Of Heaven and Hell

by Anthology

  Of course, that was part of the problem. Chest bare, pants barely there, his beloved had already seen him in such a state, as well as in much less. Flynn wanted something with a bit of that so-called wow factor, a getup that would spark a look of sheer surprise on his lover’s face. Unfortunately, nothing seemed to fit his personality or his tastes. Clothing just wasn’t his thing. He was a lust demon, a creature that fed off the desires of others, and baring his body, it came naturally. Covering himself in clothing just felt... awkward. He pouted, and sank onto the foot of his bed. Without his concentration to hold it in place, the mirrored effect of the metal fragment hanging on the wall slowly slipped away until his image was distorted as usual.

  Flynn fell back on the bed, arms above his head, eyes glaring at the ceiling. Delicious thoughts of his lover danced through his mind and he felt the familiar heat of arousal. Now was not the time for seeking out pleasures, though. Not when he could hold off and perhaps enjoy a steamy romp with his man later in the evening. The touch of his Samuel would be far hotter than anything he could cook up on his own. Just the thought of being touched by Samuel sent a delightful shiver coursing down his spine. Those perfect lips pressed against his flesh, seeking out the pleasures only lovers knew, and fingers that always knew just when and where to touch to him. Despite himself, Flynn slipped a hand over his abs and below the waistband of his pants. Just a little touch....

  Flynn moaned, squirming a bit.

  At this rate he’d never find a decent outfit for their date.

  Date.

  The word bounced around his skull, sounding as foreign as the failed outfits felt. Theirs was a complicated and messed-up relationship, the likes of which no one would ever truly understand. Even he had trouble putting all the pieces into place, winding up with scattered bits and unanswerable questions. There were some things that just could not be explained, and his falling in love with an angel was definitely one of them. Didn’t matter much to him, though, so he did what he could to ignore that pesky voice in the back of his mind, the one that wasn’t entirely on board with the whole scandal.

  Over the last year they’d played many a dirty, sensual game, enjoying the pleasures of the flesh in ways he’d never imagined. Sure, it was his role in the grand city of Las Vegas to convince people they loved him so that he might steal little traces of their souls, but true love, he’d had no idea what it meant, or that it even existed, until Samuel stumbled into his reach. A beautiful piece of heavenly light with a touch that set him on fire in ways he could not describe, but boy did he relish the burning.

  Flynn sat up abruptly, putting an end to his self-enjoyment. “Keep it up,”—he snickered at his own pun—”and you’ll get nowhere. You’re going to be late, don’t want to disappoint. Let’s find a nice outfit, something frisky, something fun, something that says fuck me.” He jumped off the bed. “Let’s have another go.”

  The metal artwork shimmered, responding to his mere presence, until his reflection looked normal. A quick snap of the fingers.

  “Hot on some, but not on you, sweetheart,” he said at the jeans-plaid shirt combination. It made him feel too... boy next door. Definitely not his style. “There has to be something fetching.”

  He tried again.

  “Hm.” He did a little turn to one side, and then to the other. “This might just work.”

  He retained the leather pants, which, though done up right, still left little to the imagination, and added a simple dark purple button-up shirt. He undid a few of the top buttons to reveal just enough bare chest to be teasing and rolled the sleeves up to just below his elbows. Positively delicious. Something was still lacking, but what?

  “Oh, where is a demon’s fairy godmother when he needs her?” And then a little light popped on. “Ah, of course, accessories.”

  A dark-banded watch on one wrist. A tasteful little hoop earring. A chain that ran just below his collarbone, paired with a longer necklace that bore a burning amulet from the depths of his home. Satisfied he wasn’t going to be able to come up with anything better, he gave the outfit his seal of approval. It was still more clothing than he typically wore, but the impending rendezvous left him very little in the way of options. Besides, if all went as planned he’d be wearing nothing by the end of the date.

  Date, there was that word again. After all their little bedroom games they’d decided to have an official date. And just what, he wondered, did his beloved angel have in mind? Flynn checked his newly acquired watch and felt his heart skip a beat. The time of their meeting was drawing ever closer. He could already feel Samuel tracing the contours of his body, the feathery touch of the angel’s fingers bringing him such sweet, decadent pleasures. And Samuel’s kisses. Oh, how he adored the taste of the angel, the way that one simple meeting of the lips made him feel ice cold to his very core. He had tried sucking on peppermints and ice cubes in order to replicate the sensation without success.

  Samuel was... so many wonderful things.

  And Flynn wanted him in every way he could possibly have him.

  As if on cue, there was the sound of fluttering wings, a breeze sweeping through the room. Flynn spun around, hoping to find his beloved, and discovered a little white envelope atop the dresser. His name was scrawled in gold across the front. Seeing the note brought a faint smile to his lips as it conjured up images of the last time he’d received such a wonderful gift. The previous note had led him into a kinky little scavenger hunt. Where would this one lead?

  Snatching it from where it rested, Flynn pulled the slip of paper free. It smelled faintly of sunshine and clouds and other good things. His Samuel. In the neat writing he’d become used to, there was an address, nothing more. Always short, sweet, and straight to the point.

  “Let’s be off then,” he muttered.

  Before leaving, he stashed the note in a locked box, secreted away in a compartment in the bottom of the dresser. Nestled in the box were trinkets of his angel lover, including a faintly blue feather. Once he was sure his things were hidden away—other demons wouldn’t understand—he left, using his magic to pop himself to the right location.

  A BLANKET of stars shimmered overhead, the moon absent from the sky. Gone was the dry heat of the desert, replaced with the nightly musical stylings of a much greener place. Flynn found himself standing at the mouth of a trail that led into a thicket of trees, some of the branches decorated with Japanese lanterns, lighting his way and beckoning him toward his final destination. He followed them, anticipation growing with each step he took. At any moment now he was going to wind up in the arms of the one man who made him feel so very alive.

  And the night would be filled with an entirely different kind of music.

  The sound of running water registered with him, Flynn broke through the trees into a clearing and stopped dead in his tracks. It was... beautiful, magical, all the things he didn’t even know he cared about until that moment. The night sky reflected in a pool of water fed by a waterfall on the far side. On the grassy bank someone, his Samuel no doubt, had taken the time to lay out a blanket, complete with a picnic setting, rose petals, and strategically placed candles.

  “Like walking into one of them romance movies,” Flynn muttered.

  “Do you not like it?”

  Oh, the wonderful things that voice did to him....

  Flynn turned to find his Samuel a few feet away. The angel looked good enough to gobble up right then and there, but Flynn could wait. He imagined there would be plenty of nibbling and tasting and other such pleasantries later in the evening. One thing at a time. Samuel wore dark slacks paired with a white dress shirt and a charcoal gray vest. His brown hair was neat, and his blue eyes glowed faintly with the light of heaven. There was, if one knew where to look, a taint to the angel’s aura, a stain, so to speak, from all his encounters with Flynn.

  Flynn knew the same could be said of him, the angel leaving his own mark. In quiet moments alone he often found himself wondering what it all meant. Now, however, was
not the time for such concerns.

  “I wasn’t sure....”

  “It’s perfect,” Flynn said, turning to admire the setup a second time. “Absolutely perfect.”

  “Good.” Samuel relaxed, joining him by the blanket. “Shall we?”

  They settled.

  Flynn watched as Samuel began to remove items from the basket—strawberries, wine, chocolates, grapes—realizing how much he loved watching the angel move. And here he’d thought they had left the heat of Sin City behind them. “You know, nobody has ever done this for me.”

  “What?”

  “All of this.” Flynn gestured with a hand. “Wooed me. Usually I’m the one doing the wooing.”

  Samuel paused, those heavenly eyes locking onto Flynn’s. “I would like to think that I’m different from those... others.”

  It took Flynn a moment to catch his mistake. When he did, he reached across, taking Samuel’s hand in his and drawing him close, the picnic basket keeping them just far enough apart. “You are different, Sam, my beloved, so very different.” He brought his lips to Samuel’s, feeling that all-too-familiar rush, the spark that always seemed to sizzle between them. Judging by the moan he elicited from the angel, he wasn’t the only one entertaining naughty thoughts. But first, the date. This was something Samuel had planned out for them, and Flynn didn’t want to ruin it, so he pulled back, giving Samuel’s cheek a promising caress. “Shall we enjoy ourselves, and then, you know, enjoy each other?”

  “I’m already there.” Samuel’s voice was husky.

  That coy smile returned to Flynn’s lips. “Not yet, lover.” He reached for a strawberry, popping the sweet fruit into his mouth. The last time they’d gotten together there’d been cherries and ice cream and chocolate sauce and whipped cream, and he was starting to get turned on again. He was finding it hard to control himself around Samuel. “Let us eat first.”

  “The only thing I want in my mouth is you.”

  Was that the heat of a blush Flynn felt creeping across his cheeks? He couldn’t recall anyone, not even his angel, ever having made him blush before. A bit of strawberry juice dripped from the corner of his mouth, and Samuel was there, licking it up before sneaking a quick kiss.

  “Well, well, Mr. Halo, aren’t you being a naughty little boy.”

  This time it was Samuel who brought them close, his breath tickling Flynn’s ear as he spoke. “I haven’t even got started.”

  Flynn arched his back as a hand dipped underneath his shirt, Samuel trailing his fingers along Flynn’s side and around to the small of his back. The picnic basket proved to be in the way, a wicker roadblock keeping Flynn from getting closer. Their lips met for another kiss and Flynn enjoyed the taste of his angel, nibbling at Samuel’s bottom lip. He wanted nothing more than to have a proper date, the exact thing that Samuel had asked for, but it seemed that every time they got close they found it impossible to keep their hands off each other.

  Like that was a bad thing.

  He certainly wasn’t going to complain.

  At least, not until Samuel broke contact and left him sitting there turned on and alone. It was like being back in his bedroom. While he adjusted to the abrupt change, he admired Samuel’s backside as he strolled to the edge of the lake. There, in the glow of stars and candlelight, Flynn watched as Samuel began to slowly undress, his back to the demon. First, he slipped out of the vest, dropping it to the ground, and then removed his shirt, his wings faintly visible. Flynn sucked in his bottom lip when Samuel ditched his pants. He looked quite delectable clad in nothing more than formfitting boxer briefs. Flynn loved the curve of Samuel’s ass and sought to get his hands on it, rising from the blanket. Images from past encounters played through his mind, heightening his desire to the point where all he could think of was sweaty bodies and the all-too-precious high at the end of the climb.

  Before he could reach his lover, however, Samuel turned to look over his shoulder, an impish grin on his face. The look slowed Flynn. With rapt pleasure, he watched Samuel slowly, sensually, wiggle out of his boxers and drop them atop the rest of his clothing.

  Samuel turned to him, reaching out to pull Flynn closer. “There’s only one problem with this little... foray.”

  “Hm?” Flynn found he couldn’t form a proper word. Back in the city, day in and day out, he played the game of cat and mouse, always the cat toying with his precious mice. He played them like fine-tuned instruments, delved deep into their most secret desires to bring them such pleasures. He was always on his game until he found himself around Samuel, and then he became... a bumbling fool seemed the best turn of phrase. The angel possessed him heart and soul—if he had one—and he found it a touch scary, but in a good way.

  “You’re wearing too many clothes.”

  “I... it took me forever to pick this outfit,” he blurted out, realizing too late how ridiculous he sounded.

  Samuel stared at him, an eyebrow cocked, and then he laughed. It was a hearty sound in the night, and even though he knew Samuel was laughing at him, Flynn found he quite liked the ring of it. There was light in that laughter.

  Samuel gave him a quick kiss. “Well, you did a good job. It makes you look all kinds of yummy. The dark bad boy,” he said, playing a hand through Flynn’s hair, and then along the curve of a horn. “I’ve missed you. It has been far too long....”

  “Always too long,” agreed Flynn, doing a little touching of his own. He finally got his hands on Samuel’s ass. They kept their dalliances spread over the year for fear someone would catch on to their affair and put an end to it. What would the world think of an angel and a demon wrapped up in love? “But always worth the wait.”

  “Shall we just skip the meal and go right to dessert?”

  “Hm, did you happen to have something specific in mind?”

  “Well, it would require you to be a little more... exposed.”

  Flynn smiled. “I can certainly make that happen. Unless of course you want the joy of unwrapping me?”

  Without another word, Samuel deftly undid the snap and zipper to Flynn’s pants, knowing by now that the demon never bothered with underwear. He found it just got in the way of a little quick fun. The gentle breeze coming off the lake was cool against Flynn’s skin and he shivered, though that may have been a product of watching Samuel fall to his knees. He recalled Samuel’s earlier declaration. Flynn growled as Samuel touched him, kissed him, tasted him, and drew him in. Every nerve in his body sang. Samuel knew just what he liked, bringing Flynn to the brink of orgasm before backing off. What a cruel game his angel played.

  “Don’t stop... please. I’m almost there.”

  “Not yet.” Samuel stood. “I have other things in mind first. Join me for a swim?”

  “Skinny dipping with an angel? Definitely not something they offer in Sin City.”

  “Leave the city behind, my little demon, but make sure you bring the sin with you,” Samuel said before he turned and dove into the water.

  Flynn only needed to think of his lover soaking wet and ready for a little fun to prompt him into action. He made short work of his carefully picked outfit, ditching the clothing right alongside Samuel’s, and then he wasted no time in slipping into the cool water.

  Samuel waited, beckoning. “Come to me.”

  The cool touch of the water did nothing to quench the fire Flynn felt burning deep inside. The flames fanned as he drew closer to Samuel. They shared another kiss, bodies finally pressed together. Hands played over familiar muscles and curves, seeking to elicit sounds of pleasure and ecstasy. Flynn licked droplets of water from Samuel’s skin, nipping at the side of the angel’s neck while he got his hand on the ultimate prize.

  “Oooo,” the sound escaped Samuel.

  “I wonder how long I can hold my breath,” Flynn mused. “Let’s find out....”

  BORN JUST outside the nation’s capital to a military family KASSANDRA LEA has been reading since she could hold a book. Growing up she wanted to be a horse or Batman, but then
she discovered writing and realized she could be whatever she wanted if she lived vicariously through her characters. When not writing she can be found hanging out with her dog, driving flashy cars, pursuing her love of horses, and cheering on the Packers. She lives in southern Wisconsin in an old house with her mother, a gang of furry monsters, and a ghost lovingly dubbed Bob.

  Kassandra Lea can be found at:

  Email: Lea.Kassie@yahoo.com

  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kassandra-Lea/