THE OUTLAW’S BRIDE Page 7

  The way she said my name sent shivers through my body. “You have to let me do this,” I growled as I leaned in close. “If you don’t, you’re seriously going to regret it. What happens if Chuckie is kidnapped? What happens if you’re kidnapped and you have no idea what happened to your son? What are you going to do then?”

  Angel crossed her arms over her chest, looking defiant. She took a step closer and stared into my eyes until our foreheads were practically touching. “Look, asshole,” she said with gritted teeth. If I hadn’t been so shocked by her change in tone, I probably would have laughed. “I know the other night wasn’t a great indication, but for the most part, I am great at taking care of myself. And just because you haven’t been around doesn’t give you the right to judge me on that, you understand?” She pointed a finger in my face and I took a step backwards. “I’ve done a great job providing for myself and Chuckie, and that’s more than I can say about you!”

  The anger swirled through my body and I had to make a conscious effort to close my eyes and fight it off. What the fuck was she talking about? She didn’t know anything! She was the one who left me!

  “Fine,” I snapped. “You really want to keep up that selfish attitude? Do it, then. I’m sure you can’t wait to see Chuckie, our son, hurt. Just keep trying to take care of yourself and wait.”

  Angel’s eyes filled with tears and her face lost its look of resolve. She blinked and I could tell I’d really said something to hurt her. I felt some of my anger melting away as Angel sniffled and reached up to wipe at her eyes.

  “I’m sorry,” I said quickly. “But you really need to think about his safety, Angel. You both need to stay with me until this all dies down.”

  Angel swallowed hard. She was still just as pretty as she’d been, but she looked softer now, more like a woman. Where she used to be almost angular, she was still slim but there was a little roundness to her belly. I imagined putting my hand against it and cupping the hot skin. The image made my cock jump in my pants and I felt a shiver of lust.

  “I’m sorry, too,” Angel said. She bit her lip and looked deeply into my eyes.

  Before I knew what I was doing, I grabbed her and pressed my lips to hers. Her mouth was soft, yielding, just like it had always been, and I slipped my tongue between her soft lips. Angel wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me close, pressing her dynamite body against mine. I could feel her nipples stiffening into little pebbles of desire and pressing against my chest. My cock twitched and chafed in my pants and I was rock hard in seconds. As Angel slipped her little hands down my back, I nibbled her lower lip between my teeth. She moaned softly and arched her back. My hands wormed around her body and squeezed the cheeks of her ass until she was moaning and grinding her hips against me. Her ass was just as succulent as I could remember, and just as firm.

  At the sound of approaching footsteps, she broke apart from me and jumped back. Her lip was glistening with saliva and I could see her pulse pounding in her throat.

  “Leave me alone,” Angel said in a shaky voice.

  I shook my head and laughed. “Fat chance, mama,” I told her. “I’m going outside. I’m going to wait for you until your shift is over. Then, we’re going to pick up Chuckie and take you both over to my place.”

  Angel opened and closed her mouth without speaking. I thought she was going to try fighting me again, but finally she sighed. “Okay,” she said. “Fine. You win.”

  Chapter 10

  Angel

  When I left the library at the end of my shift, I wasn’t surprised to see Trey in the parking lot. He was sitting on the back of his bike and giving me a cocky smile. Whenever I saw him look at me like that, my insides melted. I hated that he inspired that reaction, but I couldn’t help it. Trey was like oil to my water — we’d always clash, but we looked so damn good together. Part of me wanted him to bend me over and take me right there and then. The other part of me remembered my responsibilities, my life. My son. Our son, I corrected myself. Our son.

  “You ready to go get your boy?” Trey winked at me and I felt my stomach do a flip-flop.

  I nodded. I almost corrected him — the words “our boy” would have fallen out of my mouth without a second thought. But when I realized he’d likely spoken that way for a reason, I changed my mind. A numbness sat over me. He knew Chuckie was my son, the son I’d raised alone. And he apparently didn’t want that to change.

  “Trey, this really isn’t necessary,” I said, giving him my fakest smile. “I mean, we’d only be in your way. You know that’s true.”

  Trey sighed. “Stop trying to talk me out of it, Angel,” he said. “You know once my mind is made up, it can’t be changed.”

  “Nice to see some things haven’t changed,” I snapped. I blushed as soon as the words were out of my mouth. I was such a bitch sometimes! No wonder no one else had pursued me since he left.

  “Angel, come the fuck on,” Trey said softly. “I’m not fucking around. You both need to come with me, and the sooner we do it, the better. Get on,” he said, tapping the back of his bike. “Leave your car here.”

  I shook my head. “No way,” I said quickly. “I need to drive, okay? That’s my one caveat.”

  Trey set his mouth in a thin line. I knew he wanted to argue with me, but he kept his mouth shut. I could tell he was probably more stubborn than he’d been as a teenager, when I’d last known him. Back then, it was impossible to get him to change his mind about anything. I thought I’d mellowed with age, but being around Trey was showing me that I still had a spine of steel underneath everything else. He was a different story; I could tell he was even more stubborn than he had been all those years ago.

  “Fine,” Trey muttered. “You drive. We’ll go get Chuckie, and then we’re going to my place.”

  He gunned his bike and was out of the library parking lot before I could even turn the engine on my old station wagon. I rolled my eyes. For someone who wanted to protect me, he was doing a great job of showing off.

  When we pulled up in my driveway, Lindsey ran out in the front yard. After what had happened before, she was totally right to be cautious. But I couldn’t shake the sense that she was also annoyed, like somehow this was more than she’d ever wanted to deal with. I shook my head. Now I was just being paranoid. If Lindsey knew what was going on, she’d want Chuckie to be safe, just like I did.

  “Hi,” I said. A guilty look crept on my face as I looked into Lindsey’s naïve face. “I’m taking Chuckie on a little trip for a while.”

  Lindsey frowned. She put her hands on her slim hips. “Why? What’s going on? What about school?”

  “He’ll be fine,” I said. “He’s smart; he’ll catch up. We need to stay with Trey for a little while.”

  Lindsey’s eyes narrowed and went immediately to my arms. I cringed when I realized she was checking for track marks. I’d never given her a reason to suspect my behavior, but I knew I was acting strangely. After all, she was Chuckie’s caretaker. If I had been in the same position, I probably would have acted the same way.

  “Okay,” she said after a few seconds. “I’ll get his bag packed.”

  She went back into the house and I could hear her calling out to Chuckie, her voice packed with false cheer. I frowned. I didn’t want to upset or startle Chuckie, but I was beginning to get the feeling this was serious.

  Damien. That name was familiar somehow. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d met him before. Back when Trey and I were together, I actually met a lot of his friends. Most of them obviously didn’t care for me — they made no secret of showing how they thought I was stuck-up and obviously a bad choice for their friend. But some of them had been nice, though not really accepting. I racked my brain, trying to remember their names. Damien sounded familiar, but I didn’t get a face popping into my mind. Maybe he was just someone Trey had mentioned.

  “Are you coming by to get me tonight?” I dropped my voice to a whisper. I was on the phone with one of my friends, Amanda. What my pare
nts didn’t know is that Amanda lived right next door to Trey, and sometimes Trey would call me from her house.

  “I can’t,” he said. “I’m sorry, baby, I have some shit to do with Damien.”

  “I don’t like the sound of this guy,” I admitted. “You’ve been blowing me off to hang out with him for a few days now.”

  “I know, baby,” Trey said in a soothing voice. “I’m sorry, but it’s really important. We’re trying to set shit up for the future.”

  I blinked myself back to reality. So that was where I’d heard the name. He had been a friend of Trey’s for the second half of our relationship, the part where we fought all the time. The part where things weren’t as good as they had been at first, even though we still loved each other more than ever. Things had been different, all right, and at the time I’d hated Damien for taking Trey away from me.

  Then, right before we broke up, I stopped hearing about Damien. Trey said they had some kind of fight, but he wouldn’t tell me what it was about. I never suspected that it had anything to do with me. Until now.

  Lindsey and I got Chuckie settled in my car.

  “Mommy, where are we going?” He looked up at me with curious eyes. “Tell me.”

  “We’re going on a little trip,” I told him softly.

  Chuckie grinned. He liked changes from routine, as long as they weren’t too scary. He never even minded when I only had money to make pancakes for dinner. He was a trooper, and I loved him. He had a big heart. When he got older, I knew he’d have girls swarming around him for miles.

  Chuckie was quiet as we drove to Trey’s house. It was in a nicer part of town, and his house was nicer than I expected. It was spartan, but clean. The grass was cut military-short, and the inside of the house was done in masculine hues of dark grey and black. It was so different than my homey little cottage. A little thrill of excitement washed over me when I crossed the threshold and Trey’s scent of leather and sandalwood washed over me.

  “You can pick a room,” Trey said. I thought he was talking to me, but I turned around to see him squatted down on the floor and looking at Chuckie.

  “Really?” Chuckie grinned. “That’s awesome!”

  “Just make sure your mom approves,” Trey said. He winked at me and I felt my insides flutter. “I wouldn’t want to start any beef with her.”

  “’Course not,” Chuckie said in a playfully tough way. He looked to me for approval and I nodded. As soon as he saw me smile, he took off and raced around the house.

  I shook my head. “You’re good with him,” I admitted. “You used to being around kids?”

  Trey snorted. “Angel, come on,” he said under his breath. “You know I’m not.”

  He was right, but I remembered Trey had always been really good at reading people. It made sense that he’d be good with kids. He’d been downright charming with Chuckie. I had to smile at that, even though he was as cocky as ever; he seemed harder now. More determined.

  I wonder what else has changed, I thought to myself. Maybe I’ll never find out.

  Chapter 11

  Trey

  The first night passed pretty uneventfully. Chuckie had picked the loft room, of course, and Angel made up a bed on the couch in the same room. I knew she was scared, but she was doing a great job of not letting on to Chuckie.

  We’d had dinner together. Angel had taken charge and raided my kitchen. I could tell she was shocked I had more on hand than the standard bachelor staples. She thawed some chicken and roasted in it in the oven, serving a side of macaroni and cheese and green peas.

  “This is yummy,” Chuckie said shyly. He looked up at me and then looked away when I returned his gaze. Even though he was shy, he was incredibly intelligent for an eight-year-old.

  “Thank your mother,” I said smoothly. “I didn’t do any of this.”

  Angel blushed. She looked away when I caught her gaze. “Eat your dinner,” she instructed Chuckie. “And then we’ll go work on your homework.”

  “Do I have to go to school tomorrow?” Chuckie looked expectantly from me to his mother.

  “No,” I said at the same time Angel said, “Yes.”

  Angel frowned. “Trey, this isn’t up to you,” she said smoothly. “Chuckie can’t fall behind in his studies.”

  I chuckled. “He’s, what, in third grade? Don’t you just spend all day playing?”

  Chuckie looked at me with wide eyes. “I have homework,” he said proudly. “We’re learning our multiplication tables.”

  “Wow,” I said, feigning seriousness. “That does seem like a lot of work.”

  Angel shot me a sarcastic glance before I could say anything else. “Things are different than they were when we were kids,” she said softly. “Chuckie has a lot of work at school. He even has a book report next week.”

  “Oh, man, book reports,” I said, pushing my plate in front of me. “I remember what a pain in the ass those were.”

  Chuckie burst out laughing and Angel shot me a stern look. “Don’t curse,” she said softly. “I don’t want him talking like that.”

  Chuckie opened his eyes wide and stared at his mother. “Mom, they’re just words,” he whined. “Why can’t I say them?”

  “Because they’re not nice,” Angel said primly. “Now, to your room. Homework time! I’ll be with you in a few minutes.”

  As soon as Chuckie had left the room, Angel’s face grew more serious. “You can’t want to pull him out of school,” she said. “He’ll be safe there. They’re very good at taking care of their kids.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t want him leaving the house,” I said flatly. “He’s going to be in danger as soon as he’s out of reach, I can assure you.”

  Angel glared at me. “He’s my son and I call the shots on this,” she said hotly.

  Suddenly, I knew she wasn’t going to back down. I didn’t like it, but she had a point. “Fine,” I snapped. “He can go to school. But you’re taking off work and staying around here. I need to keep an eye on you.” Angel opened her mouth to protest but I held up a hand before she could say anything. “And don’t tell me you can take care of yourself. Remember what happened with those assholes the other day?”

  Angel nodded. A flush spread over her cheeks. I knew she didn’t want to rehash the same argument, but if she fought with me on this, I’d keep bringing it up until she gave in.

  “I’m not pleased about this,” Angel said through gritted teeth. “I just want to make sure you’re aware of that little fact.”

  “I know,” I said. “I really do. I understand.”

  “No, you don’t,” Angel said bitterly. “You don’t get it at all. I’m so sick of being controlled by people and by things I don’t understand. Every time I think my life is getting a degree of autonomy, the same shit crops up and I’m reminded that I’m not actually in control after all.”

  “I’m sorry about that,” I told her. “I really am. But it’s for your own safety right now. I promise, after this all dies down, you don’t have to worry about me controlling your life.”

  Hurt flashed across Angel’s face. I wondered if I’d said the wrong thing. After all, she was the one who had wanted me to leave her alone. I wondered if that had changed in the short amount of time she’d been staying with me. Forget it, I thought. Nothing is ever going to be the same as it was between us. You know that, she knows that, and it would be better for everyone involved if you just dropped it.

  “Fine,” she said. She pushed her chair away from the table and stood up, grabbing her half-eaten plate of food and bringing it into the kitchen. “Thank you.”

  “Of course,” I said sarcastically. “Anything else?”

  Angel glared at me. “I have to call my manager and go help Chuckie,” she said. “Don’t you have some kind of business you need to attend to right now?”

  I chuckled drily. “I do,” I said. “I’m actually posting one of my men to the house. His name is Ram; he’ll be here if you have any trouble. He’s a good watc
hman.”

  Angel’s cheeks colored and I could tell she wanted to protest, but she didn’t. Instead, she turned on her heel and walked into the bowels of the house. I watched her ass swing from side to side and suppressed the urge to chase her, grab her, and make her mine. The pull between our bodies was too much; it called to me and tortured me.

  “I gotta get out of here,” I said under my breath. “This shit is starting to get to me.”

  Ram came over as soon as I called. I could tell he was dying to ask what was going on, but I just told him Angel was a friend and we needed to protect her and Chuckie.

  “This is an unusual job, boss,” Ram said. He winked at me. “You sure there’s nothing you forgot to tell me?”