He shrugged. “Take what I wanted. Walk away.” She knew he saw the hurt in her eyes. His next words proved that. “Well, you might as well know the truth. It’s nothing I haven’t done a hundred other times.”
She tried to turn away, but he reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her back. “But nothing about you has been easy. This time…” he broke off, shaking his head.
She wet her lips. “Yes?”
He stared down at her a long moment, and then admitted, “I’ve cut a lot of women loose in my life. But… I don’t want to cut you loose, baby.”
She shook her head and whispered, “I don’t want you to, either.”
He blinked. “You don’t?”
“Do you know what I want?”
He studied her and shook his head. She knew he didn’t have a clue what was in her head right now. So she told him.
“Right now, more than anything, I want you to push me down on that bed. I want to feel you on top of me.”
“Goddamn, woman. The things you say,” he whispered, stunned.
“It’s the truth.”
He took a lock of her hair in his hand, idly caressing it with his thumb. “Truth. Truth I can handle. The rest… well, I can’t promise you a thing. You understand?” he murmured.
Their eyes held. “I know.”
“You may not always want to hear the truth, but I promise I’ll look you in the eye and give it to you straight.”
She nodded.
“Okay.”
Her gaze dropped to his mouth. That was all the invitation he needed. He took her face in his hands, running his fingers into her hair, and tilted her face up to his. He held his mouth just above hers and whispered, “This won’t last. You know that, don’t you?” And then his mouth closed over hers.
He pushed her down onto the bed, coming down on top of her. He rose up and looked down into her eyes. “Do you know what you do to me?”
“Tell me.”
“I’d rather show you.” He took her hand in his and guided it to the front of his jeans. “Do you feel that baby? That’s what you do to me.”
She smiled, and he smiled back.
He raised his hand to her cheek and looked down at her tenderly. Lowering his head to hers, he pressed gentle kisses against her waiting lips. He worked his way across to her ear and whispered, “The way you make me feel, it’s not like any woman before. I want you to know that.”
Angel’s eyes slid closed as his mouth moved softly, seductively down the arched line of her neck. She sighed, wrapping her arms around him.
A groan ripped deep in his throat, and he tightened his arms around her, his leg pinning her down. “I may never let you go.”
***
That night, Cole lay in bed. He could hear music coming from downstairs. He looked over at Angel. She was fast asleep. Kissing her on the cheek, he climbed out of bed, got dressed, and softly closed the door on his way out.
He walked down the hall, the music and talking getting louder. He went down the stairs and into the main room. Glancing around, he saw that the guys were all back, some shooting pool, some at the bar. He walked over to the bar and sat down next to Crash.
A bottle of beer was placed in front of him.
“How’d it go?” he asked Crash, looking over at him.
“Fine. No problems. I even got a kiss goodbye.” Crash grinned.
Cole smiled and shook his head. “No shit?”
“And a phone number.”
“Really? Guess there’s no accounting for taste,” Cole teased.
“How’d Mack take it when you told him what happened?” Crash asked.
“Didn’t have a chance to tell him,” Cole replied, not looking him in the eyes.
Crash raised his eyebrows and shook his head. “Gotta tell him. Before he hears it from someone else.”
Cole looked over at the pool table at the rest of the crew. “Yeah.” He took a hit off his beer. “Not sure how that’s gonna go over.”
“Sooner the better.” Crash nodded toward Mack walking through the door.
“Shit,” Cole muttered under his breath.
He walked straight up to Cole. “We need to talk. Now.” He turned and walked off. Cole watched him head into the Chapel and slam the door. He looked over at Crash.
“I’m guessing he already heard,” Crash observed.
“Ya think?” Cole picked up his beer and followed Mack. He walked in the door, closed it, and sat down next to him.
Mack glared at Cole. “You want to tell me what happened? Why I’m hearing it from them”—he nodded toward the door—“and not you?”
Cole blew out a breath. “Time and place, Mack. I didn’t think it needed to be brought up in front of her.”
“So tell me now,” Mack insisted.
“I found Chuck’s supplier for his sick little habit.”
“This was supposed to be about a grudge between you and Chuck. Now I hear about this Chinese guy and a van full of witnesses.”
“They didn’t witness shit. I made sure of that.”
“Oh, so that makes it okay? Then you bring them to the Dead Souls’ clubhouse? What the fuck were you thinking?”
“I had to make the best decision I could. It was the lesser of two evils.”