by Kahlen Aymes
Moneytalks I didn’t tell her.
AngelWings I almost spilled after I found out who she was.
Moneytalks Angel, I would’ve told you she was my sister if I thought it was an issue, but I didn’t think you and Allison were friends. All I knew was that she contacted you about booking your boyfriend for her benefit. Allison rambles on so much; I tune most of it out.
AngelWings Kyle is not my boyfriend.
Moneytalks Whatever.
AngelWings Whatever = f**k off, remember? And stop rolling your eyes.
Moneytalks LOL! Are you naked? Thanks for the visual this morning, btw.
AngelWings Not completely. Is that all you think about?
Moneytalks Guilty. How naked?
AngelWings LOL
Moneytalks What about you? Don’t you think about us like that?
AngelWings I’ll never tell.
Moneytalks You don’t have to. Say something. I want to hear your voice.
Angel contemplated torturing him some more, but decided against it. “Cole, can you please excuse us?” she asked into the air. “I mean, give Alex some privacy with these monitors?”
AngelWings Make sure he leaves the room and can’t hear me.
Moneytalks Okay. He’s going.
AngelWings Is he gone?
Moneytalks Yes.
Angel took a deep breath and set her computer on the ottoman in front of her. The lights in her apartment were low, and she curled into a ball with her arm under her head. She swallowed, her throat suddenly tightening. Her computer chimed again. She didn’t need to read it to know Alex was impatient.
“Okay, here goes. I was so worried today. I hate that sick bastard, and I know what he’s capable of. I… uhm…” She cleared her throat. “Oh, God. Imagine me at a loss for words?”
The computer remained conspicuously silent as Alex waited to hear her words.
“You… terrify me, Alex. You’re everything a woman could want, and I’m not blind or stupid. I’ve seen how hurt women get by trusting men with everything to offer, when they have absolutely no intention of offering it. I’ve been hurt before, dealt with an unfaithful man. You can Kyle are different in so many ways, but similar in that a lot of women want you. You—even more so than him. You have the power to hurt me, even more, if that makes sense?”
She waited, mostly to try to control the trembling in her voice. Her computer piped up.
Moneytalks I understand.
“Well, I didn’t want to risk a broken heart, especially when you told me that you didn’t believe in love. But, despite what I went through with Kyle, I do believe in it. I believe in the kind of love that leaves you breathless, aching, and feeling like you’re flying and dying all at the same time. I knew tif I let myself enjoy being with you, I’d probably get hurt. So I tried not to care, and um… I tried to be the man. You know what I mean—have sex without emotion. That’s what I wanted.”
By now her eyes were flooded, emotion ached in her voice, and her fingers tugged at the pillow near her head. She glanced at the screen as it blurred before her eyes, but no answer was forthcoming.
“Then all the shit with Mark Swanson happened. I’ve never been one to lean on anyone because there never has been anyone to lean on, except my dad. I never meant to turn into a hard bitch that wouldn’t let anyone in, but it’s just been a circumstance of my life. I don’t know why it’s so much easier to tell you this when you’re not in the same room.”
Moneytalks I’m having a hell of a time not coming up there right now.
“Yes, well, just let me get it out. Swanson threatened me, but also you. The break-in at your house while I was there with Max scared the hell out of me, and by then, I was already in too deep and didn’t want you hurt. It just gave me another reason to push you away, and I needed one. I’m sorry.” The computer chimed.
Moneytalks It’s okay, baby.
Angel closed her eyes, pushing the tears that hovered to tumble silently down her cheeks. “No. You didn’t deserve it. You’ve been nothing but wonderful to me. You didn’t deserve my doubt or my stupid preconceived notions. You’re so much more than I thought you’d be. You’re a really good person, and you’ve been more than I deserved.”
She drew in a shaky breath, begging her voice not to crack. “And, Alex, I really do care about you. I can’t fight it anymore, even knowing you’ll probably break my heart in the end. No matter what my head says, I can’t stop it. Which is really what has had me scared.”
Silence boomed around her as she waited for the computer to sing out Alex’s answer, and her heart pounded, pushing the blood to visibly throb at her pulse points. She bit her lip, holding back the sob that threatened at his lack of response.
Finally, it came.
Moneytalks You overwhelm me, Angel. I wish you’d told me this in person so I could touch you and make love to you … to show you how much you’ve come to mean to me. I’m crazy about you. Fucking insane.
Angel smiled tremulously as she brushed a tear away. He didn’t say he loved her, but it was close.
13
Pounce
Alex paced back and forth in the surveillance apartment. He felt like a caged tiger, starving and helpless: what he craved most was just out of his reach. His work was suffering despite the daily calls and meetings via Skype. And, he was driving Cole crazy. Bancroft and one of the others were following Angel, and the time it took for them to travel from her office until she was safely ensconced within the building felt like forever. Cole could come and go, but the illusion they’d built for Swanson’s benefit demanded that Alex stay inside the stark space.
“I can’t stand much more of this!” Alex picked up one of Cole’s free weights and lifted it over and over. “I could throw this fucking thing through a wall!”
“Alex, man, you have to chill. This has to stop.” Cole watched his brother rub the back of his neck, agitation painted across his features. “Why don’t you go to Mom and Dad’s? Spend some time with them and see Max.”
“I didn’t hole up in this goddamned place all week just to blow it now.” Alex’s brow furrowed in anger as he scowled. “What in the hell is he waiting for?”
“Maybe the lockdown is too tight. Swanson might know we’re watching her and that we’ve got the place wired. I know you don’t want to, but, Alex, we have to give him enough rope to hang himself.” Cole reached for the peanut butter sandwich in front of him and took a big bite as Alex sat down on the couch only to get up seconds later and continue pacing. “You’re irritating the shit out of me, bro. Go back to work. Obviously, you being out of town isn’t helping,” Cole said with his mouth full.
Alex stopped pacing and studied the screens from the cameras that monitored the hallways, entrances, and parking garage. Maybe Cole was right. He was so frustrated with the situation and with not seeing Angel, but yet he resisted. His chest tightened and he sighed heavily.
Cole shoved the last two bites of his sandwich into his mouth and raised his eyebrows, mid-chew. “What?” he asked.
“It’s just very difficult to put Angel in a place or situation where I don’t have absolute control.”
“Do you want this over or not? I mean, I could do this forever if you’d just get the fuck out of here, but I doubt Angel would be as accepting.” Cole grinned and then shrugged. “When this is done, I’m out of a job.”
It was unnecessary for Alex to agree with Cole’s assessment of Angel’s attitude, and his lip twitched in the start of a smile. Cole’s comments relaxed him slightly. “You’ve really surprised me with how you’ve embraced this assignment, Cole,” Alex said seriously. “I’m impressed, and I’ve felt a lot better knowing you’re with her when I can’t be.”
“I like her. She has spunk.” Cole leaned forward to grab a bottle of water and shot a fleeting glance at Alex, whose eyes narrowed.
“Don’t get any ideas.”
Cole smiled, purposefully ignoring the warning and deliberately provoking instead of backing
off. “And, she’s really hot!” He loved getting a rise out of his little brother. He’d never seen Alex so worked up over a woman or anything else for that matter. He was usually so cool and collected; it was nice to see the façade melt away. It made him more human somehow and more relatable to someone less than perfect like himself.
“Stop,” Alex warned as he finally sank down in one of the desk chairs in front of the surveillance monitors as Angel’s car appeared on the one in the parking garage. The muscles in his body visibly uncoiled.
“What? She is. You never got pissed when I talked about Whitney’s big tits or Ashley’s fantasy blowjob mouth. They were all beautiful, but Angel is… real.”
Alex studied his brother, his green eyes shooting fire. “Cole, stop thinking about her that way. To me she’s real; to you, she’s an assignment. Don’t lose sight of that.”
“What? Am I dead?”
“No, but you’re skating on thin ice.” His eyes were cold and his expression hard as stone when he turned back to the monitor. Cole could see the muscle working in Alex’s jaw and decided to take pity on him. Alex leaned forward as Angel got out of her car and began walking toward the elevator.
“I understand your frustration. I mean… shit. Now that you’ve been with her, it must be killing you.”
“The whole thing is frustrating. Being this close and not—” He shook his head and huffed, his hand pushing under the hem of his navy T-shirt to scratch along his stomach. “Worrying all the goddamned time is driving me mad.”
Alex had always been the perfect one: never disappointing his parents, making the right decisions, having the best grades, being a member of the high school honor society, and having the most beautiful girlfriends. Shit, he accomplished everything he did with barely a finger lifted. When they were growing up, Cole had been so jealous, thinking that it all was some gift bestowed on Alex from Heaven. But being this close to him for an extended period of time, and listening to him work, he had a new respect for how much effort Alex invested in everything. The most amazing thing about his brother was that, to the world, it seemed effortless, and he was untouchable. In reality, he worked his ass off, took his responsibilities seriously, and he had a deep capacity for love. Deeper than even he knew himself.
“I never thought I’d see the day, Alex.” The walkie-talkie on Cole’s hip beeped and flashed red and he grabbed it. “It looks good on you,” he said before he spoke into the device. “We see her. Did you see anything suspicious?”
Alex balked at his brother’s comment. His lungs filled to capacity in a frustrated sigh as he sat back in his chair again, waiting to hear the response. He groaned. He was more a prisoner than Angel despite the fact he had engineered the entire operation. He pulled his iPhone from the pocket of his expensive jeans and pressed the button that would speed dial the woman in his thoughts. Cole got up and walked into the kitchen with his plate, and Alex wondered if his motivation was his bottomless appetite or a subtle attempt to give him some privacy.
“Hey.” Angel’s breathy voice answered before the second ring.
“Is something wrong?”
“No, I’m changing clothes. I promised to meet Becca at the gym and I’m running late,” she explained. The sound of her voice over the monitor speakers echoed around her voice over the phone. It was too loud and the feedback hurt his ears. He leaned forward and switched them off.
Alex relaxed slightly. “Oh. Did you tell her what’s going on?”
“She’s my best friend and I had to explain why I haven’t been around. She’s not mental, Alex.”
“I get it.”
“Are you okay?” Angel asked thoughtfully. He could hear the rustle of fabric and the change in her voice as she struggled to change clothes and hold the phone simultaneously.
“I feel like a caged animal.”
“Alex, why don’t we just—”
“Just what, baby?”
“Can you sneak up here after I get back from the gym? I’d like to see you.”
He groaned. “Don’t tempt me.”
“Nothing’s happened in a week. How long can you hole up and stay away from work? Maybe Mark Swanson has given up or moved beyond it.”
“Honestly, I didn’t think that prick would be able to resist this long.”
“Just… please? Come up later?”
Alex’s sour mood changed in an instant. “I want to, babe. You know that.”
He could hear a smile in her voice that echoed the stupid grin on his face. “I want, too. As in, also.”
“Mmm…” His tone lowered and smoothed out as his body reacted to her words.
“So do it.” Angel’s low murmur was laced with promise.
“What is it you want me to do? It?” Alex chuckled softly, and Angel burst out laughing.
“Yes, that. It. Do it. With me.” She continued to giggle.
“Only with you. You’ve ruined me.”
Cole came back in the room with two more sandwiches and some chips loaded on the plate. His eyebrow shot up at his brother’s happy expression as he offered him a sandwich. Alex shook his head and turned away.
“I have to go. Consider coming up.”
“Okay. Be careful.”
Alex waved his brother toward the door. “She’s on the move. Take Wayne with you.”
Cole pushed his plate away and stood up. The keys he dug from his pocket jingled as he walked quickly toward the door. “Am I out of a job after this thing is done?”
Alex moved to take the seat in front of the monitors that Cole had just vacated and shook his head. “You’re not out of a job. You’ve proven I can trust you, and you’re good at this. It depends on what you want to take on, but I’m thinking of putting you in charge of security at Avery. Bancroft handles the local stuff well, but you can oversee all of the properties. If you want… but you’ll probably have to wear a suit for part of it.” Alex smirked. “Mom will be placated at least.”
Cole was happily astonished, judging by the smile that flashed across his face. “Seriously?”
Alex nodded. “I’ve already told Dad.”
“Cool.”
* * *
Angel walked into her apartment and found it dark. Her heart fell as she turned and bolted the door. Apparently, Alex had resisted her invitation. She sighed, her gym bag thumping as it hit the floor by the door, along with her purse. She pushed one of the tendrils back from her face but it resisted, the sweat, now dried from her workout, making it stick to the side of her face. The light from the refrigerator flooded the room as she pulled a bottle of water out before walking through her apartment on the way to her bedroom.
It had been a long, boring day. Aside from her brief conversation with Alex, and Becca’s rant about the hot guy she met the previous weekend, Angel couldn’t find much else enjoyable about it. She glanced at the bed longingly, passing the dark laptop sitting on the desk by the window and running her hand along the edge on the way to the bathroom. She smiled softly, chastising herself for not being able to pass the bed without thinking of Alex and wishing she’d managed to convince him to give in and spend the night with her. It amazed her how quickly she’d been able to reconcile being with him and come to depend on his presence. All of her convictions about giving over control and protecting her heart now lay in shambles. That was the nature of giving up control, though. It was unavoidable. He was a force to be reckoned with. Angel huffed as the stupid grin settled onto her face.
She kicked off her shoes and peeled off her shirt, tank, and sports bra before pulling the tie out of her hair to allow the thick locks loose while her hands scratched wildly against her scalp, shaking the chestnut curls into a flurry. She could almost feel the thin layer of residual salt hardening into a shell on her skin. The workout felt good, but Becca pushed her hard. and Angel’s muscles protested. The past couple of weeks had been filled with so many other things that she hadn’t spent enough time at the gym and she was paying the price. Her arms were quivering slightly and he
r legs shaky when she turned on the shower and then pushed her black yoga pants down her legs, leaving them in a pile on the floor with her thong.
Steam began to fill the bathroom, and she padded back into her bedroom to grab a soft silk chemise to sleep in. She stopped on her way back, lighting two candles at the bedside, before flipping open the laptop and quickly loading Skype. Standing naked in front of the screen was a risk considering Cole might be in the room with Alex when they connected, but she was feeling mischievous and decided it was the best way to get what she wanted: Alex, in her apartment and her bed.
She was certain Alex would be more upset if Cole saw her naked than he would be with her for being that way in front of her monitor. She smiled, waiting for Skype to load, and turning on her iPod so that music flooded the room. Her skin flushed warm in anticipation of his reaction. Her teeth pressed down on her lower lip: her plan was to give a little tease and then disappear into the bathroom.
Alex’s image materialized on the screen. “Yeah, I’m here, honey.” He was adjusting the monitor and hadn’t looked at his screen. “How was the work—Holy shit!” he said as he sat down in his chair and finally saw her, standing naked to his gaze. His arms immediately covered the monitor and Angel giggled in delight. “Cole! Vamoose!”
“What?” Cole’s voice was somewhat muted. “Why?”
“Just get the hell out of here!”
“This is stupid, Alex.” Angel could hear Cole muttering as he left the room followed by a door slamming loudly.
Alex moved away from the monitor enough so Angel had a full view of his face. He smiled. “What are you doing to me?”
“Nothing.”
Alex took a deep breath and leaned in toward the monitor. “It doesn’t feel like nothing in my pants. Are you trying to kill me?”
“Is that what I’m doing?” Angel asked with fake innocence, moving back and turning around to give him a good look. She bit her lip to keep from grinning.
“Aren’t you?”