Tempted (12 page)

As her head made contact with the arm of the sofa, his tongue slipped between her parted lips. She gasped, both shocked and aroused by the intimate contact. He captured her groan with his mouth, never pulling his mouth away from hers as he stretched his long frame out over hers on the couch. His weight felt right, his bulk solid but comforting.

He went slowly, tutoring her patiently until she learned how to slide her tongue over and around his. He groaned with satisfaction when she got it right, his kiss growing more insistent as she grew bolder.

Every sensation was new, each one a reminder that she’d never felt anything like this before. Nothing in heaven or on earth felt quite like this moment—Jackson’s masculine scent, the feel of his arms around her, his lips moving possessively over hers, the sound of his rapid breath, the feel of his heart pounding against hers—there was nothing to compare it to.

When his lips left hers, she cried out in disappointment, feeling empty and bereft without his touch. The feeling was gone instantly when his mouth lowered to her neck. Her body reacted, now beyond her control, as her back arched and her hips pressed upward toward his. Her breasts tingled, tightened into tight buds at the tips where they pressed up against Jackson’s chest. The heat pooling low in her belly melted into an intense throbbing that shot right down between her thighs.

She’d been on earth long enough to know what came next, to know how close she and Jackson were to committing to the inevitable. But as his hand found its way beneath her shirt, she honestly didn’t care. All that mattered in that moment was that the hand pressed against her stomach was inching its way upward. She held her breath, waiting for his hand to close around her breast.

When his palm caressed the small mound through the fabric of her bra, pleasure shot through her like a lightning bolt. She jerked beneath him and her nipple leapt to attention against his hand. Uncontrolled trembling wracked her body, and soft sighs escaped her lips in time with Jackson’s skilled caresses.

Sarah felt herself losing control, saw her own actions as if watching from outside of her own body. She was hot, as if the very flames of hell were licking at her feet, yet she still could not stop. Even as Jackson whipped her shirt over her head and freed one breast from the constraints of her plain white bra, she couldn’t stop. All she could do was wait breathlessly for his mouth to find her.

When it did, tremors shot through her, stabbing straight into her chest like a lightning bolt. The inside of his mouth was warm and soothing, but it offered only a temporary relief from the ache that filled her inside. She arched toward him mindlessly, offering more of herself to him even though she knew she shouldn’t.

It wasn’t until his fingers tugged at waistband of her pants that she came to her senses. As if doused by a bucket of ice water, she gasped for air and struggled against Jackson’s hold. He reared back, watching her in confusion, as she struggled to sit up and adjust her clothes. Pushing masses of hair off of her face, she stared up into his heavy-lidded eyes; they radiated seduction. His lips were parted, still glistening from the strokes of her tongue, and his breathing was shallow and rapid. Every muscle in his body was tense, and the ridge of his masculine organ showed against the fabric of his jeans. She tore her eyes away, afraid that she would lose herself again if he continued to look at her that way.

“
I’m sorry,” he said as he placed some distance between them on the couch. He gazed at her from the corner of his eye. “I’m going too fast for you, aren’t I? You’ve never—“

“
I’m the one that’s sorry, I…”she paused, exhaling slowly before she continued. “I shouldn’t have allowed that to happen.”

His hand found hers where it rested on the couch. “Don’t blame yourself. We’re friends, and you’ve been such a help to me. I don’t want to mess that up and make things awkward.”

Sarah’s heart swelled, and she couldn’t avoid his gaze any longer. “I’ve never had a human friend before,” she said with a weak smile. “I’m not sure I know what friends do in this situation.”

His smile was wide as he laughed and squeezed her hand. “They move on and pretend it never happened. They don’t let it get in the way of their friendship, and if you want, they never speak of it again.”

Sarah nodded, although she still felt flutters of uneasiness in the pit of her stomach. Even if they chose not to speak of it again, she would never forget. She would never forget that for one moment, she’d been this close to experiencing the passion she’d once scoffed at and hadn’t understood. She would never forget that for one moment, she’d been this close to losing her very soul.

Chapter 15: Angels and Demons

Sarah sat watching as a soft breeze bent blades of emerald green grass. The bending blades created a ripple effect along the hills, one of which she was sitting on. She closed her eyes and inhaled the fresh, sweet scent that was unique to heaven. When she opened her eyes again, she gazed at the tall, majestic trees and vibrant, exotic flowers that dotted the landscape. Everything was touched by a soft, white glow. Everything was touched with peace and serenity.

If only she could stay this way forever, in a moment like this, without a care or concern in the world. She almost wished she’d never chosen to go to earth in the first place. If she hadn’t, maybe she wouldn’t be sitting in the middle of the most beautiful place in the universe with a longing in her chest for someplace else; a place full of sorrow, despair, and ugliness. What angel in her right mind would long for a place like that?

This was what love did. She’d watched it happen for centuries, inwardly scoffing at the angels she’d seen heading for destruction. In the choice between heaven and hell, wasn’t heaven always the easier choice?

She’d found that it wasn’t always so simple. Being separated from the person you wanted most by an entire world…that was hell. It was hell, even in the midst of heaven.

“
An angel wearing that expression in heaven can only mean one thing.”

Sarah jumped to her feet and turned toward a familiar voice. Reniel, a warrior angel, was standing beside her, looking down at her from his massive height; he stood taller than her by ten foot height by two whole feet. His luminescent skin was covered in brilliant gold armor, his head was covered by a golden helmet, similar to those worn by the ancient Romans. A massive sword hung at his hip and a bow and quiver of arrows was strapped to his back. He smiled and the corners of his glowing white eyes crinkled.

“
Is my misery amusing to you?” she snapped, clenching her teeth and preparing to walk away.

His large hand clamped down onto her shoulder firmly, and his expression grew serious. “No, but it is familiar to me,” he said, his voice laced with sympathy. “I know what it is to long for earth while in heaven. It is not an easy thing to deal with, but it will pass.”

“
What do you know about it?”

Reniel’s hand tightened on her shoulder. “Her name was Carol. I met her in the year 1950. She was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen, and if I could have given up my wings without having to suffer damnation, I’d have done it in a second just to be with her.”

Sarah’s eyes widened and her heart squeezed painfully. Jackson’s image swam at the corners of her mind. “What did you do?”

“
I left her,” he said, his jaw hardening as he said the words. Sarah felt the pain that gripped him as he told his story. “One day I just disappeared without a word. It was cruel and cold, but it was necessary. She died in the year 2004. I see her here, from time to time, surrounded by her family and friends. She does not know me in my angelic form, and so does not have to suffer the cruelty of seeing my face. I, however, have both the pleasure and pain of having to look upon her.”

“
You did the right thing,” Sarah replied.

Reniel nodded. “Yes, and so will you. It’s not too late.”

Sarah looked away and stared out across the rolling field, her mind waging war against her heart. As much as she hated to admit it, Nathaniel had been right. Jackson had made his decision, and Sarah could always ask to be reassigned. If things continued on the way she had been, she’d be in danger of losing her soul.

“
I’ll take it,” Reniel offered, sensing the direction of her thoughts. “I just came back from an assignment, but if Father approves, I’ll gladly assist him with transformation and training.”

Sarah forced a small smile. “You would do that for me?”

“
Of course,” he replied. “As I said, I’ve been where you are. Once you’ve had an audience with Father, he’ll contact me and I’ll get started right away. And don’t worry, I’ll try to explain everything to him if you’re not up to it.”

“
No,” said Sarah with the shake of her head. “Just focus on preparing him for Guardianship. He is powerful, Reniel, one of the best I’ve seen in a long time. He has the potential to be one of the greats. In time he will forget me.”

Reniel shrugged. “As you wish.”

Jackson flipped open his cell phone and stared at the time. It was seven am and Sarah still hadn’t returned. He’d fallen asleep waiting for her to come back; she’d promised she would.

“
When I return I’ll have the tools necessary for us to begin your transformation and training,” she’d said, trying to avoid his gaze. Even though they’d smoothed things over after their intimate encounter, she still seemed a bit ruffled by the experience. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t as well.

“
Tools?” he’d responded with a laugh. “Should I be scared?”

A small smirk had pulled at the corners of her kiss-swollen mouth. “It’s nothing too scary, I promise. I’ll be back in a few hours, all right?”

He’d watched from the window until he saw her angelic form shooting across the night. He’d stood there a few minutes after she disappeared, just staring up at the clear night sky. He wondered how far she had to travel through space to get to heaven. He wondered what she was seeing as she hurtled across the universe to reach what she had called the most distant star.

After he’d waited for a few hours, he eventually fell asleep. He’d hoped to find her beside him when he woke up. He hadn’t.

Where was she? He knew that there was no reason to worry; she was an angel for crying out loud, nothing could hurt her. But with each passing hour he felt the cold feeling of dread in his stomach growing. As he stood to lead Mason downstairs so that the dog could do his business, his mind raced with unanswered questions.

Where was she? Had he come on too strong the night before? Was she angry with him for going too far?

He certainly hoped not. It would break his heart if Sarah were to admit to any regrets about last night or their kiss on the roof. The two moments were some of the most memorable in his life, and that was big for a guy who had once held such a casual attitude about intimacy and sex. Their kiss hadn’t been just a kiss, it had been a meeting of souls, a touching of spirits. He’d
felt
her on, in, and around him, and couldn’t remember a time when something had affected him more.

She was in his blood, in his mind, swimming around and lodging herself in places he could never hope to pry her out of. He only hoped that he wouldn’t have cause to.

He knew that it was insane that he was in love with an angel. How on earth had that happened? How on earth could it ever last? After his training was done, he wasn’t sure if he would be allowed to see her again.

Anything was possible, he decided as he led Mason back into the apartment building. After all, it had only been a few days since he’d discovered his true identity. He was part of a special race, a group gifted with supernatural powers and responsibilities beyond his imagining. Surely that made things less complicated where he and Sarah were concerned.

He couldn’t know any of the answers until he returned, which made him even more impatient. He entered the apartment and closed the door behind him. He filled Mason’s bowl and helped himself to a glass of orange juice before heading toward his bedroom. He hoped that by the time he’d showered, shaved, and dressed, Sarah would have returned. He rubbed his hair-sprinkled jaw and smiled. He couldn’t wait to see her.

As he entered his bedroom, the hair on the back of his neck stood on end. He felt as if the temperature in the room had been lowered by at least twenty degrees, and his heart plummeted into his stomach. Fear and panic gripped his chest so quickly and suddenly that he fell to his knees, his hand clutching at his pounding chest. He gritted his teeth and struggled to breath.

It had been days since he’d had one of these attacks, and he was saddened that they’d returned. He’d hoped that their absence had been a sign of new beginnings. He’d hoped that he’d finally outrun his demons after he’d been forced to talk about and face his past.

A few seconds into the attack, he realized that this one was different. This was unlike anything he’d ever felt in his life. It was then that he detected the sound of heavy footsteps and a stench unlike anything he’d ever smelled, like a combination of sewage and rotting meat. A shadow filled his vision and he looked up into the most terrifying face he’d ever seen.

When he’d thought about facing his demons, he hadn’t meant it literally. This was taking it to a whole different level.

This demon was like something out of the comic books Jackson read as a kid. His head almost touched the ceiling he was so tall. He wore a medieval-looking suit of gleaming black armor. He lifted the face-shield of his helmet, and Jackson cringed at the grotesque stretched skin and revealed skull. He was certain he saw flames dancing around behind the orbits of his eyes, reminding him of Ghostrider. Only this guy was no comic book hero. The evil that emanated from him wrapped around Jackson’s heart like an iron shackle, leaving him paralyzed and fearful.