Angels & Assassins: BWWM Romance

by K. Alex Walker

  “They’ll take it seriously when you’ve got your throat slit and you’re bleeding out on the area rug.”

  Both pairs of eyes turned to Gage.

  “What’s your name again, son?” Townley asked. “How long you been in Yearwood? I haven’t see your face before.”

  Gage’s hand twitched and a vein tremored near his clavicle. Men like Sheriff Townley were the reason that men like him had been created. Private work meant confidential contracts and clearances that couldn’t be found in any database. It meant developing and relying on instinct when there was no time to evaluate whether it was worth trusting.

  “You remember my name,” he tested.

  “Gage is a friend, sheriff,” Tayler stepped in. “I’m starting to realize that he’s a bit like Ares in human form.”

  The sheriff backed down, but Gage’s muscles remained tight. His vision cleared. There were only two classifications for people that he was capable of and the sheriff was maneuvering toward the level that would have gotten him disemboweled on a different playing field.

  “I’ll come down and put in the report,” Tayler said in resignation. “If that’s all I can do, then that’s just what will have to happen for now.” She shot Gage a sly grin. “Down, boy.”

  That was another thing that he would have smiled at a very long time ago before the emotional center of his brain had been rewired and then destroyed.

  “Doc, in the meantime, just be careful,” Townley said. “Don’t go out when it’s dark, and if you have to, don’t go alone. I don’t mean take the mutt either. Take a friend,” he glanced over at Gage, “or go out with a group. My gut tells me that this person isn’t dangerous and it’ll die down with time.”

  Gage snorted. The protrusion hanging lazily over the man’s belt had almost certainly been wrong on more than one occasion. The only thing that it was probably in-tune to was his hunger patterns, much less a stalker’s motives.

  Townley tapped the papers against the palm of his hand as though he had more to say, but then tipped his hat toward Tayler and walked to the door. “Keep me informed. I’ll be in touch.”

  Without tossing a glance Gage’s way, he left and they both remained silent until the sound of his engine disappeared.

  “Maybe he’s right,” Tayler said. “It’ll blow over. Life will go back to normal.”

  “Does it feel that way to you?” Gage asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  He walked over and placed a hand against the lower part of her stomach. Her body went completely still at the unexpected warmth of his touch.

  “Here. This is where our instinct comes from. Our intuition. It’s not called a gut feeling because the wording is cute. Listen to your gut. What is it telling you?”

  Tayler looked down at the length of Gage’s fingers splayed across her shirt. His knuckles were large and bruised. A crescent-shaped scar mimicked the natural arch of where his thumb was joined to his hand. Light blond hairs curled to his wrist.

  “My gut is confused,” she said, lightly brushing her index finger over the fine strands. He glanced down at the movement of her fingers, and she felt him relax into the motion, but then his eyes went dark and he pulled his hand away.

  “You’ll get used to it,” he said, walking to the door. “I’ll teach you. Don’t worry.”

  Her eyes fell to his hand on the door handle. “You’re…leaving?”

  “I’ll be back.”

  “When?”

  “In a minute. I have to get my stuff.”

  “What stuff?”

  He pushed open the door. “I’m going to stay with you. This person is escalating. Things won’t just go back to normal.”

  Tayler’s gut started talking loudly then, pulling her in two different directions. She didn’t know Gage that well; matter of fact, she pretty much didn’t know him at all. Yet his presence somehow invoked safety. His instincts were sharp, and Ares hadn’t seen him as a threat. Plus she’d lied a little. Each time she’d thought about the notes, ever since the first one she’d ever received, her stomach twisted slightly. Even as she’d tried to rationalize her way out of them, no matter where she went, she always had a feeling of eyes on her body. Perhaps if this person who’d been watching her and saw that Gage was now in the picture, no matter their relationship, that would get them to back down.

  “No offense, Gage, but you seem like a solitary guy,” she said. “I get the feeling that you don’t like having people around.”

  He nodded. “Good.”

  “Good what?”

  “Your instincts are working.”

  She wasn’t sure she liked the response. “What I’m saying is, why would you want to stay with me? This place is so small. You’ll go crazy.”

  He gave her his favorite answer. “I don’t know. Lock this door. I’ll be back in an hour.”

  *****

  Tayler was right. He didn’t like people, but he hadn’t always been that way. He’d trained himself out of close relationships. There was once a version of him that laughed, showed happiness, and thought about the days he would finally stop deploying and settle down with the right woman. Unfortunately, that version of him had been slaughtered, and there was still no redemption in sight.

  However, he knew what he’d sensed in the woods. He’d felt the sensation in his gut even before he appeared next to Tayler’s side. Ares’ reaction had confirmed it, and the notes had made it as clear as day. Tayler had talked about the look in his eyes when he’d said what were supposed to have been his final words, but he couldn’t shake the look in hers when she’d vowed that she wouldn’t let him die.

  Her irises had become spheres of metallic conviction and there she’d been, more than a foot beneath his height, challenging him when no other human being had challenged him in years.

  Then she hadn’t said that she couldn’t have let him die. She’d said that she wouldn’t, as though she’d still had a job to do. No other woman since his mother had looked at him and saw a soul, never mind a soul worth saving. That alone would allow him to suppress his need for personal space in order to preserve her safety. What he owed her was now worth more than a renovation.

  Duffel bag in hand, he checked out of the small boutique hotel he’d spent the previous night in, at least before she found him, and hopped into a waiting cab. When the cab pulled up to the cottage, he stepped out, looked around, and tilted his nose in the air. Nothing. Whoever had watched Tayler in the woods had exudate pouring from their sweat glands like a novice, but anyone with enough skill to remain completely hidden in a town with such a small population was far from a beginner.

  He knocked on the door and saw her lean brown legs approaching through the viewing pane. For such a small person, her legs were toned and had the appearance of being endless.

  She pulled the door open.

  “Did you see me walk up?” he asked.

  “If you’re asking if I just blindly opened the door without checking to see who was on the other side, no, I did not do that. I saw you get out of the cab.”

  He brushed past her. She smelled pleasant, like a fresh shower. It reminded him that he needed to take one as well. Both she and her dog had cut his morning jog off, but he still wanted to feel clean. He also didn’t like the fact that the image of him she still held onto was the unkempt, suicidal grunge.

  “Where’s your bathroom?” he demanded. “I need to take a shower.”

  She lifted her hand to point, but then dropped it back to her side. Her left hand went to rest on her hip, but then she dropped that too. He’d noticed her do the same thing earlier and that, his mind had etched as well.

  “Let me level with you, Gage. I’m sure you’re used to being the boss whether it’s in your business or personal life, but if we’re going to do this,” she motioned around the cottage, “then you’re going to have to learn some manners.”

  That almost pulled the smile right out of him. “Manners?”

  “Yes.”

  “Wha
t did I say wrong?”

  Her eyes widened. “What don’t you say that’s wrong? You barely speak in complete sentences. It’s like you were raised by wolves.” She squinted. “Were you raised by wolves?”

  She waited and it dawned on him that she was being serious.

  “No. I was raised by people.”

  That smile appeared again. This time, it didn’t just matter. He felt it in the area beneath his sternum.

  “The bathroom’s down the hallway and to your right.”

  He began down the hallway. Then he stopped. He wanted to make sure that he got this right.

  “We have an understanding,” he said, looking at her. “I’ll work on my manners.”

  “Good.”

  He walked through the bathroom door and set the bag on the countertop. Now, along with her spheres of metallic conviction, he was thinking about her mouth. She was easily amused, and he liked that. It made her even more likeable.

  He started unloading his things from the bag, the space beneath his sternum still lit.

  -4-

  His sockets were hollow and his skin was a literal flesh to bone. His voice rasped the skin from her lips and shot from his mouth in opaque bursts. He touched the side of her face, and his finger left a gaping laceration across her cheek. He had no image—his face was an amorphous swirl. He was coming nearer, and she had to fight just like her father had taught her.

  He grabbed her wrists, and she pulled them away. Then he grabbed her shoulders and she kicked, finally connecting with real flesh. Though he was warm, there wasn’t an ounce of humanity to be found within him. The ambivalence was unsettling.

  “Tayler, wake up.”

  Gage was standing over her bed. Her wrists were in his hands. The bottom of her feet were pressed against his thighs.

  “Oh God.” She tugged at his grip until he released. “I’m sorry, Gage.”

  “Don’t be. I’m glad I found out that you have those.”

  “Have what?”

  “Powerful legs. We can build on that.”

  She pushed up in the bed, and his eyes continued to assess her in the dark. As she thought about the dream, she wondered how she could have ever thought that a faceless man was real.

  “We’re born dreaming,” he said, addressing what she was sure was a confused and ashamed look on her face. “It’s our first reality. That’s why some people think it’s so hard for us to separate the dream world from what’s real, no matter how obscure it seems.”

  “I guess that’s your way of telling me not to feel like a complete idiot right now?” she asked.

  He ticked his head to the side in response.

  “I’ve never dreamt about the letters before,” she went on. “Or the writer. I think all this talk about this person possibly being a threat is starting to get to me.”

  “Good.”

  “Everything for you is good.”

  “Not everything.” He jerked his head toward the front room. “Sleeping on your sofa isn’t good.”

  She felt like spreading out on the bed, going full snow angel. It had been his decision to stay with her despite her being the full beneficiary of his protection, and that decision came with certain discomforts. The old, lumpy sofa was one of them.

  “Don’t worry. I’m not asking to share a bed. I was just making a point.”

  “Well, when the house is finished, I’ll set up an extra special guest bedroom for you,” she offered.

  “No need. I won’t be here.”

  He had nothing keeping him, but the way he talked about leaving made her feel like she was nothing to him. It also wasn’t as though she’d expected to mean something to him, but the way he talked about his departure so dryly, she had no idea why he’d even considered staying with her in the first place.

  “Now that you’re up, I have something to ask you,” he said. “Do you drive to work alone?”

  “I know what you’re getting at Gage, but trust me, I tried the carpool thing, and it turned out to be more hectic than necessary.”

  “So, yes,” he went on, answering his own question. “Do you ever leave the medical center during the day? Is there a need for you to use your car other than to get to and from work?”

  She frowned. “Of course. I go grocery shopping—”

  “I’m strictly talking about work. If you don’t need your car during the day, I’ll drop you off and pick you up when your shift is over.”

  She stared at him. She knew that he knew what was coming. She was going to be defiant. He’d agreed to stay with her, but that didn’t mean micromanaging her life.

  “No.”

  “Why not?”

  Damn him. She had no other reason except, Because I don’t want to, and even in her head, that sounded like something a six year-old would say.

  “You said you won’t need it,” he argued. “And before you say it, I won’t be going out of my way. I’ll drop you off, help out up at the house, and pick you up when you call.”

  She blinked. “Don’t you have a job or something?”

  “Yes. My job right now is you.”

  It didn’t sound erotic, nor should it have come off as erotic, but her nipples began to firm. She was also braless and wearing a thin camisole whose fabric suddenly felt as soft as a fawn’s pelt. He glanced down and she quickly pulled the covers up to her chin.

  Traitors.

  “Fine.” She would say anything to get him to leave at this point. “But, the deal is off if you’re late even once.”

  His eyes dipped to her breasts again. His fingers tugged inward. His hands were larger than she’d realized, and she wondered if they were large enough to mold one of her breasts against her body while his tongue lapped at the other.

  “Gage?”

  His head popped up. “Goodnight.”

  She waited until she heard him get situated on the sofa before slinking back down in the bed. Then she whispered a quiet, “Yeah. Goodnight.”

  *****

  Tayler would have made a good farmer, Gage thought when he heard her movements in the bedroom. For the first time in a long time, he rose before the sun, a habit that had been conditioned into him from his earlier days in the military. A habit that he’d lost to desolation over the years.

  He rose and walked to the kitchen, surprised to find her refrigerator well-stocked despite the long hours that she often worked. He pulled out a carton of eggs, a package of bacon, and popped some bakery fresh croissants he’d found into the oven.

  By the time she came strolling out of her room, he had breakfast set up on the small two-person table in the nook next to the kitchen. He could tell that it had caught her off-guard, and the smile she gave him was different from the others. It was softer, demanded attention from only one corner of her mouth, and joined by a tiny lift in her brow. It was his favorite so far.

  They had light conversation about the renovation and had the customary discussion about the weather. Tayler had done most of the talking, but he’d listened to every word. Out of every skill he’d ever learned, listening had been the most valuable. He listened to see if she talked about male coworkers, crazy dates, or even crazier ex-boyfriends. When she finally realized that he’d been analyzing her sentences, she swatted him with her spoon. However, it didn’t stop her from talking.

  She continued talking on the drive to the medical center. By the time they pulled up out front, it dawned on him that on a regular basis, she really didn’t have anyone to talk to. At least, not at home. She’d unleashed on him like she’d had all those ideas pent up, waiting for someone to share them with that wouldn’t look at her like she was crazy. Namely, Ares. So he let her talk. The fact that it comforted her was only a plus.

  “I’ll call you when my shift is definitely coming to an end,” she said, gathering her things. “It’s not uncommon for me to think I’m going home, but then an emergency pops up and I’m working an extra ten hours.”

  Instead of an oversized purse, she carried a small backpack. Wit
h her scrubs, she wore sneakers. He liked that. If she ever found herself in a predicament where she needed to run, there would be virtually nothing slowing her down.

  She reached for the door handle. “Call me if anything pops up at the lake house. And you’ll have Ares with you, right?”

  He nodded.

  “By the way,” she leaned across, touched her lips to his cheek, and then hopped out of the car, “I really appreciated breakfast this morning. Thank you. Dinner’s on me one night when I can stay awake.”

  He watched her walk into the building, bits of her shape showing with each step, and his mind went back to the night before. Something had happened that had caused her nipples to grow firm in her top. His brain had filled in the rest: the size and shape of her breasts, the tint of her areolas, the taste of her skin, and the sounds she would make when he rolled a peaked tip around on his tongue.

  It was dangerous territory to lust after a woman under which he shared the same roof. If he were to ever have her, he wouldn’t be able to slip out and never have to face her again. There would never be the ease of not having to know her last name. But the thought of having Tayler, more than once, didn’t exactly sound like a terrible idea.

  *****

  Tayler walked faster to prevent Katia from catching up to her. She didn’t want to tell either her or Anya about the notes because she already knew that they would make a big deal about it. She equally didn’t want to tell them about Gage because Anya would nag her about welcoming a stranger into her home, and Katia would take her mind further down the erotic train tracks which was something that she didn’t want…much.

  If she could find a way to peacefully think about Gage while vibrating herself to bliss, then that would be fine. But he slept virtually right outside her door. It had been years since she’d even contemplated dating because of her hectic work life, so all it would take was one risky move on his end, and she would have him pressed back against the sofa, rigid and thick between her legs. He also didn’t seem like the type that would object to it.