by Apryl Baker
His phone blared out a Linkin Park song, and he fumbled it out of his pocket. “What?”
“You’re a cranky bastard tonight.”
“It’s been a long night, Nikoli.”
“I just wanted to let you know, I called Stan, and there will be a set of keys waiting for you at the front desk of the building. It’s the penthouse apartment. The place has excellent security. The only people who don’t have to sign in are the people who live there.”
“What about guests of the renters?”
“We had a policy change last month. Guests have to be cleared ahead of time, and they will still need to sign in and out. I bitched about it when I had to register Lily, but what are you gonna do? I called the building and let them know you and Angel would be staying there and to make sure you had a set of keys. You’ll both need to register before you go up.”
“Thanks, kid.” There were times it paid to have family with money, and this was definitely one of them.
“You given any more thought to the job I offered you? I know Viktor offered you a position in his company too.”
“No. I haven’t had time, not with this case.”
“Well, think about it. I guarantee you’ll make more money.”
The grin in his little brother’s voice was enough to turn up his own lips. The kid just had a way of making you smile. Cheeky bastard.
“I will, and thanks, Nik. I appreciate it.”
“No worries, man. Lily has some clothes in the place if Angel needs to borrow some. Not sure they’ll fit her, though. She’s taller than Lily, I think.”
“I told her to grab a few things, but thanks for thinking of it.”
“Angel is a friend. I have maybe two friends who are female, excluding Lily. If there’s anything she needs, just ask.”
“You sound like you know her pretty well.”
“Yeah. I stumbled into her bar sophomore year, drunker than I’d ever been. She refused to serve me, shoved me in the back to sleep it off, and we’ve been friends since. Not sure why she went to all the trouble for someone she should have just called a cab for, but she means a lot to me. Take care of her, Kade.”
“I will.” Kade knew exactly why she’d gone to so much trouble. Nikoli and he looked alike—almost twins, really. Angel had to have known who he was the moment he stepped into the bar. She’d taken care of him because she knew how much Kade loved his brother.
“Just a heads up, man. There is absolutely no food in the apartment. We don’t keep much there since it’s a weekend place for us and we order in.”
“Duly noted. I have to go, Nik. Bailey is waving at me like a madman.”
“Okay. Tell Angel to shout if she needs anything. I’d be more than happy to hire extra security for her.”
“I might take you up on that.”
He said his goodbyes and hung up. Bailey stood in the hallway, looking exasperated. It had to be something Angel did.
He suppressed a grin, wondering what the hell she’d done now, and decided to relieve the poor detective. Angel could be a handful when her temper flared, and right now it was out of control.
But that was when he had the most fun.
Chapter Five
Angel tried to focus on the passing landscape, but the woodsy scent that was all Kade invaded her senses. He never wore cologne. It kept bringing back old memories, memories she’d worked hard to forget. Not that she ever really forgot, though. They haunted her dreams at night. She couldn’t hide from them there.
Like the day he found her on the beach. Saturday. Two weeks after he’d seen her show at The Velvet Room. What possessed her to wink at him, she’d never know, but the devil in her couldn’t stop from reveling in the open lust burning in his eyes as he’d watched her dance. Men had stared at her, ogled her body, but no one affected her like Kade. His gaze lingered on her skin for days. She couldn’t shake him.
She loved lying on the beach, loved the feel of the sun caressing her. When her friends called and wanted to know if she’d go, she’d dug out her favorite red bikini and sunhat. An hour later, the three of them were stretched out and admiring all the fine specimens of the male species littering the sand. Two had already caught her eye, one of which she was engaging in a silent flirtation of stolen glances. Tall, blond, a surfer. Abs that went on forever.
“He’s so worth it.”
Jasmine’s low whistle made her grin. The girl had sized up Angel’s surfer and found him acceptable. Hannah seemed to agree. She couldn’t keep her eyes off him. Angel had met the girls at the strip club. While they were both older than Angel, they’d hit it off better than she had with any of her friends from high school. Most of them had already gone off to college, and the ones who hadn’t seemed to have disowned her for the most part. They didn’t agree with her choice of employment. “Screw them all” had been her mantra. Angel didn’t need friends who judged her.
“I don’t know.” Her teeth worried her lower lip as she studied the sun-kissed Adonis. “He seems a little flakey. See the way he flexes when a girl passes by? What if he spends more time in front of the mirror than I do?”
“Girl, please.” Hannah tossed her hair over her shoulder as she sat up. “All you’re interested in is a little fun. You’re too young to get all involved. Live it up and take that boy home.”
Angel laughed. “Could you imagine if I did and Peter walked in on us?”
That earned a snort from Jasmine, but she was stopped from saying anything by the shadow that fell over the three of them. She looked up to tell whoever it was to get the hell out of their view, but her breath caught.
Kade.
The sun at his back made him look like some dark god about to pounce.
Angel gulped, trying to catch her breath.
“Well, hello.” Jasmine’s throaty greeting snapped Angel out of her shock. She shot Jasmine a warning look, which she completely ignored. “I’m Jasmine.”
“Ladies.” Kade tipped his head in greeting. “Enjoying yourselves?”
Angel thought her friends nearly swooned. None of the boys they knew spoke like that, but then again, they were just boys. Kade was all man. One hundred percent bonafide man.
“We are now.” Hannah batted her lashes, a sly smile curving her lips. “Care to join us?”
He flashed Hannah that dimpled smile of his, and it set Angel’s teeth to grinding. A surge of jealousy flared up so fast it surprised her. She didn’t even know the guy, for fuck’s sake, and she was ready to tear into one of her best friends over him.
“Hi, Angel.”
Her eyes swept back up to meet his. Laughter danced in them. “Hi.”
“I, uh…” He cleared his throat, and Jasmine giggled. “Would you want to take a walk down the beach with me?”
“Sure she would,” Hannah answered for her.
Kade reached a hand down to her. “Well, Miss Lemoraux? Would you care for a walk?”
Angel contemplated him from beneath her lashes, her teeth torturing her lip. Her mouth had suddenly gone dry while her stomach quivered.
“Breathe, girl,” Jasmine whispered.
Easy for her to say. She didn’t have those devil eyes boring into her.
“I don’t bite.” Another lazy grin appeared. “At least not right away.”
Fuck. He was flirting with her, and she had nothing. No snappy comeback, nothing. All she could do was stare at his outstretched hand.
“Or not.” His grin lost some of its shine as he started to withdraw his hand.
No, no, no Angel! Don’t let him leave. She shot up, grabbing onto his hand. Shit. What was she doing? He was so far out of her league, but when his hand closed around hers and pulled her up and into him, she forgot all about that. Heat crept into her cheeks and her lip hid between her teeth as she gazed up into those onyx depths. She felt light, airy, breathless…
“Angel?”
“Hmm?”
“We’re here.”
She closed her eyes, pulling herself out of
the memory. This was the second time tonight she’d gotten lost in the past. She needed to get a grip on this.
“Are you okay?”
Kade shifted in his seat so he could see her. She looked pale, worn, and tired. Despite her bravado, tonight had to have knocked on her on her ass.
“Does it really matter?” She unsnapped her seatbelt and got out.
He sighed and did the same, grabbing Angel’s overnight bag out of the back before locking the doors.
“Where the hell are we?”
“Nik’s downtown apartment.” He nodded toward the entrance. “We have to check in at the front desk and collect the keys.”
The doorman greeted them, and Kade nodded abruptly, pushing Angel through the doors ahead of him. The front desk was occupied by a young woman in a brisk business suit. Security took up the position beside her, the man’s eyes on the monitors.
“May I help you, sir?” She smiled politely at them.
“I’m Kade Kincaid. My brother, Nikoli, said he called ahead to let you know we’d be staying here for a while?”
“Ah, yes, Mr. Kincaid.” Her smile brightened and her eyes took on a hooded look. It was one he’d seen more times than even he liked to count. “We’ll just need you to fill out some forms, register your vehicle, and let our security officer here take a photo for our files.”
“Photo?”
“Yes, sir. It’s an extra layer of security. Our goal is to keep our residents as safe as we can.”
He wasn’t sure how taking their photo kept them safer, but he wouldn’t argue if it meant getting the keys then raiding Nik’s medicine cabinet for some ibuprofen. His headache had morphed from unpleasant to jackhammer sharp over the last hour.
It took them about twenty minutes to fill out the paperwork and get the SUV registered. The front desk lady took his keys, informing him they’d park the car for him tonight. He could come down in the morning and someone would show him where Nikoli’s parking spots were. He wasn’t too pleased about them keeping his keys, but when they handed over the set of apartment keys, it almost made up for it.
“One more thing. If anyone calls asking if I’m here, or Miss Lemoraux, the answer is no. It’s a police matter.” He flashed his badge.
Kate, as her name badge read, nodded, unfazed. “Of course, sir. We do not give out information about our residents or their guests.”
Once he was satisfied, he picked up Angel’s bag and they walked in silence to the elevator. He slid in the key for the elevator and turned it before hitting the penthouse apartment button. Nikoli hadn’t been kidding when he said the place was secure. No one could get up to the penthouse floor without a key. That didn’t mean his unsub wasn’t capable of lifting a key from the staff.
He watched her from the corner of his eye. She hadn’t said a word, really, since they left her apartment. Her silence unnerved him. Angel was a chatterbox. She could fill the most awkward of silences with nonsense chatter. It was one of the things he loved about her. To see her so quiet didn’t sit well.
The elevator door dinged, and she all but ran out. He cocked his head. Was he misinterpreting her mood? Maybe she was running for reasons he’d tamped down all night.
Or she really did hate him.
Either way, she was stuck with him. He found her leaning against the wall, eyes closed. He stopped and studied her profile. Old feelings fought to well up. Feelings he’d never dealt with. Feelings he didn’t deserve to have. Not after everything he’d done.
But they refused to listen to him. He wanted to kiss her, to hold her, to promise her nothing bad was going to happen. But they both knew that was a lie. Bad things happened all the time.
He unlocked the door, startling her. She gasped when he brushed up against her. Stifling a grin, he opened the door and flicked the lights on as he entered. A massive room spread out before him. A large kitchen took up the back side, and the living area had been decorated in warm colors. Lily’s touch, he’d guarantee it. Nik preferred darker colors. The place still looked sparse, utilitarian. Then again, they were moving to New York after graduation. Why invest in making it more homey when they were only going to sell it anyway?
“Your brother lives here?”
The awe in Angel’s whispered comment made him laugh. “No, the kid stays on campus most of the time. He comes here to get away from all that for a little while.”
“I don’t understand.”
His eyes flickered to her, and she looked lost. He’d bet money she had no idea Nikoli owned his own gaming company and made millions every year.
“He makes good money.”
“He’s a student.” She turned, taking it all in. “This is…”
“Too big, too sparse?” He set the bag down and went to the fridge. He found three bottles of water.
“Expensive.” She walked over to the bank of windows and looked out over the Boston skyline. He could see it from here, lit up with Christmas lights. Gorgeous. But not nearly as gorgeous as the woman admiring the view.
“There are two bedrooms upstairs.” Kade took several long drinks of water to distract himself from the image her backside presented. “The master has its own bathroom, so if you’d rather take that one, it’s fine. Whatever you didn’t bring, I’m sure Lily has something you can use.”
When she said nothing, he set the bottle on the counter and joined her at the window. “You’re safe here, Angel.”
“Am I?” she whispered.
All the things he wanted to say to her stuck in his throat. He couldn’t get them out. All he could manage was to breathe in the sweet smell of her. She smelled like apples. She used to smell like raspberries, but he found this new scent just as intoxicating. He leaned in, inhaling deeply as he met her eyes in the glass reflection. They were large, luminous, and vulnerable.
“Don’t, Kade.”
The warning was soft, even gentle, but it didn’t stop him. He moved closer, until her back hit his chest. A small noise escaped her when he buried his nose in her hair, breathing her in. Flashes of the two of them pulsed against his eyelids. Them at the beach, her curled up against him while they sat on her front porch swing, the beads of water coating her skin while he took his time washing her in the shower. He slipped his arms around her and snuggled her into him, his lips grazing her temple.
“Please, don’t.”
The hitch in her voice stopped him. He saw the first tear leak out. Shit. He didn’t mean to make her cry. “I’m sorry, Angel.”
“I think I need to go to bed now.”
Her words sounded wooden, and he moved away from her. “Come on. I’ll show you where it is.” He stopped long enough to pick up her bag then took her upstairs. Thankfully, the master bedroom was the first door he opened. He dropped the bag on the bed then opened a door, thinking it was the bathroom.
But it wasn’t.
He stared, nonplussed.
“Kade?”
He blinked, trying to understand what he was seeing.
The gasp told him Angel had seen it, and he quickly slammed the door. “Maybe you should sleep in the guest room.”
“What the hell is your brother into?”
Kade wanted to un-see the collection of straps, ropes, scarves, and other sexual paraphernalia amongst what looked to be a vast array of whips. A container labeled butt plugs had imprinted itself forever in his memory. Jesus, when had the kid gotten into this scene?
“I knew Nik was a little dark, but I never thought…” Her voice trailed off, and Kade shook his head. He and Nik were going to have a long conversation.
Angel wanted Kade to open the door he’d just slammed shut. She was curious. She’d never seen anything like that before, and it served to distract her from the numbing fear that seemed to have taken root. She’d met Lily. The woman did not seem like the type either, but one never knew. If that was what made them happy, then she wasn’t going to be all judgy.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know that was in here.”
For th
e first time all night, a laugh slipped out. He looked so shocked and taken aback. Embarrassed. It was odd to see this side of him. He so rarely showed it.
“It’s just toys, Kade.”
“Toys?” he growled. “You’d let someone tie you up and beat you with a whip?”
“That’s not what those are.” She wiggled around him and opened the door. The whips he referred to were the first things she saw. She picked one up found the material it was made of soft and supple. This wasn’t meant to hurt. She doubted it would even sting. “This is a flogger. It’s for pleasure, not pain.”
“How do you know what it is?” He sounded suspicious, and she laughed again. Poor man. He was so out of his depth.
“Everyone has read Fifty Shades of Grey, Kincaid.”
He gave her a blank stare. “Not me.”
“Surely you’ve seen the movie?” When he shook his head, she couldn’t fathom it. “Where have you been the last few years?”
“Butt plugs, Angel.” He sounded so disgusted. “The kid has a container of butt plugs. They’re even fucking labeled by size!”
She burst out laughing, which earned her a glare.
“This is not funny.”
“Yes, yes, it is.” She moved out of the closet and collapsed on the bed, laughter bubbling up for the first time all night. “You sound so outraged.”
“This, this is…indecent.”
She’d forgotten how secular in his thinking he could be. “Kade, none of that is indecent. It’s just toys.”
“So you want me to shove a plug up your ass, Angel baby? Is that what gets you off these days?”
She giggled at his obvious embarrassment. “You’re being a prude, Kade.”
“Prude?” Kade stalked toward her, her laughter dying and morphing into alarm. “I’m a prude, am I?” She scooted backward on the bed to get away, but he caught her foot and dragged her down, his body pinning her in place. “Prude?”
“Let me go, Kade.” Images flooded her vision, of her tied down to the bed, Kade standing over her, doing so many things to her. She tried to drown them out, but her body was reacting to his, aching to be touched again. It remembered the feel of his hands tracing slow, lazy circles over every inch of it. It remembered the delicious ache that came with his kisses.