Her Guardians: Her Guardians Trilogy Book 1 (8 page)

Chapter 4

We were
waiting in the room that Billy used as a studio. He kept it well-maintained, offering costumes for different varieties of pictures, and a little stage where you could pose to your heart’s content.

Billy
set up the camera, while Michael and I waited for his instructions. Billy looked nervous and it was making
me
nervous. He had something up his sleeve and I didn’t think I was going to like it.

“
Um, how can I put this?” His eyes were downcast.

Oh shit, wait for it
…

“Mic
hael, do you have a work shirt on you at all?”

Michael looked at me
, but I shrugged. “I have one in my bag. Why do you ask?”

“Uncle
Billy, please.” I was begging him to not embarrass me any further.

“Cassie, it’s fine.
I just wanted to know if you would wear it.”

My posture
straightened at his request. “If
I
would wear it?”

“Yes.
Would you be willing to wear his shirt? It would be long enough to cover her, wouldn’t it?”

Michael
nodded, looking at me with concern. I wasn’t sure if the concern was for me or for us both.

I sigh
ed. “If Michael doesn’t mind, I’ll try it on, but if it’s too revealing, I’m not doing it. Okay, Billy?”

“She’s right.
” Michael stood rigid and looked at me. “I agree with Cassie.” He smiled at me, making my heart melt. Can this man be any sexier?

Once Michael retrieved his shirt,
I used Billy’s room to get undressed and slipped it over me. When I did, I caught a whiff of his scent and suddenly found myself up against the wall, eyes closed, inhaling his sweet aroma. My god, he smelled divine.

I stood
there for a few seconds, just breathing deep. The feel of his shirt on my skin sent my pulse skyrocketing. For a moment, I thought about how I could possibly steal his shirt and take it home. I could snuggle up in bed with it tonight and it would be just the ticket to help me sleep.

When I
did manage to pry myself away, I stepped out of the bedroom and heard the sound of laughter. I’m not sure I had ever heard the sound of Michael’s laughter before. It was like music to my ears.

“Oh
, there you are, Cassie. I think we’re just about ready for you.”

I look
ed over at Michael and my breath left my body. Without his coat on, he was wearing a tight-fitting T-shirt that accentuated every muscle in his body. His jeans hung in such a way that it looked as though they were kissing his hips. He inhaled, making his broad chest expand. It made me dizzy watching as his posture was almost like a lion about to pounce.

His eyes started to wander
over my body and I very nearly collapsed. It seemed he liked what he saw, too.

“Right!
” Billy shouted, interrupting our stares. “Shall we get to it?”

I was wondering if I could.
I wasn’t sure what Billy had planned for us, but I somehow knew it wasn’t going to be easy for me.

“Michael, can you stand behind Cassie for me
, please.”

Michael dutiful
ly took his position as I stood in front of him.

“Now, Cassie, can you lift your hand so it’s positioned around Michael’s neck for me?”

I looked at Michael for his permission, but he didn’t nod or shake his head. Seeing that as my cue, I leaned back into him, unaware of just how turned on I would become just from being so close to him.

L
ooking up to meet those eyes of his, I was immediately jolted by how intense our stares were with one another. I placed my hand around his neck and felt the little prickly hairs at the base of it. I couldn’t help but run a couple of fingers through them as I moved. His hair was so soft, so exquisite to touch, it almost seemed impossible on a man.

I could feel his heart drumming into my back and it made mine accelerate
even faster. I didn’t know if he was nervous, or felt some of the same tension I felt in my loins. This was all too much for Cassie Johnson to take for one day.

“That’s perfect
. Now, hold that stare. Michael, can you place your right hand on Cassie’s hip, and the other on her arm? Grip it gently in an almost possessive manner.”

He did as
he was told and I nearly gasped at the feel of his hands on me. Suddenly, it was just him and I in the room. Our eyes were still locked and our mouths were so close to touching.

I
n that moment, I searched for something in those eyes—anything that would reveal the inner depths of Michael Andrews. He seemed to want this as much as I did.

“That’s perfect.
Wow, you two look great together. You really do.”

I didn’t mean to do it, but my hand slid ba
ck towards his face as I cradled his cheek. The movement seemed to ease him down to my face even further, if that was possible.

P
ulling my head back slightly to meet him, I gasped. It was slight, but enough for Michael to notice the effect he was having on me.

He gripped my arm tighter
, making me moan slightly. I didn’t know what the hell was wrong with me today. It was like a fire had ignited inside of me and I couldn’t put it out.

Michael was edging close
r to me. It was almost as if a tiny hair was the only thing in the way of us kissing.

“Wow
. That’s perfect,” Billy chimed in, snapping me out of it. “Can you face each other now, still looking like you were before? Michael, if you wouldn’t mind placing your hands on her arms, whilst Cassie places her hands on your chest.”

We did as instructed, both of us seeming
to act on autopilot. I placed one hand on his heart and the other on his shoulder. Our eyes were still locked, burrowing ourselves deep within each other. The connection there was real, too obvious to ignore.

I was vaguely aware that my uncle was there
, clicking away. I normally never got as lost in the moment as I was with Michael. He made the whole thing seem so...effortless.

In my daze
, I stumbled a bit and, without thinking, my leg shot up at his hip. Michael caught it and leaned into me even further. He squeezed my thigh and my head shot back involuntarily.

It was then
that I felt his lips. There was no mistaking that he was kissing just below my neck. A fire raged inside me, one I have never felt before—well, since before Stephen anyway.

L
ooking back up at him, my eyes revealed the shock I felt at what he had just done. He ignored my surprise, obviously lost in the moment as much as I was. Instead, he cradled me closer, pulling my thigh toward him. And then I felt something else. I felt how hard he was.

Another gasp escaped
me.

His other hand was in my hair and I could feel him tugging me to
wards him. He wanted me and it was the best feeling in the world. If only he knew I wanted him just as much.

Without any t
hought whatsoever, my head moved up closer to his. I wanted to kiss him so badly, it hurt. I was very nearly there when a voice yelled from afar, screeching my name.

“Cassie
! Cassie!” Billy shouted from across the room. “I think we’re about done here. I tell you what. That was awesome. If you two aren’t now, you will be very soon.” His cheeky grin was spread wide.

S
napping my leg back down, I stood in front of Michael. I didn’t know if he was still hard and I didn’t want to go embarrassing him.

“
Billy, stop saying things like that.”

“Well, it’s the truth.
I can’t help but tell the truth now, can I?” He shrugged, then turned his attention to Michael. “By the way, the kiss below the neck thing? Very sexy. Well done, Michael. You have a natural talent for it.”

“Thanks,
but I think it was Cassie that helped.”

Turning around
, I found him smiling down at me. I could tell he seemed to be having some sort of a debate in his head. It was almost like he wanted to be here with me, but felt it was wrong somehow. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.

“I’m going to get changed
now, if that’s okay?”

Waving his hands at me, Billy fiddled with his camera.
“Yes, sure thing, Cassie. You did great. Thank you as always, sweetie.”

I smile
d graciously, taking that as my cue to quickly head for the bedroom and get changed.

When I
was ready, I walked out to find only my uncle standing in the room. I looked around, confused, and Billy spots me straight away. “He said he had to go,” he explained. “My goodness, Cassie. Where have you been hiding him? I swear, if I hadn’t interrupted you when I did, you two would have been having sex on my stage right now.”

“Uncle
Billy!” I smacked him gently on the arm. “How can you say that?”

He started
laughing really hard and I couldn’t help but smile. He was probably right, even though it couldn’t happen. I was still a virgin, after all. I couldn’t just have random sex on a stage with someone who hated me only earlier today…could I?

I suddenly realise
d that he left without his shirt. I felt elated all of a sudden. The day, although not starting off very well, turned out rather nicely.

Taking the shirt
, I tucked it neatly into my bag. I knew I was going to wear it tonight. I wanted to feel him on me, smell him on me.

I was about to say
goodbye to Billy when his boyfriend, Chris, came through the door. “Cassie, hi. How lovely to see you.”

I couldn’t help the smile that crossed my lips when I saw him.
Chris was unlike Billy in a lot of ways. They were chalk and cheese in a sense, but it somehow worked for them. The amount of years they had been together proved that. He was taller than my uncle, with blonde hair and glasses that made him look extremely intelligent. He was an accountant, after all. His number crunching never failed to amaze me. He was definitely the guy to have around when you thought someone was ripping you off.

Moving in for a hug
, I lightly kissed him on the cheek. “I was just about to leave you guys to it.” I didn’t want to intrude.

“Why don
’t you stay? I bought Chinese.” Chris pulled the bag up and the smell hit me.

“I really don’t want to
impose. Besides, I bet you only bought enough for the two of you.”

“Nonsense!” Chris shouted.
“Billy texted me to let me know you were here, so I took the liberty of buying you that chicken with broccoli you like. I hope that was a good choice.”

My stomach rumbled
. “That’s a great choice. Thank you.”

**********

I stayed for another couple of hours, chatting and laughing. Chris was always a huge presence in my life as they have been together well over twenty years now. I had a hard time at school for a little while because nobody could understand why I lived in a house with two men. Once I went to secondary school, it all changed. The school I went to was all girls, so once a lot of them found out, I became rather popular. The girls there thought it was cool. It was almost like it was the new “in thing” to be in a living situation like mine. It never bothered me, even when I was being picked on in little school. I took it on the chin as I loved Billy and Chris very much. Nothing else really mattered to me apart from that.

“So
, who’s this hunk Billy was telling me about?”

S
napping out of my daydream, I found Chris eagerly awaiting my answer. “His name is Michael and he’s a policeman. That’s about it.” Grabbing the chopsticks, I placed a piece of broccoli in my mouth. My goodness, it was good.

“Hmm,” Chris began.
“From what I hear, it got very hot in Billy’s studio for a while—like, “need to open a few windows” hot. Where have you been hiding him?”

“Nowhere.
” I was a little too eager to point that out. “He never really gave me the time of day until Billy saw us earlier. We started talking and, to tell you the truth, I was shocked. I always thought he hated me.”

Bill
y and Chris exchanged knowing glances and smiled. “What?” Placing my chopsticks down, I glared at them.

“
The way I saw you two together, he doesn’t hate you one little bit, dear Cassie. It sounds like a classic case of a male struggling to understand his feelings for you.”

I look
ed at him, confused. “But why? Why does he need to struggle with anything?”