Free ForsakingEternity by Voirey Linger

Six
     
    Ren stood in the doorway, his teeth clenched tight together
and his feet refusing to move. He shoved his hands even harder into the pockets
of his coat until the seams strained and the corduroy creaked.
    “Are you coming in?” Adam asked, dropping his keys in the
bowl on the entry table.
    Ren could only give a jerky nod. His heart beat loud and
fast and the sound of it threatened to drown out rational thought.
    This must be what nervousness felt like.
    “Is this what you want, Ren?” Adam finally asked. He took a
small step but then stopped, as if afraid to come any closer. Did he know?
Could he sense the weight of this choice, feel the danger?
    Ren closed his eyes, his mind filled with the words from the
covenant box.
    Eternal damnation to those who violate…
    We shall smite those who violate…
    Sending the soul of evil men unto Hell…
    The Law of Men and Angels is absolute…
    Ren opened his eyes. Adam stood, waiting, his expression
stiff but hope filled his eyes. This would be his only chance to lie with this
human. The scroll had been found, and once the Word was read into Law, loving
Adam would not be possible.
    Taking a deep breath, Ren stepped inside and closed the
door.
    “I do not know what to do,” he admitted. His face went hot
and his hands trembled.
    “What do you want to do?” Adam stepped back and leaned against
the wall. He kept his hands at the small of his back, not reaching, not
touching. Leaving the burden of choice completely on the one who understood the
consequences. Renatus.
    I want to flee to the safety of Heaven. I want you to
forget you ever saw me, live a happy and full life without the danger I bring.
    But he hadn’t returned the scroll yet. The Law was not being
upheld tonight.
    “I want to kiss.” Such a little thing, a kiss. Surely there
was no sin in something so simple.
    Ren balled his hands into fists and pressed them hard
against the bottoms of the coat pockets. The muscles of his upper arms and
chest strained and the thick corduroy creaked again in protest.
    “Come in and hang up your jacket,” Adam urged, tipping his
head to indicate the row of hooks lining the wall beside him.
    Ren forced his heavy feet to move, to step into the house so
he could shut the door behind him. He shrugged out of the coat and leaned past
Adam to hang it up. For one heart-stopping moment, he could feel the heat of
Adam’s body, the brush of their clothing. Flustered, Ren started to step away.
    Adam’s hand touched Ren’s waist. It was the barest of
contacts, so light Ren almost couldn’t feel it, but it held him and pinned him
there. They were close, so very close. Their eyes met and Ren swayed in,
helpless to resist the lure of this human.
    “Kiss me.” Adam tipped his head back against the wall. He
didn’t move, didn’t make any attempt to kiss or hold. He was letting Ren set
the pace, a significant reassurance for an angel floundering so far out of his
depth.
    The temptation became more than Ren could resist, and he
shifted, leaning in closer, dipping his head just a little. He hesitated, his
lips so close he could feel Adam’s shallow, panting breath, could taste him on
those fine wisps of air.
    Ren brushed his lips against the corner of that tempting
mouth and Adam sighed at the light contact.
    Ren pulled back, unsure of what to do next.
    Adam’s hand drifted up from Ren’s waist, barely touching as
it eased over his abdomen and chest. He cupped Ren’s jaw, the heat of his palm
soaking into Ren, warming him in ways he never imagined possible.
    “Kiss me again, Ren. Kiss me for real.”
    The plea was irresistible. Ren bent again, covering Adam’s
mouth with his own. Adam’s head angled, giving him access, and Ren took
advantage. Their tongues met, tangled and hesitancy vanished. Ren could feel
his power rising, flowing between them in a smooth wave of golden heat. It
flared and arousal spiked.
    Adam groaned under his mouth. Shifting, he spread his feet
until Ren stood