Angel and the Assassin

himself, he
    turned his head and nuzzled the nipple closest to his face. With his lips he tugged
    on it. Daddy had hard muscles with no fat over them. Angel opened his mouth wide,
    taking in all he could, his tongue lapping at the nipple as he sucked firmly and
    steadily. When at length he opened his eyes and looked up, he saw Daddy gazing
    down at him, his expression puzzled and yet without judgment. His voice was soft
    when he asked, “What are you doing, sweetheart?”
    “I don‟t know, Daddy,” Angel said. “I‟m sorry.”

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    “I don‟t want you to be sorry. It‟s fine. It‟s all right. You‟re my boy. Daddy‟s
    boy.”

    Angel and the Assassin
    195

    Chapter Twenty-two

    “Angel, be careful; you‟ll end up in the water!”
    Angel looked over his shoulder and grinned at Kael and his mum. “Daddy, I‟m
    fine. Stop worrying.”
    “Kael, leave him alone, love. You‟re his boyfriend, not his headmaster. He‟s a
    clever boy. He won‟t do anything stupider than you did at his age.”
    “That‟s what I‟m worried about.” Kael said. They sat on a bench near Tower
    Bridge watching Angel leaning over the railing to look at the fast-flowing water of
    the Thames. After the New Year‟s party at Conran‟s house, they had got out of the
    taxi to walk along the river.
    “I don‟t want to be nosy, Kael, but why does he call you Daddy?”
    “Because I take care of him.” He‟d known his mum would ask that at some
    point, but he had no intention of going into any details. They had had a wonderful
    Christmas together at Kael‟s flat. His mum loved Angel, just as he knew she would.
    In the morning she was going back to Liverpool, but he wanted to tell her about a
    decision he had come to. “Mum, I‟m not going to be traveling so much in the future.
    I‟m going to start teaching so I can spend more time with Angel and we can visit
    you more often.”
    She looked at him, surprised. “That‟s lovely, son; what will you teach?”
    “Languages,” he said. And how to kill with your hands and to withstand
    torture if you get captured.
    “You were always good at that, son.”
    Kael had never told his mother he worked for SIS, but she was not stupid. She
    knew he worked in some covert capacity, but she never questioned him. He had
    made the decision not to go into the field anymore, and he had insisted even when
    Conran pointed out that he would never be happy or satisfied unless he was putting
    himself in danger. As the weeks had passed, he felt more protective than ever of his
    boy. He would never allow Angel to be put in danger again.
    “Sharon, look at me!” Angel called. He had climbed up on the railing and was
    waving at her. Kael leaped up and ran over to grab him by the arm. “Get down.” He
    leaned in close to his face. “After what I went through to get you back, do you think
    I‟m going to let you kill yourself?”
    Angel met his eyes. “So that‟s what this is all about.”
    “What?”

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    “Daddy, you have been acting like I‟m made out of glass for the last few
    months.”
    “You nearly died,” he whispered. “You could have been killed.”
    Angel grinned, wrapping his arms around Kael‟s waist. “Do you love me,
    Daddy?” he asked in a teasing voice.
    Impatient, Kael took his arms, pushing him away. “You know perfectly well I
    love you; now stop acting like an idiot.” They must both look like idiots standing
    beside the Tower of London in tuxedos under a bright moon. Kael looked at his
    mum, who was laughing at them. Angel walked over to her, grinning, and she stood
    up. They began walking toward home.
    “Angel, what are you going to do with yourself now you can live here with
    Kael?”
    “I‟m going to be a secret agent.” He laughed.
    Kael hated it when Angel skirted round the truth and made jokes. Sharon
    laughed with him. “Will you go to university or get a job?”
    “I can‟t go to university because I never went to high school,” Angel said.
    Kael had been shocked when Angel admitted that he had never gone to school
    after he went to live with his mother and Andresen, and nobody had made him. “We
    are going to work on his education first. Then he can think of a career.” Kael threw
    Angel a look that said, No more crap. Keep your mouth shut.
    They were exhausted by the time they kissed Sharon good night and got into
    bed.
    Kael watched as Angel climbed in beside him. His blanket was tucked under
    his pillow,