“I’d been worried that you might have thought my sessions with Camila were a bit obsessive.”
“Don’t worry Rook,” she said rolling to the side so her head was on my chest but her leg was still draped over me. “If I had known about Camila I probably would’ve been to see her a long time ago. That session with her was a lot more fulfilling than any of the sex toys I’ve used while imaging it was you between my legs.”
I chuckled, then I imagined her lying in bed thinking of me while she pleasured herself and my arms tightened around her reflexively. The image was definitely groan worthy but it would have to wait for another time. “We should start getting ready to head out. Dragon told me to take some time off, but I’d like to check in and make sure everything is under control.”
“I’m not going anywhere without a shower. I’d invite you to join me, but honestly, I don’t think we’d both fit in my shower together. It’s small just like my bed. I hope you weren’t too uncomfortable last night.” She tilted her head up to look at me.
Stroking my hand over her hair I assured her, “As long as I have you in my arms I will never have trouble sleeping again. I don’t care how short the bed is. And as far as the shower goes, we’ll have plenty of opportunities to shower together in the future, you can go first this time.”
She rose up enough to kiss me and when she did the evidence of our lovemaking seeped out of her body onto my hip. We both froze, then our lips parted and we looked into each other’s eyes. I didn’t feel the panic I would’ve expected to feel knowing we’d just made love without a condom. Instead I felt great satisfaction. My only regret was that any child that could come of this would not inherit my time travel abilities because we were not yet bound as anai.
But how did Angela feel about what we’d just done?
Her eyes looked frightened when she said, “I’m so sorry Rook. I don’t know what came over me... Why I didn’t even think about getting a condom first.”
She started to pull away but I pulled her on top of me instead. “I’m not upset Angela, I loved being inside of you without the condom between us. If you want me to, I’ll set time back, but I honestly don’t mind what we just did.”
She stared into my face for a moment with her brows drawn together. Finally she whispered, “I don’t want you to take back what we did. I want fate to decide our consequences.”
I felt the side of my mouth curl up in a grin then I pulled her down for a long, lingering kiss.
When she pulled back she asked, “Have you used your abilities for birth control often?”
“A few times, but not many. I generally like for the women I’ve been with to remember me when it’s over, and none of the other women I’ve ever met would have been able to if I set time back after I had sex with them. Their bodies wouldn’t even remember.”
“So if you had sex with a virgin then set time back she wouldn’t remember a thing and she would still be a virgin, hymen and all?”
I nodded.
“Does your body remember everything that happened to it when you set time back?”
“Yes. If I’m injured, using my abilities to set time back will heal most of my injuries, but if they were severe enough they will not be completely healed. Likewise, if I have sex then set time back, my body will still feel the after effects of what I’d done.”
The way Angela was looking at me was worrisome. I reached up to smooth her hair away from her face and push it behind her ear. “What is it?”
“Rook, when you set time back after the first detonation of the bomb at The Gateway I could still feel aches and pains from when I hit the wall. Then, when you set time back on Dragon’s terrace I could still feel the spasms of orgasm when I found myself standing in front of Dragon again. If my mind remembers as your does, and my body remembers as your does, how can you be sure that setting time back would erase the chance of me being pregnant?”
I was stunned and murmured, “I can’t.”
She gave a nervous laugh. “I guess it’s a good thing we both just agreed we wouldn’t mind if fate deals us that particular hand to play.”
“A very good thing,” I said as I pulled her down for another kiss.
Angela went into the bathroom and I got out of bed to do a security sweep. Her house was clean and neat, small but not tiny, just the right size for a single woman and a teenager. She didn’t have a lot of knick-knacks or clutter and her furniture was in good shape if not a little mismatched. It was a relief to know she wasn’t one of those women who felt the need to decorate obsessively or collect material objects either for their monetary value or simply for their sentimental value to the owner.
Everything seemed to be where it belonged and a glance out the window told me her lieutenant still had her under surveillance. The betrayal made my blood boil with rage when I thought about it. After everything Angela had given that department you’d think the people there could show her a little more trust and loyalty.
When Angela finished her shower I jumped in to clean up and she said she’d get something started for breakfast. I hurried through my shower then dried my hair the best I could with the towel and ran one of her brushes through it. I’d managed to put my pants on but nothing else when I heard voices rising heatedly from the kitchen and I went to investigate.
As I crept silently down the hallway I listened to what was being said in the other room.
“You shouldn’t have come back. This isn’t your home any more. If you want to see Rachel we can arrange something, but honestly, she’s pretty upset that you haven’t contacted her in so long,” Angela told the intruder that I guessed was Jimmy, Rachel’s father.
“You haven’t changed the locks yet Angie,” came his smooth reply. “If this wasn’t my home, you would’ve changed the locks on me. I think you always knew I’d come back to you again.”
“I didn’t change the locks because I figured you were dead by now,” Angela snapped. “I mean, if you were still alive wouldn’t you have called your daughter, or I don’t know; sent me a child support check once in a while?”
“Now don’t be like that Angie, you know I would’ve sent you money if I’d had any.”
“It’s been six years Jimmy. What about Rachel? How could you just leave her like that? And now you think either of us would just open our arms and welcome you back into our lives? That’s crazy Jimmy. You need to go.” I could hear the tension in Angela’s voice but I wasn’t sure if she would welcome any help from me or if she’d want to handle this on her own.
“Just let me stay for breakfast Angie and we can talk about this. You can sit down and I’ll finish cooking for you,” Jimmy cajoled.
“Don’t come any closer to me Jimmy.” Angela’s voice turned arctic and I couldn’t stay out of it any longer. I could not stand by and let that man touch her knowing what he’d done to her in the past. It was hard enough letting him continue to breathe.
I came around the corner and leaned my shoulder against the doorjamb with my arms crossed over my chest. Jimmy was near the back door. He was about six foot, heavily muscled, forty something, with short, medium brown hair. Angela was standing in front of the stove keeping an eye on the bacon she had cooking in a frying pan.
“Would you like to introduce me to your friend Angela?” I was going for calm but even I could hear the anger vibrating behind the polite words. By the way Angela’s eyes widened I’d say mine were probably turning silver right about then.
She bit the inside of her lip nervously then said, “This is Jimmy and he was just leaving.”
Jimmy’s face darkened with anger as he took in my shirtless appearance. “Who the hell is this Angie?” His hand flew out towards me but he took a step towards Angela.
I didn’t move because if I did I’d probably kill the bastard, and since he was Rachel’s father I didn’t want to do that just yet. But I did say, “I believe Angela asked you to leave. I suggest you do as she asked before this gets out of hand.”
“Who the hel
l do you think you are telling me what to do in my own house?” Jimmy roared.
Still leaning against the doorframe like his anger didn’t concern me I told him, “I’m the man that slept beside Angela last night and the night before that. I’m also the man that will be sleeping with her tonight and every night yet to come.” He needed to understand that Angela wasn’t free to be his punching bag any longer. “I’m the man she invited to breakfast, and I’m the man you’ll have to go through to get to her. Now, unless you want to escalate this situation further you should leave. Now.”
Jimmy stood on the other side of the table clenching his fists while his eyes looked me over calculating his odds of taking me down. When he decided they might not be in his favor he glared at Angela and bit out, “I want to see Rachel, today, where is she?”
“She’s staying with some friends. I’ll talk to her after breakfast and ask if she wants to see you. Write your number on the chalkboard behind you and go.”
I wanted to cross the room and pull her into my arms. She was putting up a brave front but I knew her well enough to know it was a bluff. Angela was truly frightened of Jimmy and I had a feeling that he wasn’t going to go away now that he knew about me. Some men were just like that. They got all bent out of shape when the women they’d abused finally got around to moving on without them.
Jimmy wrote his number on the chalkboard next to Angela’s grocery list and Rachel’s note saying she’d be at Emily’s for the night then he left. Angela sank into a chair and I crouched down in front of her.
“Are you okay?” I asked softly brushing my fingers down the side of her face. She closed her eyes and sighed at the gentle caress.
After a moment she opened them and said, “I will be. I’m glad you were here. I’ve learned a lot about self-defense over the years but when it comes to Jimmy everything just flies right out of my brain and I’m that scared defenseless girl he used to smack around.” A tear slid down her cheek and I rubbed it away with my thumb. “Why couldn’t he just stay gone?”
“We can make sure he goes away for good if you want him to,” I promised her.
She shook her head. “I don’t want him dead Rook, he’s Rachel’s father.”
I grinned at her. “Well that’s the option I’d vote for because any man who would lay a hand on a woman in anger deserves to die. But that wasn’t what I was suggesting. We could have one of the nightshifters convince him to leave town permanently. I don’t think Rachel needs his influence in her life. She has enough bad people affecting her judgment right now.”
She bit the inside of her lip while she considered it. “I think we should let Rachel talk to him at least once and see how it goes, but I’ll keep the offer in mind.”
“As you wish, but remember Angela, I’m not human. I know the rules of human society and what your views of right and wrong are, and I agree with most of them. Just because I’m a demon doesn’t mean I’m a savage. But if he lays a hand on you or Rachel I will kill him. I won’t hesitate for your sake or for hers.”
She looked into my eyes for a moment gauging my sincerity, then she nodded. “I understand Rook, and I can’t blame you. Every time I’ve been called to a scene of domestic violence gone horribly wrong, I’ve stood over the bodies of the broken females and thought, one bullet in the asshole’s head a long time ago and we could have avoided all this tragedy. But that’s not how the law works for humans.”
I shrugged my shoulder. “I don’t think of you or Rachel as human any more. I think of you as my family, and I would kill anyone that harmed a member of my family.”
“That kind of attitude is going to take some getting used to.” She rose from the chair and I stood with her. “Why don’t you have a seat in one of the chairs while I finish making breakfast?”
I bent down to kiss her briefly then I did as she asked. After breakfast I helped her clean up then we packed some of her things and got ready to head back to the resort.
“Your house is still under surveillance but last night it was some cop I didn’t recognize. Today it’s your partner, Quen,” I informed Angela.
She shook her head. “He’s not my partner any more. I told Lieutenant Taggert that if she didn’t give me a new partner I would file sexual harassment charges against Quen. Tony, Detective Vaccaro, the one I brought with me when you skipped out on our appointment is my new partner.”
That was good to know. Quen was an asshole and I never had liked the way be looked at Angela. Whenever she brought him to the resort I made sure one of the nightshifters sidetracked him so I could get Angela alone.
“It’s time for you to make a decision. If I walk out that door with you, he will see me and I don’t have the ability to alter his mind.” Last night she’d given herself to me freely, without reservation, but was she really ready for everything a relationship with me would mean?
“It doesn’t matter anymore Rook. I’ve made my decision to be with you and I don’t want to hide you like a dirty secret. You deserve more than that from me. Whatever happens as a result of my decision I’ll deal with it.” She sounded very sure which was a good thing because the second we walked out that door her career would be over.
“Be sure Angela because there is no going back after this.”
She framed my face with her hands and kissed me softly. “I know where I belong now, and I don’t care who else knows it as well.”
I hugged her hard, lifting her off her feet as I held her to my chest. Goddess, it felt so good to hear her say that. She laughed and we kissed some more then I set her down and we loaded up her Mustang and drove to the resort. We took her things to the suite she’d stayed in the night before, but if I had my way, her and Rachel would be moving into my place as soon as possible. Of course, I’d learned over the years that wanting something to happen didn’t always mean it would happen, especially when it involved Angela Ruby.
Chapter Seventeen
Things back at Myths and Legends were a bit chaotic so I walked Angela to her suite and asked her to meet me in my office once she’d gotten settled in. My security staff was well trained and should’ve been able to handle anything without me or anyone else there to supervise them. Yet when I returned to the resort I found Dragon practically pulling his hair out with frustration.
“What happened,” I asked as we strode down the hallway towards my office.
“What didn’t happen would be a better question. We’ve had a small fire, a reported case of food poisoning, a couple of idiots trying to break into a slot machine, an attempt at armed robbery and a missing child.” He ran his hand through his hair. “And those are just the problems that come to mind first.”
I had to bite my lip so I wouldn’t laugh as we entered my office and Dragon fell onto the couch. Some of the events he listed were concerning, but they were also commonplace at a busy resort like Myths and Legends.
I leaned against the front of my desk and said, “I’m assuming the fire has been extinguished, someone has been sent to wipe the minds of everyone involved in the food poisoning accusation since we know it’s bullshit anyway, and the idiots have been dealt with appropriately.” If they were human they would’ve been expelled from the resort with the thought never to return planted firmly in their brains. If they were supernatural, they would suffer for the insult to discourage others from making the same mistake. “Did anyone find the missing child?”
Dragon nodded yes and I asked, “What kind of weapon was used in the attempted robbery?”
“A gun,” He replied and I raised an eyebrow. “I know; Solomon is on his way here now to explain how someone was able to get a gun past his ward.”
“That question aside, you seem to have everything under control. Am I still on vacation or do you need me to come back to work?” I grinned at him already knowing the answer to my question. He’d never give up that easily.
“I think I can handle it but don’t go too far. How are things going with you and Angela?”
“Better than I cou
ld’ve hoped,” I told him with a smile stretching from ear to ear. “We have a few hurdles to make it over but we’ve made a lot more progress than I would’ve thought possible just a couple of days ago.”
“I’m happy for you Rook. No one deserves happiness more than you do,” Dragon said sincerely.
There was a knock at the door then Solomon came striding into the office. “I wasn’t clear enough on the definition of harm when I created the ward. We don’t want it to block anyone who means us any kind of harm from coming into the resort because that would include people who just want to say nasty things to us or one of the guests. So I tried to narrow the focus a bit. Intentions of physical harm are stopped at the door but apparently the magic doesn’t consider monetary loss to be harmful.”
“But what does that have to do with bringing a gun onto the property to commit armed robbery?” Dragon asked, confused.
“I get it.” They both looked at me for an explanation. “If someone brought a gun in here with the intention of showing it but not using it, then that person might cause emotional harm or monetary loss, but they wouldn’t intend physical harm. Therefore, the ward wouldn’t stop them.” Magic always had loopholes you just had to find your way around them.
“Exactly, but it’s not like I can set the ward to keep all guns out because that would include our friendly neighborhood police officers.”
“Can you set it so that anyone who wants to rob us would be kept out?” Dragon sat forward trying to figure out how to close this gap in the ward.
“I don’t think that will work either,” Solomon answered. “Unfortunately that might keep people out who just want in to gamble, because let’s be honest, they come here with the hopes of cleaning us out.”
We were still discussing possible scenarios and ways to prevent them when Angela joined us about an hour later. She glanced at me when she came into the room like she wanted to come to me but then she changed directions and sat in one of the oversized arm chairs. I guessed she wasn’t sure what the boundaries were for public displays of affection so I crossed the room and lifted her from the chair. She yelped and I sat down with her in my lap.
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