Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 1

given, even with the lack of tongue and teeth and passion. What Cole felt in that kiss was far beyond lust. A promise was in that kiss. Even at his lowest, when he thought nothing good was left in his life, Raziel had been there. Raziel had caught him, raised him up, and had even sacrificed his angelic life in order to return to him. In that tender meeting of lips, Raziel told him everything he needed to hear without a single word spoken.
    When Raziel's lips parted and his tongue sought entrance to his mouth, Cole thought he'd come in his trousers. He moaned, wrapped his arms around Raziel's waist, and pulled their bodies together. Relief washed through him. Raziel was his again. Cole had no intention of letting the angel go again. In the course of just a few days, he'd fallen utterly in love with his protector, and he didn't regret a moment. He smiled against Raziel's lips, his hands moving over the thin cloth of Raziel's shirt.
    "I'm going to enjoy dressing you in the finest fabrics," he murmured.
    Raziel twittered, his lips damp and eyes bright. "Why?"
    "Because then I'll have the immense pleasure of undressing you." Cole grinned, the melancholy of the last seven months seeming like just a bad dream. "Come to bed?"
    "Yes," Raziel breathed, following him into the bedroom. "I missed you so. I worried."
    Cole pulled Raziel's shirt up and off, throwing it into the corner. His hands slid over the lightly golden skin, his thumbs teasing Raziel's nipples. Raziel gasped, shuddered, and his hands tightened on Cole's hips. "You were right to worry," Cole murmured. "I thought I was alone again, and the memory of you was as much a torture as it was a comfort."
    Another apologetic chirp left Raziel's lips. "I really have to help you relearn to stand on your own two feet. Your life is worth so much, even if it were to be lived alone."
    "But that won't be a problem," Cole reminded him with a grin, loving the way Raziel's hands crept to the buttons of his shirt, flicking them free of their holes. "I'll never be alone now that you've returned."
    "True... and I'll fit in your shower with you now," Raziel said with a hesitant smile.
    Cole lifted an eyebrow. "Another fantasy you've been waiting to act out?" Raziel nodded, and he laughed, pulling Raziel in for a kiss that started out light and sweet but quickly deepened into something more. Raziel pushed his shirt past his shoulders, and he stripped out of his work clothes, leaving them behind in a trail from the door to the bed. He delighted in tumbling Raziel into the bed, and while he missed the beautiful wings his angel had boasted, it was easier to move about without them.
    Raziel joined in his laughter, and the sound only added more heat to Cole's arousal as he tugged at the simple worn-in jeans still standing between him and Raziel's body. Raziel wriggled until Cole was able to pull the denim down his legs, and then purred when he ran his hands broadly up and down Raziel's torso. "You act like you want to touch all of me at once," Raziel moaned.
    "I would if I could," Cole admitted, draping himself over Raziel and shuddering at the heat of Raziel's skin. "You're so warm."
    "That's... from the purification as I was placed in this form," Raziel whispered against his lips, kissing him again and again. "Chamuel said it would eventually fade."
    "Not too soon, I hope," Cole murmured. The warmth was wonderful, not to mention convenient with a cold winter ahead of them.
    Raziel smiled and hugged him close. His hands skated over Cole's body before gripping lightly at his ass. "I'll keep you warm at night," he promised, as if reading Cole's mind again.
    "I have no doubt," Cole breathed, and then he covered Raziel's mouth with his. He could hardly believe Raziel had come back. Not only had he come back, but he'd given up so much just to be with him. The sacrifice rocked Cole to his very core. He'd never thought he'd be worth that great a price to someone. He moaned into the kiss, rubbed his body against Raziel's. Maybe he shouldn't immediately pounce Raziel like this, but he couldn't help himself. He wanted to celebrate this moment, give to Raziel even a fraction of what Raziel had given him.
    The kisses took on an edge of hunger, and Cole's hands slid over Raziel's body, mapping every curve, angle, and sensitive spot. Raziel cried out against his lips as Cole's fingers rubbed and plucked at his nipples. Cole took that opportunity to lick and suck down Raziel's throat, hone in on the