“Never,” he growled, changing the angle of his thrusts until he was hitting that perfect spot inside me with each stroke.
My orgasm hit me like a freight train, slamming through my body with breathtaking force. I cried out Eamon’s name as I spasmed around him, my release spurting between our sweat-slicked bodies. He groaned into my neck, his hips stuttering as my muscles clenched rhythmically around his cock.
“Charles,” he gasped, his voice ragged. “Fuck, I’m gonna…”
I felt him swell inside me, his cock pulsing as he found his own release. He buried his face in the crook of my neck as he shuddered through the aftershocks, his hands gripping my hips hard enough to bruise. I held him close, murmuring words of love and praise as we both came down from the high.
Eventually, Eamon pulled out carefully, and Iwhimpered at the loss. He peppered my face with soft kisses, his hands smoothing over my trembling body with reverent gentleness. I clung to him, suddenly desperate to keep him close, to never let him go.
“I love you,” I whispered again, the words the truest thing I’d ever said. “Whatever happens, remember that.”
He leaned his forehead against mine, closing his eyes, but not before I saw the pain flashing in them. “Charles…”
“You don’t need to say it.”
“I… I can’t. You don’t underst?—”
I pressed a finger against his lips. “It’s okay. You’ll tell me when you’re ready.”
TWENTY-FOUR
EAMON
I held Charles against me for as long as I dared, breathing in the scent of his skin mixed with flour and sweat and the lingering musk of our lovemaking. His heart was still racing against my chest, and I could feel the slight tremor in his hands as they traced idle patterns on my back.
“I love you,” he’d said. Simple words that had shattered every wall I’d built around my heart in three centuries of existence.
And I couldn’t say them back. Not because I didn’t feel them—Christ, I felt them so deeply it was like drowning—but because saying them would make the inevitable goodbye even more devastating. For both of us.
“We should clean up,” I murmured against his hair, though every cell in my body screamed at me not to let him go.
“Mmm,” Charles agreed, but made no move to pull away. “Just a few more minutes.”
Those few minutes stretched into several, both of us reluctant to break the spell of intimacy that surrounded us. But eventually the practical reality of our situation—naked,in a kitchen, covered in flour and other things—forced us to move.
I helped Charles down from the counter, steadying him when his legs proved less than reliable. The sight of him, rumpled and satisfied and still flushed from our lovemaking, made something primitive and possessive roar to life in my chest.
Mine, my angel nature whispered.Protect. Cherish. Keep safe.
But even as the thought formed, another sensation hit me like a physical blow. A familiar presence approaching, one that made every supernatural instinct I possessed snap to attention.
Gabriel. He could hide his presence from anyone, but he’d chosen to announce his arrival, meaning it was urgent.
And he was close. Very close.
“You okay?” Charles asked, noticing my sudden tension. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
If only he knew how accurate that assessment was.
“Fine,” I managed, forcing my expression back to neutral. “We should probably get dressed before the neighbors complain about the show.”
Charles laughed, the sound bright and warm in the quiet kitchen. “What neighbors? The nearest house is miles away.”
“Still,” I said, already reaching for my scattered clothes. “Better safe than sorry.”
We cleaned ourselves as best we could with a washcloth, then dressed quickly, Charles still smiling and relaxed while I fought the growing sense of urgency thrumming through my veins. Gabriel’s presence was getting stronger, which meant he’d be materializing any moment. I needed to get outside before that happened.
“I should check on the firewood,” I said, pulling on my jacket. “Make sure we have enough for the next day or two.”
