“So that was interesting, huh?” Neil walks towards me, scratching his head and all my previous embarrassment rushes towards me in a huge swamping tidal wave. I start fumbling through the various bits and bobs that I have to stow away, until they all go splattering on the floor.
“Hey!” Neil hurries to unplug the machine which has started buzzing and hopping wildly on the floor.
Like a madwoman, I scuttle through the various bottles and packets strewn on the floor until I manage to collect them all. Then I place everything under the counter. As I straighten up, I startle because Neil is standing right behind me. Close. Too close.
I suck in a breath and turn to look up at his face. He places his palm softly on my cheek and I wince at the contact.
“Angel, what’s the matter?”
“Nothing…I…I just…thank you for…earlier.”
He scrunches his face. “What is this? Are you embarrassed?”
I avert my eyes but Neil insists gently, “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, Kari. I was just looking out for you.”
I nod my head and risk meeting his eyes. “Yeah, well. Thank you for…looking out for me.”
“Anytime, Angel,” he says and his face breaks into a smile.
I cock my head to the side and decide this is the best time to make things clear. Instead what comes out of my mouth is this, “You know as per mythology, Angels were actually men who were sent down by God as messengers? So when you say Angel, it’s like you’re calling me a dude.”
Neil looks at me for a few seconds and then he throws his head back and bursts out laughing. And just like before, it’s a beautiful thing to witness. Like an unexpected burst of sunshine on a cloudy rainy day.
After a few minutes, as he’s wiping his tears he says, “Though that precious little narrative will now forever be at the back of my head, you’ll always be Angel to me…you don’t know what you’ve done…you’ve saved me.” His eyes droop low as he says the last line and my breath hitches. The inexplicable pull between us is hard to deny. It’s something elemental. Untamed. Something that connects my very core to his, in a way that cannot be denied. Impossible to resist.
He leans his face close to mine and I meet his lips half way through. He doesn’t assert his kiss. Soft brushes and sweet strokes. He keeps it restrained and I have no option left but to press my body smack against his, my hands fisting through his hair and my tongue diving into his mouth. My body starts thrumming with the beat of his heart and that’s when I feel him lose his careful control. His hands crush me to him, moving down my back until he lifts me and puts me up on the counter. I clasp my legs around his torso and he breaks from my lips to mutter in a hoarse voice, “Tighter, Angel.”
I clinch my legs tighter around him and his lips slam into mine again. My belly squeezes as his kisses get harder, more demanding. His hand grips my ass, squeezing it roughly and I can’t hold back the moan that escapes my mouth. Then his hips grind into me and my back bucks. His hungry hands skim up my thighs, belly and then my breasts. When his hand cups me, I whimper with a need so stark I’m sure I’m going to lose my mind.
“Oh! I’m so sorry!”
I jerk away from Neil and we both turn to look at our previous customer standing at the doorstep. She looks anything but sorry. Raving fuming rage is more the expression she should have gone for. If this had been anime, little puffy clouds of smoke would have been coming out of her ears right about now.
“I forgot my bag,” she says with a pout. Then she stomps off to the couch and picks up her bag which I hadn’t even noticed before!
Without looking at either of us, she heads out the door and bangs it shut behind her.
A startled second later, a giggle escapes me but then I turn to look at Neil and realize I’m still clinging to him. Close. Too Close. This is not right. He doesn’t even know. He should never know. I place a hand on his chest and press him back. I need to get out of here right now. How could I forget everything?! How could I fucking forget?!
“I think…I need…”
“Me,” he says firmly and grasps my chin in his hands. He pulls my face up, making me look into his eyes. “You need me, Angel.”
“No. I need to go. This is not…right.” He raises an eyebrow and I try to pull myself away but his grip on my chin tightens.
“What’s wrong, Kari? Is it that guy? Has he hurt you?” I see his jaw clench and I press harder on his che