The Guest & The Change - By M. D. Bowden Page 0,14

or running and screaming. Suddenly her chest hit something, Daniel’s arm. He whipped her round to face him, ‘Sarah, what are you doing?’ he said angrily.

‘What?’ She saw his face soften, but she was in such a daze.

‘You were just about to step out in front of that car.’

‘What car?’ But anger turned to tears, her emotions weren’t going to stay in, she had lost Jo. She couldn’t scream, so she cried. Then Daniel was holding her and stroking her hair, and she balled onto his shoulder, her face against the soft leather of his jacket. Sarah wanted to hug him, to hit him, to kiss him angrily. She felt all over the place.

But Daniel just held her, there, by the side of the road, tolerating the concerned glances from strangers.

What must he think of me? He’s only known me a couple of days, and I’m such a mess, she thought. But he didn’t seem to mind and she felt looked after. Her tears started to subside and she breathed Daniel in. His delicious woody scent, like he’d been near a bonfire, she inched her head into his neck, and had an uncharacteristic urge to bite him, it almost made her laugh. He leant back against her, then she released him and started to walk towards home again. He didn’t take his arm off her though, he let it drop to her waist and continued to hold her close as they walked.

When they reached her drive Daniel released her, Sarah felt like he did so reluctantly and she didn’t want him to. She could have just stayed there and blended with him, never letting go. But she walked on ahead and popped back into her house. It was quiet, Jo had not returned. She checked the answer machine. There were four messages - one from her parents letting her know the kids were fine and asking if she’d heard anything, two from Jo’s parents and one from his sister. They were all obviously concerned but Sarah didn’t feel like dealing with talking to them now. She picked up her phone and tried Jo a couple of times. His phone was no-longer ringing though, it just went straight to answer phone. She left two messages, not concealing her anger and distress at his absence. But she was quick, she longed to return to Daniel. She freshened up and drank some water before leaving the house.

As she walked back towards her car, Daniel was there, leaning against her bonnet - looking gorgeous with a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth. Her drive was lined with trees, so her car was not overlooked by other houses. The sun crept out from behind a cloud, shining dappled light through the drizzle. Daniel squinted towards her, looking smoldering. His hair looked damp and messy, and drips ran down the side of his face from the rain. Sarah was feeling reckless - the situation with Jo, alone without her kids. She walked right up to Daniel and he stood. They were so close and she looked into his eyes. He stared back, looking right into her soul, and Sarah felt like she could see his. It seemed like she was looking into the stars, like his soul went on forever and she was melting into him. Daniel wrapped his arms around her, she felt tingles race all over her body and he pulled her right up against him. His body was firm and he felt so good, he pulled her hips against his and she was drawn closer. Her lips met his with force, and with her hands she pulled at him tightly - so his heart was as close as it could be to hers, melting in together, like one. He kissed her, opening her mouth and forcing in his tongue - it was exquisite and she felt like she was going to explode. Then he released her and they breathed hard, foreheads pressed together, absorbing each other. She wanted him so badly, but she didn’t speak and neither did he. They just breathed, energy coursing through her body, completely lost to her surroundings.

From a nearby tree Sebastian watched their display of passion with delight. He hadn’t expected this but he could definitely use it to his advantage. It could be fun to torment Jo, to make sure he had no desire to return to his former life. And he could have fun in other ways; he could expose Daniel, and watch