Her Guardians: Her Guardians Trilogy Book 1 (6 page)

“What would you like to drink
, Twinkles?”

“Just a Coke will do
, thanks.”

“What about a drink
drink? Come on. Live a little.”

I smile
d sweetly, wondering why I was contemplating it. I never usually drank during the day, especially when I had to get back to work.

“I better not
. You’re okay because you’ve finished work. I still have to get back and finish my day yet.”

“Let your hair down a little
, Cassie. One or two won’t harm you.”

“Okay.
” I was giving in way too easily. I’m not sure why he seemed to have this knack of making me agree to anything he asked.

“Great!
So what will it be?” Pausing for a moment, I was a little unsure of what to order.

“Tell
you what. How about some brandy with that coke of yours?”

I smile
d and nodded. “Okay, thank you. That would be nice.”

He motioned for
me to take a seat and told me he would bring the drinks over when they’re ready. Again, I do as I’m asked and immediately am greeted with five sets of eyes.

“Hey
, guys,” I chimed as I sat down in my seat opposite them.

“Hey to you
, too, Cassie. To what do we owe the pleasure? Or has someone finally managed to steal you away from us?”

Daniel turned
his head towards Stephen at the bar, making me blush. “It’s not like that. He asked me here and I said yes. Doesn’t mean anything, does it?”

“
No, but I think you have had a number of requests to go out for drinks and you have always turned people down. What’s so special about him?”

Oh
, boy! “It’s not a date, Daniel. It’s a few drinks with colleagues. He told me that you would all be here, so that’s why I agreed. It’s not a date. It’s a drink.”

They all start
ed laughing and I’m left feeling rather embarrassed.

“You’re so
easy to tease. That was fun.” Daniel chuckled a little.

I certainly wasn’t going to let him get away with that.
“Yeah, and you’re a tosspot, Mr. Rutherford.”

Hi
s laughter abruptly halts and his stare was rather menacing. It was uncomfortable, to say the least.

“I hope these guys aren’t causing you too much trouble
, Twinkles.”

Thank
god!

“Twinkles
?!” Scott bellowed. “He has a pet name for you? Isn’t that sweet?”

They all start
ed laughing again and I was left feeling a little pissed. I shouldn’t have come here.

“Hey
, guys, watch your tone. We have a lady present. Now keep it friendly.” Stephen glared, warning them he meant business. I was quite surprised that it seemed to work.

“Yes, so
rry.” Scott dipped his head a little. “I didn’t mean to offend. We were just playing.”

T
hanking Stephen for the drink, I swigged half of the contents down in one go. Stephen looked at me wide-eyed, but smiled.

“So
, Cass,” Terry began, “are you going to the CID thing tomorrow night?”

I nodded
, grateful at the change in subject. “Yep, both Kali and I are going.”

“I see.
Is anyone else going with you?” He glanced in Stephen’s direction.

Oh shit, maybe not
.

“No,” I blurted.
“Kali and I are going together.”

Placing the glass to my lips,
I take another swig of my drink and let the pleasant warmth wash over me. I noticed that Stephen was edging closer.

Positioning
his arm around my chair, he leaned in, suddenly very intimate, making my pulse react.

The guys start
ed talking amongst themselves and Stephen seemed to take that opportunity to lean in close to my ear. “Are those guys bothering you? Because I can tell you right now that if they are, I will personally beat the shit out of each and every one of them for you.”

My legs suddenly turned to jelly.
I could feel his hot breath on my ear, which started a torrent of sensations inside me that I never knew existed.

I didn’t know how to react to this unknown sensation, so all I did was
take another gulp of my drink—downing every single drop this time. Once all of it was gone, I placed it on the table. I didn’t think I had enough strength in my hand to hold it anymore.

Whatever these
feelings were, they felt alien. It both excited and scared the shit out of me at the same time.

“I’m okay
, Stephen. I think I need to use the bathroom. Excuse me.”

Getting up
, I rushed to the toilets as fast as my legs could carry me. I needed air all of a sudden and I didn’t know why. What was wrong with me? I suddenly felt very hot, so I grabbed some tissues, placed them under the tap, and dabbed them on my neck and chest. I needed to cool down, and fast.

This was
such an unusual feeling. I couldn’t understand it. I didn’t know if I
wanted
to understand it. I had an ache that my body didn’t want me to ignore, but my head screamed at me to. The whole thing was just so bizarre.

Once I calm
ed down a bit, I went back to the table and found another drink patiently waiting for me.

“You shouldn’t have
, Stephen. But thank you.”

“That’s ok
ay. I’m sorry if I upset you. Are you okay? You look a little flushed.”

“Do I?
” I acted shocked, but I knew he must have been right. Just his presence alone was starting a fire burning inside me like never before.

He nodded
, showing me that heart-stopping smile of his. Not knowing what else to do, I just took another sip of my drink.

“A
m I making you nervous, Twinkles?” he whispered in my ear.

Closing my eyes
, I let that ache wash over me. It was running through my veins with a vengeance. It was like a sweet torture of some kind and I didn’t know how to stop it. I didn’t know if I
wanted
to stop it.

I felt
his hot breath on my neck and I opened my eyes, shuddering. His smile was spread wide, like he was rewarding my reaction.

Suddenly
, a song came over the loud speakers and I noticed Stephen react to it straight away. His eyebrow seemed to curve up in amusement as he quickly captured my eyes. “You know, this is the third time I have heard this song today. I think it might be telling me something. The minute I heard it, I thought of you.”

Tilting my head to the side
, I listened to the words so I could gather some understanding of what it means.

“
‘Cause all I know since we said ‘Hello’. And your eyes look like coming home. All I know is a simple name. Everything has changed. All I know is you held the door. You’ll be mine and I’ll be yours. All I know since yesterday is everything has changed.”

I tried
hard to swallow, but my throat had suddenly enlarged. “What’s it called?” I asked with a trembling voice.

“
Everything Has Changed
, by Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran. It’s nice, isn’t it? It reminds me of you, as everything has changed since yesterday.”

My face flushed
even further and the only thing I could think to do was take another sip of my drink. I finally managed to find a sentence to string together. “It’s lovely.” I gulped a little, unable to fathom why he was having such an effect on me.

“You’re lovely.
In fact, you’re more than lovely.” He whispered the last few words in my ear and it was like listening to the sound of velvet—if velvet had a sound.

“Are you okay
, Cassie? You look a little hot.” Scott was sitting opposite me, a highly amused expression on his face.

“Ac
tually, I do feel a little giddy.” And it was true.

“Maybe I should take you out for some fresh air
,” Stephen suggested.

Thinking that would be wise
, I said, “Okay. I think that would be a good idea.”

We finish
ed up our drinks, quickly saying goodbye to everyone as we headed out the door. Once out in the open, I took a deep breath. The effect of the alcohol hit me with a gentle nudge.

“Is that any better
?”

L
ooking up at Stephen’s concerned expression made me smile. “Much better, thank you.”

Placing his
hand in front of me, he gestured towards the station. “Come with me. I have something to show you. It’s a little bit naughty of me, but I think it will be fun. You still have a little time left before you have to get back to work. Can you entertain the idea, just for a few more minutes?”

I was suddenly intrigued.
“Okay.”

“Oh
, Twinkles, you better be careful. I’m not sure I have the strength with you when you give me such a beautiful smile.”

I stare
d into his eyes, the ache back in full force. It was almost as though he had me in some sort of hypnotic trance.

He sighed, shaking his head,
and it immediately broke my stare. “Come on,” he said, grabbing my hand. “You’re gonna get me in big trouble, you know that? You’re completely worth it, though.”

I let him lead the way back to the station.
I was wondering what he meant about getting him into trouble, but my body seemed to lead my head at the moment. All I could feel is Stephen’s hand on mine and it felt good. It felt
really
good.

We
soon walked into the Custody Suite. To say I was confused was an understatement. He obviously had something naughty up his sleeve, but the only feeling I had was intrigue.

Looking at my confused reaction, Stephen smiled.
“You’ll see in a minute.” He winked, pulling me toward a door.

Opening
it wide, I peeked in to see a little room with a big machine in the corner. It looked like a big photocopying machine but, on closer inspection, I knew what it was.

“Why have you pulled me in here?
” I giggled, unable to hide my excitement all of a sudden.

“I wanted to see how over the limit you
were. I wouldn’t be doing my duty as a police officer if I didn’t make sure you were fit for work, would I?”

With a wink
, he waltzed over to the machine and pulled a tube out for me to blow in. “Now,” he began, “I want you to blow into this—.”

I don’t know why
, but laughter suddenly erupted. This wasn’t like me at all. Stephen reacted to my laughter by raising his incredibly sexy eyebrow at me, smirking.

“Steady
, Twinkles. You really are being so naughty for one so innocent.”

I stop
ped laughing and tried to pull myself together. I didn’t know what came over me all of a sudden.

“That’s
better. Now, you have to take a deep breath and blow. You have to keep on blowing until I say stop. Got it?”

I nod
ded, but my mouth was trembling with another eruption of laughter threatening to echo around the walls.

With a little shimmy, he moved
over so I could get a closer to the tube. I grabbed it, taking a deep breath—just like he asked—and kept blowing and blowing.

“Keep going
. That’s it. Now…stop.”

A sharp intake of breath had me gasping a little.
I didn’t realise it was going to be as difficult as that.

“Wow,” he said
, astonished.

“What?
” I stood on my tiptoes and looked over his shoulder.

“You blew ninety
.”

“Is that bad?”

He laughed. “Well, the limit is eighty so, yes, just a little.”

“How could I be that high on just two brandy and cokes?”

He suddenly looked a little guilty. “I have a confession to make. I ordered you doubles.”

I gasp
ed loudly and he started laughing. “This isn’t funny, Stephen. How am I supposed to go back to work now?” I smiled despite myself. I was actually having fun. I knew I was a little tipsy, but I wasn’t too bad. I could still take on the rest of the day.

“You know you could always come home with me.
I’d promise to look after you.”

He stared
intently and my knees wobbled slightly. The silence was deafening. With a movement of his foot, he edged closer to me, the fun-loving smirk now replaced with a serious, intense, penetrating stare.

I grip
ped my hands together, shocked at how clammy they felt. The closer he came, the more my heart beat rapidly through my chest. Placing a finger on my cheek, Stephen ran it down towards my chin. I couldn’t help but close my eyes. His touch felt so good.