CHAPTER 12 – BREATHLESS
It began like thunder in his ears, slowly turning into a hammering that forced his breathing to accelerate. Each beat, each in-take of air stunned him. Shocked him. Froze him right down to his core, all the while warming up all his senses. He felt his back unintentionally hit the door behind him, silently thanking God there was something there to stop him from stumbling down in awe.
The feel of her fingers on the side of his cheek brought him back from the loud miracle that sang in his ears.
Angel lifted his eyes up to Cordy's, his speechless lips unsuccessfully trying to mouth a coherent word. The sparkle in her eyes made his newfound beating heart tremble right away. Was she crying? Was she confused? Was she as stunned as he was? As he stared deeply into her big hazel eyes, he wasn't exactly sure of what he was seeing, until she whispered his name tenderly.
"Angel…"
He felt her hand move away from him and as if sprung out of his own little world, he stepped back into reality. In a quick movement, he grabbed his chest, making sure he wasn't dreaming, his eyes going back and forth between a silent Cordelia and his heaving chest.
"How? Why? Oh God…how??" he repeated in a maze of confusion, astonishment and hesitant happiness.
His inquiries stopped, though, when his eyes looked back up to Cordy's, who seemed to almost smile to herself.
"You're human…" the words left her mouth in a barely audible murmur.
"How can this be…?" Angel breathed out, still clearly trying to recover from the initial shock. "I'm…" he seemingly still had a hard time believing it, and even more so saying it out loud. "How?" He repeated again, staring back into Cordelia's thoughtful face.
"Me." Was her only answer, which took a few seconds to ponder.
Angel searched her face for a more detailed answer but all he found was the tiny smile hiding in the corner of her lips as she touched the blood on his face once again. She saw the questioning expression that quickly took possession of his left brow and took a deep breath.
"It all makes sense now…" she said to herself, standing a couple of inches away from him. "Emily…and Dennis…and now you…"
"Cordy?" Angel said, trying to get her attention as she rambled to herself.
"Angel, you're human because I thought it." She said, the realization of the situation dawning upon her. "Because I wished it. Think about it." She offered, taking his warm hands into hers.
For the first time in his undead life, Cordelia's hands felt cool against his. Distracted by the feeling at first, he then looked back up to her face and listened.
"Emily was alive. Dennis was human…Emily said that I made her human because that's how I remember her. So in my head, she's alive…And Dennis…he's like family…Sometimes I even forget that he's invisible. That he's not real…" she said in a gentle tone.
She took a long pause as they gazed at one another, understandingly.
"But back there…I wasn't…" Angel began and then took a deep shaky breath.
"I was so trying not to lose you…in that dungeon, I was so trying to let you die…that I must have wished for you to live." She finally confessed, unable to hide the smile that spread across her lips. "I mean, all of this…the visions, the pain, the demons…I can live with that everyday…because somewhere in the back of my mind, I know that someday it will make you shanshu, and be human…" she whispered, squeezing his hands.
"So we must be in the back of your mind then…" Angel couldn't help but return her tender smile.
"We must be…" Cordelia grinned and looked down at his hands.
The look in her eyes suddenly grew dark and drained of all the joy he had seen in them a few seconds before. Panic overtook his being and he searched her face until she looked at him again.
"What is it?" he asked, concern growing into his voice.
Cordy hesitated and then shook her head, eyeing the cut on his face once more. She pulled away from him and grabbed a piece of clothing that lied on one of the chairs beside her. She didn't look at what it was – a small girly t-shirt with the pink inscription 'mommy and daddy's girl' on it' – and she ripped it in pieces before bringing it to Angel's wound gently.
"Nothing." She answered, shaking the thoughts out of her head. "Hold still." She then added, cleaning up his cut.
Even though they both tried to stay calm, the never ceasing loud banging on the door made the atmosphere go from rushed to even more rushed. Cordelia didn't flinch, although her jaw clenched and her fingers shook every time one of the spider-like beasts threw itself on the door. Angel, breathing heavily for reasons unknown to him at the moment, finally couldn't take it anymore. He jerked his head around a little and muttered under his breath.
"This is distracting…Are you sure they can't come in?"
Cordy didn't answer, she just fixed the door intensely, her eyes narrowing on the handle, the particular energy that emanated from her scaring Angel for a second, until the door completely disappeared.
"No, they can't." she breathed out, as Angel turned back to face her.
How she had done that, he didn't know, and something told him maybe she didn't know either. Amazed. That's how he felt. As he looked at her, his eyes shone with pride and hope, and if she looked closely enough to notice it, then he was glad.
"I told you you could do it…" he whispered to her lovingly.
"Angel…" she began, avoiding his eyes for a moment. "I haven't done 'it'. We're still here…so, yeah, we're okay and safe here for now, but I still don't know the way out."
"The Garden…" he mentioned as he took a step forward, getting closer to her. "Do you remember your way there…?" he asked and she shook her head, a sad look on her face. "I mean you just saved both of our lives…you're taking back control…"
"Oh – so what, I can make a door appear and disappear and make walls crumble down, but that doesn't mean I'm in control. I still don't know the way to the garden, or the way out of here…or if they are both the same thing." She said in a low voice. "Angel, I don't even know how I did that just now. I mean, yeah, I provoked an earthquake but I don't know how I did that, or why I even could." She took a deep breath and tilted her head slightly. "I made you human – which if you ask me is not something that I regret or that I'm sorry for but it just proves that I don't know how I make these things happen…I still don't know how I did that. I just did. I'm not in control. If it happens, it happens, but until then, I don't know how to make these things happen. Not yet." She confessed, her fears apparent in her voice.
Angel walked towards her and pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and holding her close. Cordy closed her eyes and breathed in the warmth of his skin – something she'd dreamed about for so long but never actually let herself believe it would ever be possible.
As she pulled away, she let one of her hands slide down his chest until the pounding of his heart came loud against her palm. She sucked in a breath, letting her hand rest there, motionless. Angel looked down at the delicate posture of her fingers against his beating heart and both stood still for what seemed like forever. She could feel every thump that came from underneath his shirt and she had to remind herself how to breathe at one point.
Angel covered her hand with his softly and looked into her beautiful eyes, mesmerized by just how many tingling emotions swam in them. After a moment, she lifted her hand and let a tiny smile cross her lips.
"I just…I'm sorry…" she said, releasing a waiting breath. "I just…I can't…"
"…believe it?" he whispered, finishing her sentence."
"I can believe it." She said with a faint nod. "I just needed to make sure it was real."
She swallowed back and then took a few step backwards. That's when their surroundings finally became apparent to them. Angel looked across the room, finding a large bed, a desk and a chair, with pictures stuck to the mirror with a certain delicacy that children usually didn't have. He saw a couple of teddy bears and dolls in one of the corners, some piece of clothing on the back of a chair, which could have only been those of a little girl. He moved towards the wall and saw a couple of frames on the wall, most of them were of people he'd never seen in his life but others appeared more familiar. He let his fingers trace the side of the little girl's face on one of those pictures, admiring the wide and bright smile on her face.
"That picture always made me want to gag." Cordy said from across the room, as Angel turned to face her.
"Why? I think you were cute on it." He replied softly.
"How did you know it was me?" she asked, taking a few steps towards him.
"Must have been the smile, though, I find it a lot more genuine now." His voice was filled with honesty and he managed a tiny little smile for her.
That's when he saw the change in her eyes again. From happy to sudden sadness. He wasn't sure what brought the change, but he knew it was something she wasn't sharing, something that was troubling her.
"Cordy, what's wrong?"
"Nothing…" she tried to dismiss his concern, but it didn't work.
"Cordy, you said the same thing a few minutes ago, but I know you. What's wrong?" he whispered, placing a hand on the side of her face.
She seemed to hesitate for a moment and then opened her mouth to speak.
"What happens once we get out of here?" she asked, her voice shaking a little as she and Angel sat down on the edge of the bed.
Angel looked at her, not sure what kind of answer she wanted him to give her.
"I mean…" she began and he saw the small tears welling up in the back of her eyes. "Do I even want to get out of here?" she asked, shocking him with her words.
"What?" he immediately let out without thinking. "What are you…you don't mean that." He firmly argued.
"Really? I mean, we don't know what's happening Angel…what if…" she struggled to finish her thought. "What if….they're really dead." She whispered, clearly referring to Wesley, Fred, Gunn and Lorne. "What if I get out of here and they don't…what if you don't?" she then said a small tear rolling down her face. "I would have to live with the knowledge that I killed them….even if it wasn't really me. I'd have to live with that."
"Cordy…" Angel said, holding her shoulders and looking straight into her tearful eyes.
"I mean, would you even want to go back to that?" her words stung like a needle stuck in his heart. Would he? "What if something had happened to you in that dungeon…" she breathed out and Angel cupped her face lovingly.
"But nothing did…you saved me." He whispered to her in a trembling tone.
"But what if I can't save myself?"
Her words hung in the air for the longest time, unable and unwilling to come back down.
"Angel…I want to go back…I want to wake up…but…" she tried to say coherently. "There's a part of me that is scared to." She paused, looking into his eyes and feeling the warmth of his hands on her face. "Scared that it may all be at the expense of my friends…scared that I may never have this…" she whispered, her tears now gone.
"This…" Angel repeated, taking a deep breath.
"Scared that I may never feel your heart beat against mine again…" she said in a bare whisper, their faces now inches apart from one another.
Angel silently thanked God that he had mastered the ability of breathing again so fast because his heart was now beating faster and faster. His eyes bore into Cordy's, his silent reply piercing through her heart, and his strong hands gently tracing the lines on the side of her face. Angel lowered his face to hers and pressed his lips against hers in a long, intense, breathless kiss. Cordy felt herself sigh into the kiss, almost relieved to finally feel him against her. So close. So real.
As his tongue delved into her mouth, dancing with hers to the sound of a music only they could hear, the kiss intensified. One of Angel's hands made its way down her arm, then around her waist, to finally rest in the small of her back. She raised herself up a little, wrapping both of her arms around his shoulders, and falling into their kisses with blind trust. She felt his warm hands slide under her dirty t-shirt and caress the skin around her waist, and that's they finally had to pull apart, to take a much- needed breath.
Their eyes locked. Their hearts pounded. Their hands stilled.
In that instant, there was no doubt, no fear, nothing holding them back.
There was no danger, no prison of the mind, no curse. There was no past and no tomorrow. It was only them, staring at one another, in the present.
Two people, very much alive. Two souls.
Two hearts beating as one.
"Angel…" Cordelia whispered in a breathless attempt to make sure he was certain about where this was going. "Are you sure…?"
He looked into her loving eyes and stayed silent. Instead, he gently took one of her hands and placed it across his chest, holding it there preciously. Once again, she felt the livelihood of his heartbeat.
"More than I've ever been in my life…" his words trailed off as he slowly brought his face to hers again.
This time, the kiss wasn't as quick and desperate. It was calculated, sensual even. His mouth came with hers in a slow feverish waltz, her tongue meeting his with no hesitation. They carefully moved and kneeled on the bed, their lips never parting.
Cordelia brought both of her hands up on his chest and made her way up until she found the first button of his shirt. Their mouths parted for a few seconds. She bit her lower lip while he tried to catch his breath and she smiled at the obviousness that he wasn't used to breathing just yet. She then proceeded in beginning to unbutton his shirt, as he took her mouth with his once again, unable to stop himself. The passion, desire and heat of that kiss was enough to bring a moan out of Cordelia's throat. After unbuttoning the last of the buttons, she ran her hands up on his chest, feeling all the ups and downs of his muscles beneath her fingers, and she pushed the unnecessary piece of clothing off his shoulders.
Angel's lips lifted from hers and made their way down her neck, his tongue tracing a line of fire on her skin. His hands moved underneath her t-shirt and wrapped around her waist, his thumbs tracing circles on her stomach, sending shivers down her spine. Angel touched, kissed, tasted every inch of her neck before moving up to her ear. Cordelia closed her eyes, enjoying every second of it.
She then brought his head up and captured his mouth with hers in one long, uninterrupted kiss that left them more than just a little out of breath. Wanting to feel her, touch her…every part of her…Angel lifted her t-shirt up over her head and quickly dismissed it on the floor beside the bed.
Their bodies pressed together, their hearts racing together, Angel laid Cordelia down on the bed. He felt a rush of disappointment when she suddenly took her tongue and lips from his mouth.
"Oww!" was the only sound that escaped her throat.
Angel quickly lifted his head, concern overtaking every fiber of his being.
"No, not OW ow…just ow…" she frowned reaching underneath her and pulling out a large teddy bear that she had just crushed.
It took him a few seconds to register the huge grin that came across her lips and the mischievous sparkle in her eyes.
"Don't scare me like that…" he smiled back, clearly relieved.
He took the teddy bear out of her hands and tossed it across the room, before lowering himself down again. She was about to speak but almost lost control of her own thoughts when she felt his gentle lips and tongue moving across her stomach.
"Hey, you hurt Tim." She giggled, his kisses tickling her a little.
"Tim?" Angel managed to ask as his lips moved upward.
She mumbled a little "hmmm" as a reply and he continued his way up. His hands slid on the side of her body and his mouth came to a halt when he reached that spot under her chin. He then looked up, boyish eyes looking into hers.
"You named your stuffed animals?" he questioned, raising his eyebrows.
"Shut up and kiss me…" she giggled, pulling his face down to hers as their lips joined one more time in the heat of passion.
The two of them laughed into the kiss a little before the whole incident with "Tim" completely vanished from their minds.
She could feel the weight of his body on top of hers and all she wanted was to feel him even closer. She was slightly surprised at how fast he got rid of her bra. One thing was certain, human or not, he still knew how to touch her. Memories of their single night together, which now seemed like a long time ago, filled her mind as she met the sensuality of his kisses repeatedly.
Her hands moved down his chest, ever so slowly, and reached the edge of his pants. At first, only teasing, only tempting, only sliding the tip of her around his waist.
In less time than it took for either of them to notice, the remaining of their clothes were gone and they had slid under the sheets, bodies pressed against one another, lips never wanting to part, not even for air, and a passion that seemed unable and unwilling to fade.
There, away from the threats, and the worries, two hearts danced into the night. A night they knew could never be reproduced…not before long. So they simply lost themselves into it, into one another. And they made love, they danced.
A passionate dance.
A secret dance.
A breathless dance.
--
SNEAK PREVIEW: Angel is human, and with that comes everything else humans feel.
--
It began like thunder in his ears, slowly turning into a hammering that forced his breathing to accelerate. Each beat, each in-take of air stunned him. Shocked him. Froze him right down to his core, all the while warming up all his senses. He felt his back unintentionally hit the door behind him, silently thanking God there was something there to stop him from stumbling down in awe.
The feel of her fingers on the side of his cheek brought him back from the loud miracle that sang in his ears.
Angel lifted his eyes up to Cordy's, his speechless lips unsuccessfully trying to mouth a coherent word. The sparkle in her eyes made his newfound beating heart tremble right away. Was she crying? Was she confused? Was she as stunned as he was? As he stared deeply into her big hazel eyes, he wasn't exactly sure of what he was seeing, until she whispered his name tenderly.
"Angel…"
He felt her hand move away from him and as if sprung out of his own little world, he stepped back into reality. In a quick movement, he grabbed his chest, making sure he wasn't dreaming, his eyes going back and forth between a silent Cordelia and his heaving chest.
"How? Why? Oh God…how??" he repeated in a maze of confusion, astonishment and hesitant happiness.
His inquiries stopped, though, when his eyes looked back up to Cordy's, who seemed to almost smile to herself.
"You're human…" the words left her mouth in a barely audible murmur.
"How can this be…?" Angel breathed out, still clearly trying to recover from the initial shock. "I'm…" he seemingly still had a hard time believing it, and even more so saying it out loud. "How?" He repeated again, staring back into Cordelia's thoughtful face.
"Me." Was her only answer, which took a few seconds to ponder.
Angel searched her face for a more detailed answer but all he found was the tiny smile hiding in the corner of her lips as she touched the blood on his face once again. She saw the questioning expression that quickly took possession of his left brow and took a deep breath.
"It all makes sense now…" she said to herself, standing a couple of inches away from him. "Emily…and Dennis…and now you…"
"Cordy?" Angel said, trying to get her attention as she rambled to herself.
"Angel, you're human because I thought it." She said, the realization of the situation dawning upon her. "Because I wished it. Think about it." She offered, taking his warm hands into hers.
For the first time in his undead life, Cordelia's hands felt cool against his. Distracted by the feeling at first, he then looked back up to her face and listened.
"Emily was alive. Dennis was human…Emily said that I made her human because that's how I remember her. So in my head, she's alive…And Dennis…he's like family…Sometimes I even forget that he's invisible. That he's not real…" she said in a gentle tone.
She took a long pause as they gazed at one another, understandingly.
"But back there…I wasn't…" Angel began and then took a deep shaky breath.
"I was so trying not to lose you…in that dungeon, I was so trying to let you die…that I must have wished for you to live." She finally confessed, unable to hide the smile that spread across her lips. "I mean, all of this…the visions, the pain, the demons…I can live with that everyday…because somewhere in the back of my mind, I know that someday it will make you shanshu, and be human…" she whispered, squeezing his hands.
"So we must be in the back of your mind then…" Angel couldn't help but return her tender smile.
"We must be…" Cordelia grinned and looked down at his hands.
The look in her eyes suddenly grew dark and drained of all the joy he had seen in them a few seconds before. Panic overtook his being and he searched her face until she looked at him again.
"What is it?" he asked, concern growing into his voice.
Cordy hesitated and then shook her head, eyeing the cut on his face once more. She pulled away from him and grabbed a piece of clothing that lied on one of the chairs beside her. She didn't look at what it was – a small girly t-shirt with the pink inscription 'mommy and daddy's girl' on it' – and she ripped it in pieces before bringing it to Angel's wound gently.
"Nothing." She answered, shaking the thoughts out of her head. "Hold still." She then added, cleaning up his cut.
Even though they both tried to stay calm, the never ceasing loud banging on the door made the atmosphere go from rushed to even more rushed. Cordelia didn't flinch, although her jaw clenched and her fingers shook every time one of the spider-like beasts threw itself on the door. Angel, breathing heavily for reasons unknown to him at the moment, finally couldn't take it anymore. He jerked his head around a little and muttered under his breath.
"This is distracting…Are you sure they can't come in?"
Cordy didn't answer, she just fixed the door intensely, her eyes narrowing on the handle, the particular energy that emanated from her scaring Angel for a second, until the door completely disappeared.
"No, they can't." she breathed out, as Angel turned back to face her.
How she had done that, he didn't know, and something told him maybe she didn't know either. Amazed. That's how he felt. As he looked at her, his eyes shone with pride and hope, and if she looked closely enough to notice it, then he was glad.
"I told you you could do it…" he whispered to her lovingly.
"Angel…" she began, avoiding his eyes for a moment. "I haven't done 'it'. We're still here…so, yeah, we're okay and safe here for now, but I still don't know the way out."
"The Garden…" he mentioned as he took a step forward, getting closer to her. "Do you remember your way there…?" he asked and she shook her head, a sad look on her face. "I mean you just saved both of our lives…you're taking back control…"
"Oh – so what, I can make a door appear and disappear and make walls crumble down, but that doesn't mean I'm in control. I still don't know the way to the garden, or the way out of here…or if they are both the same thing." She said in a low voice. "Angel, I don't even know how I did that just now. I mean, yeah, I provoked an earthquake but I don't know how I did that, or why I even could." She took a deep breath and tilted her head slightly. "I made you human – which if you ask me is not something that I regret or that I'm sorry for but it just proves that I don't know how I make these things happen…I still don't know how I did that. I just did. I'm not in control. If it happens, it happens, but until then, I don't know how to make these things happen. Not yet." She confessed, her fears apparent in her voice.
Angel walked towards her and pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and holding her close. Cordy closed her eyes and breathed in the warmth of his skin – something she'd dreamed about for so long but never actually let herself believe it would ever be possible.
As she pulled away, she let one of her hands slide down his chest until the pounding of his heart came loud against her palm. She sucked in a breath, letting her hand rest there, motionless. Angel looked down at the delicate posture of her fingers against his beating heart and both stood still for what seemed like forever. She could feel every thump that came from underneath his shirt and she had to remind herself how to breathe at one point.
Angel covered her hand with his softly and looked into her beautiful eyes, mesmerized by just how many tingling emotions swam in them. After a moment, she lifted her hand and let a tiny smile cross her lips.
"I just…I'm sorry…" she said, releasing a waiting breath. "I just…I can't…"
"…believe it?" he whispered, finishing her sentence."
"I can believe it." She said with a faint nod. "I just needed to make sure it was real."
She swallowed back and then took a few step backwards. That's when their surroundings finally became apparent to them. Angel looked across the room, finding a large bed, a desk and a chair, with pictures stuck to the mirror with a certain delicacy that children usually didn't have. He saw a couple of teddy bears and dolls in one of the corners, some piece of clothing on the back of a chair, which could have only been those of a little girl. He moved towards the wall and saw a couple of frames on the wall, most of them were of people he'd never seen in his life but others appeared more familiar. He let his fingers trace the side of the little girl's face on one of those pictures, admiring the wide and bright smile on her face.
"That picture always made me want to gag." Cordy said from across the room, as Angel turned to face her.
"Why? I think you were cute on it." He replied softly.
"How did you know it was me?" she asked, taking a few steps towards him.
"Must have been the smile, though, I find it a lot more genuine now." His voice was filled with honesty and he managed a tiny little smile for her.
That's when he saw the change in her eyes again. From happy to sudden sadness. He wasn't sure what brought the change, but he knew it was something she wasn't sharing, something that was troubling her.
"Cordy, what's wrong?"
"Nothing…" she tried to dismiss his concern, but it didn't work.
"Cordy, you said the same thing a few minutes ago, but I know you. What's wrong?" he whispered, placing a hand on the side of her face.
She seemed to hesitate for a moment and then opened her mouth to speak.
"What happens once we get out of here?" she asked, her voice shaking a little as she and Angel sat down on the edge of the bed.
Angel looked at her, not sure what kind of answer she wanted him to give her.
"I mean…" she began and he saw the small tears welling up in the back of her eyes. "Do I even want to get out of here?" she asked, shocking him with her words.
"What?" he immediately let out without thinking. "What are you…you don't mean that." He firmly argued.
"Really? I mean, we don't know what's happening Angel…what if…" she struggled to finish her thought. "What if….they're really dead." She whispered, clearly referring to Wesley, Fred, Gunn and Lorne. "What if I get out of here and they don't…what if you don't?" she then said a small tear rolling down her face. "I would have to live with the knowledge that I killed them….even if it wasn't really me. I'd have to live with that."
"Cordy…" Angel said, holding her shoulders and looking straight into her tearful eyes.
"I mean, would you even want to go back to that?" her words stung like a needle stuck in his heart. Would he? "What if something had happened to you in that dungeon…" she breathed out and Angel cupped her face lovingly.
"But nothing did…you saved me." He whispered to her in a trembling tone.
"But what if I can't save myself?"
Her words hung in the air for the longest time, unable and unwilling to come back down.
"Angel…I want to go back…I want to wake up…but…" she tried to say coherently. "There's a part of me that is scared to." She paused, looking into his eyes and feeling the warmth of his hands on her face. "Scared that it may all be at the expense of my friends…scared that I may never have this…" she whispered, her tears now gone.
"This…" Angel repeated, taking a deep breath.
"Scared that I may never feel your heart beat against mine again…" she said in a bare whisper, their faces now inches apart from one another.
Angel silently thanked God that he had mastered the ability of breathing again so fast because his heart was now beating faster and faster. His eyes bore into Cordy's, his silent reply piercing through her heart, and his strong hands gently tracing the lines on the side of her face. Angel lowered his face to hers and pressed his lips against hers in a long, intense, breathless kiss. Cordy felt herself sigh into the kiss, almost relieved to finally feel him against her. So close. So real.
As his tongue delved into her mouth, dancing with hers to the sound of a music only they could hear, the kiss intensified. One of Angel's hands made its way down her arm, then around her waist, to finally rest in the small of her back. She raised herself up a little, wrapping both of her arms around his shoulders, and falling into their kisses with blind trust. She felt his warm hands slide under her dirty t-shirt and caress the skin around her waist, and that's they finally had to pull apart, to take a much- needed breath.
Their eyes locked. Their hearts pounded. Their hands stilled.
In that instant, there was no doubt, no fear, nothing holding them back.
There was no danger, no prison of the mind, no curse. There was no past and no tomorrow. It was only them, staring at one another, in the present.
Two people, very much alive. Two souls.
Two hearts beating as one.
"Angel…" Cordelia whispered in a breathless attempt to make sure he was certain about where this was going. "Are you sure…?"
He looked into her loving eyes and stayed silent. Instead, he gently took one of her hands and placed it across his chest, holding it there preciously. Once again, she felt the livelihood of his heartbeat.
"More than I've ever been in my life…" his words trailed off as he slowly brought his face to hers again.
This time, the kiss wasn't as quick and desperate. It was calculated, sensual even. His mouth came with hers in a slow feverish waltz, her tongue meeting his with no hesitation. They carefully moved and kneeled on the bed, their lips never parting.
Cordelia brought both of her hands up on his chest and made her way up until she found the first button of his shirt. Their mouths parted for a few seconds. She bit her lower lip while he tried to catch his breath and she smiled at the obviousness that he wasn't used to breathing just yet. She then proceeded in beginning to unbutton his shirt, as he took her mouth with his once again, unable to stop himself. The passion, desire and heat of that kiss was enough to bring a moan out of Cordelia's throat. After unbuttoning the last of the buttons, she ran her hands up on his chest, feeling all the ups and downs of his muscles beneath her fingers, and she pushed the unnecessary piece of clothing off his shoulders.
Angel's lips lifted from hers and made their way down her neck, his tongue tracing a line of fire on her skin. His hands moved underneath her t-shirt and wrapped around her waist, his thumbs tracing circles on her stomach, sending shivers down her spine. Angel touched, kissed, tasted every inch of her neck before moving up to her ear. Cordelia closed her eyes, enjoying every second of it.
She then brought his head up and captured his mouth with hers in one long, uninterrupted kiss that left them more than just a little out of breath. Wanting to feel her, touch her…every part of her…Angel lifted her t-shirt up over her head and quickly dismissed it on the floor beside the bed.
Their bodies pressed together, their hearts racing together, Angel laid Cordelia down on the bed. He felt a rush of disappointment when she suddenly took her tongue and lips from his mouth.
"Oww!" was the only sound that escaped her throat.
Angel quickly lifted his head, concern overtaking every fiber of his being.
"No, not OW ow…just ow…" she frowned reaching underneath her and pulling out a large teddy bear that she had just crushed.
It took him a few seconds to register the huge grin that came across her lips and the mischievous sparkle in her eyes.
"Don't scare me like that…" he smiled back, clearly relieved.
He took the teddy bear out of her hands and tossed it across the room, before lowering himself down again. She was about to speak but almost lost control of her own thoughts when she felt his gentle lips and tongue moving across her stomach.
"Hey, you hurt Tim." She giggled, his kisses tickling her a little.
"Tim?" Angel managed to ask as his lips moved upward.
She mumbled a little "hmmm" as a reply and he continued his way up. His hands slid on the side of her body and his mouth came to a halt when he reached that spot under her chin. He then looked up, boyish eyes looking into hers.
"You named your stuffed animals?" he questioned, raising his eyebrows.
"Shut up and kiss me…" she giggled, pulling his face down to hers as their lips joined one more time in the heat of passion.
The two of them laughed into the kiss a little before the whole incident with "Tim" completely vanished from their minds.
She could feel the weight of his body on top of hers and all she wanted was to feel him even closer. She was slightly surprised at how fast he got rid of her bra. One thing was certain, human or not, he still knew how to touch her. Memories of their single night together, which now seemed like a long time ago, filled her mind as she met the sensuality of his kisses repeatedly.
Her hands moved down his chest, ever so slowly, and reached the edge of his pants. At first, only teasing, only tempting, only sliding the tip of her around his waist.
In less time than it took for either of them to notice, the remaining of their clothes were gone and they had slid under the sheets, bodies pressed against one another, lips never wanting to part, not even for air, and a passion that seemed unable and unwilling to fade.
There, away from the threats, and the worries, two hearts danced into the night. A night they knew could never be reproduced…not before long. So they simply lost themselves into it, into one another. And they made love, they danced.
A passionate dance.
A secret dance.
A breathless dance.
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SNEAK PREVIEW: Angel is human, and with that comes everything else humans feel.
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