by Graham, Jan
“I just helped you clear out a motel room where you had obviously spent the night before and, I assume, part of this morning having sex multiple times with a married man. So…” He paused. “Why would a good girl be involved in something like that?”
“Ouch.” Her voice was soft as she attempted to avert her eyes and break free from Christian’s intensive gaze. “That’s an emotional spank if ever I’ve had one.”
“You’re welcome,” Christian stated soberly. “I must say I didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would.” He sat down next to her, hoping he hadn’t ended their little tête-à-tête with his sharp words. As he looked at her, he realised flirting as definitely over. She couldn’t even meet his gaze, and she now had a frown on her face.
“How do you know we had sex multiple times?” Her eyes now fixated on a point near her feet on the floor. “And where did you learn how to do all that ‘check under the bed, take the garbage, remove my contact from the mobile phone’ shit, anyway?” she asked, almost as an afterthought.
Christian wondered what kind of mess she would have ended up in if Daniel had not been at the hospital and if he’d been on duty and out of town.
“Well, firstly, I counted three condoms in the trash, plus the one I collected from the corner of the shower recess, so you had sex with him four times.”
Christian watch as the frown deepened, creasing her brow as concern filled her eyes, but he continued talking.
“Secondly, I’m a cop. I’m used to crime scenes and looking for evidence of foul play.” Christian smiled, hoping she would say something cheeky back in response, but Angel continued to frown.
“Five,” she said, lifting her gaze to stare straight at him.
“Five what?” he asked.
“Five times, we had sex five times,” she stated, biting her bottom lip. “Oh God, I’ve left a condom behind.” Tears started to roll from her eyes. “Oh God, his wife will find it and know what he was doing. She doesn’t deserve that. It’s not her fault.” Christian pulled her close to his chest and tried to comfort her as the tears flowed.
“It’s okay. The cleaning staff will find it when they clean the room, so it’s all going to be okay. There’s no trace of you in the room. Besides, maybe it will be good for her to know. She can kick the cheating prick’s arse when he recovers.”
None of Christian’s words seemed to make any difference as she continued to sob. By the time Angel stopped crying, she was nearly asleep, her face buried into Christian’s chest, fingers gripping his shirt tightly, like if she let go she’d fall off a cliff. He gently rubbed her back until Angel finally relaxed, falling into a deep sleep. Laying her down on the sofa, he rested her head on a cushion and grabbed a light woollen throw to cover her shapely body. He was pleased she had fallen asleep. She needed the rest to recover from her morning’s ordeal. Apart from that, it stopped her from seeing the effect being so close to her had on him. He walked to the bathroom with an erection firmly enclosed in his jeans.
“At least I know how to deal with this problem,” Christian muttered to himself as he closed the bathroom door.
Chapter Eight
Daniel arrived home not long after : p.m. He was happy to see that Christian had been able to persuade Angel to sleep and that he was still watching over her. Christian rose from the chair where he was sitting, reading a book. As he approached Daniel, he pointed toward the bar, asking the silent question, Do you want a drink? Daniel nodded, and Christian grabbed two beers from the bar fridge before making his way over to the dining cove where Daniel was already seated.
“Fill me in,” Daniel asked quietly, opening his beer.
“She had something to eat and drink. She’s been pretty quiet. I did get some conversation out of her, nothing much about what happened today, though. She did tell me she didn’t know he was married, and I believe her. According to Angel, the first time he mentioned having a wife was right before his heart stopped. Anyway, I thought she was going okay when she started having a bit of a flirt with me, but then she got upset again when she realised that we may have left a condom in the motel room. Needless to say, her emotions have been up and down. She ended up crying herself to sleep. That was about three hours ago now.”
Daniel nodded as he listened to Christian continue the briefing.
“We got everything from the room. I deleted her name from the guy’s cell phone, deleted any messages sent and received between the two of them, asked the staff to clean the room before the wife arrived, et cetera. I can’t believe I didn’t spot a stray condom. I was thorough. I figure she must have miscounted the amount of times they’d fucked.”
Daniel reached into his pocket a pulled out a blue hospital glove. He tossed it toward Christian.
“She counted correctly,” Daniel said as Christian looked inside the glove to find a used condom. “She left it on him.” Daniel’s voice was flat. The thought of another man screwing the woman that he and Christian had set their hearts and minds on made his blood boil.
“Dare I ask how you ended up with it?” Daniel was aware that Christian knew he was not happy.
“The nurse prepping him for surgery found it and asked me if it was significant. I took the thing from her and said I’d take care of it. Anyway, I got interrupted and ended up pocketing it. I’m assuming with the panic of her putting his pants back on him, doing CPR, and calling an ambulance she must have forgotten he was wearing it.” Daniel’s tried to contain his anger as he spoke. “You do know what all this means, don’t you, brother?”
Daniel took a drink of his beer waiting for Christian to answer.
“Well, it’s obvious. They were fucking when he had the heart attack,” Christian replied with a smirk on his face. “…Lucky bastard.”
Daniel gave Christian one of his not-a-time-to-joke looks. Daniel was annoyed over the day’s events and he was sure Christian knew from the moment he’d told him where Angel was that this whole incident had gotten under his skin. Christian’s amused statements were just increasing his annoyance.
“Talk to me.” Christian words were a directive. “We need to talk about this now before Angel wakes.”
“I can’t believe she would be with someone like him, let alone fuck him…God knows how many times.” Daniel seethed. “He was married, and whether it was intentional or not, she lied to me. If I hadn’t caught her out, if she hadn’t given her little secret away, then you and I may have fallen for someone that would continue to screw around behind our backs. If I could have put her over my knee in the middle of the emergency room, I would have.”
“Listen, Daniel, we’ve really only just met her. We don’t know anything about her, and she doesn’t know anything about us. From our talks at the bar and on the phone plus the time I have been with her today”—Christian paused to collect his thoughts—“it’s obvious we need to get to know more about her. She didn’t cheat on us. She isn’t ours yet. And we knew from the first time we spoke to her that knowing her won’t be easy. Today is just a perfect example of that.”
“I hear what you say.” Daniel’s response was glum.
“So what happens now? Has any of this changed your mind about her?” Christian asked.
“No, of course not.” Daniel’s tone was defensive. “I was just taken by surprise today. I had formed this idea that she actually was an angel. Today has given me more information than I expected. Like I said the other night, she’s the one… I knew it the moment I saw her. I didn’t think she’d be easy to figure out, and this turn of events…” Daniel raised a brow and shrugged. “I was convinced she was so damaged by men that she would be hard to persuade to be with us on any level. At least we know she isn’t frightened to have sex. But we definitely need to find out more about her, and in the meantime, I don’t want us to be seen as being like every other shithead male she has ever known. We need to show Angel we are different. She needs to know we are there for her and have her best interests at heart.”
“Agreed, so I guess it�
��s lucky I resisted the urge to rip all her clothes off and fuck her senseless today.” Christian smiled at his brother before walking to the fridge for another beer.
“You know what, Christian, maybe you are a shithead,” Daniel quipped.
Daniel heard movement coming from the living room and assumed Angel was now awake. He wasn’t sure if she had heard any of the conversation but assumed he would soon find out.
“Christian,” she said tentatively, obviously unsure of where he had gone and not yet aware Daniel had arrived home.
“Yes, sexy,” Christian replied from their hidden position of the dining area.
“Please don’t call me that, Christian, it makes you seem like a shithead.” Angel paused as she reached the dining area. “Oh, hello, Daniel. I didn’t hear you arrive home.” Angel’s greeting was hesitant. He assumed Angel was wary as to what his reaction would be.
“Hello, Angel, how are you feeling?” Daniel gave her a concerned look. “I’ve been thinking about you most of the afternoon.”
“I’m fine,” she replied, seemingly still too embarrassed to make eye contact with him. “How did Gavin’s surgery go? Is he going to be okay?”
“He should be. The surgery cleared a blockage in his heart this afternoon, it went well, and his wife wants to transfer him into the city when he is well enough to travel. So he will only remain here for a day or so. His wife seems very dedicated. She was still sitting by his bed waiting for him to wake when I left for the day.” Daniel watched her response, wishing Angel would look at him so he could gauge her reaction more completely. He was surprised Angel would even ask about Gavin. Calling Gavin a lying, married bastard in her parting good-bye indicated she hadn’t known he was married. So Daniel was amazed she even cared.
“Good.” Angel looked decidedly uncomfortable as Daniel continued.
“So what’s the story with you and Mr. Clark? It must have been scary having a man nearly die while you were fucking him. But then, if you fuck a man of that age, it’s bound to happen sooner or later.” Daniel knew the statement was uncalled for, but the thought of her with anyone else made him seethe. “You never struck me as the kind of woman that would have a father fetish.”
“Enough, Daniel,” Christian interrupted his brother sharply.
“Don’t tell me enough,” Daniel snapped at his brother. “I’d like to know what the story is. I’d like to know how the woman who told me just two days ago that she wasn’t that kind of girl anymore ends up nearly fucking a married man to death in a motel room. And before you answer me, Angel, I would appreciate some eye contact.”
The silence was deafening. Angel took a deep breath before she began to speak.
“I bumped into him while I was at the pub. I knew him from a few years ago but had finished seeing him when I moved in with my ex. He asked me to come away for old time’s sake, just to get reacquainted. He never told me he is now married. But then I didn’t think to ask, either. And truthfully, a few years ago, even if he had been married, I wouldn’t have cared. But I’m trying to be different now. I just assumed he was still single. He still lives alone in an apartment not far from me.” Angel waved one hand in a dismissive gesture. “Anyway, I was just going to have a few days away. I didn’t intend to start anything with him again. We had a few drinks last night, and one thing led to another…You can guess the rest of the story. You’re both guys.”
“Why did you say yes to go away with him in the first place? The man’s old enough to be your father. He’s so unfit I’m surprised he didn’t have a heart attack just thinking about sex, and he doesn’t strike me as the kind of man that would deserve any kind of interest from a woman like you.” Daniel tried to soften his tone slightly.
“He was nice to me,” she replied, finally meeting Daniel’s stare. Daniel felt a flare of anger and hoped Angel didn’t see it reflected in his face, He knew she had told him the truth, and Gavin probably had been nice to her. But he couldn’t comprehend that it would have been a good enough reason for her to have slept with the man.
“Well, following that logic,” Daniel snapped. “Christian and I should be looking forward to a great night tonight. Should we go to the bedroom now or have dinner first?”
“Why are you being so nasty?” The hurt in her eyes cut into Daniel’s soul like a scalpel. “I don’t know many nice men, he just wanted someone to have sex with, and he treated me like I was a good person. He treated me like I was worth something, like he enjoyed my company. I know it was just sex for him, and that was okay because it was just sex for me as well. At the time I met him, I just needed to believe that there was at least one man out there who would give me something back rather than taking everything I had before throwing me aside. It started before the two of you met me. And it’s ended now…Oh God, I know it sounds stupid…He was nice to me. I don’t know how to explain it so that it makes sense.” Daniel knew Angel expected a response but he couldn’t seem to decide on the right words.
“It makes perfect sense.” Christian placed his hand over hers and gave it a squeeze.
Daniel stood up and walked out the back door, letting it slam behind him. He stood on the edge of the veranda staring into the darkness of the backyard.
“He doesn’t like me anymore, does he?” Angel directed her question to Christian.
“Daniel gets all serious and protective over women he likes, sometimes overprotective.” As he stood outside, Daniel listened to the remaining conversation. “He’s a thinker. He needs answers to make sense of everything. Sometimes he can be boorish and pigheaded. You’ll get to know that about him. At the moment he’s frustrated and concerned because he likes you and, after today, you’re a dichotomy to him. He thought he had you figured out, and today he’s discovered something about you that didn’t fit into the picture in his mind, and it’s thrown him.”
Daniel appreciated Christian’s attempt at explaining the potentially inappropriate behaviour he had displayed. He was glad someone seemed to understand it because at this moment he had no idea why finding Angel with another man had him all riled up. Daniel knew his behaviour was bordering on being Neanderthal.
Christian’s honesty surprised her, as did the look of sincerity on his face as he spoke.
“He likes you, Angel. We both do. And, if you stick around for a while and get to know us, you’ll see that we can be nice to you as well.”
Christian stood and kissed the top of her head before walking into the kitchen to start dinner.
Angel’s gaze moved back to Daniel. She stood from the table and slowly walked over to the back door. She wanted to thank him, not argue with him. She didn’t want him to be angry or frustrated with her. As she pushed the screen door open and walked up behind him, all Angel really wanted to do was to feel his arms around her, like she had with Christian earlier in the day.
“I’m sorry for everything that’s happened today, Daniel. Thank you for organising Christian to come and help me. I appreciate everything you did. Everything you are still doing.” Angel meant every word she said to him, whether he believed her or not.
Daniel must have heard the nervousness in Angel’s voice but he still didn’t reply. Angel waited patiently for a few moments, hoping he would speak so they could mend the rift between them. He remained silent, staring into the darkness. Angel didn’t see Daniel turn around as she reached for the handle of the screen door.
“Wait…” Angel paused when he spoke. “I don’t blame you if you decide to go back inside. I’d retreat as well if an apology had been ignored. It’s just, well…You confuse me,” he said.
Angel let go of the door and turned around to face him. “I confuse myself most days, so I understand how you feel. I am less confusing once you get to know me, or so my friends tell me.” She smiled, hoping he wouldn’t continue to hold today against her.
“Well, I will have to try and get to know you better,” he replied, “and according to my friends, I’m not as boorish once you get to know me. I’m not sure i
f they are just being polite though.”
“You seem like the kind of man that would only call a person a friend if they told you the truth.” Angel smiled as she answered. He stared into her eyes and she suddenly realised she was holding her breath.
He opened his arms, and Angel stepped into his awaiting embrace. As he closed his arms around her, she exhaled and nestled her head into his chest. Daniel rested his chin on the top of her head and she drank in the warmth of his body.
“This is where you need to be Angel, in my arms.” He spoke quietly against her hair.
Angel relaxed against him as his hands moved over her back, gently caressing her through the thin cotton top she wore. One hand came to rest in the small of her back and pulled her further into his body. His fingers slipped under the hem of her shirt and lightly stroked the soft skin just above the waist of her jeans. He must have been aware that Angel could feel the hardness in his jeans, but it didn’t appear to concern him. She felt him stiffen further when a soft moan escaped from her lips and she pressed her breasts harder against his body. He might not be telling her exactly how she made him feel in words but Angel couldn’t deny the emotion he conveyed to her through his touch.
“Sorry to interrupt this truly erotic moment, but dinner is ready.” Christian held the door open and motioned his hand toward the table via a butler-style bow. “I’m feeling the love, really it’s truly beautiful,” he taunted as they walked past him.
“Do you ever slap him?” Angel asked Daniel.
“No, but sometimes I’d like to,” Daniel replied, giving his brother an icy stare. “For the accomplished Dom Christian is, he can be such a child sometimes.”
The dinnertime conversation was lighthearted. Discussion on upcoming work hours for the brothers, pending social activities, car repairs and restorations, a visit to their dad, and general chitchat filled the air. Angel sat quietly while she ate her grilled-chicken Caesar salad, listening to the men discuss their very normal lives. A twinge of sadness washed over her briefly as she compared her messed up existence to their apparently well-adjusted life together. Even though Angel knew she would have to return to her reality very soon, she was thankful for the reprieve being in the Shore brothers’ home offered.
