“If you even think of running on me, girl, I swear you won’t sit for a month.” Colin had leaned close to her, the warmth of his breath floating over her skin.
And she giggled while Bailey had straightened in the seat and tried not to think about the threat that she knew wasn’t a threat, but a promise.
“You know she might not remember the conversation, Colin.” Gabe caught his gaze in the mirror as he drove, the corner of his mouth fighting the urge to grin.
“You’re just a bundle of advice these days,” Colin grumbled, leaning back and allowing his head to fall against the seat, the first hint of fear and anger melting off. Very slowly.
“You might be better getting Jack or Ray to handle the case,” Gabe suggested after a few minutes. “You’re too close and it could be a problem.”
“I’ve already thought of that…and you’re right,” blue eyes stared forward as they approached her apartment. “I’ve got a call in to Kate. She takes some cases outside since she’s only part time with the DA. It can’t continue and the only way I know to stop him that’s legal, is through the courts.”
“No,” Angel shook her head. “He won’t stop.”
“Are you going to fight me about taking that idiot to court?” Colin pushed the words harshly through his teeth, feeling the enamel grind and realizing she was the wrong person to be taking his frustrations out on.
“Right now I don’t know,” she answered honestly, her face turned toward the window. “There’s such a mess…the only way it would ever stop is if he changed, Colin, and I don’t see him changing. He’s been that way as far back as I can remember. My only sanctuary was with my mother’s parents so I went to them as often as I could. He didn’t really want me around, so it wasn’t that difficult to pull off.”
“They’re still alive,” Bailey said from the front with a thoughtful frown. “Maybe they know something that can help.”
Chapter Fourteen
Angel remained silent until she saw the apartment building come into view. “He never bothered with them unless he needed a place to hide me. Then he would drop me on their doorstep and leave. I don’t know if they’ve ever spoken. I’ve never seen them together. They wanted me to live with them but when he needed a daughter for something church related, he dragged me back as an example of evil.”
A shudder ran through her and she curled her fingers into the door latch. Her other hand popped the seatbelt free.
“Angel…”
“Let me…please…” Bailey watched her friend move quickly from the SUV. Bailey jumped out without waiting for a reaction from either of the men. She ran around the front and stopped Angel from entering the apartment. “You can’t run away.”
“I can do whatever I want,” Angel answered firmly, staring at her friend. “I should never have…” she shook her head.
“Don’t even go there,” Bailey ordered firmly. “Do I need to call Patsy? We’ll wear you down, you know we will.”
“Friends just give him more targets, Bailey. Don’t you see that? Now I have to worry about you and…and…” she turned and went to the door. “Mrs. Langdon on the first floor has my spare key.”
“Colin can take care of himself,” Bailey hurried after her, frowning and waiting while the older woman came to the door.
“Angel!” Carla Langdon stepped into the hall and hugged the younger woman before she could escape. “Mah Chow is so worried about you! She said she sent your young man to rescue you. Are you alright? Oh, dear, you’re bruised…”
“I’m okay, Mrs. Langdon. Just need my key to get back inside,” Angel took half a step back.
“You aren’t okay, Angel,” Carla shook her head at her. “I saw you come back from running this morning. Then…you were okay. Now…not so much.”
“We’re going to look out for her.”
Angel spun at the deep, familiar voice. She stumbled back when Colin’s hand came out to take the key offered by Mrs. Langdon.
“Colin Whetstone,” he said, politely offering his palm to the woman staring at him. “Pleased to meet you formally, Mrs. Langdon.”
“You’re her young man…you were here yesterday,” Carla said with a nod of approval. “Good. You look sturdy and capable,” she took his palm and shook hands with him. “Hmm…nice grip, my Charlie would approve. I called the police when I saw them take her out of here. Makes me wish I had a dog I could sic on them.”
Colin laughed, his hand slowly settling at Angel’s waist. “I’ll do my best to keep them away from her, Mrs. Langdon.” His fingers closed around the key. “Right now, I’m going to get her fed and some rest.”
“Good man,” Carla said, standing and watching them walk toward the stairs before closing her door.
“You should leave,” Angel shrugged away from him, taking several rapid steps forward and snagging her key in the process. “I meant what I said. I won’t have either of you becoming targets because I have nut relatives.”
Bailey clenched her fists at her sides when the warm, possessive palm wiped the tears from her face.
“We won’t let her push you away, Bailey,” Gabe tipped her chin up and kissed her. “Let’s go home and give them some space. Colin will make sure she’s not alone.”
“I don’t remember asking your choice in this, Angel,” Colin’s hand was up on the edge of the door the instant she opened it inward.
“You can’t fight him. All you’ll do is make him more determined. All it’ll do is convince him that I’m the cause of all his problems,” Angel continued through the apartment and into the bedroom.
“Letting the press in on this behavior…”
“Would galvanize people to his side,” she interrupted. “Don’t you see? It’ll just set up an ‘us’ versus them scenario. It won’t stop him. To stop him, you have to make him see reason and sense. He believes what he’s saying…”
“No.” The single word came out sharply. “He uses you to galvanize the people around him and get money for his church. He uses you to show them what a generous, caring father he is for trying so desperately to help his only daughter. Why the hell do you think he stages it all so carefully? The white dress? Please…” Colin met the glare she offered from across her bedroom. “I think every now and then, donations fall off and he drags you into his scope to use as a tool to get money from members of the congregation.”
Angel closed her mouth, her mind busy going over his words.
“I’ve never seen his accounting books,” she said thoughtfully.
“I’m guessing not too many people have,” Colin responded, taking in a slow breath. He shrugged out of his coat and laid it over the large chair in her bedroom before sitting down and watching her. He leaned his elbows on his knees, hands clasp in the center. “He’s not crazy, Angel. And I’m not sure he even believes the garbage he spews. Come over here,” he said with an unshakable confidence, one hand turned palm up and waiting. “Angel…lose the scrubs first.”
She stood staring at him. “I don’t need taken care of. I can handle my own problems.” She didn’t like the itchy feeling at the back of her neck. At all. The man had a way of staring at her that seemed to make every nerve come alive and annoy her until she did what he wanted. Like now.
The scrubs had been comfortable. Soft and worn from washings. Then he wanted them gone and suddenly her skin felt smothered. How did he manage to make her twitchy? How did she let it happen and why the hell was he so patient?
He sat waiting. His head cocked to the side and one brow arched expectantly. His palm hadn’t moved.
Angel let loose with a little snarl and grabbed the edge of the top she wore. She flung it toward the unmade bed before sliding the stretchy band of the pants down her legs. She had a vague memory of her step-mother and one of her friends dressing her in the white dress. She remembered struggling and trying to push them away. At least they’d left her with her panties.
And that’s what she presented to him now. Angel in panties and nothing else.
Even though she was mostly staring into his eyes, she saw the slight come-hither wiggle of his fingers. Pushing a huff of exasperation between her lips, she stepped forward and placed her hand in his.
“It’s nice to know that beneath that delicious surface lies a heart of defiance,” Colin curled his fingers around her hand and tugged her closer. He wasn’t sure what exposure to her father and brothers might have done to their time together. But at the moment, it appeared it was mostly Angel fighting him.
That he knew how to handle.
“Why won’t you listen to me?”
“I listen to every word, pet. I’m just naturally arrogant,” he answered with a slight grin. “It’s part of the Dom in me. How are you feeling, Angel?”
“I’m fine,” she answered with an automation that made him think of a computer. His thumb stroked lightly over the back of her hand. And he stared up at her. She sighed. “I have a headache…the doctor said it might be from the…the drug…”
“What else?”
“I’m a little tired. I wasn’t before. After my run, I felt so energized and…rested,” she whispered, biting the inside of her cheek. “I slept so good for once…I wanted to come home and cook and…”
“They took it all away from you,” Colin finished her sentence with a little nod. “I made a mistake by not telling you I expected you to remain with me all night, Angel. I’m sorry. We’re not perfect,” he winked when she looked at him with skepticism in her eyes. “I had intentions of keeping you away from here all weekend.”
“He’d still find me. I can move apartments, and it lasts for a little while. Then I think he has someone following me to find out where I moved to and it all begins again,” she stared at two hands. “I didn’t know whether to stay or not. I wanted to run this morning…”
“You never told me you ran. I would have taken care of that, too,” Colin watched her expressions. “And I know you believe it isn’t my problem, but Angel, it is. You could have brought your running things with you and gone for a run along the beach.”
“I…it isn’t part of…it isn’t your job to…” Angel swallowed when he reached for her free hand and tugged until she was on his lap.
“Someone made an announcement in the ER that they were getting used to being naked,” Colin remarked with a chuckle.
“I blame the drugs,” Angel shifted her gaze from her alert nipples to the collar of his t-shirt. Especially now that one of his hands began fondling her breast and it seemed as casual as you might hold a person’s hand. She cleared her throat.
“I think you should get dressed and take a nap. I’ll rummage in your kitchen and fix some food for you.”
“But I can…”
“You can take a long, hot shower, Angel. You can put on comfortable clothing and let me pamper you today. Please,” Colin lifted her to her feet. With his hands on her hips, he turned her toward the bathroom and gave her ass a sharp swat.
She jumped and moved forward, her hand back and rubbing while she scowled at him. He could see the struggle with opening her mouth and protesting. Or not. She took a few steps back and disappeared into the bathroom. He didn’t even wince when the door closed with a little more force than was necessary.
Colin remained sitting for a few minutes, the anger finally, slowly, subsiding. Right now he was more furious with himself for not being clear about her remaining with him through the weekend. He knew better than to assume a sub knows what he expects. He was making mistake after mistake with his new sub.
He tipped his head back, the niggling little voice at the back of his mind hinting at why, but for the moment, he was pretending it wasn’t there. For the moment, he didn’t want to think that maybe he was more ensnared than he imagined possible. Maybe he’d believed he’d worn her out enough to sleep with him.
Maybe, he thought, this time, he’d wear her out enough that she’d sleep until morning at his side.
He wasn’t sure what he’d been thinking and pushed himself to his feet. After half an hour in the well-stocked kitchen, he had a nice meal of soup and sandwiches ready when she hesitantly came out of the bedroom. A soft stream of steam and soaps followed her, continuing past when she stopped and stared at the table he’d set up for them.
“Your friend across the street sent you some soup. She seemed to know your favorite,” he went to her and took her hand, pulling her toward the table. “You can argue all you want, Angel, you have friends who aren’t going to let you go through this alone. I’m not sure of all the things she brought over…” Colin pulled the chair out and waited while she sat. He knew she drank lots of ice water so that’s what he’d put on the table.
“I seem to be attracting more and more people,” she said softly.
“It happens,” Colin reached up with the napkin and dabbed at her cheek. “Nothing you learned from that man is accurate, Angel. And as for your grandparents…I don’t know how or why they didn’t adjust your thinking when you were with them.”
“They tried,” she said, immediately coming to their defense. She lifted one of the see-through wraps with rice noodles, sprouts, lettuce and prawns inside and took a healthy bite. “They honestly tried,” she said after a pause to chew. “I…I think I might have…”
“Pushed them away?”
“I think about it now and I just knew I had to keep away from them, to protect them,” she said quietly. “I have to talk to my manager tomorrow. I have to go see them…I’ve been thinking about it for a while now but I don’t know how to fix things.”
“Oh, I think you’ll be surprised,” Colin said around a spoonful of the flavorful vegetable soup. “Where do they live, Angel?”
“Down a little south of here, in the valley. They have a little farm and…it’s nice there. They live on one of the lakes just east of Olympia. Several members of the…”
“Don’t stop now, Angel.” He waited, his voice sharpening on purpose as he watched the color fall from her cheeks. “Angelica.” She looked up from her soup immediately. “I’m not your father or your brothers. I’m not racist or – usually – not an asshole.” He was relieved when that comment made her smile. “Tell me about them. And how did she meet your father?”
“My grandparents are part of the Nisqually Tribe,” she said softly. “Some of them share a large farm where their house is and sell at farmer’s markets. It’s…a different kind of family than my father and step-mother. Very different…peaceful. I used to hate when he came back for me. Then…then I’d think that I was evil because I hated my own father,” her voice had dropped and Colin wondered if this was a good topic to have over their meal. “They care for me…and about me. But they honored my…my phobia…about being touched. Now I think they should have pushed until I cracked.” She felt the grin tugging at her lips when he laughed.
“I’ll keep my opinion to myself until after we finish eating,” Colin reached out and gripped her fingers, forcing her gaze back on him and away from the past images he felt swirling through her memories. “Let’s finish eating and I have a suggestion to make.”
“A suggestion?” Angel repeated the phrase a few minutes later, most of her soup gone and her stomach had stopped growling at her. She couldn’t even begin to make her mind think what kind of suggestion Colin would have. And was she talking to Colin or the Dom? Was there much of a difference between the two?
“My, my…such a suspicious look, pet,” Colin chuckled softly. “I don’t want to leave you here alone, Angel,” he sighed when the spark of independence flared to life in her eyes. “Yeah…so here we sit, having a nice meal and talking, like a couple dating.”
The way she began coughing, he was positive she’d swallowed an elephant instead of the rice noodles and broth she had been eating.
“Dating?” Angel finally managed to sputter.
“What would you call it?” He asked cautiously. Not that he blamed her. She probably hadn’t expected to come away from the club with more than a few experiences at scenes and r
elaxation therapy in the form of orgasms.
“I…I didn’t think…” Angel sat back, her hands on the tabletop. “You have a lot of…followers…at the club…”
“Ahh…I see,” Colin nodded slowly. “How many followers do you think Gabe had before Bailey stumbled into his life?”
“I don’t know.”
“I’m not sure he knows,” Colin admitted with a laugh. “But I know he’s not interested in anyone but his redhead. Maybe we should have sat down and talked a lot more before now, Angel. The club and the need I have for the type of play we both enjoy sexually is separate from what we have in the other parts of our life. I go to work, argue with dry cleaners and forget things at the grocery store,” he waited for her to look up from the prawn wrap she’d picked up. He watched her dip it into the peanut sauce before taking a bite.
“Dating,” she said again after she finished chewing.
“I’m confused, Angel,” Colin began slowly.
“I can’t date,” she said simply, her head shaking. “I don’t have time. I work or…or run and…and…”
“The reason for dating is to get to know one another and discover that we’re worth making adjustments to our lives for the other person,” Colin chose his words carefully. “I think we’re mature enough to handle that.”
“But that isn’t how you…how long have you belonged to the club?”
“Since it opened. I worked with Gabe and Tanner to create it and buy the building,” he leaned back in the chair. He lifted one of the vegetable wraps and took a big bite, chewing thoughtfully. “I was the lawyer involved in the negotiations and getting all the permits necessary and cleared through the legal loopholes of a city. Needless to say, since the creation of the WindSwept Narrows, membership and interest has gone up considerably. All good for business. At this point, it supports itself with money set aside for maintenance and profit.”
Independence: #2 Angel Page 14
