Fallen William (4 page)

You
have never been weak? We were all weak the instant Lucifer convinced us that
rebellion was the right option.

The
emptiness in his mind told him the other Enforcer had shut off communication.
He thought about Dominic’s theory as he rode swiftly through the night trying
to catch up with Abby. He knew the other fallen had made a point. If they had
all been stronger, Lucifer’s rebellion would never have happened. He settled
three cars behind her black Mustang. He looked at the lights of the Strip and
saw the blur of faces in the crowd. He had chosen to come to Reno so he could
get lost in the crowd. He didn’t feel like such a freak in the city because
there were people stranger than he was who lived here.

Why
do you think I live in New Orleans?
Dominic’s voice broke in on his thoughts.

There
are many strange things in the Big Easy. I’m sure you are only one of them.

Their
laughter joined together and he felt a twinge of happiness for the first time
since he had arrived home from Detroit. Celeste might be caught up in her new
life with Adam but there were others out there who could be friends if he
allowed it.

Follow
your woman home. I will watch Thompson tonight.

He was
about to deny Abby’s status as his woman when he realized that was how his
heart had been thinking of her since the moment he met her. He didn’t know what
it was about the woman. He was sure it wasn’t love, but it was the hottest case
of lust he had ever had. Just thinking about her made him hard. He shifted on
the bike. The vibrating engine sent shivers through his body as blood pooled in
his groin. He arched his hips a little to rest on the gas tank. Holy shit. He
would never have thought that riding his bike could get him off. He pulled to
the side of the street as she drove into her driveway. Using his power, he
shielded himself from view. He rubbed his cock against the gyrating bike. The
pressure started building as he ripped open his jeans and his cock sprang free.
He gripped it and stroked. He imagined Abby’s luscious red lips wrapped around
the shaft. He could almost feel the moist heat of her mouth and the teasing
swipes of her tongue. He pumped harder and faster while his hips arched. The
explosion came and he spurted over the gas tank of his bike. He took several
deep breaths as he allowed his heart to calm down. He managed to harness some
of the power from his climax.

Feeling
embarrassed, he stuffed his cock back into his jeans and used his shirt to wipe
off the tank. He couldn’t believe he had done that. It had been centuries since
he used his own hand to get off. There had always been women around who were
more than willing to ease him. She was taking over his mind and he was finding
out he wasn’t as attracted to other women as he used to be. All he could think
about was Abby. He wanted her spread out on the floor in front of his fireplace
where her hair would match the color of the flames. The shadows would caress
her full breasts and lovingly conceal her pussy. His cock started to get hard
again and he groaned. He had better go and visit her then head home. He knew he
wouldn’t be getting any sleep tonight.

CHAPTER FIVE

Abby
smiled as William appeared in her bedroom. “I’ll admit I’ve never had such
vivid dreams before. It’s like you’re really in the room with me.”

He
stared down at her and didn’t say anything. Hunger was burning in him and the
heat of his gaze made her move restlessly under the sheets. Passion flared as
his eyes traveled over her body.

“Thank
you for following me home.”

“How do
you know I did?”

“I
spotted you on the way home. You do stick out.”

“I
couldn’t bring you home myself but I could ensure you got home without a
problem.” He sat on the bed, his thigh pressing against her side.

She
didn’t move as he leaned forward to kiss her. He was wondering if it would be
as good as their last one. It was better. His tight control over his lust
slipped and he was devouring her mouth. A gasp allowing his tongue entrance,
and he started a subtle thrust and retreat that soon had her hips arching off
the bed. He heard whimpers coming from her throat.

Somehow
he managed to pull away from her but only enough to strip the sheet from her
body. With a quick jerk, he ripped her t-shirt from her. Her gasp pushed her
breasts up and he feasted on the firm plump mounds. The noises she made drowned
out the disapproving voice in his head. He stroked his hands down her sides.
Her skin was so satiny soft, he found himself drowning in her body.

He
tried to remember all the women he had slept with. None of their faces
appeared. His tongue slipped down from her nipple to take a shallow dip in her
belly button. Her head twisted as he moved and licked quickly at her pussy. A
soft cry shot through the dark. He smiled. Hell, she was hot.

He
spread her legs wider and settled on his stomach. He loved the taste of her
flowing juices. No mortal had ever tasted as good on his tongue. Cupping her
ass, he lifted her hips to get deeper penetration with his mouth.

He felt her orgasm build. He
heard her pleading with him, begging him for release. With one nip of her clit
and thrust of his tongue, she came screaming as the pleasure swamped her. His
soft laughter echoed in the dark as she fell asleep.

*
* * *

It was
still night when William arrived home. He poured a glass of Jameson whiskey and
went to his library. There in the glow of a single lamp, he touched the leather
binding on one of the books. Milton’s
Paradise Lost
had been his
favorite book since he had read it when it was first published in 1667. Milton
had been a friend of his and he remembered the hours they had spent talking
about heaven and hell. He had often mourned the loss of heaven and they had
talked about what hell would be like. He admitted to hoping that he never found
out what his own hell would be like.

Sipping
the whiskey, he went out the French doors that opened into his back yard and
stared up at the stars in the midnight black sky. He was feeling lonely
tonight. He had kissed Abby on the cheek and left after she had fallen asleep.
He had ridden up into the mountains around Reno while he tried to bring some
semblance of peace to his heart. For the first time in his life, he didn’t want
to leave after sex. He had ached with the need to bury himself in her wet
pussy, but he left instead. She wasn’t a woman to seduce and he did have some
morals. For some reason she believed he was part of her dream and he wouldn’t
take pleasure in her body until she knew they were together for real.

Even
though Mika’il would frown on their affair, he knew he didn’t have the strength
to walk away without fucking her. He didn’t have that much strength of
character. If he did, he wouldn’t have had his ass kicked out of Heaven.

He
moved to the fireplace and to a picture placed on the mantel. A pretty blonde
smiled at him from the photo. He ran his finger over the glass that covered her
face. It had been five years since the last time he had risked his heart. He
had given it to a mortal and she had died. The love he had for Monica had been
warm and comfortable but her death had still been enough to send him into a
tailspin of grief. Thank goodness Celeste had been around to pull him back from
whatever edge he had been standing on. It hadn’t been the same burning lust he
felt for Abby every time he saw her. Something about the passionate redhead got
him hard and aching. From the moment he’d seen her, she had slid into his heart
and found a spot for herself. He sighed. This time around he was afraid it was
far more than simple attraction or lust. He was about to lose his heart again.

The
phone rang, dragging him from his memories. He answered it while pouring another
drink.

“Hello?”

“Hi,
William.” Celeste’s soothing voice drifted over the phone.

“Hey
there, angel. Your husband’s allowing you to use the phone?” He settled down
into the leather chair facing the fireplace.

She
laughed. “Yeah, he let me out of the bed finally.”

“Darling,
that is more information than I needed. How’s married life treating you?” He
was thrilled that she had called him. The one thing he regretted about Celeste
and Adam’s relationship was that it didn’t leave much room for him. She had been
his best friend for centuries and he missed talking to her.

As the two old friends caught up,
an angel with silvery gray eyes stood in the shadows and watched, a hint of
loneliness in his bowed shoulders.

*
* * *

He
stumbled out of his bedroom. Maybe getting to bed earlier would be a good idea
next time. He thought about the two bottles of whiskey he emptied after his
conversation with Celeste last night. Thank goodness he couldn’t get drunk or
he wouldn’t have been able to move this morning. He wandered into the kitchen
and stopped short. Dominic sat at the table calmly drinking coffee and reading
the newspaper. Sensing his presence, he looked over the top of the paper at
William’s naked body.

“You
should really check for visitors before you parade around in all your glory,
Bradford.” Dominic smiled at his growl. “Grab a cup of coffee. Maybe it will
make you more personable this morning.”

He went
back to his bedroom and threw on a pair of sweat pants then stomped into the
kitchen to get the coffee. Slumping in the chair, he glared at Dominic. “If
certain people would learn to use the door like mortals, they wouldn’t have to
see me in all my abundant glory.”

Dominic
snorted. “Abundant glory? I guess it’s all in how you look at it. I did use the
door. You have a pretty good security system.”

“I
meant knock on the door and wait for someone to answer it. Not pick the lock
and circumvent the alarm.”

Dominic
pouted. “I get so few opportunities to practice my burglary skills.”

“Were
you a thief before?”

“I was
at one time. Got some lovely art pieces, all originals.”

“What
did Mika’il do?”

“When
he found out, he made me donate them to museums. That’s when I gave up my life
of crime. It’s no fun when I can’t keep what I take.” He looked wistful at the
thought of the good old days. “Now I’m a solid citizen who pays for everything
I buy.”

William
laughed with him. It was nice to have someone to joke with.

“Abby
got home all right, I take it.”

He
flushed as he thought about his climax outside her house. His mouth watered thinking
of her luscious pussy and passionate moans. “Yeah, she got home just fine.”

Dominic
studied him through narrowed eyes. “Did you visit her again?”

He
stood up to pace as the restlessness settled in. “She thinks it’s a dream. So I
make sure they’re good and wet for her.”

“Why
waste your time on all this bullshit, Bradford? You can deal with Thompson
without my help, no matter what Mika’il thinks. You’re totally caught up in
her, so seduce her and make her want you. That way you can stay close like he
wants and have a little fun while you’re at it.”

He
stopped in front of his sink and stared out the window. He wasn’t seeing the
beautiful day or the colorful flowers. He was seeing Abby’s smile and her
bewitching eyes. “Have you ever been in love? Not the lust that gives us power
but bone deep, happily-ever-after sort of love. The kind of love that destroys
you if you lose it.”

Dominic’s
reply was so low he almost missed it. “Yes.”

He
turned to face the man at his table. From somewhere Dominic had pulled a
picture out and was staring at it.

“Then
you know how I feel. I’m afraid I could love her like that. Watching her grow
old and die would destroy me. It’s better if I keep my distance and not risk my
heart that way again.” He leaned on his hands and allowed his head to fall
forward. “I loved a mortal like that once. I thought I would slip over the edge
when she died. What I feel for Abby is so much stronger, I’m terrified of what
would happen to me if I lost her.”

Dominic
sighed. It had the sound of bone deep weariness. Running his fingers over the
picture, he said, “What if we’re here to learn how to love?”

“What?”

Dominic’s
eyes met his. Deep in the blue, he saw a fear that matched his own. “I’ve been
thinking about this for a while. We don’t make sense. If God is about
forgiveness, why wouldn’t He let us back into Heaven? We’ve repented, we’ve
begged for His forgiveness, we’ve pleaded for His love and yet for some strange
reason He has turned away from us. There is something we’re meant to do here.”

“We’re
supposed to keep our brethren from hurting mortals.”

Dominic
frowned. “There’s more to it than that. He doesn’t need us to do that. He has
His own Host to take care of the ones out of control. We aren’t here to keep
order. I think we’re here to learn something.”

“What
would that be?”

“I
don’t know. What if it’s how to love? We’ve shown how arrogant and selfish we
are by choosing to rebel in the first place. Love takes a certain kind of
selflessness. We have to be willing to give away a part of ourselves. How do we
know we’re not supposed to learn how to do that?”