A strong nudge in my shoulder had me jerking awake. I blinked a few times to clear my line of vision.
"Wake up, sleeping beauty. We've got t-minus- four hours to get this shindig on the road, and I ain't lookin' for any trouble," Dean said gruffly.
I nodded and got out of the car, stopping to stretch. My gaze caught Castiel's over the top of the car and I frowned.
"You got a tux for tonight, ass hat?," I asked.
I felt Sam pinch my arm.
"Ouch!"
"Be nice. He's got all he needs. Your appointment is in the salon inside the hotel, right?"
I nodded.
"Alright, you and Castiel need to go check in. You're newlyweds, remember that! Pretend like you two like each other for Christ's sake, and make it good. Sammy and I are gonna go park the car around the corner, and we'll meet you at your room," Dean said as he glared at the both of us.
"How exactly are you two gonna make it into our rooms? The security is off the charts here," I asked.
Dean rolled his eyes and clapped his hands together.
"Don't worry about it. Come on you two, get cozy."
I slipped my sweatshirt from my body and fluffed my hair before dabbing on some chapstick.
"Alright, do I look doe-eyed and in love?," I asked sarcastically, moving towards Castiel and wrapping an arm around his waist.
His blue eyes could have burned a hole through my soul, they were watching me so intensely. I sighed and ran a hand through his hair, making it stand on end.
"Ya gotta look properly fucked, Cas. Quit glarin' at me. I'm only tryin' to pass as married folk," I spat. He relaxed into my hold and nodded his head.
"Good, see? You two will get along just fine," Sam said with a smirk. I smiled.
"Mhm. Right. Come on, twinkle toes, let's get movin'," I said with a twist of my lips. He glared at me, and I squeezed his waist.
"After you, sweetheart."
He walked ahead of me, and I slipped my hand into his. He glanced back at me and I grinned. Surprisingly, his hold on me tightened when we entered the foyer. This hotel had to be the nicest I'd ever seen; the floors and walls were marble, surrounding by glittering chandeliers and plenty of eye candy. An intriguing man wearing a suit with the most gorgeous jawline I'd ever seen caught my eye, and Castiel had to jerk my arm for me to pay attention to what we were doing.
"A little more discretion, please. As far as everyone here is concerned, you are my wife," He hissed under his breath.
Damn, he's right.
"You're right. Sorry," I said as I pressed my body against his side and tucked myself under his neck. He wrapped his free arm around my waist and planted a smile on his face. It surprised me, the smile, because never since we'd met had he smiled at me.
Well, he isn't now...he's more like smiling near me.
"Hello, Welcome to the Luna Resort, are you checking in?"
The concierge smiled at us, and I looked up at Castiel through long lashes.
"We sure are! On our honeymoon," I said breathily.
I grabbed a handful of Castiel's ass and squeezed. I was hoping to get a shocked reaction out of him, but instead he surprised me when he dipped me in his strong grasp and kissed me like he'd been doing it for years.
His mouth moved over mine like we were old lovers, and the flame that lit inside of me was far hotter than I could have ever imagined.
"I've been tryin' to get this lady to say yes to me for years," He told the concierge as he righted our stance and pulled me in close. His blue eyes sparked with something unrecognizable, but before I could decipher it, he was smiling and taking our room key into his free hand. Once we rounded the corner that led us to our room, he moved away from me like I suffered from leprosy.
"Was the rough handling of my derriere necessary?," He scowled at me.
"Oh, please. Was that Casanova kiss necessary?"
He didn't reply, so I scoffed.
"I don't get you. Why do you dislike me so much? I've never done anything to you!," I threw over my shoulder as I snatched the key from his hand and slid it into the door, sighing with relief when I saw that blinking green light.
I was only in the room for twenty seconds before I saw Dean's grinning face through the glass of the sliding doors that led to the balcony. Before Castiel could answer, I saw Sam's goofy grin as him and Dean proceeded to dance in front of the glass sliding doors, both of them pressing their denim clad asses against the glass. I rolled my eyes and chuckled, not surprised to hear the door behind me slam closed. With nothing but a peek in Castiel's direction, I headed for the doors, unlocking them and sliding them open.
"Don't ya need to head to your appointment?," Dean asked me. I slammed a palm against my forehead.
"Shit, yeah. I'm gonna have them charge it to the room, is that cool?"
Sam wrapped an arm around me and kissed my cheek.
"You were right earlier, Mel. You deserve a day to feel like a real woman. Do whatever you want, don't worry about the price."
I felt my lower lip quiver for a moment as my eyes met Castiel's. His blue eyes were sweeping over my face as if he was reading a map- intense, searching, determined.
I looked back at the two loves of my life, in a strictly platonic sense, and smiled.
"Be back later."
With nary but a nod of their heads, I stepped into the hallway, and headed down towards the elevator.
Apparently there was a ghost in our midst; a ghost who was luring people to their deaths by convincing them to jump off the roof of this hotel. So far we had no leads as to how the crafty spirit was doing it. Wouldn't think a fine establishment like this could be haunted, but I've learned to expect the unexpected in every situation.
Tonight there was a ball happening- a real life ball- and the only way we could get in was if we booked a room.
Getting a room here was harder than any of us wanted to admit, and being that it was a couples only ball- Sam and Dean were out. And since Castiel had no idea how to hunt a nasty spirit...that left us two to play husband and wife.
Joy, joy, joy to the motherfucking world.
The ball was themed, of course, and black tie.
Gag me.
The only 'black tie' events I attend generally involve Chip'n Dale dancers...
When I stepped into the salon, three women turned towards me with smiles on their faces.
"Do you have an appointment?," The youngest of the three asked. I nodded.
"I do. Under the name Melody."
She smiled, nodding her perfectly coiffed blonde head, and I sighed with relief when she gestured for me to follow her back to a chair.
"Alright, do we have any idea what we're doing today?"
I cleared my throat before I shrugged.
"No idea. It's been a while."
She nodded, lifting a few stray strands of hair from my messy bun
"How about we agree that you'll trust me, and I won't let you down?"
Her voice held all the sweetness you'd expect in a cupcake, so I just nodded.
"Perfect."
Hours later, I stood tugging at a dress that was far tighter than I'd thought I'd be wearing. The crimson material suited my personality better than I wanted to admit, and all three of the ladies that had greeted me with smiles hours ago were practically in tears- and I didn't blame them. I looked completely different- and decidedly more feminine- than I had upon entering this salon.
My dark hair now held three different shades of blonde. It was permed into a wildly wavy texture, which added volume and femininity to my usually flat and boring hair. At first, I hadn't been sure that's what I'd wanted- to look like a 'girly girl' when all I usually could afford to do was tie my hair back, throw on some worn out jeans, and tug on a t-shirt.
"You look breathtakin', Melody."
The oldest of the three women, Lana, was the sweetest southern belle I'd ever met. She came forward to tug at the beaded hem of my floor length gown.
I felt like I was in Pretty Woman.
Celeste, the petite blonde who'd done my hair, brought to me two gorgeous ruby earrings.
"These match perfectly, and don't worry- they're CZ's. Not nearly as expensive as you'd imagine," She giggled. I smiled, turning to glance at myself in the mirror once she was done.
My mouth fell open.
For the first time in months I was wearing makeup- and not drugstore makeup either. My skin looked flawless, all my tiny freckles completely gone from view. My blue eyes were dialed up to ten, surrounded by thick black lashes and smokey neutral shadow. I wasn't one to wear red lipstick either, but the dark red shade that painted my lips was absolutely perfect for the ensemble.
And said ensemble, the dress- it was beautiful.
Gorgeous.
It was mermaid style (at least that's what Lana told me), and it draped over my skin tightly. Low cut and covered in shimmering beads, it sparkled no matter what direction I turned in. It spilt from the thigh to the floor, and trailed behind me when i took a step forward to look at myself more closely.
"Melody, honey, I hate to rush ya- but the ball is about to start," Caroline, the third musketeer said. I smiled at all of them and fluffed my now curly hair.
"Do I look okay?"
They all gushed, waving their hands at my insecurities.
"You look perfect, honey. Don't sweat it! Your man won't be able to keep his eyes or his hands off ya!," Lana said with a wink. I blushed, I think, it had been so long- but my cheeks felt hot, and after blotting my lipstick, I turned, and headed towards the door.
"Thank you so much, for everything," I said sincerely.
They all hugged me, dabbed me with some expensive perfume that made me smell like sex on a stick, and pushed me towards the door.
Suddenly, I had butterflies- what if Cas hated it? What if he didn't even notice? Why did that matter?
I took a deep breath and pushed the doors to the salon open, taking a step out into the hallway. It was packed full of pompous couples wearing black tuxedos and gowns similar in taste to mine. I was wringing my hands in front of me, searching the crowded hallways, when I saw him.
Castiel.
My-God? He looked...
He was wearing a tuxedo, of course. His usually unruly hair was combed over to the side, swept off of his handsome face. He was fidgeting with his bow tie, looking around the room absently. I stiffened my stance, smiling his way.
He was perfect.
When his blue eyes landed on mine, he froze. His head canted to the side, as if he was assessing me with every molecule in his body, and then he walked towards me. As he neared me, his expression changed again, similar to when he'd kissed me. Besides a nod of his head however, he didn't say a thing about my appearance.
"Sam and Dean are scouring the upper levels for clues. Let us proceed," He said softly, planting a hand on my lower back. I felt a jolt and I gasped, moving away from his lingering hand.
His blue eyes moved over me once more, but again, he didn't say anything.
"You're a real ladies man, ain't ya?," I sneered, taking his arm into my hand and nudging him forward. His brow furrowed.
"What do you mean?"
"I just spent four hours getting primped, pasted, and played with, Castiel. I'm wearing a dress that's so expensive I blocked the price from my memory, and I'm wearing fake eyelashes! My damn scalp is still tingling from the perm they gave me, and you have no comment on how I look?," I spat.
Again, his eyes moved over me, but before he could comment two bellhops opened the doors that led to the ballroom.
I sucked in a breath, a smile falling onto my red lips. I looked over at Cas, not caring one twit if he thought it was beautiful too, I was going to enjoy myself.
The ballroom was large, and from every crevice hung twinkling lights. It looked like we were in a constellation all our own. The lighting was soft and romantic. There was a live band playing, and everywhere I looked there were happy couples dancing and smiling. It hit me hard then, that I wished more than anything that I could be spending my real honeymoon there.
With someone who could actually stand me.
Shit, even Sam or Dean would do.
"Let us sit," Castiel said.
I snorted.
"Seat yourself, your highness. I'm grabbin' myself a drink, and then I'm going to convince someone to dance with me, because you know what?"
I turned to face him as I finished."
"I. Look. Amazing!," I said heatedly, every word punctuated by a sharp poke to his chest.
His very muscular chest.
His gaze darkened marginally, his nostrils flaring and his mouth pursing.
His grip on my arm tightened and I inhaled sharply as he pulled me into his chest.
"I forgot just how stubborn you can be. Very well, Melody. Fashion yourself a drink, and then we shall dance. I do hope you know how," He sneered, releasing me quickly and snagging himself a glass of champagne from a passing waiter's tray. I swallowed, glancing around the room, before I made my way towards what looked like an open bar.
For a moment I pondered Castiel's reaction, and the fact that he was extremely unaffected by my make-over; which I loved.
I was just about to take my drink from the bartender when a warm hand landed on top of mine.
"You're absolutely ravishing," I heard. The english accent sent a shiver down my spine and I turned to see the eye-candy from earlier.
"Thank you," I breathed.
He nodded and led my hand to his mouth where he placed a gentle kiss.
"My name is Trent. It's lovely to meet you...?"
"Melody," I replied, smiling.
At least someone likes my makeover.
He dropped my hand and held his arm out towards me.
"Melody, I would be delighted if you would grace me with the honor of a dance-,"
"That won't be necessary. Please step away from my wife," I heard.
The gravel in Castiel's voice- now that sent a shiver down my spine.
The anger I heard radiating from Castiel almost had me rolling my eyes, until I felt his hand wrap around my waist and yank me into his side. I turned to apologize to Trent, who was already gone.
"Was that really necessary?," I asked.
"We are supposed to be married! Why must you flirt with every man that happens to glance in your direction?," Castiel said angrily. I rolled my eyes and tossed my hair over my shoulder.
"First of all, that's the same man from earlier so stop acting like I've got hordes of men waiting to fuck me! And second, why do you care? We're in, they all think we're married, boo hoo. He asked me to dance, that's it!," I whisper-screamed.
Castiel's eyes narrowed, and then he took a step closer to me.
"Do you have any inclination as to what the men in this room are thinking at this very moment Melody, when their eyes meet the image that you are?"
He'd whispered this to me, and for the life of myself I had no idea what to say.
"They want to peel that striking dress from your body, and place their mouths on your soft skin," Castiel said as he gently ran a knuckle across my cheek.
He placed a hand on my ass and tugged my body into his.
"They want to bury themselves inside of your tight little body, and consume you whole," Castiel murmured as his blue eyes burned through mine.
I wasn't exactly sure which was more shocking- the things he was saying, or the way his hand fit perfectly against the curve of my derriere.
"Cas-what-"
"Do you believe me to be ignorant of humans and their lustful ways? Remember, I had my time as a human. I remember what lust it, and how it feels, Melody."
"Okay, but Cas, I don't know-"
"Don't play coy, Melody. If it's to be touched that you want, I'll touch you. If it's to be consumed whole, then I shall do that too. Keep in mind, however, that I've had many years to practice- do not mistake me for a fool. If you changed your appearance for me then I must tell you that I think you look absolutely mouthwatering- however, I would like it to be known that I enjoy you in your natural state too," He said fiercely.
I opened my mouth, but no words came out.
His blue eyes dropped to my mouth, and for a moment, I thought he was going to kiss me.
Instead, he ran his thumb across my bottom lip, and looked into my eyes again.
"I have not been an angel again for very long, Melody. The idea of tasting your skin affects me more than you shall ever know- the temptation is absolutely maddening. Yet you are not like me- I will not make a connection with you if it is only temporary. All I ask of you is that you keep that information in the forefront of your mind before you let Trent Hemsworth of all creatures taste you instead."
If anything could make me speechless, that was it.
And speechless I was.