It was the only answer he needed. Cole sat back, straddling her and yanked the over-shirt free. He looked down at her as he shrugged out of the shoulder holster he wore and tossed the gun aside. Then he was ripping his t-shirt off.
Angel ran her hands up his thighs, but he pushed them aside, reaching for the buttons on her blouse. He looked down at her, seeing the desire in her eyes. His fingers fumbled in their rush. He gave up and ripped the last two buttons loose, pulling the blouse open. He lifted her up and yanked it off her. Reaching around her, he undid her bra and pushed her flat against the desert sand, making Angel gasp.
Cole stretched out on top of her, his mouth plundering hers. He trailed kisses down her neck and reached for the top of her pants. He stripped her of her remaining clothing, and then undid his jeans. Rolling to his back, he pulled her on top of him.
Angel slid down on him and threw her head back, her eyes falling closed. God, he felt so good inside her. She began to move in a sinuous glide on top of him.
Cole’s hands clamped onto her hips and urged her on. “Harder, baby. Faster.”
She complied, leaning forward, her hands on his chest. Their eyes met, and they both smiled. She rode him hard. He was on the verge of climax. His hand slid between them, his fingers stroking her. When he felt her body convulse around him, he grabbed her hips and slammed up into her. It only took three more strokes, before his body went rigid as he exploded inside her.
She fell on top of his chest, panting.
His hands tangled into the hair at the sides of her face, and he pulled her mouth to his and kissed her, long and deeply.
She rested her head down on his sweat-slicked chest. It still heaved with his breathing. She could hear his heart pounding and smiled.
He wrapped one arm around her back, his other hand sliding into the hair at the back of her head. He held on to her, holding her close, hoping with everything inside him, that he wasn’t about to lose this woman who had come back into his life, this woman who had become his life.
It was several hours before they made it back home.
***
They pulled in the driveway after dark, and Angel got off the bike. She rubbed her backside.
Cole took his helmet off and stepped off, smiling down at her. “You sore, baby doll?”
“Umm… yes. And it’s all your fault.”
He pressed his hands to his heart and looked too innocent to be believed. “Me? I was just giving you a ride, darlin’.”
“Yeah. That was quite a ride, cowboy.”
He pulled her close and ran his hands over her ass. “You want me to rub it and make it all better?” He dipped his head for a kiss.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, forgetting all about how sore she was. The sound of the front door opening interrupted them. Natalie was standing at the screen door. They both looked up at her.
“I thought I heard a motorcycle,” she said.
“Anything wrong?” Cole asked.
“No. But we’re out of milk. Could you run up to the corner and get some?” she asked them.
“Yes. Sure,” Angel replied. She took Cole by the hand. “Come on. Let’s walk. It’s a nice night.”
They walked down the block toward the main boulevard and cut across the parking lot of a bowling alley. They were standing on the corner, waiting for a break in traffic when Cole took a deep breath. “That smell? The place smells like perfume. What is that?”
Angel smiled. “Orange blossoms. The Orange trees are starting to bloom. On a warm night like this, you can really smell them.”
“Really? Orange blossoms? That’s wild.”
The traffic slowed, and they crossed the street to the convenience store. They bought a gallon of milk, Cole picked up another pack of cigarettes, and then they headed back.
They were crossing the parking lot of the bowling alley when a group of teenage boys came out of the shadows and surrounded them, a couple of them flashing knives.
“Give me your Goddamn wallet, man!” one of them shouted.
When Cole didn’t comply, another yelled, “You and your puta better do what we say, gringo!”
In a blur, Cole pushed Angel behind him and yanked this gun out of his shoulder holster.
Cole watched as two of them looked to each other. He quickly sized them all up, using the instincts he’d come to trust, especially when his life depended on it. The rest of the group were pretty much lemmings, following the two leaders. Cole raised the gun, aiming it at the head of the one on the left. He was pretty sure this was the one in charge.
“You’re outnumbered asshole,” the guy snarled at Cole.
“Maybe so, but you’re still going to drop like a rock when I blow your head open. You ready to be six feet under, Muchacho?”
The guy stared down the barrel a moment and then swore, and they all ran off behind the building.
Cole turned back to Angel, who was clutching the milk to her chest. “You okay?”
She nodded.
“Come on.” He holstered the gun and put his arm around her shoulder, and they hurried back to the house. Cole kept a watchful eye on his surroundings.
They walked in the house and into the kitchen.
Angel set the milk down on the counter and took a deep breath.
Natalie was sitting at the kitchen table, reading a cookbook. She looked up and saw the look on Angel’s face. Pulling her reading glasses off, she stood up. “What’s wrong? What is it?”
Cole looked over at her. “Some kids tried to rob us.”
“What? Where?”
“The bowling alley parking lot.”
“But that’s just down the street.”
“Yeah. It is. There were six of them. A couple of them pulled knives.”
Natalie put her hand to her mouth. “Oh my God. Are you okay?”
“We’re fine,” Angel said, turning around.
Cole turned to Natalie. “Can you give us a minute?”
“Sure.”
He nodded and took Angel by the hand, leading her out to the patio. He pushed her down in a chair and pulled up another, turning it toward hers. Leaning forward, his arms resting on his knees, he looked at Angel. She looked like she was in some kind of shock. He knew she’d been through worse than this before. He guessed this was just a little too close to home. “You need a shot of whiskey, babe?”
She looked at him blankly and shook her head.