Protected by a Hero

by Susan Stoker, Cristin Harber, Cora Seton, Lynn Raye Harris, Kaylea Cross, Katie Reus, Tessa Layne

  She shifted uncomfortably, but nodded. She didn’t know much about vehicles, but she knew enough that his Mercedes S-Class was pricey and one of the newer models. “Okay, but I don’t work the next two days so unless you’re gone longer than that I probably won’t drive anywhere.”

  He nodded, watching her for a long moment with those unreadable pale eyes. Feeling unsettled, she shoved her hands in the pockets of the robe.

  Taking her by surprise, he reached out and lightly fingered the lapel of the thick robe. On instinct, she stepped closer to him, not wanting any distance between them. Then he froze and she realized from his expression that he’d surprised himself too. But he didn’t back up like she expected. Her heart rate kicked up a notch being this close to him.

  His next words nearly made her knees buckle. “You look good in my robe.”

  His? She was wearing his robe? Okay, she might not be able to read the sexy Russian all the time, but the fact that he’d given her his robe to wear had to mean something. Didn’t it? Taking a chance, she reached out and traced one finger along a particularly ugly scar that ran from the bottom of his neck across one of his pecs.

  He shuddered at her light touch, but didn’t attempt to move. No, his grip tightened on her robe. He wasn’t touching her at all and his breathing was unsteady and erratic, but he was holding onto that robe for all he was worth.

  A wave of desire slammed into her. “What’s happening?” she whispered, feeling almost stupid for asking, but needing to know what the heck was going on between them. She’d always been attracted to him but had known—well, clearly her knowledge was wrong—he only saw her as a friend. Now it was like things had changed in one night. And she wasn’t sure what had happened to push the change.

  He didn’t answer, just bent his head to hers, giving her plenty of time to pull away. Hell no. Clutching onto his shoulders, she met him halfway, feeling dazed that Vadim was actually about to kiss her. That the man who starred in all her fantasies had given her his robe to wear. How sexy was that?

  The second his lips touched hers, she moaned into his mouth. It was like that sound set something off in Vadim. He jerked against her, a ragged sound tearing from him as one hand fisted her hip and the other tugged on the robe, pulling her closer.

  Stroking her tongue lightly against his, her nipples tightened when he shuddered against her. She was vaguely aware of him guiding them backward and when his big hands clasped both her hips she realized why. He lifted her up onto one of the high swivel chairs at the island, making her closer in height to him.

  As their tongues danced, gently teasing and learning each other, one of his hands slid slowly, smoothly, inside the lapel of her robe. He moved slow enough to give her time to stop him. Instead her fingers dug into his shoulders. She wanted to explore every inch of him too, but all she could seem to do was clutch onto him for dear life. She’d wanted this for so long.

  Her senses were going into overload as Vadim lightly nipped her bottom lip. He made the sexiest sound, a groan of pure pleasure that told her he didn’t want to be anywhere else. When his hand finally cupped her breast, his big body shuddered again.

  And she could barely think as his thumb stroked over her nipple. It was already hardening under his touch, but when he slowly rolled it between his thumb and forefinger, she gasped and let her head fall back a fraction.

  He took it as the invitation that it was, immediately nuzzling her neck in the sweetest way. She wrapped her arms around his neck, spreading her legs wider for him as he stepped closer against her. A rush of heat flooded between her thighs and she cursed all the clothes between them. His erection pressed insistently against her lower stomach, letting her know he was just as affected as she was.

  “Do you know how often I’ve fantasized about the color of your nipples?” he growled against her neck before feathering soft kisses up to her jaw.

  He’d fantasized about her too? “You don’t have to fantasize anymore,” she murmured as he lightly tweaked the hard bud. She couldn’t wait for him to slide the robe fully off so he could completely look his fill—and touch and taste her everywhere. She moaned loudly, arching into him, but froze at the sound of a loud bark.

  Vadim whipped around, withdrawing his hand as he swiveled to face Charlie. If dogs had expressions, Angel would swear Charlie was frowning at Vadim. She barked again then made a low growling rumble that almost sounded threatening.

  “Crap, I think she got jealous,” Angel whispered.

  “It’s not that…I think she thinks I was hurting you,” he said before murmuring soothing sounding words in Russian, still keeping his body in front of Angel’s.

  After spinning around in circles a couple times, Charlie sat down, but still made a soft whining sound. As soon as she sat, Vadim stepped away, still keeping his gaze on the dog. “Get down so she can see you’re okay.”

  Angel slid off the seat and immediately Charlie lunged for her, tongue hanging out as the dog loudly sniffed and nudged her hands with a cold, wet nose. Even though the sharpest sense of disappointment punched through her that their kiss had been interrupted, she found herself smiling. She petted Charlie’s head with both hands, bending down to nuzzle her. “I’m okay, you adorable mutt. Though I think I might have to kidnap you later,” she said as she looked back up at Vadim.

  He didn’t respond, just watched her with a gaze so hungry there was no mistaking what he wanted. Abruptly he turned from her, taking her off guard. “I’ll leave the instructions for the alarm code, but there’s an alarm fob on my key chain with four buttons. They’re all self-explanatory.” His voice was brusque as he pulled a pad of paper and a pen from one of the drawers.

  “Okay.” She wrapped her arms around herself, confused by the sudden change in his demeanor. She wanted to continue right where they’d left off and hopefully end up with both of them naked, sweaty and satisfied.

  “I need to get her settled for the night and pack.” He didn’t look up as he scribbled on the pad of paper. His jaw was clenched tight; she couldn’t read his expression or even guess what he was thinking.

  But she recognized the tone enough to realize he was dismissing her. It hurt more than she could have imagined. Almost like a physical blow. “Oh…okay.” She floundered, willing him to look at her, but he didn’t, he just continued writing. She could feel her face turning red and something even more horrifying, tears burning at her eyes. “Hope you have a good trip,” she said softly before hurrying from the room.

  She wasn’t sure what had happened. He’d initiated that kiss and he’d been into it—that much she knew. His erection left no doubt in her mind. But something had clearly happened to make him pull back from her.

  Once she made it to the safety of the guest room, she shut the door and headed directly for the inviting bed even though she knew she wasn’t going to sleep. Not with the memory of Vadim’s hot lips on hers and the way her nipples still tingled from his touch. If she was braver she’d ask him what had happened to make him do such a one-eighty on her, but she felt too raw to even contemplate asking him. Sighing, she turned off the bedside lamp and closed her eyes. After all these months she was finally in Vadim’s bed—his guest bed—and now she was worried that she’d lost her chance with him before it had even started.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Angel stared at her cell phone, willing herself to stop being such a coward and simply make the call she needed to. Vadim had left early that morning just like he’d said, leaving all the necessary information she could want, including how to arm and disarm his alarm system. She’d been with Charlie most of the day, reading, relaxing and despite the cold, she’d played outside with the dog for a couple of hours.

  But Angel couldn’t get the kiss and Vadim’s bizarre reaction afterward out of her mind. A couple years ago she’d have had plenty of girlfriends to call and they could dissect his behavior over glasses of wine. Now? Not so much. And it sucked. Maybe she only attracted psychos and Vadim sensed there was something wron
g with her. Or maybe he sensed her reluctance since she’d have to eventually leave Vegas. Just like every other place over the past couple years.

  She sighed, shoving those thoughts away. She could play the ‘what if’ game for hours and make herself crazy. Not to mention she had other important things to take care of, like apologizing to Sierra.

  “Screw it,” she muttered to herself. Charlie looked up from where she was dozing on her beanbag—Vadim hadn’t been joking about her loving that thing—but just as quickly lost interest when Angel held her phone up to her ear. Biting her bottom lip, she hoped Sierra wouldn’t answer.

  Of course the woman picked up on the second ring. “Hey, Angel, I’m glad you called.”

  She swallowed hard. “I didn’t get a chance to really apologize and explain myself last night.”

  “It’s okay, Vadim called me this morning and explained what you were doing.”

  “He did?” That was news.

  “Yeah, freaking early too. He called from Wyatt’s jet before they took off.”

  The other woman knew more about Vadim’s trip than Angel did. Which shouldn’t bother her, but it did just a little. And she was surprised he’d called Sierra on her behalf. “I might have had a good reason but I still should have asked you.”

  “You were bringing the food back though, weren’t you?” Sierra asked.

  “Yeah.” But she’d thought telling her that would sound like a lie.

  “I figured that out after you’d left. Listen, any time you want to take any of the throw away food home, for you, your neighbors, whoever, you can. Just let me know first.”

  “I will, I promise. And thanks for being so understanding.”

  “Of course, you’re a good employee. Probably the best I’ve ever had…And I’m not just saying that because I need a little favor.”

  At this point there wasn’t much Angel would say no to. “What is it?”

  “Can you come in tonight? I know it’s last minute, but—”

  “Yes,” she said quickly, not needing any convincing. Charlie would be fine and Angel could use the money and distraction. Anything to get her mind off Vadim. Which was hard to do when she was at his place.

  “Great, thanks. Can you be here by six? I need an opener, but you won’t have to close. I’ll cut you as soon as we have a lull, but it’s Friday so expect to stay until at least eleven.”

  “That’s fine and the time works too. I’ll see you soon.” Once they disconnected, Angel turned on the television for Charlie, hoping it would keep her company the next few hours, then she checked the dog’s food and water.

  She’d already showered so she changed into casual clothes and sneakers, put on makeup, then pulled her hair into a ponytail and braided it. She needed to run by her place to get her work clothes but it would take her less than a minute to change once she got there. Knowing she’d be cutting it close, she grabbed her purse, Vadim’s keys and headed out only once she was sure Charlie was okay. Angel felt bad leaving the dog, but she hadn’t even seemed to notice Angel getting ready to leave as she snored softly in front of the TV. Plus she was clearly used to Vadim being gone for work. Once Angel was in the garage she set his alarm to stay mode using the keyfob—which was incredibly nifty.

  Driving his Mercedes was like driving around in an insulated cloud. The leather was butter soft, the interior sleek, and even the seats had warmers. Still, it was hard to enjoy the luxury car when she was terrified she’d get a ding in it or something. Things were already weird between her and Vadim and she figured that scratching this baby would make things even more strained. Sticking to the speed limit, she made her way to her place, scanning for the men Vadim had taken on the night before.

  Even thinking about that impressive display made her feel warm all over. But clearly she’d overthought things with him. He probably regretted kissing her and now didn’t know how to deal with it. She’d noticed that sometimes his social skills were a little off and figured he just hadn’t known how to tell her last night that he regretted their kiss. Instead, he’d simply shut down. Which was seriously depressing when all she wanted was a replay.

  Shaking away all thoughts of Vadim, she pulled into a spot right in front of her building. She couldn’t believe she’d gotten such a great one, but she wasn’t going to question her luck. Racing up the stairs, she hurried into her place, changed into her standard uniform and black Mary Jane slingbacks and ran back down. The complex was quieter than normal, especially for a Friday night.

  Glancing at the row of cars, she rubbed the back of her neck, feeling almost uneasy, as if she was being watched. For a moment her throat tightened as that familiar panic surged through her. But just as quickly it was gone as she took a deep, steadying breath, forcing herself to remain calm. Rolling her eyes at herself, she slid into Vadim’s car and steered out of the parking lot, thankful her hands were steady. With thoughts of Vadim and her cash problem on her mind it was no surprise she was on edge. When she’d first gone on the run she’d seen the man hunting her in every corner, in every shadow, waiting to strike her down.

  It had been two years. Still, she knew she could never let her guard down. Not after that monster had killed her brother. She might not be able to prove it, but deep down Angel knew he’d been behind it. Hell, he’d confessed to her that he had and she didn’t think he was lying. He’d had no reason to.

  Blinking back the sudden tears that always formed when she thought of her brother, she steered out of the parking lot and tried to think of happier things. She couldn’t act depressed while serving people tonight. It was time to get her game face on.

  * * *

  His heart beat erratically as he watched Angel slide behind the wheel of the newer model Mercedes. What the fuck was she doing driving something like that when she lived in this shithole?

  After sitting on her place most of the day he’d been about to give up and leave when he’d seen that flash of brilliant red hair. The woman was like a beacon, calling to him. She always had been. From the moment he’d first seen her.

  And she’d loved him too. He just knew it. But something had changed between them and he didn’t know what. Didn’t care at this point. He hadn’t decided how much he planned to make her suffer before he killed her, but seeing her in the flesh again after so long he was going to keep her around for a while first.

  Shifting uncomfortably, he rubbed a hand over his crotch as he steered his rental car out onto the street after her. Oh yeah, he was definitely keeping her around.

  Keeping an eye on his surroundings, he tailed Angel as best he could without seeming too obvious. It was easy with the steady flow of traffic. So many vehicles were heading in the same direction as she was. When she turned into the main entrance for the Serafina hotel, his anger grew.

  Maybe she was meeting a lover there. Probably the man who owned the car she was driving. Because there was no way in hell that was hers. His investigator had assured him that she hadn’t registered any new vehicles in the last two years. No, she’d been a ghost.

  Until now.

  Staying four cars behind her, he slid on his ball cap when she stopped in front of the valet parking. She talked animatedly with one of the drivers for a couple minutes. The conversation seemed longer than normal for a patron of the hotel. Maybe the whore was planning to meet up with him later.

  She’d always been like that, flirting with everyone. He’d hated it as much as he’d loved her. She was so vibrant and full of life but she should only be like that for him. Only with him.

  Needing to see where she went—and who she was meeting—he continued through the line, stopping when it was his turn.

  A man in his early twenties greeted him with a smile. “Welcome to the Serafina. How long will you be leaving your car?”

  “I’m not sure,” he said as he slid from the rental, keeping his hat pulled low.

  “No problem. Stay as long as you like.” The man rattled off the daily rate before asking if he had any questions.r />
  He started to say no, but paused. “Where do you keep the cars you valet? Are they secure?”

  The guy nodded, as if he was asked that all the time. Pointing past the hotel, he said, “See the offsite parking garage? The bottom two floors are valet and the rest of the garage is for spillover. But we’ve got a guard stationed there 24/7 so the cars are secure.”

  “Thanks.” After getting his parking stub, he headed up the stairs to the wide doors of the luxurious hotel.

  Once inside he was stunned by the marble floors and huge fountain in the middle of the lobby. Definitely first class all the way, which was what he was normally accustomed to. At least the dress varied. There were people wearing track suits while others wearing thousand dollar suits milled about so he’d be able to blend in.

  Unfortunately the place was huge. Angel’s hair might be a beacon but he’d never find her in this place. Especially if the whore had already gone up to a hotel room to meet some guy. Fighting his anger, he made his way across the lobby, deciding to do a sweep of the main floor. He knew where she lived so he could always just go back there and wait, but he wanted to learn everything about her schedule.

  As he passed the open entryway for a restaurant called Cloud 9, he almost stumbled. Standing next to a cocktail table of three men, she was smiling at something one of them said as she jotted down a note on her pad of paper. Shit, she worked at the restaurant.

  It still didn’t explain her car, but knowing she worked here made all the difference. Keeping track of her movements would be a lot easier now that he knew where she lived and worked. The restaurant was huge, a mixture of cocktail tables, fine dining tables and a roped off area of modular couches where it looked like people were only drinking cocktails.

  He scanned the area in seconds, but couldn’t stop being drawn back to her. Of average height, she gave the appearance of being taller because of her slim legs. And she was stunning. The kind of woman a man did an automatic double take for.