Earthbound Angels Part 1: The Heartthrob Fallen Celestial Stories Collection (5 page)

She came to a gravel road, long and flanked on
either side by low-hanging willow trees. It might have been a
little spooky at night but right now, it was just a beautiful place
to be.

About a mile later, she reached a paved driveway
that encircled one of the largest homes she had ever seen. By all
appearances, it was a 19th century mansion that had been extended
at some point in a way that did not damage the overall proportions,
but rather served to increase the sense of imposing grandeur. It
recalled the residence of an ambassador, except that it did not
wear the same sense of self-importance. The owner needed no pomp
and circumstance to advertise himself. There wasn't even a name
plate on the gatepost bearing some pretentious title, no indication
whatever of what lay beyond. There must be dozens of rooms in the
place. It appeared to be the kind of house where each bedroom was a
self-contained apartment, and where 60 people could live full time
without it seeming in any way crowded.

She pulled up in front of the house and simply
stared, drinking in the phenomenal beauty of this structure. As she
sat there, the heavy red door, decorated with ornate ironwork,
opened and Erick appeared. He smiled and waved at her as he bounded
down the steps toward the car. She opened the door and get out so
that she could greet him properly.

"You made it!" Erick exclaimed.

"Yes, I did," she said, smiling at his
enthusiasm. "Why didn't you tell me that you lived in a
mansion?!"

"I believe I hinted at it," he said, chuckling.
"I believe strongly that you're going to love it here."

"Well, I most likely will as long as I don't get
lost."

"Here, let me take that for you." Erick reached
for her laptop and tote bag. "I'll send someone down to get the
rest of your luggage for you."

"Oh! Well, thank you, Erick. I have to tell you
that I'm not used to this type of treatment," she said, a little
seriously. "Normally, I kind of take care of myself."

"I understand. But consider this part of the
perks of the job."

Hollianne just laughed and shook her head. Then
she followed him inside where her jaw dropped. She was standing in
a foyer that could have held her entire townhouse. On either side
was a curving staircase leading up to the next floor. A chandelier
sparkled in the domed ceiling. She took in the elegant candelabra,
the wood-paneled walls, the grand piano, and the huge fireplace.
She could imagine an entire ballroom in here, complete with gowns
and suits, wine and hushed laughter, as elegant people danced while
musicians played.

"Wow..." she breathed.

"You'll get used to it soon enough. After a
while, you won't even notice."

She laughed as she shook her head. "I seriously
doubt that, but I hope my jaw doesn't drop every time."

"I'll give you the grand tour later then," he
said, chuckling. "But let me show you to your suite first," Erick
said, as he started to climb one of the staircases.

With nothing to do but follow him, Hollianne
tried to see as much as she could before reaching the next floor.
Erick led her down a long wide hallway. The floor was covered with
a deep red carpet so thick, her feet made hardly any sound. He
stopped at a set of double doors. He stopped, opened them, and
stepped back so that she could enter.

"Welcome to your new home-for a while at least,"
Erick said, smiling.

Hollianne's jaw dropped once more. This couldn't
possibly be all hers for the foreseeable future.

She had never lived anywhere so spectacular!

It was not just a room. It was a suite of rooms.
The one Hollianne was standing in consisted of a sitting area with
a large stone fireplace. Two love seats and matching overstuffed
chairs sat in front of it. A coffee table and end tables completed
the ensemble.

Just beyond this grouping was a very nice dining
table with four chairs around it. A doorway went into the bedroom
itself. The bed was enormous with a canopy and curtains tied back.
Off the bedroom was an en-suite that could comfortably hold a dozen
people.

On the other side of the main room was another
entrance leading into a small but efficient kitchen. The overall
impression, surprisingly enough, was not one of overindulged and
expensive luxury, but one of comfort, well planned and tastefully
furnished. It was an apartment designed to make life as comfortable
as possible for the guest.

"So what do you think?" Erick asked after she
had walked through the entire suite.

"I think I can't quite believe that this is all
for me," Hollianne said, her hand flat on her heaving chest.

"Well, I did think about putting you out in the
guest cottage, but I really felt having you under the same roof
would be more convenient for us both."

"You have a guest cottage?"

"Yes, actually I have three of them on the
grounds, plus a housekeeper's cottage. My housekeeper and her
husband live there. You'll be meeting them a bit later, by the
way."

She didn't know why she was even surprised. I
honestly don't know what to say.

"Just say that you like it. If there's anything
that you need, all you have to do is say so and it will be
supplied."

Hollianne was overwhelmed.

She had never had anything like this handed to
her in her life, and would never have asked or expected it.

She had worked very hard for everything she had.
The trust fund from her mother only went so far. She had to pay the
debt her father owed to many people because her stepmother had
disappeared after using up her own inheritance - she was out there
somewhere, now hiding from creditors.

Holliane and Adam had both worked hard to stay
above water and survive. Somehow, they had kept going, clinging to
each other like castaways on a raft.

But then, when they were finally over the hard
times, he died. That had seemed to be the cruelest jest of all.

She turned to Erick.

"Thank you very much. I'm quite sure that this
will be more than enough for my needs. It's very kind of you to go
to all this trouble."

"It was no trouble at all, Hollianne. Besides,
no one ever uses these rooms. You're actually doing me a huge favor
by agreeing to stay in one."

Hollianne's mouth twitched and she burst into
laughter, looking at him in shock and alarm, expecting him to be at
best astonished and, at worst, offended. However, Erick found that
her laughter was infectious and he joined in, his laugh full of
relaxed and easy good humour.

"Please forgive me," Hollianne finally gasped.
"It's just that these past few days have been very stressful and
this is all such an unbelievable relief." She was fighting herself
for control, yet the feeling of letting go like this was a release
rather than a source of mortification.

"Think nothing of it," Erick replied. "I enjoyed
that bit of levity myself. It's not something that I've experienced
much, either. These rooms could do with a bit of laughter in them,
so it's doubly welcome. Now, take your time getting settled in.
Dinner will be served at seven. Don't worry yourself about what to
wear. It's my house and I favor comfort over formality."

"In the meantime, you should find that the
kitchen is well stocked with refreshments. If you need or want
anything else, just pick up that phone over there. It's the house
phone and the extensions are clearly marked. Don't feel shy about
it, either; this is your home as long as you're here, so my staff
is fully at your service."

When Erick had left her alone, Hollianne sat
down on one of the loveseats and simply looked around, unable to
move for several minutes. She still couldn't believe her great
fortune. In fact, now that she was here, she was starting to feel
completely at home. The place felt neither strange nor oppressive,
but peaceful and homelike; it invited her to unwind and stretch
out. She hadn't felt like this in a very long time. She was so
relaxed that she dozed off on the loveseat.

As she napped, something tugged at her
subconscious. There was a memory about Adam that lurked there but
it didn't seem to be a pleasant one and she tried to drive it away.
Suddenly, beside Adam, there stood Erick in front of her. He was
smiling at her slightly and held out his hand to her. Without even
hesitating or glancing at Adam, Hollianne took Erick's hand. He
pulled her lightly over to him and wrapped his arms around her. She
could feel the beating of his heart and the warmth of his body as
he cocooned her against him. Now, she
did
look over at Adam. The expression on his face was one of
anger mixed with regret. Now, how could she tell that? There was no
reason for it, but she somehow just knew what he was thinking in
that moment. Something else that she acknowledged was that she
didn't miss him any longer. She had Erick with her now and that was
all she cared about.

They continued to stand there, Erick's arms
around her. She slowly became aware that he was very lightly
kissing her neck. These feather kisses felt so real and so exciting
all at the same time. She leaned her head back against his chest
and he continued to move his mouth all over her neck and earlobes.
At last, he turned her around and claimed her mouth with his. The
kiss was still light but passionate at the same time. Their tongues
were exploring each other's mouths with an abandon that Hollianne
had rarely experienced. She knew this was a dream, but a very large
part of her wanted it to be real.

Feeling Erick's arms around her and his mouth on
hers somehow made everything much better. She wanted to live her
life to fullest and that wasn't a feeling she had enjoyed in a very
long time. When she lost Adam, she felt she had lost everything,
and that her hope in life had been one of those things.

Speaking of Adam, Hollianne broke the kiss with
Erick just long enough to glance back at where Adam had been
standing. He was no longer there. For a brief moment, Hollianne
felt responsible for Adam's disappearance, but when Erick began
kissing her once more, she only felt relief that Adam wasn't
there.

"Everything is going to be just fine,
Hollianne," Erick's deep voice reassured her. "You're with me now.
Your life is going to be amazing from this point on. Just
wait."

As he spoke to her, he continued to run his
hands over her body. This served to deepen her desire for him. Oh
yes, she thought. I want this!

When Hollianne opened her eyes, there were tears
in them. She could feel her whole body humming with an unidentified
energy. Her blood was singing and the rapid beating of her heart
was like a scream that was making her whole body pant.

She had never felt so aroused and yet so
incredibly alive at the same time; it felt scandalous to be so
ready and willing, but it was the most glorious experience in her
entire life!

What kind of a dream was that? What was it
trying to tell her? Her body was so full of amazing feelings that
she no longer felt entirely in control. Her feelings were running
riot. She had once thought that loss of control should never
happen, yet she now craved it

Hollianne closed her eyes and tried to breathe
as evenly and as deeply as she could. She was trying to calm
herself, but was unable to put it out of her mind. She could still
feel Erick's mouth on her neck, then on her own mouth. The way he
had touched her in the dream seemed to have left an imprint upon
her body. She found that she was having a very hard time catching
her breath and her heart thudded heavily in her chest.

She tried to reason with herself. Maybe it was
the aftermath of that dream. It was just so... extraordinary. She
had only just met Erick. How in the world could she even entertain
the idea that he might want her? Not only that, but that he was
going to take care of her. There had also been love present in that
dream. It was all so silly! How could she fall in love with someone
she didn't even know? More puzzling, how could she even think that
someone like Erick could fall in love with her? This was well
beyond reasonable thinking. But then, dreams could be that way,
couldn't they? Hollianne hadn't experienced a lot of reasons to
feel happy in a while. Now, though, this sensation that flowed
through her along with the residual desire from the dream was
happiness. In the past months, it had felt wrong of her to
experience joy and feel happy over anything. Suddenly, it was clear
that she had every right to be happy.

It was a feeling that she wanted desperately to
hold onto while also balancing it with normalcy. She should be able
to do that, right? Happiness could become a normal part of her life
and she could enjoy things just as everyone else in the world.
Being abnormally depressed and miserable was something she was so
very tired of feeling. Looking around at her surroundings once
more, she let the happiness come through.

"Please forgive me, Adam," she whispered. "I'll
always have a place for you in my heart, but I'm still alive and I
want to be happy. If you're able to hear me, please don't hold it
against me. I need to be happy."

"HONESTLY, DR. ADDISON! This is all a huge
misunderstanding!"

Dr. Dreama Addison studied the attractive young
woman sitting across from her. She was a bit on the thin side with
long, brown hair and deep brown eyes, but she was pretty enough. At
the moment, she was fidgeting without seeming to notice it. To
Dreama, this was a sign of lying.

"Allison, do you understand why you've been
court-ordered to see me?" Dreama asked.

"Of course, I understand why the judge
thought
I might need some therapy
sessions, but I
promise
you that
it is all a misunderstanding!" Allison replied with her voice
squeaking into higher levels at certain points.