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“Get on, Calli.”
“Look, Angel. I don’t need your protection.” She leaned in, her face inches from his, her hand on her car door handle. “Go find someone who does.”
She was just too close, he thought. He wanted to taste her. All of her.
His lips tightened into a grim line as she tried opening the door, giving him an impatient glare to move his bike. Then her gaze darted frantically beyond him to the men.
“Don’t be a hero, Calli.” He could tell she was scared. “You can’t handle them and you know it.”
“I wouldn’t have to, if you’d move that hunk of steel!” She jerked on the door.
Without another word, Gabe slapped his arm around her waist and dragged her across his lap. Her legs kicked up, her elbow driving into his stomach, her fist immediately clipping him on the chin and knocking his teeth together, stunning him. But he was stronger and faster and wrestled the keys from her fist, then booted the car door shut and rode away. He twisted slightly and set the alarm, then waved at the men in the street.
She grappled for balance and he hoisted her tightly between his thighs.
Calli glared at him.
Gabe rubbed his chin. “Not a bad left cross,” he said, amused.
Her lip curled in an unattractive snarl. He dumped her keys into her lap and she scrambled before they fell to the asphalt.
Calli made a frustrated sound. “This is kidnapping, you know.”
He glanced to the left as traffic moved alongside him. “Sue me.”
“I hate you.”
“Good.”
Was that supposed to please her? “You are by far the stubbornnest, most irritating man I’ve ever met.”
The wind smoothed her hair back and on the short stretch to the next light, he slumped comfortably in the seat. “Lucky you.” He’d met worse, a lot worse. “You didn’t cross your pals, yet. I could be an angel.” He flashed her a grin that looked more like a shark baring its teeth before a kill.
And she’d had enough of him. “Stop. Stop!”
“Call!—?”
“I said stop, dammit!”
He pulled the bike to the side of the street.
Calli shifted, facing him, casually draping her legs over his thigh as if they were in a living room and he was the sofa. “Why do you keep kidnapping me, butting in where you’re not wanted?”
Gabe let his gaze slide over her legs, the skirt hiked up so that he could see the tops of her red stockings, lace, and the shadow between. He swallowed and kept his hands away from her. “Because I was watching a lamb walk into a slaughter. Again.”
“A lamb? Me?” She tapped her chest, tapered nails clicking against the zipper of her jacket.
He gestured to the street. “You see any other senseless female walking into the sludge of humanity without a thought to her life?”
She reared back, frowning. “I wouldn’t call them sludge, exactly, and what do you care about my life? You don’t even know me.”
“I know I don’t want to be identifying you from—”
She put up a hand. “I get the picture—a toe tag.”
Calli avoided his gaze, wondering how she was going to dump him and still avoid those other “friends.”
- But Gabe saw the cogs moving behind those expressive eyes and said, “Night’s over, Cal.”
Her gaze slid to his, deep blue challenging white-green. Calli knew she would lose. He would camp out on her doorstep and play he-man if she didn’t go to bed meekly. She didn’t know how she knew that, but she did.
She threw her legs off his and straddled the bike, trying unsuccessfully to keep her skirt down.
He heard the bitterness in her voice when she said, “Then take me home, bad boy.”
Gabe leaned forward, her back pressed to his chest and he ached to run his hands up those legs and beneath the leather skirt. “You wouldn’t know bad,” he whispered in her ear, “if it was right behind you.”
She turned her head, meeting his piercing gaze head-on. “Is that so?”
“Yeah. Or you wouldn’t be riding with me.”
“Like I have a choice?”
He gunned the engine, spitting pebbles as he shot away from the curb. Her body mashed back against his and he slipped one arm around her waist. Her breath caught, then released slowly, and Gabe liked the soft, shuddering sound he felt rather than heard.
But he didn’t like how satisfying she felt in his arms. Or how much he craved it when he’d gone without human contact for so long. The temptation for more told him to send her packing, now. And the only reason this trusting female would split, was if she realized she’d trusted the wrong kind of man. He wasn’t supposed to like her, just keep her sweet butt from ending up on a slab. That’s all he was being paid for, nothing else.
Two
They rode in silence, the wind whipping at their clothes, dust curling behind the Harley. His arm tightened around her waist as he tipped the bike on a turn. The big machine vibrating between her legs had nothing to do with her quickening breath. It was him, all him. Tucked snugly behind her, his thighs encasing hers, she felt like she was wearing him. His band lay splayed across her stomach and she sensed every digit, his wide palm, his arm curling around her hip. Calli hadn’t experienced anything quite this powerful in her life and she closed her eyes, wishing she could control her reaction to him. But this was what she’d wanted. Risk. Danger.
The wind friction did nothing to hide. the sound of his breathing in her ear. She didn’t try talking to him. But then his hand shifted as their speed increased, moving a fraction lower and with her legs spread, she experienced a sudden rush of heat. He must have sensed it, disliked it, for he immediately brought his hand to the steering grip. Then a moment later, he guided the bike into a parking lot. Her hotel again, she thought grimly as he pulled the Harley in front of her room. Above them neon lights flashed Vacancy.
He shoved the kickstand down and shut off the motor. The blunted silence strained the taut wire between them and she didn’t turn to look at him, watching his hand flex on the grip before it lowered to remove the key.
She felt him pocket the key and she shifted on the narrow seat, meeting his gaze. Something moved beneath those ice-green eyes before the look was shuttered to emptiness. He appeared relaxed, arms folded over his chest, his back braced on the bar, his legs spread. Her gaze followed the line from thigh to his flat stomach, then up to his face. His lips quirked. She stared him down, her chin lifting a bit. She could admire a good-looking man if she wanted, she thought petulantly. She might have been raised in a Catholic orphanage, but she was, by no means, a nun.
She shifted between his legs, her buttocks brushing the insides of his thighs as she slid her leg over the bike. She stood and the ground rolled. How could one drink, hours ago, make her feel this dizzy?
“You look a little pale.”
Was that concern in his voice real? “Actually, I had only one drink around seven, but I feel like I’m going to wretch.”
His brows furrowed for a split second. “Not on me.” He gave her a soft shove toward her room.
She took a couple of steps, then cocked a look at him. He was admiring her behind and she’d caught him at it. So. He wasn’t as indifferent as he seemed.
“Want to come in?” Careful, Calli.
“And watch you get sick?”
Her smile mocked. “What’sa matter, Angel, honey. Afraid?”
“You should be.”
“Of you?” Her brows lifted. “You’ve got to be kidding. You’re as tame as they come under all that—” She waved loosely at the motorcycle and knew it was a lie.
His expression didn’t change and she faced him fully, sauntering closer, so close she smelled the untouchable wildness surrounding him. He didn’t budge a muscle, only his gaze followed her. She laid her hand on his thigh and muscle tensed beneath. But still, he didn’t move.
“Back off, Calli,” came the low rasp. “You don’t know what you’re getting into.”
Her gaze challenged him. “What will you do, Angel? Chew me up and spit me out?” Her face neared his, the whisper of her breath on his lips. Her gaze never wavered, searching his and waiting for a reaction. But he was as lifeless as a granite statue. The temptation of his stillness, to make him respond, urged her on. She let her mouth hover over his, let him feel her nearness like an animal scents its prey.
“What will you do, bad boy?” Her words moistened his lips.
His gaze thinned, pale with a predatory gleam, and her bravado fled.
She abruptly pulled back and walked briskly to her room. She inserted the key, turned the knob and opened the door.
Suddenly he was there, behind her, one arm around her waist, the other hand slapping open the door. “See, little tigress?” he rasped in her ear. “You don’t know what danger is.” He twisted her around. “It was right behind you.”
“Angel?” Panic swam in her voice as she stared into his fathomless eyes.
A wound flickered across his features, then left.
Suddenly he ducked, his mouth a hard slash across hers, his kiss heavy and demanding. Disillusionment ripped through her. She deserved this for teasing him, trusting him, and even as savage heat scored through her, she pushed at his shoulders, his chest, tried tearing her mouth away. But he followed, exacting a response. She tried not to give it, fighting the greedy feel of his mouth, his hands running over her body. Still he kissed her and kissed her, his advancing body urging her farther into the room, back against a short dresser. Bodies meshed, hard planes pushing to soft skin.
His kiss was unrelenting and laced with dangerous consequences. Tempting.
Calli’s body was already betraying her, her skin dampening, and even as she gripped his jacket to push him back, she fought a war inside herself between outrage and hurt—and the glorious pressure of his warm wet mouth on hers. It coupled with a strange hunger in his kiss, a tight restraint daring her to join him and, without warning, her lips softened beneath his, immediately eager.
Angel jerked back, his potent glare clashing with hers. She met and matched it, all mutinous. You started this, her gaze challenged. Their breathing was labored, bodies aroused to unthinkable heights. And he pushed the limit.
He grasped her hips and ground her to his hardness, his mouth to hers.
Like Ike had tried. But this wasn’t the same. Nothing was. Galvanizing sensations pelted her again and again, nothing repulsive, all primitive and devouring. Calli knew she’d never experienced anything this forceful, domination of her body and mind. She thought she would go mad if she didn’t have more.
Then he gave it, insinuating his knee between hers and maneuvering her onto the dresser. One hand dove into her hair, holding her for the burn of his kiss while his free hand slid heavily over her chest, pulling at her jacket zipper and spreading the leather. Beneath it, he found a shapely bustier and his fingertips made contact with bare skin as they closed over her breast. He squeezed, driving his thumb beneath the satiny fabric and wildly flicking her tender mpple.
A trapped sound scraped her throat.
He tore his mouth from hers and she heard his breath rush past her ear before he ground his lips to her neck, nippmg, licking, urging her head back. She clutched fistfuls of his jacket. Breath panted. He deliberately licked a path from her throat to the swells of her breasts. His big hands spanned her rib cage, covered it, then sank lower, molding over her hips to the edge of her skirt. He paused for a fraction, red stockings and flesh beneath his palms, and she tipped her head. Calli quaked, her entire body brimming with pure energy about to detonate. Her gaze drifted upward to meet pale, hooded eyes.
Her fingers flexed on his shoulders.
Her breath mingled damply with his.
And he swallowed it, his mouth devouring hers, more sensual than consuming. More hunger than heat. She didn’t know which was more powerful. That, or his hands roaming upward beneath her skirt, fingertips curling behind and enveloping her buttocks.
A dark groan sounded in his throat.
She wore a thong and Gabe touched naked skin.
It nearly destroyed him
He could have her now, he thought. Any way he wanted. She was open, vulnerable—and innocent. He could take her body coldly in a couple of thrusts and leave her Show her no one was trustworthy enough for someone like her. Especially him. That a woman like Calli, a good woman, felt anything for a man like him was beyond his comprehension. That he wanted desperately to touch her with the deliberation of a welcomed lover was the real danger. Yet even as the image of being inside her made him shudder with a nearly uncontrollable need, he knew he had to destroy this.
“You want it, baby?” His words thrummed against her lips before he kissed them with designed torture And she responded. Yeah, like leading a lamb to slaughter, he thought. His fingers flexed on her buttocks, drawing a flood of moisture from her. She shifted, restless. “Do you?”
Calli whimpered, her thoughts clouded, her body combustible.
His arm snaked around her waist, fusing them as tightly as if they were naked and joined. His mouth against her ear, he whispered, “I could have you now, baby, and you’d never see me again.”
She blinked at the sudden cruelty in his voice. Then he spoke again, harsh and vulgar, telling her what he wanted, using crude words she’d read or heard, but never directed at herself.
“No!” She shoved at his chest, turning her face away, but he kept on. Calli twisted and pushed, her sensual dream shattering with every syllable like arrows fired into her composure. He wouldn’t let her go and she turned her head sharply, sinking her teeth into his tender neck. He hissed and lurched back, covering the spot, checking for blood. Their eyes met, hers filled with humiliation and disappointment, his cold and flat.
In blatant contempt, she wiped the back of her hand across her mouth.
He reached over and caught her jaw in his broad hand, fingers biting into her flesh. “Go home, little girl, this is not your playground.” He kissed her, hard, lacking even a hint of apology. “It’s mine.” He turned away, and without looking back, strode to the door. He didn’t stop, even when the vase shattered against the doorjamb by his head.
Calli glared at the empty doorway, shoving hair from her face. Then she looked down at herself and choked back a sob, pushing unsteadily off the dresser. She closed her jacket, her body still thrumming with desire as she staggered to the door. Her shattered equilibrium threatened her every step. She kicked the broken vase outside and slammed the door shut. Closing her eyes, she leveled a few nasty curses at Angel and hoped she’d severed his jugular. God, I am such a fool, she thought. She deserved whatever she got.
She passed the mirror, her gaze catching her reflection. Her bruised lips curled in disgust. Her eyes were bleary, her hair a tangled mess. Her clothes suffocated her and she stripped them off, dropping them to the floor as she moved toward her bed. She sat heavily, springs creaking.
Deep inside her, an old wound broke open, fresh hurt rubbing raw. For an instant she was a child left in darkness with strangers. Damn. She squeezed her eyes shut, tears eeking past. He’d humiliated her with her own reaction to him, intentionally, she knew. But somewhere during his attempt to scare her, she’d experienced something wild and raw. And so had he. Part of her admitted that, for several moments there, she’d wanted him, would have done anything to feel his strength and do exactly what he’d whispered in her ear. Another part wanted to beat him senseless, hurt him back.
Don’t trust him He’s bad, a voice said. The nuns had warned her about men like Angel. Dangerous men. Men women went after Just because they were tough and hard and without regret. He didn’t want anyone to hurt her, except him. She looked up, her eyes narrowing on nothing.
He didn’t want her to trust anyone, including him.
Just as the thought materialized, so did a wave of nausea and Calli slapped a hand over her mouth, leaping toward the bathroom. Tomorrow, she thought. She would deal with her stupidity tomorrow. She only hoped she would never see him again.
Sunlight blared through a slice between the drapes and Calli groaned, rolling to her side and covering her head with a pillow. Her mouth tasted like road dust and her brain throbbed, reminding her of last night. How could one drink make her feel this crummy?
After a few deep breaths, she slithered from the bed like the idiot she was, stopping long enough to order coffee from room service before stepping into the shower. She didn’t bother to regulate the water and suffered the ice-cold blast before making it warmer. She never wanted to leave. It was safe under the water, away from the hurt blooming slowly in her chest. Damn you, Angel.
Gradually, her headache lessened and she could actually move without making it worse. No, she decided as pain buffeted her brain. She would stay in here, because looking at herself in the mirror would only relive the memory of Angel’s heartlessness. Funny, she thought, that she could remember his passion more than his cruelty.
Gabe caught the waiter as he made to set the tray by the door. She’s in the shower, he realized instantly, hearing the running water through the paper-thin walls and half-open window. Pushing a hefty tip into the server’s palm, he took the tray and gave the teenager a leer that spoke volumes. The youth smiled and nodded, then after a moment’s hesitation, unlocked the room.
Gabe set the tray down and closed the door. He noticed her clothes scattered over the floor and collected them in a pile, trying to ignore the red stocking shaped from her leg and the memories that came with it. Tossing them onto the dresser, he wondered why the hell he was here. Sure, he could have left her car at Damien’s, let her find a way to get it back, but Gabe felt as if he’d slunk out from under a rock, like the slimy perverts he’d been protecting her from for the past four days.
Since last night, he’d focused his concern on the one drink she claimed to have had and the strange result. After discreetly taking her keys, in case she got any wild ideas during the night, he’d gone back to Damien’s after leaving her, done some checking, and linked her artificial intoxication to a drink she hadn’t bought for herself. A man of vague description had walked it over to her from the bar. It was just too suspicious for Gabe’s comfort and he felt that her admirer might have slipped her a drug.
Calli was in trouble, more than she’d ever hoped to find. And if she would quit trusting strangers, quit trying to find danger, it just might not find her. Gabe muttered a curse, hating himself for what he’d done to her, hating that he couldn’t find another way around her stubbornness to keep her safe. She was just too willing to test the limits of the wrong people. Including him.
The phone rang and instinctively he snatched it up.
