Monsters & Angels (Cate & Kian Book 7) Read online

  Copyright © 2019 Louise Hall. All rights reserved

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorised, associated with or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  CONTENTS

  30 Years Ago

  Thursday February 14th

  Wednesday February 13th

  Christmas Eve – 16 Years Ago

  Thursday February 14th

  Friday February 15th

  Sunday February 10th

  Friday February 15th

  Monday February 18th

  Eamon’s Funeral – 17 Years Ago

  Monday February 18th

  Tuesday February 19th

  Wednesday February 20th

  Thursday February 21st

  Lola’s Homecoming - 14 Years Ago

  Saturday February 23rd

  Sunday February 24th

  Monday February 25th

  Tuesday February 26th

  Wednesday February 27th

  Wednesday March 13th

  Thursday March 14th

  Christmas Eve – 16 Years Ago

  Thursday March 14th

  Friday March 15th

  Saturday March 16th

  Sunday March 17th

  Monday March 18th

  30 Years Ago

  “How do you think you’ll do today?” James Farthing, a junior reporter for the Stockport Herald asked the three ten-year-old boys, dressed in navy-blue Manchester Rovers club tracksuits. They were travelling by coach to Anfield for the final of the North West Cup.

  Kian Warner and Liam Barrett were sat side by side and looked almost identical. They both had black hair which had been freshly gelled to make them look more like their idols, first team players at Rovers like tough-tackling central midfielder, Jed Butcher and tricky winger, Marcel Afingwa.

  Sam Richmond was sat in the row behind them but like his two young team-mates, he was so excited he could barely keep still, bouncing up and down as he stuck his head between the seats so he could join in the conversation. He had blonde hair and a floppy fringe which he kept having to brush away from his blue eyes.

  “Three-nil easy,” Liam smirked. “We’ve beaten them home and away already this season. They don’t stand a chance against us.”

  “No way,” Sam shook his head, causing his fringe to fall over his eyes again. “Their defenders are rubbish. I’m definitely going to get more than three goals today.” While Kian and Liam were both midfielders, Sam was a prolific striker and had scored into double-figures in a recent game.

  Kian didn’t say much but he did laugh at his team-mates’ bravado.

  James looked over his shoulder towards the front of the bus where the coaches were seated. Joe Hunter was sat on the front row just behind the driver. He was chatting with Bill Naylor, the head of the Academy. James had been a little awestruck when he’d been introduced to Hunter just before boarding the bus outside the Rovers Stadium this afternoon. Hunter was a Rovers legend; he’d played for them for fifteen years until he’d retired at the end of last season. He was working towards his coaching badges and had been offered a position in the Rovers Academy for next season.

  “I bet you’re excited about the prospect of a legend like Joe Hunter joining the coaching staff at the Academy next season, aren’t you?” James whispered. This was his first reporting job and he didn’t want to get caught fanboying about one of his football heroes.

  “Yeah,” Liam grinned, “my dad says he’s the most talented midfielder he’s ever seen. He says if I want to make it as a professional, I’ve got to listen carefully to everything Mr Hunter says and do exactly as I’m told.”

  Thursday February 14th

  Still halfway between awake and dreaming, Cate reached out her hand, expecting to make contact with the hot, muscular and hopefully naked body of her husband, Kian but instead all she got was a fistful of cold sheet.

  She was a little disappointed but figured he’d probably just nipped to the bathroom and would be back soon. Although the door was closed, the bathroom light was faintly buzzing.

  Kian thought that Valentine’s Day was just commercial bullshit but he didn’t want to rule out the possibility of getting laid again for the foreseeable future so he’d taken Cate out for a fancy dinner in the city the night before Valentine’s Day instead. They’d spent the night at the five-star Chatsfield Hotel.

  She rolled onto her tummy and snuggled deeper under the covers.

  “Ouch!” The skin around her belly button felt tight and sore. When she lifted up her t-shirt and ran the tips of her fingers over it, she could feel the indentations from Kian’s teeth. She blushed, remembering how he’d bitten her the previous night as she’d climaxed for the second time around his wickedly talented fingers.

  When he didn’t come back to bed right away, she blinked open her eyes and looked over at the clock on the bedside table to check what time it was.

  The cut glass vase she’d borrowed from the hotel reception was lying on its side and water was dripping down the side of the table. Cate wriggled closer to the edge of the mattress.

  “Oh, my goodness!” she gasped. The beautiful bouquet of gorgeous vintage carnations, her favourite freesias, oriental lilies and pure white roses Kian had bought for her the night before was now scattered all over the plush, cream-coloured carpet. Her first thought was that it must have been an accident but some of the buds had been ripped from their stalks. They’d been crushed so violently it looked like they’d been purposefully stomped on. She didn’t understand.

  If Kian had accidentally knocked over the vase in the middle of the night, why hadn’t he picked them up?

  She wasn’t much of a drinker but she’d taken advantage of the fact that they were spending the night at a hotel and she didn’t have to get up early with their three children and had enjoyed a glass of merlot with dinner the previous night. She still felt a little fuzzy-headed.

  It didn’t make sense. Where was Kian and why were her beautiful flowers scattered across the floor like that?

  She threw back the covers and immediately winced, the skin on her thighs also felt tight and sore. When she looked down, she could see the imprint of Kian’s hands on her inner thighs.

  Wednesday February 13th

  “Happy Valentine’s Day,” Cate raised her glass in a toast. It felt like a new beginning for them both. After a romantic weekend away at their friend, Julian’s cabin last month, they were dedicated to finding the right balance between the demands of Kian’s career and the needs of Cate and their three children.

  Kian smirked, “it’s not Valentine’s Day for another couple of hours, angel.”

  Still, he joined his glass together with hers - the striking shades of ruby glittered in the soft candlelight - and took a sip of the earthy merlot.

  “I know you don’t really do romance,” Cate squeezed his hand, “but tonight has been perfect. Thank you.”

  He turned her hand over so her palm was facing upwards. He rubbed the pad of his thumb over the wedding and eternity rings at the base of her finger and then danced his fingers up over the blue veins which criss-crossed the underside of her delicate wrist. They were seated near an open fireplace but Cate still shivered, feeling her nipples tighten against the midnight-blue, silk bodice of her dress. When she looked down again, she realised that Kian wa
s tracing letters on her bare skin. Her dark eyes followed the dip and sway of his fingers.

  “I love you too,” Cate blushed, two pink spots dotting her cheeks. “You might just get lucky tonight.”

  Kian raised an eyebrow, “only might?”

  Halfway through the meal, Kian excused himself from the table and went outside to take a phone call.

  “Is everything OK?” she asked when he returned.

  “Mm, everything’s fine,” Kian replied, slipping his phone back into his jacket pocket.

  She’d been looking forward to trying one of the sumptuous desserts the Labyrinth restaurant was renowned for but Kian waved away the waiter when he tried to offer them the dessert menus and asked for the check instead.

  He all but ignored her while they waited out front for a taxi to take them back to the hotel. When the taxi arrived, he pressed a hand to the small of her back and guided her into the backseat.

  The wine was making her feel a little dizzy so Cate decided that she wasn’t going to try and analyse why Kian was acting so strangely and instead she leaned back against the black leather seat and closed her eyes.

  A few minutes later, a car horn honked loudly outside the taxi and she opened her eyes. When she looked across at Kian, he was watching her intently.

  She was about to reach up and touch the corner of her mouth, certain that she must have something lingering there when Kian hooked his arm around her waist and slid her across the seat until she was pressed right up against him.

  “What are you doing?” she gasped.

  His eyes were so black and fiery that if he hadn’t been her husband, she might have been a little scared of him. He brushed his lips against her neck and her skin erupted in goose bumps.

  He always looked sexy but tonight he was wearing a crisp, white shirt and a dark-grey, three-piece suit. When she’d arrived at the Labyrinth earlier that evening, she’d been glad that they’d arranged to meet there because otherwise if she’d seen him in that suit when they were still in the privacy of their hotel room, they definitely wouldn’t have made their dinner reservation.

  “I need,” his breath was hot and heavy on her skin. Cate wriggled against the leather seat. She looked out of the window, desperately hoping that a miracle had occurred and they were suddenly within walking distance of their hotel. She needed to get naked with her husband as soon as possible. Unfortunately they were still stuck in traffic.

  His hand slid up her skirt. “I need to fuck you.”

  Although she was insanely turned on, she was very much aware that it wasn’t just the two of them in the taxi. She looked up and saw the taxi driver smirking at them in the rear-view mirror. It looked like he was enjoying the show they, or rather Kian, was putting on for him a little too much.

  Kian pinched her inner thigh and that brief flicker of pain really tested her resolve.

  “Are you wet for me?”

  Cate wanted to scream. Are you freaking kidding me? I’m so wet; I think my panties might have just melted away.

  The taxi driver coughed, reminding Cate of his presence inside the small cab again. Damn it! She reached down and gripped Kian’s wrist, “not here.”

  Kian looked up at her and for a second she thought she saw hurt whip through his dark eyes. “You don’t want to come, angel?”

  My clit is throbbing so loudly it could start its own matching band; of course I want to come!

  Kian continued sliding his hand further up her skirt. “Don’t,” Cate whispered quietly as he gently rubbed the damp crotch of her lace panties. He wasn’t listening to her but she really didn’t want to make a scene in front of the driver.

  She reached up and touched his cheek but he was mesmerised, watching his hand move underneath her silk skirt. “Please,” Cate begged quietly.

  Kian tugged her panties to one side and lightly stroked her outer folds. Tiny fireworks broke out underneath her skin. Cate turned so that at least she had her back to the driver and he couldn’t see what Kian was doing.

  Kian took this as her acquiescence and pressed his finger inside her. She might not have been comfortable being touched so intimately in front of a total stranger but her body was already responding to Kian’s touch. He dragged his finger out achingly slowly, touching each one of her tightly-strung nerves on the way and then thrust back in hungrily. She dug her nails into the back of the leather seat and tried really hard not to cry out. It was almost impossible when Kian circled his thumb over her swollen, aching clit.

  “You look so fucking beautiful, angel,” Kian said huskily. He cradled the back of her head with his free hand and brushed his lips against hers, once, twice, three times. It was a blessed relief when his lips crashed against hers, his tongue pushing forcefully into her mouth. She could stop trying so hard to keep quiet as Kian dragged her towards an explosive climax.

  After she’d come, she slumped forward, burying her face in Kian’s chest. The post-orgasm bliss was tainted by the presence of the taxi driver sat just a few feet away from them.

  When she raised her head, Kian looked so smug. He sat back against the seat and slowly licked her juices from his fingers.

  Cate untangled herself from his hold and slid across the seat until she was pressed up against the side door. She felt as if she’d been broken apart and the pieces hadn’t been put back together properly.

  When they arrived at the Chatsfield, Cate jumped out of the taxi and stomped towards the front entrance. She was really angry with Kian. Yes, she’d had an orgasm but knowing that it had been witnessed by the sleazy taxi driver made her feel slutty and ashamed.

  When the lift doors opened, she stabbed the button for their floor, not even bothering to check if Kian had followed her or not.

  “You angry with me, angel?” Kian looked as if he was trying really hard not to laugh.

  “Don’t call me that,” Cate fumed. She shifted uncomfortably; the fabric of her panties had been stretched out and they didn’t feel right. She couldn’t wait until she was back in their hotel room and she could take them off. There was nothing remotely sexy about having to keep your knees locked together just in case your panties made a break for it and dropped down to your ankles.

  Kian looked concerned. He came and stood in front of her. “What’s wrong?” he brushed a stray tendril of hair away from her face.

  “I asked you to stop,” Cate looked down at the floor. The words felt bitter in her mouth.

  Kian staggered backwards; he looked as if she’d actually hit him. “What?”

  “Back there in the taxi, I asked you to stop.”

  “I didn’t hear you.” He looked so utterly horrified that she instantly believed him. “I swear.”

  He turned his back on her and pressed the palms of his hands against the side of the lift. “I would never… fuck, I swear to God, I didn’t hear you, angel. I swear it.”

  “I know,” Cate said gently. She might be angry with him but she didn’t want him to torture himself. She knew without a shadow of doubt that if he’d heard her protests, he’d have stopped touching her immediately. “I’m sorry. I should have said it louder, I guess. I don’t know. I wanted you to touch me; I just wanted to wait until we got back to the hotel. I didn’t like how that taxi driver was looking at me.”

  Kian turned around and wrapped his arms around Cate. “I’m sorry, angel.” It was like dipping a paintbrush in a glass of water, the darkness slowly swirled around his eyes again. “I just really needed to feel you, to taste you. I couldn’t wait.”

  He kissed her swollen lips and she could taste herself on his tongue. “Forgive me?”

  “OK,” Cate nodded. She didn’t want a silly misunderstanding to ruin what had been a lovely night so far.

  The doors opened and Kian swept her up off her feet and carried her down the corridor to their room. When they got inside, Kian pushed Cate back against the door. He reached for her wrists and pinned them up above her head. He was breathing so hard, his chest pushed against her breasts, ty
ing her nipples up in tight, little knots. His hard cock jutted into her belly.

  She’d finally gotten what she’d been wanting ever since she’d walked into Labyrinth earlier that night and seen Kian in his sexy three-piece suit; it was just the two of them in the privacy of their hotel room. But she was distracted; she couldn’t stop thinking about that taxi driver. He was a complete stranger and yet he’d seen her at her most vulnerable.

  “Hey,” Kian tried to draw her attention back to him. He stroked her flushed cheek, “be here with me now.”

  “I want to but…” Cate felt so dirty.

  “He didn’t see anything, angel. I promise,” Kian insisted. “I would never ever let anyone see you like that.”

  “He might not have seen my… you know but he must have known what we were doing.”

  “What’s really the matter, angel?”

  “I don’t want him to think of me when he… you know.”

  Kian chuckled, “you’re so sweet and innocent.”

  “Hey,” Cate frowned, “don’t make fun of me.”

  “I’m not,” he stroked her cheek. “I just can’t believe that you don’t see it. When you walked into Labyrinth tonight, every fucking man in that room was staring at you.”

  “Yeah, right,” Cate rolled her eyes.

  “I’m serious,” Kian frowned. “Even if we’d sat completely chastely in the back of that cab just now, I can guarantee the driver would still have gone home tonight and thought about you while he was jerking off.”

  Cate wriggled free from his grasp, “I think you’ve got me confused with a Victoria’s Secret model.” She turned her back, “look, no wings here.”

  Kian lifted up her inky-black hair and placed a gentle kiss on the nape of her neck. “You don’t need wings. You’re a thousand times more beautiful than any of them.”

  “Still,” Cate softened a little. “No more fondling me in the back of taxi cabs.”

  Kian chuckled, “let me just make a note of that. No more giving my wife orgasms in the back of taxis.”