by Susan Stoker, Cristin Harber, Cora Seton, Lynn Raye Harris, Kaylea Cross, Katie Reus, Tessa Layne
He made a scoffing sound, his expression almost arrogant. Then he frowned again and took another small step closer so that there was only a foot separating them. “You should have come to me. I would have helped you. And I still will. You still have a job. Sierra doesn’t want to fire you.” He lifted his hand a fraction, as if he would touch her, then dropped it back to his side.
Relief slid through her that she still had a job. Angel was going to get back to how the heck he broke into her place, but for now, she motioned behind him in the direction of the living room. With him this close, his subtle spicy scent teasing her, it was hard to think straight. She needed some distance between them if she wanted to talk in coherent sentences.
His jaw clenched again, but he nodded and turned toward the small room. It had come pre-furnished and now she was thankful she’d bought slip covers to hide the hideous seventies-style flower pattern on the couches. When she’d bought them she’d felt guilty for spending money on something frivolous but those colors had just been too ugly to look at day in and day out. The light cream color slip covers were much easier on the eyes. The rest of the room was decorated in plain earth tones, which was fine with her.
“Would you like something to drink?” she asked as he perched on the edge of the loveseat. The polite question was ridiculous considering he’d broken into her place, but manners had been drilled into her at a young age. It was that Southern upbringing.
He was tense, his entire body coiled and ready to pounce. For the first time she understood why some of the other waitresses were nervous around him. Not that she was afraid of him, but she could see that deadly edge now. It was jarring to her senses to see him this way. With her he’d always been so sweet and gentle.
“No. I want to talk. Now sit,” he said gruffly.
She was so surprised by the command in his voice that she did. As soon as her butt hit the couch though, she wanted to smack herself for doing it. Friend or not, the man had broken into her home and she wanted to know how and why. “Vadim—”
“I came in the front door. Picked the lock in less than fifteen seconds. It’s a piece of crap,” he said, guessing her train of thought.
“I just replaced it.” She’d installed it herself.
His lips pulled into a thin line, his expression disapproving. “It’s crap. And the reason I’m here should be obvious. I want to help.”
Some of her steam faded at that. “You could have called.”
“And you would have ignored me. I eliminated that problem before it happened.” His voice was so matter-of-fact and it sounded just like him. He liked to look at problems from every angle.
Considering how embarrassed she’d been at the restaurant, he was right to have guessed she’d have ignored a call from him. Still, it annoyed her that he’d broken into her place. But she could put that on the backburner.
“Now tell me why you were taking food. Are you not making enough money?” he asked in that blunt way of his. Normally she appreciated it but now she just wanted to die of embarrassment.
“It wasn’t for me. My neighbor has two kids and she wasn’t taking care of them so I’ve been buying food for them. And I’ve been doing fine. More than fine actually.” She’d managed to save a couple thousand with the tips she’d been bringing in even though she’d been feeding Mark and Chloe. She’d almost felt like it was karma rewarding her. The more she helped them the better she’d done at work. Of course that theory had been shot to hell when she’d been robbed. “But then I was robbed and—”
“What?” He shifted slightly, his hands clenching the edges of her couch so tightly they turned white.
She stared at his knuckles and long fingers and for a brief moment wondered what it would feel like to have those hands stroking over her breasts, cupping her face and…other parts. She quickly shook herself. Now was not the time to indulge in that particular fantasy. “Yeah, couple weeks ago. They took my TV and the cash I had hidden. Honestly, I’ve been doing great. It was just a setback. I know I should have just asked Sierra for the food, but I was embarrassed. She gets so many sob stories from the employees and me telling her I needed to feed two kids sounded fake. Even if it is true.” And Angel had been embarrassed. Sierra was so young and had her whole life together. Angel hadn’t even finished college and thanks to circumstances, she was on the run and living from paycheck to paycheck.
“Fuck that. You should have told me you needed help.” The possessive note in his voice took her off guard. She wondered if maybe she’d imagined it. Either way it did strange things to her insides.
Her cheeks burned again as she swallowed hard. She didn’t want Vadim’s freaking charity. But she couldn’t tell him that—it would make things worse. “I know. I just…” she shrugged, not knowing how to continue. “Sierra really doesn’t want to fire me?”
“No, which you would have known if you’d stuck around.”
Another burst of relief slid through her. Sure it would be awkward and embarrassing to see Sierra that first time but with her cash savings gone, the thought of leaving Vegas had been scary without a backup fund. And the truth was, she didn’t want to leave Vadim, even though she knew that was stupid. He saw her as a friend and nothing more. He’d made that perfectly clear. She’d dropped enough hints that she would be interested in more back when they’d first met and started hanging out, but he’d friend-zoned her months ago. Which was probably just as well. She didn’t have time for any entanglements. “Well it gave you a chance to show off your B and E skills.”
His lips twitched slightly, the closest he ever came to a smile. “Did you report your robbery to the police?”
She shook her head. No way was she putting her name in the system more than absolutely necessary.
He seemed angered by that, but didn’t respond. “Why isn’t your money in a bank?”
Angel glanced at a spot over his shoulder and bit her tongue. She wasn’t going to tell him anything about her past. Setting her jaw, she waited for him to continue. If he expected a response, he’d be waiting a long time.
Finally Vadim sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face. “I need a favor. It’s why I came to see you earlier tonight.”
Her eyebrows rose. “You need a favor from me?”
He nodded, his expression still so unreadable. Something that irritated her about him. “I’m going out of town for a few days for work and my house sitter cancelled at the last minute.” He let out an annoyed sounding word in Russian. “I don’t like to kennel Charlie and I wanted to ask you to house sit. It won’t be long and you can use my car while I’m gone so you won’t have to worry about learning a new bus schedule.”
Her first instinct was to say no, but she didn’t have a reason to deny him.
“You’re one of the only people I’d trust to stay at my place.” The sincerity in his words took her off guard and touched her.
“Even after I just stole from the Cloud?” she asked wryly. What everyone who worked at the Serafina called Cloud 9.
His lips pulled into a thin line again. “For kids. Which…” He trailed off frowning.
“What?”
“Should I go out and get food for them or is it too late?”
In that moment Angel was pretty sure she had more than just a crush on Vadim but she ruthlessly shoved all her emotions back into a tiny box, locked it, then threw that key in the deepest, darkest ocean of her heart. Swallowing back the strange tightening in her throat, she shook her head. “No, they’re staying with their grandparents now. I just found out from my landlord when I stopped by their place. I hope everything’s going to be okay for them now. But thank you for asking.”
His shoulders relaxed as he stood. “Okay, good. Then it’s settled. You’ll stay at my place.”
She frowned at him. “I never agreed to that.”
“We both know you’re going to. You’re too nice to say no and Charlie loves your belly rubs. And if you say no, sweet Charlie will be put in a kennel and she gets anxiety if
she doesn’t get to sleep in her own bed.”
She gritted her teeth to keep from smiling. His dog’s name was Charlotte, Charlie for short. He brought her to work sometimes and Angel had fallen in love with the beautiful dog. The German Shepherd was better behaved than most humans. The way she listened to Vadim’s commands was impressive. And she was incredibly adorable. “You’re a master manipulator.”
His shoulders lifted casually, but the glint in his pale eyes set her off balance. She felt like something had shifted between them but wasn’t sure what.
“So when do you need me?” She really wished he needed her on an entirely different level than dog sitting.
“Tonight.”
Her eyes widened. “You weren’t kidding about last minute.”
“I know and I’m sorry for asking like this. I leave in the morning, so you should stay with me tonight. It’ll be good for Charlie to see you sleeping in the guest room.”
Angel would rather sleep in his bedroom, but knew that would never happen so she ignored what that thought did to her traitorous body. Or she tried to, but her nipples tingled as she imagined what it would be like to be stretched out naked under Vadim’s lean, powerful body. When she realized she’d been staring, she nodded and glanced away. “I’ll go pack a bag then. Should I shower here or would it be easier if I did at your place?”
For the briefest moment, his eyes went molten—which just confused her. But then his expression went completely blank as he nodded. “My place is fine.”
That hungry, needy sensation she experienced every time she was around Vadim welled up inside her as she hurried back to her small bedroom. Vadim had looked almost turned on, affected by her. Her. But that couldn’t be right. Could it? He’d never looked at her like that before, but…she didn’t think she’d imagined that look in his eyes. Or hell, maybe it was just wishful thinking.
At least they wouldn’t be sharing a roof. Well, tonight they would be, but he’d be leaving in the morning. Then when he returned, she’d go back to her apartment. Which was good, because she was pretty sure she couldn’t handle sharing a living space with him without making it painfully obvious how attracted she was to him. She didn’t want to suffer rejection from him on top of everything else.
CHAPTER THREE
Vadim leaned against the doorway of Angel’s bedroom, watching her pack a bag. His small lie didn’t make him feel an ounce of guilt. He was going out of town, but only for one night. And as soon as they reached his home he’d text his friend, letting him know it would be unnecessary to watch Charlie.
While Angel was out of her place, he planned to set things into motion so that she wouldn’t be coming back here. No, she could stay with him until he found her a decent apartment. It was underhanded, but he didn’t care. He constantly worried about her living there and after seeing just how easy it was to break into her home, he couldn’t stand it any longer. The woman brought out his protective instincts to the point where he couldn’t think straight sometimes. He’d never felt like that about anyone and it was jarring. Sometimes he wondered if he got a taste of her if it would slake the need he always seemed to have for her.
“You don’t have to stand guard,” she muttered as she opened the top drawer of the only dresser in the small room. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“Maybe I just want a peek at your panties too.” His teasing words surprised him.
She looked up, those dark green and brown hazel eyes wide with shock. Then her full lips curved, her megawatt smile like a punch to his chest. “I always knew you were a pervert.” Laughing, clearly not believing he was serious, she went back to digging through her drawer. Surprising him, she pulled out a skimpy green thong and waved it once. “Happy now?” Laughing to herself, she shoved it into her bag before heading to her closet.
He was glad she wasn’t paying attention to him as she grabbed her clothes because he’d forgotten how to breathe. The thought of Angel in a thong—or any state of undress—was enough to give him a heart attack. They’d been friends for almost five months and up until recently he’d been sure she’d had no sexual interest in him. Until Hayden had told him he was a dumbass and to start paying attention more.
Vadim was good with computers and a lot of things, but not women. Well, not women like Angel. She was sweet, giving and incredibly beautiful. And she always saw the best in people. That he didn’t envy, but he still liked it about her. Who was he kidding? He liked everything about her, from the way her eyes crinkled at the corners when she laughed to—
“Vadim?”
He blinked, realizing she was talking to him as he stared off into space like an idiot. “Yeah?”
She stood near the edge of her bed, her shiny red hair still pulled into a ponytail as she fingered the soft grips of her bag. She looked even younger than normal, reminding him of their ten year age difference. Another reason he’d held off on making a move. “I’m ready if you are.”
He nodded once, not trusting his voice as he strode over and grabbed her bag. She started to protest but he took it anyway. It wasn’t much, but he wanted to take care of her any way he could. Starting now he planned to do just that. Even if he had to be underhanded about it. She was independent, something he liked, but she was too stubborn about asking for help when she needed it. Clearly, or she would have told him about her neighbor’s kids.
Vadim exited the apartment first, placing himself in front of her in case there was a threat. He doubted there would be, but he didn’t like the looks of the teenagers hanging out near her place. While she locked the door behind her, he saw her landlord exiting her neighbor’s apartment carrying a paint can. Late to be working but Vadim understood that a man in his position was on call 24/7.
Vadim nodded once at the man he’d met before—without Angel’s knowledge.
Mr. Botkin was in his mid-fifties, in shape, and right now he looked wary as he eyed Vadim. His expression softened though when Angel looked up from her door.
“Hi, Mr. Botkin. You done for the night?” she asked.
He nodded, flicking another glance at Vadim. “Yes. Is everything okay?”
Angel nodded, then glanced at Vadim before looking back at her landlord. “I’m just house sitting for my friend. This is Vadim, by the way. He’s my friend, the one I told you about who’s Russian.”
Vadim was beyond surprised she’d mentioned him, but smiled politely at Mr. Botkin, as if he’d never met him before. In Russian he told the man he’d be visiting the day after tomorrow about some business so to expect him.
The older man’s eyebrows rose in clear surprise, but he just nodded. Then in English he said, “Nice to meet you.”
Angel playfully poked him in the arm as they headed down the stairs. “You’re going to teach me more Russian. Mr. Botkin said I was pretty good.”
Vadim hid a smile. Her attempts had been awful, her sweet, normally very light Southern accent seeming to get stronger every time she tried to speak the first language he’d learned. He might have been born in the United States, but his mother had been a Russian immigrant and she’d barely spoken any English. He’d learned English from a neighbor and then in school, but he’d never lost his mother’s language. And he’d picked up a couple more languages over the years. “I’ll teach you whatever you want.” All the better if he got to spend more time with her.
When they reached the bottom of the stairs, he placed himself in front of her again. “Stay behind me,” he murmured as they headed to the end of the sidewalk. He’d had to park in front of another building because there hadn’t been space in front of hers.
“Vadim, is that really necessary? I walk through here all the time.” She sounded annoyed.
He grunted, not responding because he knew he’d say something he might regret. As they reached the end of the sidewalk, he glanced to the left, down the next one. Two men loitered next to the driver’s side of his car. Something he’d been concerned about. Without turning around, he reached back and handed her bag to
her. “Stay here.”
She made a frustrated sound, but took it. He walked quickly down the sidewalk, immediately making eye contact with the taller of the two. They were in their late teens or early twenties, both with dark brown hair and brown eyes. Possibly related. Not that he cared. “Can I help you with something?” he asked, stepping off the sidewalk and crowding right into their space.
The slightly shorter one moved back a step, but the taller one stayed where he was—then had the audacity to lean against the door. “Nice ride,” he said as he lifted up the front of his shirt to reveal a silver revolver.
It was a good piece. Too bad the shithead was about to lose it. The instant display of the man’s weapon was all the provocation Vadim needed to eliminate these two threats to Angel. He had two weapons strapped to himself, as he always did, but he didn’t bother with either of them. Without warning he struck out, punching the taller man in the throat with a force just shy of being a killing blow. Before the man could even think about reacting Vadim punched him in the solar plexus, in the nose, then slammed his boot into the man’s balls for good measure. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the shorter man scrambling for his weapon, but it was too late.
Gasping and wheezing, the taller man fell against the side of Vadim’s car. As he slid down, Vadim pulled the man’s weapon free and aimed it at the other man’s head before shorty could draw his own weapon tucked stupidly down the front of his pants. Would serve him right if he shot his own balls off.
“Go for it and see what happens,” Vadim said calmly, kicking the other man in the stomach as he slid to the ground.
Out of the corner of his eye he watched the fallen man continue to struggle for breath as he curled into a tight ball. Right now his brain was confused, trying to come to terms with the pain and rapid assault his body had just received. In Vadim’s experience it would take the man roughly thirty seconds to regain some of his bearings. But he planned to be long gone before then.
