Kassern (Archangels Creed) (8 page)

Jesus Christ!
It took Troy several seconds to unglue his eyes from Devyn
'
s perfect naked breasts and clench them shut while flying out of his chair and knocking crap everywhere.

"
Well?
"
Devyn demanded.
"
How the
hell
did you get my panties?
"

"
Your
panties?
Th
-those are yours?
"
His vocal cords screeched. He spun around, not trusting himself while wondering how in God
'
s name those panties were still
there?
 

"
Oh don
'
t tell me you didn
'
t know
preacher boy.
"

God, she
'
d come closer. From the sound, she was only a few feet behind him.
"
Please…please cover yourself.
"

"
Why? How about you drop the virgin act and tell me how the fuck you got my panties?
"

Troy reached blindly around him for something to hold on to, feeling a tad dizzy. He opened his eyes and forgot about the mirror on the small dining wall.
"
My God, my God, my God.
"

"
Oh God nothing, stop playing the saint, Troy
.
H
ow and why do you have my panties?
"

He laughed once.
"
The same way you have my crucifix?
"
He held his breath in the silence that followed, willing oxygen to all parts of his brain.

"
I
'
m supposed to believe you just woke up with my panties? And
why
the hell would I believe such a thing?
"

He choked on an incredulous laugh.
"
Damn good question,
"
he confessed.
"
But, I promise you, I had no
idea
they
were yours
, nor do I have a
clue
as to how they found their way into my back pocket, the same night you got my crucifix
,
it seems. Honestly I thought you may have put them there.
"

Devyn gasped a laugh.
"
Put
them there?
"
She huff
ed
.
"
Don
'
t you dare move, stay
right
there, I
'
m not done with
you.
"

Sounded like she walked off but Troy couldn
'
t move if he wanted to
. H
e was still immobile with trauma
from
seeing
her. No,
from
having
tangible proof that
she was exactly as he
'
d seen her in his dreams
—delicate
perfection. He fought off the image of her hard nipples with every ounce of his strength.

Troy was in the middle of praying his
erection
away when he heard her bare footsteps over linoleum. He nearly jumped out of his skin when she grabbed his arm and spun him around.

His air left him all at once at seeing she put a
T-shirt
on. Until his eyes landed on her nipples through the thin material. He clenched his eyes shut again.

"
Cut the virgin act, seriously, surely you
'
ve seen breasts before, what with thongs hanging in your bathroom. Don
'
t tell me you
'
re like one of these closet Christian cross dressers
. O
h my God, are you?
"

Troy popped his eyes open.
"
Cross dress—wait, what? God, no, of course not!
"

She swung the panties before his face, like a demonic pendulum, slender brows raised.

Troy pointed at them while looking at her.
"
I threw those
i
n the trash
t
hree times.
"

She screwed her face up.
"
What? These? The ones I
'
m holding in my hands?
"

How was he supposed to explain this?
"
Look. I know how bad this looks, but you have to believe me, the panties just keep showing up, no matter how many times I throw them
out
.
I know how crazy that sounds, but it
'
s true.
"

She dropped her arm, eyes narrowed.

He raised his brows and pointed at her neck.
"
What about my crucifix, huh? Have you ever taken it off? Maybe it
'
s stalking you too? Like those damn panties of yours?
"
It was a long shot, but something was going on with the panties and his crucifix.

"
What do you mean you threw them
away
three times
?
"

"
I put
. T
hem in the trash
. T
hree times.
"
He sliced the air for emphasis with a firm hand.
"
I woke up once and they were neatly on the pillow next to mine. I swear, this is really creeping me out, nothing like this has happened, and I worry—
"
 

"
Worry?
"
Devyn held the panties up again.
"
Why are you acting like they
'
re demonic. They
'
re
my
panties.
"

"
I
'
m not saying your panties are demonic Devyn, I
'
m saying that the fact that they ended up in my pocket and then neatly on my pillow after
I put them in the trash
is
not
what I would call holy. Or Godly. I mean whatever is going on here is bad.
"
He scrubbed his face.

Devyn bu
r
st out in snickers, covering her mouth.

Troy balked.
"
What is so funny?
"

She shook her head and twirled the panties before him. Troy jerked away and she laughed more, taking a step toward him with the offending red silk.
"
So, what…
"
She continued
forward
, aiming the panties at him until his back hit the wall.
"
Are you seriously…afraid…of
panties?
"

"
No! Not the panties, but what they stand for.
"

Devyn
'
s brows shot up.
"
What they stand for?
"
She put a hand on her hip.
"
Do tell preacher. What
do
these red panties stand for?
"

He swallowed at how great this wasn
'
t going for him.
"
Just…it
'
s not the panties, it
'
s…it
'
s that I
'
m celibate and they keep showing up and…
"

"
Sounds like a problem with
you
Troy, not these panties.
"

"
No, it
'
s not me
.
I
'
m a Godly man
.
I
'
m not interested in that…Devyn, please back up.
"

She stopped inches away and placed her hands on either side of the wall next to him. He met her gaze, determined to prove he wasn
'
t like that. Wasn
'
t interested in her looks or…her body or…any other parts of her-her temple. He willed his heart rate to slow the hell down while meeting the sultry look in her eyes. Ignoring the tilt of her seductive grin.

"
No, it
'
s not you,
"
she whispered.

"
Devyn.
"
His breath stuck in his throat when she leaned forward just enough. Just exactly enough to graze his chest with her breasts. He pressed his hands into the wall behind him, unable to take his eyes from hers now, unable to not
feel
those two rigid tips against him.

"
It
'
s surely not you.
"

He gasped and clenched his eyes tight again as she pressed her body against him more.

"
It
'
s those slutty…
"
she
slid
her hands along his sides,
"
Sinful…
"
pressed herself into the hard evidence at his groin,
"
Red…
"
gripped his hips
,
"
Panties.
"
With her final whisper, she jerked him against her.

Oh God, oh God, oh God, couldn
'
t let this happen, couldn
'
t...

Troy hardened his jaw and opened his eyes. But the mocking look he
'
d expected to find in her gaze wasn
'
t there. Mockery would
'
ve been so much better.

Confusion. Fear. Hope.

Jesus. Troy saw it so clearly. She
needed
him to
want
her. She needed to be wanted by something
good
. Everything she
'
d known had been bad.

God she was beautiful.

In a flash the need in her face morphed into anger and she stepped away from him. She threw the panties on the floor.
"
That
'
s right, preacher.
"
She reached up and jerked the crucifix off
her neck.
"
It
'
s the
slut
part that
'
s all wrong.
"
She threw the necklace at him.
"
It
'
s
me
that
'
s all wrong!
"

Two steps put him exactly before her, holding her furious gaze, his breath labored.
"
It
'
s not you,
"
he whispered, reaching up and wiping the tears running down her face. He shook his head a little, his chest tight with the need to make her see.
"
It
'
s
not
you.
"

The pain in her face intensified, trembling in her lips.
"
It
'
s my life,
"
she
wailed
, shaking her head.
"
I
'
m so ruined.
"

Troy took her face between his hands. Her eyes closed and fresh tears ran down her face. He leaned and kissed her forehead.
"
Shhh
, I got you.
"
He kissed her cheek softly then.
"
You
'
re not ruined.
"
Her soft sob warmed his face, fueling the need to make it all better. To erase every trace of pain in her broken life. He glided his lips along her face, tasting her.

Her trembling fingers stroked along his cheek, hesitant…hoping.

Troy slipped his arm around her waist and let his hand slide up her back, slowly, carefully. Her breath came unsteady and when he cradled her head in his hand, she let out a soft whimper.

Like the one from his dream.