I start to giggle."Really?That's Steve's ringtone?"
"Affirmative."He walks to the living room."You should hear Paul's.It's moaning with heavy breathing."He picks his phone off the coffee table, sits on the couch, pats it for me to join him, and tells me."I need to call him back.He wouldn't be calling if it wasn't important."
"Let me grab mine then too.I'll text Cat about Clay while you talk."
He gives me a 'that was supposed to wait until tomorrow look,' but I ignore him and run into the bedroom to search for my phone.When I come back empty-handed, he is holding the guitar and strums it."Steve texted to give him a few minutes.He will call me back.I thought I would sing for you while we wait."I grin really big, and he smirks."Sit, Angel Thang."
I drop down to the ground and kneel in front of him.He looks at the fingers on his left hand as he picks the first chords.It's the song from the shower."Do you know this one?"
"No."
"It's Brooks & Dunn."When he opens his mouth to sing, my eyes see the most beautiful man in the world letting go.Music is his salvation.His tone is pitch-perfect, and his delivery is spot-on.The warmth of the quality of his voice feels as smooth and rich as butter.
"You're my angel...."He sings, feeling every note of the slow melody and expressing every emotion.His eyes lock on mine, then he closes them and sings.The words are so intimate and romantic; the melody so soulful and beautiful.I feel the tug on my heart, and a knot forms in my throat.He sings of his angel seeing him through, believing in him, that he believes in her, and of filling his heart.Watching him pour his heart out, I'm drawn to him, knowing I want to be the one who fills his void and heals his hurt.I want to be his angel.
At the chorus, I listen as he sings about being supported by his angel and the knot in my throat constricts further.When he sings about being taken up to heaven and about his angel spreading loving wings, I feel the tears fill my eyes.I look at him with blurry vision as he sings about being weary and out of his mind.Then he opens his eyes, looks directly into mine, and I feel his gaze touch that something that only he has ever touched deep inside me, then his voice changes.He sings about being in his own hell with gut-wrenching emotion that causes my heart to rip in two.The truth and torture I see in his eyes make the knot in my throat release, and my soul gives up my heart to him.The tears fall out of my eyes and run to him, dripping onto his massive thigh as I climb on his lap.They pool between the golden hairs.He finishes the song, looking down at my pool of tears as he sings."Be my...angel...."Then he strums the last chords and lifts his eyes to mine.I see tears brimming in his too.
Unable to move, feeling the hurt of a broken heart, I watch him set the guitar on the floor, and I realize it isn't my heart that I'm feeling.It's Aurei's heart.
"Be my angel, Siri."He says so softly I almost can't hear him for the throbbing ache in my chest.When he turns his face to mine, he smiles shyly, and I lunge myself at him.
The force of my attack pushes him back, and he wraps his arms around me as we sprawl onto the couch."Oh my Fucking Golden God."I sob on his chest, and he holds me in a hug so tight it's hard to breathe.
In a voice heavy with emotion, he says."Don't cry, baby.You have set me free."
Then I'm kissing him.All over.Everywhere.Anywhere.I place kisses, trying to heal the hurt I feel in both of us.I whisper as I kiss him."Let me kiss you and make you all better, baby.Let me heal your hurt!"
He laughs softly when I kiss his sides.Then he is squirming and laughing harder.The sound is like a healing hymn, and the happiness is contagious.I start to laugh too as I pounce on his abs and pin him under me, placing my fingertips along his rib cage, moving them quickly, lightly up and down until he gasps, roaring."Stop!That's enough!"We are both laughing hard now.The fun is infectious.He tries to buck me off, but I ride a very mean mechanical bull, and I stay on him.He does it again, higher and harder, and I wrap my legs around his waist and squeeze him.He laughs up at me as he twists on his shoulders at the same time he flips us off the couch.
"Whoa."I squeal, surprised and caught off guard.His arm goes around my back to catch me before we hit the floor, but I have cinched myself to him with the strength of a pole dancer gripping the pole, stopping herself as she slides down to the floor in a fast fall.He sets me down gently, then falls on me, pinning me down, and grabs my hands that have glued themselves to him and easily pries them free.He grins down at me, very pleased with himself."Ah!That's some badass trickery!"I giggle.
"Affirmative!Of the best kind."He laughs."My turn to tickle torture."He puts his wet lips on my tummy and blows a huge puff of air out.It makes a sound like a whoopee cushion!
"Ahhh," I squeal, laughing.Then he is blowing air out in small, tight, short bursts and the vibrations tickle so bad, I'm squirming and crying for him to stop."Stop!You're killing me!Please!"I beg, but he keeps it up, thoroughly enjoying the fun.I'm laughing so hard I can't breathe.I gasp, red-faced."Aurei, Stop!HaHaHa.I can't breathe!"
"Oh, baby, you can't live without your breath."He grins at me and drags his body along mine to my mouth.My skin sings with hot electricity after all the giggling.I close my eyes and open my mouth to receive his breath, but he only hums as he blows a tight burst of air on my lips.
Argh!That's torture!
My eyes fly open, and I lick them hard, then rub them together to stop the tingling.I glare at Aurei only to see his eyes are dancing with life."I'm wise to your trickery, woman!"
I giggle up at him."You think so.I've got a few more surprises up my sleeve."
"I don't see any sleeves.All I see is a simply stunning girl lying naked under me.Mmm.What was I thinking?"He starts on my lips again and travels down my neck, placing those short, tight, tickling puffs of air.I strain against him, knowing where he is going and what he will do when he gets there.
"Oh, fuck, Aurei!Don't!Don't do that on my nipples!Please!"I beg now.
"Why not?They need tickling too."
"Oh, fuck!I don't think I can stand it!"
"Sure you can."And he arrives and delivers the first sweet tickling torture.
"Oh, fuck, Aurei!I can't!I can't take it!"
"What's going to happen?"He moves to the other nipple.
"Oh, fuck!"I lift my head off the floor as he goes back to the first nipple, and I watch.
