Текст книги "Sweet Temptation"
Автор книги: Maya Banks
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Текущая страница: 9 (всего у книги 19 страниц)
CHAPTER 19
Neither Micah nor Connor had any liking for her statement. Both got this pinched look on their faces, and Micah reddened, looking like he was about to erupt.
“Don’t be stupid,” he growled.
Angelina sighed. “I was stupid to come here, Micah. I thought I was playing it smart. Had a plan in place. Was meticulous in its execution. I’d hoped I could come here, start a new life and forget the past. That was stupid. Leaving is smart.”
Micah gaped incredulously at her. Connor frowned and eased up from his chair.
“Think I’ll just go into the kitchen and let you two hash this out.”
Micah waited until Connor had left the room and then rose from the couch, crossed the room and took her shoulders in his hands.
“You aren’t leaving, Angel. Where the hell would you go?”
“Back to Chicago first. After that? Anywhere I want.”
He looked up at the ceiling, his cheeks puffing out with his breath.
She reached up and loosened his hands on her shoulders then stepped back, eager to put distance between them. He unnerved her when he got this close.
“Think about it, Micah. I’ve put a lot of people in danger here. Your friends. Their wives and girlfriends. I like Faith, Serena and Julie. They don’t deserve to have this brought to their front door. I’ve only been here a few days. Just a blip on the radar. I’ll be forgotten in a week and everyone can get on with their lives. It just makes sense.
He stared disbelievingly at her. “You really believe all that bullshit, don’t you?”
Her eyes narrowed and she frowned. “Look, I’m not being a martyr here, Micah. It’s stupid to involve all of you in this. It’s not your problem. It never was. I’m not an idiot. I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time. Did he scare me? Hell yes. I was terrified. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to be an easy target for him. I’m not a victim. I never will be. But I’m not stupid either. And I won’t allow your friends to get involved in this.”
“They’re your friends too,” Micah said.
She shook her head and sighed. “They’re loyal to you, Micah. They love you. They feel a certain responsibility to me because of my association with you.”
“Bull.”
“Let’s not argue,” she pleaded. “I need help planning a way to get out of town unnoticed. The sooner the better. He wouldn’t expect me to put together a plan this fast. If I could leave tonight, I’d get a jump on him while he’s still so pissed about missing me at the club.”
Micah closed the distance between them again. “You don’t get it, do you? You aren’t leaving, Angel. I bailed on you once. It won’t happen again.”
“Guilt is bullshit,” she snapped. “I don’t need it. Don’t want it.”
“Fuck guilt. Guilt isn’t what I’m feeling right now. I’m so pissed I can’t see straight. You think I’m thinking about David right now? Or Hannah? Or the fact that I walked out on you when you needed me the most? Hell no. I’m thinking about what would happen if that bastard got his hands on you. I’m thinking about how the fuck I’m going to keep you safe. I’m thinking about how I can keep you close and not take you over.”
Her belly fluttered in awareness and a tingle snaked its way up her spine. He looked so furious, so intense. So focused on her. She shivered as goose bumps raced across her arms, her breasts, beading her nipples into tight little knots.
“You’re so sure that I’m a mindless puppet who’d be content to let you pull my strings, that I’d be some brainless rag doll. No wonder you don’t want me, Micah. I wouldn’t want me either if I thought those things.”
“I don’t think that,” he growled.
Her mouth twisted. “I’m capable of making my own decisions. David didn’t raise me to be a fool. I know precisely what I’d be walk ing into with you, and yet you’re so determined to be noble and save me from myself. Personally I think it’s all bullshit. You’re not saving anyone but yourself. You’re scared of the way I make you feel because you don’t want to feel anything. Okay, fine, but quit being a coward and pretending this is all about me and what I’m not getting. Man up and tell me you don’t want me, but quit making excuses.”
For a moment she thought she’d pushed him too far. He stepped forward and she retreated. They repeated the process until her back met the wall and there was nowhere else to go.
He pressed against her, his body melding with hers.
“Oh, I want you,” he said in a hoarse, raspy voice. “I want you so goddamn much I ache. But I can’t give you what you deserve, Angel. All I can offer you is sex. Fucking. I can’t be any more honest than that. You deserve more than that from a man—any man. I want you. No doubt. But I can only give you so much.”
“If that’s all you have to give then that’s what I’ll take,” she said calmly.
Micah swore and looked away. “Goddamn it, Angel. Tell me no. Send me packing. Tell me you never want to see me again. Find a man who can give you everything, body and soul. Tell me no.”
She reached up to touch his lips. “I’ll never tell you no, Micah. You think I don’t know you, that I don’t understand you, that I can’t handle what you’ll throw at me. You’re wrong.”
He placed his hands on either side of her neck, his thumbs brushing her cheeks, his fingers thrust into her hair.
“Be sure, Angel girl. Be very sure this is what you want. I’ll own you. There’s no part of you that won’t belong to me.”
Her heart did a crazy flip and damn near burst out of her chest.
“Don’t you know, Micah? I’ve always belonged to you.”
His pupils flared, and a predatory light gleamed in his dark eyes.
“You go nowhere and I mean nowhere without me until we nail this bastard,” he said. “There’ll be no more talk of you leaving. You’re mine and I protect what’s mine.”
She swallowed and nodded, her eyes never leaving his.
“We can’t stay here, but until I work something out, you’ll stick with me at all times.”
“Okay,” she said huskily.
There was savage triumph in every line of his face, the look of a predator who’d captured his prey. She might not mean anything to him on an emotional level ... yet, but he wanted her, and pure male satisfaction greeted his conquest.
She belonged. Her own savage satisfaction gripped her, spreading like wildfire through her soul. Wholly and utterly to him. She didn’t fool herself into believing it was forever. He’d already set a time limit. They’d be forced into close proximity until her stalker was apprehended, and he was as willing to take advantage of the situation as she was. But he was already deciding to walk away when it was all said and done.
Determined not to dwell on things she couldn’t change, she opted instead to focus on the here and now and the fact that Micah was hers, even if only for a little while.
CHAPTER 20
Angelina stood in the corner of the big meeting room at Malone and Sons, where there were more people packed in than sardines in a can. The flurry of activity bewildered her. She’d expected Micah to turn over the letters to the police and then they’d wait to see where the investigation went, but this?
Micah, Connor, Nathan and Gray were sitting at one of the long tables, heads bent in conversation with four police officers. Even Damon was present, though he stood to the side, his hands in the pockets of his expensive slacks. Though his pose might seem bored, his eyes were tuned in to every nuance of the conversation going on.
Pop Malone sat at the head of the table, and every once in a while he waded into the conversation with his gruff, raspy voice.
There were three other men, not in uniform, who Angelina could only surmise were either off-duty cops or just friends of the group.
They were going through the notes, using gloves, discussing and analyzing the stalker like a bug under a microscope.
It wasn’t that police work was something new to her. She’d witnessed David and Micah and any number of other Miami cops deep into their cases. At any given time, Hannah had made dinner for a dozen cops when they were over discussing a particularly hard case.
But Angelina herself had never been the focus of any of it. Stalkers didn’t rate up there with rapists and murderers, and other than getting a restraining order, provided the identity was known, there wasn’t often a lot that could be done.
She wondered where Faith, Julie and Serena were. As fiercely protective as all the guys were, she couldn’t imagine they’d been left alone somewhere.
It was as though she’d been forgotten in the intensity of the meeting. She didn’t like standing on the edge, didn’t like the feeling of helplessness that gripped her. She didn’t like the idea of these people, Micah’s friends, her friends, putting themselves at risk for her.
It wasn’t until now that she’d realized how much she missed being part of the camaraderie and absolute loyalty of the police force David had belonged to. Until they’d turned away, thinking the worst of her brother.
“You want something to drink, sweetie?”
She blinked and looked up to see Connor standing in front of her. Her gaze went to the table, to see that the overall meeting was apparently over and now everyone had split into smaller groups, their heads bent in conversation.
“I’d love something with caffeine,” she admitted.
He curled his hand around the back of her neck and squeezed and massaged gently.
“You look tired. You just got out of the hospital. You need to be resting.”
“I’m not sure I’ll ever rest again,” she said honestly.
“We’re going to take care of you,” he promised. “Micah’s not going to let this asshole get to you.”
She wanted to believe it, but Micah was only one man. He wasn’t invincible. If intentions were all it took, then nothing would ever hurt her. Micah was fierce in his intent to protect her.
“Stay right here. I’ll get you a Coke.”
She smiled faintly. “I’m not going anywhere.”
If she stood any longer, she was going to collapse. Her legs felt all rubbery, and her knees trembled. Since there wasn’t a free chair in the room, she simply slid her back down the wall behind her until her butt hit the floor.
In the next instant, Micah crouched down in front of her, his worried gaze seeking hers.
“Hey, Angel girl, are you okay?” he asked softly.
When Connor arrived, Micah reached up to get the Coke he extended. He popped the tab and put the cold can in her hand.
She sipped gratefully at it. The adrenaline was definitely wearing off, and she was crashing hard.
“What’s the plan?” she asked after taking several gulps.
“I’ll tell you everything later. Right now I need to get you home. You’re dead on your feet.”
She shivered when he trailed a finger over her cheek. No matter how fatigued she was, her body jumped to life whenever he touched her. He was a craving, dark and erotic, one she had absolutely no control over.
His nostrils flared, and his features went tight. He felt it too, this intense connection that sizzled between them. Right now she could see the war he waged with himself. He was so readable. He wanted her. He wanted to take her and use her, but he also wanted to care for her. He thought her too weak and tired for what he wanted.
Didn’t he know that he was all she needed?
“Take me home,” she whispered.
He pulled her to her feet and tucked her securely against his side. Damon stopped them when they got to the door.
“I have an idea,” he said in a quiet voice.
“I’m listening,” Micah said.
“You and Angelina should stay at The House.”
Micah looked at Damon like he’d lost his mind.
“I’m not stashing her in a fucking sex club.”
“That’s just it,” Damon said patiently. “It’s probably the last place this asshole would look. Cover your tracks, take Angelina to The House. It has all the amenities. Kitchen, bathroom. You could have your choice of the upstairs bedrooms. I can close it to the public for as long as you need a place to stay. The security is impeccable, but I’m open to having your men do whatever updating or beefing up you feel is necessary.”
Micah rubbed his chin thoughtfully and then glanced down at Angelina. She could feel the tension in his body, coiled like a snake.
“It’s a good idea,” Micah admitted. “You’ve got enough surveillance there that no one could breathe on the place and get away with it.”
Damon nodded. “Take her there tonight. I can have Serena bring you both clothing and all the necessities tomorrow morning. The kitchen is stocked. I have a full staff, so you don’t have to worry about cooking or housekeeping.”
Micah shook his head. “I want everyone out. If I’m taking her there, it’ll be just her and me.”
“If that’s what you prefer. I’ll put my staff on vacation for as long as necessary.
Micah put his hand on Damon’s shoulder. “Thank you. I appreciate this.”
“We both do,” Angelina said.
Damon smiled at her, his brown eyes warm with affection.
“I consider Micah a very dear friend, even if he doesn’t allow me to make that claim very readily. I consider you a friend as well, Angelina. If there is anything either of you need, you have only to call.”
“Come on, Angel,” Micah said gently when she wobbled on her feet. “Let’s go get whatever we’ll need for tonight, and then we’ll see about losing any potential followers on our way to The House.”
“Do you really think he’s watching?” she asked in a troubled voice.
“I won’t lie. It’s a possibility. He was certainly watching the apartment complex. He knew just when you were alone, and he knew enough about Nathan’s association with you, and where Nathan lived, to warn him off.”
She shuddered and burrowed closer to his body. He squeezed her shoulder reassuringly.
“We’ll get him, Angel. You have a lot of people working this case.
She looked up at him. “I know you will. I trust you, Micah.”
“Let me tell the others what we’re doing and then we’ll get out of here.”
She nodded, and he left her briefly to go talk to the others.
“Are you going to be all right?” Damon asked.
“I don’t know,” she said truthfully. “I’m scared. More now than I was in Miami. There it was just me. Here there are more people involved. I don’t want anyone hurt.”
“You just worry about staying safe. Let us worry about ourselves.”
“Where are Serena and the others?” she asked.
Damon smiled, his teeth flashing white. “They’re unhappy with me at present, but I have them sequestered at my home with a very surly bodyguard who poses as a chauffeur.”
She had to suppress the urge to giggle. “I’m glad they’re safe.”
“As I said, don’t worry about them or us. We take care of our own. We’ll find this guy.” He gestured over his shoulder. “They have the manpower. I have unlimited capital. It’s a good combination. He won’t be able to hide forever.”
Angelina winced. “I feel like I already owe you all so much.”
Damon shrugged. “There is no debt. There is no price I wouldn’t pay to keep the ones I love safe. Serena is everything to me. Micah is one of my closest friends. And you are someone who needs the shelter of friendship most of all.”
She shook her head. “Unbelievable. I never dreamed people like you existed. All of you.” She waved her hand in a helpless circle. It honestly baffled her that all these people were willing to go to the wall for her.
“You ready?” Micah asked as he slipped up next to her again.
She nodded.
He brought her palm up to his lips and kissed it lightly. “Then let’s go.”
CHAPTER 21
When they pulled into the parking lot at The House, it was already empty. Lights glowed from the interior, a fact she was grateful for. She didn’t think she’d be comfortable going into any dark place at the moment.
Micah got out and she followed suit. His hand went to her back, and her skin danced in reaction as he hurried her toward the door.
She was riding high on stress-induced adrenaline coupled with intense arousal. She was exhausted and revved up all at the same time, and she knew she would never rest until she found release. And yet she couldn’t ask. Couldn’t demand. She was his to command, not the other way around.
They walked inside, and Micah hesitated in the hallway.
“Want something to eat or drink?”
She nodded and he turned her toward the kitchen at the far end of the facility. It was warm and inviting, like the rest of The House. Rich browns, soothing yellows. It amused her that a place devoted to such decadence had all the comforts of an inviting home.
She caught Micah’s gaze and shivered under the blatant awareness that flashed in his eyes. His nostrils flared slightly, and the tension rolling through his body was a tangible, breathing entity.
She met his stare levelly, allowing every ounce of her need to reach across the distance. He set the glass of juice he’d poured for her on the counter and stepped forward, his eyes glittering.
“Turn around,” he ordered.
Her nipples hardened. Her clit pulsed and swelled, and her breath caught painfully in her throat. She forced herself to breathe out as she slowly turned, presenting her back to him.
His hands closed over her shoulders. One hand worked up, tangling in her hair then sliding the heavy veil over her left shoulder, baring the curve of her neck.
Warm breath blew sensuously over her bare skin and then his teeth nipped and grazed at the slim column. Her knees threatened to buckle when he laved his tongue up the side to her earlobe and over the frantic pulse point, but he caught her firmly and pushed her forward toward the table.
Urgency invaded his movements. He bumped her into the table, bending her over when her stomach met the edge. His fingers caught clumsily at her pants, pulling, reaching around to release her fly.
As he yanked her jeans down over the curve of her behind, his other hand pressed firmly in the center of her back, holding her down.
Cool air blew over her ass, raising chill bumps. He left the jeans at the bend of her knees. One hand still held her down, but the other left her, and she heard the rustle of his own pants.
His legs bumped into the backs of hers, and his body pressed into hers, hard and fast. The back of his hand brushed urgently against her buttocks as he positioned his cock.
Before she could take a breath, he was on her, in her, so deep she cried out in shock.
He leaned in, his body covering hers, his hips slamming against her ass, the resounding smack echoing sharply through the kitchen.
After the initial frenzy, he slowed, withdrawing then pumping forward with methodical, forceful thrusts. Each time he withdrew, he paused until she let out a small whimper and then he powered forward, driving deep.
“Hands up,” he said harshly.
She placed her hands above her head, palms down on the flat surface of the table. Her entire body shook with the force of his next thrust. She closed her eyes. She was close. So close to bursting and he hadn’t even touched her intimately.
He was only intent on his pleasure. His taking was selfish and primitive, and she knew in a flash of understanding why. He was reinforcing his earlier statement.
All I can offer you is fucking.
She relaxed, giving herself over to him. Surrender. Acceptance. No way would he find any resistance. Pleasure washed over her in waves. He reached deep, his cock stretching her, filling her.
His body pressed dominantly over hers, his hips arching into her ass. His hand tangled in her hair, pulling as he strained to go even deeper.
No, he wasn’t concerned with her pleasure at the moment. She could feel the torment radiating from him. He acted. Did the only thing he knew to do to try and rid himself of the same vicious need that riddled her. Only she knew it would never go away. Never die.
Her fingers flexed and then curled into tight balls. Her head came up as he pulled relentlessly at her hair. She gasped as her orgasm built. The pressure was achingly fierce. His balls slapped against her mound with every lunge.
“Micah!”
“Mine,” he hissed.
She let out a small whisper of pain as he pulled harder at her hair, but it was forgotten as the storm gathered. Lightning surged, gathering in her pussy, exploding outward and surging into her belly.
As soon as she cried out again, he ripped himself from her spasming pussy. He yanked at her hair, pulling her from the table.
“On your knees,” he ordered.
Clumsily, she slid down his body, her muscles weak from her orgasm. She caught herself by grasping his knees. Even as she settled herself, he strengthened his grip at the back of her neck and tilted her head up.
He grasped his turgid erection with his free hand and forced his way past her lips. She barely had time to gasp a breath before he filled her. Her cheeks puffed outward, and she forced herself to relax so she could accommodate him fully.
He tilted her back so that she was at an angle. He went with her so his angle of entry was cleaner. The position enabled him to have complete control.
He withdrew, paused, then sank deep again.
As he held himself there, he stared down, his jaw twitching. “Most normal men would take care with you right now,” he said harshly. “Treat you with kid gloves, like a fragile piece of glass. But you don’t want that, do you, Angel? Even now you’re wanting more. You’re daring me to push you.”
She stared calmly at him, refusing to flinch or pull away. She needed air, but she also trusted him never to take it too far.
He eased back, his cock sliding over her tongue. A small surge of fluid spilled into her mouth. He was close. His entire body trembled. His knees shook against her hands, and she gripped him harder.
“Put your hands on my hips.”
She rose up further on her knees and pushed his jeans farther down until her hands met bare flesh. His cock jutted from the fly, hard and thick.
“Keep your hands there while I fuck your mouth. Don’t move. Just hang on.”
Again his hand tightened in the tangle of her hair, and he gave one sharp yank to position her the way he wanted her.
“Open,” he ordered.
She let her lips fall open and he was already there, pushing insistently. He pulled her forward to meet his thrust, until the coarse hair at his groin tickled her nose. It took every ounce of restraint she had not to fight, to struggle. In a way it was what he wanted her to do. She knew it.
He wanted to prove it was too much. He wanted her to say stop and to walk away. He had no idea just how strong her conviction was.
A sound of impatience escaped in a snarl. Her eyes flew open to stare up at him. There was a savagery that should have frightened her, but she knew he wasn’t angry with her. No, it was self-directed. He hated that he wanted her every bit as much as she wanted him. He hated that she wasn’t going to tell him no. He hated that she would take whatever he dished out and beg for more.
“Damn you,” he hissed.
He threw back his head, closing his eyes. His thrusts became desperate, almost brutal. His groin slapped against her mouth as she swallowed him whole.
The hand holding the back of her neck became gentle, almost coaxing. Her cheeks bulged with exertion as he tunneled deeper into her throat. Then he gripped her neck harder, forcing her onto his cock.
Fluid filled her mouth, warm and sticky. She swallowed around his cock, and he moaned and jerked erratically. More came and she swallowed reflexively, her throat working around the head of his cock.
He retreated momentarily, grasped the base of his cock and tilted her open mouth higher. He worked his hand back and forth over the thick shaft as more semen dripped from the tip and into her mouth.
He continued to stroke. “Keep your mouth open. That’s it, Angel girl.”
Two, three more gentle splatters fell onto her tongue and then his grasp loosened. Slowly he eased away from her, and he pulled at his jeans, working them back over his hips.
She knelt there, heaving for breath as she swallowed the last of his release. Her hands fell to the tops of her legs and she glanced down at her jeans that were trapped mid-thigh.
She glanced back up at Micah, seeking permission to rise, to reclothe herself.
After he’d straightened himself, he reached down, holding his hands out to her. She slid her fingers into his grasp and allowed him to pull her to her feet.
Gently, he pulled her jeans up until they were around her waist again. He refastened the fly, his gaze wandering lazily over her face. When he was done, he raised his thumb to her mouth and rubbed the pad over her bottom lip, capturing a drop of his cum.
“Lick it,” he said huskily.
She sucked slowly at the tip, running her tongue over the slip of moisture.
“You make me crazy, Angel girl.”
She laughed, surprised at the cracked way it came out. “What do you think you do to me?”
“Go pick out our room,” he said. “Strip. I want you naked and in bed when I get there. I’ll bring up a tray so you can eat before we go to sleep.”
