“Harder,” she groaned.
Miles nodded and moved his hips a bit harder, a bit faster, sucking and kissing at the skin on her neck and shoulder. It was driving Lizzie wild. He held her in place, stopped moving his hips, and then walked her over to her bed and set her down so they could get lost in her sheets. He moved his hips again, and Lizzie arched her back, closing her eyes and getting lost in the moment.
LIZZIE
She lay there in his arms, her head resting on his chest, her fingers on his stomach. She couldn’t count the number of times he had made her call out his name in ecstasy, how he had denied himself his orgasm until he had satisfied her to exhaustion before claiming his own thrill. She could feel his fingers stroking her back and his soft breathing on the top of her head. They had crossed a line they were not allowed to cross, and although they both knew it was wrong, it had felt so right. He had felt so right, connected to her, close to her like that. Thinking he was asleep, she shifted slightly to get up.
“Where are you going?” he whispered.
She looked down at his small smile and his bright blue eyes. “I thought you were asleep; I was going to shower.”
“I don’t think I could ever sleep again,” he commented, “not after that.”
She smiled at the sweet compliment and leaned down to kiss him. “I’ll be back,” she murmured against his lips. “Don’t go anywhere.”
He grinned. “I won’t.”
She got up and went to the bathroom naked, turning the shower on and climbing under the warm spray. She washed her body and her hair and thought about all they had accomplished the last few days. They were no closer to finding the missing Balancer or the Angels’ Headquarters, but they had found each other, and for that, she was grateful. She finished showering and towel-dried, running a brush through her hair before going back to the bedroom where she found Miles getting dressed.
“I thought I said not to go anywhere,” she said, grabbing some clothes out of a drawer.
“They just called,” he said as he pulled up his jeans and zipped them. “I’m going to go home and get changed quickly. They want to see me.”
“Just you?” she asked.
“Just me,” he said. She must have looked worried because he crossed the room and cupped her face in his hands. “Don’t worry, I’ll be right back as soon as they’re done with me.” He kissed her softly, probing her lips with his tongue until she opened up for him, which she did gladly.
When they parted, she looked up at him and smiled before he kissed her forehead and left to find his shoes. She wanted to warn him not to go; she felt that something wasn’t right, but she knew she was being silly. They still had a mission, after all, and they needed to see it through before they could decide whatever they were. She walked out of her bedroom to find him putting his shoes on and standing up.
“I’ll be back, I promise,” he said, kissing her softly again.
“I’ll hold you to that,” she replied.
She watched him go, smiling to herself even as the door closed and his footsteps receded. She squealed happily and scooped up Loki and danced with her poor cat who had no idea what was going on. She placed the cat down on the table and went to make her bed and tidy the apartment before she would head downstairs to stock the bar for the night shift. She felt like she could conquer the world.
With the apartment clean, she kissed Loki goodbye before she skipped down the stairs towards the storeroom, loading up a cart with the beers she knew were popular and would probably be short in the fridges. She wheeled them to the bar and started to pack the shelves. Feeling light-hearted, she turned on some music and worked diligently through the day, making note of what she had to order again and what she still had in stock.
She had just refilled the shelves with whiskey when she heard the front door open and close. The hair on the back of her neck was standing up on end. She raised an eyebrow.
She called out, “We’re closed; come back later.”
“Not for me, surely,” Adrial said, strolling across the floor to the bar.
“Thought you were someone else,” Lizzie said, taking a beer out for him and setting it on the bar.
Adrial took the beer and smiled, twisting the cap off and taking a sip. He sat at the bar. “I hear you’ve done some great things, Lizzie, you’re fitting in perfectly.”
“Thanks, boss,” she said with a smile, “I’m just trying to help.”
“Well, I’m glad you said that because there’s something you can help me with,” Adrial said, taking another swig of his beer. “It’s an essential task, an undercover one if you will.
Lizzie leaned on the bar, looking at Adrial seriously. “Of course I will, just tell me the details, and I’ll be on it.”
“There’s no time; you’ll have to come with me straightaway.”
Lizzie nodded. “Sure.”
Adrial finished his beer and left the empty on the bar, then he walked towards the front door. Lizzie hopped over the bar and followed him, walking closely behind him.
“So what is the mission?” she asked.
Adrial didn’t look back at her. “We have a mole, on the inside, and I think you can flush him out.”
“How?” she asked as they walked out the front door.
“Cause he’s in love with you,” Adrial said as she was jumped from behind by three Angels.
Chapter Fifteen
Miles
Having showered and changed, and feeling elated, Miles arrived in downtown Santa Monica to meet Jay as they’d discussed on the phone while Lizzie had been showering. He landed in an alleyway and walked out, looking around. Mortals were milling about, but Miles could see they weren’t ‘right.’ They didn’t seem like they were themselves. They were dressed very conservatively and were carrying religious texts with them, depending on the religion they believed in. Miles could have told humans ages ago all religions were the same, just different names for different things, but if they had free will they’d see it for themselves right now.
“Miles,” Jay said, walking up to him, “walk with me.”
They walked down the road, passing the robotic humans as they did so.
“Look at how happy they are,” Jay commented. “So content, not a single fight or angry word between them. This is a world we strive to create; this is the world you are fighting for.”
“It’s beautiful,” Miles lied. “A world without conflict.”
“A world without evil,” Jay said. “One where people don’t have to die unnecessarily.”
“Or at all, it seems,” Miles said, looking at a much older couple making their way down the street.
Jay didn’t say anything; they continued to walk. They rounded the block and much of the same - humans milling about talking about their religious texts peacefully, wishing each other blessed days.
“Where were you coming from?” Jay asked quietly as they made their way.
“Sorry?” Miles looked at him.
Jay stopped walking and turned to him. “Were we interrupting you when we called?”
“No,” Miles said. “I had just woke up in fact.”