‘I know you.’ She looked at me over the rim of her glass as she took a sip of wine.
We might have been young but we had made the effort. We drank wine and ate posh food. She wore a midnight blue dress that hugged her in all the right places. Her hair flowed down her back. Her eyes were huge, enhanced with makeup. I liked that she had gone to so much effort for me.
‘You don’t know me.’
She licked her glossed lips as she put her glass down. I groaned inside and wished she would take me back to hers, instead of trying to delve. I hated it when women tried to get inside me. What was the point of it? Every woman I had slept with, or talked to more than once, had asked questions.
‘You don’t do romance, do you?’
It threw me off. I waited for a probing question but she didn’t ask it.
‘Maybe you do know me,’ I replied then laughed when she smiled. ‘Let’s go back to yours.’
The smile left her face as her gaze flicked to the table. She was thinking of me with no legs. Would it be possible? Did I even want to try? A part of me knew that I had to. I had to see if I was still capable of being a man. It had been on my mind for a while. I hoped Natalie would give herself to me.
‘Is that wise?’
Her throat moved. She wanted it as much as I did. She probably remembered the times that I had thrown her on the bed and had her against the wall. I might have only been twenty one but I had quite a lot of experience.
‘Yes, it’s wise,’ I said.
She nodded and got up to leave. I pushed away from the table. A woman from the next table stared at me. I smiled at her. She fanned herself with the menu. Her boyfriend snarled at me for making eyes at his woman. I winked at him. His gaze followed my wheels, probably feeling sorry for me. I didn’t care. I was going home to prove that I was still a man.
*
‘Are you sure?’ Natalie asked as she unlocked the front door.
She lived on the ground floor so it was easy for me to get around. As soon as the door closed behind me, I grabbed her wrist and pulled her down to me. She almost tripped. I had to let her go so she could grab my shoulders to steady herself.
‘Sorry,’ she mumbled before leaning in and kissing me.
Heat zoomed through me as I pulled her hair. My lips left hers to trail down her neck. She pushed me and the wheelchair slid backwards.
‘Let’s go to the bedroom.’ She stepped away from me.
I followed her lead, although I would have preferred to go first. She unzipped her dress as she walked backwards. I unbuttoned my shirt as we went into her bedroom.
‘I’ve been watching your body move when you’re working out, and all I could think about was touching you.’
Her words surprised me. I had been so engrossed in my recovery; I hadn’t noticed her eyeing me up. I shrugged off my jacket as she let her dress fall to the ground. She wore matching underwear and although it was nice, I wanted her to take it off.
‘I want to touch you,’ I replied, undoing my trousers.
It was true. I was completely ready for her to do what she wanted with me. The thought made me falter. My fingers slipped, and I had trouble getting my hands to coordinate. I tried to pull my trousers off but they got stuck on my metal bolts. She would be in complete control.
‘Here,’ she whispered, bending down.
She kissed me deeply, thinking that she could distract me as she got my trousers unstuck. I could feel everything, though. I was aware of my trousers falling away from my legs far too early.
‘Get on the bed,’ she said into my ear.
I forgot the trousers and did as she said, my excitement returning. I settled against the pillows and looked at her as she stripped for me. She crawled up the bed slowly.
‘You’re still so hot.’
A flash of fire that didn’t turn me on, crawled over my skin. What did she mean?
She reached up and ran her hands up my thighs. I grabbed them and pulled her up my body. I didn’t want her lingering down there. I chose to ignore her comment and reached out to unclasp her bra but she pulled away.
‘Let’s take our time,’ she said, stroking my abs.
A frustrated breath left me as I resisted the urge to grab her and get it over with. She would have to go on top. I usually liked the position but I wasn’t used to it being mandatory. When I reached for her again, she tutted at me and started to pull my pants off. As she did, I watched the short trip they took down my legs. My stomach rolled at the sight. She went to lie on me. I grabbed her arms and pushed her away.
‘I can’t do this.’
She was on her hands and knees at the end of the bed. The image should have made me want to take her and finish what we had started but I couldn’t. I grabbed my chair and hoisted myself into it, before rushing to the bathroom. All I could hear was the sound of the wheels dragging on the carpet.
When I shut the door, I leant over the toilet and emptied my guts. I was never sick but the sight of my stumps when Natalie had tried to turn me on made me throw up.
‘Are you okay?’ Her quiet words filtered past the sound of the running tap.
I washed my mouth out and spat before looking up at the mirror. It was a good thing I couldn’t see my reflection. I only just fitted inside the small bathroom. I was grateful for the sanctuary. I threw a towel over my lap and opened the door.
‘I’m sorry, I have to go.’ I wheeled forward.
She wore a dressing gown and chewed on her fingernail. She followed me when I went past her and back into the bedroom to get my clothes.
‘Please don’t go. We can just sleep,’ she said, grabbing my chair and stopping me from moving around her room.
‘I can’t sleep. I need to get out of here.’
She put the brake on my wheelchair and came to stand in front of me. ‘You’re not running away from me again.’
I flipped the brake off and reversed. ‘I’ll go naked then.’
She came after me. She was quick. She slammed the door shut and I ran straight into it. I growled but she ignored me. She threw off her dressing gown. I ran my gaze over her naked body. She grabbed my towel and dropped it to the ground.
‘I’m not letting you run from me again, do you hear me?’
She didn’t give me a chance to answer. She grabbed my head and kissed me hard. I tensed but my arms wrapped around her as she climbed onto me.
‘I can’t…’ I protested. She sat on my lap, and I found that all of a sudden, there might be a chance I could.
‘This is happening. You want me, and I want you,’ she whispered into my ear.
Her breath hit me. She was right. There was no point in fighting or running. We had to find a way to make it work.
Chapter Seventeen
‘We have a lead,’ Taurus announced when he came into the house.
I looked up from the weight I held in my hand. I had just finished doing my daily exercise routine. My thighs were getting stronger. I was ready to move up to the heavier weight.
‘Tell me,’ I said, putting the object back in its box.
‘Pisces was followed by the man we held captive. Antony noticed him. He got a message to me so I followed the man after he stopped tailing them.’
‘Where did he lead you?’
I sat up straight in my chair. I was bored with exercise and wanted something to occupy me. It was the ideal distraction.
‘To an industrial estate in North London. I thought it could be where Nick kept our parents, but when I took a closer look, I couldn’t see any of his men.’ Taurus took a joint out of his pocket and sat on a kitchen chair.
‘What was our man doing?’ I smelt burning and looked down to see that the table smoked where I gripped the side of it with my hand.
‘He was visiting a woman.’
We both smiled and for the first time in my life, I was grateful for Taurus.
‘Has Gemini been helping you?’ I asked, my nose screwing up when he lit his joint and took a drag.
‘We need to go and get the woman,’ I said.
He sat up and glanced over my shoulder. I had heard the door open but didn’t need to look to see who it was.
‘What woman is that?’ Natalie asked, coming over and running a hand over my head.
My cheeks flushed as I remembered the way she had jumped on me. The experience had boiled my blood so much that I hadn’t been able to touch her with my hands.
‘I’m not sure you’d approve,’ I mumbled, warning Taurus with a curt shake of the head.
Natalie must have seen it, because she came to stand in front of me. She put her hands on her hips and lowered her eyebrows.
‘If we’re going to do this, you need to start being honest with me.’
Taurus stood.
‘Wait!’ I said, holding up my arm to try and stop him from leaving.
Natalie looked between us and finally huffed when no one said anything. ‘I’ll be in your room, waiting for an explanation.’
Taurus chuckled and offered me his joint. I was tempted, just for a moment, to take it. I imagined the tirade of abuse that I was bound to get from my woman. It was weird to think of her as mine but she finally was.
‘Let’s go,’ I said, before I could change my mind.
‘How…you can’t…?’ Taurus started.
‘I can, and I will. Go and put on something a bit less obvious.’
He looked down at himself. His cap was bright blue and his shorts were multi-coloured. He grunted and left me to face Natalie alone. I called her back into the kitchen. She came but stayed in the doorway of the hall. She crossed her arms over her chest, causing her cleavage to deepen. I swallowed as I tried to keep my mind on track.
‘I’m popping out with Taurus. I need you to stay here and wait for me.’ I didn’t elaborate any further. Instead I turned my wheelchair.
It was a pain in the arse having a fit and healthy woman on my back all the time. She was in front of me in a few strides.
‘I’m not going to let you go without telling me what’s going on.’
I wrapped my hands around her calves and pulled her to me. She tried to resist at first but gave in pretty quickly. She sunk onto my lap and I kissed her.
‘I promise to tell you everything when I get back but you need to think about something. My life isn’t normal. We’re fighting a battle and things happen…’
I looked into her eyes as my sentence trailed off. She was remembering the last time she had been on my lap. I placed my hand over her heart and felt how hard it was beating. I was doing that to her, even with the stupid wheels I had to cart around every day.
‘I want to know all about your life.’
Why did women have to get so emotional about everything? I swallowed and nodded. If she wanted to know, I would tell her absolutely everything.
‘Then let me go now,’ I whispered as Taurus came back into the room.
She climbed off me and helped me out to the van. When I was seated, she bent over and kissed my ear. ‘Stay safe,’ she whispered.
I grinned as she left and Taurus drove us to the industrial estate.
‘She was in that office there.’ He pointed at a grey building.
There was a big car park and lots of people milling around. It was lunchtime. A good time to check things out. Taurus got me out of the van. We made our way over to the main entrance. He no longer wore his hat and actually looked smart in a shirt and trousers.
‘You look alright for a change,’ I said.
He shook his head and glanced down at my own outfit. I wore ripped jeans and a sleeveless white T-shirt. It was getting hot now. I always made the most of it.
‘I think you should stay out here. She’s actually on reception.’ He looked through the glass windows.
‘Since when were you any good with women?’ I asked, going straight into the large foyer.
He stumbled after me but didn’t say anything as I wheeled myself up to the front desk. There was only one woman manning it. I assumed that she was our target.
‘I’m sorry for interrupting,’ I said as she hung up the phone and smiled at me.
‘That’s okay. How can I help you?’
She was older than us by about ten years. Her cheeks flared red when I turned my best smile on her.
‘I was watching you from outside. I had a bet with my friend that you would have a traditional British name.’
She glanced at Taurus and smiled gently. Her hand came up to her neck and she absently rubbed it. ‘You were watching me?’
It did sound a bit creepy but I was sure she wouldn’t mind. I could tell by the way she looked at me and blinked. As if she didn’t quite believe me.
‘You caught my eye as I went past. What’s your name?’
She blushed and lowered her lashes. It seemed it had been a while since a man had come on to her so openly. She was attractive in a receptionist kind of way. She had small glasses on the end of her nose. I imagined her taking them off and flipping her hair.
‘I’m Liz.’
I looked pointedly at Taurus, which made her laugh. It was a light tinkling sound. I had cracked her. I loved the fact that she was still flattered by me, considering I was in a wheelchair. She had glanced at my lack of legs but it hadn’t fazed her. In another lifetime, or just a few months before, I would have taken her to bed.
‘Elizabeth, what?’ I asked.
She grinned at Taurus as he shook his head and crossed his arms.
‘I can’t believe you’re right. I’m always right,’ he muttered.
He was a sucker for believing that about himself. He was doing a good job at pretending that his ego was bruised, even though I had made the whole thing up.
The receptionist gave me her full name. I asked her to write it down as proof of my win. She did as I asked and went to hand me the small piece of paper.
‘Can you add your number to that?’
She went bright red again and looked around to check that there was no one within hearing distance. She quickly scribbled it down and gave it to me.
‘Thanks, Liz, you’ve made my day.’ I tucked the number away and winked at her as we left.
Taurus shook his head as we headed towards the van. ‘I thought you were going to play detective but you were just yourself.’
‘What does that mean? You’re jealous that I’m gorgeous?’
He mumbled something that I didn’t hear it.
‘What did you say?’ I asked.
‘I said…it means you’re a womaniser.’
He had been walking behind me. I stopped my chair from moving by grabbing my wheels.
‘Don’t get arsy. It’s true, and you know it,’ he said, walking forward.
‘Wait!’ I looked through the vehicles parked in the car park.
He stopped and turned towards me. His hands were in his pockets. He slouched where he stood. He obviously wanted to have another joint. I looked past him towards our van and spotted what I thought I had seen.
‘He’s there,’ I said, pointing towards a small group of men.
Taurus glanced at the group, then slowly started to move. I followed, keeping my distance. The man we had kidnapped knew who I was but he hadn’t seen much of Taurus when he had been in the attic.
‘Play it cool. Don’t let him see you,’ I called.
The people milling around heard me. They saw I was in a wheelchair and carried on with what they were doing. I held back as the group shifted and the man broke away from them. As he turned, his eyes made direct contact with mine. I blinked before I realised what had happened.
Taurus broke into a run as the man spun on his heel and legged it. I made my way over to our van, feeling useless as Taurus gave chase. They disappeared from sight. I was too low to be able to see over the cars. I punched the arms of my chair and looked around. There was nothing I could do but sit and wait. I was sick of not being able
to do anything. I glanced down at my stumps and cursed them, yet again.
‘I lost him,’ Taurus puffed when he came back.
I shook my head and gritted my teeth. ‘If you gave up smoking, you would have caught him.’
He opened the doors of the van and shoved me inside without saying anything. I clasped my hands together. My skin heated as I shook all over. It had been our best chance to get him.
‘There was no need to chat up the receptionist, then. She was probably no one,’ he called as he started the engine.
‘Seriously, mate, you need to stop getting high. It’s slowing you down. If you were fitter, you could have caught him.’ I thumped my thigh.
‘Yeah, well, if you hadn’t been such a hero, you would have been able to catch him, too.’
I almost choked on my own bile. The others had pussyfooted around me since my accident. Taurus was right. I had been careless and stupid. I told myself that every day. I didn’t need anyone else to tell me.
‘Don’t judge me, mate, and I won’t judge you,’ Taurus called.
I hated to admit it, but like usual, he was completely right.
Chapter Eighteen
‘You’re my soulmate,’ I blurted.
She stopped what she was doing. Her body frozen in the position she had been moving to. We were in the rehab centre and Natalie was helping me with my exercises. There was no one else in the room. Something had triggered me to want to let her know about our mission. When I had returned from our escapade the day before, I had sent her home in anger.
‘I’ve never known you to be sentimental.’ She let her arms fall.
I cocked my head to the side and smiled slightly. ‘To be honest, I’m not being sentimental now. You see this?’ I held up my wrist so that my stupid bracelet came into view.
She nodded and stepped forward. I didn’t want her to get too close. I was afraid that she would take the words as an outpouring of my heart, when they were only a statement of why we were there.
Aries: Book 2 in a Young Adult Paranormal Romance Series (The Zodiac Twin Flame Series) Page 11