Page 22 of Far From Center
Chapter 9
She brushedher lips over his in a soft kiss, then lingered soft and gentle. He held still, not tense, but motionless, as if he were afraid that any movement on his part would break the spell. She brought her hands up the hard planes of his chest, and leaned into him. Then she sucked his lower lip and released it with a quick swipe of her tongue before pulling away to see his expression.
The silver glint was back in his eyes. As she leaned back, his arms tightened around her and this time it was the angel that brought his lips to hers. His kiss was firm, more demanding, just this side of hungry. When he pulled away, Nyalla noticed that they both were breathless.
“You taste like the ocean,” he murmured, brushing his thumb across her lower lip.
“You do too.” She brought her hands up to his neck and pulled his head to hers, this time kissing him open-mouthed, not holding back.
He matched her passion, deepening the kiss and tasting her until she felt as if she would drown. Then just like the tide, his lips gentled, lingering as they left hers. He might not be experienced, but this angel certainly learned quick. And if she wasn’t careful, they were going to be doing a whole lot more than kissing while naked and waist-deep in the surf.
“Swim out to that catamaran and back?” His voice was deep and husky, his eyes ice-blue and silver.
“Can you swim as a human?” She hoped so because she’d never gotten around to taking those lifesaving classes.
“I feel certain I can.”
Nyalla stepped back, half turning toward the boat. “Race you.”
He grinned. “On three then? Wait…cheater! You cheater!”
She held back a laugh, swimming as fast as she could, diving under the rope that separated the swimming from the boating area. He quickly passed her, his head popping above the water next to the boat while she was still a good ten yards away. Evidently his affinity for water went beyond being an angel.
“Cheaters never win.” He grinned at her, shaking the water from his short black hair and waving a fist full of underwear. Yeah, he’d beaten her even while holding a bunch of clothing balled up in his hand.
“This cheater would have won if I’d gotten more of a head start.”
He pulled her in once she was close, then looked up at the catamaran. “This thing looks like fun. We should pay to take one out. Do you know how to sail it, or do we need lessons?”
Oh, how she’d longed for a friend to do these sorts of things with! A beach weekend with the girls was fun, but Nyalla had never had a boyfriend who enjoyed the water enough to want to learn to sail, to scuba dive, to surf, to spend every free moment in the water.
But Gabe wasn’t a boyfriend. She wasn’t quite sure he’d even be a friend for more than the duration of the spell. When it wore off, he’d be a stuffy archangel again with duties and responsibilities. He’d want to spend his free time meditating or improving his vibration pattern, not taking sailing lessons or hauling surfboards to the shore for the weekend.
For now, though, he was human and he seemed honestly enthusiastic about the idea of sailing a catamaran. “Absolutely. I don’t know if we’ll have time this trip for lessons, but we can rent one and have someone take us out for a sail.”
“I’d like that.” He edged around the side of the boat, “And I’d like to do all those other activities as well. Now that I know I can still swim, I’m excited to try them all. With you.”
Her heart skippedat the thought. “Back home we’re only three hours from the Atlantic coast. And the Bay is closer. The diving isn’t as great as it is down here, but we can sail and kayak and surf as often as we want.”
“I want. Now that I’ve found a kindred spirit, I plan on dragging you to every pond, lake, and river.” He looked out to the horizon. “But the sea is always my favorite.”
Nyalla smiled. “Mine too. Up until a few years ago I’d only seen lakes and ponds, streams and rivers. I’ve never seen something so vast and powerful. The ocean is where life and death come together, where they’re not even separate states of being.”
She turned to him. “I know you said you don’t want to talk about death, but this is where I want to be buried, my body given to the sea to fuel her eternal cycle. My body would live on in other life, my soul would be in every drop of water, I’d live forever, a part of everything from the tiniest of krill to the giant whales. In the ocean, life and death no longer exist, there is just being.”
Gabe scowled. “I understand what you mean, but I hate the thought of you dying. Human lives are so short, like brief flashes of light that die in what seems like seconds. It isn’t fair.”
“It’s not. And it’s especially not fair when young children die before they’ve even had a chance to experience life, but it happens. Worrying about it, railing against the unfairness of it all doesn’t change anything.”
“What if you could live forever?”
She laughed, not feeling any bitterness at the impossibility of that suggestion. “Some beings live a fraction of a day. Some live for billions of years. My lifespan is what it is, and I won’t waste one precious moment of it wondering ‘what if?’.”
He nodded, but didn’t seem satisfied at her words. They splashed for a bit then swam in, pulling their clothing on over wet and sandy skin. Gabe had stuffed Nyalla’s bra and panties in his waistband while she wore his boxers under her dress, rolling the waistband in an attempt to keep them from falling down.
Gabriel started down the cobblestone path and she fell in beside him. The sound of the hotel’s garden waterfall grew louder as they left the beach behind. Palms and ferns surrounded them. A tiny red lizard darted across the path, and orange bromeliad blossoms swayed in the constant breeze that hit this side of the island. They paused next to the beach-side bar, looking out at the pier and small boats docked just past the swimming area. Soft music piped through the speakers. A couple sat at the end of the bar, their heads together as they whispered and held hands. The bartender cleaned glasses, trying to ignore the pair.
“Let’s get a drink before we head up,” she suggested, hoping that this time she could at least get him to drink water. He’d danced with her. He’d flirted with her. He’d kissed her. Well, she’d kissed him and he’d been a willing and active participant. Surely one glass of water wouldn’t be that difficult after he’d done so many other human things this evening.
