Page 45 of Guarded (Hopeless Blessed #3)

Jeremiah

N oah entered me to the hilt before pausing. Long curtains of lilac framed his beautiful face as his lips parted on a moan.

All I could think was, how could he believe he wouldn’t be good at this?

I knew the answer. It was Lyle.

It was always Lyle. He’d burrowed under Noah’s skin and festered there.

Well, no more. I was digging him out. Yanking his claws out of my mate and making sure the wounds he’d left were healed.

Wrapping my legs around Noah’s waist, I pressed my heels against him until he took the hint and kissed me.

His body covered mine now as he began to move, and it was all I could do to hold on to him as he took us higher.

His thrusts were slow and intentional, dragging against my prostate in the most delicious fashion.

I buried my hands in his hair, winding the strands around my fingers. Noah made the sweetest sound, his body shuddering as I tugged lightly. “Satan, you’re so perfect. So good. So good for me.”

He responded by bracing his hand on the bed above my shoulder. “I can be better.”

“I don’t need better,” I growled, grabbing the back of his neck and slamming his mouth to mine. I held nothing back from my kiss. It was hot. Needy. Desperate.

All the things Noah made me feel.

Noah broke away with a gasp, a small smirk playing on his lips. “That wasn’t me being insecure. It was me about to show off.”

Oh. I grinned up at him. “In that case, be my guest. Show me all your moves.”

Noah lifted both my legs up onto his shoulders. It was a position I hadn’t really been in in the past. Sure, I bottomed, but being splayed out like this wasn’t something I’d felt comfortable enough to do.

There was no discomfort with Noah. I’d let this angel tie me up like a damned pretzel if that was what he wanted. Not only because it would make him happy, but because I felt safe with him.

Noah would take care of me. I had no doubt about that.

He went a step further and shoved a pillow under my arse. A small whimper left my lips without my permission as I tried to keep hold of my sanity.

Noah’s chuckle was dark enough to belong downstairs. “You doing okay there, Jem?”

“I will be when you start moving,” I grumbled, canting my hips to try and get him deeper.

Noah laughed again, but he didn’t keep me waiting.

He started moving his hips in a sinuous rhythm. My hands scrabbled at whatever flesh of his I could reach. His wrists. Forearms. Chest.

“Need you closer,” I grunted .

“How flexible are you?”

Not very, but if Noah broke any bones they’d heal immediately. Plus, hopefully the pain would make me last longer than a few minutes. Otherwise, this was going to be over too quickly for me. “Just do it.”

Without hesitation, Noah folded me almost in two. My ankles were somewhere by my ears now, a place they’d never been before. There was no cracking though, so apparently, I was more flexible than I’d thought.

“You good?” Noah panted, searching my face with concern.

“I’m good.” Better than good considering his body was against mine. “Now fuck me, Noah.”

He let loose with a growl. Our mouths brushed together but never quite caught. We were too far gone. Too lost in the moment.

My cock was hard and throbbing between us. Noah’s abs rubbed against it as he hammered my prostate. My nails scratched along his back as he rutted into me harder.

So close. So fucking close. I was coiled tight, just waiting for that release.

I put my hand on Noah’s chest. Right over his heart. His thrusts were in time with the beat, each taking me closer. Closer. Closer.

My vision whited out as I came. Spurts of cum filled the space between us as I roared his name. Fuck.

Noah’s hips slammed home. Once. Twice. And then they stayed. His eyes closed as he filled me, the veins in his neck standing out as his release rushed through him.

He let my legs fall from his shoulders and collapsed on my chest. I stretched my legs out and winced a little. Nothing was broken, but the muscles weren’t happy about being hammered in such a position .

No matter. My healing would take care of it in a few minutes. Besides, it was totally worth it. Partially for the orgasm, but mostly to see that look on Noah’s face as he came. Pure ecstasy.

He’d found that with me. He’d felt safe enough to fuck me exactly the way we both wanted.

I’d take sore muscles any day of the week if this was the result.

“I think we need another bath,” Noah mumbled against my chest.

I kissed the top of his head, gathering his hair so it wasn’t sticking to his neck. “That or a shower. I imagine you’re going to regret collapsing in the mess in approximately thirty seconds.”

“Maybe less.” Noah laughed, lifting his head. His attention caught on the silver gleaming in my nipples and he pouted. “How did I forget to play with these?” He flicked one lightly and I hissed. His responding grin was slow and sleepy. “Oh, I definitely need to play.”

“Maybe in the shower?” I suggested, stroking his back. “After some food though.”

Noah’s eyes narrowed. “Hmm. Are you actually hungry or are you trying to take care of me again?”

“Can’t it be both?”

He sighed happily. “Both is good. I want us both to be happy.”

I didn’t say anything, just kissed him. Being together would make us both happy. I’d never been more certain of anything. Nothing else mattered. Not his ex. Not my fears.

So long as we had each other, we’d be golden.

A fter devouring the contents of Noah’s thankfully well-stocked mini fridge, we’d taken a thorough shower.

And by thorough, I meant us slowly frotting to completion as we made out against the wall.

All in all, it was a good day. Not the date we’d had planned by any stretch of the imagination, but in terms of progress in our relationship?

Yeah. It was a fucking great day.

Well, technically, by the time we were done in the shower, it was two in the morning. I’d made some unconvincing noises about leaving, but Noah had seen it for the ruse that it was.

“You’ve pretty much stayed all night as it is. There’s no point going home now. Unless you want to.”

I didn’t miss the flash of vulnerability in his words. Kissing the end of his nose, I smiled. “I don’t want to go anywhere other than to bed with you.”

After helping him change the sheets, something I’d had to insist upon before he relented, we snuggled up together.

Skin to skin, we whispered through the next few hours.

We caught each other up on our pasts. Not all of it, of course.

When you lived as long as we did, there was a lot of ground to cover.

But it was a start. We had centuries, possibly millennia to cover the rest.

Noah finally lost the battle with his eyelids at around five, falling asleep mid-sentence.

His fingers curled around one of my nipple piercings while his breath gently blew over the other.

Thanks to the fun he’d had with them in the shower, just his proximity to them had my cock filling, but I ignored it.

I was perfectly content doing nothing more than holding Noah as he slept.

Through the crack in the curtain, I watched another day dawn. My second of many sunrises with Noah. I’d been right in what I’d said. It was a promise that there were better things to come. Each of them would involve this man in my arms.

This was real freedom. The freedom to love who I wanted. To choose the life I lived. To appreciate every damned moment. To never take a single second for granted.

I knew how easily it could all be ripped from you, but that wasn’t going to happen here. I’d lived through literal Hell, and this was my reward.

Finding Noah was my karma for surviving. And if I knew that being with him was what I’d have at the end of it?

I’d relive every damned day of it.

I ’d expected some ribbing from the other Seraphim when we finally emerged from Noah’s bedroom. Some teasing, perhaps. A few bawdy jokes.

What I hadn’t expected was a full fucking standing ovation.

Both Noah and I froze on the threshold to the kitchen as applause thundered around us. All of the Seraphim were present, along with Sam and Nox. They’d stood up as we entered, clapping their hands together and catcalling.

Only Micah and Benji remained sitting, the latter quietly munching his cereal as he read something on his iPad.

Noah flushed beside me as a twin slapped him on the shoulder. “Fucking finally. It’s about time you got laid.”

I was tempted to point out that it wasn’t the first time we’d had sex, but if we’d been quiet enough to get away with it last time, I wasn’t about to enlighten them.

Evidently their supe ears had heard it all last night.

The other twin grabbed me in a headlock. I held my demon down as he choked me slightly. “Hurt Noah and we’ll gut you.”

“Nate, let him go,” Noah barked.

Nate, who was apparently the twin strangling me, didn’t listen. If anything, he tightened his grip. “I mean it. I wouldn’t even need the others to help me.”

There was a blast of light and then I could breathe again. Rubbing my throat, I straightened up to see Nate collapsed on the floor with Noah towering over him.

“I don’t give a fuck whether you think you’re protecting me or not,” Noah hissed, vibrating with anger. “You do not touch my mate. Ever. You got that?”

Nate blinked innocently. I’d never seen anything less convincing in my life. “I was just giving him a proper welcome.”

Theo sighed beside me. “And they say I’m the troublesome twin.”

I side-eyed him. From what I’d gleaned from Noah, they were as bad as each other.

Micah joined Noah to glare at Nate. “Enough. You’ve made your point. ”

Nate pouted. “But fucking with newly mated pairs is so much fun.”

“No, it’s immature.” Micah exchanged a glance with Sam, who got up and went to the back door. “And you know what happens when you act this way.”

Nate’s faux pout turned into a real scowl. “Oh, come on. This isn’t worthy of taking a lap.”

My lips twitched. I still couldn’t believe these angels saw a simple walk as punishment. Mind you, I owed him one today, so maybe I shouldn’t point that out.

“Up.” Sam jerked his chin at Nate, his foot tapping on the floor. “If you behave like toddlers, you get treated like toddlers. Don’t keep me waiting or it’ll be two laps.”

Okay, I took it back. Sam might have been human, but the glare coupled with his tone was quite the combination.

Nate muttered under his breath, dragging his feet as he went to the door. But he went. Sam blew a kiss in Zeke’s direction before disappearing after him.

Benji was frowning at us intently. “You two aren’t mated though, right? I can’t sense a bond.”

Noah stiffened like the question bothered him.

I moved to put my arm around his waist. “We’re not, but not for any nefarious reasons.

This is very new, and we’ll take that step when it feels right.

It doesn’t change the fact that we’re together.

Our relationship is as important as the fact that we’re fated mates. ”

I smiled at Noah, who was staring at me with wide eyes. “We don’t need a bond to prove that we’re fully committed to each other. As far as I’m concerned, Noah is mine and I’m his. It’s as simple as that.”

Benji shrugged, returning to his iPad. “Fair enough. I only asked because Nate said about fucking with newly mated pairs and I thought I’d missed something. ”

I flushed. Oh. There I was, making a grand statement, and it was just a miscommunication.

“Excuse us a moment,” Noah said stiffly, tugging on my arm.

My heart sank as he dragged me into a pantry and closed the door. Had I spoken out of turn? Had he been hoping to keep our relationship status quiet for now? “Fuck, I’m sorry, Noah. Did you not wa?—”

My words were cut off as he launched himself into my arms. I automatically caught him as he wrapped his legs around my waist, his arms going around my neck. He kissed me thoroughly.

I had no idea what was happening, but I was more than happy to go along with it.

“Thank you.” Noah’s eyes were shining as he pulled back. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

My brain was slow to catch up. “Making out in a pantry? Wow, you’re easily pleased.”

“No.” He huffed a laugh. “Having someone…claim me. Just straight-up telling everyone that we’re together and‘it’s as simple as that.’”

Understanding washed over me. “I’ll never deny you, Noah.

I’m not embarrassed or ashamed to be yours—I’m fucking thrilled.

Trust me, I’m going to be showing you off at every opportunity.

I can even take out an ad on the Tube if you like.

That way, countless commuters will have to look at our smug faces every day, knowing you’re with me and not them. ”

Noah’s laughter was lighter than ever before. “Let’s not go that far. Telling my unit, knowing I don’t have to hide…that’s everything, Jem.”

“No hiding for us. Not now, not ever. It’s you and me, sweetheart, and I want the whole universe to know it.”