Free Bound by Love by Pia Veleno Page B

by creating that magical gift.
    Too soon, he'd decided while Eden had been gone. He'd known Eden for a quick eight months, and several of those had been relearning what they'd both been taught about angels and demons. They were still learning, but the trust —or so Bel thought— was there.
    Eden pulled their calendar off of the kitchen wall. As he did, he covered a hand-drawn picture of a smiling Christmas tree on the square labeled "25". Bel took it from Eden's hands and set it beside the new calendar on the counter. He pulled the angel into his arms. "Believe me," he whispered, nuzzling Eden's ear. "I'm not mad."
    "I know."
    Bel drew back to look at Eden's face. "You're not happy."
    "I know you're not angry with me." Eden shrugged the demon away and tossed the previous year's calendar in the trash. He opened the new one, holding it between them like a shield. On New Year's Day he had drawn a big smiling face. When he flipped the page, his hand-drawn heart with their names in it mocked Bel from the Valentine's Day square.
    "You're my guiding light," Bel said. "I love you. There is no need to feel guilty for wanting to protect yourself. I get that."
    "It's not guilt," Eden said mostly to himself. He let January fall down, covering the happy Valentine's Day drawing. "I want to make it up to you, but I'm not quite sure how."
    "You don't need to."
    "I know you don't need me to, but I do. I need to."
    The sorrow in Eden's eyes hurt Bel more than his rejection of the ring. He folded his arms around Eden, resting his head on the angel's shoulder and rubbing Eden's back. "You'll think of something. You're the smartest angel I know."
    "I'm the only angel you know."
    Bel heard the smile in Eden's voice and laughed softly. "So righteous and indignant," he teased. "I'll show you how much I know about you, little angel." He lifted his head and grinned as his fingers found their way under Eden's shirt and up to his wing sheaths. His touch danced lightly along their sensitive edges, sending sensual shudders down Eden's body.
    Their mouths drifted together in lazy, tender kisses. When Bel's caresses drew a gasp from the angel, the demon pushed his tongue past those parted lips. Eden sucked on his tongue and dug his fingers in Bel's hair. When the teasing touch became too much, Eden tangled his fingers in Bel's hair and tugged him back so he could suck in a whimpering breath.
    "Oh, Bel, when you do that…"
    Bel stepped into the angel, pressing their bodies together. Against Eden's ear, he whispered, "I know." Bel circled his hips, rubbing his cock against Eden's. The angel's wings were sensitive, but he'd still come like any other man with enough friction against his hard cock. Bel growled and nipped at Eden's earlobe.
    Eden sucked in a deep breath. His chest pumped it right back out again. Breathing through his mouth, his kisses went from tender to demanding, from chaste to messy and needy. He arched into Bel's touch and bucked his hips against his lover's, seeking that sweet release in wordless physical urges.
    "Are you… are you… Bel?"
    "Yes, my light?" Bel's voice rumbled.
    Eden's hands skated down Bel's chest, squeezing between them to tug his shirt out of his waistband. "You like to make me beg, don't you?"
    Bel answered by pushing the angel against the wall and pinning him there with his hips. "Beg. Demand. Suggest."
    "I suggest," Eden said, fumbling with the buttons on Bel's shirt. "That you get rid of these clothes."
    With a chuckle, Bel grabbed Eden's hands and then swooped in for a kiss, tangling their tongues in an intimate dance until Eden broke away to pant out several quick breaths. Bel hummed his satisfaction, lust swirling the shadowfire in his eyes and drawing out his fangs despite his best efforts at controlling the demon inside. He stepped back, unbuttoning his pants and flicking down his zipper as he toed off his shoes.
    "You too," Bel said.
    As if those words broke a spell, Eden tore off his shirt and then, after a