6. Ciel

6

CIEL

T he days dragged by without the knowledge of where Ryan and I stood. I’d done something to him, I knew that much, but whether he was ready to take the next step forward or not, I couldn’t be certain.

That kiss was much more than one kiss. It stood for everything.

The one thing I still had faith in was that I would see him again, and soon. It was only a matter of time till he couldn’t resist seeing me again. I had seen it in his eyes before I left on that one fateful night, and even now I felt it in my bones and in the tips of my wings. An electrical pulse buzzed through me as I waited impatiently to know what the future held in store for that na?ve little human.

That moment arrived on a particularly quiet evening exactly one week after my failed date with him.

My cottage was small and ordinarily I could hear any noise outside from anywhere in the house, but even I nearly missed the soft, weak knock on the front door. It was almost as if whoever was knocking didn’t want me to hear it.

I walked over to the door and opened it, simply nodding when I saw the tall, raven-haired man standing outside on the porch.

“Ah, you made it.”

“I — what?” Ryan stared at me, confused. “How did you know I was coming over tonight? I didn’t even make up my mind to stop by until I was walking past your house.”

“I didn’t,” I confessed. “Or, rather, I knew you would end up here soon, but I wasn’t sure how much longer you could hold out. I see that you’ve finally given in.”

“Given in to what?” His eyes narrowed and darkened.

“Come inside and we’ll talk about it.” I gestured for him to come through the open door, but he hesitated.

“I’m not sure if this is a good idea after all,” he said, shaking his head. “I think I’ll just head home and go to bed early.”

“Don’t be ridiculous; we need to talk and now is as good a time as any.”

“All right, all right. I’ll come in for a few minutes. I really don’t think I should stay long, though.”

“Why not?” I shut the door behind him and turned around to face him, our noses practically touching with how little space was between us.

“Well, because of what happened at my place last week.” His voice grew quieter the longer he spoke. “And, you know, I wouldn’t want…”

“Wouldn’t want what?” I ran my hands along his arms, pulling him closer to me till his belt buckle bumped against the knot in the rope I wore loosely tied around my waist. “Let me show you a different side of this world,” I whispered in his ear.

“A different side?” Ryan pushed back. “You mean a different side of the world you weren’t even part of until a few months ago?”

“No, a different side of this world, which I can assure you, I’ve been a part of for far longer than you.” I locked lips with him, preventing him from saying anything further.

Ryan practically melted into my arms, parting his lips enough to let me slip my tongue inside and explore. My hand traveled down below his belt, resting gently against the growing stiffness in his pants.

I wanted him. I needed him. And for the first time since meeting him, I was certain that he needed me too.

I guided him a few steps to the side where we collapsed onto the couch, still wrapped in each other’s arms. His fingertips dug into the small of my back, his arms fighting against the bulk of my wings that kept him from reaching lower. I worked at his belt buckle, undoing it and slipping the belt out with a satisfying hiss before letting it clatter to the ground. I moved down to the zipper on his jeans, breaking away from our kisses long enough to gaze down at him.

“Are you all right with this?” I asked.

Ryan opened his eyes, which were bright and pleading. “Yes,” he breathed. “You can do whatever you want with me tonight. Please .”

I turned my attention back to his pants, then his shirt, then his underwear. He was every bit as handsome naked as he was fully clothed, if not more, and it killed me to have to pause and slip my own silky white robe off, the previous seconds of which tore me away from everything that I so desperately craved.

Another kiss, another breath, another moan into my lips: I had Ryan in the palm of my hand now, and as I dipped my head to nibble at the skin on his neck, I let my passion go straight to my head. There was no stopping us now, whatever happened when we returned to our senses. Ryan was mine, all mine, and I was his. This was better than any empty promise Heaven had ever given.