An Angel's kiss.

Chapter eight

What irritated me even more was how often that woman seemed to appear wherever I happened to be. Family dinners. Charity events. Business gatherings. Even random weekends. Whether it was a coincidence or my mother's doing, I honestly couldn't tell anymore.

The funny part? I couldn't even remember the woman's name. Not because there was anything wrong with her. There wasn't. She was attractive, graceful, and carried herself well. Any man would probably be more than happy to marry someone like her.

I just wasn't interested. Marriage wasn't even on my list of priorities. I had a company to expand, goals I had yet to achieve, and ambitions that demanded every ounce of my attention. I wanted to build something that was entirely my own—something my parents couldn't control, claim, or used to dictate my future. The last thing I wanted was to be tied down because our families thought we'd make a good match. So before she ever had the chance to become anything more, I'd already ruled her out.

It wasn't like I wasn't used to women. Quite the opposite. Before the rumors, I never had a problem being around them. They came and went, and I never gave any of it much thought. If I spent the night with someone, it was because we both wanted the same thing. I never made promises, and I never led anyone on. I made sure they knew exactly where they stood.

That girl started telling people we were going to get married after I graduated from college. I don't know whether she actually believed it or simply hoped that repeating it would make it come true, but the rumor spread across campus before I even heard about it. Some people believed it but the ones who knew me well just laughed. They knew I wasn't the settling-down type.

But the rumor changed everything. Women became more persistent than ever. Some suddenly saw me as husband material. Others seemed determined to prove they could make me forget about my so-called fiancée. The attention became exhausting, so I started keeping my distance. Not because I disliked women, but because I was tired of the assumptions, the expectations, and all the unnecessary complications that came with them.

That was exactly why I never imagined I'd end up kissing a complete stranger tonight.

I lost track of how many matches Blade and I had played—or how much time had passed. One game turned into another, and before I knew it, I was completely locked in, my focus fixed on the screen.

When I felt her fingers gently brush through my hair. My grip on the controller tightened and when she slipped one side of my headphones off, she leaned in just enough for her lips to brush my ear..

"I'm sorry... but I have to do this."

The warmth of her breath grazed my skin, and for some reason, it caught me off guard. I couldn't explain it. Her voice was soft, almost hesitant, yet it settled somewhere under my skin in a way I wasn't used to. I brushed the feeling aside. It was probably nothing.

But when I turned toward the source of the voice, our eyes met. To my surprise, I couldn't look away. Not even for a split second.

She had those slightly droopy eyes framed by long, thick lashes, and despite the uncertainty written all over her face, there was something about the way she looked at me that held my attention. Then I caught the way she swallowed when her gaze dropped to my lips. A smirk tugged at the corner of my mouth.

So that's what this was. Just another moth drawn to the flame. I'd seen it happen more times than I cared to count.

When her gaze fell to my lips, mine followed to hers. They were naturally rosy, slightly glossy under the lights, and somehow more distracting than they had any right to be. I caught myself staring before lifting my gaze back to her face.

No. I wasn't about to give another girl the wrong idea.

Her cheeks were flushed, and our faces were close enough that I caught the faint scent of alcohol on her breath. Strangely, it didn't take away from her appearance. If anything, it made her look even more innocent. But looks could be deceiving. I'd learned that lesson a long time ago, and I wasn't about to let a pretty face convince me otherwise. I'd already had enough of women imagining they belonged in my future.

What the hell?

Before I could react, she grabbed the front of my collar and pulled me toward her. Her lips met mine before I could make sense of what was happening.

Warm.

Softer than I expected.

My mind went completely blank.

Somewhere in those few seconds, the corner of my mouth curled into an involuntary smirk against her lips. I wasn't even trying to kiss her back, yet my body betrayed me anyway. Before I realized it, I was already leaning into the kiss.

Wait... why was she pulling away?

Something in me protested. Without thinking, my hand found the back of her neck. I tilted my head, closing the distance she'd created, and caught her lips once more before my mind could catch up with what I was doing.

The hell was wrong with me?

I felt her body stiffen. Her eyes widened in disbelief, and her fingers tightened around the front of my shirt. For a split second, I thought she'd shove me away.

My lips refused to leave hers. It was as though they had a mind of their own, lingering on every kiss as if they couldn't bear the thought of letting her go. I traced the curve of her lower lip with slow, deliberate kisses before gently drawing it between my lips. A faint, almost hesitant bite followed, teasing rather than hurting, and I instinctively soothed it with another lingering kiss.

I wasn't even sure if the soft sound that escaped her was real or only something my mind had imagined. But when her lips parted ever so slightly, I didn't hesitate. A faint sweetness lingered on her lips, laced with the subtle taste of alcohol. I didn't mind it. If anything, it only made me crave her more. I deepened the kiss, losing myself in the moment as time seemed to fad n87n away, savoring every part of her mouth.

Her body trembled beneath my touch. But her grip eased, and the hesitation between us slowly disappeared. She began responding, cautiously at first, then with growing certainty, matching my rhythm without a word.

Something about that undid me.

The kiss deepened on its own. Neither of us seemed to be leading anymore. It felt less like a choice and more like we had both forgotten where one ended and the other began.

The music faded into the background. The voices around us dissolved into meaningless noise. I couldn't hear the crowd anymore. I couldn't remember where I was.

All I could think about was the girl in front of me.

****

Angel’s pov…

It was supposed to be nothing more than a dare.

A five-second kiss. Pero hindi ko alam kung paano kami nauwi sa ganito.

Never, not once since I started studying at Kingsford University, did I ever imagine that Haarland Colt Rockefeller, the guy who had never even looked my way, would be kissing me like this.

I was completely frozen. My first instinct was to push him away, after his hand gently grazed the back of my neck before he leaned in to kiss me again, parang biglang nag-blanko ang isip ko. My heart pounded so hard against my chest that I was sure he could hear it. Nanlambot ang buong katawan ko habang pilit kong pinoproseso ang nangyayari.

This... this was my first kiss.

And the person claiming it was none other than Kingsford University's most famous football MVP. Hindi ko namalayang unti-unti na pala akong tumutugon sa halik niya.

Every gentle brush of his lips pulled me deeper. Hindi ko na marinig ang ingay ng party. Hindi ko na maalala kung ilang segundo na ang lumipas.