Promise
Michael squints his eyes at you when you mention you want to help. “What exactly do you mean by helping?” The tone of his voice gives you the impression he doesn’t like this at all. And with good reason, of course. The ideas of a plan swirling in your mind aren’t exactly safe to execute.
“You said there was still one man missing, right?”
He nods.
“Well... what if you track him down, and we catch him in the act, but...” You press your lips together, thinking of how you were going to tell him you want to offer yourself as bait.
“I don’t think you should be helping at all.” He doesn’t even want to hear your plan. “You barely made it out last time.”
Playing with your fingers nervously, you shake your head. “That’s not fair, I wasn’t aware I was drugged. I just want to make sure they don’t have an organisation behind all of this. Please, Michael, I know I’m asking a lot, and I’m in no position in doing so, but I have to try.”
He sighs and leans back in his chair, averting his gaze from you.
“What if I act like I’m passed out, drunk, so they will take me to wherever they’re bringing the women they drug...” Your voice was suddenly small. But you had to present this plan better for him to believe you so you straightened your back a little more. “And if I’m in trouble, I can always call for you, right? They didn’t harm me the first time except for the drugs, so maybe they need their women undamaged.” You were almost convincing yourself at this point – because you really weren’t sure about this plan at all. But you couldn’t live with the fact that these men kept going on while you were going to be returning to your own apartment, safe.
“Are you done?” Michael said, all pleasantries gone from his face and voice.
You swallowed nervously. Had you gone too far?
He raises from his chair and turned his back to you, shaking his head in disagreement. “I appreciate the idea behind your plan,” he said, walking along the lab for a moment, letting his hand glide over the tabletops. Then he stops. “But you’re actually crazy if you think I would put you in harm’s way on purpose.”
You’d figured he wouldn’t agree with this. Hell, even you weren’t sure about this.
“But I can’t just go home... and continue with my life while knowing what’s happening out there?” you said softly, outing the thoughts in your head.
Michael turned to face you. An unreadable expression on his face as he looked at you. Slowly, he walked towards you, and then he squatted in front of you. Your name was on his tongue then as he reached out to put a lock of your hair behind your ear. “You’re a good person. But you can’t stop evil from happening.”
He was so close to you and suddenly your thoughts were all over the place. “Why not?” you whispered.
He chuckled softly. “If only it were that easy.” Something flashed behind those blue eyes, memories, maybe. “Trust me, I know all about it.”
You subconsciously nodded. All you could look at was his eyes, which were lined with dark lashes. Your breath hitched in your throat as everything about him lured you in. You almost felt embarrassed how quickly you'd started to feel an attraction to him.
But it wasn't just the way he looked. Michael was smart, calculated, he knew how to talk to you without making you uncomfortable even though you two had only just met. And even though he had a scary part inside of him, he was still a man with excellent manners.
“You're beautiful, too, you know,” you said, taking his compliment from earlier and returning it. You weren't sure where you had pulled the courage from, maybe it was because he was so easy to hang out with.
A charming smile appeared on his face and he snorted. “If this is a way to lure me into helping you with your plan –”
He abruptly stopped talking when you licked your lips.
There was a sudden silence between you two, with him hovering closer and closer. He reached out again, his hand softly stroking your cheek and then your ear as he took a hold of your hair with his fingers.
The distance was closed in an instant when he leaned forward and pulled you towards him. It wasn't that he'd caught you off guard completely, as you had been close to his face already. But the softness of his lips against yours was absolutely unexpected.
You closed your eyes as his mouth slowly moved against yours. His scent overwhelmed you so up close, but you loved the way he smelled of his perfume and the cold evening air. You could even taste it on his lips.
His fingers dug deeper as his other hand now grabbed a hold of your face as well. Your own fingers itched to reach up and touch his hair, but you kept your hands to yourself, unsure where this was going.
Just when you thought he was pulling his lips away from yours, he let one of his hands slide towards your neck (careful not to touch your wounds), pulling you towards him even more as he deepened the kiss. He had apparently sat down completely as you were almost pulled into his lap.
His teeth pulled at your lower lip, teasing, demanding, but still asking for permission. And you gladly gave it to him as you let him slid his tongue against yours.
There was a tingling sensation swirling around in your abdomen and you started to feel light headed. But it had nothing to do with your blood loss or the drugs in your system.
It had everything to do with the man who was kissing you so passionately, it was almost as if you were long lost lovers.
You had to giggle when his facial hair started to tickle.
It made him pull away slowly. He rested his forehead against yours as you both gasped for breath for a good minute.
When he pulled away completely, he took his hands with him and you almost wanted to ask him to keep touching you.
“I'll help you,” he said, “on one condition.”
You raised your brows at the sudden change of heart. You hadn't intended to ‘lure’ him into helping you at all, this was all his own doing. But it surprised you it had actually made him rethink your words.
“Yes?” you said, urging him to lay down the condition.
“You have to promise me one more kiss.”
Your mouth parted a little as you tilted your head. After the kiss you'd just shared, you would gladly kiss him again.
He finally raised himself up off the ground, pulling his own hoodie down as it had been crinkled upwards. “I want it after we have traced those men.” And he had killed them – but he didn't seem to want to add that out loud.
It meant he wanted to see you again when this was all over. And you weren't opposed to the thought of getting to know him better.
A smile tugged at your lips. “Okay,” you said.
And then the butterflies in your stomach turned to stone. The realisation you were going to be face to face with those men again was more than scary. But in the end, it would be worth it.
“Now rest and take it slow,” Michael said, sounding stern like the doctor he was. “We're going to have to figure out a plan until you have your strength back.”
“Yes, doctor.”
He looked at you sideways for a moment. And then he winked as he continued to leave the lab, leaving you with a mind full of new feelings and thoughts.