After Dark: The Complete Series

by Kahlen Aymes

  “You’re better than him.”

  “Maybe. But I’m protecting something that means everything to me.” His blue eyes turned to midnight, made darker by the dim light in the garage and emotion.

  Angel’s throat tightened, making it almost painful to speak. She reached out a hand to cup his cheek. “I know.”

  “Do you?”

  “I do. I get it, baby.”

  His hand came up to cover hers, and he turned to kiss her palm. “Let’s get inside. I’ll draw you a bath while I pack.”

  Angel’s eyes became liquid with unshed tears. “I’ll help you pack.”

  Cole pulled into the fourth stall, at the edge of the garage, and climbed out just as Angel and Alex exited the Audi. He went behind them to check all the doors to the garage in an effort to make certain everything was secure. He could sense the tension that vibrated around the couple, and it was even clearer when they met at the front of the car.

  Alex pulled Angel close to his side and placed a kiss on the top of her head, his eyes meeting Cole’s in a desperate, yet silent, plea to keep her safe while he was away. Cole’s solemn expression said he understood, and he gave a short nod.

  Max had been left at their parents’ property at Cole’s request. If he had to watch over two women and a kid, he didn’t need the dog to worry about as well.

  Angel preceded Alex through the entrance that led from the garage into the laundry room off the kitchen. The two rooms were separated by a large door, which was built-in to look like part of the wall.

  “Night, Cole,” Angel said on her way out of the room and toward the stairs, hovering, waiting for Alex.

  “Night, Angel. Do you need anything else from me tonight, Alex?” Cole asked. The dim light of the moon shone in in from the hall, casting long shadows across the room.

  Alex threw his keys on the marble countertop, slid the already loosened tie from his collar, and tossed it to join the keys. He shook his head and went to arm the security system. “We’re good. I’m leaving straight from the office tomorrow, so I’d just like you up when I head out in the morning.”

  “Sure, no problem. What room should I take?”

  “The one off the den tonight, then please move upstairs to the one next to mine tomorrow.”

  “Will do. Did we get that other thing resolved?” Cole’s eyebrow shot up.

  “Not yet. I’ll call you, and you keep me informed about Bancroft’s whereabouts.”

  “It doesn’t look like it will be happy news in any case. It’s been almost forty-eight—” Cole stopped when Alex held up his hand abruptly and threw a hard look in his direction. “Um, goodnight.”

  Alex rubbed the back of his neck and walked slowly toward the woman waiting at the foot of the stairs for him as Cole disappeared down the opposite hall and the other set of stairs. Alex was grateful he didn’t have to tell her to wait or argue any further. Arguing with Angel wasn’t how he wanted to spend the evening.

  His arms enfolded her small frame at the same time as her arms wound around his broad shoulders. “Come on, you.” He lifted her off the floor and pushed her against the wall of the stairwell, burying his face in the soft curtain of hair, to nuzzle softly at her neck and across her cheek. Alex was assaulted by the sweetness of her warm breath at the same time as the headiness of her perfume engulfed him. He inhaled deeply, just savoring her nearness.

  When he pulled back to stare into her face, her beautiful eyes were languid and full of desire.

  “Ugggg… ” He groaned and dropped his forehead to lean on hers. “I have to pack.”

  Angel wanted to bring her knees up to pull Alex more fully into the saddle of her open legs, but the pencil skirt she was wearing impeded her progress. Still, her chin tilted and her mouth opened, silently begging him to kiss her. Her lower lip brushed his top one, and when the tip of her tongue peeked out to rub softly against it, Alex was beyond resisting.

  He pushed her more fully into the wall, using both hands to pull her skirt up as his mouth took hers in a passionate kiss. Over and over, he ravaged her mouth with his, their tongues fighting in the same way their words did earlier. He pressed his hardness into her soft heat, and they both moaned and panted in want.

  Alex wasn’t gentle, but then, he didn’t feel gentle. He was hungry and angry and worried sick. Angel was equally desperate to have him inside her, his hands on her flesh, his mouth taking what it wanted from hers.

  Once he had her legs around his waist and Angel was pinned to the wall, held in place by the soft digging thrusts of his hips, Alex’s fingers ripped at her blouse and white lace bra. He was always so turned on by her lingerie. There wasn’t a time when he’d peeled her clothes away that he’d been disappointed. Always sexy, beautiful, alluring; he’d suffered many uncomfortable moments in his office or meetings just imagining or remembering images from the previous night.

  Her buttons clattered on the hardwood floor at the foot of the stairs, and his hands made short work of the front closing of her bra. Something about this woman made him wild in so many ways. He wanted, and wanted, and fucking wanted, and she gave and gave. But still, it was never enough. Would it ever be enough?

  Alex’s forearms and hands flattened against the wall behind Angel, and though his hips continued their onslaught, he pulled his mouth away, dragging it down her jaw to kiss his way down the cord of her neck. Her soft pants drove him crazy, and the answering movements of her pelvis against his told him she wanted him as much as he wanted her. Still, he fought for control. His brother was in the house, and he already had her breasts bared and her skirt around her waist. A few more seconds and her matching lace panties would have been in tatters.

  “This reminds me of that night in the station,” he ground out.

  “Alex, don’t stop,” Angel begged in a whisper. “Don’t stop.”

  One strong arm curled around her waist and the other went beneath her bottom to lift her off the wall and against him. Alex turned and carried her up the stairs and into his room, which was commanded by the massive bed. He bypassed it and went into the master bathroom, to set her down on the long marble vanity between the double sinks. Her arms tightened around his shoulders. “Don’t stop.”

  “Just for a while, baby. Once we get started, I won’t want to stop until we’re both exhausted, so I have to pack my goddamned suitcase. Let me run you a bath; I’ll get that out of the way then we’ll pick up where we left off.”

  He ran two fingers down her cheek, using one to lift her chin. He meant to leave her with a soft, open-mouthed kiss, but Angel demanded more. Her fingers slid into his hair at both sides of his head, and she kissed him hard, thrusting her tongue into his mouth and sucking on his, tugging on his hair at the same time. His erection throbbed and demanded attention as Alex pulled her against him and kissed her back roughly, but slowing gradually to a gentle nipping and mutual sucking as his mouth ghosted around hers. “Uh… Babe, you’re killing me. I have to stop. Now,” he got out, between heavy breaths.

  Finally, he moved away to light a candle and flip off the bright light. He turned the water on in the huge whirlpool bath. It was oval and crafted out of marble in a cream mosaic; the pattern subtle, but rich.

  Angel watched the fitted, fine linen shirt stretch over the hard muscles of his back, and her eyes wandered down to his perfect ass wrapped in black wool dress slacks. Everything Alex owned was well tailored and fit him perfectly. He was gorgeous—a shock of almost ebony hair falling over his forehead as he bent over the bath, the brilliant blue eyes a striking contrast. He was perfect: strong, romantic, beautiful, confident… everything.

  She bit her lip, wanting him to turn around so she could see the tangible evidence of his desire. The heat between her legs was almost debilitating, manifesting in a deep throb. It was all she could do not to press the heel of her hand against the offending flesh.

  Angel was rendered speechless, sitting on the marble, leaning back on her straight arms, watching Alex. Her blouse and bra hung
open, her skirt pushed up around her thighs, which were still spread as Alex had left her. One of her high-heeled black pumps landed with a thump on the plush rug resting on a big expanse of black marble floor, causing him to glance over his shoulder as he adjusted the water temperature.

  He grinned, catching full sight of her as he straightened, then added some of Angel’s bath gel to the water. Instantly, the air was filled with the scent of her perfume, and Alex went to light another candle. Angel watched him, and their eyes never wavered as he started to slowly undress her.

  “Get your sweet little ass in there. If you’re a good girl, maybe I’ll join you.”

  Angel’s mouth lifted in a wry grin. “Humph! If you’re a good boy, maybe I’ll let you.”

  “It’s one and the same, so it works.” Alex chuckled. “Come on, sweets. I’m tired and I have to get packed.” He lifted her gently down until her now bare feet touched the comfortably heated floor. His fingers lingered, gliding over her flesh, and his eyes closed as they leaned into each other. Alex kissed her temple, his warm breath preceding his mouth as it slid to her cheek and then a shoulder he’d just bared. It didn’t take him long to have her skirt undone and pushed to the floor with her blouse, leaving Angel in the skimpy patches of expensive white lace.

  “Fuck,” he muttered.

  “Okay,” Angel answered, a smile curving her luscious mouth. “If you insist.” Her hand went for the sizable bulge in the front of his boxers. His slacks were undone and hanging open from their play in the hallway, so she had easy access.

  Alex’s head fell forward as pleasure rippled through him. Instinct told him to lift her, rip away her panties, and give them both what they needed, but it might be a week before he saw her again, and he didn’t want to rush. Reluctantly, his hands closed around her wrists, halting their movement as he kissed her mouth with unabashed hunger.

  “Babe.” Alex drew in a calming breath and put space between their bodies. Angel’s head fell back, and she looked up into his face. He could see the love and the longing in her eyes. The candlelight cast a golden glow across her skin and turned the lace to a soft peach. “I’ll be back. I promise. This will be the fastest packing job in the history of time.”

  Angel sighed when Alex disappeared through the door of the bathroom and removed her bra and thong. She stood, totally nude and grabbed some bobby pins to put her hair in a massive mess of rumpled curls atop her head, her full breasts lifting. She was disappointed he was able to leave her when she wanted him so much, but he had business to attend to, and if anything, Angel would be the last one to interfere with his work.

  The mirror gave Alex a good view from the front, and he could clearly appreciate the womanly curves of her hips and ass, the gentle lines of her waist and back. She was like a porcelain statue but alive, and the candle cast a golden glow to her smooth skin.

  “You’re so beautiful.”

  Angel’s eyes widened as they met Alex’s burning gaze in the mirror. He was peaking around the doorframe, watching her, his look like a physical caress that burned her skin.

  “No fair. Go.”

  His eyes wandered slowly over her breasts in the mirror taking in their firm, round shape, the nipples—erect and telling, then over the fine curve of her back and gentle slope of her butt and supple thighs. “I can’t help it. I could look at you forever.”

  Angel’s eyes softened, and she wanted to go to him. “If you want to pack, you need to do it, Alex.” Her voice was soft, not trying to be seductive, but it was, nevertheless. “I want those hands on me.”

  His lips lifted in a soft smile, but he left without another word.

  * * *

  While Angel was in the bath, Alex meticulously packed five of his designer suits, five crisp dress shirts, matching ties, pocket squares, along with two pair of Italian leather dress shoes, his leather dopp kit, socks, boxers, Nikes, shorts, and T-shirts in two pieces of the Louis Vuitton luggage set Allison had given him after graduation from graduate school. He wished he didn’t need to use it quite so much.

  There were two messages on his cell phone: one from Mrs. Dane, and one from Sid Walters. Alex sat down on the edge of his bed and listened to both of them.

  Hello, Mr. Avery. I have looked into flights. Most of them don’t leave until Monday evening and, due to time change and date lines, won’t get you to Sydney until Wednesday morning. It’s quite cost-prohibitive, as well. I almost fell over at the price. It’s almost $13,000 for round trip, business class. I was positive that wouldn’t be acceptable to you, so I’ve taken the liberty to arrange the company jet. It will cost less overall, and you’ll have it at your disposal. The pilots will be ready to leave at 7 AM and I will have a car pick you up at six. Have a good trip, sir.

  Leave it to Mrs. Dane. Alex could always count on her efficiency and sharp decision-making ability. The money was relative when working on a deal this size, however, he felt easier having the plane on call. The next message was from Sid, another of the men hired to protect Angel, and who helped intercede the night of Angel’s flat tire. His voice was devoid of emotion, and his message was long.

  No news, Mr. Avery. We haven’t found anything, and the car holds little clues, but has been impounded by Chicago PD, and their forensics team is working on it. Other than residue from the gasoline used to torch it, the chemists haven’t found anything. Most likely, that will be a dead end, too. Wayne and I believe they’ve killed Mr. Bancroft, despite no blood evidence at the scene. We’ve been partners for 30 years, and we’ve worked on similar cases. If we don’t find a missing person in forty-eight hours, it’s probably a homicide. It doesn’t bode well that neither his family or Avery Enterprises has been contacted for a ransom, which means it’s probably not a kidnapping. I don’t hold out much hope we’ll find him alive. Cole will be on duty with one of the others to watch Dr. Hemming, and we, as well as the police, have been in touch with Jason’s wife. Cole advised us you are going out of town. Rest assured, at least two of us will be with Dr. Hemming around the clock.

  Alex sighed heavily as he set the alarm on his phone and laid it on the dark mahogany nightstand next to his bed. He shook his head and ran his hand wearily through his dark hair. Dread and acceptance slowly crept over him, making the hair on his arms, legs, and the back of his neck stand up eerily. His mind went to work devising a way to get Angel to lay low. She wouldn’t go with him, but maybe there was another way.

  Angel padded out of the bathroom wrapped in an oversized white towel. It was plush and soft and a contrast against her skin, now flushed pink by the hot bath. Her hair was still up, but wet tendrils clung to the sides of her face and back of her neck.

  The room was cast in low light, lit only by the lamp sitting next to the bed and another by the chaise in the corner where his two suitcases sat, but Alex could see it reflecting off water droplets still clinging to her bare arms and shoulders. His heart was gripped with fear after Sid’s call, but he quickly masked his trepidation so as not to upset Angel and ruin this night with her. She came to stand in front of him, and his hands reached out, running down both of her arms.

  “I was waiting in there, but I had to get out. I’m all prune-y.” One of her hands rose, and she pushed her fingers into Alex’s hair, sending shivers through him. He closed his eyes.

  “Mmmm. I’m sorry. I had some work. That feels great.”

  “I figured,” she answered softly, still threading her fingers through his short, but thick, hair over and over again. “It’s okay. I know you’re tired. How early is your plane?”

  “Mrs. Dane arranged for me to me leave at 7 AM, but I have something to do at the office first. I’ll call the pilot in the morning and back him up a few hours.”

  Alex’s hands wrapped around both of Angel’s hips, he pulled her closer—in between his knees, and the scent of the perfume that laced the bath water assaulted his senses. He longed to touch her bare skin, though his fingers massaged her lower back through the damp towel.

  “P
rivate plane, hmm?

  “Apparently, Mrs. Dane didn’t like the rates of commercial flights. It was really nuts.”

  “More than the company jet?”

  “Maybe not, but close. This way is better anyway. I can get back much more quickly if I have to.”

  “I’m not sure how.” Angel leaned down and kissed the side of his mouth. Alex’s hands slid up her back, bringing her breasts closer as his hands pulled the towel free and let it drop. She gasped softly when he bent to take a nipple into his mouth. “It’s a fifteen hour flight.”

  “Mmmm,” he answered, but his tongue and lips played with her nipple with a series of flicks, sucking, and soft nips with his teeth. Angel moaned, and it only excited him more. His cock swelled and thickened, the head now visible above the low waistline of his boxer briefs; his slacks still open from their play in the hallway, and had removed his shoes and socks. He dragged his mouth up her chest to kiss and suckle at the base of her neck. “Counting the hours already? I know you’ve never been to Australia, so…” Alex teased, his voice filled with sex.

  Angel’s arms tightened around Alex’s shoulders, and she kissed wherever she could reach: his shoulder, the side of his face, and finally, his mouth. Alex sat up straighter, sucking in his breath at the same time his hands come up to hold both sides of Angel’s head so his mouth could latch on to hers.

  The kiss became wild and intense as Alex angled her mouth so his tongue could plunder deep inside the recesses of hers. She tasted amazing, and he was hungry. Desire pounded between them like a pulse; his actions commanded the same intense response from Angel. Her body quickened and opened, heat pooling, in anticipation of the delicious pleasure to come. It was like liquid fire between them, as if they were connected by it, flowing and ardent.

  Angel climbed onto Alex’s lap, her knees finding purchase on the bed’s edge on either side of his legs. She pushed him back to fall upon the bed and followed him down, never breaking the kiss. His hands roamed her naked body, and she ground her hips into his, moaning as his full erection rubbed against her sensitive and fevered flesh.