I had been in the kitchen for around ten minutes, about to make myself a chicken salad sandwich in order to keep busy, when the doorbell finally rang. My stomach plummeted into my feet. I set the food aside, walking over to the door. My heart drummed a frantic rhythm inside me as I went.
Michael stood on my welcome mat with his hands in his pockets. His hesitance bubbled around him as he cleared his throat. “May I come in?”
“Sure,” I said, standing aside. He walked in and I shut the door, going back to the kitchen. He trailed behind me, a silent but tense presence. I couldn’t imagine what sorts of things were going through his head right now.
“I…understand if you need more time to think about this,” the archangel began, sounding regretful. It was so unlike him. “It isn’t an easy decision.”
I shook my head. “No, it’s fine. I talked to Gabriel. He told me what happened to Uriel.”
His green eyes went wide, but I couldn’t tell if it was fear or surprise.
“Oh. Well, at least you’re making an informed decision,” Michael replied, a weak smile tugging at the edge of his lips.
I nodded. “I am.”
He inhaled slowly. “And…what decision is that?”
This was it—the moment that decided everything. There were so many feelings flowing through my body all at once, nearly making me dizzy. Then, I took a deep breath and spoke from the heart.
“Michael…you’re smug, self-righteous, overprotective, and hardheaded. You make me feel as if everything I’ve learned over the course of my life is fleeting. You snore. You drink out of the carton when you think I’m not looking. You’re way too fond of those band groupies and you’re constantly telling me what to do.”
I took another slow breath and smiled at him. “And if that’s all I can come up with for reasons not to be with you, then I think we’ll be alright.”
He went completely still. “Jordan, what are you saying?”
“What do you think I’m saying, idiot? I’m in love with you.” I grabbed a handful of his shirt and jerked him down to my height, stealing a kiss that made warmth crawl down my spine and envelope my entire body. It wasn’t his lust or mine—it was the culmination of our very spirits, our energy, his and mine, somehow separate, somehow together, somehow whole.
He wrapped those strong arms around my back and held me steady as the kiss deepened, until we were both breathless and shaking. I broke from his lips, opening my eyes to look up into that gorgeous face.
“That reminds me. Should you be kissing me before our souls get hitched?”
“Point taken. Well, there are two important things you should know about the marriage.”
I arched an eyebrow. “And those are?”
“One, with your soul bound to mine, no demon will ever be able to touch your skin without being burned. It’s a side effect of becoming part of me.”
A flood of relief went through me. “And two?”
“Two,” he said, dropping his voice to a sultry tone. “The marriage is only effective after we’ve…consummated it.”
A great thrill traveled up my spine, but I hid it with a nonchalant shrug. “How ever will I survive?”
His smile was decidedly wicked. “That’s a legitimate question.”
Before I could say anything else, he scooped me up in his arms and carried me to the bedroom, kicking the door shut. Just after he laid me down on the mattress, I remembered something.
“Wait, I forgot to put the chicken salad away.”
He leaned over me with a smirk that gave me heart palpitations.