Chapter Five #5
“And maybe…” She dared. “Just maybe, we’re both here because this is where we’re supposed to be. Together.” She put her finger under his scruffy chin and turned his head to face her. With measured slowness, she leaned in and covered his tempting lips with her own.
“Antonia.”
Azazel breathed her name. The sound tore something deep and raw inside him as she pulled away. Her precious kiss—gods, that kiss—wasn’t just lips meeting lips. It claimed a piece of him he didn’t even know he dared to share. A slice of previously denied peace. A flicker of hope instead of guilt.
Even though they were in a psychic Dreamwalk, she was as real to him as the terrible dark loneliness he’d endured all his life.
As it receded, the snarling beast he carried deep inside stayed tranquil and still for once.
If he didn’t know better, that was a sure sign this woman was the missing half of his soul. One that even his inner demon craved.
“Azazel,” Toni whispered back. She grabbed the back of his head in a tight grip before seizing his mouth again with hers.
Flames of electricity shot through him, tiny licks that brought him alive.
A trembling ache started low, creating a tension that cried out for her.
The background faded away. His only reality was her soft hands roaming over his near-naked body, over the swimsuit he wore.
Nothing in his life—no moment of triumph or pain—had prepared him for the wildfire she ignited in him.
It wasn’t anything as simple as want… or lust. It was an all-consuming need that built with every caress.
Exploring her kiss with his eager lips and tongue, his unsteady hand traveled over the tempting plumpness of her breast, which was covered by the minuscule triangle of cloth of her bathing suit.
He had no trouble pushing this aside to clasp her trembling mound.
Drifting his mouth to the corner of hers, he moved to the flowing curve of her chin, down to the vulnerable line of her throat.
Ancient words tumbled out of his mouth, words that were lost in the annals of time.
In the back of his mind, a part of him urged caution, warning him he was moving too fast. But inflamed emotions took over, filling him with a clamoring need that made the practical thought disappear in a mere whisper.
Immersed in the unfamiliar sexual sensations bombarding him, he swept his tongue over the pulse in her neck.
With a teasing nip, he scraped his teeth over the spot.
He sucked in a breath as white-hot pleasure that bordered on pain consumed him.
He cupped her swollen breast before teasing the puckered skin of her nipple with a brief pinch.
For a split-second, he swore the feeling was a mix of the two of them merging into one.
Their souls connecting on a level he’d never dreamed was possible.
Damn, even his inner beast rumbled with carnal anticipation, stalking inside him. If he wasn’t mistaken, the “other” demanded satisfaction with the female in his arms.
Azazel’s heartbeat pounded inside his head.
And, since that inner beast was cooperating, he had the freedom to relish the sensations happening between him and Toni.
He closed his eyes and surrendered. He moved his mouth up her throat to her chin and nibbled before conquering her lips again as he massaged her breast. The very air around him shifted until all outside sensations fell away.
Except for her… for Toni. The dewy silk of her skin, the satin curtain of her dark hair draped over his hand as he cradled the base of her skull.
She clung to him as her need and hunger joined his.
Her dark, erotic images fueled his desire, building a fire in his blood.
“Wait.” Toni jerked her lips from his with a strangled moan.
Opening his eyes, he watched her troubled expression as she tilted her head and scooted away from him. Mentally as well as physically.
She drew in a slow breath and faltered. “I don’t... I mean, I do…but…” Her blue gaze was unfocused. “I’m just having a hard time with how fast things are happening here,” she confessed in a soft, but unconvincing, tone.
His inner beast grumbled. Not strong enough to cloud his mind, but strong enough for Azazel to clamp down on it to keep it from trying to reach out to Toni’s mind.
“Tell me,” he whispered, keeping his tone open and soothing.
He leaned back, mourning the distance as he let his hand fall from her full breast. He licked his lips, savoring her flavor as he did his best to collect himself.
To give her some space even though she didn’t move from his lap.
Toni’s crystal-blue eyes darted around before focusing on the radiant sun setting in the distance. “I make it a point to try to be honest with myself.” She took a deep breath before her gaze swung back to him. “And to be honest with those I get involved with.”
Azazel stilled when she said, “get involved”. He gave a brief nod to encourage her to continue.
“Usually, I let things develop naturally.”
Toni’s slight grin and colored cheeks told him her confession embarrassed her.
“Dissecting a relationship has never been on my agenda.” She waved a hand between them. “But the strong feelings I have for you are, um, hard to take in.” Grasping his hand resting on her knee, she gave him a beseeching look. “And I admit it scares the hell out of me.” She bit her bottom lip.
Azazel fought the urge to pull her back into his arms. With sheer control, he concentrated on releasing the tension between his shoulders.
Thankfully, the beast remained subdued, so he didn’t have to fight on that front.
He squeezed her hand back. “Believe me, you’re not the only one scared.
” If they were being honest here, she would have to know she wasn’t the only one with those fears.
He looked into her eyes and confessed a personal secret he’d never told anyone before.
“I’ve been alone all my life. I’ve never allowed anyone to get too close, terrified that if they did, they’d reject me.
” Especially that hidden part of himself he’d vowed to never show anyone.
Toni’s eyes bulged before she sputtered a burst of laughter.
“Heol!” She exclaimed in Korean. “If nothing else, the fact that you actually admitted that just proves you are exactly who you claim to be—an alien guy from the past with just enough humanity to be delightfully awkward.” Chuckling, she wiped a tear from her eye.
“Or you’re gay.” She looked him up and down. “Which you’re not, are you?”
His grin turned sultry. “I can guarantee with one hundred percent certainty I am only attracted to the opposite sex.” He pulled her close with half-lidded eyes, leaning close enough to continue where they left off. Before his lips met hers, an incessant ping tapped at his consciousness.
Dammit!
What he wouldn’t give to ignore it. But if he did, it not only wouldn’t go away, but it would also get worse.
With a frustrated huff, he straightened and increased the distance from her. “I’m so sorry, hebat. But I’m afraid our time here is coming to an end. JR14 is trying to get my attention, so I must finish this pleasant Dreamwalk. Please prepare yourself to be awakened.”
Toni rested her head on his upper chest, where her deep sigh resonated through his skin. “Okay, but can we do this again?” She twirled a finger around one of his hardened nipples. “Maybe in real life?”
Azazel kissed the lustrous hair on the top of her head.
It was all he could do to keep his volatile inner self in check.
Damn beast was becoming more of a problem than ever before.
It didn’t agree with the separation and vibrated inside him with rage.
He shuddered. No telling what would happen if he lost control, even in this Dreamwalk.
His only recourse was to make sure his inner self knew he and Toni would get together again.
And in such a way, they’d have enough time to explore each other.
After a tense moment, his inner beast snorted and faded into the background. Smiling with relief, he took Toni’s cheeks between his hands and stared into her alluring eyes.
“That, my love, is something I can guarantee will happen.”