by Donna Fasano
Chapter 41
Moaning huskily, Joe laid his face on top of hers, cheek on her hair and breathed in her perfumed essence.
His heart jumped into his throat and left him stunned. Pounding, with a rhythm so unlike its norm, it beat hard and fast, leaving him under no false impression as to why. His head might have tried to make a decision regarding this woman, but his body had always known the truth.
From the minute he’d seen her in the rubble, hiding on the floor next to the desk, face full of worry and cheeks smeared with tears, he’d had only one thought… to bring back her smile.
Suddenly, an alarming crash had them raising their heads and turning to locate where the noise had erupted. Screams, louder screams, pounding feet… Then an endearingly familiar figure emerged under the street lamp and was savagely grabbed from behind, frantic panic stamped on her features. Tee!
Bravely, the diminutive girl fought her attacker, ferociously kicking and making headway, until another disembodied figure staggered drunkenly into the fray, thinking to join the fight.
Joe rushed from the truck and headed straight for them. He dropped the oncoming drunk with one backhanded swing. Then reaching down, viciousness taking control, he swung Tee’s attacker so hard he sent him flipping and sprawling a good twenty feet away. He started after him, but Tee obstinately grabbed his shirt from behind and effectively calmed him down.
“Don’t sweat it. Let’s just get out the hell outta here, Joe. I’ve got the bag, and those creeps are like—so wasted, they can barely walk, let alone fight.”
Putting his arm around her shoulders, Joe lifted the proffered bundle and helped Tee toward the truck. They met up with Angelina who dropped the huge misshapen piece of wood she’d searched out and reached out for Tee.
Shock still evident in her emotionally-charged voice, Tee chattered like a magpie. “Am I ever glad to see you? Those losers were pissed right off! What are you doing here anyway? How did you know where I’d be?” Her adrenaline had spiked and was obvious in her shrill voice and the gushing words she couldn’t seem to control.
Joe answered her, smiling. “Get in, scamp. Calm down and catch your breath.”
“Let her talk, Joe. She wants to share.” Angelina smiled at him softly, her eyes full of gratitude. In the meantime, while all the horrors of the night were told, her caring arms continued to shelter a grateful Tee.
Chapter 42
When they first arrived home, after her shower and a love-fest with Peewee, Tee joined Angelina and Joe in the family room. Spilling over with the need to talk and tell her story, she approached the couple sitting together and conversing about the incident.
Angelina patted the sofa. “Just so you know, Tee. We weren’t the only ones looking for you. I called off the troops and told them you were safe. They all send their love.”
“They searched for me?”
“Of course, silly. I made your favorite hot chocolate. Come!”
Wrapped in a warm, fuzzy lap rug, encircled by a giant of a gentle man on one side, the ministrations of a loving friend on the other, and Peewee snuggled in her lap, she organized her thoughts. Putting her cup of hot chocolate down on a nearby handy coaster, she started.
“It was that twisted snoop who took the bag.” She turned to Joe and said, “The one you threw away like so much useless litter. I saw him the first time when we were all excited about the find; he’d been listening at the door. Then later, I was late coming down for coffee, and I spotted him from the stairs when you were all having your break with Ray in the small office off the foyer. The slime was coming out of Angelina’s office with the bag stashed in his jacket. I ducked down and he didn’t see me. I remembered him from the first night I was in the city, so I trailed him—”
“Why didn’t you call out before he’d left with the money?” Joe interrupted her spiel.
“I couldn’t take the chance. He was too close to the door. He’d have split before anyone would have stopped him. All I could think of was to follow him and get the money back.”
Angelina made a choking sound and got their attention. “Tee, the money was never important. I was scared sick about you disappearing.”
Tee felt a huge wave of love wash over her and she reached for Angelina’s hand. “I couldn’t let him take what belonged to you. It wasn’t right. I waited until the dude passed out. Then I eased the bag out from under him and backed away. Darned if just then someone didn’t come around the corner and see what I was up to! He yelled. I guess it woke the loser up, I’m not sure; I was in too big of a hurry to get the hell outta there.” Shuddering, she remembered the fear ramping up her adrenaline until she could barely breathe, let alone run.
With Angie’s arm surrounding her and Joe’s admiration obvious, a sweet warmth started in her stomach. There was satisfaction, for sure, but something else that she’d never experienced before overrode that feeling… approval. She leaned her head a little towards Joe, and he smiled gently.
“Angie, I’m stoked you remembered what I told you about my first night in Victoria, and where I’d slept. I bet you’re the first person who ever remembered anything I told them, or ever cared enough to remember. Thank you.”
Leaning over, she willingly, and for the first time she could remember, offered a cuddle to another person.
Angelina melted towards her. “You’re very welcome, little girl. And thank you for saving the gold. If it turns out we can’t find the owners, and I get to keep it, half is yours. Without you, there wouldn’t be any at all. So that’s a promise.”
Tee had many goals, the most important being to find her mother. But her big dream was to go back to school, and even one day to university. This windfall might enable her to make that fantasy come true.
“Sweet!” Grinning so hard her face felt stretched, she turned to Joe.
“Thanks again, Joe. You’re my hero!” She stood up with his help, limped over to the doorway and blew him a cheeky kiss. Then spoiled it all with a huge yawn.
“You’re welcome, sweet thing,” he drawled.
“Sorry! I’m bushed. I feel like I could sleep for days.”
~*~
After she left, Angelina and Joe sat quietly in front of the glowing fireplace. The faint smell from the enormous bouquet of carnations behind them added ambiance to the surreal moment for Angelina.
Joe broke the tranquil silence. “You had faith in her right from the beginning. How did you know she was such a good kid?”
Memories flooded and Angelina sifted through them to answer as honestly as she could. “It’s strange, really. From the very first time I met her, she reminded me of someone. Now, when I look at her, I only see Tee. But I think it’s why I trusted her from the first moment.”
“I’ll admit, it scared the livin’ bejesus outta me when I saw her dashing into the light with those two doped-up idiots attacking her.”
“You got there in time to help, thank goodness.” Filled with admiration, she turned to look at him.
“Because you listened,” he reminded her. Closing the gap between them on the sofa, he gathered her in his arms, leaned his chin on the top of her head and whispered. “Heaven’s so close.”
“Did you say something” Her soft eyes, darkened with need, caught his.
Nervously, he lied, “I was talking to myself. I do that sometimes.”
She looked at him and liked everything she saw. Admired his expressive cat-green eyes, the dimpled smile covering his beautiful teeth and, more than anything, the lips she yearned to taste.
His large, muscled body had appeared in so many of her recent fantasies, and now, here he was—so close—just a kiss away.
Fragrance, musky and manly, drifted around them. She closed her eyes and leaned into him, blatantly urging, silently begging.
He swept her closer, breathing hard until the sound changed to a lustful moan.
Pliant, swooning, her dreams coming true, she melted into his arms. Good Lord! At last!
Tenderly
holding her head in his hands, he lowered his mouth to hers. At first he used just the gentlest of touches, nipping fleetingly at each side of her mouth. Then he sucked on her bottom lip until she gasped. His tongue slowly inched inside to find hers.
Liking the taste of this man, she shyly greeted him. His foreplay created burgeoning sensations throughout her body and all of them overwhelmed. Pools of wet heat gathered and overflowed, waiting for him to enter and douse the flames. Her tender breasts ached, yet at the same time tingled. Stomach muscles quivered with rippling sensations and clenched in harmony with the fire that had been ignited.
~*~
Joe knew this Angel was his for the taking. With every writhing movement and rasping sigh, she blissfully led him on. Seductively, lowering all barriers, she opened herself to his greater knowledge.
If her body touched his anywhere else but his lips, he’d be a goner. She’d be like water to a dying man in the desert who understands that sweet liquid would restore his sanity and his life. Only Joe also knew Angelina deserved more than a few nights of hanky-panky, and he had always been a one-or-two-night stand kinda guy. No ties, no long romances, no commitments. That was his motto, his creed—Joe’s Law. Plus, he’d promised Lee he’d leave the girl alone.
With shaking hands, a throbbing hardness between his legs and rocks in his head, he backed away and stood up so quickly, she all but fell off the couch.
“Aw, Angelina, this shouldn’t happen. I gotta go.” Never had a man walked away feeling sorrier for himself.
While he huddled in his truck, cursing for long-suffering moments before he could drive away, he never once gave a thought to what she was going through.
Chapter 43
Arriving at Coralee’s apartment a few days after her friend’s release from the hospital, Angelina got hit with an interrogation. “Tell me the truth as my best friend.”
“Right! The truth is I actually weigh a hundred and twenty pounds, not a hundred and fifteen. I lied.”
“That’s not what I meant, fatty. I want the other truth.”
“Oh that! So I’m not the virgin you always believed I was. I never bothered to correct your inaccurate assumption; instead I ignored you.”
“What? You had me fooled. So let me get this straight. What you’re telling me is my best friend is a plump slut.”
Laughter rang out as both girls broke up. It was so good to play again. Especially for Angelina, who desperately needed her spirits lifted. Finally Coralee got herself under control and became serious.
“Honestly, Angelina, tell me if you think I should get some surgical treatments.” She held her hand up before Angelina’s dismay could be expressed. “I met a girl in the hospital who told me her doctor is a famous plastic surgeon and that he’s fantastic. She’s now sporting Hooter boobs, has lost thirty pounds to liposuction and looks fantastic. I’ve been reading up and I could have a breast augmentation, a face-lift, lip plumping and… still have a teeny-tiny savings account.”
Angelina’s first inclination was to hit her forehead, and her next was to hit Coralee’s. Instead, she butted in and said, “Hopefully, there’ll be enough left over for psychotherapy. Come on, Coralee. Just because your heart suffered damage, your brain cells weren’t affected.”
“Don’t joke, Ange. This is major. For the first time in my life, I want desperately to be pretty.”
“Mi amiga, in case you’re even a tiny bit serious or solely searching for compliments, I will reiterate as I have on numerous occasions. You aren’t pretty because you’re more attractive than pretty. Your legs are the envy of every woman in the office. You’re so perfectly proportioned; it’s enough to make us hate you. We’re all jealous of how good your clothes look on you, even with your bizarre sense of dressing. As much as I love your face, I’ve never been half as attracted to it as Lee seems to be. I see him gazing at it constantly like he’d devour you if he could. So if you are determined to undergo a medical procedure, I strongly suggest you choose a brain transplant.”
“Ange!”
“Silencio!”
Good naturedly, and with a shamed face, Coralee said, “Okay, okay - I’ll be good.” Crinkling up the paper with the surgeon’s information, she threw it over her head, not looking or caring where it landed. “Subject closed! I have some good news. My doctor has finally agreed to let me go back to work next week, as long as I don’t overdo things.”
Angelina, childlike, clapped her hands in glee. “You’ve made my day,” she crowed. “I’ll be so glad to have you back. But honestly, if you need more time you know it would be covered. However long it takes for you to be a hundred percent ready, I’ll willingly wait. Or maybe you should think of coming back for only half a day to begin with.”
“Oh, I’m more than ready to work the whole day.” Coralee turned serious. “You know me. I’m not a halfway kind of person. It’s all or nothing. Besides, I promised I’d rest in the evenings and on the weekends. I want my life back. I can’t wait for Lee to meet the real me—not Coralee, sicko and patient.”
“I happen to think he’s nuts about the sicko.”
First Coralee made a weird face at Angelina, and then grabbed her hands. “He’s been wonderful. He makes me laugh. I’ve never been happier in my life. I’m afraid of this much happiness, and you know, this time, I believe with everything in me, he’s the one I’ve been waiting for. I’m scared silly because I know I’ve said this before, Ange, but trust me, this time I mean it from the bottom of my heart. He’s the only man who’s ever made me feel this way, my so-called soul mate, the yin to my yang, the Sonny to my Cher—oops, not a good comparison.”
Reaching over, full off affection, Angelina patted her cheek and replied, “Querido, slow down. Look, I’m happy for you. I know it’s real this time. I’ve never seen you this radiant before. We see quite a bit of Lee and he’s got the same goofy glow. He’s always happy, and acts like a man who can’t believe his good fortune.”
“He’s perfect for me. Not the complex, hot-shot, sex idol Joe the hunk is. And he’s always emotionally available for me and everything I care about. The ultimate is that he’s crazy for kids. All we need now is for me to get better so we can start…”
“Hold it! Shouldn’t there be a small ceremony in those plans, somewhere?”
“We’ll get around to it. Since we’ve only just met, I don’t want to rush things, but trust me, it will happen.”
Angelina jumped up and whirled around crazily. “I’m going to be a bridesmaid,” she sang. “I’m so happy for you, Coralee.”
“I’m happy for you, too, Ange. By the way, when were you going to share about Joe showing up and whisking you off in his truck, and about finding the young chick? Did I tell you that I met her a few days back when I stopped by? You were in a meeting. She’s a firecracker, eh? I liked her; she looks a person straight in the eye. Attitude aside, she had some smarts. Intelligent smarts, not mouth-smarts.”
“Oh, she can be smart-mouthed too,” admitted Angelina. “Once you get to spend lots of time with her, you’ll take to her even more. Wait till you see how hard she works. Her and Ray make a great pair; both are stubborn, funny, and incorrigible. She gets along with Johnnie, too; calls him Johnnie-be-good.”
“I’m so looking forward to being back to work with you guys. I’ve missed it madly. Speaking of Ray, how is he?”
“He’s good, and his work is unsurpassed, flawless in every tiny detail. The first floor is slated to be ready next week in time for your homecoming. Wait till you to see all the new furniture and the new top-of-the-line computers we installed the day before yesterday. We’re all using the first floor on a temporary basis until the third floor is ready. It’s a colossal job but evolving. I have full faith in Ray’s construction genius.”
“He’s a pet, alright. Is he still mad at Joe?”
“Not that I know of. Why would he be mad at Joe?”
“It was something Lee mentioned.”
“What did he say?”
> “Oh, nothing. I must have gotten it wrong.” Coralee turned away, her expression inflexible.
Experienced with that look, Angelina knew not to push. “Okay, be stubborn, don’t tell me. Anyway, I’m off to take Peewee for a walk on the beach. See you Monday morning.” With Chilean-style hugs and kisses dealt with, Angelina closed Coralee’s door behind her. No sooner did she let go of the doorknob, she felt her smile slide to be replaced with her recent wretchedness. The question returned to haunt her. Why was Ray angry with Joe?
Chapter 44
Let loose, the small golden-haired terrier look-alike, ears flopping and tongue lolling, maniacally chased the gulls gathered on the beach. Berserk with gleeful anticipation of catching his prey, he ran frantically in one direction and then the other. The annoyed birds squawked, maddened by the forced abandonment of yummy tidbits.
Strolling along behind the delusional pup, Angelina began to unwind and soak in the beauty of the scene. Gathered at her neck in a loose ponytail, she’d hoped to confine her curls, but the wind wouldn’t be denied. It blew the heavy mass every which way until it annoyed her. She stopped, gathered the strands together and wove it into a braid to keep it out of her face.
Happily meandering along, she happened upon a sight that saddened her heart. On a washed-up, sun-bleached log, a woman sat with a coffee in one hand and a cellphone in the other. Deeply absorbed in her gadget, she paid no attention whatsoever to a small dejected boy, a toy truck dangling from his fingers, his eyes focused despondently on her. His body language reflected boredom and loneliness. Angelina wondered how the silly woman could bring him to a child’s wonderland and then ignore him.
Shaking her head, she continued on her way. She paid little attention to others who strolled along, enjoying the perfect, warm afternoon. The lone males were of no interest to her, and the couples made her feel solitary.