Hope in Love

by J. Hali Steele

  Second only to Michael, he possessed untold powers. She could only bear his voice because he modulated it. With a spoken word he could decimate cities. Some lay buried by his destruction.

  She’d not been alone in the presence of a male for a very long time. Her devotion to the prophetess had become legendary and envied by many. Keeping to themselves, they lived a quiet, simple life. They were satisfied and at peace. Nothing more. Politics ran rampant in the heavens and she and Deborah avoided it at every turn. Her cheeks flamed beet-red when she thought of some of the untrue stories that circulated about them.

  Standing hidden in his bathroom, she’d thought herself prepared for this, but she wasn’t. The mere thought of endless hours spent alone with him every night suddenly made her weak. What would she do? She should have listened to Deborah and remained in her home.

  Too late now.

  She gathered courage to leave the room and descend the steps toward the patio. When she neared the bottom she came to a complete stop, breath caught in her throat at the scene in front of her.

  In the heavens a fountain was expected, a pond even, but Ramiel had created a whole lake. The beauty of it took her breath away. Her heartbeat rivaled the waves that washed against the small stretch of sand.

  She remembered the elegance of the many rooms they passed on her arrival. They were serene in both style and color. The opposite of everything he was. She did not expect the warmth and peace she felt there. Yael found herself caught off guard by the angel and his sensibilities. She voiced it out loud as she moved to stand near him. But not to close. “I’m surprised by the quiet beauty of your home. It’s not what I expected.”

  “What did you expect?”

  “I…I don’t know.”

  “Hmm, well, I’m glad you like it. I hope you will be comfortable here and treat it as your home.”

  “Thank you.”

  “After lunch I must go below. Feel free to explore. You are absolutely safe. No one will disturb you.”

  “Am I allowed to see my friends?”

  “You’re not a prisoner. You can have anyone visit. I do expect that if you leave the grounds you’ll let me know. I won’t go into your mind unless invited. However, I will keep vigilance in case you need me. I’ll know if you reach out to me.”

  “I understand.”

  “Do you like to swim?”

  “I cannot swim.”

  “What?”

  “I don’t know how to swim.”

  She trembled when he moved to stand closer to her. He took her hand in his and raised it to his lips. He brushed her palm with his lips. She swallowed air as her heartbeat escalated. Lowering her eyes, she saw the fullness of his manhood. It swelled at the front of his slacks and she almost swooned at the size of it. She’d be unable to make it through lunch with him.

  “I have given you a gift,” he whispered, his breath warm on her skin. “I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.” He vanished.

  Glad he left, Yael leaned against the railing so she didn’t fall. She gave in to the weakness invading her limbs. She hadn’t expected these mixed feelings. She shook with the fear that bloomed inside her. Not fear of Ramiel.

  She was afraid of herself.

  Her body betrayed her even now as wetness pooled between her thighs, nipples tightened and strained for release. She prayed for strength to resist him. She wasn’t a fledgling, but what he invoked inside her made her knees shake. The things she wanted him to do. She tried in vain to slow her heart, which raced out of control. She couldn’t move from her mind the picture of him kissing her body all over. His mouth trailing across her breasts.

  She’d been surprised by the warmth and softness of his lips. Her blood coursed hotly through her veins. And he only kissed my palm. What would she do tonight when he called upon her to service him? She did not think she could live through him claiming her body.

  Unbearable heat overtook her. She was alone so she removed her thin white gown, hoping to gain some respite from the heat. But it didn’t help, she still burned. The fire raged up inside her. She looked toward the water and watched it lap on the shore. She needed to feel it lick over her body in the same way.

  She left the patio and went to stand on the sandy strip of beach. The waves beckoned and whispered for her to step in. And she did. She felt the coolness wash over her as she slowly waded deeper and deeper. Her feet were swept from under her by the current. Fear carried bile from her unsettled stomach into her mouth.

  She reached out to Ramiel and instantly heard him in her mind.

  Caress the water. Sweep your arms through the coolness of it. You can swim, darling. My gift to you. Don’t be afraid.

  Ramiel?

  Do it now. Enjoy the waves washing over you. You’re safe in my care always.

  Yael reached out and stroked the cool water. She repeated the motion again and again. She was swimming! It felt so glorious, so refreshing. He’d given her a gift she would cherish forever.

  Thank you.

  You’re welcome. I won’t be late coming back this evening.

  She heard melancholy music sweep through the doors. It reached her as she moved through the water. She turned onto her back and idly floated around. She envisioned Ramiel in the lake with her. Inside her.

  Yael turned back over and swam hard for the shore. She needed to get what she felt and her thoughts of him under control.

  * * * * *

  He found it unbelievable that anyone would miss out on something as pleasurable as swimming. What he had given her was small and precious. It made him think about the lilies. When would they bloom? He’d worry later about why he felt such joy in the fact that she found his home beautiful. No, he already knew why—he wanted her time with him to be happy.

  Why did he still frighten her so? He very carefully kept death out of his eyes as he’d promised, but her body trembled at his nearness. He wanted to take her, hold her. Her nipples had peeked at him from behind the thin material of her dress. He’d struggled to refrain from pulling her sumptuous breasts out and suckling on them.

  He’d left her presence because he couldn’t stand another moment with her and not take her in his arms. If he had stayed, he would have embarrassed himself. He wore a perpetual hard-on around the woman. Even now his swollen cock threatened to explode, just thinking about her. His mind worked in every direction. Shit, he couldn’t keep a single thought straight in his head.

  At a loose end and not at all hopeful, he didn’t want to return home yet. There wasn’t a soul on Earth he cared to help. Normally he would look for solace in a woman’s arms, but that thought held no pleasure for him now.

  There was only one set of arms he wanted to be wrapped in.

  He decided to pay a visit to the Fates, in particular, Nona. She spun the thread of life. In her keeping resided the soul of the one his daughter would be with.

  “Why are you here, Ramiel?”

  “I’m curious why Michael chose me for this duty.” He and Nona often worked together. The thread of life intricately laced through hope and resurrection.

  “As much as I would like to, you know I cannot answer that. You may ask me one more question.”

  Not sure what that question should be, he sat quietly and watched Nona spin the beginning of yet another life onto her spindle. Beyond a doubt, she’d only allow him one more question. The Fates were funny that way. He must be very careful. Her voice caused him to jump.

  “She is enthralling, is she not?”

  “Yes.”

  “Do you even understand what it’s like to have something you love, something you’ve waited for your whole life, taken from you?”

  “You speak in riddles, I have waited for nothing. I’ve always taken what I wanted from life.”

  “Then you do not understand what it is like to have something taken from you.”

  “No one can take from me what I want to hold as mine. Do you understand?”

  “Yes. Now, I have answered your one question.”<
br />
  “Shit.”

  Nona laughed softly. “I have a gift for you.”

  She reached into a huge muddled pile of knotted strings in front of her and pulled out one dark blue, intertwined with gold. Ram would never understand how she kept them all separate. To him it looked like a mess.

  The strings were the ties that bound lives together.

  “You may separate the threads of your life whenever you are ready.”

  He took the twined strings and absently shoved them in his pocket.

  “So when may I ask another question?”

  “That is a question. But I will answer it. You may ask another when you can answer the one I have asked you.”

  Having learned nothing, he left for home.

  “Ramiel?”

  He turned to look at Nona whose face held the look of the Oracle of Delphi. He was doomed if she kept company with the Pythia. Themis still had a bone to pick with him. Or at least he had a bone she wanted to pick.

  “Take care. Do not lose her to yourself.”

  As he disappeared from her room, he wondered what the Fate meant. Had everyone gone crazy?

  Do not lose her to yourself?

  Chapter Four

  Yael found the closet in the room she was to share with Ram full of lovely dresses. They would all be a perfect fit. She dressed in one made of a soft, summery muslin material. The low-cut, fitted, cream-colored gown hugged her curves down to her knees, where it flared out like a tulip. Unlike the shapeless outfits she wore at Deborah’s, this one made her feel…sexy. Like a woman.

  Most of the clothes were feminine and pretty. Gowns of lustrous silk with shoes that matched, and a couple of outfits with pants. She never wore pants, considered them men’s garb. But now she wanted to see if they felt as comfortable as they appeared.

  Things were changing too fast in her life now. The quiet days with her friend would cease to exist. There was so much to learn. Torn from her reverie, she heard a scraping across the patio.

  She went through the doors in the bedroom and down the winding stairs to see what caused the noise. When Ram appeared at the foot of them, she was so shocked, she missed a step and went sailing through the air. Her body clenched, arms outstretched, she waited to slam into the stone, but instead, he caught her and held her tightly in his grasp.

  “You must be careful, darling. I would hate to lose you without a chance to taste your considerable charms.”

  She recoiled from him.

  “Thank you for breaking my fall.” She pulled from his arms and turned to go back up the steps. She intended to hide out in the room until he came for her.

  “I’m sorry, don’t go. I only meant— Listen, there will be no secrets between us. I want you. I want to hold you, and be inside you. I need to taste you.” He rambled like a youth about to bed his first woman. “Never mind.”

  “Please, there is no need to apologize. You’re right. I know why I’m here. I imagine you could be with anyone—”

  Her voice trailed off. It surprised her that she became angry at the thought of him with someone else. She didn’t want to think about Ram in anyone’s arms. Her skin grew flushed and her body was tight with need. This affair needed to be consummated now. The beat of her heart pounded out a harsh rhythm that reached her ears, cutting off every other sound.

  The sooner she conceived, the quicker it would be over.

  “I don’t want anyone else right now. I want you.”

  Right now meant she was the only one available. What would happen to her after the babe’s birth and he no longer wanted her? She didn’t have time to think about it further. The smell of desire floated through the air like a heavy cloud and hung over her head. God, she wanted this angel so much. It was long ago, almost forever, since she’d been with a man.

  “Ramiel?” She didn’t want to want him, but Yael’s body betrayed her as always in his presence. She should fight him, not be so easy. There was no way to make her body understand what her mind and heart knew. He would soon tire of her as he had all the others. But that was not why she was here. I only have to carry his seed, his child inside of me.

  His eyes gleamed with lust. He’d made up his mind to come for her and she had nowhere to run. The air felt thick and she concentrated on each breath she took. Not enough got to her lungs. Her heart pounded so loudly in her ears, he must hear it. Her nipples were hard and they hurt. She wanted to feel his lips wrapped around each tight peak, his tongue stroking her until she melted away.

  “Take me now,” she cried, unable to believe she’d uttered those words.

  Coming up the stairs to where she stood, he picked her up. She gulped in surprise, sure he would take her up the stairs, but he carried her down.

  He wanted to take her by the water. Feel its coolness wash over them as his cock explored her depths. His fingers itched to feel her skin.

  “Yael, I will give you everything you need.” He couldn’t wait to be inside her but he would. He wanted to hear her scream his name in ecstasy. Knowing she had been a long time without a man, he’d have to be easy with her.

  “Yes,” she sighed.

  He reached the water and heard it lap gently at the shore. Standing her on her feet, he held her close. He needed to let her feel what she did to him. Ram was so hard he thought he would burst right there. He felt her knees go weak beneath her and her arms came around his neck. His hands roamed her back and stopped at her ample ass. He cupped her butt and pulled her tight against him, ground into her abdomen.

  His mouth covered hers in a searing kiss that demanded she give him what he wanted. His tongue forced her lips apart and delved deep into her sweet recess. He didn’t let her breathe or think. If she changed her mind now, he’d shatter into a million pieces. He needed her that badly.

  Breaking the kiss, he raised his head to look into her eyes. Flecks of gold danced in their depths and they were full of desire. He moved his lips down her neck and tasted her. His tongue danced on her pulse and he felt her body shudder. Drawn to the spot where her neck and shoulder met, he nibbled and sucked there, leaving his mark.

  He ran his tongue across the swells of her breast, into her cleavage, hungry for more, but he could wait. This pleasure would be for her. He would take nothing for himself. Yet.

  With one hand he supported her back while the other reached into the top of her dress and freed her heavy breasts. He quickly found a hard nub and sucked it into his mouth. Oh, she is like honey. He bathed each nipple with his tongue and they grew even bigger. He circled the stiff pebbles and tasted her. There was no way he’d stop now. He had waited as long as he could.

  “You’re delicious, I want to taste every inch of you.” He forced her tighter into his body and pressed his erection into her stomach. “Feel that, it’s for you.”

  Unable to wait any longer to have her skin against his, he used magic and undressed them both. He picked her up and cradled her as he went down on his knees, taking her with him. He held her across his lap, his erection pressed into her ass, as he rained kisses on her face. He found her soft lips again and plied his tongue deep in her mouth.

  “I could kiss you forever,” he breathed against her lips.

  “Please.” Yael kissed him back with wild abandon. He laid her on the sand where he jealously watched the water lap at her body. He was on fire for her, his cock dripping with the need to be buried in her pussy. But he wanted to taste her.

  His hands swept over her as he moved down her luscious body. Ram spread her legs wide and lay between them so his tongue could find her sweetness. The tip touched her mound and she shuddered beneath him. He combed through the soft fuzz that capped her there.

  He took his time and worked down to the folds of her labia. Her heat blasted his face. He found her clit and nudged it with the point of his tongue. He wanted to feel her writhe under him, and she did. Finally, with long, slow strokes, he tasted her. She was so good, he’d never get enough. After he laved her and made her even wetter, he pushed hi
s tongue greedily inside her core. He jammed it back and forth. He couldn’t take this much longer.

  He needed to have more of her. He brought a hand down to open her sweet channel further. He ran his fingers deep inside her as though he reached for her soul. He pushed them in and out as he begged her.

  “Come for me, baby. Come now.” He needed to be in her mind, feel what she felt. She was so overcome with desire, he went there with ease.

  Toes were dug into the sand as she arched her body and pushed her pelvis high to meet his hungry fingers and tongue. She took them deep into her body. Her sheath tightened around them. She wanted more. Her head thrashed from side to side and he felt the fire rage inside her.

  He set off tiny explosions through her body. Each one ignited another, until there was a string of them. They all burned out of control as she bucked against his hand until sweet cream flooded from her pussy.

  “I-I need you, Ram,” she screamed as her body clenched around his fingers and she continued to release a river of honey.

  “Yeah, that’s it baby, come for me, let me taste all of you.” Ram found himself in a new kind of heaven. She drowned his fingers with juices and his mouth waited to savor all of her. He left her nothing. His tongue scoured every private place and his teeth nibbled on her clit. He took what he wanted.

  She was ready for him now. He rose up and moved over her. His large hands splayed across her smooth, tan flesh. Capturing her large breasts, he massaged and teased the nipples with his thumbs. His eyes feasted on her. So soft and so much woman, he covered her body with his. He meant to enjoy every inch of her. Moving his cock back and forth through her soaked nether lips, he collected moisture. Ram wet himself so he’d slide in her channel easier.

  His hardness positioned at her entrance, he reached for her hand. He wanted it around his erection when he slipped into her. He loved the feel of her fingers when they found him, barely able to bear it when she stroked his length. He wanted to come right then, but held back.

  “Sweet Je—oh yes. Harder, squeeze it harder.” He wanted to feel her handle his cock, handle it hard. Her hand fisted him and moved the tight skin up and down. “Put it inside, baby, put it in your pussy.”