Page 34 of Guarded
His black Henley was almost skintight, showing off the muscles beneath. His jeans were faded and worn, and again did nothing to disguise his physique. A jacket was slung over his shoulder, hanging from one finger. He’d gone for military style boots to finish off the look and, boy, was it working for him. He’d had his hair cut again recently, faded on the sides and styled longer on top. A simple haircut had no business looking as good on him as it did.
To a human, Jeremiah looked like the kind of male your mum would warn you away from.
To me though? I was just wondering what I could say to get him to fuck me while wearing nothing but those boots.
His outfit and hair weren’t the most striking things about him though. They never were. How could they be, when his face was so captivating? All sharp lines andangles, it was currently tilted towards the sun. His eyes were closed, his chest rising and falling slowly.
A pang of understanding had my footsteps faltering. There was no sunlight down in Hell. What Jeremiah was feeling right now was something we all took for granted.
This was why I didn’t want us to rush. Lord knew how many other firsts Jeremiah had yet to experience. With what he’d been through, I wouldn’t be responsible for taking a single one from him.
Jeremiah turned his head to face me as I drew closer. Fuck, his smile. How did he have the same one each time he saw me? He didn’t just smile with his lips, but his whole face. He was like a giant puppy spotting his owner. I swore, if he had a tail it’d be wagging right now.
I was no better. My own smile rose and I gave him a giddy little wave.What the fuck is that, Noah?
I couldn’t help myself. It was too damned hard when Jeremiah was this freaking happy to see me.When was the last time someone other than Jeremiah had smiled this big just because I was walking towards them?
That’d be right aroundnever.
He pushed off the wall and walked towards me. We met right in front of the bookshop I’d picked for our date. Just like in the restaurant, Jeremiah didn’t seem to know how to greet me. His arms jerked and he bit his lip nervously.
His nerves made me giddy all over again. I was making him nervous. Me. Noah. How was that even possible?
Wanting to put him at ease, I took the lead again. Touching his shoulder lightly, I brushed my lips over his cheek. Jeremiah’s quick intake of breath had me wanting to leave them there. To maybe turn my head slightly and taste his lips instead.
Okay, if I was being completely honest, it wasn’t justJeremiah’s reaction that had me wanting to do that. Every time I touched him, all the reasons why I shouldn’t went straight out the window.
That was why I kept these moments brief. It was too tempting. There were reasons to go slow. Very. Valid. Reasons.
It was a shame my cock disagreed with every single one of them.
“Hi.” I pulled back quickly, putting a step between us. “No flames this time? I’m disappointed.”
Jeremiah rolled his eyes to the sky. “I’m never living that down, am I?”
“Nope,” I said cheerfully. I went to take his arm but remembered myself at the last second.Keep the touching to a minimum.“Are you ready to go in?”
Jeremiah eyed the bookshop and the brightly coloured sign on the door. “Is it bad to admit that I had to Google what a poetry slam is?”
I laughed throatily, nudging the door open. “You’re telling me Hell doesn’t hold poetry slam competitions as a form of torture?”
“Sadly, we’re not that creative,” he said drily, stepping in behind me. “We’re more ‘let’s see how many body parts we can remove before they lose consciousness’ type of torturers.”
I nodded solemnly. “You’ve got to respect the traditional methods. If you don’t, you lose the knowledge.”
Jeremiah chuckled as we took a table towards the back of the room. “Exactly. True torture is an art form.”
“I’ll take your word for it.” Unlike others in the Seraphim, torture was an area where my skills weren’t often useful. “Anyway, I think Hell’s missing a trick by notusing bad poetry. There’s a whole plotline based on it inThe Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.”
Jeremiah tilted his head, puzzled. “What’s that?”
I started to laugh. How had he not heard of it?
Because he’s been in Hell, Noah. He’s missed out on almost everything.
The laughter died in my throat and I couldn’t help reaching out to squeeze Jeremiah’s hand. Just once. That was all I’d allow myself. “It’s a book. A really funny one, actually.”
He flipped his hand over and laced our fingers together. “Maybe I’ll buy a copy to take with me on my travels.”
