“Hope,” he started, his voice strained as I reached the waistband of his black linen pants.
I dragged my eyes from his abs, seriously I think he got an extra set or something, and back to his face.
“Memphis. Take me to bed. Please.” It sounded a little more like begging than I would have liked, but I couldn’t find it in me to care. “Please.”
Memphis stood, with me still in his arms, and I wrapped my legs around his waist, my arms snaking back around his neck.
His hands under my ass, he hiked me up until our noses touched. And then he kissed me. I mean really, really kissed me.
The world tilted, or maybe that was just Memphis moving us toward the bedroom, I didn’t know or care. I wanted to just consume him and let his fire consume me.
He pressed me against the wall in the hallway as his mouth devoured mine, biting my lower lip until it was my turn to moan. Tearing his mouth away, he kissed down my neck, biting softly down my collarbone before he found my nipple, sucking it between his perfect lips. Holy shit. I arched against him as the sensation pulsed pleasure through my body like he was electrifying. My yoga pants were wet, and he grunted as his hands shifted to my thighs and he pressed the tips of his fingers against the seam.
He made a feral noise around my nipple and pulled away, clutching me against his body as he moved to my room with inhuman speed, his wings bumping into the doorjamb with a painful thud. He didn’t even wince. Instead, he placed me on the bed, and peeled me out of my yoga pants.
I laid on my comforter, naked, and he stared down at me like I was an actual gift from God. He stared so long, his eyes roaming over every inch of my body, it was like he lost time. Feeling unnaturally bold, I let my knees fall apart, baring my most intimate parts to his eyes.
He sucked in a harsh breath, then his eyes were back on my face and his clothes were just gone.
Fuck.
I forgot how to breathe.
Fuck. He was…
There were no words.
I didn’t get much time to stare, because that beautiful body was over mine and Memphis was kissing me with all the skill and passion the Fallen Angel in front of me possessed. I could no longer think of him as a simple man.
He kissed me until I could no longer think at all, his hard length pressed against my core, making us both moan.
His hand moved down between our body’s and stopped where my pussy dripped. His fingers skimmed over my clit, making me writhe, and making him grin. Like really, full on grin. I was so dazzled for a moment that I forgot his hand was between my thighs.
Then he slid a finger inside me. Holy hell. He stroked me like he’d had a millennia to work out what made a woman sing. I whimpered as he stroked me. Then he added another finger. I let out a little scream as I rose higher and higher on his clever fingers. I was so close, my climax just out of reach as he drew his fingers away. I let out a desperate noise, but he caught it on his lips as he positioned his body between my thighs.
Whispering to me in a language that no longer existed, he kissed me deeply and slid his big cock inside.
I sucked in a breath and held it until my lungs began to burn, waiting for him to move, my body adjusting to the size of him. Then he thrust hard, burying himself in me and it was so damn beautiful. My climax crashed over me, but Memphis wasn’t nearly finished with me. Lifting my leg over his shoulder, he slid in and out of me in slow, controlled movements. But I didn’t want control, no matter how exquisite it felt. Pushing on his shoulders, I leaned up and bit his lip. Hard.
“My turn.”
He let himself be pushed onto his back, his wings spread across my bed. I slid back down on him, seating myself. And just stared. He looked divine, the pale milkiness of my skin contrasting so beautifully with his midnight darkness of his. He thrust up and all thoughts of aesthetics disappeared as I moved.
“Oh God.” It was hardly a whisper as I moved faster, Memphis holding my hips but not restricting my movements.
He let out an amused huff, but didn’t comment as his fingers slid around to brush my clit. My moans were coming out in gasped pants now. He sat up, pulling my legs around his waist, going even deeper. His shallow thrusts hit pleasure zones I didn’t even know I had.
“Come for me, beautiful Hope,” he whispered against my ear, his eyes holding mine as we moved as one, our bodies entwined. I was helpless to resist. I came in huge shuddering wave, crying out over and over as pleasure lit up every nerve ending. Letting me lean back, Memphis watched me cum like a starving man, thrusting harder and harder inside me, milking my orgasm until his own rocked his body, making him shudder and let out a groan that was half pleasure, half pain.
Pulling me down against his chest, he wrapped his arms and wings around us both. The hammering of his heart was a staccato against my cheek. We sat there for a moment, completely connected, as I calmed my breathing.
“That was…” I flapped my hands around a bit, hoping they’d portray what my words were failing to describe.
Memphis kissed the top of my head. “Yes,” he said reverently. “Come, I’ll run you a shower.”
I smiled against his chest.
“Will you join me?”
A low rumbling laugh vibrated beneath my cheek.
“Always.”
I collapsed back onto the bed. The shower had been invigorating in every way possible. I laid in Memphis’ arms as he spooned himself around me, his wings relaxed behind him. They really were beautiful. Dark and wet, they glistened an electric blue under the soft lights in my room. I also discovered that if I rubbed the undersides, it drove Memphis wild.
I grinned at the memory of making the cool angel lose his control. I was enjoying my brief stint of being irresponsible. First with Gusion, and now with Memphis. I didn’t know what kind of woman that made me, but I was finding I didn’t care.
But that reminded me…
“Why did you hit Gus?” The question had gotten lost under the caresses and the embraces. But it pushed its way back into my conscious now like a freight train. Memphis stiffened slightly around me. I could almost hear his mind turning. This close, it was weird that I couldn't hear his thoughts. But since discovering my little secret, Memphis had become very good at blocking my abilities. Perhaps even better than Rella. I enjoyed the silence. Well, most of the time. Now, I’d really like to know what he was thinking.
He let out a long sigh against the nape of my neck, and I briefly wondered if angels could lie. Especially Fallen angels. Something to ask Ace next time I saw her.
“Gusion saw something a while ago. He is the Angel of the Past, Present and Future, and it makes him privy to certain information. However, he is still a Fallen Angel, and our scruples aren't what they once were.”
I rolled in his arms so I could see his face. “I’m not sure I understand.”
“He told me, a very long time ago, that I would find someone to love again. A true love, if you will. A soul deep connection with another person.” My heart stopped beating, or maybe it was still going because all I could hear was the blood whooshing in my ears.
“And that other person is...Gusion? Ace?” I said, in vain.
Memphis shook his head.
“Me?”
He nodded, just once, and suddenly the last few hours took on whole different meaning. It was too much. I moved away from him slightly. I needed space to process what he was saying.
“You think I am your soul mate or something? That's probably something you should’ve told a girl before we had sex, you know.”
I threw back the blanket, suddenly very glad I couldn’t read his thoughts. Just seeing his face morph back into its neutral mask hurt enough. Guilt swept in to temper my anger.
I pulled on my clothes, and when I was no longer naked and vulnerable before him, I knelt back on the bed.
I put my fingertips on the sharp angle of his cheekbone. “I’m not, I don’t know, saying no. If this is even something you can say no to. I just need to process,
okay?”
I pulled on my shoes, and stopped at my bedroom door. I looked back at Memphis, lying as still and expressionless on my bed as the statue I’d compared him to earlier. “Don’t leave?” I asked, the words escaping my mouth totally at odds with my brain. My brain was telling me that this was too much. I already carried the weight of others emotions. I couldn’t carry the burden of being Memphis’ last chance at love.
I left before my wayward tongue could say anything else. Picking up my keys, I rode the private elevator up to the top floor and the rooftop garden that would hopefully be empty at this time of the night.
Stepping out into the cold night air, I went and sat on a lawn chair, stretching out beneath the stars. Well, one or two stars, the rest were obscured by light pollution. It was odd for me to feel alone, but I did. Rella had gone to Geneva, and Charlie with her. Adnan had left. While I’d never been alone, the sensation that settled in my chest was one I was far too used to. I felt lonely.
I pulled at all the emotional threads in the apartment building, wrapping them around myself like a blanket. I let everything in, the hate, the happiness, the jealousy, anger and joy. But especially the love.
I knew what I should do, and I knew what I wanted to do, and the problem was they were two wildly different things.
But when it came down to it, there was only one road to take. I just had to hope it wouldn’t come back and bite me in the ass later.
I fell asleep on the uncomfortable plastic lawn chairs, and woke when the bitter cold of predawn froze my limbs. Stumbling back down to the elevator, I wondered what I’d find. Would Memphis still be there? Would Adnan be there?
I stared at myself in the mirrored walls of the elevator. I looked like shit. Huge dark smudges made me look a little like a corpse. I’d lost weight too, which definitely added to the skeletal thing I had going on. My auburn hair was a rat nest at the back of my head, and my clothes were crinkled. I scratched at a crusty spot on my face that looked suspiciously like dried drool. I didn't look like the love of anyone's life.
I’d never been so thankful for a private elevator. I was going to go into my apartment, fall into bed, and not come out for a year.
The first sign that wasn't’ going to happen was the smell of freshly brewed coffee in the apartment. The second sign was the huge onyx angel cramping up my kitchen. He was perfectly attired again, and I sent a small thanks to...whoever one thanked for fully clothed Fallen angels in your kitchen.
He turned at the sound of the door shutting. I raised a hand before he could speak.
“Before you start, I have something to say. Firstly, you should have told me, but that is neither here nor there now. I'm willing to give the idea of an us a go. But I want it to be organic, I guess. So, we are going to pretend that yesterday never happened. We are going to be friends. And if something builds from there, then that's great, but if it doesn’t, then so be it. Because I refuse to be peer pressured into something to protect your feelings or anyone else's. My life is my own. Got it?”
Memphis’ tense shoulders seemed to relax an infinitesimal bit and he nodded. “I agree to your terms.”
“Also, no more hitting Gusion, or anyone else for that matter, out of jealousy. If anyone knows that love isn’t necessarily linear, it’s me. I will love who I like, and make my own decisions.”
He nodded again, if a bit more begrudgingly. I honestly didn’t think I’d end up with a relationship like my parents, but I wasn’t ruling it out. My childhood had been mostly happy, if not always smooth sailing. There’d been fights, and disagreements, and all the other things that went with being in a relationship with another person. But then you times that by eight people, and it could be a little tricky. But there had never been a lack of love. That was always given easily and received thankfully. Love had saved them, and they all knew it.
I thought about Rella, and the guys. I didn’t know if polygamy was hereditary, or if you were just destined to follow in the footsteps of your parents in general, but she seemed to be happily waltzing down the same path. I smiled at the thought. She was going to have her hands full.
Memphis held out a coffee like a lifeline, and I took it thankfully.
“So, how do you feel about the classic cinema channel?”
Chapter Twelve
I winced as the doctor told me for the tenth time how miraculous my recovery had been. Little did he know…
I’d been on death's door. Literally. Now, I could probably run a marathon. It wasn’t the physical scars that remained, though I did have a pretty impressive one on my jaw. The injuries that persevered were harder to treat.
“She needs a referral to a therapist. She has PTSD,” Memphis said, and my eyes shot to him, as did the doctors. Well, the doctor’s eyes had kept drifting to the big angel naturally. Even in his more human form, he had a presence that pressed down on you like a great weight.
I narrowed my eyes at the big traitor. Logically, I knew he was right. But I was dealing with it already, in my own way. Kind of.
The doctor dragged his eyes back to me. “Would you like a referral to see someone? You went through a violent and traumatic event.”
I shrugged. “I didn’t mesh very well with the last welfare officer. If you have someone you trust, then I’d appreciate it.”
I was going to kick Memphis’ ass later though.
We went over a few more things, and then I was officially discharged from the doctor’s care.
As we walked to my car, a Tesla because I could no longer look at my Prius, I elbowed Memphis. “What the hell was that? You were my ride, you didn’t have any right to interfere in my consultation.”
Memphis looked completely unapologetic. “I waited for you to say something, and deduced you were not going to tell your healthcare professional about a potential health issue, so I intervened.”
I clenched my jaw, because he was right. I had no intention of mentioning it. Still, it irked. I pointed a finger at him. “You don’t get to decide things for me. Not now. Not ever.”
He looked at me with his usual neutral mask. I huffed and slid into the driver's seat. I peeled out of the parking lot, and merged into traffic. The silence was deafening, but eventually he puffed out a breath. “Okay.”
I raised my eyebrows. “It took you that long to decide to do what is right? No wonder they kicked you out of Angel School.”
He laughed, and I let the sound wash over me. He had the best laugh, all the better because it was so rare. “I am sure it’s blasphemous to call Heaven ‘Angel School’.”
“Is it where you learn to be an angel?” I didn’t let him answer. “I rest my case.”
He laughed again, but I watched it slip from his face. I felt like an asshole, making a joke about something that forever altered how he’d live his immortal life. Apparently, if I didn’t have twenty-four/seven access to someone's emotions, I became an insensitive jerk.
“Gusion is the reason we fell.” I sucked in a breath through my teeth. I knew that from Gusion’s own emotions, but I didn’t know the why. I stayed silent. I didn’t want to press, but I was dying to know why.
“He fell in love with a daughter of man. They had a relationship, and then a child was conceived. Only Luc had done such a thing beforehand, but all his children had ended up purely human. I do not know why. It was as if the power of his Archangelicness could not be contained within a mortal body. But it was different with Gusion and his child. The babe possessed the traits of the angels as well as humanity, even in the womb. Afterward, the Father made us all infertile, barren. We understood. Even Gusion.” He frowned, as if he were reiterating the point to himself.
“But then Michael, on the orders of the Father I suppose, had Gusion’s lover erased, his child in her womb. The entire village. Just to protect the image, I guess. Gusion was ruined.” He sucked in a ragged breath. “A broken shell. Luc loved so deeply, and he loved us most of all. His cadre. Acerezeal, Gusion, Azriel and me. Gusion’s pain swept through us
all and those few decades were dark, dark days. Then Luc did the unthinkable. He questioned why? Why did she have to be killed? We could have forgiven the child, just a tiny spark, none of us would know what such a creation would result in. But Gusion loved her so, so very much. That very love that the Father wanted us to spread through the world. Michael would not give him an answer. So he did something that went against everything we had ever been taught. The vanity of assuming that what the Father did was wrong.”
He sighed deeply, the kind of sound that dragged you back millennia to the source of a raw wound that still festered. It was a tragic noise that broke my heart. “The rest you know. It was the first and only divide in the Heavens. But balance was necessary, so perhaps the whole thing was preordained,” he finished, and it had a rehearsed quality of frequent repetition.
“Memphis…” I started, but my phone ringing cut me off. Clicking the accept button on my steering wheel, I went into business mode instinctually.
“Hope Jones speaking.”
“Hope, it’s Rouen. We met the other day.”
I scrambled around in my brain for my connection to Rella. It was faint, because she was across the world, but it felt blissfully happy. She was safe. “What can I do for you, Rouen?”
“How quickly can you get to France?”
I looked at Memphis, who nodded. “I’m only a thought away. Why?”
I could almost feel Rouen’s happiness through the phone. “There’s going to be a wedding, and I know a beautiful woman who’d love for her twin to be there to see her marry her best friend.”
I swerved onto a side street, shocked to my very core. I slammed the car into park. “No fucking way. Charlie?”
Rouen’s happy laughter thundered through the cars speakers. “Totally fucking way. It’s kind of to all of us, but Charlie needs this formal bit the most.”
Hell's Redemption- The Complete Series Boxset Page 67
