Reality intrudes as our breath and bodies calm. Her hands have stayed glued to me, one in my hair the other massaging my lower back. Everything she does feels good, and I feel everything: her legs gripping my waist, the heat of her pussy wrapped around me, still wet and tight, the swell of her tits pressed into my chest, and her breath heating the already hot skin along my ear and neck. And sometimes, sometimes she bites me and licks the light sting away, just like she’s doing right now. Fuck me, again and again.

“You keep doing that, Angel, and I’m going to take you, right here, right now.” My cock twitches in confirmation. Her giggle confirms she felt it.

“Promises, promises,” she says before biting my neck again, harder this time.

My growl is more animalistic than I meant for it to be, but it’s how I feel so I roll with it. I grip her ass, and in seconds I have her straddling my lap on the couch.

“Just for that I’ll make you work for it this time.” I groan when she clenches tight, sucking my cock even further inside her. Rocking my hips, I aim and hit her sweet spot until she gasps.

“There’s no way you could possibly be ready so soon,” she says, shaking her head and laughing. Her smile, goddamn that smile, it reaches right in and punches my gut. A knockout made just for me.

“How much would you like to bet?” My grin is cocky; I can feel it. At the same time I can feel myself grow even thicker. I need to pull out and change the condom, but I’ll get to that in a second. She feels too good.

“Again? Now?” She's incredulous.

Those honeyed browns grow wide and damn if they don’t twinkle like the stars in the sky. I realize that’s not possible, but her eyes are dancing with humor and the lift of the right side of her mouth says, try me or bite me or both. Yes, ma’am; I can do.

Laughing feels good with her; it’s a new kind of warmth in my chest. “We don’t have much time. I need to leave a lasting impression.” I realize when saying it that there’s a fine line between scaring her off and reeling her in. So far, so good I’d say, based on the smile stretching across her face and the coy tilt of her head. I could never tire of looking at her, especially in moments like this when it’s apparent I’ve been there. It’s my hands that wrecked her hair. My mouth that devastated her lips. I left the red marks trailing from the line of her jaw down her neck, and am responsible for the pink flush of her orgasm that’s yet to fade. All mine.

“The just-fucked look looks good on you.” The tenderness in my voice isn’t overshadowed by the teasing comment. Shit Faith, don’t panic now. I wait for her reaction, prepared for battle if I have to go there. But it comes in the form of a giggle and relief sinks through me like a weight.

“Oh, God. I must be a mess.” She laughs, showing no sign of being embarrassed, no shielding of her naked body. I like that a lot. I like her arched back as her hands rake through her hair to tame the crazy waves.

“I like it this way. Reminds me of where I was five minutes ago.” I especially dig the tight tip of her tits as they jut into my face. With a flick of my tongue, she moans into the silence. When I suck her deep into my mouth, her back curves like a goddamn ballerina and I'm in heaven. Angels are signing. Or maybe it's just the musical pants of her breath as I move to the other side.

Heaven with Faith is an interesting place. It’s not so pure, but a whole lot of raw, carnal need. If she grips my hair any harder she’ll yank me into next week, but at least I’d be with her then. As her fingers trail over my face, I grab and pin them to my chest.

The thought of leaving in a few hours crashes into reality, my lips stumbling over the roadblock forming in my brain. How do you leave perfection?

Before I can move to devour her mouth, she’s distracted by my medallion. Her eyes turn from playful to curious. “What’s this?”

The long silver chain is entwined through her fingers like a snake, the medal held lightly as she strokes over the front before flipping it to the back. “My grandfather gave it to me before I was deployed. Saint Christopher is supposed to protect and provide safe passage to others. Gramps thought I could use the extra help when I left home.”

“Is your job dangerous?”

“There’s the potential for it to be. Why? Will you worry about me when I leave?” I ask, interested in knowing if she will and if she’d admit it.

Shrugging, her eyes grow darker and lose some of the ease we just found with each other. Her fingers continue to stroke the medal while she remains deep in thought. And then she does the exact opposite of what I thought she’d do. I thought she’d say no and pull away, but she sighs and tucks her head into my neck.  “Maybe.”

Ah, the sweet joy of progress. Smiling into her hair, I hold her for a long time. The moon is the only source of light in the room, but it’s bright enough to cast shadows. My fingers rub in the hollows of the two dimples just above her ass and sweep up to her shoulders and back again. I’ve never felt skin as soft as Faith’s.

She tenses beneath me and I know it’s time to fight for her. When her muscles coil, waiting to spring, I clamp down on her hips to keep her steady.

Pushing against my chest, she whips her head back and says, “You need to go.”

“Don’t.” I’m harsher than intended, but she’s pulling away, and so is the condom. “Stop. Ah, fuck . . .” It’s too late.

It might be funny, if it weren’t so fucking disastrous. Faith, naked, standing and staring wide-eyed with her arms out to the side. I remain silent and open-mouthed, still as a damn statue.

She recovers before I do. “Goddamn it, Kyle,” she screams, leaping for the bathroom with my come running down her leg.

I let my head fall to the back of the couch, the heels of my hands gouging into my eyes. Fuck, fuck, fuck. This is not where I thought we’d end up. The one thing I want to do is stay naked with her, but somehow I think we’re going to need some time to talk so I slip into my jeans, leaving the fly open just in case I’m wrong.

She’s taking forever, so I pace back and forth and then lean my head against the door, waiting for it to open. I remain silent, because what can I say?

Faith

The reflection in the mirror is what scares me the most. I remember the face staring back at me. She’s full of hope and trust, and she believes in a future that doesn’t exist. Kyle did that to me. Damn it, this was supposed to be only tonight, but now the rippling energy under my skin is hinting at wanting more. More than this minute and more than what I can give him.

Swinging away from my reflection, I pull on a robe and then stalk to the door with a solid resolve to end this now. It’s time for him to go.

When I yank it open, Kyle stumbles into me and grabs my waist.

“Hi, gorgeous. Everything okay in here?”

His endearing dimple is back, and for a minute I’m lost in it and him. I long to run my hands through his crazy hair, to have his eyes rake over the naked contours of my body and feel his fingers push into me one more time. I can’t let that happen, so I close my eyes instead and count to three.

The weight of his hands distracts me. The subtle pull to drag me from the bath and into my apartment all happens in the dark. I can’t look at him, so I turn my head and look out the window. The moon provides the perfect silhouette to watch the palm trees sway in the breeze. I’ve come to love this island and the serenity it brought me in my time of need. Now it’s time to say my peace.  “You need to go. I had fun, but I’d like to be alone . . .”

“Stop,” he says, and my gaze snaps to his. Anger bubbles to the surface and I break away to spew it forth.

“Don’t stop me, Kyle. This is my house and my life.”

“Then why are you afraid to live it?”