Dove nodded, smiling. “Yes, I will do that.”
“What do you really look like?” Matthew asked, sitting down on the edge of his single bed, which faced the couch.
Dove’s dark eyes sparkled mysteriously. “Like an angel, of course. Some stories about us are true.”
Matthew sighed and rubbed his forehead. “I’ve finally gone and lost it!”
Dove cocked his head, looking sad. “You are unhappy; I can see it. Your aura has been very dark since you left prison. I’ve been concerned about you, Matthew-friend.”
Matthew shifted, uncomfortable. “I’ll take the couch; you take the bed.”
“Don’t you want to talk about what I see in your aura?” Dove frowned.
“No, not especially.” Matthew shrugged.
Dove looked briefly frustrated, and Matthew felt a kind of bitter satisfaction because he’d dimmed that irritating enthusiasm. He wasn’t sure how he felt about the angel admitting he’d watched him. What for? Matthew was nothing special.
“Do I sleep?” Dove asked, cocking his head.
Matthew growled, “Well,
I
sure as fuck do, so you’ll give it a go, all right? Then we’ll see what we can do to help you out in the morning. And, uh, I haven’t got any cereal to eat here, so we’ll have to go to a bar for breakfast.”
Dove nodded, dark eyes trusting on Matthew’s face, as if he couldn’t possibly imagine Matthew deceiving him. That look weighed on Matthew’s spirit, a burden. He wasn’t any kind of fucking hero.
“We will do as you say, Matthew-friend.” Dove climbed to his feet and shrugged off his hospital gown, dropping it to the floor so he was standing in front of Matthew completely naked, his beautiful body lean and sculpted with muscle. His chest was smooth, but there was a thin line of black hair which flared out around a heavy sex, hanging softly between his legs.
Matthew looked away and took a deep gulp of his beer, choking on it.
Dove leaned over and smacked his back, his cock at Matthew’s eye level—close enough to reach out and taste. “I’m okay, all right? Just fucking go to bed!” Matthew snarled. “And cover yourself up.”
“Yes, Matthew.” Dove’s brow crinkled. He looked confused and a little hurt. “I… was sure you’d like this body. I chose it for you.”
“Turns out you were wrong,” he lied. Matthew felt bad, but what was he supposed to say to explain himself? Admit he wanted to jump E.T.?
Chapter Four
“Matthew?”
“What is it
now
?” Matthew had been secretly rubbing his erection under the blanket and wondering who to hire to dress up with wings and shit as an angel. Turned out, he needed his tree trimmed in a hurry.
“There’s something wrong with me!” Dove sounded panicked.
Matthew sat up, snapped on the lamp by the couch, and looked over at Dove, who was sitting with his arms wrapped around himself, apprehension tightening his face.
“Uh, I dunno.” Matthew rubbed his unshaven jaw. “Are you having some kind of ‘alien’ problem?”
“No. Yes. I don’t know. This body is… uncomfortable.”
This was the part where if it were Matthew’s X-rated fantasy, Dove would tell him his cock was hard and could Matthew please,
please
suck him all better? Matthew rolled his eyes at his own cheesiness before tugging on some jeans under the covers, unable to zip them over his erection, but it was something, anyway. He didn’t want to scare the innocent alien.
“What is it, gorgeous?” His voice softened as he knelt beside Dove’s bed, unprepared for the angel’s instant response of pressing himself trustingly into Matthew’s arms. “The hell? Dove, you can’t just
hug
someone!”
“Why not? You are my friend. Don’t friends hug? I watched sitcoms for a while, and the friends always hugged and cried.”
Matthew laughed a little, rueful. The truth was that Dove’s big warm body felt so good in his arms. He hadn’t been close to another person unless it was a quick, nasty coupling in so long. In prison it was always about being attacked or doing someone a favor. Matthew had fought for years not to be anyone’s bitch—not always successfully.
He closed his eyes tightly on the memories, relieved again that his strange voyeur hadn’t been watching that portion of his life.
Don’t think about it!
“You’re shaking. Are you uncomfortable too?”
“I have trouble getting close to anyone,” Matthew rasped, honest in the safety of the near darkness. Honest in Dove’s arms, his clean masculine scent a pleasant aroma. Matthew was so used to being alone he absorbed the experience, hungry for touch.
“Every time I look at your aura, I feel bad, Matthew. Part of it is bleeding.” The angel’s tone was sorrowful. He nuzzled Matthew as if to comfort him.
Matthew felt pain expand in his chest at the simple truth he felt in Dove’s words. He couldn’t speak for a moment. “Some very bad stuff happened to me once. Now, tell me what’s wrong with you now?”
But Dove wasn’t quite ready to be sidetracked. “Will you tell me what happened to you if I do?”
“I…never talk about it.”
“But what about your friends?”
“I don’t have any friends.” Matthew swallowed at the warmth in Dove’s melted chocolate eyes. “Just a few fuck buddies from the joint.”
“I’ll be your friend.”
Matthew nodded, bizarrely unable to speak. Why did Dove get to him like this? Physically he’d always rung his bell, even as his jerk boss, but now, Matthew struggled to resist the angel’s gentle appeal. “Maybe you really are an angel. Maybe I’ll call you that sometimes.”
“Okay.” Dove smiled. He took Matthew’s hand and placed it over his lower abdomen. “It’s swollen there and aches. Am I dying?” His eyes were suddenly anxious.
Matthew’s hand was a little shaky from touching that silky skin. An inch lower and he’d be touching Dove’s sex. Shit, he wanted to rub his face against it, kiss it… “That’s because you need to use the john.”
Dove’s eyes widened in horror. “But I don’t—”
Matthew cocked a brow. “How long you usually suit up in something human?”
“A few of your seconds.”
Matthew laughed.
“Why are you laughing at me, Matthew-friend?”
“Because you have the same,” he cleared his throat, “needs as the rest of us now. So you need to urinate. Go ahead and you’ll feel better.”
“How do I?”
“Hold your penis over the toilet and relax your body. It will work out, trust me. You know how to do the rest, right? Um, flush the toilet and wash your hands?” Matthew had indulged in some sandalwood soap from the new age shop where he worked recently. He imagined the scent would be very appealing on Dove’s skin.
“Yes, I’ve watched the procedure before.” Dove’s brow wrinkled as he concentrated on Matthew’s instructions. “Watched you before. Also, I believe I know how to take a shower, although you take very long ones, Matthew.”
Now
Matthew
was blushing. He took long showers since it was his favorite place to jerk off. Had the angel observed him doing that? Shit!
Dove got up and went to the bathroom, but a second later, he called out, sounding disgruntled. “Something’s wrong!”
“What is it now?”
“When I first woke up I just felt uncomfortable. Then we hugged.” Dove came out and Matthew immediately saw what the problem was. Hard to miss. “Matthew, I changed shape!”
Matthew wet dry lips. He’d like to suck that big cock and show his angel just how good he could feel, and oh, fuck, he was going straight to hell for thinking that about the poor, innocent alien!
“Just give it a minute and it will go away,” he suggested hoarsely.
Dove stroked a finger down his long length, and his lips curved. “I like having a penis!”
“Yeah. Uh, well, if you keep playing with it, you won’t be able to think about anything else, trust me, so you should think about whatever space men think about when they don’t want to think about sex.”
“I have never thought about sex, other than to observe it; it appears awkward.” Dove raised his brows, as if hoping Matthew would enlighten him.
Matthew scrubbed his jaw. “Dove, please go in the bathroom and just give it a moment, okay? In the morning I’ll help you do whatever it is you need to do to go back where you came from, but tonight—”
“Are you shy, Matthew?” Dove was smiling, cocking his head to study Matthew.
Matthew didn’t know whether to laugh or tear his hair. “No, I’m very
not
shy. That’s the problem! Now get your sexy, innocent ass safely out of my sight and stop waving your pretty candy cane around, alright?”
“Candy cane?” Dove gave his erection a fond look. “I think I like that.”
“I’m a bad boy, but I’m trying to be good, so you do your thing, and then we’ll get some sleep,” Matthew asserted grumpily. God, the sexy angel was going to kill him. But he couldn’t take advantage, not after what had happened to him in prison. He never wanted to hurt or disillusion Dove; the thought made his chest tight.
Dove hesitated, clearly enjoying playing with his new toy, but finally he reluctantly headed into the bathroom again.
Matthew collapsed on the couch and wiped his damp palms. He was rock hard.
Rock hard.
He had to get his sweet alien friend back into the friendly skies soon. Otherwise, he might lose control and show him firsthand all kinds of things about sex. Hard, wild, wet, raw man sex.
Chapter Five
Matthew
had a cigarette on his lip as he went into Willy’s to get the paper and a beer. He had to look for work since his second job was currently only two nights a week, not enough to pay the rent. Willy, a former boxer with a scarred white eyebrow and battered cheekbones, waved at him and gave Dove an appreciative look over. Dove smiled in response, looking around the dark bar and listening to the country music with interest.
“Beer for me, coffee for my friend, and maybe a cheese sandwich? That’s sort of breakfast, right?” Instinctively, Matthew moved in front of Dove, not liking another man’s eyes on what was his.
Shit! He wasn’t thinking that way, was he? That was so fucked.
“Whatever,” Willy said, his green eyes indifferent. He went to start up some coffee before passing a beer for Matthew, who took it and guided Dove with a hand on the small of his back to a table where they could sit down and eat. As they walked, he tried not to stare at Dove’s ass, very tightly cupped in jeans too small for him.
“I’m sorry I fired you,” Dove said, spotting the want ads in the newspaper. “Maybe I can help you find work before I go back to where I belong.”
“Don’t think so, but thanks for the thought.” Matthew took a drag and then frowned when Dove reached out and took his cigarette away.
“That might kill you,” Dove said with genuine sadness. “Please don’t smoke, Matthew-friend.”
“Not like that would be a big loss, now would it?” Matthew retorted, taking back the cigarette.
“It would be a loss for me.”
“Yeah? Well, as soon as we figure out how to get you back where you belong again, it’s not likely you’ll even remember me.” Matthew carefully avoided looking in those dark eyes.
His angel saw too much.
“I will watch over you once I’m back, as I did before I came here. You’ll never be alone.”
Matthew felt his eyes actually sting a little.
Fuck!
“Yeah? Whatever,” he said, deliberately sounding bored. “Not like I believe in guardian angels.”
Dove looked hurt at Matthew’s stony indifference.“Why did you go to prison, Matthew? When you were a child you were so gentle. Did you do something bad?”
He never talked about it. “Didn’t check in to see that part, huh? My half-sister was married to someone who hurt her. One night I… stopped him,” Matthew found himself sharing.
“Oh, Matthew. You hurt someone.”
“Yeah, I hurt him; that’s who your friend is!” Matthew stabbed out the cigarette and went to get the coffee and sandwich for Dove. He came back and shoved the food in front of the beautiful being. “You still want to eat food you get from me? Since I’m so—”
Dove ignored his meal, standing up, reaching out, and
hugging
Matthew.
“Get off me, you crazy fuck!” He was suddenly fighting tears. Shit!
Dove whispered, “I’m sorry, Matthew. I know I should feel bad for the other man you hurt, but I mainly feel bad for you.”
“Don’t!” Matthew’s head was down, his cheeks flushed, embarrassed, trembling.
“Are you okay, Earth friend?”
“Fine. I just. Don’t fucking look at me like that, like you feel sorry for me!”
Dove kissed Matthew’s cheek.
And Matthew backed away, freaked out now, his hands up. “Stay here! I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere. Don’t, um, fly. All right?”
“Matthew, your aura is bleeding!”
“
Shut the fuck up and stay here!
”
* * *
Outside
, Matthew knocked over some trash cans. He was shaking, so he sort of collapsed against the brick wall for a moment.
What the fuck had happened in there?
All Dove had actually done was hug him. Not like it meant fucking anything. The angel was a big spaz.
Matthew covered his face, trying to get himself under control.
It was those eyes. Dark, penetrating. They went
inside
Matthew and touched him where he was all blasted walls and shrapnel. More, they touched him, changed him in a way he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to forget.
* * *
The
angel knew he was supposed to stay here and eat the cheese sandwich, but he could see spilled aura in orange and yellow and bright red in a trail leading to the back door.
Matthew’s aura was bleeding!
Most angels couldn’t bear to be among humans long. It hurt them very badly to see all this pain and rage and be unable to heal it. All angels wanted to help, but for all their power, they were delicate creatures. If Dove didn’t get back to his ship soon, he knew he’d risk going insane like other angels who had gotten trapped down here on Earth.
It was why he was so afraid.
But his only friend here was so full of pain. The shameful truth was Dove really wanted to turn away from Matthew’s wounds, but this human had always called to him, always touched him.