Apple Pie Angel (3 page)

The hammering of her heart echoed against the outer wall of his chest.  For a few seconds he couldn’t distinguish the beating of hers from his. 

Her voice came out strained and breathy.  “What has happened?”

He tried to raise up enough to keep from crushing her but not so far as to catch a bullet in the brain. 

He decided not to sugarcoat it for her.  Maybe if he was blunt enough, she’d get the message she didn’t belong here.  “You and your rattletrap have ignited a turf war between two rival gangs.”

She gasped, sending little puffs of her sweet breath against his cheek.  Of course, he wasn’t giving her much room to breathe.  His hard, muscular torso was pressed flush against her soft, beautiful breasts.  She smelled like cinnamon and apples. 
Fuck!
Her and those damn pies were going to be the death of him.

She squirmed beneath him, and he couldn’t control his cock any more than he had been able to control her. This time he cursed out loud.  “Damn it, Lacey! Be still.  I’m only flesh and blood here.”

“I’m sorry,” she whimpered. 

He wasn’t sure if the tears glistening her warm brown eyes was out of fear of a bullet or fear of him and his jutting erection.  He tried to mentally will it away, but the harder he tried, the harder it got.  She was just so damn gorgeous. So curvy. So soft.  He wanted to melt into her femininity.  Lose himself between her thighs. If he didn’t taste her soon, he was going to lose his mind.

He attempted to lie in an effort to comfort her.  “It’s not your fault,” he whispered, soothingly.  Then a stab of guilt sliced through his gut.  He didn’t want to lie to her.  Ever.  Even if it temporarily made her feel better.  He had tried to push her away.  To warn her off, but she didn’t listen.  “What I just said isn’t true, Lacey.  And I always want to be honest with you.  This particular instance
is
your fault.  I told you to stay the hell away.  You should have listened to me.  This part of town is dangerous. 
I’m
dangerous.  Why the fuck didn’t you listen to me?”

A tear slid down her lovely face, and he wanted to rip his eyeballs out to keep from seeing.  Her bottom lip quivered when she spoke.  “Are we going to die?”

“You’re not. I’ll make sure of it. 
I
might.  But not before I do this—”

He gripped her chin and took her mouth hard and fast.  Desperately and passionately.  The kiss was primal.  Nothing but heat, growls and teeth.  There was a very real possibility his rock-hard prick would rip through his tattered jeans.  He might very well die with it hanging out.  But Lacey tasted like heaven, and he couldn’t give a shit how things ended for him as long as she was safe.

IF SHE DIED RIGHT now, Lacey would leave this world happier than she had ever been in her life.  Chance was kissing the shit out of her.  It was hotter than hell, and his tongue was tastier than any apple pie that had ever crossed her lips.  She was still amazed at how delicious his breath and mouth were.  Everyone knew living on the streets wasn’t always conducive to regular bathing or good hygiene.  But he had apparently somehow taken excellent care of his teeth. 

She had never been kissed like that before.  It was earth-shattering and mind-blowing.  Floating on a cloud of endorphin-induced euphoria, she no longer noticed the bullets whizzing past their heads.  No longer paid any attention to the sparks when one glanced off the hood of her car.  No longer cared about the damage being done to the Honda.  As long as she was tucked against Chance’s chest, engulfed in his arms and utterly at the mercy of his mouth, she was doing just fine.

When his lips left hers, she groaned in frustration.  Then sighed in pleasure as they nuzzled her neck.  Sighing turned to full-blown moaning and writhing when he sucked her sensitive flesh hard.  He might leave a hickey if he wasn’t careful.  She was secretly hoping he wouldn’t be careful.

Instinctively, she ground her hips against his, pulling an animalistic groan from him.  His thick, brown hair was just as untamed and unruly as he was.  Lacey couldn’t resist running her fingers through it as she asked softly, “Are we going to have sex now?”

She panicked when his lips stopped teasing her and his body grew still.  His voice was strained with unfulfilled desire.

“No.”

“Why not?”

The feel of his calloused hand caressing her cheek tickled the pleasure center of her brain.  She imagined what it would be like to have such roughness cupping her breasts, fingering the folds of her womanhood.

“First, we’re lying right in the middle of a war zone.  Second, I’m filthy, Lacey.  I don’t want to soil you or your reputation.”

Wiggling her hand between their bodies, she smoothed her palm over the length of his erection.

He growled and caught her wrist.  “You’re not making this easy.”

She could barely think with his fingers gripping her, trapping her hand against his steely flesh.  Yet she sensed the careful restraint he was exercising so as not to squeeze too tight.

“I’m not trying to make it easy.  I’m trying to make it hard.”

His voice rumbled low and dangerous.  “You need it harder than this?” he asked, thrusting his pelvis into hers. 

His body heat seared her through their clothing.  She was so glad she had traded in her heavy denim blue jeans for a lightweight knit skirt before leaving her apartment or else she would surely be burning alive beneath him.  Plus, it allowed her to feel his erection in great detail.  His cock was long and thick and had a nice big helmet.  She was desperate to feel him inside her.

“No, I just need it.”

He cursed.  It was sexy, and she loved it. 

“Fuck.  I’d crawl across the fiery coals of hell on my belly to pound your pussy, but I won’t take you in a car under gunfire when I am filthier than any pig.  I respect you far too much.”

She couldn’t hide the disappointment on her face.  She wasn’t a whore.  But there was a good possibility one or both of them could be killed.  If it came to that, she didn’t want either of them to miss this opportunity.  Pulling her wrist from his grasp, she pressed his palm to her pussy and said, “If we’re in the middle of hell, you can’t expect me to act like an angel.  So touch me, Chance.  Please.”

Lacey licked her lips like a sex-crazed slut while holding his gaze.  She watched his eyes darken and listened to his breath coming hard as he eased his hand between her thighs.  She edged her legs wider, too wanton to deny him or herself.

Chance growled.  He did that a lot.  It was good.  Really good.  His growls sent shivers of pleasure down her spine, sending white-hot heat straight through her sex.

When a long, strong finger fluttered across her feminine folds, she cried out. 

Grabbing a fist full of her long, wavy hair, he groaned, “God, Lacey, you’re so sexy.”  

Her eyes watered when he gave her thick locks a firm tug.  Pulling her head back, he sucked her bottom lip into his mouth and bit it.  Her peepers weren’t the only place drawing extra moisture. She wondered if Chance would notice the rush of liquid between her thighs.

A rakish smile slashed across his handsome face, stealing her breath.  “Hmm, my Apple Pie Angel likes it dirty and a little rough.”

Before she could respond, they were interrupted by a cane tapping against the driver’s window.  Neither had noticed the abrupt cessation of gunfire.

Lacey peered over Chance’s shoulder at an older man who looked to be around seventy.  Outdated glasses with scratched lenses hung around his neck on a lanyard.  She couldn’t help but wonder at their effectiveness.  Being homeless, it was highly unlikely his prescription was recent or even from the last decade. 

Meanwhile, she felt the vibration from Chance’s groan clear to her toes.  Watched in fascination as his triceps muscles flexed when he pushed himself off her and opened the door.  She sat up, straightening her clothes while Chance spoke to their visitor. 

“You shouldn’t be out here, Professor.  You could have caught a bullet.”

“Nonsense, Romeo.  It was only Mercutio and Tybalt dueling in the square again.  I’ve taken them in hand.  All is quiet now.  You and Juliet may resume your frolicking.”

Lacey’s face burned in embarrassment and she instantly felt the need to apologize.

“Professor—”

“You may call me Shakespeare, Juliet.  It’s only proper after you’ve lain with Romeo, don’t you think?”

Chance gave Lacey a just-go-along-with-it look and said, “The professor left teaching after a rather intense psychological episode.  Since then he has been the trestle’s resident Bard.”

Lacey nodded and smiled.  “I see.  In that case, it’s very nice to meet you, Shakespeare.  I’m sorry you found us in such a compromising and awkward position.”

“Fret not, Juliet. The course of true love never did run smooth,” the professor said, turning his attention to Chance.  “No more hiding in the hedges, Romeo.  Climb the balcony with a thorny rose upon thy lips and take Juliet away from this hell hole.  But leave the apple pies.”

TAKING LACEY HOME SHOULD have been the easiest thing in the world.  But it wasn’t.  After they had gotten the professor safely settled under the trestle, Lacey had handed Chance the keys to her car.   He took them.  Her eyes were pleading and hopeful, and that killed him because he couldn’t be anything better than he was—a murderer.  A man damaged beyond repair. 

He had died several deaths since she had infiltrated his world.  His hand shook when he turned over the Honda’s ignition.  He hadn’t driven a car in years.  For all he knew, his license had long-since expired.  How would he know? It wasn’t like he had a mail box for the DMV to send notices to.  Besides, he had not planned on going anywhere but down. 

Now, his entire being was flying at a pace so fast he couldn’t keep up.  The synapses of his brain were firing in all directions. His heart was slamming from one side of his chest to the other, coming alive, feeling things he thought he would never feel again.  The perpetual upward motion of his cock, straining, aching, begging to be inside this woman was pure torture.  And all of this mental, emotional and physical chaos was because of the exceedingly beautiful and curvy Lacey Burke. A woman he didn’t deserve.  A woman he was afraid to let in.  A woman he was certain to disappoint. 

Her voice had been soft and sweet and expectant as she gave him directions to her apartment.  He knew she was wanting and needing for them to pick up where they had left off.  He also knew they couldn’t.  All he could do was drive her home.  When they arrived, he shut off the car and turned toward her.

“I’ll walk you to your door.  But then I’ve got to go.  I can’t come inside.  I mean, I should get back to the trestle. It’s where I belong.”

She frowned.  “No, what you should do is take a shower.”

Her words stung, reminding him of how filthy he was.  How far he had fallen.

“Look, Lacey, what happened earlier was a mistake.  I’m no good for you.  Washing the dirt off won’t make me clean.”

She slammed her delicate hand down on the dashboard, startling him.

“Damn it, Chance! Why won’t you give me one?”

Had she really pulled a double entendre with his name?
Clever and cute.  It was no damn wonder he couldn’t resist her. But for her sake, he had to.

He reached out and cupped her cheek.  “It’s not you who needs one, and I don’t deserve one.  Forget about me, Lacey.  Forget all about what happened between us.”

“Forget? I don’t want to.  I can’t.  If you won’t let me in, at least stop pushing me away.  We can take it slower.  Get to know one another a little more each day when I bring dessert by the trestle.  I promise to get my muffler fixed and not cause any more gang wars.”

His eyes darkened.  His hand fell from her face.  “For God’s sake, Lacey! It’s not safe for you in my world.  I keep trying to protect you, and you keep putting yourself in harm’s way.  Do you have a fucking death wish? ‘Cause if you do, hanging around me is a sure fire way to get yourself killed.”

His tone was icy, making her shiver.

“I just want to make things better for you and the others, Chance.  They really loved the pies,” she said softly.  “I don’t see anything wrong with me bringing them in the daytime.”

“Damn it, woman! Do you not understand bad things happen in the daylight, too?  My sister was brutally raped in the middle of the afternoon.  The sun was shining as bright as you please. Later, I killed her attacker under that same fucking sun.  So stop being so fucking naive!”

LACEY SHIVERED AGAIN, WONDERING if she would ever stop. Tears streamed down her face.  “I’m so sorry about your sister.  What’s her name?”

He shook his head in disbelief.  “You truly are an angel.  After a confession like I just made, any other woman would have jumped from this car running and screaming in the opposite direction.  At the very least, they would have asked me how I killed the bastard.”

Lacey tenderly smoothed back an unruly lock of hair that had fallen across his forehead.  “Tell me her name, Chance.”

His eyes misted.  “My sister’s name was Charlotte.”

“
Was
?”

He nodded.  “She was killed in a car crash the day I was sentenced.”