“OK, yeah,” Kane said. “So how do we make sure they can’t get us on strong circumstantial evidence? Seeing as we’re the most obvious suspects and all.”
“We take a week or so, organize a plan.” Trigger narrowed his eyes. “We’ll make sure that every single Fallen Angel has an alibi and I don’t mean each other – I mean video.”
Ace paused. “Video?”
“Yeah.” Trigger looked smug. “I been thinking about putting security cams on the clubhouse doors and the guy’ll come tomorrow to install them. Then we’ll plan a party – a big one. Make sure we’re all filmed coming in and not leaving. And surprise, surprise, Torres will end up dead while the party’s going on… but no way we were involved.”
“So who’s gonna kill her?” Kane said. “Don and Lizard?”
“Fuck, no. I’m very… disappointed in them. I won’t be using their services again.”
Kane and Ace nodded; they knew damn good and well what that meant. When Trigger used the word ‘disappointed’, it was time to fucking run. Kane wondered if the two men were already six feet under, decided that he didn’t actually give a shit.
“OK,” he said. “So who then?”
“Jensen’s brother Al is back in Boston and I’ve already talked to him,” Trigger said. “He’ll send a few guys over here to take care of things and they won’t mess it up – this is what they do, see.”
“Ah.” Kane hated to say it, but he was kind of impressed. “So these guys will handle Torres and then disappear back to Boston?”
“Yep. Easy, man. No body, no blood on our hands at all. At least none that can be tied back to that bitch.” He shrugged. “So for now, we wait for King to show up and talk terms. We go back and forth for a few days, then we agree to trade Warren for Torres’ safety and hang back for a couple of weeks or so… let Al’s guys get rid of the problem and we all move on.”
“Sounds simple,” Kane said.
“It is.” Trigger grinned. “It fucking is, man.”
Chapter Six
Gabi stood in the shower, wincing as the hot water ran over her bruised throat and neck. God, that asshole had damn near ripped her head clean off her shoulders. These guys were not messing around, not in the slightest. They wanted her dead and at the moment, all that stood between her and them was Aidan. The thought both comforted and scared her.
She turned off the water, carefully toweled off, slipped in to a long t-shirt that fell past her still-shaky knees. She pulled her hair back and sighed at herself in the mirror. How had her life ended up here? All she’d ever done was play by the rules: she’d managed to get decent grades at school, she’d been a good daughter, she was a hard worker. She saved her meagre earnings, never partied, was a loyal girlfriend when she had a guy in her life.
But in less than two minutes – and all because she was in the wrong place at the wrong time – it all came to nothing much. She was a dead woman walking… unless King could pull some magic solution out of thin air. God, she hoped he could.
She opened the bathroom door and went out in to the living room area. Aidan had just made up the sofa bed and she started to climb in to it.
“Nope,” he said, his voice still terse. “You go to the bedroom.”
“Oh, no,” she protested. “I can’t take your bed.”
“You can and you are.” He turned his back on her and tucked the edges of the sheets under the cushions. “Go on now.”
She hovered, uncertain what to say or do to bring him back to her. “Aidan?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m – I’m sorry.”
He turned to look at her. “For what?”
Gabi was silent. She was sorry for so many things, but there was one thing above all the others that was eating at her. “For not telling you that first night. I should have.”
His eyes flared. “Why didn’t you? Don’t you know you can trust me?”
“Yes.” She bit her lip, trying to find the right words. “I just didn’t want to tell anyone. I wanted to – to pretend that it never happened.”
“That’s not like you,” he said. “To hide from hard things. The Gabriela Torres I know faces things head-on.”
She looked away. “This was different. This was – this was terrifying.”
“All the more reason to tell me. I would have done anything to help you, don’t you know that? I still will.”
The tears that she’d been holding back for three days came now. “Yes, I know that.” She wiped her eyes, impatient with her own crying. “I’m sorry, Aidan. I – I’d do it all differently, if I could.”
“Oh, God. Please don’t cry.” All his anger dissipated now and he stepped forward. When he gathered her in his arms, she almost collapsed in relief at the feeling of security he gave her. Since this whole nightmare had started, she’d felt safe exactly twice – and both times had been when Aidan was holding her. She went soft and limp against his strength, just let her whole body sink in to his.
“It’s going to be OK,” he whispered in to her hair. “Gabriela, I promise you. We’ll make it all OK. Whatever it takes, I’ll do it for you.”
She nodded, not ready to talk yet. Instead, she just held on to him and breathed in his scent. Aidan always smelled of something spicy and clean. It was a strong, solid scent – warm and honest, somehow – and she thought it was pure Aidan. It was how she thought of him; it epitomized all the things she loved most about him.
When she pulled back to gaze up at his face, Aidan finally lost the battle that he’d been fighting for so long. She just looked so lost, so afraid. It killed him to see her like that and all he wanted was to make her feel safe again.
He didn’t let himself hesitate, not for one goddamn second longer; he just leaned down and kissed her. It wasn’t a soft kiss, it wasn’t tentative or gentle. It was a demanding kiss, a kiss that didn’t brook any argument from Gabi, a kind of kiss that she’d never experienced in her life. It was so powerful and confident and masterful, Gabi’s knees buckled under her. He caught her to him, pulling her soft body to his hard muscles.
As she melted against him, Aidan held her up, his mouth hot and hard, his tongue exploring her willing mouth freely. When she moaned – a small sound of arousal and confusion – he slowed down a bit. He gently teased her now, running his tongue over her sweet lips, tracing their shape, licking, nipping. She clung to his upper arms, trying to believe that she was finally kissing this man, after so many years of longing to do exactly this.
As she relaxed, his kisses deepened and slowed. Became sensual and sexy as hell. She shuddered as waves of want began to beat over her, faster and harder.
His hands were roaming over her heated body and she arched in to his touch, loving his tender domination. He skimmed her curves lightly, barely pressing down at all, but God, she felt it. Everything about him right now – his kisses, his touch, the way he whispered her name – made her feel so good. So damn desired.
When he finally pulled back, she was suddenly overwhelmed by shyness. She ducked her head, avoiding that bright gaze and stared down at her toes. God, how she wished she was the kind of woman who had the time and money to get things like manicures and pedicures, but that just wasn’t her life. Her fingernails were usually wrecked from the cleaning products, her hair was always a rat’s nest, her make-up routine was non-existent. Standing here in front of the most breathtakingly gorgeous man she’d even seen in the flesh, Gabi felt nothing but dowdy and ugly.
Just what the hell can he see in me? I’ve seen the women who come in to Curves and flirt with him… what the hell is he doing here kissing me?
Aidan smiled at her flushed cheeks, thinking that she’d never looked more beautiful to him. The woman in front of him was such a natural beauty, he still couldn’t believe it, even after three years of looking at her. Aidan didn’t know all that many women who could work an eight-hour cleanin
g shift in ripped jeans and an oversized shirt, with her hair thrown back casually and without a lick of makeup – and emerge from it all fucking drop-dead gorgeous. But Gabi did and what made her even more attractive was that she seemed to have no idea how stunning she was.
“Gabriela?” His fingers were still running over and around Gabi: her face, her shoulders, her hips, that tempting curve of her lower back. Christ, he never thought he’d be touching her like this and now that he finally was, no way he could stop.
“Yes?” she whispered, still studying her bare feet.
“This is why you should have told me and asked me to help you… because this is how I feel about you. How I’ve felt for a while.”
She forced her eyes up to his, stunned at his confession. “But why didn’t you ever say anything?”
He grinned, dazzling and handsome. “I’m shy.”
She laughed, her first real laugh in what felt like a very long time. “Oh, yeah, right. I think you’re exactly the opposite of shy, actually.”
“Nah. I can talk a good game, darlin’, and I can flirt like a goddamn champ to pass the time and keep the ladies happy, but the truth is that when it comes to the real thing, I’m pretty hopeless about it.”
“Yeah?”
“Yep.” He kissed her forehead, his lips lingering. “But the thing about you was that I just didn’t know how to create an opportunity to tell you, or even ask you out. You’re always so busy, always leaving to go to another job somewhere, and all I could really do was stand behind the bar and watch you walk on out the door. And Curves is goddamn gossip central, anyway. If I made any move on you at all in that place, the boys would let me have it with both barrels. Especially Mac.”
“Yeah. He likes to tease, huh?”
“It’s the man’s life blood, I think.” Aidan ran his fingers through her damp hair, wishing that it was loose and falling down her back. “He’d die if he wasn’t shooting his mouth off about something.”
She laughed again.
“You doing OK?” he asked now, in a more serious tone. “After all of this?”
She looked away again. “Sure.”
“Nuh-uh.” He gently cupped her face and forced her back to meet his eyes. “Come on, now. No more hiding anything from me, not after kissing me like that.”
“Aidan…”
“Baby.”
She paused. The way he said that single word made her knees go weak again. She’d had boyfriends call her sweet names before, but something about Aidan’s voice made her shiver when he used the endearment. His tone was loving, of course, a bit chiding and teasing, but it was also possessive. She knew that she was his baby. His.
“I – I…” She bit her lip. “I’m not sure how I’m doing.”
He stroked the marks on her neck so carefully, tears came to her eyes again. “This hurts?”
She nodded, her throat too raw and tight to speak right now.
The flare of arousal had gone from his eyes now and all she saw was tenderness and worry. He tugged her back in to his arms for a hug and she went, craving his warmth and strength. She took a shuddering breath.
“Relax,” he murmured. “Just breathe, OK? I’m here. You’re safe.”
She closed her eyes. She hadn’t known it before this exact moment, but these were the words that she’d so desperately needed to hear from Aidan. That he was there and that she was safe. That he had her and he’d hold her until she stopped feeling so scared.
But what did all this mean, all these declarations and promises and soothing words? Were they, like, a couple? Were they dating? Were they friends who kissed like horny teenagers? She thought that maybe they were something but she wasn’t at all sure what, and if she was staying here at his place and he was kissing her, then maybe they needed to get a few things between them straight and clear. Just so nobody – mostly me – was confused.
Plucking up her courage, she opened her mouth. “Aidan?”
“Hmmm?”
“What are we – are we – what does…” She paused, feeling dumb. “I mean… what are we doing?”
“What are we doing?” he repeated, amused. “We’re finally doing what we should have been doing for the past three years.”
“And what’s that?”
“We’re together.” He said it as though it was the most blatantly obvious thing on the planet.
“We are?” Her heart was racing. “Like – really together? Just like that? After a few kisses?”
Aidan looked surprised that she was even asking. “Yeah. I’m not interested in playing mind games or acting all hard-to-get or telling you I’m scared of commitment. I’m totally in to you, baby, and the way you kissed me and shook against me when I touched you? I think you’re in to me, too.” He cocked his head at her. “Are you?”
She didn’t even blink. “Yes. Very.”
“So then you should know that I only do exclusive.” He grinned. “I don’t share my woman with other men, so if you’re with me, you need to get that you’re with me. You’re mine.”
She hesitated at that, and he saw it.
“Hey…” His thumb traced her lips. “Is that too macho-bullshit Neanderthal for you?”
“I don’t like – ownership. I don’t like being controlled or told what to do.”
“That ain’t what this is about.” He stared down at her, those golden eyes so intense, she thought they could probably see right through her flesh to her fast-beating heart. “I’m not the kind of man who’s going to tell you what to wear, or dictate what you’re allowed to say, or tell you that you can’t earn your own money. I’ll never demand that you change one damn thing about yourself, and I’m not going to tell you who you can and cannot talk to. I’ll never disrespect you, and I sure as hell am never going to raise a hand to you.”
She swallowed, hard. One of her exes had been emotionally and physically abusive and she’d sworn to never let a man treat or touch her like that again.
“But make no fucking mistake, angel: I am the kind of man who demands that you be totally faithful and open and honest.” Aidan kissed her mouth, luxuriating in her soft warmth. “You have to trust me and turn to me for protection and help, no matter what. You’re mine, just mine, and you’ve got to let me make you feel safe. Let me take care of what you need.” His hand moved down the front of her body, between her breasts, over her flat stomach. He lingered just above her sex, gently stroking her lower lips through the t-shirt and her underwear. “And I mean all your needs.”
Her response was immediate and total: every part of her opened up to him. Her arms, her heart, her legs, her mind, her pussy. Gabi was open to Aidan, open in a way that she’d never been with anyone else. She gasped, touched and moved deeply on every level possible – physical, emotional, mental.
He felt her helpless reaction to his touch and he smiled. He stroked her through the material, felt how wet she was.
“Fuck, baby.” His voice was an octave lower than usual. “I can feel that you’re mine.”
“Oh!” she said softly as her drenched lips opened even more and he found her clit. “Aidan… yes…”
The way that she said his name was the sweetest thing that he’d ever heard. He kissed her again and again, still gently touching her through the shirt and panties. Fuck, he’d do anything to rip the damn things off, throw her on to his bed and just make love to her until she passed out… but not yet. Even though he’d longed for her for three years, things between them were still moving fast. Add the fact that she’d had a rough few days and Aidan was going to hit the brakes. Their first time was going to be when her neck wasn’t covered in bruises and she wasn’t afraid.
So he contented himself with teasing her, loving the way she moved against his fingers, listening to her moans. He wanted to make her come – my God, I bet that would look and sound incredible – but he forced himself to s
top. He took her in his arms again, tucked her head under his chin, put both hands on her lower back like a good boy.
“How’d that feel?” he asked softly.
“Good.” She sighed. “So good.”
“Yeah? You like when I touch you?”
“Mmmm.” She sounded sleepy now and he picked her up without a word. He carried her in to the bedroom, gently put her on his bed.
“You know that I’m going to take good care of you?” he said.
“Yes,” she whispered.
“You’re really OK with that? After taking care of yourself for so long?”
“Yes.”
“And you get that this goes both ways, right?” He pushed her hair off her cheeks. “That I’m not even looking at other women?”
“You’re mine?”
“Damn right I am.”
She smiled. “I like the sound of that.”
“Me too.” He laid down beside her and wrapped his large arms around her again. “Come here, baby. Let me take care of you now. Let me make you feel safe.”
They lay like that for a few minutes, holding each other and Gabi relaxed fully for the first time in days. The sun was just rising and she watched it, loving how it lit up the Rocky Mountains in the distance. Her eyes got heavier and her eyelids drooped. She forced them open.
Aidan held her tighter. “Close your eyes. Just let go and sleep.”
She sighed again. “OK.”
She’d just snuggled up on his chest when her cell phone rang in the living room, startling her. She jumped in shock and Aidan kissed the top of her head.
“You want to get that for you?”
“Please.” She nodded and struggled to a sitting position. “I bet it’s Maria.”
Aidan shot to his feet and found her purse. He brought it to her and she dug through the bag quickly. She swiped ‘accept’. “Maria! Thank God… you OK?”
Her half-sister’s voice was strained. “Yeah. You?”
Killer Curves (Dangerous Curves Book 3) Page 9
