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She really needed to be more careful with her words. Didn’t she know by now that the bridal party was a walking, talking minefield? All the competition, insecurities and petty jealousies. Angie already had a sneaky suspicion that being Brittany’s bridesmaid wasn’t going to strengthen their relationship. She needed to work harder if she wanted to stay friends with Patrick. “No, I said—”
The hot pink stage curtains were ripped back and five strippers stood silently on the dark stage. They wore black neckties and low-slung leather pants. Angie jumped, startled, as the women around her went wild.
Robin raised her arms and whooped with delight as the first few notes of “It’s Raining Men” played. Angie dutifully smiled and clapped as she watched the men start their routine around Brittany. The audacious choreography and frenetic lighting hid the fact that only a few were good dancers.
Angie’s mouth dropped when she saw Brittany eagerly lay on the stage as one of the strippers straddled her. No one could accuse the bride-to-be of being shy. Brittany enjoyed the special attention.
The men had lean, athletic builds. Angie admired the hard abs and strong arms. She knew the work they had to put into getting sculpted bodies. They were attractive. Sexy. But she didn’t feel the need to go crazy at the sight of them.
Perhaps it was because she worked as a personal trainer and was surrounded by muscular men every day. Or it could be that she felt self-conscious having a man gyrate in her face until she stuffed money in his sequined thong.
Or it could be none of those reasons. It could be that she wasn’t acting as assertive and enthusiastic as the other women because she couldn’t let go of her inhibitions. She tried that before. She had felt safe when she was with Cole. She knew she could be as outrageous and as daring as she wanted. She’d played out her deepest, darkest fantasies with him.
And then he dumped her. She was hurt and humiliated. Was she more mild than wild? Was she unable to compete with other women? She was afraid of the answer and had kept the sensual side of herself under wraps ever since.
Angie looked away from the stage as the knot in her stomach tightened and a flush of embarrassment crept up her neck. Not only had she felt safe with Cole, but at the same time, she’d also felt wild. She found it weird. No other man made her feel that way.
But she didn’t want to think about that. She couldn’t. It was better to accept that she didn’t have a sensual side and move on. One day she’d regain her confidence. However, she wasn’t going to lower her guard here, and definitely not with a stranger. It would be with someone she loved and trusted.
“Aren’t these guys hot?” Robin yelled over the music.
“They are.” Angie continued to clap to the beat as Brittany got to her feet and danced with the strippers. Some of her moves were downright dirty.
Robin elbowed her. “The bridesmaids get the next lap dances.”
Angie lurched forward and her stomach twisted violently. “Up there on stage?”
“No, that honor is reserved for the bride. But you better pick one before Heidi grabs them all. Which one do you want?”
“Oh...it doesn’t matter.” She knew what would happen. The more audacious the dancer, the more uptight she would be. She was going to be laughed at for her discomfort. She wanted to refuse the dance but she had to act like a team player. She studied the men on stage, hoping to find one who understood personal space and boundaries.
“I can’t decide between the guy groping Brittany or the one in the back.”
Angie looked at where Robin pointed. The guy reminded her of Cole, from his short black hair to his solid, muscular build. She felt a surprising flutter of interest as her gaze traveled down his smooth chest, defined abs and lean hips. He had power and grace. He looked a lot like Cole. In fact—
She gasped and dragged her gaze to the man’s face. She recognized the square jaw and full lips. The high cheekbones and strong nose. The short dark hair that felt soft to the touch. “No...way.”
“What?” Robin asked. “Are you okay? What’s wrong?”
Angie slumped into the nearest chair. She felt hot and cold from the shock but she continued to stare at Cole Foster from across the room. Her ex-boyfriend was on his hands and knees as he sinuously rolled his hips.
“Where the hell did he learn how to move like that?” She realized she had said it aloud and pressed her lips together.
“Who?” Robin asked. “The stripper? Do you know him?”
“No. I don’t know him at all.” She had shared intimate moments with this man. Loved him with her body and soul. Once she had bared it all to him, but it had been a mistake. It turned out she wasn’t enough for Cole. And now she saw the truth with her own eyes as he stood on stage, performing for a group of panting women. “I thought he looked like someone I used to date.”
Robin gave a bark of laughter. “Yeah, right. You dating a stripper.”
“Stranger things have been known to happen,” Angie murmured. Like Cole becoming a stripper. It didn’t make sense. When she dated him, Cole had been a detective on the police force. And a good one at that.
Angie watched, stunned and openmouthed, as Cole ripped off his necktie and wrapped it around Brittany’s waist, pulling the bride-to-be closer as the group of women screamed louder and reached for him.
Angie crossed her arms and sat stiffly in her chair. She wanted to disappear into the shadows. Leave before Cole saw her. She felt confused. Stupid. Territorial.
She felt betrayed and that didn’t make any sense. At one time, this guy had made her feel special. Now it looked as if he knew how to make every woman feel that way. She wasn’t dating Cole anymore and it didn’t matter what he did. So why did she feel angry?
Cole turned his head and his gaze snagged hers. Angie’s breath hitched in her throat as she stared into his blue eyes. He didn’t look surprised to see her. It was as if he had known she was here all along.
She saw the determination flash across his face. Uh-oh. She knew that look. Angie wanted to leap from her seat but instead she braced herself. Her eyes widened with horror when she watched Cole jump from the stage. The women grabbed at him but he didn’t pay them any attention as he strode straight for her.
* * *
THESE WOMEN WERE animals. Cole Foster tugged his leg away from a woman’s fierce grip and ignored the fistful of dollars that another waved in his face. He’d never felt like a piece of meat until tonight. The crowd was rabid and ready to rip off his clothes.
He was having a difficult time focusing on his case and that wasn’t like him. He was committed to this job—his real job—and prided himself on his professionalism. Yet all he could think about was Angie sitting in the back row.
She hasn’t changed a bit, Cole realized. Angie Lawson was strong, athletic and a natural beauty. Her wavy black hair was pulled back in a casual ponytail and she wore no makeup. She didn’t need to. She had a healthy glow and vibrant energy that a person couldn’t get in a bottle.
He noticed she wore a black tank top and jeans. He saw the strappy heels and knew that had to be her mother’s interference. Angie dressed to hide or blend into the crowd. But she couldn’t hide from him. He was always aware of her and nothing would ever change that.
It wasn’t his plan to blatantly approach her. It could risk his assignment but he saw her rigid stance and crossed arms. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was tight with anger. Cole knew she was trying to hold it all in but she was about to blow his cover.
Maybe he should have given her an early warning. He knew she would be here, he had been tracking the bridal party for the past week. But he hadn’t been able to determine how close Angie was with the other bridesmaids.
He stood before her, his heart beating fast, his skin slick with sweat. The leather pants clung to his legs and rode low on his waist. Angie was doing her best to keep her gaze somewhere around his ear.
She didn’t say anything. There were a lot of things he wanted to say to her. Things like “Sorry,” or “You’re better off without me.” Instead he said, “You’re next.”
Her eyes glittered with anger and she held out her hand to stop him. “No, thanks.”
“Angie, what are you saying?” The woman he knew as Robin tapped her on the shoulder. “You just told me he looked like your ex. Go for it.”
He got here in the nick of time. What else did she say about him? “I insist,” he said with a hint of warning. “Bridesmaids are next in line.”
She jutted out her chin. “How did you know that I’m a bridesmaid?”
“I was told ahead of time,” he replied. He loved the sound of her voice. It was low, rough and sexy. He remembered it at the most inconvenient times.
Angie glared at him with suspicion. She crossed her legs and held her arms tighter around her. “Sorry, I don’t have any dollar bills.”
“Didn’t you know you were coming to a strip club?”
“Don’t mind her,” Robin said. “She’s new at this.”
He leaned forward and rested his hands on the top of her chair. He caged her in and she pressed her spine against the back. Cole inhaled her scent and the memories bombarded him. “No money at all?” he asked.
“Not unless you want coins.”
Cole’s smile grew wide. He looked at Robin. “Tiger told the rest of us that he wants to be the one to give you the lap dance.”
“See ya!” Robin blurted and raced to the stage, leaving them alone.
“There was no reason to send her away,” Angie said and her words vanished as he straddled her legs. She immediately tensed up. “What are you doing?”
“This is the only way I can talk to you here,” he said, but his mind was elsewhere. He was painfully aroused being this close to Angie. How was he going to put two words together while he was touching her? “Don’t worry, I’ll be gentle.”
For some reason his assurance was met with a frosty stare. He watched with fascination as Angie’s skin flushed red. “Don’t worry about me,” she said in a clipped tone. “Give me all that you’ve got.”
“Angie, I know you’re uncomfortable with all this.” He saw the flash of injured pride in her eyes and he fell silent. Everything he said was being taken the wrong way.
“No, no, Cole. I’m curious. I’ve already seen some of your new moves. I didn’t realize that you had been holding back with me.”
“Holding back?” He never held anything back with Angie. Well, not physically.
“Go ahead, Cole.” Angie leaned back in her chair. “Drive me wild.”
2
COLE DIPPED HIS head and Angie closed her eyes. It was a defensive move but it didn’t help. She could still feel the heat from his body. She licked her lips, remembering how his skin tasted. Warm and masculine.
“I need to talk to you,” he said against her ear.
She felt his breath against her skin and shivered. “Apparently so. You’ve gone through a few life changes since I’ve seen you.” Cole’s bare chest grazed against her breasts and she jumped. She opened her eyes wide. “Or have you?”
Cole paused. “What do you mean?”
He was so close that she found it difficult to think. It was as if her body had been asleep and now energy sparked inside her. Her heart pounded against her chest and her blood pumped hard through her veins. Her skin stung with awareness. Why? Why did she only feel like this around Cole? It wasn’t fair.
A sickening thought occurred to her. “How long have you been a stripper?” she asked. “You’re very good at it.”
“Should I be flattered by your surprise or insulted?” he asked as he rolled his hips.
Angie curled her fingers tight into fists. She wasn’t going to touch him. Hold him. Guide his hips. No, she wasn’t, no matter how much her hands tingled with need. “I notice you’re not really answering the question,” she said, all too aware of how her voice cracked. “Were you stripping when we were together?”
Cole jerked back as if he’d been struck. His smile disappeared and his mouth tightened. “Do you really think that?”
“I don’t know what to think.” She really hoped he didn’t have a secret life, but the man had always been private. He kept things to himself and now she wondered if she knew him at all.
“This is not what it looks like,” he said as he kneeled down before her.
She tensed up as her heart pounded faster. “It never is.”
“I’m not a stripper.” He placed his hands on her knees and pulled them apart.
“Really?” Her voice was high and every muscle in her body locked. How could he touch her so intimately and yet so casually? “Because you’re faking it very well.”
She looked down at him and tried to fight off the memories. How many times had they been like this? How many times had their position been reversed? Cole knew how to touch her, please her with his hands and mouth. She never found that kind of satisfaction anywhere else.
Cole lifted her leg and placed it over his bare shoulder. Angie saw his expression. She recognized the desire and something else. Something bittersweet. She didn’t know why he felt that way. He was the one who walked away.
She couldn’t fight the pang of misery. Angie yanked her leg away. She held up her hands in defeat. She couldn’t do this. Not with Cole. When they were together, the sex they had was romantic. Intimate. It had meant something. She didn’t want to respond to the same routine he did for any woman who had a dollar. “This lap dance is over.”
“Not yet.” Still kneeling between her legs, Cole slowly slid his body up against hers.
Angie inhaled sharply as she remembered every plane and angle of his body. How it felt to curl up against his hard chest, cling to his broad shoulders and wrap her legs against his waist.
She felt the sweat beading on her skin and tried to remain calm. She saw the knowing twinkle in Cole’s eyes. Did he remember, too? Or did he know the effect he had on her? Angie looked away. “I’m not sure what you’re trying to accomplish here....”
“Then this must be your first time at a strip club.”
She turned back and frowned at him. “But you’re wasting your time with me.”
Cole gave a crooked smile. “It’s never a waste of time being with you.”
She stilled as the words washed over her. How could he say that when he’d dumped her and never stayed in touch? “We’re done.”
“No, wait.” He quickly straddled her legs and grabbed the back of her chair again. She was trapped and considered pushing him away. But that meant touching him. Pressing her hands against his naked skin... “I have something to tell you.”
“Yeah, I got it.” She searched for a safe spot to focus on, trying not to notice the way his broad chest rose and fell, or how his rock-hard abs gleamed with sweat from dancing. “I heard what you said. You’re not really a stripper. Let me guess. You’re in between jobs. You’re doing a favor for a friend?”
He thrust his hips to the music. “I’m undercover.”
Angie slowly shifted her gaze to meet his. That was one excuse she didn’t expect. A chuckle erupted from her throat. “That’s a good one.”
Cole stopped moving and frowned. “You’re not supposed to laugh while getting a lap dance.”
“I’m sorry. I can’t help it.” She shook her head as she continued to laugh. “It’s not like I’m pointing.”
He sighed and moved forward until his mouth was against her ear. “Angie, this is serious.”
The bubble of laughter died in her throat as she felt his lips against her skin. “Then stop joking.” She squirmed away. “I know you’re not undercover. You quit the police force after you broke up with me a year ago.”
“Hey, Angie, it’s my turn,” Heidi called out as she approached them.
Angie was unprepared for the fierce territorial streak that sliced through her. She knew Cole was no longer hers, but she couldn’t share him. It was bad enough seeing him dance with Brittany. She didn’t want him anywhere near Heidi.
“Stall her,” Cole demanded.
Angie felt a flash of relief at his reluctance to leave, but she knew it wasn’t because he favored her over the others. He needed something from her and it wasn’t to relive the memories or have one night together.
“Come on. No playing favorites,” Heidi said as she waved a fistful of cash. “I have money to burn.”
“Why should I do what you ask?” Angie asked Cole between her teeth. “I should throw you to the wolves.”
He looked into her eyes. “I really need to talk to you.”
His voice was harsh, but she saw the pleading in his gaze. What was so important? Curiosity got the better of her. She sighed and looked at the maid of honor. “Sorry, Heidi. I’m still waiting for him to rock my world. I’ll send him over to you once that happens.”
