A Natural Act (Contradictions) (13 page)

Having quickly washed and combed my hair, I towel off, moisturise rapidly, and throw on my trusty jogging bottoms and a fairly tight tank top.

There’s a grin on my face and I’m so focussed on memories of our worktop encounter that I almost don’t notice the multitude of male voices coming from the kitchen.

The
unexpected sound brings me to a halt before I move from the hall to the kitchen. I can’t have been gone for more than half an hour so I have to wonder just whom our company is.

I hold my breath and try to focus on the sounds of their voices so I know who and what I’m joining before I enter the kitchen.

“What the fuck do you mean we could have called?” A sarcastic voice drawls. It sounds familiar but I can’t place it at the moment.

“
Could have called,” Craig answers with no real emotion.

“
We pay the fucking bills too, Craig. You believe this, Danny?”

“
Our little brother has forgotten his place,” Danny agrees and I can tell from his voice that he’s more amused than irritated.

Danny was the name of the person whose car we
borrowed and, apparently, he’s Craig’s brother. That makes more sense now.

I suspect, based on how similar the intonation of their voices is, that these two must be Craig’s slightly older twin brothers.

“You made enough food for us?” The other twin probes.

“
Rick,” Craig groans. “Hands off.”

“
I’m hungry,” Rick argues back.

“
Then make your own damn food.”

“
That’s not how this works, you scrawny bastard.”

I have to stifle a giggle at the notion that Craig is scrawny.

“What’s up with you at the moment?” Danny quizzes Craig. “You’re barely home and, when we do see you, you’re fidgety as fuck and irritable as hell.”

“
Nothing,” Craig sighs. “Just wish you’d called first.”

“
Why?” Rick continues the interrogation. He’s obviously picked up on something in Craig’s tone of voice and his interest has peaked.

“
Want me to make you something?” Craig sighs.

“
Obviously,” Danny answers quickly. “Now answer the question.”

“
It’s just not a good time,” Craig answers testily.

“
Why the fuck not?” Danny retorts and this time he sounds both annoyed and curious.

“
You got company?” Rick asks with heightened interest.

I can practically hear Craig gri
nding his teeth from my stationary hiding place in the hall.

“
Don’t even think about it,” Craig growls and I gather he’s used his body as a human barrier to stop them from looking for me.

Why doesn’t he want his brothers to meet me?

“So you
have
got a girl here,” Danny answers and I can tell he’s got wicked intentions by the tone of his voice.

“
Can’t stop both of us,” Rick grins as there are sounds of scuffling.

“
Fuck’s sake. Cut it out,” Craig sighs over the sound of the commotion.

One of the twins laughs and I hear the refrigerator opening.

“Where is she?” Rick probes, his voice still loaded with mischief.

“
Shower,” Craig answers with a low growl warning that cautions to leave me be.

“
Naked?” Danny interjects.

“
Why would she be wearing clothes in the shower, fuckwit?” Danny jovially mocks his twin.

“
Wouldn’t put it past the ditsy bimbos this moron tends to favour.”

I wait and I wait for Craig to correct him. For him to tell his brothe
r that I’m not like the others. I’m special.

But I’m not. I can’t be because he just grunts in response.

I try to ignore the way my heart sinks in my chest. I wasn’t expecting a proposal but I thought the relationship we’d built up meant something. Anything.

“
How was she?” Danny continues interrogating Craig, oblivious to my distress.

“
Well?” Rick prompts when Craig doesn’t reply.

There’s another beat of silence and I cling onto the hope that he’ll save me from feeling as disgusting and worthless as I do now.

“Nothing to write home about.”

And there it is. No wonder he didn’t want me to return the favou
r. He must have hated going down on me so much that he declared the whole thing a bad idea.

Regardless, there was no need to tell his brothers that I’m a pathetic excuse for a woman. Despite my shaken ego, I won’t stand to be gossiped about.

I feel as though I’ve been stabbed to the gut and it hurts more than any beating I’ve ever taken.

My decision was made as soon as he uttered those words and I’m out of the door within seconds of shoving my trainers on.

I do something I haven’t done in years. I run.

My feet pound the tarmac as I leave my problems behind me. I forget who I am and what’s happened to me.

In that moment, there’s just me, my feet, and a clear mind. My ribs still haven’t fully healed and they’re sore as I suck in huge gasps of air in order to fuel my sprint.

But I’m still recovering and I’m too far out of shape. My burning lungs and enflamed calves are too much. I come to a stop, my chest heaving as I collapse onto the ground, my back propped against the wall of
a characterless terraced house.

I wasn’t completely stupid as I ran. I took my phone.

I’m alone once more but at least this time I have clothes and a mobile.

I’m getting better at this.

The problem is, who do I call?

Obviously, Craig is out of the question. I can hardly call Megan; she’s been so kind in helping me set up my new life. I can’t complain to her about her own nephew.

That really only leaves me with one option. The idea of calling Callaghan & Sons is horrifying. Nigel and his father wouldn’t lower themselves to answering the phones personally but it’s still terrifying.

I swallow deeply, close my eyes, and press my fingers to the screen
; dialling the only person I can.

Before I manage more than a few rings, the phone is snatched from my hand.

I spin around to meet the eyes of a very furious bad boy doctor and the pulsing vein in his neck.

“
Who… the fuck… are you calling, Bella?” He bites out.

I open my mouth to answer but I can’t speak. He’s scaring the living
daylights out of me and I haven’t been this scared for what feels like a lifetime.

His face softens when he sees that I’
ve begun to tremble. Even with my mobile in his hand I can hear the shrill voice screaming through it.

“
Don’t you fucking talk to her like that, Carter. Wait ‘til I get my hands on you.”

Craig looks at the phone in his hand like it’s sprouted green fur.

“Carla?” He raises the phone to his ear, confusion plain on his face.

“
Of course it’s me, you idiot. Who do you think you are-”

“
Bella will call you back,” he ignores her, pressing the red icon to hang up on her.

His eyes are on me as he speaks and, even though he’s calmed down considerably, I can’t stop shaking.

“Bella,” he whispers, pain evident on his face. “Come here.”

He opens his arms to me but I shake my head
and draw back. I haven’t forgotten the aggression on his face or the way he talked about me to his brother. Like I was some common streetwalker who meant nothing to him and wasn’t worth the effort.

“
Bella,” he insists, his voice pained and urgent.

I remain still and concentrate on calming down; the adrenaline from my sprinting and fear still coursing through my veins.

“Why’d you run, Bella?” He asks, sitting down next to me with his back against the wall. He leaves a good thirty centimetres between us and I’m glad he isn’t trying to touch me.

I don’t know how I feel about his touch right now.

I level him with a look that tells him he should know exactly why I ran.

“
You overheard then,” he sighs. It’s not a question, he knows I did.

He remains silent, cracking his knuckles before he speaks again.

“So what, lady? You hear that and then run. Gone, just like that? Without giving me chance to explain?”

“
Craig, there is literally no explanation you could give that would make what you said any less painful or any less offensive,” I retort venomously, regaining my decorum to some degree.

He cracks his knuckles
once more and looks resolutely at the empty road in front of us. I can tell he’s grinding his teeth but I’m past worrying about his dental health. I’m too offended for that.

“
You were anyone else, I’d be walking away right now, lady.”

“
I don’t want you to stay because you feel sorry for me, Craig. Just leave.”

“
Don’t want to leave,” he answers calmly, his voice determined and without hint of anger. I can till he’s making a concerted effort.

“
I don’t explain my actions, Bella. Don’t justify myself. Am who I am and expect those close to me to know and accept that.”

“
So I’m expected to accept the way you disrespected me?” I snap back, ready to run again.

“
No,” he answers quickly, wrenching his gaze from the road to look at me. “I’m telling you that I want to explain myself. Let me explain, Bella.”

As
I said, there’s no explanation I can imagine that will make this okay. However, there’s that pleading look in his eye and his concerted effort not to intimidate me that tells me I’m missing something.

He’s done too much
for me. I can’t walk away without at least giving him the opportunity to apologise at the very least.

He unfolds in that graceful way that always surprises me and offers a hand to help me from my perch on the ground.

I want to ignore the gesture and push up from the floor but that’s not who I am so I accept his much larger hand and let him pull me up.

He makes it seem so easy and I mentally castigate myself for finding that sexy at a time like this.

“We’re not going back to the flat yet. I’ll get us coffee,” he tells me.

“
They still there?” I frown.

He nods, obviously irritated.
“Staying there tonight.”

“
Oh,” is all I can think of to respond with.

“
Oh indeed,” he grumbles, holding the door open for me at the same café we were at with Carla and Simon.

“
Are they your twin brothers?”

His face goes from
sombre to slightly amused. “You didn’t see them then?”

“
No,” I shake my head in confusion. “Why?”

“
Identical twins so you wouldn’t have to ask if you’d seen them,” he grins.

“
Really?” I ask, forgetting I’m mad at him because I’ve never met identical twins before.

“
Can be difficult to tell them apart. They put it on, I reckon. There’s no way they’re really that similar. We catch them out every now and then but they’re very close.”

“
I guess you would be as twins,” I reply contemplatively although I have no idea. I don’t have any siblings.

He nods and makes his way to the small till at the side of the café.
“I haven’t got my wallet on me, Suzie. If you pay from the tip jar and I double it next time, we cool?”

“
Triple it,” Suzie beams, already fishing money from the tip jar to fund our caffeine fix.

When we’re seated in the corner of the mostly deserted café, I look at Craig expectantly.

I feel like I’m waiting to see a unicorn. I’m waiting for Craig to do something magic to make this all okay but, in reality, there’s nothing he can say.

“
Well?” I prompt because I can’t take the silence any more, nor the little crease between his brows.

“
Bella, what happened between us back there.”

“
On the counter,” I blush. How could something so mind blowing for me be so horrific for him?

“
On the counter,” he nods, a slight upward twitch on his lips. “That was incredible. You’re incredible. I have
never
experienced anything like that.”

“
Never?” I frown because that doesn’t make sense considering what he just said to his brothers.