Chapter Fifteen

Sabrina was in heaven. She was snuggled up against Deacon’s chest, her legs bent behind her on the sofa. His arm was securely around her where he was once again rubbing lazy circles on her skin. She should be freaking out. Things were moving way too fast, but then again, they weren’t moving fast enough. Why had she gotten off the pill? Because she had sworn off sex and didn’t need the chemicals in her body. And what man didn’t keep condoms? Someone who hadn’t dated in a long time. That was another plus in the Team Deacon column. There were so many checks in that column Sabrina needed a new sheet of paper. Not that she’d actually written anything down. The checklist was in her mind, and it was filled with nothing but good.

She hadn’t had many lovers in her life, but of those she had, they didn’t hold a candle to Deacon, and they hadn’t even had sex yet. She knew when they did, she would combust. Her body was still tingling from the orgasm he’d given her with his mouth and fingers. Just thinking about his impressive cock had her struggling to remain still. She couldn’t wait until one of them had protection and he could fill her up. Since they had another date tomorrow, they could stop at the drugstore and get condoms, since it would probably take too long to get in with the doctor. Damn, girl. Sabrina chuckled to herself. She’d never been this brazen when it came to having sex, but she’d never had a man like Deacon Wright.

Being with him was so different than being with Garrison. Deacon asked for nothing. He gave everything. “Why hasn’t someone snatched you up already? ”

Deacon chuckled, the sound in his chest music to her ear. “I could ask you the same thing. But I think we were both waiting on the right one, and here we are. ”

Sabrina leaned up. “You really think so? ”

Deacon bit his bottom lip, grinning. One dimple threatened to pop out of his left cheek, and Sabrina reached up to touch the skin there. “Yeah. I do. I know how I feel, so we’ll take this as slow as you wanna go. Or as fast. Either way, I want you in my life, any way I can have you and as often. This right here? Sitting, relaxing together, is heaven to me. I’m a homebody. I love the peacefulness my place brings, and you feel right being here with me. ”

Sabrina lifted her face, and Deacon met her for a sweet kiss. She could kiss him for hours and never get tired of it. Whether it was the soft brushes of their lips or the more passionate mating of their mouths and tongues, she’d never get enough. Already, he had ruined her for other men, and she was okay with that. Sabrina knew in her heart this was it. He was her one.

When the movie credits played, Deacon kissed her temple. “You ready to turn in? ”

Sabrina was excited. It had been years since she’d slept in the same bed with a man, and Garrison hadn’t been one to hold her during the night. Would Deacon be the same way? Turning his back to her? Or would he wrap her in his arms? “Yes. I need to brush my teeth. ”

“I put your bags in the spare bedroom across the hall from my room. ”

Did that mean he didn’t want them to sleep together? “Okay. ”

“I’m going to lock up. I’ll be upstairs to check on you in a few. ”

Sabrina didn’t respond. Instead, she silently padded barefoot up to the second floor. She found her things in the bedroom like Deacon said. Grabbing her toiletries, she closed herself into the attached bathroom and sat down on the closed toilet lid. After a few minutes of thinking back on their day together, she made herself get up and get ready to turn in. If he didn’t want to share a bed, that was fine. First, she brushed out her hair and wrapped it in her favorite silk scarf. Once that was done, she brushed her teeth. When she was rinsing the foam from her mouth, Deacon knocked.

“Everything okay? ”

“Yes. I’ll be out in a second. ”

She wiped her mouth with the hand towel and hung it back up. When she opened the door, Deacon was sitting on the edge of the bed. “I didn’t want to assume or pressure you, but you’re welcome to sleep with me. ”

Yes! She’d read the situation wrong. And that was okay. She should have known better, but instead of communicating, she had assumed the worst. Again. “I’d like that. ”

Deacon stood and reached for her hand. He touched her scarf and whispered, “Beautiful. ” Sabrina’s heart melted a little. When they reached his room, he asked, “Which side do you sleep on? ”

“The right, but if that’s your side, I don’t mind taking the left. ”

“I don’t think it’s going to matter, because I plan on holding you all night, and we’ll probably end up in the middle. ” And her heart melted a little more. Deacon pulled the covers back for her. “Go ahead and climb in. I need to brush my teeth. ”

Sabrina did as he said, and she scooted toward the middle. That way he could choose whichever side he wanted.

Deacon leaned against the bathroom counter, breathing deep to get his beast under control. His mate was in his bed, but he couldn’t take her the way he needed. If he did, the fangs would come out, and she deserved to know what he was. Sabrina should know the truth and make the choice of whether they mated or not. She wasn’t dressed to seduce him. She had gotten ready to sleep, and that’s what they were going to do if it killed him.

Taking one last breath, he turned off the bathroom light and stopped at the door. Sabrina was in the middle of the bed. Deacon grinned. She was giving him the choice of which side of the bed to sleep on, so he chose the side closest to the hallway. Sliding under the covers, he rolled to his back, trying not to crowd her. Sabrina has other ideas as she turned on her side and wrapped an arm over his stomach, placing her silk covered head to his chest. Deacon pulled her closer, kissing her temple. “Goodnight, Pretty Lady. ”

“Night, ” she whispered. Sabrina’s thigh snaked over his, too close to his dick. He held his breath, praying she settled in to sleep. After a few minutes, she said, “Deacon? ”

“Hmm? ”

Instead of speaking, she rolled until she was on top of him and kissed his jaw. Deacon grabbed her hips to keep her from squirming.

“I don’t think I can do this, ” he admitted. Her mood changed from turned on to embarrassed, and she tried to climb off the bed. He didn’t let her go far. “You misunderstood. I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life, but there are things you don’t know. I’m not just a man, Sabrina. I’m not someone who wants you for a night. If you and I are together, to me, it’s not random or temporary. With you on top of me, I want to make love to you. If you and I make love, that will be it for me. But you don’t know the truth of what I am, and until you know, we can’t do this. ”

“Then tell me. ” Sabrina ran a fingertip down his jaw. “Unless you’re some psychopath or murderer... ”

Deacon sat up so he could prop against the headboard, juggling Sabrina off his lap. “Nothing like that, but what I am is not to be taken lightly. It’s not just my secret to tell, either. If you know the truth, I will be exposing all of my kind. ”

Sabrina sat up next to him and laced their fingers together. “What do you mean ‘your kind’? I know from talking to Joseph you belong to a Clan of sorts. He assured me you are one of the good guys. ”

“That we are. We are good, for the most part. Just like humans, there are good and bad in every species, but my Clan – my family – we are the good of our kind. ”

Sabrina laughed, but it wasn’t from humor. “Human? Species? You make it sound like you’re some type of creature. ” She turned to face him. “Are you trying to tell me you aren’t human? I’m a doctor. I think I would recognize if you were something else. Wouldn’t I? ”

“Not unless I wanted you to. My kind was made to look human so we blend in. We were created to protect humans without being detected. Are you sure you want to hear this? Because if you know the truth, you will be holding our safety in your hands. If you think what I tell you will be too much, you can walk away now. I will still keep you safe, because as your mate, that’s my job. ”

“So, I’m a job to you? ” Sabrina tried to pull her hand away, but Deacon held tighter.

“I’m not explaining this correctly. You are more than a job to me. You are my intended. My mate. Our kind has one being chosen for them by the fates, and I will never love another. I will never take someone else into my bed now that I’ve found you. You, however, aren’t bound the same way. If you decide all this is too much, I will release you and let you live your life without interference. Yes, I will still watch over you, because to me, you’re everything. But I’ll do it from a distance once your stalker is found and dealt with. ”

“I’m your mate. Is that why I felt drawn to you the first time I saw you in Jonathan’s room? ”

“Yes. Our bond is strong, but if you aren’t ready for all it entails, you can walk away. Or if you would like to figure out if I’m someone you could see spending your life with, we can take it slow. Go on dates. Spend time together getting to know each other. ”

“I think I would like to know what you are, if not human, before making that decision. ”

Deacon couldn’t believe how calm she was. He hadn’t said the word Gargoyle or mentioned fangs, wings, or claws. How calm would she be the first time he phased in front of her?

“I promise whatever you tell me will be our secret. For whatever reason, I do trust you’re a good man. Wait... male. You and Joseph used that term, so I’m assuming either my boss is one of your kind, or he at least knows the truth. I have known Joseph for years, and I trust him. He trusts you, so... tell me. ”

Deacon searched Sabrina’s eyes, reaching out with his senses for any distrust or trepidation. When he found none, he decided he would trust her with the truth. He wouldn’t admit to anyone else in the Clan being Goyle. That way, if she happened to tell someone, she would sound crazy.

“I’m what is now known as a Gargoyle. We were created by the gods to protect humans. Our kind has been around for millennia, living among you. In the past, we had females of our kind as mates, but they weren’t given the same structure as the males, and most of them have died off. It has only been in the past couple hundred years that we have been given humans for mates. Our mate is the other part of us. We have our shifter inside, but that’s what we are at our core. I look human, but if the beast comes out, my body transforms into something else. My face will look the same, but... I don’t want to scare you. ”

“I thought Gargoyles were those stone creatures on buildings. ”

“Those were created by humans many years ago as a symbol for our kind. Humans who know about us have lived among us, offering sanctuary when we need it. The symbols were to make us aware of the humans who would work with us. With our numbers being a fraction of that of humans, it was necessary to share our existence with a handful of humankind. ”

“And you have to trust who knows. I get that. So, you tell me your secret, and I decide what to do with the knowledge? ”

“Pretty much. It’s a huge responsibility. Not only do you discover there are nonhumans, but you find out one of them wants you for an eternity. And that’s what it would be. If you were to decide you want me, there would be no divorce later. Mating with me isn’t like dating or marrying a human. It’s an unbreakable bond which lasts forever. There’s another thing you need to consider. If you were to mate with me, you will stop aging. At whatever age a human bonds with their Gargoyle, that is the age they look for the rest of their life. ”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing. ”

“It can be. If you remain in New Atlanta, how will you explain to your colleagues ten, fifteen years down the road why you still look like you’re in your mid-thirties? We manage it by moving around and reinventing ourselves or hiding from the public. I’ve met humans who age more gracefully because of good genetics and how they take care of themselves. So, it wouldn’t be a stretch for you to remain here for twenty years or so. ”

“And how do Gargoyles age? You don’t look any older than I do. ”

Deacon grinned and gripped her hand tighter. “We transform into our shifter in our early teens and we stop aging in our mid-thirties. I’m four hundred years old. ”

“Get out of town. Really? ”

“Really. Male Gargoyles can live to be over a thousand. If we aren’t killed – and there’s only one sure-fire way to kill males, and that’s by taking our head – we are virtually indestructible. ”

“But if I’m your mate, won’t you get lonely when I pass on in fifty years should my health hold out? ”

“If you accept the mate bond, your body becomes less susceptible to human disease. You could die from say a plane crash or a stray bullet. Those are hypothetical situations, of course. But I do know a human mate who is over two hundred. ”

“Do I know any human mates? ”

Deacon hesitated. If he told her the truth, he was putting his Clan at risk even more than he already had.

“Deacon, your secret is safe with me. What do you think would happen if I told someone what you’ve shared? They’d think I lost my marbles. ”

She had a point, and he did trust her, so he admitted, “Yes. As a matter of fact, you’ve met several of them. ”

⇐ Предыдущая 15 16 17 18 192021 22 23 24 Следующая ⇒