go to hell for lusting after an angel. He would have to look that up online.
“You’re surprisingly territorial for someone your size,”
Raziel teased, leaning back against the counter with a smirk on his face.
The statement caused Cody to bristle. He’d been picked on his entire life about his flaming-red hair. He didn’t need some gorgeous asshole starting in on him about his height. “I’m not small. You’re just freakishly tall.”
Which was true. The guy looked to be about six-four or six-five.
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Raziel’s grin widened, showing off pretty, straight, white teeth.
“Don’t.”
Cody’s tone came out harsher than he’d intended, but he was scrambling to ground himself under the weight of Raziel’s piercing gaze.
The mischief in those green eyes—he hadn’t even noticed when they’d turned from swirling back to their natural color—shifted into something deeper and made it harder to deflect his attention.
Glancing back toward the stove, Cody forced himself to ignore the goosebumps trailing down his arms. Somehow, he needed to get the half-naked jerk out of his house.
As if he was invited company, Raziel swiveled a kitchen chair around then straddled it, resting his forearms lazily on the back.
Did the guy have to look sexy with every move he made? Cody wasn’t sure how to combat that. He didn’t even know if he wanted to. Now all he could think about was sliding between the chair and Raziel, trailing his tongue over that perfect, exposed chest.
Great, now his cock was half-hard. He seriously needed to kick the angel out before he ended up on someone’s shitlist from all the dirty thoughts circling in his head.
Was he allowed to lust after an angel?
He frowned. “You know, you could at least pretend to be less of a freeloader.”
Raziel grinned but said nothing.
Frustrated for more reasons than one, Cody turned back toward the stove and plated the remaining bacon. He was not going to ogle the way light carved golden edges into Raziel’s skin.
Finally, he set the plate down on the counter, not slamming but firm enough to feel resolute. If he didn’t take back control, Raziel would run all over him. He could just feel that coming,
“Why are you following me? You’re an angel, right? Shouldn’t you be off, I don’t know, saving people or smiting sinners or something?”
Raziel tilted his head slightly, causing his long, blond hair to tumble to the side like a golden waterfall. Cody’s gaze slid downward and stopped at the dark corded necklace the guy wore, the metallic pendant resting against his chest. The pendant was some sort of tooth or claw.
Did it hold some kind of significance for Raziel?
Looking back up, Cody froze under the weight of the man’s piercing stare.
“Maybe I find you more interesting than saving the world.”
What did that mean? He felt as though he stayed in a permanent confused state around the angel. His stomach gave an involuntary flutter that he didn’t appreciate. “Well…”
He had no idea what to say. Warmth crept into his neck despite his best efforts to fight it. “I don’t need…whatever this is in my life.”
Raziel’s smile softened. That expression, that quiet, tender thing Cody hadn’t expected, made it impossible to stay focused on the irritation he was trying hard to muster and portray. “I’m not here to make your life harder, Cody.”
Startled by the sincerity in the man’s tone, he blinked. “Then why are you here?”
The guy shrugged, and his gaze dropped briefly to the table, his jaw tightening before their eyes met again. “Because I wanted to…”
“Wanted to what?”
Cody’s voice dropped to a hoarse whisper. An ache rippled through his chest, his thoughts scattering for reasons he didn’t want to closely inspect.
There was a wealth of heartache in Raziel’s eyes and pain so profound Cody wanted to weep for him. No one should feel that level of anguish, especially not an angel.
“Because maybe I like spending time with you.”
Raziel lifted his hand and reached for him, like the guy wanted to touch him, but he pulled it back and rested it on the chair. “You have the most amazing red hair I’ve ever seen.”
After being teased relentlessly growing up, Cody had always felt self-conscious about his hair. But when Raziel complimented it, he wanted to preen.
He opened his mouth to respond but found himself completely at a loss. How was he supposed to process this? A half-naked angel was casually eating bacon in his kitchen, sweeping Cody effortlessly off his feet and looking ridiculously good while doing it.
This was not how he’d envisioned his Saturday morning.
A sharp knock at the front door broke the tension, making Cody jump.
That had to have been the most intense moment of his life, causing him to feel as if he was coming out of a dream. He quickly exited the kitchen, desperate to breathe any air that wasn’t infused with Raziel’s smoky, masculine scent.
Just as Cody reached for the knob, Raziel vanished.
That shit was the freakiest thing he had ever seen. He froze for half a beat, staring at the now-empty chair. But he could still feel Raziel’s presence—an odd, almost electric sensation that settled in his chest like a second heartbeat.
Shaking off the craziness trying desperately to cling to him, he opened the door. His father stood on the porch, toolbox in hand and his usual easy smile on his face.
“Morning, kiddo. Thought I’d get this sink of yours sorted before I head to the hardware store,”
his dad said in his gruff, but good-natured tone. He didn’t even wait for Cody to respond before heading toward the bathroom. Closing and locking the door, Cody turned, narrowing his eyes at the empty space where Raziel had been moments ago.
“Uh, yeah. Sure. Come on in, Dad.”
He returned to the kitchen and glanced quickly around the room as though expecting something, anything, from the invisible angel who had just been sitting at his table.
“It’s my dad, so behave,”
he whispered. “No funny business.”
Raziel, of course, didn’t make a peep. But Cody swore he could feel the angel’s presence hovering just behind him, unseen but undeniably there.
His dad set the toolbox on the bathroom counter and gave Cody an odd look when he joined him.
“You okay?”
His dad looked him over, concern in his eyes. “Are you getting enough sleep?”
“Plenty.”
He bit back a yelp when an invisible finger poked at his ribs.
Opening the toolbox, his dad continued to study him with a doubtful expression.
A finger poked at Cody’s ribs once more, causing him to flinch and bite back another yelp. “Will you cut it out?”
he hissed under his breath then curled his lips in when he realized what he’d done.
“Cut what out?”
his dad asked, glancing back curiously.
“Nothing.”
Cody cleared his throat, making a mental note to kill Raziel later.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
His dad’s eyes wrinkled at the corners. “You know you can talk to me about anything, son.”
Gazing tenderly at his father, Cody gave him a warm smile. “I know. I promise I’m getting plenty of sleep, but thanks for being so concerned.”
A knowing look entered his dad’s pale blue eyes. “You’re seeing a new fella, aren’t you.”
Cody nearly choked. “I can promise you I’m not seeing a guy.”
Because he’s invisible and quickly getting on my nerves.
“If you’re too embarrassed to talk about it, call your mom.”
His dad bent under the sink, leaving Cody to glare daggers at the empty space before he fled into the hallway. “Keep it up and no more bacon for you, buster.”
Yelling at thin air while threatening an invisible angel had to be the definition of insanity. It just had to be.
“Love how those jeans hug your cute little ass so nicely, kitten.”
Raziel’s low, sultry voice ghosted over Cody’s ear.
“What…you…”
He just stood there blinking like the flirtatious comment had fried brain cells. This whole situation was the most bizarre thing he had ever experienced. “Stop,”
he whispered sharply, refusing to glance over his shoulder, even though Raziel couldn’t be seen.
“Stop what?”
his dad called out.
“Duchess is playing with my feet!”
His dad was already worried about him. Cody didn’t need to make him think his son had completely lost his mind.
It sure as hell felt like it.
Duchess Poppy Von Fluffington slinked back into the room, her tail puffed up and her body stiff. She paused in the doorway, her wide, suspicious gaze darting around as if checking to make sure the coast was clear. When her eyes landed on Raziel’s general vicinity, she yowled then bolted, her claws catching on the rug and sending it into a crumpled mess.
He knew exactly how she felt.
“I think she likes me,”
Raziel purred, his tone thick with mock innocence.
“This is my life now,”
Cody groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Invisible angels and traumatized cats.”
“Could be worse,”
Raziel said, his tone light. “At least I’m not a demon.”
Cody wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry.