by ERIN BEDFORD
Gabriel was one of those fun things. Just standing there watching him in his jeans and button up shirt, I only felt happy. Which was how Gabriel made me feel pretty much all of the time. Happy. Out of my element. So, his choice of dates shouldn’t have surprised me, but it did, something else that made me like him all the more.
“Yes.” Gabriel grinned, his eyes taking in everything around him. Who’d have known bowling alleys would be so exciting to an angel? The last time I was excited about bowling, I had pigtails and couldn’t bowl without the bumpers. That was only a few months ago, but still. Lucifer sure as hell wouldn’t have suggested bowling.
No. Don’t compare them, Jane. They are each different people. It’s not right for me to compare them.
I scurried to find my enthusiasm and put on an eager face. “Alright, if bowling is what you want to do then, that’s what we’re doing. Let’s go.”
Starting over to the counter, I waved over the cashier. A woman with black and green hair came over looking as happy to be there as half the other people there. The strobe lights sparkled off her nose ring and almost blinded me. I had the urge to tell her to put her nose bling away but didn’t think that would come across well. I wanted to go on this date, didn’t I?
Clearing my throat, I tapped on the counter with my keys. “Yeah, I’m going to need two pairs of shoes. A size seven and a …?” I glanced back at Gabriel. “What size do you think you wear?”
Gabriel peeked down at his feet and shrugged. “I don’t know. I just think of it, and it appears. Not really a size thing.”
Oh, the jokes I could tell. Swallowing my ill-timed humor, I glanced toward the cashier who was giving me a strange look.
“Well, take your shoe off and let me see it.” I held my hand out to him, hoping to get a guestimate from the woman behind the counter.
Gabriel didn’t do what I asked and rubbed the back of his neck bashfully. “I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m not corporeal. The clothes aren’t real.”
His answer baffled me for a moment, and then when it finally clicked in my head, my mouth dropped open. I slowly turned back to the counter where the woman stared at me like I was some kind of crazy person. Chuckling nervously, I clacked my keys on the counter once more.
“Just a second.” I marched away from the counter and toward the bathrooms. Forcing myself to ignore the stares coming my way, I ducked behind the row of lockers. When Gabriel stopped behind me, I scowled. “Why didn’t you tell me? I looked like an idiot talking to myself.”
Gabriel shrugged. “I forgot until you mentioned my shoes. It’s not like I go corporeal every day.”
“Well, you might as well get used to it because I can’t have my boyfriends going all invisible at random.” I waved a hand up and down him before digging into my bag.
“Your boyfriends?”
My hand in my bag, I glanced up at him for a second and said, “Yeah, Michael and I already had this discussion, so I assumed he told you.” Ducking my head back down, I searched for the nail file I knew I’d thrown in there earlier.
“It must have slipped his mind because this is the first I’m hearing of it.” Gabriel tipped his head down until I looked up. The silly grin on his lips made me smile.
“Is that okay?” I asked and then winced as the nail file broke the skin in my hand. I offered it up to him.
Gabriel leaned down and lapped at my hand, his eyes on mine the entire time. Soaked. My panties were completely destroyed. It wasn’t fair really. He was an angel. How was I supposed to be able to resist public arousal with him nearby?
The moment Gabriel became corporeal, his arms wrapped around my waist and drew me to him. His mouth closed over mine, and for a moment, I forgot why we were even hiding. My hands gripped his button-down plaid shirt, a thankful change from the Hawaiian shirts he’d been favoring as of late.
A gasp and giggle interrupted us, and I pulled back to see two ten-year-old boys staring at us. Blushing, I wiped the sides of my mouth. Gabriel, on the other hand, didn’t seem at all affected by their presence.
“Are you dating him?” one of the boys asked, raising an eyebrow.
Before I could answer, Gabriel did. “Yes, this is my girlfriend, Jane. And who are you?”
“Ryan,” the boy answered and then nodded to the other boy. “This is my friend, Charlie. Are you going to kiss again?”
Gabriel grinned at the boys and wrapped his arm around my shoulders, tugging me into the junction of his arm. “I just might.”
The two made a face that could only be described as a mixture of disgust and curiosity. Somebody hadn’t figured out that cooties were a good thing. Give them a few years.
Not wanting to play twenty questions, I gave Gabriel a little shove. “Well, we have to go get our shoes. It was nice meeting you. Don’t do drugs and stay in school. You know all that good stuff.”
Dragging a laughing Gabriel away, I reminded myself to renew my birth control. We stopped before the counter once more, and the cashier arched a brow.
“I’m back.” I grinned awkwardly.
“I see that.” She clucked her tongue and jerked her chin toward Gabriel. “Found your friend, did ya?”
Feeling even more awkward, I turned back to Gabriel and patted him on the chest, grinning way more than needed. “Yep. Found him. Hey, Gabriel, give me your shoe.”
Gabriel took his shoe off and handed it to me. The smirk on his lips told me he was enjoying this way too much.
“Can you size this for me?” I slapped the shoe on the counter.
The woman looked down at the shoe and then back at me. “You don’t know the size?”
“They’re custom made,” I bit out.
The woman rolled her eyes and took the shoe and went to the shoe rack. She grabbed a pair off the rack and then another pair before coming back over. Slapping them on the counter, she gestured to them. “There. Your boyfriend’s an eleven.” She wagged her brows at Gabriel and winked. “Lucky girl.”
Now, I was really blushing. I dug into my pocket and pulled out a twenty. “Here, thanks.” Grabbing our shoes, I hustled Gabriel away from the counter.
“So, you’re lucky, huh?” Gabriel chuckled, tucking his hands into his pockets.
I rolled my eyes. “Don’t get a big head. It’s a stupid joke that doesn’t mean anything.”
“Well, it sure meant something to her.” Gabriel pointed back at the woman at the counter, who hadn’t stopped staring at him. That’s right, lady, he’s mine. Back off!
Finding an empty lane, I sat down and started changing my shoes. “Yeah, well, the only people who care are really immature people.” I glanced up from my shoes and saw the women still openly staring. “Geez, look at this woman. You’d think she’d never seen a hot guy before. Freaking snotty ho face.”
Gabriel snorted.
Once we both had our shoes on, I took Gabriel over to the ball rack. Gabriel picked up the first ball he found, not at all bothered by the weight. I searched the rack for the bright pink ball that I knew weighed nothing and wouldn’t rip my arm off. I found it three racks over and had to jog for it before a little kid could get it.
“That’s right, kid. Keep moving!”
Gabriel stared at me curiously, but I ignored it and headed for the lane. “Alright, let’s bowl. You have bowled before, right? They have lanes in Heaven.”
“What?” Gabriel asked, confusion furrowing his brow.
“You know.” I waved a hand in the air. “That whole tale that says when thunder sounds, God and the Devil are bowling, and when there’s lightning, that means they hit a strike.” I felt my lips spreading out across my face as I realized how that sounded. Lucifer? Bowling?
Gabriel let out a mixture of a scoff and a laugh. “Yeah, right. Like Lucifer would ever wear these shoes.”
“It’s like we are of one mind!” I gasped, gesturing between us and giggled.
Picking his ball up, Gabriel glanced at the hole
s. “So, I just stick my fingers in here, right?”
“Yeah,” I moved over to him and showed him how to put his fingers in the holes, something he never needed help with in the bedroom. I held back my snicker.
“And then I just throw it down that strip of wood?” He gestured the ball toward the lane, and I backed off a bit.
“Woah there, you’re gonna hit someone if you don’t watch it.” I held my hands up, trying to get him to lower the ball.
“Sorry,” Gabriel put the ball to his side. “So, what are you going to do about the thief?”
I palmed my ball and chewed on my lower lip. “I’m not sure. Mandy and O’Connor seem pretty dead set on arresting the maid.”
“Yeah, but we both know she didn’t do it.” Gabriel moved up to the line of the lane. He glanced at some of the other bowlers and then rolled the ball down the lane. His form was perfect, and he got a strike.
“What the hell?” I gaped, coming up beside him. “You said you’d never bowled before.”
Gabriel shrugged. “I haven’t.”
I pursed my lips. “Uh huh.” Moving up to the line, I aimed my ball at the pins. Come on, strike. I couldn’t get outplayed by an angel on his first time!
Fucking spare!
Growling, I stomped back over to Gabriel. “Even if we know she didn’t do it, I doubt Detective I’m-always-right will listen to reason. Not until they’ve torn the place apart. What we need is the M.E. to say suffocation. Then we might have a chance.”
Gabriel picked up his ball and moved up to the line again. “Well, I think it’s a waste of time but whatever. They’re the experts.”
I made a disgusted noise in the back of my throat. “Yeah, the experts. That’s why they hired a fake psychic to help them in this case.”
Giving me a knowing look, Gabriel threw the ball down the lane. Once more, perfect form and a … a strike. Damn it!
We played that way for a few more rounds before I threw in the towel. I should have never tried to play a game with an angel.
“I swear this is not fair.” I sighed, hanging forward with my ball dejectedly. “It took me years to get a semi-good game, then you come in here with your angel moves and mastered it in five minutes.”
Coming over to me, Gabriel placed his hands on either shoulder. “Don’t worry. There are plenty of things I’m not good at.”
My head jerked back, and my eyes narrowed. “Like what?”
Gabriel was quiet for a moment, and then his eyes widened slightly. “I can’t tell if someone’s lying automatically.”
I gave him a perturbed look. “Really? You’re playing off Lucifer’s powers now?”
“Hey, I’m also not very observant.” He lowered his head a bit so that we were eye level.
“That doesn’t count either.” I pushed away from him and sat my ball down on the chair near us. Sitting down next to it, I leaned over on my knees. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be such a sore loser.”
“Oh, it’s okay.” Gabriel sat down beside me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “I don’t mean to be good at everything. It just goes with the package.” He gestured down at his body. His toned, sculpted body, that had me thinking about balls in a whole other way.
Licking my lips, I snuggled in closer to him. “What do you say that after this, we go back to my apartment, and you can show me what else you’re good at?”
Gabriel jumped to his feet. “How about now?”
I giggled and pointed at the lane. “We’re not even done with our game. I thought you wanted to play?”
Grabbing my hand, Gabriel waved his other behind him. “Nah, I win either way you look at it, and between bowling and sex, I’d rather have sex.”
I didn’t need to be psychic to figure that out.
20
When I parked my car outside of my apartment, I didn’t bother waiting until we were inside before leaning over and kissing Gabriel. His hands came up, cupping my face between them. Smiling into the kiss, I climbed out of my seat and into Gabriel’s lap.
“What are you doing?” Gabriel asked, breaking our kiss.
Licking my lips, I began to unbutton his shirt. “Making out with my boyfriend in the parking lot.” I adjusted myself so that I pressed up against him, giving him a wicked grin.
Gabriel grinned wolfishly as I rocked against him before pulling my face back down to his. I continued to unbutton his shirt, making a small sound in the back of my throat as my fingers found skin. I trailed down his chest and to the waist of his pants. Gabriel’s breath hitched as I played with the button of his pants.
His hand caught mine before I could unsnap them. “Maybe we should move this up to your bed.”
I pulled away from him with a curious grin. “Are you shy? Afraid of getting caught with your pants down in public?”
Meeting my gaze, Gabriel laced his fingers with mine. “More like I’m already barely fitting into your tiny car, and I’d like room to appreciate you more.”
Giggling, I leaned over and grabbed my bag and the keys out of the ignition. “Alright, you win. The bed it is.”
We scrambled out of the car and made our way up the stairs to my apartment, our hands never leaving each other. Gabriel stopped me and pushed me up against the wall beside my apartment door. His mouth pressed against the side of my neck, his fingers tugging at the belt loops of my pants. I tangled my hands in his hair, pulling him closer to me. I was so caught up with Gabriel that I didn’t hear my neighbor open her door.
“Excuse me.” Mrs. Branch, a sixty-year-old senior citizen with way too much time on her hands, snarled.
My eyes fluttered open, and I met her disgusted gaze. Tapping a hand on Gabriel’s shoulder, I pushed him away slightly. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Branch. Did we wake you?”
Mrs. Branch sniffed. “I may be old, but I’m not that old. Your canoodling is interrupting my show. Take it inside.”
“Sorry, Mrs. Branch.” I grinned and fumbled for my keys. “Won’t happen again.”
“See that it doesn’t,” she snapped, slamming her door behind her.
Gabriel and I exchanged a look before we busted out laughing. Finally getting the door open, I threw my bag and keys down and turned back to Gabriel who was on me in seconds. I gave into his kiss for a few moments before pushing him away with a grin.
This time, I didn’t waste a second getting his pants off and then knelt before him. His cock stood hard before me, bumping against my lips. My tongue dipped out, and I took a long, languid taste of him, enjoying the sounds he made from above. As I pulled him into my mouth, his fingers laced into my hair, urging me closer.
My finger gripped the back of his legs as I took him inside, moving my mouth along his shaft. Before I could get too far into it though, Gabriel pulled me to my feet. I gave him a questioning look as his hands went to my shirt.
“I want to see you too, you know.” He pulled my shirt over my head, and I helped him take my bra off. Our mouths collided once more, and we backed up toward my bed. When my legs hit the bed, he unsnapped my pants but didn’t take them off. His hand dipped into my pants stroking me over my panties. I let out a shuddering breath, and my eyes fluttered closed.
“You’re so beautiful, Jane,” Gabriel breathed out against the side of my face, his hand moving fast against my pulsating clit.
I groaned, arching into his touch. “So are you.”
Gabriel chuckled. “I’m beautiful?”
My eyes snapped open, and I grinned. “Well, you are an angel. Beautiful is kind of your thing.”
“No, you’re my thing.” Gabriel removed his hand, making me whine in protest, but I was soon pacified when he shoved my pants off. Urging me back onto the bed, Gabriel hovered over me, his eyes taking in my nude form. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to get enough of seeing you like this. Of touching you.” His hand slid along the underside of my breast. “Of tasting you.” He ducked his head down to press an open mouth kiss to the same breast. “I never want to leave you.”<
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“Then don’t,” I gasped, his mouth taking my nipple in.
Gabriel rolled the tip around in his mouth for a moment before pulling back. He moved up to my face and brushed his lips against mine, his hand reached between us and lined the head of his cock with my entrance. “You have no idea how much I wish that were an option.”
I didn’t get a chance to ask him about what he meant before he pushed inside of me. We rocked together, our hands and mouth finding any skin we could. There was no more talking, only the steady beating of our hearts as we each searched for our release. My nails dug into Gabriel’s back, and my back curved up. The action made Gabriel slide into me a bit deeper, and suddenly, I didn’t need to reach for my orgasm. We broke over that edge close together, and I couldn’t think of anything but how good I felt. I had already forgotten about Gabriel’s words and was able to fall into a deep, restful sleep.
The next morning, like so many other mornings before, I woke to the annoying sound of my phone. I groaned and rolled over in bed. My hand reached out for Gabriel, but as usual, he was gone. One of these days I planned to wake up with the same person I went to bed with.
I collapsed back on the bed once more, hoping whoever was paging me would take the hint and leave me alone. Sadly, just as I started to fall back asleep, my phone started to ring again.
“Damn it!” I shouted to the empty room and threw the covers off me. Why couldn’t I remember to turn my phone off before I go to bed? Oh, that’s right, I was a bit preoccupied with a certain angel and his hands down my pants.
Not at all bothered by the fact that I was walking through my apartment naked, I snatched up my phone. Mandy, of course. Only she would be so heartless to call me this early in the morning.
“This better be good,” I answered, putting the phone between my ear and the shoulder. I went over to the fridge and opened it. Slim pickings there. I grabbed a box of leftover pizza from three nights ago before the whole case went down.