In a Heartbeat (33 page)

“I feel safer all ready,” she said, relaxing into the warmth of his embrace.

“You are safe, Angel. You’ll always be safe with me.” He kissed the top of her head while his fingertips swirled in lazy circles on her back.

Indeed, she felt both protected and accepted. Her lips pressed against his chest in silent gratitude.

“I couldn’t sleep either,” he said. “I’m glad you came to me. I was afraid if I went to your room, you’d—”

“Slam the door on your face?” Her fingertips on his chest mimicked the pattern of his on her back. She dipped lower, stretching to circle his navel with her little finger.

“Something like that.” His knuckles skimmed down her side. Even through the nightgown, his touch excited every nerve ending in her body 246

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and set them tingling. She stretched her fingers lower, teasing the tight curls she had inspected before. She felt his sharp intake of breath. The sheets rose a little higher.

“Angel, if we start this, I can’t promise I’ll stop. So if you have—”

“Ssh.” She placed her fingers over his mouth. “I don’t know what will happen tomorrow, but I’m alive today.” She kissed the tip of his chin.

“And I’m here now.” She propped herself up on her elbow and faced him.

“I want this. I want you.”

He smiled tightly. He hooked a finger in the bodice of her nightgown, pulling it down until her straining nipple poked over the top. He captured it with his knuckles, playing an adult game of hide and seek. “You sound like a woman in control. Next you’ll be telling me you want to be on top.”

“On top?” She liked the sound of “a woman in control”. That’s what she wanted to be, needed to be. “Yes. I want to be on top.” Although she wasn’t exactly sure what that entailed, she’d always been a quick learner. She pushed back the sheets and blankets and rose on her knees to study the situation.

He twisted to reach the nightstand. “Better let me take care of this first.”

“No,” she pushed him back, a new idea dawning. “Not yet.”

Remembering her response when he laved her with his tongue, she bent down and rimmed his erect shaft with her tongue.

“My God!” He groaned. “Where did you learn that?”

“From you.” Delighted with her newfound power, she continued experimenting, licking, sucking, and in some cases, teething all aspects of his manhood, from the smooth rounded head to the rough skin at the base. “Do you like this?” she asked, already suspecting the answer. “Do you want more?”

“Come here” He grabbed one of her legs and pulled it across his chest. Soon her knees straddled his neck while his penis bumped her lips. With his forearms securely trapping her buttocks, he separated her with his fingers then tongued the most sensitive parts of her anatomy.

Just that quickly she had lost control. He had usurped her power, but www.samhainpublishing.com 247

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she didn’t mind a bit. She tried to duplicate with her lips all that he did with his own, but he was too skilled. Her legs quivered with the mounting internal tension before exploding waves of pleasure racked her body. She collapsed on his torso.

“Did you like that?” he mimicked, then kissed the inside of each thigh. “Do you want more?” She pulled her legs back to his side, then rested her head on his belly.

“I like being on top.” Her voice sounded weak as if her heart was sick.

But the strong, pounding rhythm surging through her veins reassured her it was not.

He stroked her hair from crown to shoulder. “That’s not what I meant when—”

“No?” Her interest piqued. “What did you mean?” She rose up on her knees.

“Maybe we should save it for another time,” he said. “You’re probably pretty tired.”

“No. Show me.” She didn’t add that there might not be another time.

After a day like this one, she didn’t want to take “another time” for granted.

“Then you better let me take care of this first.” He slid his legs over the side of the bed and reached inside the nightstand. “I doubt if I can hold it much longer.”

Once he had applied the condom, he instructed her how to straddle him. This time facing his head, not his feet. With his help, she eased herself down, taking him slowly inside. Hank understood her urge to move. His hands guided her hips in a rocking motion. Soon she took over the rhythm and continued the motion until the internal tension built again, higher and higher. Just as the sensation peaked, Hank gripped her tight and held her still. Waves of passion washed across his face. She was powerful, sexy and very, very satisfied.

After a moment, Hank pulled her down for a kiss. He locked his arms around her. She rested her head on his chest. “I like being on top,” she whispered.

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“I can tell,” he whispered back. “But I need you to move.” She slowly raised her body from his, then slid to his side. He pulled the cover up over her shoulder, then kissed her cheek. “I’ll be right back,” he said, before heading into the bathroom. She closed her eyes and waited for the tilt of the mattress and the return of his delicious warmth.

* * *

The alarm clock jarred them both awake. Hank reached and pounded the irritating thing into silence. “You go back to sleep. I need to go into work.”

“No!” Panic jolted her more than the electric alarm. She grabbed his arm. “I don’t want you to go.”

“I don’t want to go either, Angel, but I’m expected. If I don’t show, it might signal the bad guys that something is up.”

“You think it’s someone at Hayden, don’t you?” He nodded. She collapsed back on the pillow. “So do I.”

“You stay here,” he insisted. “If someone is trying to scare you off, let’s let them think they’ve succeeded. That should stop these attacks. I need to talk to Wilson about taking that physical inventory.” He kissed her. “I’ll make some excuse and come back early. You’ll be safe here. I’ll check all the locks. You just stay and get some sleep. You had a late night.”

“You did too,” she said, a smile spreading at the memory. He kissed her, hard. The thick male length of him stiffened against her thigh. Her hand began a slow exploratory venture down his side, but he caught it in his.

“Hmmmm…” He groaned deep in his chest. “Tonight,” he whispered, caressing her ear with his warm breath. “Tonight, Angel, we’ll have more time. Get some rest while you can.”

She feigned sleep while he dressed and left the room. Once she heard the garage door close, she hopped out of bed. Slumber could wait until her safety wasn’t at issue. After her shower, she dressed in her wrinkled www.samhainpublishing.com 249

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clothes from yesterday and took her morning regiment of pills. She walked around the silent house. Now what? She couldn’t just sit and wait for Hank’s return. She needed to occupy her mind, work with her hands, do something constructive.

“I shouldn’t have left everything at the office,” she muttered to herself. Of course without a computer, research would be difficult, unless….

She wandered back to Hank’s office. Sure enough, a flip of a switch and a fully equipped workstation sprang to life with beeps, whirls, and flashing lights. The main menu displayed an icon linking into Hayden’s system. Perfect. All she needed was a password and she’d be in business.

She telephoned Hank.

“Somehow I knew you wouldn’t listen to reason and go back to sleep.”

“I would have but all the warmth left with you.”

“Are you cold? The thermostat is in the great room on the far side of the fireplace.”

She laughed. “Thank you, but that’s not what I meant. Listen, I’d like to do some research on the web, but I need a password.” He gave her one. “How about for the company dial-up?” He gave her another. “One last thing, can you bring home the papers I left in Owens’s office? I think I can finish what I started using your setup.”

“Is everything else all right? Have you talked to the vet?”

“My next call.”

“Stay safe, Angel. I’ll be home soon.”

The vet wanted to keep Oreo another twenty-four hours. She was progressing well, but she shouldn’t be moved just yet. Angie agreed and gave permission for her to stay. She glanced at her watch. It might be a bit early, but she had to call her brother sometime.

“Stephen? It’s Angie.”

The phone receiver erupted with shouting. She moved it away from her ear. “What in the world is going on? Mom says someone shot Oreo 250

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and you had an accident. Now she can’t stay in her own house. She’s staying here. What the hell is—”

“Slow down. I can’t answer if—”

“Where are you? Are you at home? Is Mom there?”

“I’m okay, Stephen. I’m staying at Hank’s place. You remember, you picked me up from here about a month ago.”

“No you’re not. I’ll be there in five minutes. Then I’ll find that sonofabitch and I’ll…”

“Stop it-- Hank is helping me.”

Stephen snorted. “No offense, little sister, but you don’t have the experience to deal with a man like that. You can stay here with Mom until this whole thing blows over.”

“No. I’m a big girl now. I make my own decisions.” Her whole body shook with her proclamation. “I choose to stay.”

“You could have called me last night. You didn’t need to run off with a stranger.” Hurt resonated in his voice. She hadn’t realized how much he relished his big brother role. She softened her voice.

“I know I can always call you. But Hank was already there.” Before he could utter another insult, she hurried on. “He’s a good man, Stephen.

He’s not a stranger. I won’t listen to you say bad things about him.” That stopped him. “I just wanted to let you know that I’m all right.”

He sighed. “That’s all I care about, Angie.”

“Thanks, Stephen. Thanks for caring. Just care enough to let me grow up.”

“I’m not sure I’m ready for that. I may need some time to adjust.”

“Fine. And while you’re adjusting,” she said in a lighthearted tone. “I had the Civic towed to Classic Limo. Can you check it out for me?”

“Sure. First thing. Where can I reach you?”

She gave him Hank’s number and expressed her thanks. Stephen reluctantly agreed to deliver a suitcase of clothes to carry her over for a few days. Time to get to work. She’d barely hung up the phone, when it rang. She froze. It could be Hank or her mother, but then it could also be www.samhainpublishing.com 251

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the shooter trying to find her. The phone jangled its fourth discordant ring.

“Henry Renard. Leave your name, number and a short message.”

Concise. Direct. In charge. So like Hank.
The caller hung up. Hank or her mom would have left a message. Better let the machine pick up any and all calls, just to be safe. Preferring not to be disturbed, she turned the ring volume down and headed back to Hank’s home office.

With a little help from Max, she received a faxed copy of their original audit workpaper. Engrossed in tracing shipping documents, she jumped at the sound of the doorbell. Must be Stephen with the suitcase.

“Just a minute.” She clicked onto the next screen and jotted down a note. The doorbell chimed again.

She walked to the front door, “Hold your horses, I’m coming.”

With one hand already releasing the lock, she checked the peephole.

Her heart sank. Raymond waited outside.

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For a man who thrived on stress, Hank was having a helluva time concentrating on business. He’d tried to call Angel several times this morning, and each time the machine answered. Smart girl to screen calls, but then why wasn’t she returning his messages? Was she even there? His gut twisted, then relaxed. Classic Limo had her car. She couldn’t go anywhere. But what if she was hurt? What if she couldn’t answer the phone because something had happened? What if…?

“Maybe we should discuss this when you can stay focused.” Tom Wilson gathered up the papers he had brought in for Hank’s review.

“I’m sorry. What were you saying?”

“I was saying that this is the worst possible time to do an inventory count. The warehouse is hopping with that sales promotion. We could lose business if we shut down for the day. And you and I both know that won’t help the bottom line.”

“God, I am so sick of hearing about ‘the bottom line’. If we can’t figure out how to stop the hemorrhaging, neither one of us will have to worry about the bottom line again. We’ll both be out of a job.”

“Maybe not both of us.”

Hank glanced up. “What do you mean by that?”

“Nothing, nothing.” Tom straightened his papers. “Hayden’s been here for forty years. I don’t think it’s going to disappear overnight.”

Hank snorted, surprising himself. When did he pick up that habit?

“You have personnel. Find enough people to count. I’ll call Falstaff. We’re going to count that inventory if it’s my last official act as CEO.”

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As soon as Wilson left, the phone rang. Hank picked up, hoping it would be Angela. It wasn’t.

“You bastard. What have you done to my sister?”

“What happened? Is she hurt?”

“She better not be or there won’t be enough of you left to make a bowl of chowder.”

“Slow down, cowboy. Angela was just fine when I left this morning.

Has something happened?” The knots in his stomach clenched tighter.

“That was no accident yesterday. Her brake line was cut.”

On some level, he wasn’t surprised. The failing brakes combined with the shooting were too coincidental not to be related.

“Did you hear me?” The phone blasted in his ear. “Someone’s trying to kill her, dammit!”

“Which is why I didn’t want her to stay at her house.” Hank fought to keep his voice calm and rational. “Whoever this is, they obviously know where she lives.”

“And you think hiding out at your place is enough protection? I’ve been trying to call her for a good hour, but I keep getting your damn machine.”