Lori Foster
Fallen Angels

To Ashley Carter.

What a wonderful, sweet and very beautiful young lady you are.

I’m so glad you’re a part of our lives!

Love ya,

Lori

CONTENTS

BEGUILED

PROLOGUE

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

EPILOGUE

WANTON

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

EPILOGUE

UNCOVERED

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

BEGUILED

PROLOGUE

HARSH WIND THREW icy crystals of snow down the back of his neck, causing him to shiver. He raised his collar, then shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his coat, resisting the urge to touch the gravestone. The grave was all but covered in white, making everything look clean, but Dane Carter didn’t buy it. Not for a minute.

He’d missed the burial by almost four months. His family was outraged, of course, but they’d never really forgiven him for past transgressions, so he figured one more didn’t matter. Except to himself.

His face felt tight, more from restrained emotion than from the biting cold. The death of his twin was a harsh reality to accept, like losing the better part of himself even though he and Derek hadn’t been in contact much lately. Dane had been away from the family, disconnected from the business, for quite a few years now. He deliberately took the cases from his P.I. firm that kept him out of town as much as possible. Though his office was only an hour away, he’d been out of reach when his brother had needed him most.

Though everyone seemed to accept Derek’s death as an accident, concerned only with keeping the news out of the media to avoid a panic with the shareholders, Dane couldn’t let it rest. He wouldn’t let it rest. He had a nose for intrigue, and things had begun to smell really foul. It wasn’t anything he could put his finger on, just a gut feeling, but his instincts had held him in good stead as a private detective for several years now—ever since he’d left the family business in his brother’s capable hands.

He hunkered down suddenly and stuck one hand through the snow to the frozen ground. “What the hell happened, Derek? This was a lousy trick to play on me. I never wanted this, not the company, hell, not even the family most of the time. You left too damn many loose ends, brother.”

The wind howled a hollow answer, and disgusted with himself, Dane drew his hand back and cupped it close to his face, warming his fingers with his breath. “And what about this Angel Morris woman? I got a letter from her, you know, only she assumed you’d get it. Seems she doesn’t know you’re gone and she wants to pick up where the two of you left off. I believe I’m going to oblige her.”

His mind skittered about with ramifications of deceit, but he had to cover all the bases. According to the records he’d uncovered, Angel Morris had been seeing Derek on a regular basis until the takeover of her company. Derek had used information Angel gave him to make the takeover easier, and Angel had gotten fired because of it. She had plenty of reasons to despise Derek, and he certainly deserved her enmity. Yet now she wanted to see him again. After so long, he had to wonder if Angel had assumed Derek was dead, but with Dane’s return, she felt she had unfinished business. After all, no pronouncements had been made.

As far as the outside world was concerned, Derek Carter was still running the business. Only a select few knew of his demise. The family had thought it best if Dane filled in for a while. If he pretended to be Derek no one would start rumors about a company without a leader, or a family with a scandal. All in all, Dane wasn’t sure which possibility worried his mother more. The company was her life, and the Carter name was sacred in her mind. She wouldn’t want either one damaged. And if Derek had been murdered, if the accident wasn’t an accident at all as Dane feared, it would certainly hit the news.

But that wasn’t why Dane had agreed to come back, why he was filling in for his brother. No, he wanted the truth, no matter what. And he’d damn well get it.

If Angel knew anything, if she was involved with Derek’s death in any way, even peripherally, Dane would find out. He may have disassociated himself from the family, but he could be every bit as ruthless as the best of them.

Dane shook his head. “I’ll be seeing her first thing tomorrow, alone, away from the family as she insisted. I’ll let you know how it goes.” With that banal farewell, he turned and trod back through the snow to the road where his car sat idling, offering warmth, but no peace of mind.

What a laugh. Dane Carter hadn’t had peace of mind since he’d walked out on his family, regardless of what he told them, what he insisted to himself. Maybe Angel, if she wasn’t an enemy, could prove to be a nice distraction from his present worries. His brother had always had excellent taste in women.

CHAPTER ONE

ANGEL TRIED TO METER her breathing, to look calm, but her heart felt lodged in her throat and wouldn’t budge. She hated doing this, had sworn she’d never so much as speak to the man again after his last, most devastating rejection. But she’d been left with little choice.

With her shoe box tucked beneath her arm and one hand on the wall, offering support, she made her way down the hall to Derek’s office. She still felt awkward without her crutches, but she knew better than to show him any weaknesses at all. When she reached the open door, she straightened her shoulders, forced a smile, and tried to make her steps as smooth as possible.

Derek sat behind his desk, his chair half turned so that he could look out the window at the Saturday morning traffic. The rest of the building, except for the security guards, was empty, just as she’d planned.

He was still as gorgeous, as physically compelling as ever, only now he looked a little disheveled, a little rumpled. She liked this look better than the urbane businessman he usually portrayed. The only other time she’d seen him relaxed like this was right after he’d made love to her.

That thought licked a path of heat from her heart to her stomach and back again, and she had to clear her throat.

His chair jerked around and his gaze pierced her, freezing her on the spot. Even her heartbeat seemed to shudder and die. Only his eyes moved as he looked her over, slowly and in excruciating detail, as if he’d never seen her before and needed to commit her to memory, then their eyes met—and locked. For painstaking moments they stayed that way, and the heat, the intensity of his gaze, thawed her clear down to her toes. Her chest heaved as she tried to deal with the unexpected punch of reacting to him again. It shouldn’t have happened; she didn’t care anymore, wasn’t awed by him now. Her infatuation had long since faded away, but seeing him with his straight brown hair hanging over his brow, his shirtsleeves rolled up, made him more human than ever. His gaze seemed brighter, golden like a fox, and she tightened her hold on the shoe box, using it to remind herself of her purpose.

She saw some indiscernible emotion cross his face, and then he stood. “Angel.”

His voice was low and deep. As he rounded the desk his eyes never left hers, and she felt almost ensnared. She retreated a step, which effectively halted his approach. He lifted one dark eyebrow in a look of confusion.

Idiot. She didn’t want to put him off, to show him her nervousness. That would gain her nothing. She tried a smile, but he didn’t react to it. Moving more slowly now, he stepped closer, watching her, waiting.

“Can I take your coat?”

She closed her eyes, trying to dispel the fog of emotions that swamped her. When she opened them again, she found him even closer, studying her, scrutinizing her every feature. He lifted a hand and she held her breath, but his fingers only coasted, very gently, over her cheek.

“You’re cold,” he said softly. Then he stepped back. “Can I pour you a cup of coffee?”

Angel nodded, relieved at the mundane offer. “Thank you. Coffee sounds wonderful.” Walking forward, she set her shoe box on the edge of the desk and slipped out of her coat, aware of his continued glances as he collected two mugs from a tray. She didn’t mean to, but she said, “You seem different.”

He paused, then deliberately went back to his task. “Oh? In what way?”

With one hand resting on the shoe box, she used the other to indicate his clothes. “I’ve never seen you dressed so casually before. And offering to pour me coffee. Usually you—”

He interrupted, handing her a steaming mug. “Usually I leave domestic tasks to women, I know.” He shrugged, gifting her with that beautiful smile of his that could melt ice even on a day like today. “But you insisted no one else be here today, so I was left to my own devices. It was either make the coffee, or do without.”

Angel fidgeted. “You know why I didn’t want anyone else here. Your family would have asked questions if they’d seen us together.”

He nodded slowly. “True.” Then he asked in a low curious tone, “Why are you here, Angel?”

Flirting had never come easy to her, but especially not these days. She smiled. “I’ve missed you, of course. Didn’t you miss me just a little?”

He stared a moment longer, then carefully set his mug aside. “Most definitely,” he said. He took her coffee as well, placing it beside his, then cupped her face. Strangely enough, his fingers felt rough rather than smooth, and very hot. He searched her every feature, lingering on her mouth while his thumb wreaked havoc on her bottom lip, smoothing, stroking. “Show me how much you missed me, Angel.”

Now this was the Derek she understood, the man who always put his own pleasures first, the man who had always physically wanted her. That hadn’t changed. Without hesitation, surprised at how acceptable the prospect of kissing him seemed when all day she’d been dreading it, she leaned upward. He was much taller than her, and her leg was too weak for tiptoes, so she caught him around the neck and pulled him down.

When her mouth touched his, tentative and shy, she felt his smile. She kept her eyes tightly closed, mostly because she knew he was watching her and she felt exposed, as if he’d guess her game at any moment. It had been so long since she’d done this, since she’d kissed a man, and she was woefully out of practice and nervous to boot. If necessity hadn’t driven her to it, she’d have gone many more months, maybe even years, without touching a man. Especially this man.

But now she was touching him, and shamefully, to her mind, it was rather enjoyable.

Tilting her head, she parted her lips just a bit and kissed him again, more enthusiastically this time, nibbling his bottom lip between her teeth. His humor fled and he drew a deep breath through his nose. “Angel?”

“Kiss me, Derek. It’s been so long.”

The errant truth of her words could be heard in the hunger of her tone, something she couldn’t quite hide. His answering groan sounded of surprise, almost anger, but kiss her he did. Wow. Angel held on, stunned at the reaction in her body to the dampness, the heat of his mouth as he parted her lips more and thrust his tongue inside. His body, hard and tall and strong, pressed against hers. It had never felt this way, like a storm on the senses. Her heart rapped against her breastbone, her stomach heated, her nipples tightened, and he seemed to be aware of it all, offering soft encouragement every time she made a sound, every time she squirmed against him. She wasn’t being kissed, she was being devoured.

“Damn, Angel.”

“I know,” she said, because everything was different, somehow volatile. “I didn’t plan on…this.”

He paused, his lips touching her throat, then raised his face to look at her. He said nothing, but his hand lifted and closed over her breast, causing her to suck in her breath on a soft, startled moan. Oh no. She was so sensitive, and she hadn’t realized. “Derek…”

He kissed her again, hard, cutting off her automatic protest, then backed her to the desk. His groin pressed against her, making her aware of his solid erection, of the length and heat of it. Her plans fled; there was no room in her brain for premeditated thought, not when her body suddenly felt so alive again, reacting on pure instinct. His hand smoothed over her bottom, pulling her even closer, rocking her against him. Her leg protested, but she ignored it, an easy thing to do when his scent, his strength, filled her.

“How long has it been, Angel?”

She clutched his shoulders, her head back, her eyes closed, as he kneaded her breast with one hand, and kept her pelvis close with the other. Surely he knew as well as she did, so she merely said, “A long time.”

“And you’ve missed me?” He nibbled her earlobe, then dipped his tongue inside. “Why didn’t you call?”

Even in the sensual fog, she saw the trap. “After the way you acted last time?” She was astounded he would even ask such a thing!

He hesitated, then asked, “How exactly did you expect me to act?”

She stiffened as she pulled back. “Not like you couldn’t have cared less! And after the way you’d betrayed my trust! You got me fired, you—”

“Shhh.” He kissed her again, lingering, and his hand started a leisurely path down her body, measuring her waist, which thankfully was slim again, then roving over her hip. Her thoughts, her anger, turned to mush. She caught her breath with each inch he advanced. His fingers curled on her thigh, bunching her skirt, then moved upward again, this time underneath, touching against her leggings. He cupped her, startling her, shocking her actually. But she didn’t move and neither did he. She tried to remind herself that this was what she’d hoped for, but it wasn’t true. She’d stupidly hoped for so much more.

His fingers felt hot even through her clothes, but he was still, just holding her, watching her again. “Why now, Angel? Why this secret arrangement?”

She decided a partial truth would serve. “There’s been no one but you.”

“And you needed a man, so it had to be me?”

“Yes.” That was true, too. She didn’t know who to trust, who to fear, so for what she needed, no one else would serve. But she hadn’t planned on her own honest participation. Her body reacted independently of her mind; she felt shamed by her response to a man she should have loathed, but overriding that was some inescapable need, swamping her, causing her whole body to tremble. Maybe the pregnancy had altered her hormones or something, but she’d never in her life felt like this, and it was wonderful.

She pressed her lips together and squeezed her eyes shut. Her body felt tightly strung, waiting, anticipating. She dredged up thoughts of the past, of all the reasons she had to despise him, why his touch could never matter…

He seemed a bit stunned as she moaned softly and her fingers dug into his upper arms. He held her close, his own breathing harsh while his mouth moved gently on her temple. In all her imaginings, she had never envisioned this scenario, allowing him to touch her there, with her half-leaning on his damn desk, her face tucked into his throat. His heartbeat drummed madly against her own, and she grabbed his wrist to pull his hand away. “Derek, no.”

Her voice shook with mortification, freezing him for an instant.

“Shhh.” He dropped her skirt back into place and softly rocked her, soothing her. She bit her lip to keep her tears from falling, but even now she was painfully aware of his scent, his warmth. And the delicious, unexpected feelings didn’t leave now that his touch was removed, they only quieted a bit.

She put one hand on his chest and lifted her face. He didn’t smile, didn’t ask questions. She couldn’t quite look him in the eyes. “I’m sorry. I…I don’t know what came over me.”

“Am I complaining?”

She shook her head. No, he looked pleased, but not really smug. Not as she’d expected. “That’s never happened before. I don’t understand.”

“What’s never happened?”

“Between you and me. Usually everything was just so…controlled. And uncomfortable. I’ve never felt…”

His face darkened, and she hastened to explain. “I don’t mean to insult you, but Derek, you know yourself that sex between us was…well, you seemed to like it okay, but I was a little disappointed. Not…not that it was all your fault. It’s just that I didn’t…it wasn’t…”

He smoothed her hair, his jaw tight. He seemed undecided about something, and then suddenly he clasped her waist and lifted her off her feet. He sat her on the edge of the desk, roughly spreading her thighs and stepping between them in the same movement. Pain shot through her and she gasped, curling forward, her hand reaching for her leg, wanting to rub away the sharp pounding ache. Her breath had left her and her free hand curled into his biceps, gripping him painfully. Derek froze, then growled, “What the hell?”

Her teeth sank into her bottom lip, but God, it hurt, and with more gentleness than she knew he possessed, Derek lifted her into his arms and headed for the leather couch.

Nothing was going right. “Derek, put me down.”

“You’re as white as a sheet.” He looked down on her as he lowered her to the sofa cushions, and she flinched at the anger in his eyes. “I noticed you were limping a little when you came in, but I didn’t realize you were hurt.”

“I’m not,” she protested, the issue of her leg meant for another day. “Really, I’ll just…”

“You’ll just keep your butt put and tell me what’s wrong. Is it your hip? Your leg?”

Before she could answer he reached beneath her long skirt and caught at her leggings, hooking his fingers in the waistband and tugging downward. “Derek!”

With his hands still under her skirt, his eyes locked on hers, he said, “After what we just came close to doing, you’re shocked?”

Flustered was more apt, and appalled and embarrassed and…“Derek, please.” But already he had her tights pulled down to her knees. She felt horribly exposed and vulnerable. He explored her thighs, being very thorough, and it was more than she could bear. “It’s my lower leg,” she snapped. “I broke it some time back and it’s still a little sore on occasion. That’s all.”

He stared at her, and she had the feeling he didn’t believe a single word she’d said. “Let me get your shoes off.”

She sat up and pushed at his hands. “I don’t want my shoes off, dammit!”

“At the moment, I don’t care what you want.” And her laced-up, ankle-high shoes came off in rapid order, then her tights. As he looked at her leg, at the angry scars still there, his jaw tightened. “Damn.”

Angel bristled, her only defense at being so exposed. “It’s ugly, I know. If it bothers you, don’t look at it.”

One large hand wrapped around her ankle, keeping her still, and the other carefully touched the vivid marks left behind by the break and the subsequent surgery. “A compound fracture?”

“So you’re a doctor now?”

He ignored her provocation. “This is where the break was, and this is where they inserted a rod.” His gaze swung back up to her face, accusing.

Disgruntled, but seeing no way out of her present predicament, she said, “I’m fine, really. It’s just that when you sat me on the desk, you jarred my leg and it…well, it hurt. It’s still a little tender. I only recently got off crutches.”

His gaze was hot with anger. “And you’re running around downtown in the ice and snow today?”

“I wasn’t running around! I came to see you.”

“Because you needed a man,” he sneered, and her temper shot off the scales.

“Damn you!” Struggling upward, pulling herself away from his touch, she pointed to the shoe box still sitting on his desk. “I came to bring you that.” Then she added, “Whether you wanted it or not.”

He turned his head in the direction she indicated, but continued to kneel beside the couch. “What the hell is it?”

Angel came awkwardly to her feet and limped barefoot across the plush carpeted floor. She picked up the box, but then hesitated. She hadn’t planned to raise hell with him, to anger him and alienate him. She had to move carefully or she’d blow everything. She closed her eyes as she gathered her thoughts and calmed herself. She hadn’t heard him move, but suddenly Derek’s hands were on her shoulders and he turned her toward him.

“What is it, Angel?”

He sounded suspicious, an edge of danger in his tone. She’d always known Derek could be formidable, his will like iron, his strength unquestionable. But she’d never sensed this edge of ruthlessness in him before. She shuddered.

“I don’t mean to shock you, Derek. And I realize you weren’t all that interested when I told you, but I was hoping you’d feel different now.”

His arms crossed over his chest and he narrowed his eyes. “Interested in what?”

She drew a deep breath, but it didn’t help. “Our baby.”

Not so much as an eyelash moved on his face. He even seemed to be holding his breath.

“Derek?”

“A baby?”

She nodded, curling her toes into the thick carpet and shivering slightly, waiting.

“How do you know it’s mine?”

She reeled back, his words hitting her like a cold slap. After all she’d been through, everything that had happened, not once had she suspected he might deny the child. That was low, even for him. She had to struggle to draw a breath, and once she had it, she shouted, “You bastard!” She swung at him, but he caught her fist and the box fell to the floor, papers and pictures scattering.

“Miserable, rotten…” Her struggles seemed puny in comparison to his strength, but he had destroyed her last hope, delivered the ultimate blow. She wanted to hurt him as badly as she’d been hurt, but he was simply too strong for her and finally she quit. He hadn’t said a word. Panting, shaking from the inside out, she whispered, “Let me go.”

Immediately, he did. Keeping her head high, refusing to cry, to contemplate the hopelessness of the situation in the face of his doubt, she went to the couch and sat, snatching up her tights and trying to untangle them so she could get them on.

Even though she refused to look at him, she was aware of him still standing there in the middle of the floor, fixed and silent. When he squatted down to pick up the contents of the box, Angel glanced at him. His face was set, dark color high on his cheekbones. He lifted one small photo and stared at it.

All Angel wanted to do was get out. She jerked on her shoes, pulling the laces tight, fighting the tears that seemed to gather in her throat, choking her. She’d humiliated herself for no reason. She’d allowed him to touch her for no reason. He wasn’t going to acknowledge the baby.

“I’m sorry.”

She glanced up as she shrugged on her coat. Derek still crouched in the middle of the floor, a single photo in his hand, his head hanging forward.

Angel frowned. “What did you say?”

He slowly gathered up the rest of the things and came to his feet. “I said I’m sorry. The baby looks like me.”

“Oh, I see. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have believed me. In all the time you’ve known me, I’ve proven to be such an execrable liar, such an adept manipulator, it’s of course natural that you would have doubts. Well, it’s a good thing he doesn’t have my coloring then, isn’t it? You’d never know for sure.”

“Angel…” He reached a hand out toward her, and there was something in the gesture, a raw vulnerability she’d never witnessed. In fact, too many things about him seemed different, some softer, many harder edged. Had something happened to him in the months since she’d last seen him?

She shook her head. She would never be drawn in by him again. “Those things are yours to keep. They’re duplicates. Records, photos, a birth certificate, which if you notice, has the father’s name blank.”

“Why?”

He sounded tortured now and she frowned, tilting her head to study him. “You weren’t interested, Derek, though I admit I was hoping you’d changed your mind by now.”

“I’m interested,” he growled.

She thought of the last time she’d called him, the hell he’d put her through. “When we spoke on the phone, you rudely informed me you didn’t want any attachments to a baby. You told me I was completely on my own, not to bother you.”

He actually flinched, then closed his eyes and remained silent. But she had no pity for him, not after all that had happened. “That’s not why the name is blank, though. Remember what you told me about your family? Well, I love my son, and I won’t lose him to anyone, not to you, not to your damn relatives.”

He looked blank and her irritation grew. “Your mother is a damn dragon, determined that everyone live according to her rules. You said that’s why your brother left, why he became so hard. Your family frightens me, if you want the truth. Especially your brother.”

His golden eyes darkened to amber. “That’s ridiculous.”

“You said he was the only one strong enough, independent enough to leave the company without a backward glance, to go his own way and tell the rest to go to hell. You said he was the only one who could make your mother nervous or your sister cry. You said he could do anything he set his mind to.”

“No one makes my mother nervous, and my sister is a younger replica of her. Nothing touches them.”

Angel buttoned her coat. “You’ve changed your mind then, but I won’t. I won’t take a chance that they’ll try to take him away from me. I don’t want them to know about my baby.”

“Our…” He stopped and she saw his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed. “Our baby.”

This was a point too important to skimp on. She went to him, holding his gaze no matter that he tried to stare her down. She pointed at his chest and forced the words out through stiff lips. “I don’t know what new paternal mode you’re in, but don’t try to take him from me, Derek. I swear I’ll disappear so quick you’ll never find me or him again. I can do it. I’ve made plans.”

“No.”

She was incredulous. “You can’t dictate to me! Not anymore. Whatever power you held over me, you gave up months ago when you rejected my pregnancy.”

He didn’t shout, but his near whisper was more effective than any raised voice could be. “Is that right? Then why are you here?”

She had to leave, now, before she tripped herself up. She turned toward the door. “There’s an address in with the papers and photos. A post office box.” She slanted her gaze his way. “I’m sure you remember it. You can get in touch with me there.”

“Give me your phone number.”

“I don’t think so. But I’ll call you soon.”

“You’re playing some game, Angel, and I don’t like it.”

She had her hand on the doorknob and slowly turned. “It’s not a game.” As she stepped through the door, she said over her shoulder, “And I don’t like it either. Think about the baby, Derek, what you’d like to do, and I’ll call you tonight. We can talk then, after you’ve gotten used to the idea.”

He took two quick steps toward her. “What I’d like to do?” He frowned. “You want me to marry you?”

“Ha!” That was almost too funny for words. As she pulled the door shut, she said, “I wouldn’t marry you if you were the last man on earth.”

And she knew he’d heard her ill-advised words, because his fist thudded against the door.

Well, that hadn’t gone off quite as planned. Actually, nothing like she’d planned. She’d hoped to seduce him, to regain his interest. She needed his help, his protection, and that was the only way she could think to get it. Sex had been the only thing he’d been interested in before, so it was what she’d planned to offer him now.

Only it felt as if she was the one seduced. Damn, why did he have to have this effect on her? Her body was still warm and tingling in places she’d all but forgotten about, and all because of a man she thought she’d grown to hate.

A man who had never affected her so intensely before.

Damn fickle fate, and whatever magic had made Derek Carter into a man her body desired.

CHAPTER TWO

DANE HIT THE DOOR once more for good measure, vexed with himself and the turn of events. Dammit, he hadn’t meant to touch her. He had intended to get close to her, but not that close. He’d wanted to learn about her, to discover any involvement on her part, whether or not she could provide a clue to his brother’s death. But he’d also planned to keep his hands to himself.

She’d made that impossible.

He’d wanted her the minute he’d seen her. She was lush and feminine and seemed to exude both determination and vulnerability. He’d also been stunned because Angel Morris looked nothing like the usual polished, poised businesswoman his brother tended to gravitate toward.

And then she’d demanded he kiss her.

Without knowing the exact nature of her relationship with Derek, he couldn’t take the chance of turning her away without raising suspicions. And at the moment, given everything that had just transpired, he needed to keep her close, not drive her away.

He’d suspected she was there for a purpose, but God, he’d never considered a child.

Stalking across the office, he picked up the phone and punched in a quick series of numbers. His hand shook as he did so, and he cursed again. He could still feel the tingling heat of her on his hand, still pick up the faint hint of her scent lingering in the office. Angel might have been sexually aroused—her first time with him, to hear her tell it—but he felt ready to burst, not only with lust, but with a tumultuous mix of emotions that nearly choked him.

If not for her injured leg, he had a feeling they’d have both found incredible satisfaction. He’d have taken her and she would have let him. He grunted to himself, disgusted. Making love in his brother’s office, on a damn desk, with a woman he barely knew and whose motives were more than suspicious. His own motives didn’t bear close scrutiny.

“Sharpe here.”

“Be ready,” Dane barked, frustrated beyond all measure. “She should be leaving the building any second now.” After receiving Angel’s note, Dane had gone through her file, learning what he could about her, which wasn’t much. When he’d first decided on the tail, he’d been reacting on instinct, his life as a P.I. making decisions almost automatic. Now he was driven by sheer male curiosity, and the possessive need to keep what was his. She had his nephew, and that formed an iron link between them that he wouldn’t allow to be severed.

“Description?”

All his agents were very good, but Alec Sharpe, a brooding, almost secretive man of very few words, was the best. Dane trusted him completely.

“Blond, petite, probably limping a little. Wearing a long wool skirt and a dark coat.”

“Got it.”

The line went dead and Dane sighed, putting the phone down. Alec would contact him again using the cell phone once he was sure of his lead. He figured it would take Angel at least a few minutes to maneuver out of the building. If she was parked in the lot, that would take even more time. If she hailed a cab, no telling how long he’d be left waiting.

Alec knew he was still checking out the circumstances of his brother’s death, but no one else did. So far he’d found only enough to raise his concerns, but not enough to form any conclusions.

His brother’s home had been discreetly searched, his papers rifled through. And Derek had some unaccounted time logged in his otherwise very orderly date book that made Dane think he’d had meetings best left unnoted.

Dane settled himself back behind his brother’s desk and began going through the papers and pictures Angel had given him. The first picture of the baby had shaken him and he stared at it again for long moments. It was a photo taken at the hospital of a tiny red-faced newborn that looked almost identical to the twin photos his mother still displayed on her desk. The shape of the head was the same, the soft thatch of dark hair, the nose. He traced the lines of the scrunched-up face and a tiny fist, then smiled, feeling a fullness in his chest.

The next picture was more recent, and the changes were amazing. As plump as a Thanksgiving turkey, the baby had round rosy cheeks, large dark blue eyes, and an intent expression of disgruntlement that reminded him of Derek. Dane wanted to hold the baby, to touch him, make sure he was real. He was a part of his brother, left behind, and Dane knew without a doubt he’d protect him with his life. He hadn’t even met the baby yet, but already the little fellow had found a permanent place in his heart just by existing.

Dane turned the picture over and found the words, Grayson Adam Morris. A very recent picture, only a week old. And the name, it was respectable, solid, except that it should have read Carter, not Morris. Dane intended to see to that problem as soon as possible.

There were also copies of the birth records, and the baby’s footprints, not much bigger than Dane’s nose. He made note of the hospital Angel had gone to, the name of the doctor who’d attended her, and considered his next move. He shook his head, then looked impatiently at the phone. As if he’d willed it, the phone rang and he jerked it up.

“Yeah?”

Without preamble, Alec said, “She’s getting on a bus and she has a baby and some tall guy with her.”

Dane went still, then shot to his feet. The baby had been here with her? “Are you sure it’s a baby?”

“Bundled up in a blue blanket, cradled in the guy’s arms. I don’t think it’s her groceries.”

“Who’s the guy? Are you certain he’s with her?”

“Tall, dark hair, sunglasses. Wearing a leather bomber jacket and worn, ragged jeans. He’s holding her arm, they’re chatting like old friends. You want me to find out?”

“No.” His hand clenched iron-hard on the phone, and Dane decided he’d figure that one out on his own. “Just concentrate on the woman. You can see if he goes home with her, but other than that, ignore him.”

“I’m on it. I’ll get in touch when we reach a destination.”

Again Dane hung up the phone, only this time he used a little more force than necessary. Damn her, had she been lying all along? Why would she bring the baby and a boyfriend with her when she claimed to have missed him—Derek? Didn’t she think that was a bit risky, considering he could have followed her out?

He seethed for almost a half hour before Alec called him back with an address. The guy with Angel had in fact gone into the same building, and the building was located in one of the less auspicious areas of town. Dane pulled on his coat and put everything back into the shoe box, tucking it beneath his arm. He couldn’t risk leaving anything behind where his family might find it. He locked the office on his way out.

Angel Morris thought she knew how to deal with him, but she was judging her moves on how Derek would react. Dane wasn’t a game player, never had been and never would be. His family had figured that out too late; the sooner Miss Morris figured it out, the quicker they could get things settled. He intended to explain it all to her this very day.

WITH THANKSGIVING not too far off, many of the houses had Christmas decorations already up. All the shops he passed had their front windows filled with displays. But as he neared the address given to him by Alec, the spirit of Christmas melted away. Bright lights were replaced with boarded-up windows. Graffiti rather than green wreaths decorated the doors. None of it made any sense. Dane knew Angel had lived in a very upscale apartment complex while working for the Aeric Corporation. He knew from her file that she’d lost her job there after Derek had taken information from her to assure the success of a hostile takeover. But surely she wasn’t destitute. She’d made a good yearly wage.

Wary of the denizens in the area, Dane parked his car in a garage and walked the last block to Angel’s home. The bitter November wind cut through his clothes and made him shiver, but filled with purpose, he easily ignored the cold. When he reached the brick three-family home that matched the address Alec had given him, he gave a sigh of relief. Calling the house nice would be too generous, but it was secure and well-tended, located on a quiet dead-end street of older homes. Angel and his nephew should be relatively safe here.

At least until he moved them.

The front door wasn’t barred. He entered a foyer of sorts and looked at the mailboxes. There was no listing for an Angel Morris, and he frowned. Then he saw an A. Morton and his instincts buzzed. Going on a hunch, he figured that had to be Angel. Why would she hide behind an alias, unless she had a reason to hide? He recalled his purpose in first starting this ruse. Though it was obvious she knew nothing of Derek’s death, he couldn’t discount the possibility that she might have helped set him up for the fall, even innocently. She certainly had plenty of reason to hate him and want him out of her life, and she professed to fear his family, so why then had she approached him today? Because she was surprised he wasn’t dead? Did she have contact with an insider who had informed her of his resurrection? Very few people were privy to the fact of his and Derek’s relationship.

The apartment number listed was on ground level and he went to the door, then knocked, bracing himself for the sight of her again. She’d really thrown him for a loop with her sensual response to him. And he knew in his gut her reaction hadn’t been feigned. Just remembering it made his every muscle tense.

“Come on in, Mick.”

Dane tightened his jaw and his temper slipped. So the guy who’d been with her, Mick, was welcome in any time? Did she respond as hotly with Mick as she did with him? Dane turned the doorknob and stepped inside.

Angel was lying on a sofa, her injured leg propped up on pillows. She wore only a flannel shirt and loose shorts cut down from a pair of old gray sweats. Thick socks covered her feet. She shoved herself half upright and stared at him in undiluted horror.

Dane looked at her from head to toe, and as a man he appreciated the earthy picture she presented. But he’d use caution from here on out. Angel seemed to vacillate between fear and awareness. Dane decided that either way he’d use her emotions against her to find out for sure what her purpose might be.

Her fair hair was tousled and spread out over the arm of the sofa. Her breasts beneath the worn flannel looked soft and full, without the casing of a bra. Her legs were very long and pale. He saw the vicious scars on her left leg, still angry and red, and his simmering temper jumped in a new direction.

He closed the door quietly and her incredible green eyes went wide and wary. “Derek.”

He indicated her cushioned leg. “You’re hurt worse than you let on.”

Color washed over her face as she started to rise from the sofa. Dane was beside her in an instant. He caught her shoulders, pressing her back down, feeling the narrow bones beneath his hands, aware of her smallness, her softness. “Be still. It’s obvious you overdid it today. You shouldn’t have been up and around.”

He perched on the sofa cushion next to her, feeling her apprehension while he examined her leg, trailing his fingers gently over her smooth skin. Just seeing the scars left behind made him wince in sympathy.

She seemed to gather herself all at once. “Just what are you doing here?”

“Checking up on you.”

“How? How did you find me?”

“I had you followed.” His gaze swung from her leg to her outraged face. “Why use an alias?”

Angel paled a little. “What are you talking about?”

“Your mailbox.”

Rather than answer, she tried bluffing her way with anger. “That’s none of your business. And why do you care anyway?”

He was good at lying when it suited him. “Because I have the feeling you’d never have let me get this close. But I second-guessed you, didn’t I?” He waggled a finger in her face, bringing back her healthy surge of angry color. “I think I’ll keep close tabs on you from now on.”

She gasped and he added a not-too-subtle warning. “You can keep your secret, Angel—for now. But when I’m ready, I will know what’s going on.”

Her lips firmed and her look became obstinate. But beneath it all, he saw a measure of pain. “You’re not completely mended yet, are you? Were you hurt anywhere else?”

She gave him another stubborn frown and his attention dropped to her body. Holding her gaze, he asked quietly, “Would you like me to find out for myself?”

She jerked and her arms crossed protectively over her breasts. “All right! I also had some bruised ribs and a few cuts and scrapes—all of which are now healed.”

He continued to look at her, and she turned her head away. “My shoulder was dislocated, too.”

“Good God. What the hell happened to you?”

Even before she spoke, he knew no truths would cross her beautiful lips. Amazing that he could read her so easily after only knowing her such a short time, but he could.

Her chin lifted and she said, “I fell.”

“Down a mountainside?”

“Down a long flight of stairs, actually.”

Keeping his hands to himself became impossible. He cupped her cheeks in both hands. Whatever had happened, it had been serious, and talking about it obviously agitated her. “You could have been killed.”

She started, and her eyes met his. For the briefest moment she looked so lost, he wanted to fold her close and swear to protect her. Idiot. Then she shook her head and that stubbornness was back tenfold, forcing an emotional distance between them. “My leg is the only thing scarred. Nasty-looking, isn’t it?”

Without missing a beat, he said, “You have beautiful legs. A little scarring won’t change that.” And it was true. Her legs were long, smooth, shapely. He imagined those long legs wrapped around him while he touched her again, only this time she would climax, holding him inside her so he could feel every small tremor, every straining muscle. He nearly groaned.

He let his hand rest lightly on her knee and moved his thoughts to safer ground. “You’ve no reason to be embarrassed, Angel. The scars will fade.”

“You think a few scars matter to me?”

He did, but he wasn’t dumb enough to tell her that, not when she was practically spitting with ire. She hadn’t forgiven him yet for Derek’s past sins, and for his own, in questioning the baby’s parentage. But she would. He’d see to it.

He put his hand to her cheek and noticed again the way her pulse raced, how she held her breath. “I’m sorry you were hurt.” Then he kissed her. As angry as he was, he needed a taste of her again. She may have decided her little sampling of lust in the office was enough, but he’d found only frustration. He’d barely touched her, barely begun to excite her, and she’d heated up like a grand fireworks display, perilously close to exploding. He was still semi-hard because of it and caught between wanting to bury himself inside her, to see her go all the way, climaxing with him, and wanting to shake her into telling him what her ridiculous game was.

At first she froze, but seconds later her body pressed into his. One small hand lifted to his neck and that simple touch made him shudder. He pulled back, not wanting to test himself. Angel stared at him, wide-eyed.

“Nice place,” he said, hoping to distract her and himself. His gaze wandered around the sparse room, taking in the worn wallpaper and faded carpet. He didn’t really mean to be facetious, but she took it that way.

“You don’t have to like it, Derek, since you don’t live here.”

He dropped his gaze back to her flushed face. With one arm above her, his body beside her, he effectively caged her in. He could tell she didn’t like it; he liked it a little too much. “I want to know why you’re living here. What happened to your apartment?”

Her eyes narrowed. “I lost it.”

“Why?”

“Because I hadn’t paid the rent.”

He sighed. This was like pulling teeth, but she obviously wasn’t going to make it easy for him. “Okay, we’ll play twenty questions. Why didn’t you pay the rent?”

Angel stared at him, then put one arm over her eyes and laughed. “God, you’re incredible. Everything is so simple for you.”

Wrapping long fingers around her wrist, he carried her arm to her stomach and held it there. He felt her muscles clench. “Why didn’t you pay your rent?”

In a burst of temper, she slapped his hand away and half raised herself to glare at him. “Because I had no money, you ass! I lost my job, thanks to you, and no one else would hire me for what I was good at. After you finished, I was considered a bad risk. I tried everywhere, and in the process, ran through a lot of my savings. For a short time, I had a job as a waitress, but then I had the accident and was laid up for a while. People won’t hire women on crutches, you know. My savings weren’t so deep that I could afford to stay in an expensive place, keep up my medical insurance, and pay additional medical bills besides, so I moved here. Satisfied?”

Her shout had awakened the baby, and Dane looked toward the sound of disgruntled infant rage. Angel groaned. “Now look what you’ve done. Well, don’t just sit there, get out of my way.”

Her mood shifts were almost amusing, and fascinating to watch—when she wasn’t ripping his guts out with regret for the way his brother had treated her. She started to sit up, and again he pressed her back. “I’ll get him.”

“No!”

He caught her chin and turned her face up to his. “Now or later, Angel, what difference does it make? I want to meet him. I promise, I’ll bring him to you.”

She bit her lip and her eyes were dark with wariness, but she apparently realized there would be no contest if they tried to match strength or wills. At least, not at the moment. He had the feeling, on a better day, her strength would amaze him.

Dane stared a second more, wishing there was a simpler way to reassure her, then went to fetch the baby. He followed the sounds of the cries to where Grayson was making his discontent known. When Dane entered the room he was assailed by the scent of powder and baby lotion, soft soothing scents. Grayson’s pudgy arms and legs churned ferociously, and with incredible care, Dane lifted him to his shoulder. The baby was soaking wet.

Cloth diapers and plastic pants were on top of a dresser, along with a few folded gowns. Dane scooped up what he thought he might need and went back to the main room and the worried mother. Angel immediately reached her arms out.

“No, he’s soaked, which means I’m soaked. No reason for both of us to become soggy. I think if you talk me through it, I can get him changed.”

Angel’s mouth fell open and she stared at him as if he’d grown an extra nose. He smiled at her reaction.

She looked dumbfounded and utterly speechless.

“I know,” he said, grinning, “changing diapers isn’t part of my established repertoire, either. But I’m efficient at adapting.”

In the short time he’d known her, she’d thrown him off balance more times than he cared to think about; it was only fair that he get a little retaliation when and where he could.

He didn’t know a hell of a lot about babies, but he figured now was as good a time as any to learn. “Where should I put him to clean him up?”

Finally managing to close her mouth, Angel fretted, then pointed to a table. “There’s a plastic changing pad there. You can put him on that and change him.”

“Good enough.” Dane shook out the padded plastic sheet with one hand, spread it out on the table, and carefully laid Grayson down. The baby wasn’t pleased with delayed gratification, so Dane hurried. With Angel’s instructions, he got the baby diapered and dried and redressed, all in under five minutes which he considered a major accomplishment. Grayson had stopped squalling, but he still fussed, one fist flailing the air, occasionally getting caught in his mouth for a slurpy suck or two.

This time when Angel held out her arms, Dane handed the baby to her. The entire right side of his shirt was wet and clinging to his chest.

She looked away, pressing her face against the baby. “He’s hungry.”

“Do you want me to get him a bottle?”

“No.” Angel cleared her throat, then said, “He’s…breast-fed. I just…need a little privacy.”

“Oh. Oh.” Dane looked at her breasts, imagined the process, and didn’t want to take so much as a single step from the room. He also couldn’t bear to hear the baby whimpering. “I’ll, uh, just go in the kitchen and try to rinse out my shirt.”

“You do that. And stay in there while it dries.”

He leaned down and caught her chin. Her eyes opened wide on his and she drew in a deep startled breath. “All right. But don’t always expect me to follow orders, honey. You’re going to have to get used to me being here.” Knowing he shouldn’t, but unable to stop himself, he leaned down and pressed a firm kiss to her mouth. It felt damn good. He walked out while she sputtered.

He wanted to kiss her again, as a starting point, knowing where they’d finish. He wanted to show her he was no sloth in bed, contrary to her damn misconception. He wanted to find out the truth about his brother’s death and her involvement with him, and he wanted to protect her and take care of her and Grayson. There were a lot of wants piling up on him too quickly and contradicting each other.

Christ, what had his brother gotten into?

He pulled off his shirt and rinsed the damp spot under running water, then wrung it out and hung it over a chair to dry. The apartment, thankfully, wasn’t cold. He scratched his bare chest and looked around.

Her tiny kitchen was all but empty. The cabinets held the essentials, but not much else. With further inspection, he found the refrigerator was in similar shape. Dane frowned, then began snooping. Hell, maybe he should call her Mother Hubbard.

The conclusion he came to was not a happy one. Damn the little idiot, she should have contacted him sooner, before she got in such miserable shape. He immediately snatched that thought back because if she’d tried, she would have encountered his family, and the mere thought made him queasy. She was right to fear them.

He had wondered what she was after, why she’d come to him if indeed marriage wasn’t her goal. Now he assumed sheer desperation had been her motive. She needed financial help, and as the baby’s father, he could give it. She was proud, and she claimed to have already suffered several rejections from Derek, a possibility that made Dane so angry he wanted to howl. But pride was no replacement for desperation, especially with a baby to think about. But if that’s all it had been, then why hadn’t she simply said so? Why come on to him, pretend she still cared?

He sat in a kitchen chair, stewing, listening to her murmur to the baby, hearing the sweet huskiness of her voice. Goose bumps rose on the back of his neck. He called out, “Angel, why don’t you use disposable diapers? Aren’t they easier?”

There was a hesitation before she said, “I don’t like them.”

Which he translated to mean they cost too much. His fingertips tapped on the tabletop, followed by his fist. “Where did you take therapy for your leg?” He hoped it was someplace close, so she hadn’t had to travel too far.

There was mumbling that he couldn’t decipher, then she said, “I didn’t take therapy. And what do you know about it anyway?”

He stiffened. No therapy? With a lot of effort, he curbed his temper. “I’ve seen similar breaks. I recognize the incisions on your ankle and knee where they inserted the titanium rod. It was a hell of a break, so I know damn well therapy was suggested.”

Silence. He almost growled. He did stand to pace. “How long ago were you hurt, Angel, and don’t you dare tell me it isn’t any of my damn business!”

Another pause, and a very small voice. “A couple of months ago.”

It took him a second, and then he was out of the kitchen, stalking back to the couch to loom over her. She took one fascinated look at his naked chest, squeaked, and pulled her flannel shirt over her exposed breast as much as possible. Grayson’s small fist pushed the shirt aside again. But Dane was keeping his gaze resolutely on Angel’s face anyway. In a soft, menacing tone, he asked, “A couple of months ago, as in when the baby was born?”

She gave a small nod. “Grayson was early, by a little more than six weeks. The accident started my labor.”

His insides twisted and he could barely force the words out. “Who took care of you?” He drew a breath and felt his nostrils flare. “Who helped you when you were in the hospital? When you first came home?”

Her gaze shifted away and she smoothed her hand over the baby’s head, ruffling his few glossy curls. The sound of the baby’s sucking was loud and voracious. “There was no one, Derek, you know that. No family, no close friends. Grayson and I helped each other.”

Without meaning to, without even wanting to, he looked at the baby. Grayson’s small mouth eagerly drew on her nipple while a tiny fist pressed to her pale breast. His eyes were closed, his small body cradled comfortably to Angel’s. Dane felt a lump in his throat the size of a grapefruit and had to turn away.

So he’d seen her breast? So what. He’d seen plenty in his day, just never any with a baby attached. He didn’t feel what he should have felt at the sight of her pale flesh, which was undiluted lust. Lust he understood, but this other thing, whatever the hell it was, he didn’t like.

He snatched up his still-damp shirt and shrugged it on, then grabbed his coat. There were a lot of things he had to do today. “I’ll be back in a couple of hours.” He looked at her, his expression severe. “Make sure you’re here when I get back, Angel. Do you understand?”

She hugged the baby tighter, then waved a negligent hand without looking at him. “Go on. Just go.”

“I’ll be back.”

She nodded, more or less pretending he was already gone. Dane didn’t know what to say to her, what to think or feel. He was reaching for the doorknob when a soft knock sounded, and a second later it opened.

It was a toss-up who was more surprised, Dane, or the young man standing in front of him, his arms laden with a large pizza and a wide grin on his face.

That grin disappeared real quick, replaced by a ferocious look of menace. “Who the hell are you?”

Dane, at his most autocratic and not in the least threatened by the rangy youth, lifted his eyebrow and turned to Angel. “I think that may be my question.”

CHAPTER THREE

“NO,” ANGEL SAID, keeping her voice low and managing to cover herself as Grayson fell asleep and released her breast. He was such a good baby, so sweet. She loved him so much she’d gladly do anything necessary to protect him. “It’s not your question because it’s none of your business.”

She quickly buttoned up her shirt. Mick automatically put the pizza on the coffee table and took the baby from her while Derek stood there, that damn imperious eyebrow raised high, and watched. Slowly, because her leg really was aching, she lifted herself into something closer to a sitting position, resting against the arm of the couch with her leg still outstretched.

“Well.” Derek smiled, but it wasn’t a particularly nice smile, more a baring of teeth which Mick responded to with a scowl. “I’m not leaving until I know who he is.” He sat down and stretched out his own long, strong legs, at his leisure, and waited.

Angel sighed. God, she really didn’t need this. First the trip downtown, which had tired her leg terribly. Then the kiss and his naked chest…Her mind was turning to mush.

Mick bristled. “Just who the hell do you think you are, coming in here and demanding answers?”

“The baby’s father.”

“Oh.” Mick straightened, blinked, then glanced at Angel. Derek had said that with so much relish, so much ridiculous pride, she was temporarily stunned herself. His complete acceptance was such a swift turnaround, she was having trouble accepting it.

It took her a moment before she nodded, giving Mick permission. She knew he wouldn’t say another word without it and yet Derek wasn’t likely to leave unless he got his answer. She knew how incredibly stubborn he could be. And even though he wasn’t acting like himself, he could pull out his ruthlessness at any moment. She didn’t want Mick caught in the cross fire.

“I’m Mick Dawson, a neighbor.” Mick jutted his chin. “And a friend.”

“A very good friend,” Angel added, thinking of how much help Mick had been to her since she’d first moved here. She surveyed Derek, lounging at his leisure, his shirt tight across his broad shoulders and his hands laced over his flat stomach. She wanted to kick him for looking so damn good. “You asked who helped me. Well, once I moved here, Mick did. He picks up my groceries for me, gets my mail and paper.” She waved at her leg. “Until recently I’ve been pretty much out of commission. Mick lives upstairs, his mother owns the building, and he’s been an enormous help.”

Mick started to hand her the baby back, still keeping one eye on Derek, and that seemed to galvanize Derek into action. “I can take him,” he said, reaching for Grayson. “You should go ahead and eat.”

Mick again looked at her for guidance. Derek’s willingness to take part wasn’t something she’d counted on. It was an awkward situation, but it shouldn’t have been—not if he would just act like himself. But he didn’t seem to be in an accommodating mood today, which she supposed was like him after all.

Exasperation made her tone extra sharp. “Really, Derek, weren’t you just about to leave?”

He smiled. “I can stay a little longer. Besides, I like holding the baby.” He pressed his cheek to the top of Grayson’s head, and his expression caused a silly sick reaction in Angel’s stomach. “He smells good.”

Mick folded his arms and stared. “So you’re just now showing up? You waltz in today and pretend to be the happy father? To my mind, you’re about two months too late.”

Oh no. Angel tensed her muscles in dread of Derek’s response. “Mick…”

Derek nodded, cutting off Angel’s warning. “I agree. Actually, I’m close to a year late by my calculations. But I’m going to be near at hand from now on.” Then without missing a beat, he asked, “How old did you say you were?”

Mick grinned his sinister street-tough grin. “I didn’t.” Before Derek could react, he added, “But I’m sixteen. And before Miss Morris makes it sound like I’ve done her any big favors, she’s helped me out a lot, too. Without her, I doubt I’d make it out of high school.”

Angel couldn’t stand it when Mick did that, put himself down, especially since he was such a remarkable young man. Unfortunately, he still didn’t believe her about that. “That’s not true, Mick, and you know it. You’re very bright and you’d have figured out that math with or without my help.” She turned to Derek, for some reason anxious for him to understand. “Mick works two jobs, plus school, plus he pretty much runs this place. His mother is often…sick.”

Mick gave Derek a solemn, measuring look. “My mother is an alcoholic.”

Angel closed her eyes on a wave of pain. Mick had such a chip on his shoulder with everyone but her. He asked for disdain, as if he felt it was his due, then would fight tooth and nail to prove a point. She still wasn’t certain what that point might be, though.

With no visible sign of reaction, Derek looked at Mick. Angel knew Mick looked much older, much wiser than any sixteen-year-old boy should look. She also knew, deep down, he was still a kid, a little afraid at times, a lot needy given that his life had been nothing but empty turmoil. Her praise always embarrassed him, but he thrived on it. And she loved him like a little brother. If Derek said anything at all that would upset Mick, she’d manage to get her sorry butt off the couch and kick him out.

But he surprised her by cradling the baby in one arm and offering Mick his hand, which Mick warily accepted. “I appreciate what you’ve done for her. Did she move here when she was first hurt?”

“Yeah, not long after.” Mick narrowed his eyes again, very nice dark brown eyes that she knew all the high school girls swooned over. But Mick didn’t spare time for serious girlfriends. He was too busy surviving. “If I hadn’t been here, I don’t know if she’d have made it. She was pretty banged up, and Grayson was just a tiny squirt. Even getting herself something to eat was difficult, but she did it, because she had to stay healthy for Grayson. Truth is, I don’t know how the hell she managed.”

“Don’t be so melodramatic, Mick.” Angel didn’t want them talking about her and she didn’t want Derek to view her as a helpless, pitiful victim. He seemed to be hanging on Mick’s every word, analyzing them and drawing his own conclusions. She didn’t like the way his intense interest made her feel.

Later, after she figured out what he was up to, then she’d confide her biggest worry and hopefully he’d be able to take care of it. She cleared her throat. “Derek, you can put Grayson in his crib if you’d like. I don’t want to hold you up.”

He surprised her again by agreeing. After he settled Grayson, he came back in and walked over to her, giving her a gentle kiss on the forehead that made her skin tingle and her breath catch. She frowned at him, but held her tongue. When they were alone, safe from Mick’s protective nature, she’d set him straight about his familiarity.

Derek looked at Mick. “Could you walk me out?”

The bottom dropped out of her stomach. “What for? I think you can find your way out the door. It’s straight ahead.”

Derek grinned at her. “Man talk, honey. Mick understands.”

“It’s all right,” Mick said to her, then followed Derek out despite her protests.

For all of two minutes, she fretted, imagining every kind of hostile confrontation. But when Mick came back in he was shaking his head and almost laughing.

“What? What did he want?”

“A list.”

She searched his face, stymied. “A list of what?”

“Everything you might need.” Her mouth fell open. “He also wanted to know if there was anyplace safe around here for him to park his car since he plans to be hanging around a lot. I told him he could use the garage.”

“But you don’t let anyone use the garage!”

“Yeah, but he has a really nice car. I wouldn’t want it to get stripped.”

She could imagine what kind of car he had: expensive. What was it about males of all ages that made them car crazy?

Mick picked up a huge slice of pizza and took a healthy bite, then went into the kitchen for plates. “You want juice to drink?”

Absently, her thoughts on Derek, she said, “Please.” She made it a habit to drink juice, since it was healthier for the baby. Real juice was her one small luxury.

They ate in near silence, and Angel was aware of the passing minutes. When she caught Mick watching her watch the clock, he grinned. “I’m not about to leave until he comes back. He raised hell with me because the door was unlocked when he got here.”

Indignation rose, hot and fierce, crowding out her other, more conflicting emotions. “He yelled at you?”

“No, he just told me I should be more careful. I, um, gave him your key. He’s having a couple made, so I can have one, and he can have one. That way, he said, you can keep your door locked, and you won’t have to get up to let us in if you’re resting your leg or feeding the baby or something.”

“Didn’t you tell him you already had a key and that he didn’t need one?”

“It didn’t seem like a smart thing to do.”

He was still grinning at her. She shook her head. Never before had she seen Mick take to another person this easily. “Well, I’ll tell him. If he actually does come back.”

“Oh, he’ll be back, all right.” Mick tilted his head at her. “Are you going to tell him what’s been happening?”

“Not right away. I have to find out first if he’s going to get involved with Grayson, if I can count on him to help without having to worry that he’ll sue me for custody. I can’t risk having Grayson around that family. It’s my bet the threats start with them. His mother, according to him, is as far removed from the grandmotherly type as a woman can get, and the stories he shared about his brother don’t even bear repeating they’re so dreadful. And,” she said, when Mick’s mouth twitched, “before you start grinning again, I don’t need his help with anything but protection and you know it.”

He handed her another piece of pizza. “For a little bitty single lady you’ve done okay. But you know as well as I do that things are getting worse for you. First the job, then your old apartment, then the accident. That bit with your car still makes me sick when I think of it. You can’t keep up. You never get enough rest and your leg hurts all the time from overdoing it. You need to let it heal. Hell, you need therapy.”

Angel had long ago quit trying to curb Mick’s colorful vocabulary. Now she just rolled her eyes. “I’m getting more papers to type up every day. Pretty soon, everything will even out.”

He only shook his head. He didn’t really approve of the late hours she spent transcribing papers for local businessmen and college students, but he helped her anyway by picking up the papers and dropping them off. Like her, Mick knew she had few options.

They both looked up when they heard the doorknob turn. It was locked as per Derek’s instruction. He looked supremely satisfied as he used the key to get in. “Much better.”

Angel glared at him. “You’re not keeping a key to my apartment, Derek, so forget it.”

He didn’t look daunted. “Mick, you want to help me carry a few things in?”

“Sure.” Mick was already on his feet, setting the half-eaten slice of pizza aside. He looked anxious, and Angel imagined he was every bit as curious as she was.

Then she remembered herself. “Now wait a minute! I don’t want or need anything from you! I already told you that.”

Derek went out the door whistling. Mick followed him, trying to hide his smile. Angel hadn’t seen him grin this often in one day since she’d met him. They returned with several boxes and various brands of disposable diapers. Angel could have wept. Using cloth had been so tiring and so much added work, but the expense of disposables was out of the question.

As they carried them in, Derek explained. “The woman at the store told me some kids are allergic to some kinds. You can tell me which works best and I’ll pick up more of them. But this ought to hold you for now.”

He set the boxes in the living room, a huge wall of them, then tiptoed into Grayson’s room where she couldn’t see him. The apartment was tiny, only the two small bedrooms, a closet-sized bath, then the open area of the living room and kitchen, separated by half a wall which cornered the refrigerator. Angel seethed, even more so when he came back out carrying the almost filled diaper pail. “Where are you taking that?”

“To the dumpster.” He made a face, turning his nose away. “I left the clean ones in there in case you wanted to use them for dust rags or something.”

She started to get up, but he was already out the door again and she slumped back in frustration.

By the time he and Mick finished carrying things in, she had full cupboards, a stuffed refrigerator and freezer, a bathroom that practically overflowed with feminine products, and a sore throat from all her complaining, which Derek blithely ignored.

Not only did she now have the basics, but she had luxuries she hadn’t recently been able to afford. Had Mick told Derek that she missed conditioning her hair and giving herself facials? That she missed creamy lotions and scented bath oils? Or had he figured it out on his own? She wouldn’t ask. He’d simply have to take it all back; she wouldn’t be bought. Material things weren’t what she wanted or needed from him.

Mick dropped the last large sack behind the couch and straightened. “I’ve got to get going. I have to be at work in fifteen minutes.”

Derek came in and handed him a newly purchased ice-cold soda, holding his own in his other hand. Another luxury she’d avoided. She had milk, water, tea and for health reasons, juice. The soda looked so good, her mouth watered.

Derek propped his hip on the back of the couch, close to her head, and Angel forgot about the soda to scoot away. Derek winked at her, knowing damn good and well she didn’t want him that close, before turning to Mick. “Where do you work?”

“Part of the week at the garage on the corner. The weekends at the Fancy Lady. It’s a neighborhood bar. I wash dishes there.”

Mick had his chin jutted out, his obstinate expression that dared Derek to make a wisecrack. Instead, Derek appeared thoughtful. “Aren’t you too young to work in a place like that?”

“I look old enough. No one ever questions it.”

“I suppose not.” Again, he stuck out his hand. “I appreciate your help today, Mick.”

“No problem.”

“You know, if you ever wanted to work just one job, for decent pay, I have a friend who’s looking for someone.”

Mick narrowed his eyes, skeptical. Few things had ever been given to him, and when something good came along, he generally doubted it, and with good reason. “Doing what?”

“Various things. Cleanup, phone duty, running errands. The hours are flexible, but the pay’s good.”

Silence dragged out while Mick considered the suggestion. Finally he shrugged. “I’ll think about it.”

“Take your time. The job’s not going anywhere.” Derek locked the door behind Mick after he left, then turned to Angel. He stared at her until her pulse picked up and her blood raced. “Now.”

Startled, she stiffened her shoulders and frowned. “Now what, you…you…? How dare you come barging in here rearranging my life?” She’d been so enthralled, listening to the male bonding taking place before her eyes, and then he’d looked at her with such warmth in his gaze she’d practically jumped when he spoke. Now all her grievances came swamping back. “You can take all this right back out to your car, and you can hand me back my key.” She thrust her hand, palm up, toward him. “Right now.”

Derek leaned against the door, studying her for a moment, seemingly gathering his thoughts. After a moment, he said, “I like Mick. He’s a good kid.”

That threw her off guard. Again. Slowly, her hand fell back to the couch. “Yes, he is. I don’t know what you were up to with that job offer, but if it isn’t legitimate, I’ll….”

He grinned. “You’ll what? No, don’t answer that. The possibilities are too frightening to contemplate.” He walked to her and sat down beside her on the couch, then took her hand before she could try to get up. “It’s a real job, certainly a better one than what he’ll find around here. I thought you’d like to know he was working someplace safer. Hell, I could even get my friend to throw in a car with the job, to make sure he’s protected when driving.”

Angel was struck speechless. Between his touch and his words, she couldn’t seem to draw enough breath. Such generosity had never been a part of Derek, at least not a part she’d seen. “I don’t understand you.”

His thumb rubbed over her knuckles. She tried to tug her hand away, but he held firm. “I know you don’t, and I’m sorry about that. Sorry about a lot of things.” He gave her a sideways look, then sighed, the sound tinged with real regret. “I hesitate to make you angry, but—”

“Then don’t.”

“Here’s how it’s going to be, honey.” His tone was stern, his expression determined. “You’re going to keep everything I’ve just given you. And you’re going to use it, too. And enjoy it, I hope, but I suppose that’s up to you. I know you don’t like me or trust me right now, and that’s okay. I understand it. But I’m not just going to disappear or come visit once a month for fifteen minutes. And I’m not going to sit back and ignore you when I know you need things. I can help you, and you’re going to accept my help. God knows, you should have had it all along.”

Angel shook her hand free, then kept it held protectively away from him. A glint of amusement brightened his eyes. She felt swamped in confusion, uncertain what to do or say next. She’d never dealt with Derek in this mood, firm but concerned and caring. It was sort of…sweet. No, whoa on that thought. She would not be suckered in by him. Never again.

Glaring at him, she said, “Why don’t you just tell me now what you’re up to and save us both some time?”

“What I’m up to? Well, all right. Let’s see. I want to help you. I want you to trust me again—”

“Ha!”

“—and I want to be with you.” He said that last part with a small smile, and his fingertips grazed her chin. She ducked her face away. “I want to be a part of Grayson’s life and be a father to him. I want to show you that I can be responsible and honorable and that I’m not a total jerk. I want…a lot of things.”

She stared at him hard, unnerved. “You’re an alien, right? Derek was zapped into space and you were sent to replace him? That’s the only thing I’ll believe.”

He laughed, but his eyes looked sad. “Would you like that, if the real Derek was gone for good?”

None of this, most especially his somber tone, made any sense. Angel dropped her head against the back of the couch and sighed. “I never wished you any harm, Derek. Not even when I thought I hated you, when you suggested we’d both be better off without the baby. I just didn’t want to ever see you again.”

“But you invited me back into your life. I may be trying to take up more of that life than you’re comfortable with, but I won’t hurt you again. I promise.”

Without lifting her head from the couch, she turned her face toward him. In a soft whisper, she said, “Do you actually believe I’d ever trust you again?”

“Yes.” He said it without hesitation. His eyes were dark and sincere and intense, probing into her mind, trying to read her thoughts. “I can get you to trust me again.”

The mere possibility scared her half to death. She could never leave herself that vulnerable again; her baby’s well-being depended on her strength. “And then what? You’ll steal my baby away from me?” Her chest squeezed tight with the thought and she knew her voice shook. She couldn’t help it. She’d known the risks involved when she contacted him, but Mick was right. She couldn’t handle things on her own anymore. The threat was there and it was real and she was afraid, not so much for herself, but for Grayson. He relied on her, and she had to protect him. That’s what mattered most.

If it was Derek’s family behind the awful threats, as she suspected, he might well be the only person who could protect her.

Derek stood, giving her his back. His fists rested on his hips and he looked angry and frustrated and somehow heartsick. “I would never take him from you,” he said, the words low and raspy. “I’d swear it to you, but I realize my promises mean nothing—yet. All I want to do is help.”

“But you never wanted to help me before. You made it clear you wanted no part of me or the baby.”

She heard him swallow, then he turned to face her. He looked angry, and almost confused, a bit desperate. “I was an ass. An idiot and a bastard. I’m here now, Angel. Don’t shut me out.”

She really had little choice in the matter. It was difficult to say the words, but he seemed so different, not at all like the man she’d known. Her reactions, her feelings toward him, were different, too. He touched something inside her that the old Derek hadn’t gotten close to. She supposed anyone could change, and she knew how Grayson had affected her life, the impact he’d made on her.

As if reading her mind, he whispered, “Grayson hit me like a punch in the heart. A tiny little person, part of my blood.” His eyes narrowed. “You said it yourself. How holding him made you feel.”

“But I carried him and went through all the changes the pregnancy caused. I got sick in the mornings, stayed awake at night as he kicked, stayed tired all the time. I felt him grow and I saw him born. I saw him take his first breath, give his first cry.”

“You think I don’t regret missing all that?”

He sounded so sincere, but she just didn’t know. Unless he planned to take the baby from her, she could see no reason for an emotional deception. She searched his face, but it was a futile effort; whatever he felt was well hidden. Damn, she had so few choices in this. “All right.”

He let out a gust of air, ran a hand through his hair, rubbed his chin, then smiled. “Okay. Shew, I’m glad that’s settled.” He looked much relieved, his shoulders no longer so tense, his eyes no longer worried. “Okay. On to the next battle. I want to move you someplace else.”

Angel could only stare at him in disbelief. “You’re nuts. I give ground on one little thing and you want to take over!”

“Come on, honey, you can’t like living here.”

She wanted to shove his condescension back into his face until he choked on it. “I most certainly do like it,” she lied, knowing Mick to be the only redeeming factor of her present residence. “I’m close to the downtown businesses and I do transcription at home for a lot of the offices and the students. I make enough money to keep the rent paid and my health insurance active. It’s convenient and I enjoy the people and I’m not moving.”

He pursed his mouth and studied her, then must have decided not to push his luck. “I’ll let that go for now.”

“You’ll let it go forever!”

“Now, about therapy.” Angel rolled her eyes, which didn’t even slow him down. “I’ve known people with compound fractures. It can take months to heal with proper treatment, and you’ve not had that.”

“I have a very good doctor.”

“Who no doubt told you that you needed therapy.”

That was true, but it had been out of the question. Not only did she not have anyone to watch Grayson, but she had no way of getting back and forth each day to the therapist and her insurance would have only covered a small percentage of the bill. She shook her head at Derek, hopeless. “It’s been almost two months. It’s too late for therapy.”

“Nonsense. I know the perfect person. I’ll have her come here. What would be convenient for you?”

Angel rubbed her eyes. He was coming too fast and too hard, and suddenly she was tired. He’d invaded her life, her emotions. She’d had such a simple plan, and she’d thought for a while it might work. Then he’d held Grayson, and he’d kissed her and taken off his shirt and bought her disposable diapers and lotion and she just couldn’t take it all in. She didn’t have it in her to continue fighting him, at least, not right now. “Derek, please. Let off a little. You’re here. You’ve met your son. My apartment is stuffed with new purchases. Isn’t that enough for now?”

“I have a lot to make up for.”

She certainly wouldn’t argue that point with him. “Well, let’s save it for another time, okay? Right now, I’m exhausted. I worked really late last night finishing up some papers that were due this morning and Grayson still wakes up during the night to be fed. If you’ll take yourself out of here, I’d like a nap.”

“What papers?”

With barely veiled impatience, she explained once again. “I transcribe files or notes for the local offices when one of the secretaries is ill, and I do term papers and such for students at the college. I’m sure you remember I have top-of-the-line office equipment, even if my computer is getting a little dated.”

“You don’t have to continue working. I can give you money.”

Just like that, he expected her to become totally dependent on him. She wanted to get up and smack him, and she wanted to cry. Neither would have brought about the results she needed. “I’ll pretend you didn’t say that.”

He stood there, obviously undecided, and she waited. But he only smiled, his look rueful. “Come on, I’ll help you into bed.”

Panic edged into her weariness. She didn’t want him touching her again, getting so close. He’d kissed her, and that brief touch had unnerved her, had made her belly tingle. When he’d taken off his shirt, she’d almost groaned. He’d been her first lover, her only lover. And she’d never found fault with his physique. Though their single night together hadn’t been great, she knew a lot of the blame was due to her own uncertainty. And now, she missed so much the closeness of being with a man, not necessarily sexually, but with gentleness and concern, a special friendship between two people who know they’re destined to be lovers. Or who have been lovers in the past. The intimacy was there for her, whether she despised him or not.

But despising him was no longer an issue. He was too damn different.

“No thank you,” she muttered, shaken by her own revelations, afraid of her own weaknesses. But true to form, he wasn’t listening and had her pulled up close to his side before she could move away. With one hard muscled arm around her waist, the other holding her elbow, he practically carried her into her room. She could feel his heat, his strength, and it felt too good to be coddled, to have some of the burden lifted, even if in a superficial way.

Closing her eyes didn’t help, only made her more aware of the shifting of muscle, the hardness of his body, his incredible heat and enticing scent. The man even smelled different, more welcoming, more comforting. More exciting.

Her bedroom door had been shut until now and when Derek stepped inside he paused to look around. She pulled away from him, her hands shaking, and he took her elbow to assist her to the bed. Her hobbling gait embarrassed her.

“Really, Derek. How do you think I ever managed when you weren’t around?”

Her sarcasm was wasted, judging by his frown. “I’ve been wondering about that myself.” He lifted her legs onto the bed and pulled the sheet and blankets over her. “Are you comfortable?”

With him looming over her while she rested in a bed? His shoulders looked hard, his chest broad. When she’d glimpsed him with his shirt off earlier, she’d noticed the remains of a tan. He’d been in warm weather recently, sunning himself.

His hair hung over his forehead, soft and silky dark and a tracing of beard shadow was showing on his face. No, she was far from comfortable. “I’m fine.”

“This is a pretty room. It…suits you.”

The things he said seemed so strange, as if another man had taken over his body. Derek had never before commented on furniture or even noticed it as far as she could tell. Her belongings were nice, but they weren’t picked by an interior decorator as his had been.

Still, they were hers, and she loved them. She’d hated to spend so much of her dwindled savings on movers when she’d left her old place, but she’d been unable to do the work herself, had no friends to call on, and she refused to live on someone else’s furniture.

Besides, the familiar objects gave her comfort, as if her entire life hadn’t been reorganized by the vengeful hand of fate.

Unable to help herself, she said, “The bed is new.”

“Oh?” He looked it over, but she could tell he hadn’t realized it.

“I thought about burning the other one, sort of as an exorcism given the hideous memories attached to it, but that seemed wasteful in my financial predicament, regardless of the sentiments attached.” She propped a pillow behind her head and smiled at him, enjoying his scowl and the two spots of hot color high on his lean cheekbones. “I sold it instead. Cheap.”

Like an animal of prey moving in, Derek slowly approached the bed and leaned over her, his eyes never leaving hers. He braced an arm on either side of her head and lowered his face until only inches separated them. Angel pressed back into her pillow and held her breath.

His voice was low and rough, compelling. “You keep pushing me, honey, practically daring me with those big green eyes of yours.”

He looked away from her eyes to her mouth, and she bit her lip. “Derek…”

“Shh.” His lips brushed hers, light, teasing. “I told you I’d never hurt you again. You can believe it. Besides, it’s too soon for much, but not for this.”

That was all the warning she got before his mouth settled warmly over her own, devouring. Angel gasped, clasping the soft blanket next to her hips, tightening her fists to keep from kissing him back. But it was impossible. Nothing like this had ever happened to her. Surely it hadn’t been like this before or she’d have remembered.

Heat exploded, radiating out to her arms and legs in tingling waves; behind her closed eyes, tiny sparks ignited. She squirmed—then felt his tongue at the same time he groaned, giving her the sound, letting her feel it deep inside herself. Wet, warm, he shifted for a better angle and she leaned up to him, anxious for more.

It seemed an eternity before the kiss ended, before Derek was slowly pulling away, taking small, nibbling, apologetic kisses along the way. He breathed hard, but when he lifted his head, there was a gentle smile on his mouth.

Angel didn’t trust herself to speak.

“Don’t look like that,” he chided.

“Like…like what?”

“Like you’re afraid, and sorry.” His thumb rubbed the corner of her mouth. “One way or another, everything really is going to be okay.”

Reality intruded. “Derek, swear to me you won’t tell anyone about Grayson.”

“You’ll believe me?”

Tears filled her eyes. “Do I have a choice? I don’t want to run again. I don’t—”

“Again?”

He had her rattled, that was the only reason she’d made such a slipup. Shaking her head, she said, “If you tell your family about Grayson, I’ll go.”

His large warm hand cupped her cheek. “I won’t let them bother you, and I won’t let you go.”

She was afraid they were already bothering her, because she couldn’t think of another single enemy she could have. Why they would want to hurt her, she couldn’t guess. Unless they knew of Grayson and were afraid she’d come to Derek for marriage. She just didn’t know what lengths they might go to in order to protect their son from a woman they’d consider beneath him.

Her hands shook, as did her voice. “How could you stop them if they knew? Especially your brother.” She shivered, knowing her fear of the brother was out of proportion, based on Derek’s dramatized bragging and her own wild imagination. But in her mind, he’d become her nightmare, and she was very afraid. “Out of all of them, I fear him the most.”

He leaned back, watching her carefully. “Angel…”

“No! They can’t know. Ever. If that seems selfish of me, I don’t care.” Her hands trembled, despite her tight grip, because she knew if he decided to take her baby away, he could. And she was already proving how weak she was against him. “I’m a good mother, Derek, I swear it.”

He sighed. “I never doubted it, honey.” He shoved himself reluctantly from the bed and pulled a pen from his pocket. Using a notepad on the bedside table, he scribbled down some numbers. “I’m going to give you my number.”

“I already have it.”

He stalled, looking harassed for a moment, then shook his head. “It’s hard to reach me at home these days. Here are the numbers to my cellular and my pager. You can always reach me with them. If you ever need me, for anything, call either one of these numbers.”

Angel nodded, feeling foolish for her outburst. She was just so weary, so tired of being afraid. He cupped her cheek again.

“I’ll be back tomorrow.” His gaze probed hers, demanding. “You’ll be here?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” He leaned down and kissed her once more, a light kiss that still made her shiver. “Pretty soon, you’ll stop looking so afraid, Angel. And you’ll start to trust me. I promise.”

As he walked out of the room, Angel looked at the paper with his numbers. Somehow, just having someone to call made her feel safer.

She heard the front door close, the lock turn, and she dropped her head back on the pillow, closing her eyes. As she drifted off to sleep, the paper was still in her hand.

CHAPTER FOUR

“I WAS TAILED last night,” Dane said the minute Alec had taken his seat. He looked at his closest friend, waiting for his reaction.

“From the woman’s place?”

“No, thank God. Later, from my house. It was dark, and I have no idea who it was, but I don’t like it. I want you to set up a watch at her apartment. Something is definitely going on and I don’t want her hurt.”

“The man who was with her yesterday?”

Dane shook his head, again remembering how protective Mick had been. “No, he’s a kid and a blessing as far as I can tell. If it hadn’t been for him, she’d probably never have made it.”

Alec said nothing. It was one of the things Dane liked most about him. He didn’t pry. In fact, he was one of the most closemouthed bastards he’d ever met.

“Something about her just doesn’t add up. It’s like she wants Derek around, but she’s forced to it.” Then he shook his head again. “No, that’s not entirely true. There’s something there—but it sure as hell isn’t trust or friendship. She initiated things, but now that I’m, or rather Derek’s, interested, she’s trying to back off. I think she got more than she bargained for.”

“You want me to check into her background, the time she spent with your brother?” Alec’s eyes were almost black, the same as his hair, and piercingly direct. Dane knew he could find out anything he wanted. How he found things out sometimes left him curious.

“No.” He didn’t want anyone snooping into Angel’s past but himself. He had no idea what clues he might uncover, but they were his business and no one else’s. He didn’t question his protective attitude. He’d find out what happened to his brother, but he’d find it out his way, and isolate Angel’s involvement as much as possible. After all, she was his nephew’s mother; for now, that was all the excuse he needed. “I’ll take care of it. In fact, I have Raymond coming in today.”

Alec snorted, shifting his big body uneasily in the chair. He was in his usual jeans and a flannel shirt, his hair pulled back in a ponytail. He looked like a mugger, or the typical bad guy. Dane grinned.

“You don’t like him either? Why?”

Alec shrugged, indifferent. “I don’t really know him.”

“Dammit Alec…”

“Something about him just doesn’t sit right. You know it yourself.”

“Yes. I know you’re also suspicious of just about everyone.” Dane assumed his own dislike of Raymond was personal. He was engaged to Dane’s sister, Celia, and Raymond reminded him too much of his own family—ruthless, business-oriented. He probably suited Celia to a tee.

“I do have some info for you.”

Dane straightened, his thoughts once again in perspective. “Let’s have it.”

“Where your brother’s car went off the road, there’s an extra set of skid marks. Two cars were going fast that day, and two cars braked. Unfortunately, your brother’s was the one that went off the berm.” Alec handed him a file folder. “I checked with the police on duty that day. They say that’s a dangerous curve and people are always squealing their tires there, that the extra marks don’t mean anything and could have been from long ago. I don’t think so.”

Dane took the folder, his temper heating as he pondered his brother trying to escape another car. He would find out what had happened.

“There’s another thing.”

Dane looked up.

“Your brother had been in a local bar, not the classiest of joints, which is what drew my attention, and he’d been drinking it up right before the accident. The bartender said he’d met someone there, but that nothing seemed unusual about it. He didn’t have a description, only that it was a male.”

“Dammit!” Dane exploded from his seat and paced around his desk. Playing the role of his brother was wearing on his nerves. Using Derek’s office, his name, made him edgy. He’d left this life behind long ago and though he hadn’t moved far away, he’d still managed to keep an emotional distance from it all; now he was back under the worst possible circumstances. “Why are the cops blowing this off?”

“You know as well as I do, everyone claims your brother was acting goofy for a month. They just summed this up to stress.”

“Bullshit. My brother could run two companies and not be stressed. He was primed for it, raised to do it. And he thrived on it.” Unlike Dane, who hated every minute of the corporate business agenda. He wondered why his mother didn’t know any of this, why she hadn’t pursued the truth.

“I’m not arguing with you.”

Pressing a fist against his forehead, Dane muttered, “So what does Angel have to do with all this? I don’t believe she was directly connected to Derek’s death, but it is possible she helped pave the way for the killer, maybe unknowingly. She could be our only lead to what really happened since she was the last person to be close with him. But why would Derek have treated her so poorly?”

Alec shrugged, not forthcoming with a verbal response.

A knock on the door had both men swinging their heads around. “Come in.”

Raymond Stern sauntered in, his three-piece suit immaculate, his hair styled. Dane winced at the sight of him. The man, though pleasant enough, represented everything Dane disliked about the corporate world and his family. “Thank you for stopping by, Raymond.”

Raymond looked at Alec, a suspicious frown in place. “No problem. You said you wanted to talk?”

Dane nodded and reseated himself behind his desk. Alec stood. “I’ll be going now, unless you need something else?”

Dane shoved the file folder into a drawer before answering. “No. I’ll be in touch with you later.”

As Alec left, his eyes briefly skimming over everything and everyone in the room, Raymond asked, “A crony of yours?”

“One of my top men.”

A look of disbelief, or maybe scorn, passed over Raymond’s features. “Is he working on something right now?” Before Dane could answer, Raymond continued. “I think this P.I. business is fascinating, regardless of how your sister feels about it.”

“Oh?” Dane cocked one eyebrow, wishing he could plant a fist in Raymond’s face. “And how does Celia feel?”

He chuckled. “That you’ll outgrow it. She seems to think now that you’re enmeshed back in the office, you’ll want to stay.”

There was an unasked question in his tone. Dane started to reassure the man that once he married Celia, the business would be his, with Dane’s blessing. In truth Dane wanted no part of it. He was already bored with the endless paperwork and the tedium of board meetings. But he decided against it. Let Raymond stew. Let him wonder if the company was part of the marriage bargain.

“Celia has never liked it that I stepped out of the family’s affairs.”

“I think it’s incredible that you’ve always been located so close, yet I never met you.”

“My own offices aren’t that far away, true, but I’ve traveled a lot, especially in recent years. Some cases require constant surveillance, and that means you follow all leads, regardless of where they take you.” He didn’t add that he deliberately hadn’t kept in touch with his family, hadn’t clued them in to where he would be or for how long.

And now his brother was dead and he hadn’t even made it to the funeral.

Quickly closing that particular subject in his mind, Dane went on to another. “I asked you here because I know you transferred over from the Aeric Corporation.”

Raymond straightened with pride. “That’s right. Derek was there often once his intent was known, and he and I met. I agreed it was a natural acquisition, combining your family’s interests in health products manufacturing with Aeric’s research capabilities. When Derek finalized everything, he asked me to join him here.”

“You were at the funeral?”

Shaking his head, his eyes downcast in a regretful way, Raymond said, “No, unfortunately I missed it, also.” He looked back up, his expression resigned. “I hadn’t realized what happened until I reported here a week later. Derek had given me time to tie up my own loose ends and I spent two final weeks at Aeric, then took a break to sell my house and move closer. When I reported to work here is when I was told. That’s also the day I really got to know your sister.” A small smile now curved his mouth.

“I see.”

“When I asked to see Derek, I was referred to Celia. Things were still in an uproar, your mother most upset and Celia constantly on the verge of tears. They couldn’t locate you and they needed everything to be kept quiet, contained. Derek’s death hit them all very hard…” Raymond stuttered to a halt. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t making accusations. I realize it was very difficult for you as well.”

“Yes.” Dane knew that Raymond had shown up when the company needed him most, his past experience and lack of emotional involvement, along with Derek’s written blessing, making him the ideal man to take temporary control. Every effort was made to keep the stockholders from panicking. If nothing else, he owed Raymond his gratitude for that.

But Dane deliberately kept his own dialogue brief in the hopes Raymond would say more. Trying to get information from his sister or mother had proved most provoking. Anytime he mentioned Derek’s name, they would turn solemn, overwhelmed with the loss. The entire episode of the takeover of Aeric seemed very hush-hush.

“Anyway, I guess you could say your sister and I hit it right off. I care deeply for her.”

And deeply for the Company, but Dane kept those thoughts to himself. His sister was old enough, and certainly wise enough, to choose her own husband.

“Did Derek associate on a regular basis with anyone else at Aeric?”

Raymond shrugged. “Most everyone on the board, the managers, the—”

“No, I mean in a social way.”

“Well, there was the woman, secretary to the R&D department.”

Research and Development. Dane already knew what Angel’s position had been. Somehow, Derek had gotten information from her that had enabled him to take over the company.

And then he’d dropped Angel cold.

“Were they close?”

Raymond shrugged, looking thoughtful. “Everyone thought so. She’d never dated much, and then suddenly she had a steady date. At that time, no one realized Derek was after the company. But I suppose it should have been more obvious that he was using her. She was a mousy sort of person, not real talkative, withdrawn, but apparently good at her job. Good enough that the head of R&D often sent her top-secret information through a P.O. box to work on at home.”

“A post office box? That’s unusual.” Derek remembered the address Angel had given him, not a home address, but the anonymity of a post office.

Raymond shrugged. “Her supervisor was from the old school and didn’t trust the company computers, swearing too many secrets had been stolen. But he trusted the wrong person. Angel got the last of the information, a huge breakthrough worth top dollar that would have offset the takeover attempt, and she gave it to Derek. Of course, we found all this out after Derek dropped her.” He laughed. “She got fired real quick. Most everyone else was able to keep their jobs.”

“I see.”

“Why do you ask?” Raymond straightened. “She’s not here asking for a job, is she?”

Raymond looked appalled by the possibility. “No, of course not. I just wondered if I could get in touch with her, to talk to her about Derek.”

“Why?” Raymond’s eyes narrowed and he shifted forward. “What’s going on?”

Keeping his tone smooth and nearly bored, Dane said, “Not a thing. It’s just that I hadn’t seen my brother for some time. I’d like to talk to the people who knew him.” Raymond relaxed and Dane asked, “What happened to her, do you know?”

Dane had to keep his hands beneath the desk. His fingers had curled into fists as Raymond spoke and he imagined Angel’s humiliation, her hurt. He didn’t like feeling so much anger toward a dead man, especially when that man was his twin. The conflicting emotions ate away at his control.

“I have no idea. I haven’t seen her since I left Aeric. And Derek broke things off with her during a board meeting, for everyone to see. He asked her to sit in on the meeting, then deliberately told everyone where he’d gotten his information. That pretty much proved she couldn’t be trusted in the company.”

“Good God.” Sick dread churned in the bottom of his stomach.

Raymond laughed. “Yeah, she was stunned to say the least. But maybe it taught her a lesson about keeping business dealings private. As I’m sure you already know, even though you haven’t been involved in some time, there’s no room for deceit in the corporate world. You absolutely have to be able to trust your employees. Especially when they’re in the position she was in.”

Dane could barely see, he was so angry. The rage ran through him, red-hot, and he wanted only to get to Angel, to apologize, to…He stood abruptly, coming around his desk with stalking steps. He went to the coat tree and grabbed up his coat. Raymond quickly stood to face him.

It took two deep breaths before Dane could trust himself to speak without breaking Raymond’s nose. This was exactly why he hated the business, why he had to separate himself from his family. Ruthless barracudas, all of them, with no thought for humanity or dignity. It sickened him.

Raymond looked at him warily. “Is that all you wanted?”

“Yes, thank you.” He couldn’t bear to shake the man’s hand. He turned toward the door instead and opened it. “I appreciate your help, Raymond. Unfortunately, I have an appointment at my own offices shortly, so I’ll need to ask you to go.”

“Yes, of course.” He hesitated. “You know, Derek and I were somewhat better than associates before he died. If you’d ever like to talk about him, to know about him, I’d be glad to tell you what I can.”

Dane’s smile actually hurt, but he managed it. “Thank you. I’ll keep it in mind.”

“Will you be at dinner tonight?”

Damn, he’d forgotten his mother planned a family gathering. He had hoped to eat with Angel, to get to know her better. “Probably,” he conceded, knowing his mother would demand a valid reason for missing the meal. It was to be a formal dinner in preparation for his sister’s marriage, where the duties of the company would be discussed.

“I know it’s difficult for you, stepping in here and keeping your own business afloat. If I can help in any way…”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you.”

Raymond finally left with a lagging step, looking as if he had more to say but was reluctant to press. Dane knew he sensed where the present power lay, but that was just a fabrication of his mother’s fancy. He didn’t want the damn company. In fact, he would only stay in charge as long as was necessary to find out what had happened to Derek, to uncover the truth.

And to get things settled with Angel.

ANGEL SLOWLY HUNG UP the phone, her fingers tight on the receiver to keep her hand from shaking. Why wouldn’t it stop? She’d never hurt anyone, she held no power. There was absolutely no reason for someone to harass her.

For one insane moment, she wanted to call Derek, but she quickly quelled that absurd thought. She wouldn’t rely on him, ever again. For all she knew, he could be behind all this. That thought made her stomach queasy.

Moving slowly, she made her way to the bathroom and splashed water on her hot face, then leaned against the counter and took deep breaths.

When the knock sounded on her front door only seconds later, she jumped, her hand going to her throat. The apartment was quiet, Grayson sleeping soundly in his crib. It couldn’t be Mick because he had left for school hours before after dropping off more papers to be typed, and no one ever called on her other than him. Derek would surely be at work and—

The knock sounded again, this time a little harder and she feared Grayson would wake. She hurried to the door, hesitated just a moment, then called out, “Who is it?”

“Ah,” she heard in deep, satisfied tones, “much better than just letting anyone in. I see you’re learning.”

“Derek?” She turned the dead bolt and unlocked the door, swinging it open. “I always lock my door, except when I’m expecting Mick.” She looked him over, the casual way he leaned against the doorjamb, his open-neck shirt, so unusual for him. “What are you doing here this time of day?”

His gaze went over her from head to toe. She wore a long caftan of muted gray-and-blue plaid. It was old and worn and the material draped her body softly. It unzipped down the front, making it easy for her to feed Grayson. Right now, the zipper was just low enough to show her cleavage and assure Derek that her breasts were unrestrained by a bra. Typically of late, her feet were bare; since injuring her leg, she seldom bothered with shoes at home.

A long low whistle filled the air between them and Angel felt herself blushing. Self-consciously, she tried to smooth her hair which hung loose, but when she realized what she was doing she dropped her hand and scowled. “Aren’t you supposed to be at work?”

“Yeah, but I missed you so I’m here instead.”

Before she could move, or even guess what he would do, he leaned forward and kissed her. The touch of his mouth was warm and soft and fleeting, leaving her stunned. Then Derek pushed in past her, taking his welcome for granted. The door closed with a snap.

“Don’t do things like that.”

“Why not? You like it, and I can guarantee I love it.”

She felt her temper rise and he quickly held up both hands. “Okay, okay. You don’t like it. You’re entirely repulsed.”

“Derek…”

“What?” He smiled at her, a beautiful smile and she looked away. “I really do enjoy it, sweetheart. And I honestly did miss you.” He stepped closer to her once again, his gaze bright and probing. “You didn’t mind yesterday in my office. You asked me to kiss you then.”

Angel drew a blank. He was right, she had pushed the issue. But that was when she’d thought he might not be interested, when she’d thought he’d need motivation.

For a single moment she wondered if he was toying with her, but his expression was enigmatic, impossible to read. “This is a bad time,” she said, suspicious and determined to resist his classic charm. “I have tons of things to do.”

“I can help.”

“Derek…”

He came close to laughing, but swallowed it down. “Okay, I’m sorry. I’m pushing again. But damn, I have so much to make up for and I’m anxious to get started.”

Nonplussed, she moved past him, removed a large basket of laundry still needing to be folded, and sat on the couch. “The past is the past, Derek. You can’t erase it, and since you haven’t contacted me in all this time, I have to assume it didn’t matter much to you until now.”

“You’re surprised at my easy acceptance of things?”

More than surprised. She was amazed.

His hands were deep in his trouser pockets, his coat pushed back, and he rocked on his heels as if in thought. Finally, his head down, he sat beside her. Silence hung heavy in the air. He turned to her. “I’m sorry.” He shrugged his wide shoulders, his expression earnest. “I have no excuse, nothing, to explain why I was such a bastard. I wish I did, I wish I could pull up some believable tale to help smooth things over, to take away some of the hurt. But what I did to you was unforgivable. I know that. Still, I want you to forgive me.” Dumbfounded by this outpouring of emotion, she allowed him to take her hand, holding it when she would have pulled away. “Do you think you can?”

When she merely frowned, he added, “For Grayson’s sake?”

Angel stared at him, so many things he’d said clogging in her brain. He wanted forgiveness, even though he admitted there was no excuse for his behavior? And to use the baby’s welfare against her…but that was her biggest concern, her reason for contacting him in the first place.

Only he didn’t act the way she’d expected, as she’d planned for. She’d expected grudging help in calling off his family—if indeed they were behind the threats. She didn’t even want to contemplate the possibility of another enemy.

She wanted only to live in peace, to be able to take care of herself and her son without fear of danger.

His hand was large and warm and again she noticed the roughness, which had never been there before. To buy herself some time, she said, “What have you been doing?” She turned his palm over and looked at it. “You have calluses.”

He blinked at her, then looked down at his hand. With a twisted grin, he said, “Chopping wood, if you can believe that.”

“It might be difficult.”

“I know. I’m not normally the physical type.”

She shook her head. “No, you’re in shape, always have been. But from a gym, not from physical labor.”

She continued to look at his hand and he raised it to her cheek, curling his fingers around her jaw and lifting so that her gaze met his. His eyes were bright, intent. “I’m glad you noticed, but it doesn’t matter. Will you try to forgive me?”

His voice had been so soft, so cajoling. She hated herself for wanting to believe in him again, for wanting so many ridiculous things. But she’d been so alone for so long now. Her mind scurried for some response, some way of making him back off.

“We could start over,” he said. “I’m different now, everything will be different. If I start to backslide and I disappoint you or Grayson, then you can toss me out.”

At her skeptical look, he made a cross on his chest. “I promise. The decision is yours. You’re right about my family, they wouldn’t make good relatives at this point for Grayson and they’d likely make your life a living hell.”

If Angel was right, they were already making her life hell—and determined that it get much worse. But she kept the words unsaid for now.

Derek smiled. “And since I plan to be involved, that means they’d make me miserable as well. They don’t need to know anything about Grayson, or about you for that matter. At least, not until you’re ready.”

As she opened her mouth, he interjected, “If you’re ever ready.”

She had no defense against his optimism, his good humor. It was beyond her to remain disgruntled when he was being all she’d ever hoped for—for Grayson’s sake. “All right.”

His grin was wide and sexy and suggestive. “Thank you. Damn, but you know how to keep a man on pins and needles. I hope this is the last time you test me, because my heart can’t take it.”

She snorted, not ready to believe his heart was involved. Then to her disbelieving eyes, he set the laundry basket between them and began folding baby blankets. Angel stared.

“Shocked you, have I? Well, good. God knows you’ve done me in enough times lately.” He lifted a small gown, struggled with it for a moment, then handed it to her. “I think I’ll leave the more complicated garments to you, and stick to the blankets and—” His voice trailed off as he lifted a pair of panties from the basket. They were pink and satiny and her blush was so hot, she knew her face had to be bright red. She snatched them from his hand.

“Not a single word out of you or you can go.”

“I’m mum.” He continued to fold, now in silence, but she could see his devilish smile.

He was so very different, so unlike the Derek she knew, the man she couldn’t forgive or ever care about, not with the way he’d turned on her. This Derek was considerate and warm and somehow, more of a man because of it. In the past, she’d been drawn to his confidence, his good looks and his sophistication. She’d been overwhelmed by his attention, so flattered she hadn’t been able to think straight. Then he’d abruptly discredited her in every way possible.

They worked in near silence, other than Derek humming, until all the laundry was done and put away. After Angel had placed her unmentionables in her dresser, leaving Derek to put up the baby’s things, she found him standing over Grayson’s crib, just watching the baby sleep. When she crept in to stand beside him, it somehow felt right to be there together, sharing the sheer joy of seeing the baby, hearing his soft breathing. When Grayson made a grumbling squeak in his sleep, Derek smiled, a small, proud smile that touched Angel’s heart and made her feel too warm and full inside. She turned around and walked out.

She’d barely reached the kitchen before she felt Derek’s hand heavy on her shoulder. Her pulse raced, her breathing quickened. Slowly he turned her, and he whispered, “Angel,” his tone low and husky and affected by some emotion she couldn’t name but understood. Even before she met his gaze, she knew he was going to kiss her. She tried to tell herself it was necessary, that she had to keep him interested to have his help, but she knew she was lying. She wanted his kiss.

And he didn’t disappoint her. This was no casual peck as he’d given her when he first arrived. No, this time his mouth devoured hers, without hesitation, hot and hungry, his tongue immediately sliding inside while his hands held her face and kept her close.

Just that, nothing more. He didn’t touch her anywhere else, didn’t put his arms around her or pull her body into full contact with his. She could feel his heat, crossing the inches that separated them, and she wanted to be closer. But lovemaking was new to her and she wasn’t sure how to initiate anything, or if she even wanted to.

Derek slanted his head, his breathing harsh in her ear, and a low groan came from deep in his throat. In the next instant, he pulled his mouth away and pushed her head to his shoulder. “This is crazy. I can’t believe how you affect me.”

Angel didn’t know what to say to that. Crazy? It surely felt odd, but in a wonderful, miraculous way. Her hands were caught between them and she could feel his heartbeat, fierce and fast. “Why is it different this time?” she asked aloud, and all the confusion she felt could be heard in her tone.

Derek laughed, then groaned and squeezed her tight, finally pulling their bodies close together. “Because it just is, because I’m different.”

He pushed her back so he could see her face and smiled at her. “I’d like to take you to lunch.”

The topic had changed so suddenly Angel was caught off guard. “I…I can’t go anywhere. Grayson…”

“We’ll take him with us.”

She shook her head, not even considering the possibility of them being seen in public together with the baby. “No, I already ate.” She pondered all that had happened, all he’d done so far, then suggested, “Why don’t you come here for dinner instead.” She felt ridiculous, making such an offer, extending the verbal olive branch. But they did need to get reacquainted; she needed to decide if and how much she could trust him. She drew a deep breath and plunged onward. “I can cook us something.”

He searched her face, and his continued silence made her wish she could withdraw her offer. Then he shook his head. “Damn, I’d like that. I swear I would. I can’t imagine a better way to spend my evening.”

“But?”

He released her and turned away. “My mother has this damn dinner planned.” He waved a hand, essaying his feelings on the affair. “My sister is getting married soon and it’s a sort of celebration dinner. All family is expected to attend.”

“I see.”

He ran a distracted hand over his face, then laughed. “I doubt you do. But at any rate, I appreciate the offer. Will you give me a rain check?”

“Yes, of course.”

He looked at her, into her, and she shivered. His hand came up to cup her cheek. “Aw, Angel, you do know how to drive a man crazy.”

She didn’t know what he meant by that, so she ignored it. “If you’re hungry now, I could make you a sandwich.”

Like a starving man, he grabbed up her offer. “Thank you. Anything is fine. And while I eat, will you tell me more about Grayson, about yourself?”

That seemed like an odd request. As she pulled lunch meat out of the refrigerator, she glanced at him curiously and said, “You know everything there is to know about me.”

“Not true. Tell me about the pregnancy, when you found out—”

Slowly, feeling as if she’d been doused in ice water, Angel turned back to him. She dropped a package of cheese onto the table with a thunk. It was cheese he had bought, so she knew he must like it. “About the pregnancy. Now why would you want details on that?”

Wary now, he shrugged and said, “I’m just curious.”

“I see. Are you trying to verify that Grayson really is yours? Is that why you were so awful when I first called to tell you I was pregnant? You thought I was lying about you being the father?”

“Of course not!”

“You doubted me in your office. You had the nerve to ask me if I was certain.”

His face tightened, his mouth grim. “It was a legitimate question, Angel.” He faltered, looking tormented. “I just wasn’t expecting you to…”

“Legitimate? When you were the only man I’d ever been with?”

There was a heartbeat of silence. “Ever?” His eyebrows rose in incredulous disbelief.

She slapped down a knife on the table. “So you thought once you humiliated me, once you’d used me, I would just willingly jump in bed with another man? You thought I found my one experience with sex so titillating I had to race out for more, and since you weren’t available, I’d take any man who was?”

As she spoke, her voice rose almost to a shout, but it all came back on her, all the pain and mortification. She laughed, but it wasn’t a happy sound. Derek sat staring at her, his expression almost comically blank.

Well, he wasn’t used to hearing her yell. She’d always been meek and agreeable with him, so much so she’d made his objective pathetically easy. He’d overwhelmed her with his bigger-than-life persona, but not anymore. Now she’d changed, thanks to the way he’d screwed up her life. And he had changed as well.

“Believe me, Derek, you were the only one. And once with you was more than enough.”

It was her sneering tone, meant to show him her loathing, only it didn’t work.

She’d started to tremble and Derek was suddenly there, his arms around her, his lips against her temple. “Shh, baby, I’m sorry. So sorry.”

“Just go back to work, Derek. Leave me alone.”

“I can’t do that.” He leaned back, keeping her pelvis pressed to his, but putting space between their upper bodies. “You don’t want me to do that. For whatever reason, Angel, you contacted me.”

She opened her mouth, but she couldn’t think of a single thing to say.

“Shh. It’s all right. You don’t have to tell me now. I’ll wait until you’re ready.”

That he suspected her of having ulterior motives should have alarmed her, but she was just too tired to fight with him. And since she desperately needed his concession, she nodded, relief making her slump against him.

“I was an idiot in the office yesterday. Of course I know you haven’t been with anyone else. Sometimes men just say…stupid things.” He seemed to be floundering for the right words as his hands coasted up and down her back, soothing. “We won’t mention that again, okay?”

Reluctantly, she nodded.

“Good.” He stepped back, but rather than sit at the table again, he began compiling his own sandwich. “I do want to hear everything—no matter how insignificant—that’s happened to you since we’ve been apart.” He gave her a sharp, assessing glance. “I have a lot of catching up to do. All right?”

“Yes.” The distraction of simple conversation would help her regain her balance. She didn’t want to confide in him yet, not until she knew she could trust him with Grayson’s safety. “Yes, I’ll tell you…everything.”

He stayed longer than she would have guessed, and he asked more questions than she could answer. When Grayson awoke, Derek changed the baby, cuddled him for long moments, and when Grayson demanded to be fed, he finally took his leave. But he promised to come back the next day.

And though she was annoyed with herself, Angel already looked forward to his next visit.

CHAPTER FIVE

DINNER SEEMED TO LAST forever. All Dane wanted to do was go home and ponder Angel’s revelation. She’d been a virgin. God, he still felt stunned. And entirely too aroused.

From what she’d told him, she’d only been with Derek once, and that had been a disappointment.

Possessive heat filled him. She hadn’t really belonged to Derek, not the way a woman should, not the way she would belong to him. Guilt plagued him as he considered making her his own while knowing Derek had been her first and only. But with every minute that passed, he felt more determined to tie himself to her. There were numerous reasons, none of them overly honest, but still, they served his purpose.

He adored Grayson, already loving him as if he were his own. Dane had never thought to fit the bill of father—his chance had been lost to him so long ago. But it was precisely because his chance had been lost, and why, that he wanted to protect Grayson. Angel was right to fear his family; they would take over without giving her a single chance if he let them. But her fear also seemed exaggerated and somewhat pointless. Sooner or later they’d find out about the baby. It was inevitable.

He planned to be there when they did, to soothe her fears.

Angel also deserved his protection, and the luxury the Carter name could supply. Whatever else Derek had become, he’d still been a wealthy man. Grayson had a birthright that would pave much of his way in the world. Derek should have seen that Grayson received his due; for reasons of his own, he hadn’t, and Dane was determined to correct the oversight.

He also still believed Angel to be the most likely link in discovering what had happened to his brother. So far, nothing seemed to fit. Derek was capable of some pretty ruthless behavior, but the way he’d treated Angel seemed out of character even for him. Much of the cruelty had been deliberate and unnecessary. Why had Derek done it? And what was the real reason Angel had contacted him again, despite the damn past they shared? There were secrets there, things he had to discover, and that too, was a good reason to stay in touch with Miss Angel Morris.

The biggest reason of all, of course, was the chemistry between them. When he touched Angel, all his senses exploded like never before. And not even the memory of her and Derek’s past experiences could dampen her responses; it was driving him insane.

Damn his brother for complicating things so, for hurting her. And most of all for letting himself get killed. What had Derek been up to?

“Dane?”

Startled out of his ruminations, Dane looked up to see his mother frowning fiercely across the table at him. She did it well, he thought as he speared a bite of asparagus and chewed slowly. Her look was so forbidding that most people immediately apologized even before they knew what they’d done wrong. At sixty, she was still a slim, attractive woman with her light-brown hair stylishly twisted behind her head, and her brown eyes sharp with intelligence. She kept herself in top physical shape; her pride would tolerate no less.

Dane stifled a bored yawn. He’d quit playing his mother’s games long ago. “Did you want something, Mother?”

She pinched her mouth together at his lack of manners and deference due her. “Where in the world is your attention? You haven’t been following the conversation at all.”

Celia smiled toward him. “Do you have a big investigation that’s got you stumped, brother?”

He sent her a chiding glance. Celia had been teasing him about being a P.I. since he’d walked in the door. She’d had the gall to ask him if he carried a spy kit. His sister seemed different than he remembered, more lighthearted, more playful. He liked the changes.

To his surprise, Raymond blurted, “You aren’t still wondering about the Morris woman, are you?”

His mother straightened to attention, jumping on the topic like a dog on a meaty bone. She had plans for Dane, he knew. She’d sat him at the head of the table—a major concession for her, and an indication of what she expected from him in the future. She wouldn’t want any threats to her plans, and his interest in anyone or anything other than the company would certainly be considered a threat.

He hadn’t yet told her of his intentions, or rather lack thereof, toward the family and the company. He wanted everything settled first before he dropped his news on her.

“What’s this, Dane?” Her face was alarmingly pale, her eyes flashing. “What’s Raymond talking about?”

“Nothing of any import, Mother. I merely asked Raymond a few questions about Angel Morris. I was curious since Derek had been seeing the woman for a while.”

Celia turned quiet and gave her attention to her food. His mother wasn’t so reserved. Her hands fisted on the table, yet she managed to keep her tone calm. “He wasn’t seeing her, for heaven’s sake. He merely associated with her to ease the effort of the takeover. She was a secretary of sorts, no one important. Certainly no one important to Derek.”

Forcefully keeping his emotions in check, feigning a certain lack of interest, Dane asked, “Do you know what happened to her?”

His mother carefully laid aside her fork, then looked down her nose at him. She sat to his right, Celia and Raymond to his left.

“After she was terminated, you mean? Why would I care?” She made a rude sound of condescension. “You certainly didn’t expect us to employ the woman, did you, not after she gave away company secrets.”

Celia spoke up for the first time, her voice clipped, her expression stern. “I already told you, Mother, Derek stole that information from her.”

Dane felt as though he’d taken a punch on the chin. His mother made an outraged sound and Raymond sat watching them both, his expression somewhat satisfied. He stared at his sister and saw that two spots of bright color had bloomed on her cheeks. “What did you say?”

Celia gave her mother a lingering frown, then turned to face Dane. “Mother persists in making this woman out as a villain, even though I’ve told her repeatedly that it isn’t so. If anything, she was a victim, and we certainly should have employed her in an effort to make amends. Derek explained to me himself that Angel hadn’t volunteered the information to him. He rifled through her personal belongings until he found what he wanted.”

Raymond held his fork aloft, using it to emphasize his point. “Ah. But she should have seen to it that the material was well secured. That was her responsibility. The heads at Aeric trusted her, and she let them down.”

“I suppose part of the blame is hers,” Celia agreed, her tone snide, “in trusting Derek too much, in thinking him honorable toward her—”

Dane’s mother gasped, coming to her feet in furious indignation. Her hands slapped down on the cloth-covered tabletop while her voice rose to a near shriek. “How dare you suggest otherwise, Celia Carter? He was your brother!”

Looking belligerent and stubborn, Celia forced a shrug and met her mother’s gaze. “Mother, he stole that information from her. He led her on, made her believe he cared for her, and then took shameful advantage. Would you rather I call that honorable?”

Raymond patted Celia’s hand. “Sweetheart, he only did what was best for the company. That was always his first priority.” His eyes slid over to Dane. “As is true of any CEO.”

Dane waited, watching while his mother visibly struggled to regain her control. Such an outburst from her surprised him and piqued his curiosity. When she had grudgingly reseated herself, pretending to be appeased by Raymond’s words, and Raymond had taken a healthy bite of his braised pork, Dane asked, “Are you saying, Raymond, that you wouldn’t have a problem with using a woman that way?”

Raymond promptly choked, covering his mouth with his napkin.

“Really, Dane, enough of this nonsense!” his mother protested. “Raymond has been an enormous help to us and deserves better from you.”

Celia looked at Dane, a wicked smile of appreciation curving her lips, then proceeded to pound her fiancé on the back until he’d managed to catch his breath. Dane leaned back in his chair, enjoying the dinner for the first time that evening.

Damn, so much to think about. So Angel was innocent all the way around. That fact twisted his guts, making him feel guilty as hell, as if he were the one who’d betrayed her. He determined to make it up to her somehow. Whether she wanted him to or not.

An hour later as they all gathered in the salon for drinks and conversation, Dane cornered his sister. Raymond was busy schmoozing their mother, and Celia was blessedly alone, staring out a window at the dark night. As he approached, she looked down at his hand and the drink he held.

“I thought you abstained.”

He lifted the glass in a salute. “Pure cola and ice. Nothing more.”

“It irritates Mother, you know. That you won’t have a social drink.”

Dane thought of Mick, so defiant as he explained his mother was an alcoholic. “In my line of work, I see too many drink-related cases. Men and women who abandon their families in favor of a bottle. They all started out as social drinkers.” Shaking off his sudden tension, he smiled at Celia. “Besides, I enjoy irritating Mother.”

To his surprise, his teasing wasn’t returned. Celia turned fully to face him. “How do you do it, Dane? How do you just turn your back on everything, on all of us?”

A frontal attack. He hadn’t expected it of his sister, but he relished a moment to clear the air. He’d missed her in the time he’d been away. Though she was a lot like his mother, her strength and determination not to be underestimated, she was also a woman who thought for herself, who didn’t blindly accept his mother’s dictates. He’d found that out tonight. In the years he’d stayed away, his sister had evidently come into her own.

Too long, too damn long. “There’s nothing for me to stay here for, Celia. You know that. Mother made certain she drove me away—”

“She’s sorry for that, Dane.” Celia touched his arm. Her eyes, the same hazel shade as his, were dark with concern. “She realizes now that you really did love Anna, that she shouldn’t have interfered.”

He snorted. “Is that what you call it, interference? She deliberately destroyed my life, accused my fiancée of all kinds of reprehensible things, and just because she didn’t approve of Anna’s family.”

Celia bit her lip, then forged on. “You were both so young. Besides, she did take the money, Dane. Mother didn’t force it on her.”

“She made Anna feel as if that were the only option, as if she couldn’t possibly be my wife. Mother made sure she knew she’d never fit in.” Even as he said the words, he accepted that he wasn’t being a hundred percent truthful with her or himself. “Anna was pregnant, you know. After she ran off, she lost the baby. My baby.”

Celia covered her mouth with a hand. “Oh no, I didn’t know. I’m so sorry.”

“I told Mother. I was angry and hurt and I wanted her to understand exactly what her manipulation had cost me. Do you know what she said?”

Numbly, Celia shook her head.

“She said it was for the best.”

Celia lowered her forehead to Dane’s shoulder and her voice was quiet, almost a whisper. “Mother’s set in her ways, Dane. She means well, and she really does love you. It’s just that sometimes she doesn’t think.”

He had nothing to say to that. It amazed him that his sister would always try to defend their mother, no matter what she did.

“Will you stay on at the company this time? We need you here.”

Lifting a hand to his sister’s fair hair, giving one silky lock a teasing tug, he said, “You already know the answer to that.”

She sighed. “I suppose I do. But I was hopeful.”

“It’s not for me, sis. I don’t feel comfortable there and besides, I love playing detective too much to give it up.”

She smiled at his teasing, then turned to face the window again. “I miss him so much.”

“Me, too. Even though we hadn’t been in contact much lately, I always knew he was here. There were only miles separating us, and I knew we could get in touch if we chose to.” Dane wanted to tell her that he suspected Derek had been murdered, but he held back. His sister had enough on her plate for the moment. “I’m proud of how you stood up to Mother.”

She made a disgusted sound. “She’s hurting. And it angers her if anyone even suggests Derek might not have been perfect. But I can’t sit by and watch her persecute an innocent woman.”

Dane thought his sister was pretty damn special at that moment, and more than ever, he regretted the amount of time he’d let pass without seeing his family.

“How long are you willing to help out?”

Until I see things settled, he thought, but he only shrugged. “I don’t know. We’ll see. Right now, I have every agent in my own business maxed out, working on two or more cases at a time. And running between offices isn’t getting any easier.” Especially while trying to uncover a murderer.

He looked up at that moment to see Raymond watching him while his mother chatted in Raymond’s ear, no doubt regaling him with stories of old acquaintances, money and power. It was all his mother knew, all she cared about, and Raymond, with his desire to ingratiate himself, provided the perfect audience. Dane nodded then looked away. “Do you love him?”

Celia laughed. “You say that as if such a thing is unimaginable.”

“I just want you to be happy.”

“I’d be happy if you stayed on.” She quickly raised her hands. “But I understand why you can’t. Dane, why were you asking questions about Angel Morris?”

She effectively sidetracked him and he rubbed his chin, wondering what to tell her. Finally he said, “I suppose it just surprises me what Derek did. I don’t like to think him capable of such things. Can you even begin to imagine what Angel Morris must have felt like?”

Celia leaned into him, their shoulders touching. “If it’s any consolation, I think he regretted it. He was very distracted those last few weeks. And unhappy. He told me once that Angel would never forgive him, and that he didn’t blame her. It was almost like he’d had to hurt her, though I never understood why. I planned to ask him, to understand, but then he died.”

Dane didn’t understand either, but he felt better for having talked with his sister. His mother he simply hoped to avoid so she couldn’t try to nail him down on his intentions. He didn’t want anyone to know his plans until he’d figured everything out. At this point, he wasn’t certain who to trust, so he trusted no one.

Not even Angel. The more he learned, the more reason he had to wonder why she’d ever contacted Derek again in the first place. She had to hate him for all he’d done to her. But, his thinking continued, Derek had also given her Grayson, and the baby appeared to be the most important thing in her life. Maybe for that reason alone, she’d been able to give up on some of her anger and resentment. Maybe she’d come to the very reasonable conclusion that Grayson deserved a father and all that Derek could provide. It could be only misplaced pride that still made her insist she wanted nothing from him. Heaven knew, he’d had a hard enough time making her accept the essentials: food and diapers and damn shampoo. She also had plenty of reason to hang on to that pride, given the way she’d been treated.

As Raymond and Mrs. Carter joined them, Raymond smoothly slipped his arm around Celia and gave her an affectionate peck on the cheek. Watching them, Dane pondered the idea of starting over. Ever since Anna had abandoned him, allowing his mother to buy her off, he’d avoided relationships. He hadn’t met a woman he’d wanted to see more than twice.

Anna hadn’t trusted him, had believed his mother’s tales over the truths he’d given her. He’d never admit it to anyone, but Anna’s actions had proved his mother right; she wasn’t the woman for him. He expected, needed, a woman to give him everything, not merely her trust, but her unwavering loyalty. Her soul. Anna hadn’t been able to do that, and while he still regretted the loss, it was more the manipulation that he resented. He’d long since gotten over his first love. It had been a lesson to be learned, and he’d learned it well.

This time, he could think more clearly. He’d make certain the same didn’t happen with Angel. He’d reason with his brains, not his heart, and sooner or later, he’d win her over. His ruthlessness was an inherent part of his nature. After all, much as he might dislike it on occasion, he was still a Carter.

Angel didn’t stand a chance.

“I DON’T LIKE IT. I think you should tell Derek.”

Angel was so sick of hearing Mick’s refrain. He and Derek got along wonderfully, but then who wouldn’t get along with him? Derek was generous and thoughtful and attentive and protective. He’d shown up every day for the past week, helping with everything from bathing the baby to shopping and housework. Twice he had brought over dinner, then cleaned up the mess so Angel could get caught up on her typing. He’d tried to give her money, but after she’d told him exactly what she thought of that idea, he hadn’t mentioned it again.

Instead, he asked questions, hundreds and hundreds of questions. Sometimes it made her nervous, though she couldn’t say why. He just seemed so…different.

“The job he got me is awesome.”

She smiled at Mick’s enthusiasm. He’d been with her since six o’clock while they went over his homework. Now it was nine and he’d done little else but talk about Derek in between lessons in calculus and conjugating Spanish verbs. “So you like it?”

“Are you kidding? What’s not to like? It’s a private investigations office and the people there are so laid-back and friendly. It’s like a big family.”

Angel’s heart twisted. Mick had never had much family to brag about. His mother was more absent than not, and even when she was around, she didn’t demonstrate any maternal instincts. Mick had pretty much raised himself, and Angel knew what a lonely existence that could be.

“They’ve been telling me some of the cases they’ve dealt with. Incredible stuff, like shoot-outs and drug busts and all kinds of stuff. This one guy, Alec Sharpe, he’s actually sort of scary, but don’t tell Derek I said so.”

Angel smiled in amazement. If the man spooked Mick, who wasn’t afraid of anyone as far as she could tell, he must be one frightening character. She pretended to lock her lips with an imaginary key. “Not a word, I promise.”

“The guy has the darkest eyes and he’s real quiet and when he talks, even if it’s just to ask for coffee, everyone around him shuts up and listens. I think he’s sort of a boss or something.”

Angel gathered up pencils and pens and put the calculator away. “What do you do there?”

Mick made a face. “All kinds of stuff, from cleaning and running out for doughnuts to making coffee and putting files away. But they’re all real nice about it. They don’t act like I’m getting paid, but more like I’m doing them a huge favor and they really appreciate it. And Alec gave me this really cool car to drive. It has the best stereo.”

Angel knew Mick would be paid more working there than he had made doing both jobs before. And it had been agreed he wouldn’t work past six o’clock on school days, and only until the afternoon on the weekends. She was so incredibly grateful to Derek, seeing the change in Mick. He was more like the average kid now, happy and proud. And he adored Derek.

Of course, Mick didn’t know everything that had happened between Angel and Derek in the past. And she’d never tell. Derek was doing his best to prove the past really was over; not for the world would she take away Mick’s present happiness.

“Why do you still dislike him so much, Angel?”

“Mick…”

“He could help,” Mick said, anxious to convince her. “The phone calls were bad enough, but now the letter—”

She rubbed her head. “I know. The letter proves whoever it is knows where to find me. I’ve been thinking about this a lot.” She hesitated, almost afraid to voice her suspicions out loud. “It’s possible Derek is the one behind all this.”

He stared at her hard, then got to his feet and paced away. “You don’t really believe that.”

She didn’t want to believe it. But the letter proved her alias hadn’t worked—an alias Derek had noticed his first time to her apartment. She didn’t want to think he could be so vindictive, but he might have slipped up and told his family, and they were using the information to drive her away. That she could believe only too well.

“I don’t know what all’s going on between you two, but I do know you’re in trouble. You’re being stalked, and whoever’s been making the calls could have gotten your number from anywhere, maybe even from the ads you ran for typing. But now he knows where you live. The letter proves that. If you keep putting off telling Derek, you could end up hurt.”

“Well, I can’t do anything about it tonight. Derek had business and couldn’t come over. And it isn’t something to discuss on the phone.”

Mick nodded slowly as he slipped his jacket on. “I’ll try to watch out for you, Angel. I wouldn’t let anyone hurt you if I could help it, but I can’t always be here.”

Her blood ran cold with his words. “Mick, if you ever, ever hear anything suspicious, or see anyone around the mailboxes, you call the police. Don’t you dare try confronting anyone on your own.”

He didn’t reply to that, merely made his way to the door. “I’ll lock this behind me.”

“Mick?”

“Call him, Angel. Tell him what’s going on. He cares about you and Grayson. I know he does.”

It would have been nice if Mick didn’t act like the typical domineering, overprotective male. Why were men, of all ages, so blasted stubborn? She sighed. “I’ll think about it.”

Mick looked at her a moment longer, then nodded. “All right. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

She smiled at him. She was very lucky she’d met him when she had. Knowing him, having his friendship, had made her life much easier. “Yes. Get some sleep so you’re well rested for that test.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

After checking that the door was securely locked, Angel peeked in on Grayson. He was sleeping soundly, which would give her a chance to take a quick shower. With all of Derek’s help of late, her leg had more time to rest. It didn’t hurt as often anymore, but tonight it was sore. She’d sat too long typing at her desk earlier and the muscles felt cramped. A hot shower usually helped.

Leaving the bathroom door open so she could hear Grayson if he cried, she stripped off her clothes and reached into the tub to adjust the temperature of the water. Once the steam started billowing out, she slipped in under the spray.

It felt wonderful to once again wash her hair with scented shampoo, to use all the toiletries she’d given up on due to lack of funds. At first she’d tried returning the things to Derek, but he’d been so sincere in wanting her to keep them, so anxious to relieve the guilt of his past sins—his words for his execrable behavior of the past—that she couldn’t deny him.

She lingered for a long time, relaxing in the hypnotic warmth of the steam and stinging spray, until she became sleepy and knew she needed to put herself to bed. Grayson still woke during the night for a feeding, and he was usually up with the birds in the morning.

She was just stepping over the side of the tub when the phone rang.

Her first thought was that it might be Derek, and ridiculously enough, her heart leaped. He’d taken to calling her several times a day, whereas before her phone had seldom rung at all. Many times now he’d called to tell her good morning, or good-night, even if he’d spent hours at her apartment.

Wrapping a thick white towel around herself, she hurried out of the bathroom and into the kitchen to snatch up the phone. She was smiling as she said, “Hello?”

A rough, rasping breath answered her, then turned into a growl. Her smile died a quick death.

Shaken, Angel started to slam the phone back down, and then she heard, “Bitch. Give me what I want.”

The rasping tones didn’t sound human and her blood rushed from her head, leaving her dizzy. “I don’t know what you want,” she said, her voice shaking despite her efforts to sound unaffected.

“Yes, you do.” There was a laugh, taunting and high-pitched. “You’re not as innocent as you like to pretend, Angel Morton. But your time is up. Do you hear me?”

“I’m hanging up now,” she said, determined not to let the caller get the upper hand.

“Did you get my letter? I know where you are now. You better watch your back…”

Angel slammed the phone into the cradle. Her heart was beating so hard, it rocked her body and she quickly wrapped her arms around herself. She was only marginally aware of the water dripping from her hair down her back, leaving a puddle on the floor. Goose bumps rose on her skin, but she was frozen, unable to move.

When the knock sounded on the door, she let out a startled, short scream, jumping back two steps and bumping into the kitchen table. A chair tipped over and crashed to the floor. Grayson woke, his disgruntled wail piercing in the otherwise leaden silence.

She heard Derek call out, “Angel!” at the same time a key sounded in the lock. The door immediately swung open. She couldn’t help herself, she gaped at him. How had he known to show up just when she needed him most?

In the next instant, doubt surfaced, and she had to wonder if it was a coincidence, or part of a plan. Was it possible he was working with his family to drive her away? Had she inadvertently stepped into the lion’s den?

Derek stormed in like an avenging angel, took one look at her standing there with nothing more than the towel covering her, then crossed the room with long, angry strides. He grabbed her shoulders. “What’s the matter? What’s happened?”

Angel managed to shake herself out of her stupor. She clutched at her towel with a fist. “What are you doing here?”

He looked nonplussed by her calm question and tightened his hands on her. “I wanted to see you.” His head turned in the direction of Grayson’s wails and a fierce frown formed. “You’re both okay?”

“Yes, of course.”

“But you screamed.” He turned back to her, raised one hand when she started to speak, then shook his head. “First things first. Go get dried off. I’ll get the baby.”

She was shaking all over, but he thankfully didn’t comment on it. “Thank you. I think the phone disturbed him, and then your knock…”

Derek started her toward her bedroom with a gentle push. “I understand, babe. Go. We’ll talk about it in a minute.”

Regardless of what he’d said, Angel followed Derek into the baby’s room and made certain everything was all right. She never let Grayson cry, and even now, when she was so rattled, she couldn’t stand to hear him upset. Derek cradled him close to his chest, rocking him, murmuring to him, and Grayson immediately began to quiet, his yells turning into hiccups as he recognized his father’s scent and voice. Derek held his face close to the baby’s, nuzzling, kissing his tiny ear, his cheek, smoothing his large hand up and down Grayson’s back. Angel’s throat felt tight and her chest restricted.

He turned suddenly when he realized Angel had followed him. Slowly, his gaze ran the length of her, lingering, she knew, on the still harsh scars of her left leg. His attention returned to the baby. “Go get something on, Angel, before you catch cold.”

She wondered if her leg repulsed him; his voice had sounded unusually gruff and low. It really was ugly and overall she looked like a drowned rat at the moment. “All right. I’ll…I’ll be right back.”

In the bathroom again, she quickly dried off, dragged a comb through her tangled hair, then shrugged into her housecoat. It was long and thick and covered her from head to toe. She hurried back in to Grayson. The baby now had his entire fist stuffed in his mouth, sucking loudly. She knew from experience that would only suffice for so long.

“Let me have him. After I nurse him, he should fall back to sleep.”

Derek gave her a long look before nodding. “Let me change him first.”

He disappeared into the other room and Angel paced. The letter this afternoon, then the phone call…. It was the first time she’d heard a voice. Usually the calls consisted of heavy breathing and ominous silences. Again, chills ran up her arms and she ducked her head, her brain working furiously. Mick was right; she had to trust Derek, had to tell him of her suspicions. But she wouldn’t tell him everything. She’d only confide about the most recent events. After she saw how he reacted to that, then she’d consider telling him the rest.

When he touched her shoulder, she again jumped, whirling about to face him, her hand pressed to her throat. His expression was dark, his eyes narrowed, and she tried a nervous laugh.

“I’m sorry. You startled me.”

“Obviously. But we’ll talk about that in a minute.”

She took the baby, quickly settled herself on the couch and then looked at Derek. He always left the room when she nursed Grayson, giving her the privacy she needed, but this time he stared right back. Slowly, his gaze never leaving her face, he took the chair opposite her. Heat bloomed inside her. “Derek…”

“No more secrets, Angel.”

Grayson rooted against her, anxious for his meal, and she knew, judging by Derek’s expression, arguing would gain her nothing. She pulled her gaze away from him, deliberately ignoring his very attentive audience, and went about feeding her baby. She felt stiff, unable to relax, so many things racing through her mind.

After a moment, Derek rose from his chair and reseated himself beside her. The soft, worn cushions of the couch slumped with his weight and her hip rolled next to his, bumping into him. He felt warm and hard, his presence overwhelming. Angel was acutely aware of his undivided concentration on her breast. She kept her visual attention firmly placed on Grayson.

Casually, Derek slipped his arm around her shoulders. She had trouble breathing. She moved Grayson to her other breast, closer to Derek, and as he nursed he began to fall back to sleep. He looked precious, and she couldn’t hold back a smile.

“He’s beautiful, Angel.” Derek’s warm breath fanned her temple and she shivered. “You’re beautiful.”

His voice sounded with awe, and as he scooted even closer, seeming to surround her with his heat and scent and power, she felt herself relaxing. This felt right. Derek was doing nothing untoward, only taking part in what was rightfully his. His left arm moved across her abdomen in an embrace, just below the baby, circling both mother and son. He kissed her temple, a light, loving kiss. Slowly, Grayson released her nipple and a drop of milk slid down his chin. With his fingertip, Derek wiped it away.

They neither one moved. She knew Derek was looking at her, studying her, but there was nothing lurid about his scrutiny. He dipped his head and kissed Grayson on his silky crown. In a low, husky whisper, he asked, “Would you like me to burp him and put him back to bed?”

Angel nodded.

As he was lifted, Grayson stretched and groaned and gave a loud belch, making any further efforts unnecessary. Derek grinned as he hefted the small weight to his shoulder and got to his feet. He looked down at Angel. “I’ll be right back,” he whispered. “Don’t move.”

Other than covering her breast and nervously shifting, she obeyed.

It was late, now close to eleven o’clock, but she was far from sleepy. So many emotions were pulling at her—fear and anxiety and anticipation, but also a deep contentment. Derek was everything a father should be, and she couldn’t quite work up the energy to distrust him anymore. It took all she had as she fought herself to keep from falling in love with him. Despising him was out of the question.

Derek stepped out of the baby’s room, softly closing the door behind him. For long moments, he merely stared at Angel across the room. The time of reckoning, she thought.

For the life of her, she couldn’t seem to move. Her heart began racing, her palms grew damp. She saw Derek lock his jaw, saw his shoulders tighten and flex, and she knew, without him saying a single word, he was caught in the same inexplicable flow of emotions as she.

What would happen next, she couldn’t guess, but she was anxious to find out.

And then the phone rang.

Angel gasped. Both wary and disgusted by the interruption, she stared toward the kitchen where the phone was located.

Derek frowned at her. “Do you want me to get that for you?”

“No, I’ll…” She shook her head, wiped her palms across her thighs. And still she sat there, staring at the phone.

Sparing her a curious glance, Derek stalked to the phone and snatched it up on the fifth ring. “Hello?” He kept his gaze on Angel as he spoke and she tried to clear her expression, but she could see he’d already read too much there.

“Hello?” he said a little more forcefully. He looked at the receiver, then gently placed it in the cradle. As he walked back to loom over Angel, she could see the questions in his eyes. “What’s going on, honey?” His tone was soft, menacing.

She shook her head. “I don’t know.”

He waited, not moving away, not saying another word. She recognized his stubborn expression, only now there was more of a threat there, more determination than ever.

“Sometimes I get strange calls.”

She hadn’t meant to make such a bald confession, but it just slipped out. After a deep breath while he raised one eyebrow, encouraging her, she continued. “Sometimes, eight or ten times now, someone has called and just…breathed in the phone. Today I finally heard a voice. He…said things to me.” She lifted her gaze and got caught in his. “He called right before you got here.”

Derek’s eyes darkened, his eyebrows lowered, and suddenly he was crouching there in front of her, his hands holding hers, hard but not really hurting her. It did give her the feeling she couldn’t get away, even if she tried.

His gaze was so intense, so probing, she squirmed. “You thought it might be me,” he accused.

He didn’t sound angry precisely, though she couldn’t pinpoint the dominant emotion in his tone. She straightened her shoulders and frowned right back. “I wondered. I have no enemies that I know of, no reason for threats. You’re the only person who ever seemed to despise me, and I’ve never really understood why.”

There, let him deal with that, she thought and jerked away to walk carefully into the kitchen. She needed something to drink, some warm tea. And she needed to escape his close scrutiny.

Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Derek stand, then pace around her tiny living room. He had his hands back in his pockets and his head down in deep thought. She was familiar with that look now, that show of serious introspection. She’d seen it a lot lately, though in the past she couldn’t recall Derek ever doubting himself, ever giving so much thought to anything pertaining to her.

She put water on to boil, then asked, “Would you like some tea?”

“Thank you.”

After righting the fallen chair, she sat at her small kitchen table, waiting for the water to get hot. Moments later she felt Derek’s hands on her shoulders, heavy and warm.

“The problem is,” he whispered, “I’m not making the calls. And I don’t despise you.” His hands slipped up to her throat, caressing, then smoothing her damp hair back behind her ears. “On the contrary, Angel, I want to take care of you.”

Anger caused her eyes to narrow. She wanted to believe him, to understand and accept his help. She twisted to face him. “Why? Why now, when you made it plain months ago how you felt? You deliberately humiliated me in front of my supervisors. You didn’t just break things off, you tried to break me. Why?”

His eyes closed and he turned his head away. “You’re right, of course. I can’t undo the past. I can only have regrets, which don’t amount to a hill of beans. But I’m here now and I’d like to help.”

Since that was what she’d wanted all along, what her entire plan had been, she should have been relieved. But somehow everything was different than she’d expected. He wasn’t the same man, easy to be detached from now. The Derek who’d first hurt her had been more of an illusion to her, an image of strength and power that had seduced her by sheer impression. She hadn’t really known the man, other than in the most superficial ways; she’d merely been attracted to his image. But now she genuinely liked and respected him. When she could set the past aside, he was fun, and when he held Grayson, the affection in his eyes filled her with an insidious warmth that expanded her heart. More often than not, she didn’t understand what she was feeling.

Only one thing was certain: Grayson could be at risk if she didn’t find some sort of protection.

She got up to serve the tea, collecting her thoughts. After she set his cup near him on the table, she said, “I’ve gotten several anonymous calls lately, more than ever before. Usually, it’s just breathing and such. They started before I’d moved, when I lived in my old apartment. After I moved here, they stopped for a while and I thought I’d lost whoever it was. But just recently they started up again. It’s possible my phone number was taken from one of the posted ads around the colleges. The ads are generic, offering typing, but since I’ve been transcribing for colleges ever since the accident, it could be my number was relocated that way.”

Derek nodded. “Very possible, I suppose. But the person making the calls would have to be damn determined.”

Angel shivered. “He spoke for the first time today. He said, very clearly, that I couldn’t hide. He called me a few…choice names and told me to give him what he wanted.”

She saw Derek’s jaw go hard and knew he was clenching his teeth. He stared at her and she shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know what he wants. I wish I did.”

“Go on.”

“I also got a letter in my mailbox.”

“Where is it?”

She pulled an envelope from the basket on top of her refrigerator and handed it to Derek. The letter was now wrinkled from her many hours of examining it, but Derek had no trouble making out the typed message. “I’ve found you,” he read aloud. He was silent for a long time, his face dark, his expression tight. He threw the letter on the table and turned on her.

“You thought I was behind this?” he asked, his teeth clenched, color high on his face. “You thought I would resort to sneaking around and stuffing threatening letters in a woman’s mailbox, in your mailbox?”

His reaction was genuine and for the first time she felt absolutely positive that he played no part in the harassment.

A little truth now certainly wouldn’t hurt. Problem was, as she tried to give it, tears gathered in her eyes, and she couldn’t quite work up the nerve to accuse his family, the most likely of suspects. Not yet.

She shook her head. “No,” she said, trying to sound sure of herself. “I don’t really think you’re behind it. But the letter came after I contacted you. Before that, all I’d gotten was phone calls. And you noticed the fake name on my mailbox that day. Now tonight, you showed up right after the call, and it was the first time he’d ever spoken to me. That’s a lot of coincidences.” She searched his face, hoping he’d understand. “I had to consider you, Derek. I couldn’t take any chances with Grayson’s safety.”

Seconds ticked by, then he reluctantly nodded.

She drew a deep breath of relief. “The whole reason I contacted you again, the only reason I introduced Grayson to you is because deep down, for some incredibly insane reason, I guess I still trust you. Even after everything that happened, I thought…I thought you would help. I hoped you would help.”

She swallowed, the sound audible, almost choked. “Derek…I’ve been so scared, and I don’t have anyone else to go to.”

A stunned moment of silence fell between them. She could feel the waves of emotion emanating from him, anger and regret and need. Then she was in his arms and it felt so good, so right, she curled closer and snuggled tighter, trying to fit herself completely against his long, hard length. His arms wrapped around her, urgently, almost violently, while his mouth nuzzled down her face, giving her small anxious biting kisses until finally he reached her lips and then he was devouring her and she was glad, so very, very glad.

CHAPTER SIX

DANE KNEW HE SHOULD pull back, that he was making a terrible tactical error. He wasn’t completely in control, and he should be. But he couldn’t put so much as an inch between them. He wanted, needed her, right now. Even two seconds more would be too long to wait. And Angel was so soft and anxious against him, her breasts pressed to his chest, her pelvis cradling his own. She wanted him, too, and that was all that mattered. The deceptions, the worries, could be taken care of in the morning. He’d make it all okay, one way or another, but for now, tonight, he wouldn’t say a single thing that would put a halt to her greed.

Growling low, he slid his hands down to her backside and cuddled her even closer. She felt so damn good.

“Angel.”

She pressed her face into his throat and shuddered. “I don’t understand this, Derek,” she said on a near wail. “I’ve never felt like this before.”

How could he possibly explain it to her, when he didn’t understand it himself? He knew she would compare him to Derek, and as much as he’d loved his brother, as dedicated as he was to finding out the truth, right now claiming her took precedence over everything else.

He shushed her with more kisses. “I’ve never felt this way either, honey. Don’t worry about it now. Just let me love you.”

She opened her mouth against him and took a soft, greedy love bite of his throat. Gasping, he quickly picked her up, mindful of her injured leg, and hurried to her bedroom, nudging the door shut behind them until it closed with a secure click. He didn’t want to take the chance of waking Grayson. He wanted no interruptions at all.

He didn’t put her on the bed, choosing to stand her beside it instead. He wanted her naked, and he wanted to look his fill. It felt as if he’d been waiting forever.

As he grasped the cloth belt to her robe, ready to pull it free, she caught his wrists. His gaze darted to her face and he was amazed to see how heavy and sensual her eyes had become, her thick lashes lowered, the green eyes bright and hot. Her high cheekbones were colored, but with need, not embarrassment. She took soft, panting breaths as she looked up at him.

She licked her lips, and even that innocently seductive sight had him trembling.

“I don’t want to disappoint you, Derek.”

He’d never before minded being mistaken for his twin. Through his entire life people had often done it, sometimes even his parents. Before their father had died, he and Derek had often played tricks on him, deliberately confusing him.

But now, he hated it. He had to struggle for breath. He gave her a hard quick kiss, which turned tender and hungry and lingered sweetly. When he pulled away, it seemed to take a great effort on her part for her to get her eyes open. He smiled. “There’s no way you could disappoint me, honey.”

“My body’s changed. The baby…”

Still holding her gaze he tugged the knot out of the belt and pushed the robe off her shoulders. She dropped her arms and the robe fell free all the way to the floor. Angel lowered her head and turned slightly away.

For nearly a minute he was speechless. She was more beautiful than any woman had a right to be, and there was absolutely nothing motherly about her heavy, firm breasts, the stiff dark nipples. Her rib cage expanded and fluttered with her uneven breaths and her belly looked soft and slightly rounded, very pale. He spread one large, hot palm over her stomach and heard her small gasp.

“Derek…?”

“Shhh. I’ve never wanted a woman the way I want you, Angel. Trust me when I tell you there’s not a single thing about you that could disappoint me.” Her legs were long and so sexy, even with the harsh scars on her left shin. He immediately pictured those long legs wrapped around him, her heels digging into the small of his back, urging him on, and he groaned as his erection pulsed, demanding release.

Slowly, so he wouldn’t startle her, he slid his palm downward until he was cupping her, his fingers tangling in the dark blond curls over her mound. They felt damp and soft under his fingertips, her flesh swollen, and he breathed deeply through his nose, trying to ease the constriction in his lungs. He held still, just holding her like that, letting her feel the heat of his palm, letting the anticipation build.

Angel moaned and stepped up against him. Her hands gripped his biceps, her forehead pressed to his shoulder.

Dane swallowed and smiled grimly. “Do you remember when I touched you in my office?” he asked against her temple.

She nodded her head.

He licked her ear and gently nipped the lobe. “You were so close then, Angel, and I’d barely done anything to you. Little more than kissing.” He nearly groaned with the memory.

Her hips jerked, encouraging him. Anticipating her response, he inched his fingers lower, gliding over her warm flesh, opening her soft, plump folds, learning her, exploring. She was already so hot, so silky wet, and it amazed him the way she reacted to his touch. It also made him nearly crazy with a frenzied mix of lust and overwhelming tenderness.

Her body felt frozen against his, very still, waiting. Even her breathing became suspended, as if she was afraid to move for fear of missing something. Determination swelled within him. He had no intention of leaving her with complaints; her views on the joys of sex were about to be altered.

“Open your legs a little more for me, Angel.” He could tell that she responded to his words, and he wasn’t about to disappoint her. “Let me feel you. All of you.”

With a shudder, her face well hidden against his chest, she carefully widened her stance. Immediately he pressed one finger deep inside her, at the same time he braced his free arm around her waist.

She needed his support.

Her body went alternately stiff and completely yielding. Holding her against him, acutely aware of her broken breaths, her soft moans, the way her fingers dug into his chest, he stroked her. He could feel her tightening, feel the small shudders moving up and down her body. He eased her a little away from him and she allowed the small separation, her head falling back on her shoulders, her still-damp hair trailing down to tickle against his arm. He saw her breasts heaving and dipped his head down to take one plump nipple into his mouth.

“Ohhh…”

He lapped with his tongue, nibbled with his teeth, drew deeply on her. Her hands raised from his chest to his head and her fingers tangled in his hair, tugging, trying to draw him even closer.

“I have to sit down,” she moaned.

“No.” He blew on her damp nipple, watching it go painfully tight. The pregnancy had no doubt made her breasts extra sensitive, and he intended to take advantage of that fact. “Right here, Angel. We’ll get to the bed in a minute.”

He switched to her other breast and heard her give a soft sob of compliance. Voluntarily, she parted her legs even more and then thrust against him. He slid his finger all the way out, teasing, then worked it heavily back into her again. “You’re so wet for me, honey,” he said on a groan, amazed and thrilled and so hot himself he wanted to die.

Forcefully, making him wince, she brought his mouth back up to her own and this time she kissed him, awkwardly but with so much hunger he thought he might burst. He rubbed his heavy erection against her soft hip while he carefully forced a second finger inside her. He found a rhythm that pleased her and went about seeing to her satisfaction. He was playing it safe, not about to remove his clothes or lie with her on the bed, knowing his control was thin at the moment and any little thing could send him over the edge. He wouldn’t risk taking his own completion before he’d seen to hers.

Within minutes she was crying, her body tight and trembling, her hands frenzied on his back and shoulders. Slowly, he eased her down to the side of the bed so that her legs hung over the edge, then knelt between them. She dropped back, her hands fisting in the bedclothes, her hips twisting. Dane lifted her legs to his shoulders and before she could object—if indeed she would have given how close she was—he cupped her hips in his hands and brought her to his mouth.

She tasted sweet and incredibly hot and he was beyond teasing her, so close to exploding himself. His heart thundered and her scent filled him as he nuzzled into her, driving himself ever closer. As his tongue stroked over her sensitive flesh, as he found the small engorged bud and drew on it, teasing with his tongue, tormenting with his teeth, she gave a stifled scream and climaxed.

Quickly, wanting to feel every bit of her, he pushed his fingers back inside her. Her feminine muscles gripped him, the spasms strong as she pressed herself even higher, moving against his open mouth and continuing to cry and moan and excite him unbearably. It went on and on and he almost lost control. He was shaking all over when she finally quieted, her eyes closed, her lashes damp on her cheeks, her mouth slightly open as she gulped air.

She never so much as blinked when he lifted her legs gently to the bed and stood to look down at her. Slowly, drinking in the sight of her limp, sated body, he pulled his shirt free from his pants and began unbuttoning it. He forced himself to go slow, to savor the moment of his claiming. Even to his own mind, his thoughts, his responses, seemed primitive, maybe even ruthless. But he wanted her to be his and his alone—a feeling he’d never encountered before, not even with Anna. He wanted to take her so thoroughly, possess her so completely, she’d be willing to forgive him anything, willing to trust him in all matters.

She gave a shuddering sigh, lifted one languid hand to her forehead and pushed her hair away from her face. Dane watched her, so suffused with heat the edges of his vision blurred.

While he tugged his belt loose from the clasp with one hand, he dropped his other lightly to her soft thigh. Her skin felt like warm silk to him, and tempted him more than it should have.

Her lashes fluttered as his fingers trailed higher, and finally her eyes opened. She looked dazed and relaxed, on the verge of sleep. He smiled and carefully worked his zipper down past his throbbing erection. “You scream very well, Angel. I liked it.”

“Oh.” Her cheeks filled with color and she swallowed. When her gaze dropped to the open vee in his slacks, her eyes opened wide. “Oh.”

Dane sat on the bed beside her, his hand still on her thigh. “No, don’t get up. I like seeing you sprawled there.” She relaxed back again and he used the toes of his left foot to work off his right shoe, while at the same time surveying her body. He traced a nipple with his fingertip, around and around until she made a protesting sound. Then he dragged his fingers over her ribs and to her belly. She shifted abruptly.

“Ticklish?”

“Derek…”

Leaning over, he pressed a lingering kiss to her navel. “I love the way you taste, honey.”

She made a groaning sound of renewed interest, then tried to turn away from him. He caught her hips, stopping her.

“Derek, you can’t expect me to…”

“Yes I do.” Once again his fingers slid between her legs, anchoring her in place while he kissed his way up her abdomen to her breasts. “I expect you to let me pleasure you, and I expect you to continue enjoying my efforts.”

He raised his head for just a moment, pinning her with a look. “You came, Angel. A nice long, hard climax. And if I didn’t miss my guess, it was your first. So don’t try to deny it.”

She gasped. “I wasn’t going to!”

“Good.” When he drew her nipple into the heat of his mouth she writhed against him, then fisted her hands in his hair.

“No, Derek.”

He jerked upward and pinned her hands next to her head. “Yes.”

She said quickly, before he could kiss her, “I want you to take your shirt off. I want to see you, too. It’s not fair for me to lie here…exposed, while you’re completely dressed.”

His grin was slow and wicked. He knew it, but didn’t care. She wasn’t denying him at all as he’d first thought. She only insisted on her fair share. “All right.”

He pushed himself off the bed. “Don’t move, Angel. You inspire me, lying there like that.”

He shrugged his shirt off and grabbed the waistband of his pants. He stepped between her legs as he pushed them down, removing his boxers at the same time. When he straightened, he was naked.

Angel’s gaze roamed over him and her face heated again. He stifled a laugh, delighted with her. Her particular brand of innocence and hot sexuality was driving him crazy. He loved it. He loved…No, his thoughts refused to budge any further in that direction. He firmed his resolve.

Using a knee, he spread her legs even more and lowered himself over her. Propped on his elbows, he smiled down at her. “Hi.”

Rather than smiling back, she traced his face, over his eyebrows, the bridge of his nose, the dip in his chin. “You took me by surprise, Derek. Everything is so different…”

“So you keep saying.” He didn’t want to talk about that right now. Thinking of his brother with her like this was enough to make him howl at the moon.

“What happened was…unexpected.”

“But nice?” He again caught her hands and trapped them over her head, leaving her submissive to his desires.

She looked thoughtful as she continued her study of his face. “Very nice. Incredible really. But ever since I saw you again, it’s been that way. You look at me, and I get all hot inside. You touch me and I can’t think straight. I try to despise you; I have good reason to despise you, but I can’t. It doesn’t make any sense. Unless having the baby changed me somehow.”

“Angel.” She was killing him with her words, but he didn’t know how to tell her that.

“After everything that happened between us, I thought I’d always hate you.”

He groaned. “Don’t, babe.” He kissed her, hard and long, his tongue thrusting deep, stroking in a parody of the sex act. He rubbed his hairy chest against her sensitive nipples and felt her legs bend, coming up to hug his hips. The open juncture of her legs was a sweet torture, her damp heat against his belly, her soft thighs cradling him. He rubbed against her, his muscles bound so tight he felt ready to break.

She shifted, and then his erection was smoothly pushing against her wet sex. Angel began moving with him, their mouths still fused together, both of them breathing rapidly, roughly.

She jerked and pulled her mouth away, crying out.

Dane was stunned as she quickly climaxed again, shuddering beneath him, her head arched back, her heels digging into his thighs.

His control snapped. Shaking, he grabbed up his slacks and fumbled like a drunk for his wallet. He found a condom and viciously ripped the packet open with his teeth. Angel was still gasping breathlessly and when he turned, catching her legs in the crook of his elbows, spreading her wide and driving into her with one hard thrust, she cried out again.

He couldn’t think. His brain throbbed and his vision went blank and all he could do was feel and smell and taste her. She’d invaded his heart, his soul. He was the one who felt possessed and he rebelled against it even as he felt himself spiraling away. He squeezed his eyes shut and growled and pumped and when he heard Angel groan he knew she was with him yet again. It was too much. It felt like he exploded, his entire body gripped in painful pleasure, but it was so damn wonderful he never wanted it to end.

It took him a long time to come back to reality, to hear Angel’s soft sniffling, to feel the shudders in her body. Slowly, feeling drugged, he struggled up to his elbows again. Tears dampened her eyelashes and her lips looked swollen. His heart twisted.

Damn, her leg. His arms were still tangled with her legs and he knew she had to be in pain. He’d taken her roughly, almost brutally. That he’d hurt her made him wince in self-loathing. Carefully, he straightened, letting her legs down easy. She groaned and pressed her face to the side, away from him.

He cupped her chin and turned her back. “Angel, honey, I’m sorry.”

She shook her head.

“Babe, look at me.”

Her eyelashes lifted and she stared up at him. The tears in her eyes twisted his guts. He pressed his forehead to hers and kissed her gently. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

She frowned.

“I got a little carried away.” He tried a smile but it felt more like a grimace. “You moaned, and all rational thought fled my mind. I’m sorry.” He sounded like a parrot, apologizing over and over again.

“Derek…”

Goddammit, he hated having her call him that. “Shh. It’s all right.” Her hair, dry now and tangled impossibly, lay wild around her head. He tried to smooth it. “Can I get you anything? Some aspirin or something?” He felt like an idiot, having sex with a woman then offering her medicine for the pain.

She shook her head again and her voice, when she spoke, was tentative and as soft as a whisper. “I’m fine, just a little…stunned. Is it always like that?”

Now he felt confused. Buying himself some time, he sat up and carefully moved to the side of her. Her body had been damp and warm from their exertions and combined heat, and she shivered in the cool evening air. He pulled the corner of the spread up to cover her, but left her leg bare. Gently, he massaged her calf and saw her wince.

“Dammit, I’m an unthinking bastard. I—”

She laughed, catching his hand and twining her fingers with his. “No, you’re not. I’m fine, Derek.”

He forcefully ignored the continued use of his brother’s name. “Then why were you crying?”

She sat up and put her arms around him, burrowing close. “Because it was so wonderful.”

His heart pounding, Dane hugged her back. “I didn’t hurt you?”

She laughed. “Maybe a little, but I didn’t notice…until after.”

He pressed her back down on the bed and stood. “I’ll be right back.” With those words, and one last glance at her naked body, he left the bedroom. He wanted to make sure the apartment was secure for the night. There were three windows, one in the kitchen over the sink, but it was too small for an intruder, and one in the living room on that same wall. He checked to make sure it was locked, then realized the window was so old and warped, opening it would be a true effort. He’d be in the bedroom, so he wasn’t worried about that window. He’d already locked the front door when he’d first come in. He glanced at the phone, scowled, but put that particular worry from his mind. Right now, he wanted to concentrate on Angel.

He peeked in on Grayson to see the baby sleeping soundly. He’d been afraid their commotion might have disturbed the infant, but Grayson was snuggled warm and comfy in his crib. He lay on his side, and one chubby cheek was smooshed, his rosebud mouth slightly open.

Damn, Dane felt good. He hadn’t felt this good in…He’d never felt this good. Angel was the perfect bed partner, wild and abandoned and responsive. She burned him up. She was also sweet and caring and strong.

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.