What he offers, I know better than to accept. It’ll only bring us both pain in the end. I meant it when I said I was broken. There’s a piece of my heart that was stolen, and I never got it back. I never will, because the man who possesses it is the epitome of selfishness. He’s the keeper of souls and destroyer of life.
“I’m not whoever hurt you, Tori. I’ll take care of you.”
His words have me feeling reckless. The need to mean something to someone trumps all the reasons I’d concocted to keep my distance, and without thinking, I act.
I crash my lips to Zeke’s, begging entrance to his mouth with my tongue. He opens to me immediately, groaning at the desperate feeling of our tongues colliding. I shimmy out of my leather pants while his hands trail from my hips up my side, raising my shirt along with them. He pulls it over my head, so I’m left in only a black thong and matching lace bra. My hands pull at Zeke’s shorts and he helps me by stepping out of them.
I bite my lip as my own hands go to my back, undoing my bra and allowing it to drop to the bed. A tug at my hip drops the thong to the floor. I’m bare to him, and his eyes devour me.
“You’re going to kill me,” he groans into my neck, as he trails kisses up the curve to below my earlobe. “I’ve wanted this again for so long.”
A part of me is screaming to stop before we go too far, but this feels too good to be anything but right. Maybe I’m weak. Maybe I’m not worthy, but right now, I feel alive for the first time in a long time. His expert hands massage and explore places that nobody but Zeke ever has.
“I can’t promise you much, but I can give you this.”
His brow arches. “What are you offering, Tori?”
“Physical only. Nothing emotional. No titles. No promises.” I search his eyes, waiting for his acceptance of my terms. “Can you accept that?”
“It’s not what I want.”
“It’s all I can offer.”
He inhales deeply, eyes closing on the exhale. When he opens them again, I see his resolve. He may not like it, but he’s not turning me away. “For now.”
I lean forward. “Love me,” I whisper into his ear, taking his lobe between my teeth and biting lightly.
He pulls back just a bit, looking into my eyes. “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” I say, lying back and pulling him with me.
I’ve only been with him, and it started as one night born from a sheer need to erase the memory of someone else. This time will be nothing like that time.
Whereas the memory brings shame, I want to remember this time as though it were my first. I want Zeke to wipe away my past with his touch alone. No thoughts of another.
“Where are you, Tori?”
“Huh?” I say, my eyes meeting his.
“Your mind was somewhere else. If we’re going to do this, I want you here. With me.”
That vulnerability is back, despite the alpha in his tone. I lean up and place a kiss on his lips, trying my best to reassure him.
“I’m here. With you.”
His eyes look back and forth between mine, and he must find what he’s looking for, because he finally relaxes, closing that gap between our bodies. In one smooth thrust he cements our new arrangement.
Sex is one thing I can’t fuck up.
RIPTIDE
My legs shake as my fists clench. To say I’m nervous is a gross understatement. I’m petrified. You don’t break the laws of God and go unpunished.
I’ve been summoned to a hearing, and there’s no doubt as to why. I gave my angelic name to a human, and every time he calls it out, I go willingly. I’m only to go to Earth on God’s command, not at the request of mortals. Yet I have done just that.
Our names are sacred, as we’re bound to answer the call. It’s the way we communicate in Heaven. Visualize and call out. It’s that simple. Now, a human knows my face and has my name. What’s worse is that I relish every moment with him. I pray every day that he’ll call to me.
Thunder rumbles and I know that God is furious.
