Dark Surrender

“You’re missing it, Jilly,” she said, the excitement clear in her voice. “There’s got to be at least one man in New York you’ll go on more than one date with, and I think I’ve found him.”

Jillian was curious to see the man if he had Denise all worked up. She did have exceptional taste in men. Her current boyfriend was the stuff of dreams. A tall, hunky fireman named Nick.

Jillian gave a casual glance over her shoulder at the café entrance, and then she craned her head even further and gaped, her mouth open. She’d never seen a more handsome man. He was riveting, and she couldn’t help but stare.

“Got your attention now?” Denise laughed. “He looks like your usual stodgy, upper-class type, but he’s young. No doubt that one comes from Old Money.”

Jillian shook her head, unable to form any coherent thought. There was nothing stodgy about the man. Everything he emanated was purely raw and masculine, sexual.

“His suit is nice, classic,” Denise commented, approving his wardrobe. “Looks like Gucci. The choice suggests excellent taste.”

Denise would know. During college she’d interned at a fashion magazine and spent an entire summer studying fashion in Milan.

Jillian didn’t have to know Gucci in order to admire the way his elegant gray suit fit such a tall frame and wide shoulders. The collar of his crisp white shirt had been left open with the top few buttons undone, revealing some of the smooth, golden skin of his broad chest. He wore the tawny, blonde locks of his shoulder-length hair neatly pulled back at his nape. His stance was casual, with his hands tucked into his pants pockets, but no one could mistake the aura of power and ageless strength he possessed.

A sudden rush of heat surged through her veins as wicked images of strong arms drawing her up against a rock-hard chest formed in her mind. She curled her fingers as she imagined the solid feel of rippling muscle flexing beneath her fingertips. Licking her lips, she could almost taste the salt of flesh on her tongue.

“Bingo!” Denise sucked loudly on her straw as she finished her diet soda. “Your lady parts are going soft, admit it. He’s beautiful.”

Jillian felt alive in a way she had never before experienced. There was a tingling in the pit of her stomach and a longing ache deep within her that only intensified as her eyes landed back on his sharp, handsome face.

“More than beautiful,” Jillian said, breathless, as she rested her arm across the back of her chair. “He’s perfect.”

“Then it’s settled.” Denise plopped her purse in her lap and pulled out a sparkly red tube of lip gloss, which she handed to Jillian. “Go ask for his name, and then ask him if he’d like to take you out to dinner.”

Anxiety seized her, shutting down the warm tingle of desire. Even if she could work up the courage to ask a man for a date, she didn’t think she could make herself get out of the chair and walk across the room.

“You can do it,” Denise encouraged, waving her hand. “Don’t let one bad choice ruin you forever. Be glad you didn’t marry the jerk, and get back at him by being blissfully happy and dating a guy like that.”

God bless Denise. She’d made it her personal mission to pull Jillian out of the rut she’d been stuck in for the last three years, no matter how much she kicked and screamed. After her ex-fiancé turned psycho on her she’d called off the wedding and moved in with her only family, her grandparents. To this day the jerk still stalked her, harassing her for having the guts to leave. How could she bring a new man into her life when it was such a terrible mess? What would he think?

“I can’t ask a guy like that out.”

“A guy like that is just what you need.” Denise set the tube of lip gloss on the table, then smoothed her hands through her long, dark brown hair. “I’m working very hard to get you laid, and it has to be with the right guy. That,” she pointed to the man, “is the right guy.”

Jillian looked over at the man again and found him staring right back at her, his steely blue eyes piercing through her like lasers. She was caught, held in his captivating stare, unable to look away, and it made her feel exposed, like he could see her innermost desires, her deepest secrets.

“A man built that well has to be good in bed,” Denise remarked offhand. “He just has to.”

The man’s brow quirked up, his blue eyes lighting with interest.

Could he hear them across the café? Over the loud din of voices as the other customers talked and laughed?

The start of a smile pulled at the corner of his mouth. Jillian’s entire body smoldered from that subtle look. She imagined his full lips on hers, kissing her, wrapping her up in his strong arms.

Afraid he really could see into her mind, she turned back to the table to hide her embarrassment. She braced her hands on the end of the table to anchor herself to something tangible. She didn’t dare look back at him, no matter how badly she wanted to. The man was almost too much for her to take in all at once. Tall, devastatingly handsome, and way out of her league.

Denise chewed on the end of her straw while she continued to stare at him. “I’ll bet he can go all night.”

“Would you be quiet?” Jillian hushed. “I think he can hear us.”

“Really?” Denise set her soda on the table. “Come over here, big boy,” she purred softly, smiling and waving her fingers at the man. “My friend needs what only a man like you can give her. Please come over and ask her out, because she’s way too chicken to make the first move.”

“Are you nuts?” Jillian wished the floor would open up and swallow her.

She knew it wasn’t possible he’d heard what Denise said, so why did she have such a weird feeling?

Denise laughed. “If he comes over here, you’d better say yes.”

“He’s not going to come over here.” Jillian knew that for a fact.

She ran into handsome men all over the city, and she considered herself a fairly pretty woman, but they never asked her on a date. They never asked for her phone number. Not even coffee.

What was she doing wrong?

Denise said she was closed-off and jaded, and that men could sense it. Jillian liked to think she was just waiting for something extraordinary. For a man who made her breathless.

The gorgeous stranger standing in the café of her museum seemed like a good place to start. In spite of her embarrassment, she stole another glance over her shoulder. He appeared to be waiting for someone and he checked his watch. She took the chance to study his powerful, chiseled profile: his straight nose, the sharp angles of his face, covered by a soft dusting of blonde stubble. Despite the fancy suit and well-groomed hair, the shadow of a beard gave him a rugged, savage look. Like he’d be just as comfortable standing on a battlefield with a sword and armor.

Jillian could stare at him all day and, judging by the ravenous looks directed at him from the rest of the women in the café, she wasn’t alone.

“Where do guys like that come from?” Denise propped her elbow on the table and rested her chin in her hand.

“Heaven,” Jillian said, once again feeling breathless. “Straight from Heaven.”

***

Kyriel wasn’t blind to the desirous looks he got from women. Those were exactly the kinds of looks that had landed him on Earth in the first place. He couldn’t help the enticing lure he had as an angel. He was irresistible to humans. God made the angels that way on purpose. Through the centuries he’d gotten used to the unwarranted attention he received from women.

Eventually every female pair of eyes in the room would become trained on him, and they all held the same secret desire.

Sex.

Kyriel used his irresistible sexuality to his advantage. He figured if he was banished to Earth, he might as well enjoy his punishment. Women were his favorite pastime, along with food and drinking. And driving, of course, but he put his love for expensive cars and high speeds in a separate category. He’d already committed the greatest sin—disobeying God—so he didn’t think indulging in a few of the mortal sins would make much difference. It certainly made his endless sentence more bearable.

Once there had been a time when he couldn’t stand being stuck on Earth, and now he almost preferred it over Heaven.

Having his full powers made all the difference.

He checked his watch again, not necessarily concerned with the time, but upset that the man he was supposed to be meeting was late. Manners had become a thing of the past. People today placed less value on respect and more emphasis on money. It was a shame, but Kyriel didn’t like to get involved in human affairs. If they wanted to live an empty existence he wouldn’t stand in their way.

As an angel he’d risked everything to bring them forbidden knowledge but, unfortunately, he couldn’t make them use it. To their credit, being ignorant wasn’t totally their fault. There were dark powers at work. Organizations that wanted to keep the sacred knowledge for themselves and enslave the rest of humanity. Thanks to angels like Kyriel, those of them who were watching, that would never happen.

While he waited, he perused the small cafe. No threats and nothing to hold his interest, until he spotted a watchful pair of green eyes looking at him with genuine attraction. Blonde hair, cheeks soft with color, nose dainty, mouth rosy. She was a natural beauty. The kind of woman who didn’t know how beautiful she was.

Kyriel also knew Jillian Whitmore was smart. Wicked smart. She’d gone to school at Columbia and had earned two doctorate degrees, one in Art, one in History, and at twenty-eight years of age she was Head Curator of her family’s museum.

His excitement grew. Kyriel had found the perfect mode of introduction, and after seeing her in person, he couldn’t wait to meet her.