by Lietha Wards
“What?” she asked, studying his expression. He looked mad for some reason, and she had no idea why.
He leaned over and whispered harshly in her ear. “Don’t worry your pretty little head over it.” Then he turned away and proceeded to ignore her for the rest of the night. Not another word passed between them, and she became more subdued, wondering why Alex was angry with her. So much for the soft side he’d showed her in the car. Maybe it was because of the way Priscilla was behaving, but her sister always behaved that way. Angel couldn’t control her. No one could.
CHAPTER THREE
Alex drove to the front of her house and shifted the Jaguar into park.
“Thanks for the night,” she managed and was met with another harsh look. Why he was so angry, she didn’t know. Normally, she would sum it up to his usual mood, but this seemed different—deeper.
After a prolonged silence, he finally turned to her. “It’s not necessary to act like a trollop when you’re surrounded by men.”
Her mouth fell open. “I did not!”
Alex reached for a cigarette and lit it while looking at the house. The lights were off. “Where’s your family?”
“My parents went away for the weekend after we left the house, and you know where Priscilla was, you were glaring at her all night,” she shot back, causing him to cast her an amused glance. All traces of irritation were gone. How he could switch moods so rapidly was beyond her.
“I kept my promise.”
“You could try and manage to calm your expression too,” she countered.
“Is that so?” he asked, his eyes ranging over her face.
“It is,” she replied hotly. “Then you go and accuse me of throwing myself at—”
“At Red.” His eyes went to the bodice of her gown. “Maybe it has something to do with those.”
Angel glared at him and instinctively lifted her hands to cover her cleavage. “You make me sound so cheap.”
“I didn’t think you were until tonight,” he confirmed coldly.
Back to the anger. “Oh for God’s sake, I was talking to old friends,” she snapped, flustered. “What is the matter with that?”
“You’re twenty, you don’t have old friends.” He nodded towards her. “And they aren’t your friends. They’re men with lusty appetites. I didn’t have you go and get all dolled up so you could throw yourself at some man.” He took a long drag off his cigarette and tossed it out the window.
“Then what the hell did you want me to get dolled up for?” she flung back at him.
“For me,” he said simply, causing her mouth to fall open again.
“You?” She gaped at him, completely dumfounded.
“Are you deaf, little girl?”
“No, I—”
“What the hell did you think? I wouldn’t spend my time on some useless prospect, they’re a dime a dozen.”
What was a useless prospect? “Alex—”
“I meant,” he interrupted, seeing her confusion. “A woman who would know what to do with a man if she had him, like you had me tonight, but instead, you spent most of the evening seducing Red.”
“That’s not true!” she defended. “And what does that mean? I don’t have you.”
“Don’t you?” His gaze dropped to her chest and back up to her eyes. “You had me fifteen seconds after I spotted you this evening,” he said huskily.
“Oh.” It was a dumb thing to say, but it was all she could squeak out of her tightening throat.
“Oh,” he repeated, allowing a sensual smile to drift across his face with a look that told her he knew exactly how he affected her. “You really have no idea what God gave you, do you, honey?”
She shook her head, completely stunned and suddenly aware of how small the interior of his sports car had become.
His hand came up and teased the hair at the nape of her neck. “Well, I’m not a fool, and I know what I want when I see it,” he said deeply, not removing his gaze from hers.
“Want?” Angel didn’t even know she’d repeated the word. She was completely lost in his eyes. His hand boldly brushed the stole off her shoulder and caressed the bare skin there with his fingers.
“Your innocence is completely refreshing, Angel. Now come here and let me kiss you.” His hand circled around to the back of her neck and gently pulled her towards him.
Angel’s eyes widened. Her heart pounded in her ears as Alex lowered his head and brushed his mouth across hers.
“I swear that you have the most beautiful mouth I’ve ever seen. I’ve been dying to taste you again,” he murmured against her lips.
That deep, husky confession made her lose it. Whatever resistance she had, if she had any, was gone and replaced by a warm flush that filled every limb. She practically fell into his lap as she twined her arms around his neck and entangled her hands in his hair. Faintly, she heard him chuckle against her mouth, but she didn’t care.
Alex nibbled sensuously on her lower lip, and it made Angel part those soft curves. That was all the coaxing he needed to capture her mouth fully, probing between her parted lips with his tongue. He had plenty of experience with making women respond—and did Angel ever respond.
None of her fantasies about this man touched what he was doing to her right now. She could feel his hands on her body through her clothing, and she wished to God that they didn’t have any fabric between them. She knew his hands were calloused and rough from hard work, but the thought of them on her flesh with the gentle way he caressed her made warmth throb through her. He tilted her head back and ran his mouth down her neck, causing her to moan. Finally, with a rough noise deep within his throat, he pushed her away, just enough so that he could lift his head and look at her eyes.
“Jesus, Angel, you’re loaded with passion,” he said huskily, searching her eyes with his.
Her actions flashed through her head, and she flushed all the way to her toes. “Oh dear.”
“Don’t you dare be embarrassed. There’s nothing wrong with this. I love the way you react to my touch.” He gave her a drop-dead, heart-stopping grin. “I’d better get going, or I’m coming in, and I don’t think either Catherine or George would appreciate finding me here in the morning.”
Her eyes widened and then she did something unexpected: she laughed. It was comical to think of her father’s reaction if he found her and Alex in bed together.
He shook his head at her while still grinning. She had no idea how wonderful it sounded when she laughed freely. “Listen. Tomorrow, I’m going to be busy, but I’ll be in town on Monday. I’ll join you for lunch. Just you and me. I’m not dragging your other boyfriend along,” he added with a slight narrowing of his gaze.
Other boyfriend? What was wrong with him? She’d worked in the office with Red for two years. If she were dating him, wouldn’t it be obvious? Then she remembered her lunch date with him on Monday, and she paled a little, knowing that Alex wouldn’t take it well after this display. “I’m going to lunch with Red,” she admitted hesitantly. With what happened next, she knew she shouldn’t have said anything. Alex narrowed his cool stare on her, bent over, and lifted the handle of her door, shoving it open with such force that she feared it would pop off its hinges.
“Get out,” he gritted out angrily.
“Alex—” she started, feeling her stomach drop.
“Get the hell out, Angel,” he repeated furiously, casting her another cold look. “If I wanted some tramp, I would have asked your sister out!”
Instantly, she was angry. “I asked you not to say anything about her! Can’t we have one conversation without you insulting her?”
“Get out, or I’ll shove you out.”
The tone of his voice made her scramble out of the car as if she’d been scorched. She stood there in stunned silence as the machine tore up the gravel on the driveway and disappeared from sight. What the hell did that man expect from her? He treated her as if she were no more important than the Stetson he wore on his head, but as soon as an
other man even talked to her, he acted like she was his possession.
She started wondering while staring off down the empty drive why he kept her at arm’s length. His temper and his actions had begun to lead her to believe that he was actually interested in her. Although her screaming instincts reminded her that he just used women, he’d as much as told her so at Seth’s party.
For a man as steeled as he was, it seemed as though she’d hurt him. Hurt him? Was that possible? He could have nearly any woman he wanted, and it was ridiculous to think that she affected him in such a way. What if she had hurt him, though? She’d never intentionally hurt anyone before in her life, and because of the way she felt about him, it hurt back. She’d talk to him tomorrow, after he calmed down a bit. If he calmed down.
Sighing heavily, she turned and went into the house.
***
The next day, Angel baked cinnamon buns as a peace offering. The previous night had her thinking. Alex was always irritated with her in one way or another, but he’d never been as angry as he was last night. Something must be going on with him and her.
God, she hoped so. Although she was the last person who’d make a move, she knew he wouldn’t come near her after that incident. She still didn’t think she’d done anything wrong, however.
After she was done, she packed up the buns in a container and asked her sister for a ride over to the Harrisons’ ranch. Not surprisingly, Priscilla practically leaped at the suggestion before bolting upstairs to get ready. Angel realized she should have asked her sooner, because it took her over an hour to primp up.
On the way over, she kept asking Angel how she looked whether she thought Seth would notice her. Angel just nodded, nervously fingering the container of buns on her lap. The closer they got to the ranch, the more she seemed to lose her nerve. While her sister babbled on about herself, Angel ended up thinking about how Alex would take seeing her again. Worry and prickly dread coursed through her.
The feeling intensified when Prissy pulled the car to a stop in front of the house. As she watched her sister get out of the car and practically rush into the building, she felt a sense of loneliness. She never had anyone to talk to about her feelings. Her father would tell her to snap out of it, her mother would dote on her far too much, and her sister would somehow turn the conversation back to herself.
She caught a glimpse of Alex at a distance. Although she couldn’t make out his face, she could make out his shape and long, confident stride as he headed towards the barn. He was probably going to ride out to check on his herds.
Before she lost her nerve, she quickly scrambled out of the car and headed towards the building he’d just entered. Angel had even tried to pick something to wear that complimented her figure more than the other clothes he’d seen her in: a soft pink camisole and a knee-length denim skirt. Even though she felt practically naked, she didn’t want to give him ammunition and call her a spinster or frumpy again.
With his outburst of the night before still fresh in her mind, her legs began to weaken the closer she got to the barn. For the life of her, she couldn’t fathom what was controlling her movements. She wanted to turn and run back to the car, lock herself in, and wait for Prissy.
Compared to the sunny outdoors, the barn was dark, and she couldn’t see a darn thing until she stepped through the door. As she’d thought, Alex was in the middle of the aisle saddling a horse. Without turning around, he spoke. How he knew she was behind him, she’d never know.
“What do you want, little girl?” he asked tersely. He tightened the cinch of his saddle on the stallion, maybe a little too roughly by the way the horse shifted and snorted.
He was still mad; she wanted to run and hide. “I want to apologize,” she managed, cautiously walking closer. She saw him stop what he was doing, then drop his hands and slowly turn around. His expression was unreadable, and he casually reached for a cigarette and lit it.
“So apologize,” he said coolly, locking his eyes on hers.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“Not good enough,” he stated, looking her over slowly. “What the hell is that get-up?”
“What do you mean, not good enough?” she asked, ignoring his comment on her clothing. She had half expected it; there was no middle ground with this man. One minute, he was drawing rage out of her, and the next, he was soothing her with his words.
He took a long draw off his smoke and stared at her through thick lashes. “First of all, tell me why you think you need to apologize.”
“Because,” she said, exasperated, “you’re angry with me!”
“So you’re guilty of something, but what do you think you’re guilty of?” he asked, not giving an inch.
“I don’t know!” she blurted. “You made me feel like garbage last night.”
“Good,” he snapped, undeterred.
“Good? Alex, what is it you want from me?”
“Not a damn thing, honey,” he stated while crushing out his cigarette with the toe of his boot. He gave her another look of contempt before he turned around and continued to saddle his horse.
Angel stood there feeling like a complete ass, and found herself looking down at the pan in her hands. She’d completely forgotten about it.
“You and Red have a nice lunch tomorrow, just don’t spread your legs at the first line of flattery he feeds you,” he said casually, not even bothering to look at her.
How could a man possibly humiliate her more than he just did? Her cheeks burned with shame. He made her feel as if she’d slept with the man, even though she had no interest in him. She let go of the pan and it hit the cement floor with a crash, startling his horse, but she didn’t care. She just turned around and walked out of the barn, hearing him curse as he tried to settle his stallion. Tears burned her eyes as she strode past her sister’s car and walked down the long driveway. It was a fifteen-minute drive by car and it would take her the better part of the afternoon to walk home, but she didn’t care. Alex had crushed her.
It had taken every bit of nerve in her body to go to him like that, and he spoke to her as though she was nothing more than street trash. She furiously wiped the tears from her eyes and kept walking. Somewhere in the back of her head, she realized she could hear a vehicle approaching, but she refused to turn and look. She knew it was Alex. Her face was wet with tears, and she didn’t want to hear another word from him. The vehicle slowed as it neared her, and she heard the sound of an electric window.
“Angel, get in.”
She felt her heart clench at the sound of Alex’s voice, making her hurt all over again. “Go away! I hate you!”
“Angel, get in the damn truck,” he said, “or I’ll get out and throw you in it.”
She waved a dismissive hand at him, still refusing to look in his direction. Spouting a string of epithets that would make a lumberjack blush, he gunned the engine and pulled in front of her, cutting off her path. She stopped as he got out of the truck.
“What the hell were you thinking, walking home—” He paused suddenly, seeing her tear-stained face. “Jesus Christ, you’re crying?” A wash of guilt hit him. He’d been way too hard on her, and he should’ve known better. She was young and innocent. The sudden wash of jealousy he’d felt over the mention of her going to lunch with Red was unexpected, and he’d taken it out on her, lashing out unfairly. He shouldn’t have done it, but he couldn’t help himself. He’d never been possessive of a woman before like he was with Angel.
She released a sob and tried to go around the front of the truck, but he caught her arm.
“Hold on a second, missy,” he said, turning her to look at him. “Why are you crying?”
“You’re a jerk,” she stated vehemently. “I came to apologize for whatever I did to make you angry at me…and you threw it back at me. You insulted my wardrobe!” She released another sob. “You called me a tramp and made me feel like trash.” Alex stared at her with a perplexed look on his face, as if he’d never had a woman call him on anything
he said before. “W-what?” she stuttered, falling to pieces under his scrutiny.
“Get in the truck. I’ll take you home,” he said softly. He felt like a complete bastard. No one should treat Angel in such a way—especially him.
She noticed the anger had evaporated from his voice, but she wasn’t willing to forgive him. “I’d rather walk and bloody the soles of my feet than get in that truck with you,” she muttered. She tried to pull away, but he had a strong hold on her.
“Then I guess I won’t give you the chance to walk,” he replied. He bent down and scooped her up in his arms as if she weighed nothing, then gently placed her in the passenger side of the truck.
Even if she had the will to resist, she couldn’t have done so. He was too darn strong, and the feel of his well-muscled arms around her nearly made her sigh aloud. She silently chastised herself for falling prey to his strong-armed charm so easily. She bowed her head and focused her eyes on her hands, which she’d folded on her lap as he shut the door and walked around to the driver’s side of the massive vehicle.
Alex didn’t say a word until he pulled up in front of her house. “Your parents aren’t home yet?” he asked, looking through the windshield at the vacant driveway.
“Tonight.”
He cut the engine and turned to face her. “That pan you managed to shatter all over the floor of my barn and freak the shit out of my stallion with, what was it?”
She brought her red-rimmed gaze up to his face. Thankfully, he no longer looked angry. “Cinnamon buns,” she admitted.
“Did you bake them yourself?” His eyes studied her sorrowful expression. Yes, he’d been far too harsh on her. He had to watch his temper around her—she wasn’t used to much experience in men, and he was used to a little too much experience in women. He should know better than to treat her in such a way, but he was so jealous at the way Red had paid attention to her that he’d forgotten himself. In fact, he’d woken up angry that morning, and after he checked on the calves, he’d planned to ride his horse and try to release some of his tension. Then Angel showed up in that outfit, looking entirely too desirable, and his temper flared again. She had the nicest legs he’d ever seen. What he wouldn’t give to have those wrapped around his hips while he made love to her.
