Sweet Temptation

CHAPTER 32

“Was Chad able to give you anything to go on?” Angelina asked as they headed upstairs after arriving back at The House.

She flipped on the lights in the bedroom and stood inside the doorway as Micah passed her.

“He faxed over all his notes from the reports you filed in Miami. He’s doing some follow-up in the department records. Seeing if there have been any other reports of stalking in the Miami area that match your guy’s MO. He’s digging back five years, so it’ll take some time. He’ll get back to me as soon as he gets the information.”

“And what about here?” she asked softly. “Are our guys coming up with anything?”

“They processed Serena for trace but didn’t come up with anything. This guy is good. Damon has beefed up security again because PD can’t afford to spare the kind of manpower necessary to monitor everyone involved.”

Micah tossed his keys onto the nightstand and pulled Angelina into his arms. He rested his chin on top of her head and sighed.

“I know this is hard on you, Angel girl, but it’ll be over soon. He’ll screw up. He’ll get impatient and then we’ll nail his ass to the wall.”

She nodded against his chest.

Micah pulled her away and grasped her shoulders, his gaze intense as he stared down at her.

“I need you to think, Angel. I know we’ve been over this, but you have to be missing something, somewhere. I want you to start from the beginning. I want a list of people you talked to even on a casual basis back in Miami. Someone had to know you were leaving. Where you were going. He found you much too quickly.”

Angelina put her hands to her eyes and rubbed tiredly. A pulse beat painfully at her temples, and an ache centered her forehead and drew her features in tight.

“I don’t know,” she said helplessly. “I know I never told anyone what my plans were. Not even Mama Rose. I secretly made my arrangements and then I left.”

Micah went rigid at the mention of Mama Rose, and in her exhaustion she had just let it slip out. Her heart sank as she saw the total shock and outrage reflected in his features.

“What the hell do you know about Mama Rose?” he asked in a soft dangerous voice.

He backed away, arms crossed over her chest, his eyes glittering with anger.

“It was you, wasn’t it?” he asked before she could respond. “Goddamn it, Angelina, it was you! You were there each time. How the hell did you even know?”

His voice cracked through the room like a shot. He stalked forward, his entire body bristling. Anger rolled off him in waves. There was such fury in his eyes.

“You had no right. No right!” he seethed.

“Micah, please,” she begged softly.

If only she could take it back. She hadn’t ever intended him to know that it had been her in that Miami club, to know that it had been her lovingly kissing his bare flesh with the whip. She’d known it then as well as now that he would never want what he perceived as a weakness to be revealed to anyone. It was private. It was him grieving. It was him baring his soul.

“Get out.”

He turned his back and his hand went to his hair in agitation. “I don’t give a damn where you go, but get the hell away from me. I’m tired of being manipulated by you.”

Every ounce of blood drained from her face. She followed him across the room and put her hand on his arm, only wanting to comfort, to apologize, to somehow make it right.

He flinched away and then rounded again. “Out.” He flung his hand toward the door to emphasize his demand.

Numb to her toes, she slowly walked out of the bedroom, grabbing her purse as she went. Next she found herself standing outside beside her car, with no memory of coming down the stairs. The cool autumn air blew across the tears on her cheeks and caused her to shiver involuntarily.

She fumbled with the door and got inside the car. For a moment she sat there, her hands on the steering wheel, her forehead resting on the backs of her hands.

Get out.

His harsh words echoed through her mind, and she winced at the anger, the loathing in his voice.

Knowing she had to get away before she completely lost her composure, she cranked the engine and drove down the winding driveway. She pulled onto the highway and accelerated until The House disappeared in her rearview mirror.

She clutched the steering wheel like a lifeline. Where could she go? The smart thing to do would be to keep driving. Lose herself in another city where hopefully the maniac wouldn’t find her. But she also knew she was in no shape to do that tonight.

She had to be smart and not make mistakes that could cost her her life. Which left the question open of where to go right now.

He was out there. Waiting. He’d gotten to Serena with surprising ease. Angelina was alone. An easy target.

Her head throbbed, and her nose felt swollen to twice its normal size thanks to the tears she was fighting. Staying alone anywhere would be suicidal and just plain stupid. Maybe she could go camp out in the police station until morning.

She shook her head. Nathan was staying at Julie’s, and she had no idea where Julie lived. Ditto for Faith and Serena. Which left Connor. She’d feel a lot better about asking him for help over one of the girls. She’d already put them in enough danger. As much as she hated the idea of going back to a place she knew the stalker had been, she didn’t have a choice.

The drive was a blank in her mind. She navigated in a daze. By the time she pulled into the apartment complex, she was wound so tight she thought she might burst. She parked beside Connor’s truck and glanced nervously around. Not seeing anyone, she took a deep breath and bolted from the car.

She ran up the walkway to Connor’s door and banged her fist on the wood. Her other hand went to the doorbell, and she punched the button repeatedly.

Jittering impatiently as she waited, she stared from side to side, looking for anyone lurking in the shadows.

The door flew open and Connor stood there in gym shorts, no shirt and no shoes, a dark scowl on his face.

“What the—” He broke off when he saw her.

He reached for her wrist and yanked her inside the apartment. He released her long enough to shut and lock the door and then he turned back to her, gripping her shoulders.

“Are you all right? What happened? Where the hell is Micah?”

Despite the firm grip her teeth had on her bottom lips, tears welled in her eyes.

Connor herded her into the living room and pushed her down onto one of the leather sofas.

“Talk to me, sweetie,” he said in a gentle voice.

Some of his calm invaded her, and she took several steadying breaths. Despite his calm, she noticed that he gripped his cell phone as if he were ready to place a call the instant she told him what was wrong.

“Nothing’s happened,” she said. “Micah is fine. He’s pissed but he’s fine.”

Connor relaxed just a bit, but his brows drew together in confusion. “Where is he? Why the hell are you out by yourself?”

She closed her eyes. “He told me to get out so I left. If I wasn’t so tired, I would have just kept on driving. It’s what I should have done.”

Connor’s mouth worked up and down, and his right eye twitched. He raised a hand to his head and ran it raggedly over his hair. Finally he found his voice, only to spit out a string of expletives.

“What the ever-loving fuck? He told you to get out when some crazed asshole is stalking you?”

Her lips turned down into a sad frown. “He had good reason.”

For a minute she thought Connor was going to explode. He was absolutely furious.

“There is no reason he should have thrown you out. I don’t care what you did to piss him off.”

“He was right,” she said in a small voice. “I’ve manipulated him at every turn, but I didn’t mean ...” She closed her eyes and bowed her head. “I never meant to hurt him.”

“Christ,” Connor muttered.

He moved beside her on the couch and pulled her into his arms.

“Do I even want to know what the hell you supposedly did that warranted him tossing you out to face some crazed lunatic on your own? Because I can’t think of any goddamn reason to justify it.”

“I can’t tell you,” she said against his chest. “He’s pissed enough that I know.”

Connor pulled her away and stared fiercely back at her. “You don’t owe him a goddamn thing. Not now.”

Connor’s cell phone rang, and he yanked his gaze to the coffee table, where he’d placed it.

He scowled. “It’s Micah.”

She pulled away and hugged herself protectively.

Connor shook his head and reached for the phone.

“What the fuck do you want?” he snarled into the phone.

“Have you seen Angelina?”

It was said so loud that Angelina could hear every word. He sounded so furious.

“Yeah, I’ve seen her. I’m looking at her now.”

“Sit on her until I get there.”

Connor pulled the phone away in surprise. “Asshole hung up on me.”

She nodded miserably, knowing that round two with Micah was coming.

She stiffened her spine. Some of her shock melted away, replaced by her own anger. No way in hell she was going to apologize for loving someone.

Micah roared into the apartment complex parking lot and whipped into the space next to Angelina’s car. His anger over her revelation had quickly fled and been replaced by gut-wrenching fear the minute he realized she’d left.

He wanted to shake her until her teeth rattled and then he wanted to spank her ass.

He holstered his pistol in his shoulder harness and stepped out of the truck. He hadn’t worn a weapon since he’d left Miami and yet it still felt like second nature. An extension of himself. Some things never changed.

He hurried to Connor’s door and rapped sharply. The door opened immediately, and Connor stood there looking for the world like he wanted to beat Micah’s ass.

Micah sighed and brushed past his friend. “Where is she?”

“I put her to bed. She probably cried herself to sleep.”

Micah winced. Talk about playing dirty.

“What the fuck were you doing, Micah?” Connor asked in a dangerously low voice. “Have you lost your goddamn mind? I don’t give a shit what she did to piss you off. You’re a fucking bastard for tossing her out when some asshole is after her.”

Micah mentally counted to ten. He had no desire to get into a damn fight with Connor over a misunderstanding. He sat down on the couch and rubbed the back of his neck. Hell, how had it come to this? Not an hour ago, he’d planned a night of making love to Angelina. Now everything had gone to hell, and he wasn’t sure how to fix it.

“Look, man, I’m guilty of getting pissed. I’m guilty of losing my temper and I’m guilty of hurting her feelings, but goddamn it, I did not kick her out of the house. I told her to get out. I meant of the room. I was pissed. Hell yes. She has the uncanny knack of making me insane. I swear to God no one else can make me react like her. But I’d never do anything to put her in danger.”

The corner of Connor’s mouth lifted. “What did she do to piss you off so bad?”

Relief made him fold inward. Angelina hadn’t told Connor everything. Of course she wouldn’t. She was intensely loyal. Head-strong, courageous and loyal to her bones.

“No offense, man, but that’s between me and Angelina.”

Connor shrugged. “Look, it’s no secret I feel protective of Angelina, and when she showed up on my doorstep it was hard not to want to kick your ass. You have no idea how close you came to losing her,” he said seriously. “She said she started to just drive and keep on driving, but she was tired and distraught and had the common sense to know she needed a safe place to stay.”

Micah’s knees went weak. God. He rubbed his forehead and then gripped the bridge of his nose between his fingers.

“Son of a bitch. Swear to God I’m going to spank her ass,” he muttered.

Connor chuckled. “I’d pay money to see that.”

“She doesn’t need to be here. It’s not safe.”

“Agreed. She’s in my bedroom.”

Micah’s jaw tightened. He was just enough of a Neanderthal that it set him off to even think of her all snuggled up in another man’s bed, whether the man was there or not.

“Relax, man. I didn’t have any other place to put her.” Connor watched him shrewdly through narrowed eyes. “You’ve got it bad for her.”

Micah’s mouth opened in a snarl. But then he snapped it shut again. He wasn’t even going to dignify that with a response. If he did, Connor would just be convinced he was right.

Keeping a tight leash on his irritation, he got up and headed for Connor’s bedroom. It was dark, but there was just enough light coming from the cracked bathroom door that he could make out her outline.

He closed in, reaching for the lamp beside the bed. Soft light poured over her features. She flinched and screwed up her eyes but didn’t wake up. She looked ... vulnerable. His gut twisted into a giant knot when he saw the redness under her eyes. Connor was right. She’d been crying.

He cursed softly under his breath and then leaned down to kiss her cheek.

“Angel girl,” he whispered. “Wake up. Time to go home.”

She roused, blinking sleepily as she stared up at him. He knew the moment recognition set in because her eyes lost their sheen. Her lips trembled, and so help him God, if she started crying again, he was a goner.

So he did the only thing he knew to do. He kissed her.

He caught her gasp of surprise and swallowed it up. Not giving her any time to protest, he licked over her lips and then plunged inside. Warm and moist and so damn sweet.

She wrenched away and scooted backward across the bed, her eyes shooting daggers at him. And she definitely wasn’t crying.

“Go to hell, Micah.”

She hissed and spit like an angry kitten. A broad smile attacked his face at the image, which only served to piss her off more.

“You think it’s funny?”

He molded his features into a solemn expression and regarded her as earnestly as he could.

“I don’t find you running around the streets of Houston when a madman is on the loose funny at all.”

“You told me to get out,” she accused.

Micah sighed. “Angel girl, I was pissed off. I wanted you to get out. Of the room, not the house! I needed a few minutes to breathe because I didn’t want to tear a strip off your hide in my temper. I don’t remember you being this sensitive before.”

She gaped incredulously at him, and then before he could defend himself, she smacked him with a pillow. Hard. “It’s my fault because I’m sensitive?”

He reached over to snatch the pillow before she could launch it again. He snagged her wrist and held it in front of her and then slid on the bed next to her.

“Look, Angel. I’ve got a temper. I lost it. You dropped a bomb. I didn’t react well. I can’t apologize for reacting the way I did, but I can guarantee you it will happen again. You seem to have the knack of getting under my skin like no one else.”

“What the hell kind of apology is that?” she demanded.

Again he sighed. They were getting nowhere and he wanted to get her back to The House pronto. Ignoring the small fist beating his chest, he simply swept her up in his arms and strode toward the living room.

“Let me down,” she said behind gritted teeth.

Micah nodded to Connor as they past. “Get the door for me?”

Connor’s lips were twisted in amusement, but to his credit, he didn’t say anything. He opened the door for them and waved at Angelina.

“See you later, sweetie.”

“Traitor!” she hissed.

Micah dumped her into his truck and then pointed a finger at her. “You don’t move. I swear to God, Angelina, if you so much as try to get out of this truck, I’ll tan your ass like there’s no tomorrow, and furthermore I’ll enjoy it.”

She stared rigidly ahead as he slammed the door. He hurried around to the driver’s side and slid in beside her.

Not wanting to waste any more time in plain sight, he started the engine and pulled out of the lot.

“I won’t apologize,” she said stiffly. “I know you’re pissed, and maybe you have the right, but I refuse to apologize for caring about you.”

His chest caved in just a little bit at the ferocity of her words.

“Damn but you know how to take the wind out of someone’s sails,” he grumbled. “It’s damn hard to stay pissed at you when you come at me like that.”

She frowned harder at him.

“I’m not nearly as pissed at you over Mama Rose—but don’t think we won’t talk about it again—as I am over you leaving alone. Damn it, Angel, he could have gotten to you and there isn’t a damn thing I could have done about it!”

“You told me to leave.”

“Hell, I tell you a lot of things and you don’t ever seem to think you have to listen. Why on earth would you pick now to become all obedient on me?”

Her lips twitched suspiciously and she looked away to hide her smile.

He reached over to take her hand. “I never meant for you to take it so literally, but you know what? Even if I had meant it, you should have told me to go to hell just like you’re telling me now and you should have locked yourself in another room for three days and withheld sex if you really wanted to punish me.”

Her shoulders shook. She dragged a hand through her long, unruly hair and looked at him with a grimace. “So you’re saying I overreacted.”

He shrugged. “We were both upset. I’m just saying you should have stood your ground. You’ve never had that problem before.”

“I’ve never cared about someone this much before.”

His chest tightened, his throat closed off, and he gripped the steering wheel all the more tightly.

“Don’t care about me, Angel,” he said hoarsely. “Save your love for someone else.”

“It doesn’t work that way,” she said calmly.

Micah shook his head as if he could shake off her words. He didn’t want this. Didn’t want to become emotionally involved, and he didn’t want to hurt her. He’d been honest with her. Brutally so. Sex was all he could offer her. Sex and his domination. How the hell was that a substitute for love? He’d had love once, and he damn well knew sex was a piss-poor substitute.

He was still inwardly seething when they pulled up to The House. Angelina started to open her door, but he stopped her by grabbing her wrist.

“Don’t get any ideas of running and hiding from me now, Angel girl. It’s time to pay the piper.”