Page 40 of Far From Center
Chapter 16
Gabriel woke up, his arm wrapped around something warm. Silky hair tickled his nose, and that lower part of his anatomy that always sprang to life unbidden, particularly in the early morning was pressed in between two mounds of firm, soft flesh.
He should get up and put his clothes on, get into a cold shower — not necessarily in that order. Before he could escape, Nyalla snuggled closer, the friction of her rear end nearly undoing him.
So much for his legendary control. Although his control had vanished pretty much the moment he’d met her. Evidently a fry pan to the head knocks some sense into an angel, because for once in his long life, it seemed the pieces were starting to snap into place. And the human he was right now was so much more vibrant than the frightened, lonely angel hiding behind rigid rules of self-restraint and abstinence. His vibration pattern might be horribly degraded, but he didn’t feel like a lesser being. He didn’t feel like he’d fallen from grace. He feltfree. He felt as if he were holding something beautiful in his arms and watching it bloom.
But blooms must die. She’ll not live long, and then what will you do?He remembered the agony of that angel from Micha’s choir, and wondered if in sixty years he’d be begging for one of his siblings to kill him.
In the meantime, his best friend was snuggled up against him. This was the woman he wanted to spend every moment of every day with, the woman he wanted to share of himself, to protect and hold tight. The woman he wanted to make love to. If she was an angel, he would have joined with her, but she was a human and that type of bond was beyond them as beings of the flesh.
She was human. And right now, so was he.
It would be easy to have sex with her and blame his actions on his, hopefully temporary, humanity, but Gabriel was nothing if not honest. He wanted her. More than this protuberance between his legs wanted her,hewanted her. He wanted to join with her in the only way they could, to have a physical act affirm his love for her.
Nyalla’s hair smelled like sun, sand, and sea. Her body was warm and soft. The covers were bunched up at the end of the bed, showing him that she had a tiny scrap of fabric around her hips that did nothing to hide that gorgeous, tanned skin of her rear. Her tank top had ridden up past her waist, exposing the underside of one of her small, round breasts. Gabriel buried his face in her hair. She sighed, shifting and moving his hand from her waist to her breast.
Everything between his legs tightened. It actually hurt, but instead of pulling away, he absently stroked her nipple with his thumb. Torture. Didn’t this sort of thing strengthen an angel? Wasn’t it noble to face extreme temptation and walk away?
Although he had no intention of walking away.
Nyalla made a soft sound and turned in his arms, her dark blue eyes staring right into his. That sensitive, throbbing part of his body was now wedged between her thighs, his hand, still on her breast.
“Sorry. It’s that boner happening again,” he said, not sorry at all and not making any effort to move.
The blue in her eyes darkened, like the sea at midnight. “Don’t be sorry.” One of her legs curled up around his thigh, sliding him along rough lace and soft folds that were hot and wet. Then she leaned forward and kissed him.
His hips jerked forward, and once again he nearly lost himself at the feel of her. Her lips were soft, her mouth warm and sweet. Her tongue darted out, touching his briefly then withdrawing. He chased it, deepening the kiss and rolling onto his back. She followed him, straddling him. Then she raised her hips, bringing him right to her entrance and pulled her lips from his.
“Are you sure about this? You’re a virgin.” she breathed, her eyes dark, her lips full and pink.
“Yes. Yes, I’m sure, and yes I’m a virgin. So I don’t know what to do. I mean, I know what to do. I get the mechanics of it. I just don’t know how to make it not be like Snip spraying spooge all over the inside of a bathroom.”
She laughed, then pushed herself upright, scooting down his boxer shorts, then doing the same with her underwear. Then she pulled the tank top over her head, tossed it to the floor and crawled on top of him. “Oh, trust me, you could never be like Snip spraying spooge on the bathroom walls. Although I’m sure it will be quicker than either of us would like. Which is why we need to do it again, after a reasonable rest time. And then maybe again after that.”
“We might not get anything else done today. Should we clear our schedules?”
She bent down to nuzzle his neck. “Absolutely. Just go with it, Gabe. Do whatever feels good. And if you change your mind, just let me know and we’ll stop.”
He caught his breath, closing his eyes as her teeth nipped the side of his neck. “I won’t change my mind. I’ve made my decision. I want this. I truly do.”
Nyalla bit down harder, this time on his shoulder and lowered herself around him. Gabriel ground his teeth, desperate to hold off.
“Good,” she murmured against him. “I’m not having sex with someone only to have him be a complete douche and blame me for seducing him. No way. Never again.”
For a brief second he wondered at her words. What could she mean? Was she referring to some horrible human male she’d once been with or could she possibly mean she’d had sex with an angel before? Gabriel felt a stab of white-hot anger, thinking of his brother Raphael. Had he? He’d certainly had opportunity hanging around the Iblis’ house with that stupid dating service they were offering.
Then as quickly as the thought came, it vanished, washed away by the feel of her, tight, warm, and wet around him. He reached down to cup her rear, guiding her up and down for a few quick strokes, struggling to keep control as he felt her stretch around him.
“Is this okay?” he whispered. “I could be bigger. Would you prefer wider or longer?” Wait, no he couldn’t. He was human now, and lacked the ability to change the size and shape of his body.
Nyalla pulled back her head to look at him, her gorgeous lips twitching up into a smile. “You’re joking. Any bigger and you’d need to find a spot to bury my body.”
That wasn’t exactly true, although the size he’d manifested as the wand broke did seem to fill her to capacity. She rose and sank again, shifting her pelvis against his. Gabriel groaned, closing his eyes. The feel of her around this particular body part was causing his thoughts to sputter and short-circuit in his brain.
“Stop it,” she commanded breathlessly. “Stop thinking. Stop talking — unless it’s dirty talk. You can totally dirty talk to me. That’s actually very sexy. I’d like that.”
Dirty talk? Chastise her on the bacteria growing on those dishes in the sink? Scold her for leaving the toothpaste uncapped? Okay, if that’s what turned her on, that’s what he’d do. “Your clothing drawer is sadly disorganized. Crumpled underwear amid unmatched socks is a sign of a jumbled lifestyle and a mental state that is far from center, you filthy woman, you.”
