The First to Fall: A Fallen Novel (The Fallen Series)

by Tanisha D. Jones

  “How do you feel?” She opened one eye and looked at Eli who was leaning in the doorway that lead to what she assumed to be the bathroom, wearing a towel tucked tightly around his waist, another draped around his shoulders and nothing else. Water beaded on his bare skin, curling the soft springy hair on his chest. He smiled at her showing those perfect white teeth and those damned dimples. There was a snag in her chest, and warmth growing much lower. She crossed her legs tightly and closed her eye, a new image taking over her mind.

  “Like little men are exploding blasting caps behind my eyes. Where am I?” She mumbled, chancing another look at him. He was broad shouldered, she had known that, but his skin was flawless, thoughts of running her tongue from his neck to his navel seemed to invade her mind. She wanted to touch the muscles of his stomach; if there was such a thing as an eight pack, she would say he had it. He was moving now, she watched through her lashes as he came closer to the bed, sitting on the edge, the towel falling slightly open. With effort, she averted her gaze and he adjusted to make sure he didn’t flash her.

  “My house, my bed. You went down pretty quickly last night. Riley caught you right before you hit the ground.”

  ”Did you-did we-sleep-”

  “I slept in another room.” He answered with more than a little regret in his voice.

  “Did you–undress me?” He nodded, slowly.

  “I was a perfect gentleman. Believe me, it was not easy.”

  “Oh my Lord,” She mumbled, closed her eyes and pulled the comforter over her head. He laughed; a low sexy chuckle and she squeezed her eyes shut.

  “I’m teasing. Riley undressed you. I’ll get you some aspirin and something to drink. Tea? Coffee? There are some things we need to discuss.”

  “Coffee would be great,” came her muffled reply. He laughed again and she felt the mattress give as he rose and moved away from the bed. There was an extended silence and she peeked over the edge of the covers to see Eli in the bathroom. He’d closed the door only slightly, and the angle of the mirror gave her a view of his perfect ass as he slipped on his boxer briefs and a pair of well-worn and faded blue jeans. Shaking her head, she pulled the covers back over her face as he exited the room to pad downstairs barefoot.

  Once he was out of the room, she dashed into the bathroom, and using a towel and toothpaste as a makeshift toothbrush, she brushed her teeth, scrubbed her face until it shown fresh and clean, then hurriedly undid the frayed braids from her hair, giving it a good combing through with her fingers. She looked at herself in the mirror, giving her arms pits a sniff and adjusting her boobs, before catapulting herself back into the bed, under the covers and feigned a pounding headache.

  When he came back, Eli had a cup of coffee and a bottle of aspirin in his hands. The aroma of fresh hot coffee and cream filled the room and she inhaled deeply, smiling in anticipation. He sat gingerly on the bed, handing her the cup. She sipped slowly as he opened the aspirin bottle, shaking two into her hand. He’d remembered how she took her coffee, she realized.

  “Three sugars, two creams,” he mumbled with a shy smile. It always struck her that a man so beautiful and straightforward could also be sweet and shy.

  “Are we going to talk about it, or are you going to keep lying to me?” He asked, his voice was light, but she knew he was serious. “There is more to this story then you’re letting on. There is more to you, right?”

  “I’m not lying to you.” She swallowed the pills, her eyes on him as she sipped her coffee. When she felt the heat in the room rise, she looked down into the mug, suddenly fascinated by the swirling brown liquid. He placed his fingers under her chin and forced her to look at him.

  “Explain this.” He held up a long thin silver chain, on the end of which hung a rather unique pendant with a joined heart and triangle inside of a circle, tribal wings sprouting from the sides. She looked down at herself and realized that he must have removed it when he’d undressed her.

  “It’s something I’ve had for as long as I can remember,” she said, reaching for it. He pulled back, holding it out of her reach.

  “Ok.” He nodded. “Then explain this.” He held the pendent next to his chest and watched as the expression on her face transitioned from confusion to realization to astonishment. She leaned forward and ran her fingertips over the dark mark just above his heart. She hadn’t seen it before but they matched.

  “A birth mark?” She asked incredulously. He nodded but remained silent, watching her for any indication that she could tell him more. She bit her lip, and then in a quick movement tossed the covers back. She moved closer, turning her back to him and lifted her hair. Just below her hair line at the nape of her neck, was an identical mark, only her mark was man-made. He ran his fingers over the mark and a chill went down her spine. He ran his hands over her bare shoulders; his lips touched her skin; warm and soft moving slowly up to her neck. She sighed and let her back rest against his chest. When he cupped her breasts, she decided that letting Eli Cain kiss her while she was half naked in his bed was not the best idea. She eased out of his arms and shook her head.

  “Honestly, I have no idea what’s going on. All I know is that Thing killed my best friend in the world for whatever reason.” She turned back to face him, covering herself with the comforter.

  “But he’s not really dead is he?” Instead of answering she sipped her coffee. But did she really need to answer; they both knew that the sightings in the French Quarter were real. She knew more than that, but she wouldn’t allow him into that part of her head. She took the necklace from him and slipped it over her head. He stared as it rested perfectly between her breasts. “You know what this mark means don’t you?”

  “I should really get going. I promised Jonas that I would supervise the staff for tomorrow’s Thanksgiving dinner, and I have some things to do before I drive across the lake in the morning-” She tossed the covers back without thinking, and stood before him in pale yellow lace that left very little to the imagination. He’d honestly forgotten that Thanksgiving was the next day. Looking at her at that moment, all six feet of glowing caramel skin and dark wavy hair, he’d forgotten his own name. He couldn’t think of anything except that amazing ass of hers only a foot from his face. He wanted to bite it, he thought. He reached out and ran a hand over the waist band of the scrap of lace she considered underwear and her breath caught. He smiled and licked his lips; the blood was rushing from his head to another more alert body part. His mouth went dry and his throat felt as if it sealed shut.

  “We aren’t done.” Eli cleared his throat and tried to look away as she unfolded the thin white t-shirt she’d worn beneath the soft yellow velour track suit jacket.

  “I believe we are. I asked you to help and you did; I’ll tell Jonas what you saw and he’ll look into it. You can get back to your life. You can forget about me.” He frowned as she tried to influence him the way she’d influenced the door man the night before. Only, it wasn’t working. She was pushing, trying to erase her from his memory, only he pushed back. Startled, she backed off.

  She turned her back to him again, his eyes roamed freely over her muscular thighs and calves, her back was flawless. Something about the smooth line of her spinal column made him want to run his tongue from the nape of her neck all the way down to the crack of her wonderfully round ass. He wanted her more than he’d ever wanted another woman in his life. It caused an ache in the pit of his stomach, and a throbbing much lower; quite frankly he burned for her.

  “Have you ever done that before? Shared someone’s memories?” He asked, his voice strained and heavy.

  “No.” She answered quickly, her voice sounding shrill to her own ears. She flinched and cursed herself. He rose slowly, coming to stand behind her, his hands on her shoulders.

  “Have you ever shared an attraction or bond to anyone, as strong as ours?” He was closer his body so close that she wanted to move back to solidify their connection.

  “No.” This time she managed a more level to
ne, much to her relief. Every nerve in her body felt as if someone had taken a torch to them.

  “Have you ever wanted anyone as much as you want me?” She closed her eyes and tried to calm her racing heart.

  “Just stop, okay? You’re making this too hard, and it shouldn’t be this hard to leave. Let it go, Elijah. Let me go. I’m not what you think I am.” Her voice, barely a whisper, quivered. Her hands shook nervously and she balled the t-shirt in her hands.

  “Do you know that ever since I met you I can’t think straight? All I think about is you- kissing you, touching you. And I have a feeling it’s the same for you, isn’t it?” He smelled of sandalwood and soap, his breath minty with a hint of coffee brushed her cheek. He took her earlobe into his mouth, nipping at it with his teeth and she moaned. Slowly, he ran a finger down her spine and her breath caught in her chest, her knees buckled for the intense need for him.

  “Yes. But-”

  “And you’re just going to walk away from that?” It took all of her resolve not to turn to him; she knew that once she faced him, looked into his eyes, she would be gone.

  “I have to. Whatever is going on is some, and I quote, really fucked up shit. I think it’s best if your involvement is minimal. I don’t know what’s happening but I have the feeling that this is going to be bad. I’ve already gotten you too involved in this.” She couldn’t seem to figure out how to put on her shirt. She couldn’t think, he’d buried his hands in her hair, pulling her back against him as he nibbled her neck. She took a deep breath and focused on getting dressed, which became a moot point as he rubbed his rock hard shaft into the small of her back. The touch of him, hard and throbbing against her set her skin ablaze.

  “You think I’m going to let you get away from me?” She attempted to snort indignantly, and shook her head. Then, with his hands on her waist he turned her to face him, and kissed her. Her breath left her as his tongue began its study of her mouth; he held her still, one hand at the nape of her neck, the other holding her against his growing erection. The hand he’d placed on the small of her back, moved past the band of her panties, cupping the tender flesh of her perfectly rounded ass, holding her hard against him.

  She dropped her shirt to the floor her fingers moving through the frayed belt loops of his worn jeans, pulling him closer. This was so stupid and wrong but she wanted to feel his skin against hers. The temperature in the room, which had been warm and inviting, suddenly dropped to near freezing. He lifted her, sitting her on the dresser, her back against the mirror, her legs wrapped around his waist. He moaned as her heat touched his stomach. They paid no attention to the neatly organized cologne bottles and lamp that crashed to the floor, filling the room with conflicting fragrances. She groaned as he moved the lacy panties aside and touched her. His fingers teased her before he slipped one deep inside of her stroking her until her body, wound itself into a tight coil of pleasure that roiled from the center of her and spread. She had never felt this before, never been so close to such a euphoric pleasure, her body twisted as he slipped another finger inside of the soft wet center of her. Her legs trembled and she made a deep animal noise. Her body shaking, she pressed against him her hips rolling against the feel of his hand and she exploded.

  Eli kissed her on the cheek; she clung to him until the last spasm of pleasure wracked her. She could feel him smiling against her cheek. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer, her mouth moving hungrily over his, her tongue tasting him. She took his hand in hers moving it down to the soft curls at her center.

  “I don’t want you to stop.” She tugged at his bottom lip with her teeth. He slowly slipped a finger deeply inside of her again and she moaned.

  “Mmm,” she sighed, nuzzling his ear. “Good boy.” She panted.

  His mouth left a trail of fire across her neck to the hollow of her throat, his fingers moving in and out of her until she gasped. As his tongue gently teased the pulse point throbbing in her neck, he was overwhelmed by the need to bite her. He wanted to drink her in, taste the warm dark fluid pumping through her veins. He wanted to feel her life surging into him. The need was so strong that he actually opened his mouth to take a bite out of her, his teeth digging into her skin.

  She moaned and he was snapped back to reality. When he finally released the clasp of her bra, and revealed her breast, her nipples puckered in expectation. He took one into his mouth, his teeth grazing the tight nub until she whimpered. Her hands moved over his muscled back, down past the waist band of his frayed jeans, pushing them as far down as they would go before she undid his fly. Slipping her hand inside, as she stroked, he seemed to grow harder, his body vibrating in her hand. When he let an involuntary moan escape, she chuckled. Eli lifted his head from her breast and looked into her eyes; she had the most deliciously devious smile on her lips. He arched a brow as he removed the scraps of lace. She lifted her hips and helped him, lifting one leg as he slipped them off. He moved closer still, his mouth moving between the valley of her breasts, his hands on her hips. He pulled her toward him, pushing her thighs open wider. He looked down at the soft moist curls at the juncture of her thighs before opening her like a flower. When his mouth touched her, she inhaled sharply her body melting around him. How, she wondered, did she ever believe this was a mistake?

  He pulled her even closer, she thrust her hips up to meet every delicious stroke of his tongue. She ran her hands over the soft curls at the back of his head, her nails digging into the back of his neck. He deepened his kiss, his tongue torturing her, bringing with it wave after wave of unbearable euphoria and she could feel herself being pushed over the edge. His teeth grazed the sensitive already stimulated skin at her core and she felt herself tumbling into blinding bliss. She groaned, mumbled something decidedly sexy and nasty in French before her back arched and her legs tightened around him. She made a deep guttural noise, it was almost primal as she came hard and long, her thighs shaking around his shoulders.

  He waited until her tremors subsided, then he began again. When his lips touched her again, she groaned, her fingers clutching the edge of the dresser in surprised rapture.

  “Oh,” she moaned softly. He held her thighs, his tongue teasing her until she felt as if she were on fire, unable to control her own body, her muscles jerked; her legs trembled as she cried out. He wasted no time bringing her to the brink again and she whimpered from the sheer exhausting pleasure of it. He gently grazed the tender flesh of her inner thigh with his teeth and her body convulsed involuntarily. Her back thudded against the mirror above the dresser, sending the photos on the wall to the floor with a resounding crash.

  “I was right,” he mumbled his mouth still against her thigh, “Just as sweet everywhere. I want you so much, so much.”

  “Eli.” She couldn’t believe the tone of her pleading voice as she rocked against him. She wanted him more; it felt as if her body was on fire. She lifted his head, bringing his mouth up to hers and kissed him with a need that bordered in desperation. She wanted him inside of her; she wanted to feel his thickness filling her. “Faire l ‘amour me, Élie.” She whispered breathlessly.

  He understood it as clearly as if she’s spoken English. “Make love to me, Elijah.” She’d said and he just about melted. He stood between her hot thighs, the bulk of him straining against his jeans and he watched her hands slip the frayed denim jeans and cotton of his undershorts down over his hips. She was kissing his chest, his neck, her teeth grazing the skin at his jaw line. His eyes drifted shut when her hand moved down to release him from the constraints of his jeans.

  “Eli, you okay? I-” Riley paused in the doorway for only a second, his gun drawn, before blushing and turning his back to them. “Oh my God. I thought- Oh my God.” Riley gasped and started to giggle like a little kid. Eli moved quickly; lifting her, he hurriedly deposited her on the bed, shielding her from Riley’s prying eyes, and began pulling up his pants.

  “Damn it Riley, get out!” Eli barked.

  “Sorry, sorry. Eli when
you get a minute, you have a guest. Another- guest.” Riley couldn’t conceal the smile from his voice as he half stumbled half ran from the room. They remained frozen as they listened to him clumsily descend the stairs. CeCe started to giggle under her breath, hiding her face behind her hands.

  “Shit, he has the worst timing in the world.” Eli cursed under his breath. “I’ll get rid of them, you-” He hastily buttoned his jeans and tugged on a faded sweatshirt. “Don’t move.” To punctuate his statement, he leaned over and kissed her thoroughly. She wrapped her arms around his neck, drawing him down onto the bed wanting to feel the weight of him on her. Eli closed his eyes and exhaled fighting the urge to climb on top of her. With a great deal of effort, he drew himself out of her grasp.

  “Stay just like that,” he growled. She leaned on her elbows, her lids hooded, and her gloriously naked body shimmering in the early morning sunlight. She began chewing her bottom lip and he made a low annoyed growling noise before leaving the room.

  ***

  Hannah Freeman stood at the bottom of the stairs and was just about to take a step up when he came bounding down.

  “Good Morning, Eli. I’m sorry- I knocked, your friend was nice enough to let me in. I hope I’m not interrupting anything. We heard a noise and well, your friend told me to wait here.” She had the brightest smile plastered on her face, and Eli knew immediately that he should have waited a few minutes before coming down to greet her. He glared at Riley who leaned against the wall a bright knowing smile on his lips. Hannah’s eyes drifted over him in open appreciation, and he had no recourse but to let her stare at his evident erection.