Page 122 of Grave Beginnings

He tightened his grip, stroking me in slow, deliberate pulls. His thumb swiped over the head, teasing, tickling, and making me writhe against him. Pleasure pooled in my gut, need building. My ass clenched as if wishing he could fill me, too.

“Angel,” I gasped against his lips, breaking the continued kisses long enough to plead. His erection rested hot against my hip; hard, aching. I needed to touch him. “Can I?”

“Yes,” he answered, lips returning to mine as if losing those few seconds of kisses physically hurt.

I wrapped my hand around him, his cock thick in my grip. Fuck. Someday I’d get on my knees and study it with my tongue.For now, I matched his rhythm, stroking him as he did me, the water running between us.

He growled, and for a fleeting second, I wondered if I was doing it wrong. No one had complained before, but Angel pulled his lips from mine, grabbed the bottle of shower gel, and squirted it between us, soaping up both our cocks and easing the glide.Oh.That was so much better. I sighed and threw my head back against the wall, sucking in air as he worked me then hesitated. He slotted our dicks together, his hand below mine, setting the pace.

Angel’s mouth found mine again, messy and desperate as he licked and sucked at my lips then slid down to kiss my jaw and follow my throat. He decorated my neck and collarbone with tiny, stinging nips as we thrust together, rhythm faltering as I neared the edge. His breath hitched, and I felt him trembling against me, his control unraveling just as fast as mine. He circled his thumb around the tip of my cock, pressing my head to his as his grip tightened around us.

I came with a choked moan, my release spurting over his hand, my knees buckling as pleasure ripped through me, held up only by Angel’s body pressed to mine. He followed moments later, shuddering against me, his face buried in the crook of my neck as his spend mixed with mine until the warm water rinsed it all away.

We stood wrapped in each other for a long moment, both breathing hard, his forehead pressed to my shoulder as if I were the last buoy in a storm. His arms tightened around me, fingers tracing idle, possessive circles on my hip.

“Good?” he murmured, his voice husky, but satiated.

“Mmm,” I agreed, and kissed him again, slow and lingering, needing to memorize the taste of him. “Better than good.”

We lingered for a short while, both half-boneless, until Angel snapped the loofah up again, quickly washing us both before shutting off the water and dragging me out to the padded rug.Steam curled around us as he toweled me off first, then himself, pausing a moment to wrap the fabric around my back and tug me in to his chest. I stared up at him as he dove in for another kiss, and closed my eyes to sink into him. Neither of us was able to get enough, even as my temporary surge of adrenaline from the nightmare faded and my energy flagged.

“Bed,” Angel grumbled. “You’re ready to fall over.” He snagged my fingers in his and tugged me toward the door, tossing the towel on top of the basket. He guided me to the bed and tucked me against him, his heartbeat steady against my back as he spooned me and tugged the blankets up. I relaxed into his embrace, closing my eyes and releasing all the tension. I’d never felt as safe as I did in that moment, wrapped in Angel’s arms. It felt like where I was meant to be all along.

43

A shrieking,mechanical wail interrupted my dream, ripping me from sleep as if someone was about to drop a bomb on my head. I bolted up, sheets strangling my legs, and tangled up with Angel as I half fell out of bed. The wailing continued with an added strobe light. In duplicate. My phone and Angel’s were both screaming, shaking, and wobbling across each nightstand.

My heart raced in terror as I yanked up the phone to silence the noise, a thousand possible horrors tearing through my brain as I thumbed open the screen.

“Fuck,” Angel cursed, silencing his alarm seconds before mine, and scrambled out of bed. I sat half sprawled against the side of the bed and night table, blinking at the screen, reading:

SED Priority One Activation. Full Mobilization. All units.

Angel raced around the room, throwing clothes on the bed beside me, ear pressed to his phone as he spoke. “Up, Jude. Dressed. We have to go.”

“What is happening?” I tugged on underwear, tactical pants,and an undershirt, hands shaking. I was grateful the buttons were minimal. Were we going up against some kind of supernatural god?

Angel dressed fast, pulling from the go bag I hadn’t realized he’d brought in. “Victor is two minutes out. We’ll need to suit up.”

I swallowed hard and tugged on my socks and shoes, trying to calm my sprinting pulse. The clock read 5:12 a.m., but I felt like I could use more sleep, though I knew we’d gone to bed before five last night. Maybe using my power burned through more energy than I thought?

A heartbeat later, Angel dragged me out the door, his grip iron-tight on my hand. The elevator doors barely had time to open before he hauled me inside, jamming the button for the lobby. My pulse thundered in my ears, still sluggish from sleep.

“Victor?” I managed; my voice rough.

“Closest agent.” Angel’s jaw was set, his usual, easy charm replaced by something sharper.

“Where?” I asked. No coffee. No clarity. This was going to be a problem.

Angel turned, his dark eyes locking onto mine, and his expression softened. He leaned in, brushing his lips against my cheek. “The apartment building with the rift we scouted.” His voice dropped. “It’s been overrun by a Veil tear. And since it happened at night…”

Casualties.The unspoken word hung between us. My stomach twisted.

“What? How?”

“Wade’s light on details,” Angel said, already moving as the elevator doors opened. Outside, the flashing lights of an SED SUV painted the lobby in strobing red and blue. I sprinted after him, and we both vaulted into the middle seats. Victor had the wheel, his knuckles white, while Wade rode shotgun, his facegrim in the dashboard’s glow. The vehicle moved the second Angel closed the door behind us.

Wade thrust two steaming cups toward us. I clutched mine like a lifeline, gulping down bitter salvation.