Gabriel's Hope

"Spoken like someone on the other end of the equation," she said, offended by his casual dismissal. "So you figured out my plan." She moved to face him, distracted by the fact he shifted his body to keep from breaking their physical contact. Though she'd rather not be trapped by the eyes that made her blood quicken, she forced herself to look at him.

He studied her, waiting.

"Death is the most universal experience possible, true, but it's also the most personal. There's nothing else on the planet that forces you to really see and accept who you are as the day the doctor says you're dying. You have to make a choice that day: to continue living or to start mourning," she started angrily.

The stranger was silent, gaze riveted to her.

"Death lets you see the stars and the moon instead of how dark the night is. It teaches compassion, because sitting on the bus, I know the person beside me is someday going to have to search his soul the same way I did, so I don't mind that he's spilling his coffee on my shoes. My new shoes." She grimaced at the memory. "Knowing what's coming, I've never felt more alive than I do now."

When she stopped, the sound of waves filled the quiet.

"I made this awkward again, didn't I?" she said, embarrassed once more by the passion she put into her speech.

"Not for me," he replied. His eyes were warm, his features losing their gravity as he gave a genuine smile. "I don't know why our paths crossed tonight, but I'm glad they did."

"Really? I'm not freaking you out?"

"I admire your spirit and your passion. You make me feel human again."

"Good, I think," she replied.

They gazed at one another, the tension growing thicker.

"Is kissing a stranger on the beach under the full moon on your bucket list?" he whispered.

Definitely. Warmth bloomed within her while her heart beat with more excitement than a moth outside a lighted window. Surprised at her body's eagerness, Deidre said nothing.

"I'll take that as a yes."

She nodded. She found herself leaning into him in anticipation. Her time was too short to turn away a tall, dark, handsome, intriguing, dangerous stranger she met on the beach in the moonlight who smelled good. She closed her eyes.

The stranger's kiss was light, his full lips warm and soft. The strange energy hummed through her again, and she became aware of new sensations she'd never noticed with anyone else. He smelled like dark chocolate, spices and man, a combination that ensnared her senses and made her want to taste him. The heat of his body sank through her clothes, and the idea of his hot skin pressed to hers made her lower belly burn.