Graham, Jan - Finding Angel [Wylde Shore] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) (14 page)

As she drove home, Angel decided she was looking forward to getting away. It had been so long since she had been taken anywhere by anyone she was involved with. Until recently, she hadn’t really thought about the importance of being seen in public with someone that you were intimate with. However, since Samuel’s death, she had decided it was a must. She would insist on it from any man she decided to spend time with from here on in.

Meeting up with Gavin had helped her decide what to do about the two handsome brothers pursuing her. Until she knew that she was safe and free to move on in her life, she would have to let them go. Unfortunately, timing could be a bitch.

Chapter Six

Angel was nervous as she dialled Daniel and Christian’s number the following day. She knew she should tell the brothers “thank you for the offer but it’s not a good time right now.” She knew she should do it, but she wasn’t sure if she could. She was going to talk to them and see what happened. As she sat herself down on the back steps once again, Angel smiled as she heard Daniel’s voice on the end of the phone.

“Hello, Daniel. It’s Angel. I’m sorry I’m late ringing. I didn’t know if you and Christian had plans today, so I thought I’d leave it a bit later to be sure I’d catch you at home.”

Angel spoke quickly, she was gushing words but was trying to avoid their first conversation being one of reprimand. He had sounded so definite yesterday when he said twenty-four hours.

“Angel, don’t panic. I meant today, not exactly within the twenty-four-hour period.” Angel loved the smooth, deep tone of his voice and the way he reassured her about taking his request literally. “So how was your day?”

“Um, it was okay. I did some cleaning and took myself out for a coffee.” Angel thought she must have sounded so pathetic, going out for a coffee by herself.

“Sounds lovely, maybe one day I could join you for a coffee.” Daniel sounded relaxed, falling easily into conversation mode. Angel wished she was feeling as calm as he sounded. “So have you made a decision?”

“Is Christian there?” Angel asked nervously.

“No, he got called into work. Does that matter? Would you prefer to talk with him?”

“No, I just thought he might like to hear my answer, but you can tell him.” Angel felt really nervous. Even her peppermint tea wasn’t calming her stomach. Her logical mind was telling her to say no but her heart wanted to know them so desperately she could hardly hear herself speak over the pounding in her ears. “I’ve decided yes, I would like to get to know you both um…as friends. Just friends. I’m not looking for a relationship or any…um…Well, anything except friends.”

“That’s excellent. You have made my night, and Christian will be thrilled.” Daniel sounded elated. Angel couldn’t believe what she had just said. Why was it so important to her to hear the joy in Daniel’s voice? Every time she spoke to these two men, she had the desire to give them anything they wanted. Angel was a goner.

“So it’s okay to be just friends,” Angel reiterated, trying to make it clear she was not wanting anything more.

“Friends will be fine. And then, once you know us better, if you decide to look for more, we will take another look at it then.” Daniel stated assuredly. Did he know that Angel was interested in more from them? Could anyone be that confident in another person’s hidden desire?

“So what do you want to do now? I’m not sure what you expect.” Angel was relieved to have made her decision even though she still thought she should have said no. Maybe now the butterflies would go away. She couldn’t believe the feelings rushing through her system. She felt like a schoolgirl talking to a boy she really liked. It was ridiculous.

“Well, are you free to chat? I have no plans, and it might be nice to start getting to know you.”

“Sure, I have nothing on. Oh, I mean, not literally nothing…Oh fuck, I mean—” She was glad when Daniel interrupted.

“I know what you mean, Angel.” He laughed. “I’m glad you have no plans.”

“God, I just made myself blush. How ridiculous is that?” Angel fanned her face. She needed to get a grip on this crush, or whatever it was. “I’m sorry, Daniel. I’m not used to this. I don’t mean to come across as an idiot.”

“I don’t think you’re an idiot, and what do you mean you’re not used to this?” Daniel sounded intrigued.

“Talking to get to know someone, a man, I mean, you know, talking to get to know a man.” Angel laughed. “Silly, isn’t it.”

“Well, tell me, how do you usually get to know a man?” Daniel asked.

“Well, I flirt, and then have sex.” Angel knew she must sound like a slut. “I mean, that’s what I used to do. I don’t do that anymore. I do this, you know, say stupid things and make you think I’m some kind of flake. You’re actually my guinea pig. I haven’t used this method on anyone else.”

“Well, I must say I am surprised by your honesty. It’s refreshing. I am also honoured to be your test subject. And if I could think of what kind of sound a guinea pig makes, I would make it. So why did you decide to change your method of communicating with men? You didn’t find your previous method effective?” Daniel sounded like he was trying not to laugh as he questioned her.

“No, I tended to attract the wrong kind of man.” Angel answered.

“Arr yes, men with no conversation skills aren’t a good choice,” Daniel stated.

“Exactly.” Angel agreed cautiously. She realised he was being facetious, but wasn’t sure what to say in reply.

“Angel, I understand that you’re nervous, but please don’t be.” He tried to reassure her. “I don’t bite. I won’t take offence to anything you may accidentally say. It’s okay for you to just be you.”

“Okay.” Angel took a deep breath in an attempt to calm her nerves and regroup after her bout of blatant honesty. “What do you think of this idea? I’m a freelance writer, so if I’m just being me and wanting to know about you, I would read lots of information and ask questions based on what I had found out. Then I’d compile a topical essay on the subject.”

“Then do that. What do you need to know about me?” Daniel asked kindly. “Treat me like the topic of an article you’re writing.”

Angel exhaled deeply and began to talk to him in a more relaxed manner. The more she chatted with him, the easier it become for her. Daniel talked about his family. Angel was amazed that his father had lived with two sisters, and that he and Christian had different mothers but they lived as a happy family unit for many years. Angel expressed surprise that both she and the brothers had lost their mothers when they were young. Daniel was amazing and as they talked Angel realised he was the only man she had ever spoken to that expressed any understanding or empathy in regard to her loss.

Angel felt close to Daniel as they talked. He appeared truly interested in her. Of course most of what Angel said was censored. She didn’t want to burden him with how horrendous things had been after her mother’s death, especially with her father. Unlike her, Daniel seemed to have such a good relationship with his father. He spoke of him with great love.

Angel decided if she felt she couldn’t be honest about something Daniel wanted to know, she would give a generalised response and turn the discussion back to Daniel. After all, there were some things that couldn’t be said to a person on the first meeting. Some information needed a degree of trust before being said, no matter how comfortable a person felt with another. Angel marvelled at the amazing life Daniel had led. She felt a twinge of jealousy as he talked about family and his life with Christian, his circle of friends, his work, and the women that had been in his life. Angel wanted to be one of the women Daniel had cared for. He spoke of them fondly. Even if they had broken his heart, his voice contained no malice toward them. She was reminded again how much she had missed in the relationships she’d had during her relatively short life.

“You’ve become very quiet all of a sudden,” Daniel stated, drawing Angel out of her thoughts. “Am I monopolising the conversation too much?”

“No, not at all, I’m just getting a bit tired. I went out to the pub with a friend last night, and today was pretty busy. Shopping and coffee can be so tiring,” Angel joked.

“I imagine it can.” Daniel laughed. “But you only said coffee before, not shopping. Did you buy anything interesting?”

“Just some clothes and bits and pieces. I’m going to go away with a friend on business for a few days.” Angel hoped he didn’t ask too many questions about her trip. “So I bought a new dress and stuff, you know girl things.”

“Girl stuff, so is that code for sexy underwear?” Daniel questioned. Angel didn’t answer, she merely laughed at the cheek of his statement.

“Well, I hope you have a nice time away, even if it is business. I, on the other hand, will be back at work. I start back full-time at the hospital on Monday.”

“Well, I will think of you while I’m having some fun away from the dreariness of everyday life,” Angel replied. “You know we have been talking for three hours? I find that a miracle. I don’t think I have ever had a three-hour conversation with a man before and definitely not one that I’m interested in knowing intimately.”

She wished the words would go back in her mouth as soon as she heard them come out. Talk about a Freudian slip. Angel hoped Daniel missed the end of her last statement. She was about to continue by saying, “Well, I must go now,” when she heard Daniel clear his throat.

“Can you repeat that please?” he asked

“What? I haven’t spoken to a man for three hours before.” Angel decided to play dumb.

“So you would like to know me intimately. I’ve won you over after only one decent conversation.” The statement had just fallen out casually in the conversation, but obviously, Daniel had no intention of letting it go. “When did you decide you wanted to be intimate?”

“I just mean get to know you more. Don’t make a big deal about a word,” Angel snapped.

“Why are you denying it, Angel?” Daniel maintained a soft and gentle tone as he spoke to her.

“I didn’t mean to say it,” Angel responded with a sudden rush of honesty that she couldn’t seem to turn off. “You’re very attractive, you’re certainly very friendly to me, I find you sexually arousing, and I find myself drawn to you. I don’t understand why because I don’t usually attract men like you, and in all honesty…I’m scared by what I’m feeling. Either the universe is playing a cruel trick on me, or the minute I sleep with you, you’ll turn into a self-absorbed prick. But as I said to you at the start of our talk, I am only interested in being friends. I can’t be intimate with anyone at the moment. I need more time to sort things out.”

“Thank you for being so honest, Angel. Can I just say in reply that with both Christian and I, what you see is exactly who we are. I know you may take a while to believe that, and I promise we will be patient and give you that time. More importantly, if at any stage of knowing us you think either has turned into a self-absorbed prick, then you can tell us and we’ll pull ourselves back into line.” Daniel waited for her reply.

“I should probably go now,” Angel said quietly. “I really have enjoyed talking to you.”

“You’re welcome, Angel. I’ve loved every minute of it as well. And in case you’re wondering, I find you sexually arousing as well, and when you’re ready I
will
spank your beautiful arse.”

“Promises, promises,” Angel replied in a cheeky tone.

“You better believe it.” Daniel chuckled, hearing her giggle as she clicked off the phone and ended their call.

Angel smiled for hours after her call with Daniel. She wished she had been able to talk with Christian as well but decided she would get a chance to do that at some stage. She packed her bag for the few days away with Gavin and headed to the garage. Angel knew as soon as she found the ledger then the sooner she could move on, getting both Adrian and the police out of her life. The problem was everyone else seemed more confident that she would find the ledger than she was.

The garage was a mess. It had basically been used as a junk room. All manner of things littered it, and Angel had no idea where to start. She doubted there was anything of value inside so decided to just move items out into the yard, sorting them into varying piles as she went. Angel assumed everything would fall into one of three categories. Recyclables, junk for the dump, and items for charity. Angel figured she had about three hours until it got too dark. There was no light in the garage, and she certainly wasn’t going to rummage around in there once night fell. Angel began to drag bits and pieces into the yard. She checked the drawers of a large desk and knocked around on any sides. She thought might be a good place to hide a book. There was an old cupboard filled with blankets and tools. Boxes filled with old papers and one even had a rat’s nest in it. She screamed as the fat rats ran away, cursing that she was the one left to clean the space out.