His Angel (11 page)

Less than ten minutes later, Ian got to his feet and addressed his men. "Read the candidates files and give Devon or I any recommendations or concerns. We'll be starting the interviews next week and I want you each to meet as many of them as your caseloads allow. If there's no questions...get lost and enjoy the rest of your Sunday. I'm taking the rest of the afternoon off to spend time with my beautiful sub."

Grins and winks were sent her way again as the men all said goodbye to her and then she was alone with Ian. Sexually frustrated beyond anything she'd ever known, she groaned when he picked up her clothes, shook them out and handed them to her. She'd forgotten they couldn't have sex or anything close to it while they were in the club. As she scrambled to get dressed, she hoped his house was nearby. If it wasn't she was going to force him to do what he said earlier, and have him fuck her over the hood of her car while Murray, and anybody else who was around, watched.

"Where are we going?"

Ian was leading her on foot across the parking lot and through the pedestrian gate in the fence to the larger section of the compound. As they walked past the building housing the Trident offices, Beau came running out from behind it and heeled at Ian's side without being told. "My place. We converted the last building into large apartments. Mine's on the first floor, and Devon and Kristen live on the second."

They continued across the paved lot with their canine escort. Harder than granite, Ian not-so-discreetly adjusted himself for the third time since they climbed back up the grand staircase and Angie smirked knowingly when she caught him in the act. He was just as aroused as she was, if not more so, and he couldn't wait for them to be alone. When they reached the outside door, he placed his palm on a scanner like the one outside the club. Opening the door for her, he let her enter before him. There was an interior door to his apartment and next to it was a smaller dog door for Beau. Although the dog came in the same outside door they did, he didn't wait for Ian to open the second door, opting to use his own entrance. He disappeared inside as Ian stepped forward to scan his palm once again. To their left was a staircase which led to the second apartment.

When the door in front of them opened, he yanked her inside impatiently. The door slammed shut at the same time he shoved her against the wall next to it and crushed his mouth to hers. There was nothing gentle about the kiss and he was grateful she didn’t object. In fact she was just as rough in return. Taking control, one of his hands plunged into her hair and he made a fist. He pulled the strands only enough to sting and loved how it made her react even more frantic against him. He maneuvered her head to where he wanted it so he had better access to her mouth, which he was devouring. Her hands wrapped around his neck and held him just as possessively. From their chests to their groins they were fused to each other. Her nipples were hard but not as hard as the erection he was grinding against her mound. They fit together like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. His other hand dragged down her side to her hip and under her skirt to her ass. He squeezed and she moaned into his mouth. Bending her knee, she brought it up to his hip, wrapping her leg around his thigh, desperately trying to get closer to him even though it was physically impossible to do so.

The door next to them popped opened and Ian ripped his lips from hers at the same time they heard a female shriek. "Oh my God, Uncle Ian! I'm so sorry. Oh, crap. Never mind, I'll go upstairs to Uncle Devon's."

"No." The word came out hoarsely and Ian cleared his throat. "No don't, Baby-girl. They went out to meet Will and some friends for lunch. Just go into the kitchen and give us a minute, okay."

They were still joined at the hip and, although he knew how it looked, there was no way Ian was pulling away from her in front of his niece with the throbbing erection he had. His forehead was resting on Angie's as they both tried to slow down their breathing.

"It's all right, I'll go someplace else." He glanced over at the pretty young blonde as she was about to close the door again. He took one look at her swollen eyes and tear-stained face and grabbed her arm. "Baby-girl? What's wrong?"

The moment he said it, he knew what she was going to say. Tomorrow night was the anniversary of her parents' murders.
Damn it
. He should have made sure she was okay today but she'd been fine last night when he talked to her and he'd figured she wouldn't feel the full impact until tomorrow. He'd been wrong.

"I'm so sorry, but I-I was thinking too much and didn't want to be alone today. My roommate's gone until tomorrow and I didn't want to explain what was wrong to anyone else. But I'll go find Brody or Jake."

Although he was still leaning against Angie, he pulled Jenn into the room and turned her toward the kitchen. "Go in the kitchen. Pull out the fixings for sandwiches and we'll be there in a minute. We haven't had lunch, yet." She looked like she was going to argue but he wouldn't let her and the concern in his voice was evident. "That's an order, Jenn."

After she did as she was told with Beau on her heels, he shut the door and turned his head back toward Angie who'd stood there in silence as he dealt with his niece. He cupped her jaw in his hands and kissed her softly on the lips. Keeping his voice low, he told her, "I'm so sorry, Angel. I wasn't expecting this to happen but tomorrow is a bad day for her. She's my goddaughter."

"It's fine, Ian. Don't apologize. Tomorrow's the anniversary of her parents' deaths, isn't it?" She was whispering and when his brow furrowed in confusion, she added, "Brody told me what happened and why she lived with you now."

He nodded and finally stepped away from her body. Glancing over his shoulder to make sure the coast was clear, he adjusted himself, groaning as he did. "When she's not at her dorm at U. of T., she's here." He watched as she straightened her clothes. "I'd like for you to stay and meet her but I'll understand if you don't want to at the moment."

"I'd like to meet her but wouldn't she feel better if I left?"

He ran his hands down her arms to her hands and held them, loving how her delicate fingers looked entwined with his larger, rougher ones. Her skin was so soft, he didn’t want to stop touching it. "No, I think she could use the distraction. Besides if you leave, she's going to ask me twenty million questions and feel guilty, believing you left because of her. Typical teenage thinking, I know, and when she puts her mind to it, she's better than most military interrogators. She'll go a lot easier on you than me since she doesn't know you yet."

She laughed and looked downward at his bulging crotch. "Fine. I'll tell you what–you go get your wee-wee under control and I'll go introduce myself to your niece."

His raised eyebrow made her laugh harder. He reached around and pinched her ass and she swallowed her surprised yelp. "Brat. And stop laughing because you'll be formally introduced to my 'wee-wee' later and I promise you that's the last time you'll call it that."

Pushing off the wall, she let her hand brush against his groin as she sashayed toward the kitchen. Sexually frustrated beyond anything he’d ever known, he dramatically thumped his head against the wall and heard her laugh at him. Grinning, he watched her walk into his kitchen and greet his goddaughter. "Hi, I'm Angie."

* * *

Four hours later Angie was tucked under Ian's arm on the couch while Jenn was curled up in her favorite extra wide chair with Beau snoring on the floor next to her. After Ian had gotten his body back down to a slow simmer, he'd joined them in the kitchen. Jenn had made her own sandwich and been putting the final touches on his usual choice as Angie was finishing her own creation. They'd also hauled out some coleslaw and Jenn's beloved sour cream and onion potato chips.

The two women had taken to each other instantly. It didn't take long to convince Jenn there was no need to apologize for her interruption, and Angie soon had his niece talking about school and her job as a waitress at Jake's brother's pub. While they'd taken the sandwiches and chips into the living room and gotten comfortable, Ian grabbed three bottles of water from the fridge and followed them. Now, they were watching
The Princess Bride
which had followed
Robin Hood: Men in Tights
. Thankfully, both women were in the mood for some comedy instead of tear-jerking chick flicks.

Although he was enjoying it, Ian was having a hard time accepting how comfortable the domestic scene felt. It was a rare occasion if he brought a woman back to his place and this was the first woman in a very long time he'd introduced to his goddaughter. Since his engagement had ended ten years ago, he'd dated numerous women. Some of the relationships even lasted for a few months, but every time a woman pushed him for more, he broke it off. He didn't go into a relationship intending to end it at a certain point, however, it's what always eventually happened. As long as the woman kept things light and uncomplicated, Ian was fine, but he refused to let a woman get too close to him again. Despite his best efforts to move on, it always came down to one thing–he didn't want to go through what he'd experienced when Kaliope broke his heart.

There had been a time when he'd believed in soulmates and thought he'd found his. He'd never been the most romantic man in the world. He didn't spout out poetry or think to bring a woman flowers just because he felt like it. She'd known how he was from the beginning of their relationship, but Kaliope thought she could change him. He’d tried to show her he loved her in his own unique way–he made sure her car was always in tip-top shape so it wouldn't break down on her; he shared the household chores with her, making sure he did the heavier stuff and never let her take out the dirty garbage; he praised and supported her in everything she did whether it was a success or failure. She'd been a local newscaster in Virginia while he was stationed nearby, and fantasized about landing an anchor position on a national news program. Unfortunately, so did every other TV reporter in the United States. The competition could be harsh and even though Ian had been proud of her no matter what she did, it hadn't been enough for her. If he tried to comfort her after an audition with a larger network fell through, she'd get mad, yelling he was only patronizing her. The worst had been when she'd told him he was holding her back from her dreams. He had cherished Kaliope and in the end, it hadn't been good enough for her. Now Ian kept his relationships simple, refusing to have his heart ripped out ever again.

When the end credits began to scroll up the sixty-inch flat screen TV, Jenn got up and gathered the crumb-filled plates left over from their earlier meal. "I'm going to my room to work on my term paper. Don't worry about me for dinner. I'll nuke something later." She leaned down and kissed his cheek. "Thanks for everything, Uncle Ian. You too, Angie, and it was so nice to meet you. Again, I'm really sorry I interrupted your afternoon."

They both smiled at her and told her it was fine and she had to stop apologizing for needing company. After she and Beau left them alone, Ian grabbed the last of their lunch residue and an empty bowl of popcorn, carrying it all into the kitchen while Angie looked around the apartment again. If she could call it an apartment since it looked more like a huge penthouse suite in an upscale hotel. The living room had couches and chairs with seating for at least ten people, along with a massive entertainment center. Behind the couch was another conversation area where a four-seat wood and mirrored bar stood. A dart board hung between the bar and corner of the room, with a section of cork protecting the wall from mis-throws. The attached dining area contained an eight-seat formal table, chairs and china hutch with two extra chairs which could be used when the leaf was in use. An eat-in gourmet kitchen was on the other side of the dining area complete with stainless steel appliances. It was a party hostess's dream.

Earlier in the afternoon, Angie had taken off her boots and tried to get comfortable on the couch next to Ian without her crotch showing under her short skirt. Noticing she was uneasy, Jenn had offered her a pair of yoga pants and a University of Tampa T-shirt to change into. Grateful, Angie had accepted the offer and used the master bedroom suite to make the quick change. There were also two additional bedrooms, the furthest one away from Ian’s room was obviously Jenn’s, and a guest bath off the hallway. The two smaller bedrooms were bigger than Angie's own living room. The only thing odd about the apartment were the horizontal windows in every room were elevated about eight-feet up the ten-foot walls, allowing plenty of light in without anyone being able to see in from outside. She figured it was a security feature due to his line of work. With the exception of the young woman's pink and purple chic bedroom, the rest of the house was beautifully decorated in earth-tones. Ian had explained his mother had taken over after the apartments became livable and hired an interior decorator for both her sons. Otherwise they would have looked like typical bachelor pads with mismatched furniture and nothing on the walls but the dart board. As it was, he had to convince the decorator to include it in the décor.

She was looking at an older photo on one of the end tables when Ian came back into the room. The picture was of him and his brothers about twenty years ago. Ian was in the center with two slightly younger boys on either side of him and he was holding another boy, around the age of six, up by the armpits. "This is you, the oldest, but which one of these two is Devon? Are they twins?"

He pointed to the teenager on his left. "This one's Dev. The little guy in front is our brother Nick, and this is John, and no, Devon’s eleven months older but a lot of people had trouble telling them apart."

"Do Nick and John live in Florida too?"

Taking her hand, he tugged her up from the couch and pulled her close. "Nick is twenty-five now and in the Navy in San Diego." A sad expression took over his face. "And John died when he was nineteen."

Feeling awful for his loss, she realized they had more in common then she originally thought. "I'm sorry. I lost my brother when he was seventeen and I was nine. He was killed in a car crash with three of his friends."

Ian cupped her cheek, his thumb caressing her jawline. "I'm sorry for you loss too. Unbeknownst to us, John had become an alcoholic and got drunk one day after cutting school. He died after he passed out and threw up. Aspirated. My dad found him." He swallowed hard at the memory. "We all took it hard, but Devon took it really bad. He was torturing himself over some misplaced guilt that he could've stopped John from spiraling down. The problem was, the kid hid his addiction well and none of us knew about it. And we're a close knit family. Anyway, Dev thought he should've been able to see the problem and take control over the situation. The fact that he didn't became an issue for him. His hurt and anger were starting to get the best of him so, after we ended up on the same SEAL team, I introduced him to the lifestyle to help him deal with it. Taking control of other aspects of his life, gave Dev the ability to deal with John's death."