Redeem Me: Oakville Series:Book Four (13 page)

“Nothing at all. My adoptive parents didn’t even know their names. This ring is all I have.” She looks down at the ring and holds it out closer to me. “There’s a ‘K’ inscribed on it, so my parents thought maybe my name had started with a ‘K’, that’s why they named me Kayleigh.” She smiles when she talks about her adoptive parents. It seems as if she’s had a good life, but what if they were the ones who took her? This could end up turning her happy life upside down. Maybe I should let this go. Wouldn’t Angel know if this was his sister? Well…maybe not. After all, she was only three when she was taken. People change a lot over twenty something years. Ugh, I don’t know what to do.

We talk for a while more about her life growing up. As I suspected, her family life seems picture perfect. Her parents sound like they stepped right out of a 1950’s sitcom. They went to all her school plays and award ceremonies. Attended every recital. They don’t sound like the kind of people who would steal a little girl from a park. Maybe they didn’t know she was kidnapped.

“I better get back to work before my boss fires me,” Kayleigh jokes.

“It’s girl’s night out tonight, would you like to join us?” I ask. Her face lights up with an excited smile.

“I’d love to. Are ya going to KC’s? Rylan’s band is playing tonight.”

“We are. Our boys are playing, too. Meet us there around seven.”

“See ya then,” she calls back as she walks out of my office.

Chewing my bottom lip, I debate over what I should do. If I do some checking without anyone knowing, then no harm no foul, right? I pick up the phone and call Beasley. If anyone can find out anything about her or her birth parents, it’s him.

An hour later, Beasley’s knocking on my office door. He takes a seat across from me, regarding me intently. “So, my dear, what can I do for you?” he asks. I take a deep, calming breath and recount every detail I can remember from what Angel told me about his past. He sits back and listens attentively, taking notes on a small notepad.

“His parents’ names were Angelo and Leann Walker. His dad took off when Angel was nine and he hasn’t seen him since. His mother passed away a few years back,” I tell him.

“What is it exactly I’m looking for? The father?” Beasley asks, looking confused. I’m not explaining this well at all. Trying to dispel my flustered nerves, I tell him about Kayleigh, how much she looks like Katie, and about the ring that’s exactly like the one Angel gave his sister before she was taken.

“I know this isn’t much to go on, but I have this feeling she may be Katie. Angel has punished and blamed himself for years, thinking his sister’s dead. If she’s not, he needs to know,” I tell him, and pray he doesn’t think I’m losing my mind. He nods his head slowly.

“Okay. I’ll see what I can find. For now, though, I think we should keep this between us. There’s no point in getting anyone all riled up for nothing.” It’s as if he read my mind. “I’ll call you as soon as I find anything.” We both stand and I give him a big hug. Lee Beasley is like a dad to all of us, not just Amber.

“Thank you for doing this, Lee. I really appreciate it.”

“Anything for you kids,” he says, kissing my cheek. As he walks out of my office, I can’t help but wonder if I’m making a big mistake.

Sitting in my car in the parking lot at KC’s, I try to get my breathing under control. It will be the first time I’ve seen Angel since I spoke with Beasley and I hate keeping something this huge from him, but I also love him and want to protect him. “Pull on your big girl panties and go see your man,” I say to myself as I check my makeup one more time in the mirror.

I walk into the bar and immediately spot him. It’s as if I have a radar that can pick him up whenever I’m within a hundred feet of him. He turns and gives me that panty-wetting smile I love so much. I start to make my way to him, but Holly stops me before I get there.

“Oh, no you don’t,” she says, waving her finger at me. “Do you not know the meaning of girl’s night? If I’m away from my hunk of a man, you can be away from yours.” She takes my arm and drags me in the direction of the girls’ table.

Shrugging my shoulders, I mouth, “I’m sorry,” to Angel, who’s shaking his head and laughing. Holly doesn’t let me go until I’m firmly in my seat. Looks like everyone has shown up. Amber, Becky, Taryn, Kayleigh, Kelly, Tanya, and of course Holly, the crazy bitch. I laugh.

“Yeah, I did that. Deal with it. You can be all smoochie with him later. Right now, it’s time to drink and talk about all those gorgeous men sitting at the bar.” I look in the direction she’s pointing to, and
dayum
! All the boys from Bleeding Hearts and Fallen Angel are sitting at the bar in one mouthwatering line. Every girl in this place is drooling.

“We are some lucky bitches,” Amber says as she passes out Jell-O shots. She glances at Becky, and says, “Maybe this will give you the balls to finally jump Clark’s sexy ass.” She quickly moves out of the way before Becky has a chance to slap her.

God, I love these women. It doesn’t take long before all my fears and worries about Angel are placed on the back burner. The two appletinis and three shots probably helped a little, too. I glance toward the bar to get a little peek at my man and I catch him doing the same. I blow him a kiss and he gives me that sexy wink of his. His smile is full of dirty little promises for later and I have to clench my legs together.

Holly starts snapping her fingers in front of my face, pulling my attention from Angel. “Don’t make me go over there and snap his dick off,” she threatens, and we all bust out laughing. She’s serious about this girl’s night out shit.

“I think we need to dance. Give those boys something to drool over,” Amber yells over the music before slamming back the rest of her drink. I have a feeling Kyle will be carrying her drunk ass home tonight, but it won’t be the first time. She makes her way to the jukebox. After she makes her selection, she turns around with a wicked grin on her face. Shit! She’s picking a song for a line dance. I suck so badly at those. I never seem to be able to keep up and always feel like I’m out of sync with everyone else. All the girls jump up and rush to the dance floor as the song starts to play. This is the song for The Wobble. She sure did pick one to make the boys notice.

The second we are all on the dance floor, the guys turn on their stools to get a good view. Angel stares at me with a wicked grin on his face and my body ignites under his watchful eyes.
Please don’t let me mess up and make a complete ass out of myself.
We begin to move and I watch Angel’s expressions intently. When I sway my hips, he licks his lips, which spurs me on to do it even more.

We do our spin and when I’m facing the bar again, the boys are huddled together, deep in discussion. All at once, they reach for their wallets. With mischievous grins, they pull out cash and begin to walk toward us.

When Angel gets in front of me, he begins swaying his hips along with mine, and inches closer and closer, until we are almost touching. His hand slowly dives into the V-neck of my shirt and he places something between my boobs. After he removes his hand, I look down and notice a five-dollar bill sticking out from between my cleavage. With a quick glance around, Paul, Kyle, Clark, Marcus, and Rylan are all doing the same.

“You must really like what you see. Aren’t singles usually customary?” I say into his ear. He kisses my nose then places his lips to my ear. His warm breath caresses my ear, sending shivers down my spine.

“You have no idea how much I like what I see, but I’d rather see a replay in private when you’re naked,” he divulges, and his words set me on fire. A tantalizing thought crosses my mind. I bet he would look delicious doing a little strip tease for me in private.

“Only if you put on a show, too,” I say, only half joking. He turns his back to me and starts to grind his ass into my crotch. I grab onto his hips to help him along a little. My body comes alive from him rubbing himself all over me. Quickly, he spins around, places his leg between mine, and begins grinding up on me again. If he keeps this up, I’ll be pushing his hot ass on the floor and taking him in front of everyone. He gives me a little smirk, as if he knows exactly what I’m thinking.

“This is nice, but private and naked would be even better,” I tell him, and watch his eyes darken. I remember the ten-dollar bill in my back pocket and take it out, slipping it into the front of his boxer briefs. My knuckles brush against the proof of how turned on he is and his breath catches. The fact that I can turn him on as much as he does me makes me smile.

“Ladies night is officially over,” he proclaims. I yelp as he picks me up and hoists me over his shoulder, my ass resting by his head. He turns around so I’m facing the girls. “Tell everyone goodbye, sweet pea,” he says with a slap on my ass.

“Goodbye, everyone” I giggle. The girls reply with goodbyes as the guys whistle. Oh yeah, it’s time to take this home. Angel throws his hand in the air to wave goodbye and all but runs out of the bar with me giggling like a schoolgirl over his shoulder.

Angel

A
s the sun begins to rise, I pull Chelsie closer, her limbs entwined with mine. I’ve been watching her sleep for a couple hours now. She is so beautiful. I never realized what I was missing by not being in a relationship. Although, something tells me the reason this relationship is so amazing has to do with the beauty softly snoring next to me.

It’s funny how life works sometimes. If I had never followed Kyle and the guys here, I never would have met Chelsie. She is the reason I’m finally starting to come alive again. No other woman has even come close to making me want anything more than roll in the hay. There’s a sweet innocence about her that attracts me like a fucking magnet. And to think that innocence was what made me freak out in the beginning. I regret my actions from the day she told me she was a virgin. Running out on her like that was a shitty thing to do. The pain and disappointment in her eyes was too much to bear.

“Good morning, handsome,” Chelsie says in a sleepy voice. She reaches her arms out to stretch and the sheet slips, exposing her perfect pink nipples. I harden from the sight. I really could get used to this view every morning; being able to reach over and have her any time I want.

“We should move in together,” I blurt. Where the hell did that come from? We’ve only been seeing each other for a few weeks now. We already live in the same building and we’re never apart. I glance over at her, hoping to figure out what she’s thinking. I sit up, resting my back against the headboard. Will she think I’m crazy and moving too fast? She most likely will. Hell, I think I’m crazy and likely moving too fast, but it just seems right. For once, the thought of commitment doesn’t make me break out in hives.

She’s just staring at me with her mouth gaping open. My stomach twists and turns due to her silence. Obviously, she’s a little shocked at my suggestion.
Welcome to the club, sweetheart, so am I.
Still, I’m more afraid of her saying no than actually moving in together.

“Wow. I wasn’t expecting that,” she says, still in shock. That wasn’t a no…or a yes, for that matter. The more time that passes, the harder it is for me to breath. I’m so nervous as I wait for her answer. I’ve put myself out there and opened myself up to the chance of being shot down. My heart rate increases and I can feel sweat building up on my forehead. Panic is starting to set in. My question has probably made her contemplate running for the hills. I need to fix this now. I need to plead my case before she runs away.

“I know this seems fast and unexpected, but it feels right. I love you. I want to wake up to you every morning and fall asleep holding you every night,” I confess. A few weeks ago, if I had heard someone say those words to a woman, I would’ve called him a pussy. What a difference a few weeks with an amazing woman can make. Yes, it’s fast, but I’ve never wanted anything more.

“Are you sure this is what you want? With me?” she asks.

I scrunch my brows in confusion, not understanding what she’s asking. “Of course I’m sure. I love you and I want to be with you all the time. If it’s not something you want yet, I understand. I won’t pressure you into anything.” A huge smile crosses her face. She jumps up and the sheet slips off, exposing her beautiful naked body. She hops into my lap, throws her arms around my neck, and kisses me hard. After a few minutes, I break free and we’re both panting, trying to catch our breath.

“Was that a yes, sweet pea?” I ask. I can’t help but laugh when she begins furiously nodding her head.

“Yes. Now, we need to celebrate,” she says with a wicked gleam in her eye. Before I know what’s happening, she lifts up and pushes herself down on me. I’m gonna love living with this woman.