“Appease me?” I was suddenly astonished. “You cheeky bugger. That’s what I get for playing nurse with you.”
“And, I must say, you play the role very well. Not that I deserve it. I behaved like a bull out there and I’m sorry.”
“Well, I must admit, I did think you were a bit bullish. However, under the circumstances, you can be forgiven. I’m not sure if Stephen will feel that way, though.”
“He’ll come around. He’s never mad for very long. We were always getting into fights when we were little.”
My laughter erupted, causing Michael to frown. “What’s so funny?”
“It just sounds a little insane that two angel brothers were constantly fighting. That’s not what you should be doing. Aren’t you supposed to be all about love and peace?”
Michael’s frown instantly eased as he realised why I found it all so funny. “Well, that is the ultimate goal, but you can never go through life, no matter who or what you are, without disagreements or squabbles. Not everyone has the same opinions.”
“I guess so.” I had to guess because I had nothing else to go on. I had been brought up without any brothers or sisters so I didn’t know any better. Everyone had disagreements at some point in their lives. I guess with Michael and Stephen being so opposite, it can happen more often than not.
“So tell me what’s been happening since yesterday. It would seem I have a lot to catch up on.”
I looked at Michael, smiling, and told him what had been happening since I tossed him out of the flat yesterday. It seemed like weeks ago rather than a few hours since that happened.
I finish off by telling him about the conversation Simon and I had, the phone call we later had that evening, then the day I had today. Michael was just sitting there, taking it all in.
I did notice a few times that he was staring at my lips. It was a bit distracting, but I managed to get on with the details despite that.
Once I was finished with it all, Michael picked me up and placed me on his lap, cradling me in his arms.
“You know, I’m not happy about what happened. I want you to be safe. I can’t help feeling immensely proud of you though, Cassie. You did a really good thing today.”
Thanking him, I nestled in his arms. He started stroking my hair, which made me really sleepy. I had sudden exhaustion wash over me as if the pressure of today was rapidly winding down.
The more he was stroking me, the more I felt I couldn’t keep my eyes open. Eventually, I drifted off into a wonderful sleep.
**********
I woke up many hours later to find Michael curled around me in the bed. It felt nice, but I always felt incredibly guilty about doing that to Stephen. I was with him all day yesterday, then he got rewarded by me spending the night with Michael.
The alarm bells sounded in my head. I was trying to keep my distance from them both, but all that did was lead me straight back to them. I was a walking disaster of mass proportions.
With a wiggle of my hips, I tried getting out of his grip, but all this did was cause a moan to escape his lips—then his hand was on my breast. I wasn’t sure if he was still awake or feeling me up in his sleep. It felt good, though. Way too good.
Squeezing my breast a little harder, I couldn’t help but moan a little. His hand seemed to wander down my chest, then to my waist, grabbing my hip and pulling me to him. I immediately gasped, feeling how hard he was.
“Cassie,” he whispered, his voice sounding breathless and wanton.
My eyes closed, rolling into the back of my head. I was feeling dizzy with a pure lust that was completely illogical for me to ignore.
His hands just seemed to have a mind of their own as he explored every inch of my body. I thought I was either going to pass out or catch fire with the intensity of it.
All too soon, though, the thought of Stephen crept into my head and that was enough for me to suddenly jump out of the bed.
“Cassie, what’s happened?” Michael rubbed his eyes sleepily.
I was gasping so much from the wonderful torture Michael unleashed on me that I thought I was going to hyperventilate.
“Cassie, what’s wrong? Has something happened?”
In my stupor, I soon realised Michael didn’t have a clue as to what just happened. He must have been doing it in his sleep.
Desperately, I tried to catch my breath. “It’s nothing. I just woke up suddenly and didn’t know where I was. That’s all.”
“What time is it?”
“It’s just a little after five.”
“Shit!” he shouted. “I’ve got to start at six! I’m glad I have a spare uniform at the station.”
Watching him getting up from the bed, I immediately look at where I shouldn’t. Michael catches me and looks down himself. “Sorry.” He immediately covered himself with his hands. “Do you mind if I jump in your shower? I must have dosed off after I put you to bed. I don’t even remember getting undressed. Sorry.”
“That’s okay.” I was still in shock. “Go right ahead.”
“I’ll be as quick as I can and you can go right back to sleep. You obviously need it.”
With a quick turn, he walked into the bathroom and closed the door. I fell back onto the bed and sighed heavily into my pillow. How am I ever going to get back to sleep after that? My stomach was still in knots from the feel of his hands on me.
The next thing I knew, I was squeezing my breast and cupping myself. I moaned a little, making the feel of it ten times worse.
I thought the wrong person was in that shower right now because I needed an ice cold one. I was diving in the depths of despair and needed a quick fix to help me shake off this feeling.
In the end, I thought the best course of action was to get up and put the kettle on. I came up with this ludicrous idea that exercise might help, so I decided to do some lunges. Who in their right mind does lunges at five-fifteen in the frickin’ morning? God, I’m going crazy.
For some reason, though, they helped. I was still in the middle of doing them when Michael opened the door, revealing only a towel wrapped around him.
Without meaning to, my lunges started gearing up a notch as I stared over at this God of a man.
Michael looked at me comically. He must have thought I’d lost my mind. “Are you feeling okay?” His smile was wide with amusement, but that didn’t help my situation.
“Me?” I asked stupidly. “I’m fine. Just spent too long in a car yesterday without any exercise, that’s all.”
I thought that was as good an explanation as any.
Smiling at me again, he made his way back into the bathroom before shutting the door.
I quickly stopped what it is I was doing because I knew I looked like an idiot. I made my way back to the kitchen and poured myself and Michael a cup of tea to start our day.
Getting the tea ready and putting some toast on helped. By the time I had everything ready and Michael was dressed, I was feeling a lot calmer.
“Feeling more energised now?”
“Yes, thanks. I think I was just a little stir crazy from yesterday. Toast?” I picked a slice up and offered it to him.
“Yes, thank you.” He took it from my hand and winked.
I placed the tea on the coffee table for him and we sat in silence for a moment, relishing what I’d made. I was absolutely famished, considering I didn’t have any dinner last night.
At about five-forty, Michael finally stood up. “I’m going to really have to get going now. Are you going to be okay?”
I laughed. “I’m always okay, Michael. I’ll be seeing you at work soon, no doubt.”
With a grin, he walked over and kissed me lightly on the cheek. “Try and get some sleep for a couple of hours. It might refresh you better than lunges.”
I started chuckling, thinking that I’d need some more now after that peck on the cheek.
Looking up at him, a smile spread across my face. The plaster on his forehead was off, and you would have to squint to see that
there was even a mark now. All this angel stuff still never ceased to amaze me. It was still hard to even wrap my head around it all.
All too quickly, he released me and was out the door, leaving me feeling worse than ever. I knew something had to give soon. I could feel it before and could feel it again now. Something was coming and it was coming soon—and I didn’t know whether it would be welcome or not.
Chapter 18
I got to work a little earlier than normal considering what had transpired this morning. The minute I walked in, Rosina came up to me and asked me to follow her. I dutifully did and, eventually, we reached Ruth’s desk. The problem was that Ruth wasn’t sitting there.
Looking at Simon’s door, I wondered if he was actually in this morning, considering yesterday’s events. That thought was quickly answered.
“Mr. Bradley isn’t in as of yet. He wanted me to show you to Ruth’s desk this morning. She is off sick today and Mr. Bradley requested that you hold down the fort until he gets in later. He will be calling you soon.”
“Okay…” I said, a little timidly. I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do next, if anything.
Rosina saw my panicked expression and smiled, patting my shoulder. “Don’t worry about it, Cassie. If the phone rings, answer it and take a message. If there is anything urgent, just contact Mr. Bradley and see what he wants you to do.”
Just as she said this, the phone rang. Rosina smiled again, nodded towards the phone, and briskly walked out the door.
Knowing I couldn’t leave it any longer, I quickly picked it up. “Mr. Bradley’s office.”
“Cassie, how are you this morning?” Simon’s cheerful voice greeted me.
“I’m fine, thank you. More importantly, though, how are you? Have you managed to speak with your sister yet?”
“No.” He sighed. “There is a lot I want to say, but I don’t want to say it over the phone.
“Listen, I’m planning on coming in and I would very much like it if we could go to lunch. I need to pick up my car, as well. Stephen rang to let me know that it is safely tucked in the car park at work.”
A little pang hit me at the mention of Stephen’s name. I wondered how he was after last night. I still felt bad.
“Okay. That would be great.”
“Good. Could you please book us a table at Alessandro’s for one o’clock? Put it under my name. He will know who I am. I seem to frequent that place a lot.”
I chuckled a little. “Okay, no problem at all. Do you want me to meet you there, or are you coming into work first?”
“I’m coming in, but I don’t think I will get there until after twelve. I have a few things to sort out first. I shall see you soon.” He paused briefly. “Oh, and Cassie?”
“Yes?”
“Thank you so much for yesterday. I couldn’t have done it without you.”
“You’re very welcome, sir. It was my pleasure.”
With a smile on my face, we ended the call. It was at times like this that having this sight I had made it all worthwhile. It must have been so hard for Simon and his family to have gone all these years without knowing what had happened to his twin. The next few months were going to be tough. But at least they knew where she was now and that she was safe.
With a contented sigh, I got to work straight away, trying to find the number for Alessandro’s. Sure enough, they knew exactly who he was and were looking forward to our dining with them. I was looking forward to it, too. I had heard many great things about their food, but I had never had an opportunity to dine there before.
After that, I just sat for a while. I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do, if anything. I was told just to hold down the fort and that’s exactly what I was doing. I just needed something to do other than just sit here.
Thinking about what I should do, I decided to go for a coffee. With that thought in mind, I got up from my desk and made my way down to the cafeteria. I was halfway down the stairs when I heard my name. I stood still for a second and heard a woman’s voice.
“Maybe I should get myself handcuffed in the archive room so the Chief will give me a job.”
They all started laughing, but abruptly stopped when they saw me. Tracey, the girl that said it, immediately gasped in shock. She could see how horrified I must have looked and started to open her mouth. The only problem was, I wasn’t going to stick around to hear what she had to say.
Running back up the stairs, I sought out my little sanctuary by Simon’s office. I was mortified and shaken by what I had just heard.
Did they all feel that way about me? Do they really all think I secretly wanted what Daniel did to me?
With my new office within arm’s reach, I was about to head in when I ran into Stephen’s chest. “Whoa, hold your horses, Twinkles.” His voice was playful for a moment…until he saw my face. “Hey, what’s the matter?”
Looking down, I could almost feel the tears threatening to fall.
“Hey, hey, don’t cry. Come with me.”
He was about to drag me away, but I protested, showing him the door. “I’m working in here today. The Chief isn’t in yet.”
With a nod, Stephen followed me in and immediately shut the door behind him. I didn’t know what else to do, so I rushed to him and threw my arms around his neck.
“Twinkles, are you going to tell me what’s wrong?”
“I’m fine.” I breathed in, inhaling his sweet scent. It instantly put me at ease, and it was what I needed right now. “Someone said something, that’s all.”
I felt his grip around me. “Who, and what did they say?”
“It’s nothing—really, it isn’t. It just upset me a little.” I was lying. It upset me a lot, but I didn’t want to let Stephen know that.
No matter what, he wasn’t buying what I said. His expression told me as much. “Cassie, don’t lie to me. I can tell this upset you a lot. Please, tell me.”
I sighed, resigning myself to the fact that he wasn’t going to let this go. “I was just getting some coffee when I heard a bunch of people saying my name. I stopped and heard one of them make a comment about getting themselves handcuffed in the archives room so that the Super would give them a job.”
Stephen breathed in deeply and sighed heavily. He was pissed. I could tell by the way he pursed his lips, and the vein in the side of his head started throbbing.
“Who was it?” he asked, with gritted teeth.
“No one. Just leave it.”
“Cassie,” he said, sternly. He was using my actual name, so I knew he meant business.
“It was one of the admin girls... Look, it was nothing. She saw that I heard, and I think she really regrets it now.”
“She still said it, though, didn’t she? Who was it?”
“I’m not telling you, Stephen, so please leave it.”
He sighed again, but didn’t say anymore. He knew he wasn’t going to get anywhere with me. Instead, he swung around so his face was turned away from me. I could see him clenching his fists, and was wondering what it was he was thinking.
“I get so angry when you’re hurt like this. I don’t ever want to see you in pain. I care for you so much and it tears me apart not being able to protect you.”
“Stephen, how can you say that? You’ve done nothing but protect me. You’re always there for me and I already know how much you care. I care for you deeply, too.”
He sighed again. “I know it’s not me you want. I just can’t help—.”
In an instant, he turned around and locked his eyes with mine. “Fuck it.” His face was deadly serious—even determined.
Rushing over to me, Stephen pulled me into his arms. Before I could register what was happening, his lips were on mine. I could have protested, maybe I should have protested, but it felt way too good to fight it.
I felt my body instantly relax and give in to his sweet, enticing lips. He explored my mouth with his, moaning his appreciation, as I found myself running my fingers through his beautifully soft hair.
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I thought I was going to faint. The feel of those lips, which I had been longing for since that night in my room, were better than I remembered.
With a gentle caress, he placed his hand at the curve of my back, pulling me closer, as if being this close wasn’t enough. The aching between my legs resurfaced like nothing I’ve ever felt before. I could feel his heart beating rapidly against my own, like they were trying to find their own rhythm.
His lips were soft, gentle, and inviting. I knew he was an angel, but those lips were heaven in themselves. I couldn’t help it. I scratched at his back like the animal I now felt like. I heard and felt a rumble in Stephen’s throat as he growled into my mouth. I moaned, unable to hide my desire for him.
I thought he was going to continue, but he abruptly stopped, causing me to sob a little.
With his forehead now resting on mine, we took a few seconds to calm ourselves. He pulled his hands up to my face and caressed my cheeks. Instinctively, I shut my eyes, never wanting this feeling to end.
I felt him gently kissing me, running his hands over my hair. He kissed me again and it was like sweet torture.
“I’m sorry.” His words were breathless. “I shouldn’t have done that.”
I was near tears. How could he say sorry to me for that? It was one of the most beautiful, magnificent experiences of my life. He should never feel sorry for giving that to me.
I was about to protest just that, but then a swift click of the door opening interrupted our glorious moment.
Simon walked through and greeted us both with a smile. “Hi, Cassie.” He paused a moment, looking at Stephen standing next to me. “Stephen, just the person I wanted to see. Thank you for bringing my car back in one piece.”
Stephen walked over and shook his hand. “No problem, sir. It was my pleasure.”
With a nod of his head, Simon glanced over to me and frowned. “Are you okay, Cassie? You look a bit peaky.”
“I’m fine.” I could feel my cheeks burning. “Just feeling a little dizzy, that’s all.”
Stephen looked worried. “Have you eaten today?”