by Cheryl Yeko
“What else did he say?” His tone turned lethal.
She swiveled toward him and met his hard gaze. “Nothing.”
His eyes narrowed. “Angela.”
“He threatened to make me suffer first.” She crossed her arms and glared at him. “I can’t remember exactly what he said, it was a long time ago.”
Jake’s upper lip curled into a snarl, his eyes flashing.
She shrugged. Jake didn’t need to know how the guy threatened to rape and mutilate her if she talked. “The guy who attacked me is dead. So, I’m safe now, right?”
“We don’t know that—”
“Or it could have been a random attack,” she interjected.
There was a moment of silence. From under her lashes, she watched Jake try to curb his frustration.
“You never told anyone about the phone call? Why not?”
She squirmed. “Well. I was scared. And I really didn’t know anything about Scott’s business partners anyway? So it was kind of a moot point.”
Her eyes narrowed and she jutted her chin toward him. “Besides, the police weren’t exactly friendly toward me at the time. If you will recall.”
Jake stared at her, jaw clamped, and she squirmed even more, feeling like a recalcitrant child.
Jake continued. “That’s another reason why you can’t go back to your place. It’s not safe. And besides, your back patio door is broken. It needs to be replaced. Just give me a couple days.”
Her heart raced as a thought struck her. “I have to go home. I need to make sure Shelby’s okay.”
“Is that the cat?”
“Yes.”
“She’s fine. Rick boarded up the broken door and made sure she had plenty of food and water before he left.”
Angela collapsed against the pillow with a sigh of relief. But she still didn’t want to go to his house. She actually kinda liked him now and that was bad. Very, very bad.
She wanted to be as far away from him as possible, not trusting her emotions when he was near, or her body’s reactions. She reached for her heart necklace, gasping when it wasn’t around her neck. She rubbed the spot where it should have been resting. An ache filled her chest.
Jake’s features softened before he reached into his shirt pocket. He closed the distance between them and took her hand, placing her necklace into her palm. The warmth of his touch quickened her breath and the ache in her heart eased when she spied her necklace. She closed her hand around it, blinking away tears.
“The clasp was bent, but I fixed it.” The sexy timbre of his voice caressed her.
“Thank you.” Images of her attacker flashed in her mind. Then the thought of Jake taking the time to fix her chain replaced them, and her stomach fluttered.
God, he’s sweet.
She met his gaze. “My mother gave it to me the day before she died.”
He brushed the cheek that wasn’t injured with the back of his hand. “I’m sorry, Angel.”
Angela’s pulse raced, suddenly liking his endearment for her, then she slammed the door shut to her soft emotions. She couldn’t allow herself to have feelings for him. For any man. Scott had taught her that. “So, I’ll just stay at a motel.”
“No, Angela. Stay at my place . . . just for tonight,” he coaxed. “It’s not safe to go back to your house. Tomorrow we’ll come up with other arrangements.” His voice, low and compelling, was a Pied Piper song.
Her resolve wavered, until she remembered he was a cop and thought her a criminal. “No. You can just drop me off at a motel. My friend Stacey will be back in town in a couple days. I can stay with her.” Angela held her hand out for the bag. “Now, if you’ll just step outside while I dress.”
Jake’s expression hardened. He looked like he wanted to argue but he handed her the bag and stepped back to pull the thin cotton curtain surrounding her bed. “We’ll discuss this when you’re through,” he said tightly.
She placed the necklace on the bedside stand and reached into the bag he’d brought. She removed jeans, a light blue blouse with a ruffled collar, along with a pair of sneakers and socks. Her cheeks warmed when she saw the skimpy bra and underwear he’d chosen. The thought of him in her underwear drawer unsettled her.
“Okay,” Angela called out after she’d finished dressing. She slid the curtain aside, ignoring the tug to her bruised ribs. “I’m ready.”
He uncrossed his arms and pushed himself off the wall from where he’d been leaning. Apparently still brooding, he scowled at her. “I need to take your report on the incident.”
“Now?”
“Yes. It can’t wait until morning. I know it’s late. But either I take the report at my place, or I’ll follow you to a motel and take it there. But I’m not leaving you alone tonight.”
Angela could see from the unyielding set of his shoulders and determined look in his eyes that she wasn’t going to win this argument. She sighed, too exhausted to argue. “Okay. You can follow me to a motel.” She picked the necklace up from the table and attempted to put it on, then winced at the pain in her ribs.
“Here, let me.” He took the delicate chain from her hands, slid it under her hair, then around her neck to clasp it. His soft touch against her skin made her insides quiver with an emotion she didn’t want to define.
Jake bent his knees slightly until his eyes were even with hers, resting his hands on her shoulders. “I have a spare room at my place. You would be far more comfortable than in a motel.” He gave her a disarming smile. “What do you say, Angel? I don’t bite . . . promise.” He lowered his hands but continued to hold her gaze as he straightened, not stepping away.
She chuckled. She couldn’t help it. He really was like a dog with a bone when he wanted something. “All right, already.” Angela ran her fingers through her bangs. “You win. Your place. But only for tonight. In the morning I go home.”
He nodded. But she didn’t buy his acquiescence for a second.
With a snort, she turned to leave.
Jake opened the door to his compact three-bedroom home so Angela could enter. The fragrance of strawberry shampoo mixed with a vanilla scent that he’d already identified as uniquely hers wafted from her hair as she passed. The aroma was a tempting combination and he fought the urge to gather her in his arms and kiss her, see if she tasted as sweet as she smelled.
She stood at the entrance with a wary look on her face. The bruise on her cheek had darkened and stood out in sharp contrast against her pale skin. A bandage covered the cut. Deep shadows under her eyes gave her an appearance of fragility. He fought the urge to wrap his arms around her and hold her close, offer her some comfort after what she’d been through. But there was too much distrust between them. No doubt she would object if he touched her.
Frustration and anger clawed at him, and he braced himself against unwanted tender emotions he felt toward her. It wasn’t his job to console her. He didn’t know what to believe where she was concerned, and his desire for her seriously pissed him off. He needed to protect her, not allow her allure and soft green eyes to cause him to forget his duty to his job, and the fact that he didn’t quite trust her.
“Did you want to take a bath before bed?” he asked.
“That sounds wonderful.” She covered a yawn.
“Fine,” he said curtly. “Follow me.”
Jake turned abruptly and strode to his room to open the door. When he glanced back, she still stood at the hall entrance. He raised a brow. “Is there a problem?”
She hesitated for an instant, looking like a deer caught in the headlights, then shook her head and made her way over to him. She peered into the room. “Is this your room?”
He stepped inside and she followed. A huge four-poster bed sat in the middle of the room taking up most of the space. The walk-in closet that held his clothes stood open, the chair in the corner acted as a catchall with a pair of his jeans tossed on it, and the clothes hamper overflowed. He grabbed the jeans and tossed them into the hamper before crunching the lid
shut, not an easy task.
“Yeah, but you’re sleeping here tonight. I’ll take Nick’s room.” He’d called J.D. earlier and arranged for Nick to stay with his brother overnight.
“That won’t be necessary, I can sleep on the—”
“Angela, don’t argue.” His voice was harsher than he intended. But he didn’t want to remain in his bedroom with her any longer than necessary, as visions of her naked on his bed crowded his mind. “It’s late, and after your bath, I still need to take the report on the attack.”
Jake opened the middle drawer to his dresser and took out one of his T-shirts, tossing it to her. She caught it with one hand, eyes wide.
“I didn’t think to grab a pair of pajamas for you, so this will have to do.” He nodded toward the door next to the closet. “The bathroom is through there.”
“Umm, thank you.” Her voice was soft, hesitant.
Shit. He was being a dick. After what she’d been through tonight he shouldn’t be barking orders at her.
He ran his hand through his hair, and then gentled his tone. “I’ll be waiting for you in the living room when you’re through. It’s just down the hall on the right.”
She nodded and her delicate pink tongue swiped over her full bottom lip. His eyes followed the sensual movement and before he did something stupid like pull her into his arms to taste those tempting lips, he left.
When he reached the living room he took his cell from his pocket to call Rick, then sprawled across his black leather couch. With a grin, he noted the toys lying on the floor and the Play Station still turned on in front of the widescreen TV. Nick hadn’t picked up very well before he’d left.
When Rick answered, he said, “Hey, Rick. Do we have an ID on Angela’s attacker yet?”
“As a matter of fact, we do. It just came off the wire. And it’s not good.”
“Let me guess, a member of the Raptor gang?”
“Yep. James Warren.” Rick snorted. “He has a rap sheet the length of my arm. Assault and battery, petty theft, robbery, and attempted rape. He was tried for murder a few years back, but his slimy lawyer was able to get him acquitted.”
Jake swore. “Why wasn’t he in jail?”
“He was. Spent four years inside for the robbery and attempted rape. Got paroled a couple years ago.”
“What is she hiding that’s putting her in danger?” Jake wondered aloud.
“Maybe nothing, buddy. Maybe she’s exactly what she claims. Innocent.”
He mulled over Rick’s words and discarded them. His gut told him she wasn’t telling them everything. “No. I don’t think so.”
There was a short pause. “I hope you’re wrong. I like her.”
Jake’s grip on the phone tightened as he glanced toward the bedroom. “Yeah. I’m gonna try and get her to share what she knows tonight.”
“Is she with you now?”
“She’s staying at my place tonight.”
“Your place, huh?” Rick’s voice held a hint of amusement.
“Yeah, you got a problem with that?” His brows drew together. He had no reason to feel defensive, so why did he?
“No, not at all. Give me a call in the morning if you get anything.” There was a pause and a chuckle. “Information, that is.”
“Kiss my ass, Smyth.” Jake ended the call. At the sound of footsteps, he glanced over to see Angela enter the room.
Instead of the T-shirt he’d given her, she wore one of his blue flannel shirts. The sleeves were rolled up to her elbows and it hung to mid-thigh. His eyes dropped the length of her body, noting her long, shapely legs. Damn she was cute. Cute and sexy, with legs he imagined wrapped around him as he took her. She looked good in his clothes. But not as good as she’d look out of them. His cock surged to life.
He braced himself against the impulse to claim her. Resisting the urge to strip off that shirt, find her sweet spot, and thrust deep inside her until she came, screaming his name.
It had been a long time since he’d desired a woman like he desired Angela. After his wife’s death, he’d been so lost in grief and raising his son, he hadn’t even thought about a relationship for over two years. After that, it never seemed to be the right time to begin dating. He raised his eyes to meet hers.
Her eyes narrowed and she glared at him. He grinned. She was obviously not feelin’ the love. He patted a spot on the couch next to him. “Come have a seat so we can talk.”
Her lips pursed, she huffed and took a seat on the matching leather chair across from him. She crossed her arms under her breasts and glared some more, which only made her look even more appealing. He wanted to lean over and kiss the pout right off her pretty face. He bit back a laugh, not wanting to piss her off any more than he had already.
“I’m here.” Her voice held a note of defiance. “So what do you need to know?”
His humor fled as he studied the injury to her face and remembered what she’d been through that evening. Leaning forward, he placed his elbows on his knees and clasped his hands together. “For starters, what are you hiding?”
“What makes you think I’m hiding anything?”
“Call it a gut feeling.”
She scowled. “Well your gut’s wrong. I’ve told you everything I know.”
“What about your marriage?” Jake didn’t miss the way she paled and glanced away.
“What about it?”
“Why were you a prisoner in your own home?”
“I wasn’t. That’s ridiculous.”
“That’s not what you said earlier, Angel.”
She glared at him. “My name is Angela. Use it.”
He raised a brow in amusement. If he could keep her off balance, maybe he could get to the truth. “Answer the question. Why were you a prisoner in your home?”
She shifted in her chair and there was a short pause. “Scott was . . . controlling.”
“How so?” Tension poured through him. Controlling?
She twisted the chain of her necklace around her finger. A gesture he was becoming familiar with when she was nervous or upset.
“He preferred I didn’t go anywhere without him, that’s all.”
“And if you did?”
“He would become upset.”
Jake straightened and rolled his shoulders back, instinctively preparing for battle. His blood thrummed a fast rhythm at the implication of her words. “Did he hit you?”
She peered at him from under her lashes before lowering her gaze to the coffee table. “Sometimes.”
“Bastard,” Jake said harshly. If the guy weren’t already dead, he would’ve kicked his ass. “Why did you stay?”
She shrugged and glanced away.
Jake regretted the question as soon as it left his mouth. He’d been a cop long enough to know better.
From the stubborn look on her face, he knew he’d blown it and wouldn’t get anything more from her. Not now anyway. “Okay, then tell me what happened tonight.”
Her hand curled tightly around the arm of the chair. “You know what happened. Some guy broke into my house and attacked me.”
“Tell me what you remember. What he said or did?” She nodded, but didn’t look at him. “I was in my bedroom at my vanity table getting ready for bed. From out of nowhere, Shelby suddenly freaked out and dashed from the room. When I went to see what was wrong, he grabbed me from behind.” Her voice shook and she paused.
“Go on, Angel.”
She glanced at him, then looked away. “He—he knocked me onto the bed and when I tried to get away, he hit me.”
“Did he say anything?”
“He said I’d never get the chance to testify.” She chewed at her lower lip.
Jake placed his hand over hers where it gripped the chair. “Did he say anything else?”
“He said that the cops would never be able to touch them.” She jerked her hand away and placed it in her lap. “He told me I was nothing more than a drug dealer’s whore and the cops wouldn’t care what he did to me.”
Her voice was accusing and her eyes snapped with anger.
He tensed. “You know that’s not true.”
“Do I?”
“Yes.”
“But you don’t trust me.”
“No,” he admitted. “You haven’t exactly been honest with me and until you are . . .” He shrugged.
“I’ve been honest,” she denied.
“You didn’t tell me about the phone call.”
Her lips pressed together in a thin line, and she lowered her eyes until her lashes swept across her pale cheeks, but not before he saw the tears that filled her eyes.
Jake fisted his hands against his thighs and fought for some semblance of calm, when what he really wanted to do was punch something. He struggled against the need to comfort her as she trembled and struggled for composure.
Damn.
Before he could remind himself that touching her was a bad idea for a whole shitload of reasons, he reached over and tugged her onto his lap, closing his arms around her.
She stiffened and pushed against his chest. “Let me go.” Her voice shook.
“Sshh.” He tightened his grip. “It’s okay to cry, Angel.”
CHAPTER 5
At Jake’s comforting words, It’s okay to cry Angel, Angela lost the will to fight and went still in his arms as he cradled her head against his shoulder and began to stroke her hair. The gentleness of his touch tore her open.
When was the last time she’d been touched with tenderness, the last time she’d allowed herself to cry? Having learned early in her marriage that crying only increased Scott’s sadistic pleasure she’d soon learned to keep her pain hidden. Not wanting to give him complete power over her, she had learned to shield her emotions and play the dutiful wife as she planned her escape.
Jake’s softly spoken words and comforting arms shattered the shield she’d placed around her heart. A savage rush of emotion ripped through her.
She collapsed against him and let her tears flow as her pent-up anguish burst forward. She let go of the pain, the fear, and sadness that had been her constant companion for far too long. For now, for this moment in time, with this man, her need to be comforted and held, won the battle that raged within her for caution.
