Protected in Darkness (Misplaced Halos, 1)

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Protected in Darkness (Misplaced Halos, 1) Page 15

by Nicole Edwards


  He wasn’t sure that was a word anyone would use to describe him, but the approval he saw in her eyes was all he needed.

  The sneaky female slid her hand down, curling her cool fingers around his cock, drawing a hiss out of him. Obsidian had to close his eyes, not wanting her to see the powerful glow that ignited from the emotion plowing through him. It took a moment, but he managed to rein himself in enough so that he could open them once more.

  “Condom?” she asked, her voice soft, hesitant.

  He didn’t want any barriers between them and not only because they were futile. He couldn’t contract any human diseases, and as an angel, there were none he could pass along to her. And as long as she was human, Obsidian was unable to impregnate her.

  Not that she knew any of that.

  He shook his head. “No barriers. I need to feel you.”

  She nodded, trusting him though she had no reason to.

  When she guided the head of his cock to the slick heat between her thighs, Obsidian drew his hips back, held her gaze. The desire to drive deep inside her was overwhelming, held back by sheer will.

  “You need to know something first,” he ground out. “What you were feeling earlier … the painful loss…”

  Penelope nodded.

  “Once we do this … once I come inside you … being apart from me will be unbearable, Penelope. You need to know that. You won’t be able to function.”

  Her hand cupped his face. “I don’t want to be apart from you.”

  He inhaled sharply, the admission more than he expected, but he knew she didn’t fully understand. It was quite literal. When they were apart, at least until they were fully mated, she would feel the loss with his absence as would he with hers.

  “I want to feel you inside me,” she pleaded. “I need you, Obsidian. Please…”

  “I’m serious,” he warned. “What you felt earlier is only a fraction of what it’ll feel like—”

  She pressed two fingers to his lips. “I don’t care. I want this. You. Not only right now, Obsidian. Please…”

  Pushing forward, Obsidian breached the opening of her sex, her slick heat enveloping him, her small body stretching to accommodate his size. He didn’t look away, even as his body claimed hers in the most intimate of ways. He didn’t rush, rolling his hips forward, back, her slickness coating his cock, her body accepting him easily. She was so tight, so hot. Minutes ticked by as she relaxed, taking more of him with every shift of his hips.

  And when he was buried to the hilt inside her, Obsidian dropped his head to her neck, breathed her in. Her soft fingers trailed over his back as though she was soothing him, when in reality, he was hiding the fact that his fangs had elongated, seeking the thrum of her blood beneath her skin. He didn’t want to hurt her, didn’t want to scare her, but the hunger was too great. What she stirred inside him built to impossible proportions, overwhelming him. Love, lust. For the first time in two thousand years, he could see his future. A happy one with her in it, beside him for eternity.

  “Hold on to me,” he whispered in her ear, keeping his face buried in her hair. “And don’t let go.”

  Her arms wreathed his neck as he withdrew from her warmth. Obsidian slid in again. In, out, his pace increased, her breaths matching his. He focused on the sensuality of it all. The need to feel her, to hear her cry out his name as he drove them both toward climax. His hips slammed forward, pushing in deep, retreating, driving in again and again. His senses were on full alert, intently focused on her every emotion. He sensed no pain, no fear, only pure, unadulterated passion.

  “Obsidian…” Penelope’s arms tightened around his neck, her fingernails sensually scraping his scalp, her hips meeting his thrust for thrust. “Oh, God, yes … oh, don’t stop. Please … harder.”

  He growled low in his throat, slid one arm beneath her back as he hammered into her, feeling her body clamping down on his cock, drawing him closer and closer to release.

  Her sharp cry pierced the night air, her sex squeezing him as she came. Obsidian gave himself over to his own release seconds later, barely managing to swallow the howl that attempted to escape.

  Chapter Ten

  Friday, July 26, 2019

  PENELOPE WAS VAGUELY AWARE OF OBSIDIAN CARRYING her into the hotel room, closing the door behind him, placing her on the bed, and crawling in beside her. Grateful he was giving her time to recover, to catch her breath and realign her thoughts, she curled up next to him, drifted in and out of consciousness until finally she felt as though she’d come back to herself.

  Mostly.

  Her body was sated in a way she’d never experienced before. Mentally, physically. Even emotionally. And at the same time, it hungered for Obsidian, craved more of his touch, his taste, the serenity that came with being in his arms. She could’ve spent the rest of eternity right there beside him, listening to the steady thump of his heart, the even rasp of his breaths.

  According to the clock on the bedside table, she’d been out for two hours, but that didn’t surprise her. He’d played her body like a finely tuned violin, until she was little more than sensations. She’d never had an orgasm that consumed every part of her, so Penelope figured she was allowed to take some time to bask in the glory of it.

  When she opened her eyes, the glow from the strip through the windows provided enough light to see Obsidian lying beside her, staring up at the ceiling. Clearly he was lost in thought, because he didn’t budge when she slid her hand over his taut stomach, memorizing the ripples of his abdomen. She’d never seen a male specimen quite as beautiful as him. His body was, for lack of a better word, perfect.

  Her mind shifted to the moment he’d undressed, revealing every golden-brown ripped inch—and there were certainly a lot of those—including the long, hard, thick length of his erection. She’d honestly been at a loss for words. Never having been one to think a penis was an attractive feature on a man, she couldn’t deny Obsidian’s was a thing of beauty, perfectly proportioned to his oversized body. And while she’d expected to feel pain from penetration, it had never come, her body adjusting to accommodate him with ease.

  “I smell you,” Obsidian whispered in the darkened room. “Your arousal.”

  Embarrassment warmed her face, but she pretended it didn’t exist, pressing her lips to his chest. “Well, you do that to me.”

  He turned his head, dropped a light kiss on her forehead. “I was hoping you’d rest for a while.”

  “I did.” But now she had questions.

  He sighed, as though he knew what was coming, and Penelope briefly wondered if perhaps he did. There was still that whole possible mind-reading thing she hadn’t asked him about.

  His eyes were once again locked on the ceiling when he said, “Ask me anything, Penelope. Just know you might not like the answer.”

  Where to start?

  “What you said earlier … about me not being able to function if I was away from you. Is that true?”

  “Yes.” His pectoral flexed beneath her head.

  “That wasn’t your way of trying to talk me into your bed?”

  He smiled, as she’d hoped he would. “No. I’m hoping you’ll be there willingly.”

  Future tense, she noticed. That was a good thing, right?

  Propping her head up on her hand, Penelope stared down at him as she trailed her fingers over his smooth chest. “If I can’t be away from you … well, what exactly does that entail?”

  Obsidian’s silver gaze turned her way. “It means you’ll have to stay with me.”

  “For what? The night? A week? Months?”

  “Eternity.”

  She stared at him, trying to figure out the punch line. “Seriously?”

  He didn’t speak, simply held her stare.

  “I mean, I’m not the type of woman to hop from one man’s bed to another, but I consider myself well versed on the gender. I do have a brother, after all. And in my experience, men aren’t generally prone to making lifetime commitments after one n
ight of sex.” Penelope grinned. “Sure, it was mind-blowing and all that, but…”

  His eyes caressed her face, as though he wanted to say something but couldn’t bring himself to do it.

  “What aren’t you telling me, Obsidian? I’m not an idiot. I know that this … whatever’s going on between us … something’s off here.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “The instant attraction, the overwhelming need, the desire to be with you at all times. That’s not normal. Certainly not the physical pain of being away from you. But I felt it. That first morning, when I left here, I felt it then. It wasn’t comfortable, but it was manageable. Then, after we spent all that time together today and I thought you left … that was overwhelming. And you’re telling me it’ll get worse?”

  “If you’re not aware of where I am, yes.”

  “So, what? I can never be away from you? That’s not even feasible.”

  “No, it’s not.” His gaze shifted to the ceiling.

  “So I’m supposed to be glued to your side for eternity?”

  “No. It gets easier.”

  “When?”

  “After.”

  “After what?” she snapped, hating that he wasn’t really answering anything.

  One second she was propped up, staring at him, the next she was flat on her back, his body covering hers. His erection was hot and heavy against her belly as he held himself over her, staring down into her eyes.

  God, he was beautiful. The perfect bone structure of his face, those dark, neatly shaped eyebrows, even his nose was in perfect proportion to his face. Almost as though he’d been created, not the product of two people mating.

  “This thing between us…” His eyes narrowed. “It’s entirely normal. It’s exactly what happens when souls are destined to be together. You’ve never experienced it before because you’ve always been meant for me, Penelope.”

  “Have you experienced it?” she whispered, entranced by the seductive tone of his voice.

  “No. Not until you. I get that it’s new for you, but it’s not for me. I’ve been waiting for you my entire life.”

  Penelope reached up, caressed the smooth contour of his jaw, hearing the underlying words. Though she had a difficult time believing they were destined to be together, something in the way he spoke told her she should believe him. She certainly wanted to.

  “Even now, Penelope, I can’t imagine my life without you in it. I need you. In every way.”

  Her heart did a somersault, emotions she didn’t expect coming forward, making it difficult to breathe.

  “Touch me,” he hissed. “Put your hands on my cock.”

  Confused as to where this was going but eager to have a rematch of their earlier encounter, Penelope did as he instructed, reaching between their bodies and fisting his erection.

  Obsidian hissed, his breath rasping through his teeth.

  Her fingers didn’t touch as she circled the thick length of him, but she gripped him firmly, enjoying the velvet smoothness against her palm.

  “Stroke me,” he insisted.

  She did.

  “Keep your eyes on mine,” he ordered, his hips pumping as he thrust into her hand. “I want you to see me, Penelope. All of me.”

  Not sure what he was getting at, she didn’t release him, her other hand gliding over the muscles in his arm, feeling them shift and bunch as he rocked his hips forward.

  “When I’m with you, Penelope, I feel like I belong somewhere. For the first time in my life.”

  She knew the feeling.

  “I know you suspect it,” he whispered. “That I’m something other than human. It’s true, although what created you and what created me are the same.”

  Perhaps she was too curious to be concerned, but she didn’t dwell on the former part of the statement. Only the latter. “Who? God?”

  Obsidian nodded. “And I know you’re meant to be mine because just being in your presence … you speak to my soul.”

  Her breath locked in her throat when his glowing silver eyes began to brighten, beams of light extending outward. It was hard to decipher at first, but the longer she remained locked in his gaze, the brighter they became until the silver hue consumed the entire room.

  Oddly, it didn’t scare her. Nothing about him scared her.

  “Are you making me feel that way?” she asked. “Controlling my emotions?”

  “No.”

  There was something darkly erotic about him in that moment.

  “My emotions do this … make my eyes glow,” he admitted. “You do this to me. Not just when you touch me. When you look at me, speak to me.”

  Penelope glided her hand over his shoulder, feeling the tension. He was holding himself back.

  “Put me inside you,” he growled as he shifted his hips, allowing her to guide him between her legs.

  She expected him to drive into her in one rough thrust, but he didn’t. Obsidian gently pushed forward, filling her inch by devastating inch, her body softening, growing slicker with every delicious thrust. The hair on her arms prickled as the glorious sensations consumed every nerve ending. She’d never been one to care much for sex, but she was already addicted to Obsidian, was positive she would never get enough of him.

  An eternity wouldn’t even be enough.

  “Your body needs mine,” he said smoothly. “Mine needs yours. But this connection … it’s not purely physical.”

  It wasn’t. She knew that.

  Reaching up, Penelope touched his face, sliding her palm against his smooth cheek. His glowing eyes remained on hers as he moved inside her, long, deep strokes.

  Suddenly, his upper lip curled back, her gaze dropping to his teeth. Before her eyes, his canines grew longer.

  Fangs.

  Obsidian had fangs.

  She felt him then, penetrating every part of her. Not only her body but her mind. He’d slipped inside.

  “I’m not scared of you,” she assured him, somehow knowing he needed to hear that.

  Chills coursed through her, as though she was becoming one with him. Penelope needed to be closer. He stared down as though seeking her approval. Her knees locked over his hips as she reached for him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him to her, desperate to feel his body covering hers as she gave herself over to him.

  “Penelope…” His voice sounded tortured as he buried his face against her neck.

  Shifting her head to the side, she offered herself up to him.

  “No,” he growled softly.

  She wasn’t sure why he was holding back, but she trusted him. For whatever reason, Penelope knew he wouldn’t hurt her, and perhaps that was how she knew she’d fallen in love with him in a matter of days. Not only because of whatever was driving them to be together, either. This was coming from within her, deep inside. Obsidian filled her with warmth and light when she’d spent months—no, make that years—walking around with a cold chill in her bones.

  “Hold on to me, ayreme. Don’t ever let me go.”

  “I’ll never let go,” she promised.

  He became feral then. They both did, succumbing to the overwhelming pleasure as his body covered hers, hammering her with ruthless thrusts as she held on. It was the most exquisite feeling in the world, one she wanted to savor. It didn’t matter what he was or even what she was, for that matter. They’d been brought together for a reason. There was always a reason.

  “Obsidian … I’m—” Penelope didn’t get the word out, screaming in ecstasy as her orgasm obliterated both her body and mind.

  The sound that escaped him was something resembling an animalistic growl, sending her over the edge again, the two of them coming at the same time, united in pleasure.

  When Obsidian tried to move off of her, Penelope held on, refusing to let go.

  He chuckled, then rolled so that she was draped over him, his warm arms surrounding her.

  She fought the urge to tell him she loved him, not wanting to play all her cards too s
oon. Instead, Penelope settled on top of him and closed her eyes, giving herself over to the exhaustion that dragged her into the deep, dark abyss.

  “WELL, AREN’T YOU A LOVELY THING?” PERFIDIOUS crooned at the brunette female occupying the end chair at the blackjack table.

  Though he would’ve preferred to sit at Beatrice’s table, he wouldn’t get lucky tonight because his favorite dealer was enjoying a night off.

  “Care to join us?” the brunette offered.

  “I think I would.” Digging a single chip from his pocket, Perfidious set it on the table as he eased onto a chair, waited for the dealer to finish the hand.

  “Table’s not doing so great,” the female said, smiling. “Hopefully you’ll change our luck.”

  Oh, he most certainly would do that.

  With the ease of one who was comfortable in the process, the dealer swept all the cards away, sliding them into the card shuffler before pinning Perfidious with a hard stare.

  He pushed the one-hundred-dollar chip out, signaling his desire to play.

  “Where’re you from?” the brunette asked while the dealer exchanged the larger chip for smaller ones.

  “Oh, here and there. Been all over, really.”

  She smiled, gaze darting between him and the cards being dealt. “Travel for business?”

  “I do. And you?”

  “Here for a convention. Starts tomorrow.”

  When it was his turn, Perfidious motioned for the dealer to pass him another card, something to better the two sixes he had.

  Another six was laid down, making him smile.

  “Oh, yuck. Ugly hand,” the brunette said, waving her perfectly manicured fingers over her cards to signal she wanted to stand on twenty.

  “Eighteen,” Perfidious told her. “To the dealer’s suspected seventeen. I’d say it’s not too shabby.”

  “But six-six-six. That’s the devil’s number.” She shivered, as though a cold chill raced over her.

  He didn’t bother to tell her Lucifer had never once staked a claim on any number, much less that one. But whatever.

  The dealer revealed the nine he had beneath, then drew another card as was the rule. A king broke him, giving the win to all three of the table’s occupants.

 

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