Free The Star Man by Jan Irving Page A

life wore away the dreams and bled into gray, smashing wonder like fragile blown glass.
    Now, in his angel’s arms, he had one last chance to be a boy again. And he realized this was part of Dove’s gift, part of the healing he wanted to offer Matthew, even if it was only for one more night. “Thank you,” he whispered. “Thank you for tonight.”
    “Angels aren’t supposed to fall in love with men,” Dove told him. “Because we are memory. Every age of this world that passes, I’ll remember flying with you tonight. I’ll hear your voice and feel the warmth of your body.”
    “Oh, angel.” Matthew closed his eyes, not wanting that for Dove. “I’m the lucky one. I just got my crummy life to live. I wish you could forget you ever met me. If you have all these powers, wouldn’t that be possible?”
    “But I don’t choose to forget you, Matthew.” A perfect crystal tear, glittering like a diamond, rolled down the angel’s cheek and struck Matthew’s face. Matthew cried out, his skin burning. “What was that?”
    “The tear of an angel; my gift to you.”
    Matthew shuddered, feeling white heat run through his body. When it reached his chest, it hurt .
    “Your heart is bleeding, and I can’t bear it anymore. I can’t leave you like this, Matthew. I touched you where you hold your pain.”
    “My aura again?” Matthew felt faint amusement. He still didn’t really believe he had one of the damned things, but Dove seemed to, and where the angel touched him, cherished him, he didn’t feel so alone.
    “I hope it will heal you. In our long lifetimes, an angel only has a few tears to shed. I gave you mine.”
    Matthew frowned, concerned by how his crappy life had touched an angel’s. “Shit! I don’t want to make you less because you care about me.”
    Now Dove’s face was as softly illuminated as the snow. “How could loving you make me less?”
     
    *  *  *
    Dove set them down gently at the top of Black Mountain, just above the gray curves of conservatory. Matthew was relaxed in the angel’s arms; even the cold didn’t seem to be affecting him. He felt like he was sitting by a warm fire. Dove’s powers mysteriously kept him warm and safe.
    “This is where I want to make love with you, Matthew.”
    Matthew looked up at the sky, feeling familiar wonder and the longing that had never been answered when he’d looked up, studied the constellations. “I’ll think of you every time I look at them.”
    Dove pulled him closer, consoling with touch. Matthew meshed his fingers with the angel’s. Each moment they shared now was like that single crystal tear, once in a lifetime .

Chapter Fifteen
     
    It was innocent Dove who seduced experienced Matthew.
    He started with a single, coaxing kiss, soft as a feather on Matthew’s lips, groping as if his only senses were his lips and he wanted to learn Matthew by their touch alone.
    Matthew gasped as Dove licked his neck. “Outside like this? I thought we’d go indoors.”
    “I want you in moonlight,” Dove said simply. “You aren’t cold?”
    “No, though I should be. Should be afraid of getting snow up my ass.” But Matthew laughed and cupped Dove’s cheek. “I don’t care.”
    They stripped Matthew slowly together and stretched his clothing out, creating a makeshift bed under a tree. As the green limbs moved with the night breeze, Matthew saw misty threads of clouds and the bright cool nimbus around starlight above them.
    He put his arm around Dove, feeling warmth and anticipation as they leaned against each other.
    “Was no one ever gentle before, Matthew?”
    Matthew looked away. Trust Dove to pick up on how he tensed. He relaxed, slowly giving himself. “Brief encounters to let out steam.”
    “But this is different, because you are my Matthew-friend.”
    “Yes,” Matthew whispered. “With you it’s different.”
    “Can we have sex now?” He looked wistful and Matthew laughed.
    “Oh yeah!”
     
    *  *  *
    Matthew had some