Morning didn’t arrive gracefully. It slapped me in the face with an open palm, or at least it felt like that on account of the massive headache reverberating through my skull. I groaned and pressed my face into the pillow, blindly hoping its coolness would soothe my pain. No such luck.
A handful of minutes rolled by before I felt well enough to lift my head. Inch by inch, I withdrew from the pillow and tilted my face to look at the other bed. Michael wasn’t in it. The clock read half past noon. Where had he gone?
Suppressing another moan of pain, I forced myself to sit up and ran my fingers through my incredibly mussed black hair so I could see. I shuffled over to the table against the far wall and found the Advil. Three pills would do the trick, or at least make me numb enough not to care. I drank some water from the sink to get them down and eyed the tepid water with distaste. Ice dispenser down the hall. Field trip.
My clothes from last night were still on, so I just slipped on my shoes and stuffed the keycard to the room in my pocket before leaving. The yellow-tinted hallway showed no signs of life. People in New Jersey liked to sleep in. My kind of town.
As I walked closer to the area where the ice dispenser and vending machines were, I could hear a familiar male voice. Confused, I peeked around the corner and spotted Michael facing the wall opposite me, speaking into his cell phone. The reception in the rooms was awful so he had to make calls out here. Good sense told me to go around the corner and tell him good morning but his next sentence stopped me.
“I know He wants to see me, brother. What was I supposed to do? She was drunk.”
My heart nearly skipped a beat. Wait, what was he talking about? I flattened myself against the wall and tried to remember last night. I had a few beers and went back to the hotel room. Michael had carried me back to the bed. We had a little chat and I…kissed him. Christ.
I palmed my forehead, feeling the blood rush out of my face. Idiot. Lauren had told me before that I got a bit slutty when drunk, and obviously she’d been right. Now the Big Guy wanted to have a little discussion with Michael all because I couldn’t keep it in my pants for one night. Shit.
My attention reverted back to the phone call. Gabriel’s calming voice wafted to my ears. The call wasn’t on speakerphone, but the volume was relatively loud.
“I don’t blame you for that, Michael. You know I don’t.”
“That makes one of you. This wasn’t supposed to happen.”
“It’s a test, Michael. One that you should take very carefully.”
“She’s not a test, she’s a person. You know that better than I do.”
“Of course I do. Your situation is the test. All of the angels here on Earth have dealt with the desires of man except for you. It’s something we have to overcome. You will do the same in time.”
I heard him sigh in a frustrated sort of way. “That’s just it, Gabe. I…part of me doesn’t want to overcome it. Part of me wants what I know I can’t have. What can I do about that?”
“I can’t give you a definite answer, brother. However, ask yourself this question: which part of you wants her—the angel or the man?”
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I don’t know.”
“When you do know, you’ll have found the solution to your problem.”
“I’ll take your word for it.”
“Please do. Remember, this isn’t just about the two of you. Your duty as Commander hangs in the balance as well. As much as you care for Jordan, you can’t forget that. Your heart’s never steered you wrong before. Listen to it.”
“Yes, brother. I will.”
“Good. Take care.”
I hurried back down the hall and slipped inside the room, heart hammering in my throat. No. This wasn’t the time to have a freak out. I slowed my breathing bit by bit and squared my shoulders. Gabriel was right. Michael wasn’t just a charming bodyguard. He was Commander of God’s Army in Heaven. He would exist forever in that role and there was nothing either of us could do to change it. It didn’t matter how I felt about him. I wouldn’t be responsible for him jeopardizing his mission. We both had a job to do in this world and we were damn well going to do it.
The door opened and Michael appeared just as I began gathering my clothes to go take a shower. “Oh, you’re awake. I thought I’d have to scrape you off the mattress to get you up.”
“We have a lot of stuff to do today. Figured it was time to get moving.” I kept my voice professional and without emotion.
He shut the door and brushed past me. I nearly stumbled trying to make wider space between us as he passed by.
Michael blinked at me, confused. “You alright?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’ll be out in a little while.” Without another word, I shut myself in the bathroom. Well, that had gone well. I just needed a stuttering problem and Tom Cruise and I’d be all set.
Today was going to be a long day. Definitely, definitely going to be a long day.