Fallen Angels: Beguiled\Wanton\Uncovered (15 page)

Dane gave her an admiring glance for her tact. “Yes, we'll let you know, sis. It may be we'll have our wedding by then, if I can get a wedding together in two days. I really have no idea how these things are done.”

“I can help.”

“No thanks. Angel and I can handle it, I'm sure, once we have a chance to sit down and put our heads together.”

Regaining her aplomb, Mrs. Carter said, “This is absurd! I've just discovered my grandson, but you're refusing us any rights. You can't simply cut us out this way. I won't have it.”

Dane smiled at his mother. “Watch me.”

“You've always been deliberately difficult, but this time I insist you be reasonable! We're talking about Derek's son, his heir, and you want to whisk him away?”

“No one is stopping you from visiting, Mother, as long as you check with Angel first.”

Her face flushed darkly. It was apparent to Angel that Mrs. Carter wasn't used to asking permission for anything. “Check with her? Don't be outrageous! We have as much right as anyone to be with the child. In fact, more.” Her eyes narrowed. “And frankly, I think it's unconscionable that she's dared to keep this a secret.”

Dane stared at his mother, his eyes narrowed. “I'm sure you can understand her reasons.”

“Dammit, he's my grandson!”

Having heard enough, Angel stepped forward, away from Dane's side. She lifted her chin and spoke firmly. “But I'm his mother.”

The two women stared at each other, and Angel had the feeling they were coming to an understanding. It wasn't easy to face the older woman down, but she couldn't allow Dane to continue shielding her. Now that they knew about Grayson, they were bound to have regular contact.

Mrs. Carter looked undecided on how to react, but Celia interceded and smoothed the waters. “The important thing is that you're going to be family, Angel. I hope you'll let me know if there's anything I can do to help you get settled.”

Angel didn't want to be a part of this family; the very thought appalled her. But Celia was so sincere, Angel didn't have the heart or the energy to tell her that. “Thank you.”

Raymond took Mrs. Carter's arm and consoled her, as if she'd been horribly victimized. Dane rolled his eyes, then began making plans.

“Alec, could you take Mick with you to the apartment and pick up whatever Angel or Grayson might need?”

Alec nodded and Angel noticed a look passing between them. She started to question Dane, but Mick looked thrilled for the excuse to be with Alec and Angel couldn't disappoint him by countermanding Dane's order.

Then Dane handed Alec a credit card. “And stop at the store to buy whatever needs to be replaced.”

Angel glared at him. It was time she stood up to Dane, too. She went on tiptoe to look him in the eye, then whispered low, “Don't press your luck.”

He grinned, but quickly removed the sign of humor. “Uh, did you have a better suggestion to make?”

“No. But you've been steamrolling me and I don't like it. Stop treating me like I can't make my own decisions.”

“Is that what I've been doing?” His words were soft, intimate. He totally ignored the rapt faces of his family.

“Yes, and I don't like it.” She tried to sound firm, rather than affected by the tender way he watched her.

“I'll try to reform.” His sincerity seemed doubtful, but then, right in front of his whole family, he kissed her. “It won't be easy though, honey. I like taking care of you.”

Bemused, Angel wondered if this was part of his plan to convince his family they were marrying by choice, rather than need. Before she could completely sort her thoughts, Dane took control, settling things to his satisfaction.

 

W
ITHIN AN HOUR
they were ensconced in his house, a spacious ranch out in the middle of nowhere with a wraparound porch and too many windows to count. It sat about a quarter of a mile from the road and was surrounded by gently rolling hills and huge, mature trees.

Angel had shivered at the isolation of it; her life would be irrevocably changed now, but then, that had been true of so many recent events: meeting Derek, being dismissed from her job, the car accident. Grayson's birth. Because of the baby, she couldn't truly regret her ill-fated relationship with Derek.

And if she hadn't met Derek, she'd never have met Dane.

That thought shook her, and made her face her own feelings. Lately, she'd been so busy surviving, getting through one day at a time, she'd almost underestimated how precious life could be. Not once had she ever considered that Derek might be gone. What if it had been Dane? What if the murderer had finally reached her?

Life was too short to carry grudges or pass up chances. The awful fact of Derek's death was just starting to sink in, making her tremble all over again. If she put her emotional hurt aside, she could understand Dane's behavior toward her. It hadn't been unconscionable as Derek's had been, but rather motivated by the strong need to find a killer.

Angel intended to help him in his efforts.

She glanced around the house without much interest. It was open and airy, the colors bright and clean. It had been professionally decorated and seemed impersonal to Angel, not at all suited to Dane.

She fed Grayson while Dane grilled her on a dozen questions and she did her best to answer them to his satisfaction. Dane was antsy, pacing around her as he tried to find out exactly when her accident had occurred, when the phone calls had begun. Angel had contacted Derek for the last time when she was five and a half months pregnant. He'd turned her away. Shortly after that, he'd died. Two months later, her own car was run off the road, starting her labor. The timing made Dane even more agitated.

Angel put Grayson down for his nap in an empty guest room. Dane lit a fire in the family room then called Alec at her apartment. Unfortunately, though Alec was very thorough, there were no additional clues to be found there.

Angel was tired, but she had no idea what the sleeping arrangements would be. She assumed they would share a certain amount of intimacy. Dane had certainly been insistent, and with her new revelations, she wasn't averse to the idea. She wanted him; in the middle of all the crises they'd managed to find something very special. Dane made her feel things she'd never felt before, things she hadn't even known existed. She had no idea how much time they might have together so she didn't intend to waste any of it.

Which meant she needed to clear the air first. “Dane?”

He had just hung up the phone and now he lifted his head to stare at her.

“I never wished Derek any physical harm. I'm so sorry for what happened to him.”

Just that quick, the distance between them was narrowed. Dane strode to her, stopping a mere inch in front of her. “I don't know if it means anything honey, but Derek regretted what happened.” His gaze was searching, warm and direct. “Celia claimed he was almost sick with remorse, and that he knew you'd never forgive him. She said he seemed preoccupied by it all in the time before his death.”

Angel nodded, thinking that was at least something, though she wasn't certain she believed it.

Dane laid his large warm hands on her shoulders and gently squeezed. “When I think of all the time we could have saved if either of us would have simply been honest, it sickens me.” He drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. “You've been at risk all this time, and I didn't know it. If anything had happened to you—”

Angel gently laid her fingers against his mouth. He was trying his best, even willing to sacrifice himself to marriage to keep her safe. The least she could do was be totally honest with him. He was right about that.

She tipped her face up to him and had to catch her breath at the tender look in his eyes. Somehow, despite the fact he was the mirror image of Derek, her heart had always known he was different. She still didn't appreciate the underhanded way he had manipulated her, but knowing she hadn't been taken in by the same man twice was a balm to her pride.

He lifted one finger to caress her cheek, unnerving her, sending her thoughts in scattering directions. She smiled. “Dane, if you'd admitted who you were when I first contacted you, I'd have taken off.”

He frowned at that possibility.

“I was so afraid of you,” she explained, “of all the Carter family, but especially you.” His eyes darkened to golden amber, and her stomach muscles constricted in reaction. She had to force herself back on track.

“Derek had told me so many horrible stories of how ruthless and unforgiving you could be.”

He pulled her close, pressing her head to his shoulder and rocking her. She had the feeling he was comforting himself as much as her. “Derek and I had major disagreements on the family, and on the company. He felt challenged by all the games, while I was sickened by them. I suppose he didn't like it much that I walked away.” He hesitated, then whispered, “And now he's gone.”

Needing to reassure him, Angel pushed back and smiled up at him. “He always spoke of you with admiration, making you out to be bigger than life, and twice as frightening. I didn't trust anyone in your family, and there was only a marginal amount of trust for Derek. But deep down, despite everything, I thought he'd do the right thing for his son.”

Dane pulled her close again. “So you're saying it's actually a good thing I didn't introduce myself up front?” He kissed her chin, featherlight, then her temple. “If I had, you'd have taken off and who knows what might have happened to you?”

He shuddered roughly with the thought, and then he kissed her. All her turbulent emotions of the day seemed to swell and heat into one overwhelming need. She wasn't used to the sexual demands of her body and didn't know how to temper them. All that they'd done the night before, all the ways he'd touched her and pleasured her, came swamping back. Heat pounded beneath her skin and her legs suddenly felt weak and shaky. She wanted to lie down beneath him, she wanted him inside her again, making her shudder with nearly painful pleasure. She wanted him to help her forget—at least for a little while.

“Let me make love to you, Angel.”

The quiet plea was whispered into her ear, his warm breath a caress on its own. She wanted him, and that single focus drowned out everything else.

He'd asked her to marry him so he could protect Grayson. He was noble enough to go to any lengths to make sure the baby was taken care of. And now he needed her, if only in a physical way.

It was such a huge risk, letting her heart get involved when he'd made his motivations crystal clear. But she found she had no choice. She'd used up all her energy for the day, and for now, nothing seemed more right than making love with Dane. “Yes.”

 

D
ANE WANTED TO SHOUT
like a conqueror when Angel went soft and willing against him. God knew, after the turmoil of the day, he needed a distraction and he couldn't think of a nicer one than sinking himself into her warm body.

He did nearly shout when her small hand suddenly snaked down his chest and cupped over his fly. He choked and got an erection at the same time.

“Angel?” Her name was a harsh groan, but he couldn't help that. Too many emotions were slamming into him. He'd planned on wearing her down slowly, using the advantages he had: her love of Grayson and her need for protection, combined with their compatibility in bed. Loving Grayson wouldn't be a hardship; the baby was adorable and had owned Dane's heart from the first moment he'd met him. And even before he'd known Angel had no part in Derek's death, he'd felt compelled to protect her. He'd die before he let her suffer the same fate as his brother.

No woman had ever affected him so strongly.

He didn't understand her sudden submission to his lust, not when she'd been outraged only an hour or so before, but he wasn't fool enough to question her on it. He covered her small, soft hand with his own and pressed hard, catching his breath at the exquisite feel of her holding him. He watched her bright green eyes widen, saw her lips part on a deeply indrawn breath, and he kissed her again. He wasn't gentle. He possessed her mouth with his own, giving her his tongue and groaning when she sucked on it. Her fingers curled around his erection, stroking, proving what a deft learner she could be.

His revelations of the day, the fear he felt for her, his frustration in being unable to solve the mystery of his brother's death, all clamored inside him. He needed her, her comfort. Being with her overrode everything else.

He lifted his fingers to her breast and teased. Already her nipples were peaked, thrusting against the worn material of the sweatshirt she wore. Dane moved his mouth down to her throat, over the sensitive, ultra-soft skin beneath her chin, then to her ear. When he took a breath, he noticed the smoke smell still clinging to her and wanted to pull her into himself, to make her a part of him and forever keep her safe. She and Mick had claimed the fire to be a mere threat, without the intent of burning her out, but he wasn't so sure and the idea that someone could have gotten to her so easily filled him with an ice-cold rage. He
would
protect her.