Outlaw (30 page)

Angel’s hands slid into his hair, holding him to
her.

He slid his hand slowly down her belly, and between
her legs. His fingers slid into her, finding her wet. He rose up, and looked at
her. “Baby, I’ve missed this.” His hand clenched, practically lifting her up.
“This right here.”

She moaned, undulating beneath him.

His thumb brushed softly over her, back and forth,
back and forth, and she arched, her hips lifting. “You like that, baby doll? I
remember. I remember how you like it.” His fingers worked her for a long time,
until she was thrashing.

“Please, Cole.”

“What do you want, baby. You got to tell me. Do you
want my mouth?”

“You inside me. Please.”

“Not yet, Angel.”

“Please. I can’t take anymore.”

“Yes, you can. You teased me, now it’s my turn.”

“Cole, please, baby. I need you. It’s been so long.”
Her body writhed beneath his touch.

“It has, baby. Way too long.” He took her hand, and
wrapped it around him. “Feel that, baby. You’ve got me hard as a rock. Once I
get inside you, I don’t know how long I’m gonna last.”

“Please, Cole.”

“Okay, baby doll. Okay. I want inside just as bad.”
He slid his hand to her inside thigh, and spread her wide. His hips came down
between them, and it felt like coming home. He slid into her with one deep
stroke. “God, Angel. This is where I belong. This is where I’ve always
belonged.”

She clutched at his shoulders, wanting to be closer,
still.

He lifted off her slightly, and looked down to where
their bodies were joined. He watched as he slid slowly out of her, and back
into her.

It was the most erotic thing she’d ever seen.
Watching him, as he watched them join.

He looked up, and caught her watching him. “It’s
sexy as fuck, baby, watching your body take me.”

She just nodded, rocking with the movement of his
body.

He settled more solidly against her, up on his
elbows, his biceps surrounding her. He looked down into her face, and brushed
the hair back from her face as he rocked against her. “How’s my baby?”

“So good. So, so, good.”

His mouth came down on hers, and he slid his forearm
under her knee, and spread her wider, changing the angle, increasing the depth.

Her mouth tore from his. “Oh, God, Cole. Yes.”

His thrusts became harder. Faster.

She met him, stroke for stroke, taking what he gave
her.

“I know I said I’d be gentle, baby doll, but all I
want to do right now is pound into you, as hard as I can, as hard as you’ll let
me.”

“Yes, Cole. Do it.”

“Is that how you want it, baby? Really want it?”

“Yes. Yes.”

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You won’t.”

“I’ll give you everything I’ve got, if you’ll take
it. Can you take it, baby?”

“Yes.”

He slammed into her, again and again and again. Over
and over until his body was slick with sweat. “Fuck, baby. You feel so Goddamn
good.”

Her orgasm exploded, and she clutched at him,
groaning.

He felt her body clench around him, and he drove
into her, once, twice more, and went rock solid against her as he, too, went
off. He collapsed on top of her, his breathing fast and hard.

Her arms wrapped around him, holding him tight,
loving the feel of his weight on her. She stroked his back as his breathing
settled.

“Nine days,” he whispered, his head still buried
against the side of hers.

“What?” she whispered back, confused.

He raised his head, and looked at her, repeating,
“Nine days.”

She frowned, searching his eyes, knowing that was
how long they’d been together when they’d first met. Still, she asked, “Nine
days?”

“That’s how long it took for you to get your hooks
in me, babe.” He searched her eyes. “And they were in deep. So deep I couldn’t
get free if I tried. And I tried. I did try.” His fingers slid into the hair at
her temple, his thumb stroked her brow, his eyes moving over her face. “Tried
to walk away from you that night.”

“Why?” she asked softly.

His eyes returned to hers. “How could I be what you
needed?”

“Cole.”

“Couldn’t do it, babe.”

“You came back that night.”

“I came back, because I had to. I had to, babe. Do
you understand?”

She shook her head. “No.”

“You were mine, Angel. But I was yours, too.”

She sucked in a breath.

He stroked her head. “I remember the exact moment it
happened.”

“Tell me.”

“It was after the tattoo. That next morning, when
I’d thought I’d lost you. Thought you’d never get past it. Thought all we had
was gone. I woke up, and you were stroking my head softly. Gently. Lovingly.
You were giving me that. You had it in you to give me that, after everything.
After I’d let you down so completely, failed you so totally. You still had it
in you to give me that. No one has ever shown me that, the love that was in
that simple gesture.”

“Cole, please. Stop talking,” she whispered, tears
seeping from her eyes, across her temple, into her hair.

His thumb brushed at them. “Can’t, babe. Gotta say
it. You gotta know. You had me, in that one moment, in that one gesture. I was
yours, completely.”

Her hands slid up to cup his face, and pulled him
down until his mouth settled over hers.

Chapter Fourteen

Angel walked into Cole’s hospital room.

He looked over at her, and smiled. “How’s Melissa?”

“She’s good. They just finished the infusion.” She
walked over to the bed, and laid her hand over his. “How are you doing?”

He shifted in the bed, and grimaced. “Feels like the
time I fell, and busted my ass when I was ice skating as a kid.”

She grinned. “Did they give you something for it?”

“Over the counter shit. Nothing good,” he replied,
shifting in the bed again.

“Can’t get comfortable?”

“I’ll be okay. This place just puts me on edge. I
don’t know how that little girl of ours does it.”

“She doesn’t know any better. She’s been sick for as
long as she can remember.”

“God, I hope this fixes it. I can’t stand the
thought of her being sick.”

Angel nodded. “Me, too.”

“Come here.” He pulled her hand, and she sat on the
bed next to him. “You okay?”

“I’m fine. They’ll keep you overnight. For
observation. Just to make sure you’re okay.”

He nodded. “You look tired. You should go home, and
get some sleep. I know you didn’t get much sleep last night. I feel bad about
that.”

She smiled shyly. “You didn’t get any sleep either.”

He grinned, and kissed her hand. “What I got was
much better than sleep, darlin’.”

A nurse walked in with a little white paper cup.

“Speaking of sleep, here comes your little blue
pill.”

The nurse laughed. “Yep. Mr. Sandman time.”

“How’s the patient been behaving?” Angel asked the
nurse.

“Oh, he’s been pretty good. A little cranky and
upset he can’t get any class A narcotics for his pain.”

“Hey, don’t make me look bad in front of her,
Stacy.”

“Take your sleeping pill, and I’ll tell her you’ve
been a good boy.” She held out the paper cup.

He popped the pill in his mouth, and took the cup of
water she handed him.

Stacy smiled, and sailed out of the room, saying
over her shoulder, “He’s been a real teddy bear. Visiting hours are over.”

“Wench!” Cole yelled after her.

Angel leaned down, and kissed him. “Good night,
teddy bear.”

Cole pulled her down for another, longer kiss.

When Angel pulled back, she looked down at him, and
brushed the hair back from his forehead. “See you in the morning.”

He nodded.

She got up, and left.

He watched her go. It had been on his lips to tell
her he loved her, but he realized he didn’t have the right to do that.

Not until he got divorced.

*****

The next morning Cole was sitting on the side of the
hospital bed. The doctors had come by earlier, and released him to go home. He
had just gotten his street clothes back on, and was trying to decide whether to
try and go up and see Melissa or wait for Angel to get here.

The door opened, and he glanced over expecting it to
be Angel. It wasn’t. In strolled two uniformed police officers. Their dark blue
uniforms, neatly pressed, their silver badges reflecting the overhead lighting,
their radio’s crackling with muffled communications.

“Morning,” the first one through the door greeted
Cole.

“Morning,” Cole responded, wondering what this was
about.

“I understand you’re Melissa’s father.”

“And
you
are?”

“We’re friends of Angel’s father. Worked with him.”

Cole nodded. “I see.” He glanced at the name tag on
the officer’s shirt. Sgt. Harmon, it read.

“Just came by to see how Melissa was doing.” The
officer stared him down.

Cole stayed silent. He had a feeling he knew where
this was going. He’d been through this type of scrutiny enough times in his
life.

“You gonna be headed back to…where was it,
California?” Harmon asked him.

“Yeah. Sure.”

“And when would that be happening?”

“Not sure yet, Sgt. Harmon. Is there a problem?”
Cole spoke calmly, although he was seething on the inside.

“No problem. As long as you get back to California
quickly.”

“And if I don’t?” Cole replied tersely.

Harmon looked him over. “I checked you out. I know
all about you, your club, and your record.”

Cole stared back at him. “I bet you did.”

“Just see that you don’t overstay your welcome.” He
stared down Cole.

The door opened, and all three men’s heads turned
toward it.

Angel walked in. She stopped short when she saw the
officers. “Bill. Mark. What are you doing here?”

They both smiled back at her. All Mr. Nice Guys,
now, Cole thought with a smirk. He shook his head, and looked away.

“Just came by to check on Melissa. You know she’s in
our prayers,” Harmon told her, touching her shoulder.

“Why are you down here?” Angel wasn’t going to let
it go.

“Oh, just came by to let the donor know how grateful
everyone is that Melissa’s getting her transplant.” He turned, and smiled back
to Cole. “Well, you both take care. Angel, you let us know if there’s anything
you and the kids need, okay?”

“Yeah. Sure. Thanks.”

Cole could tell she was uncomfortable with them
being in his room. He wondered if she was embarrassed for them to find out who
the father of her children was.

The two officers walked out.

When the door closed, Angel turned to him. “What did
they really want?”

The corner of Cole’s mouth lifted. “Mornin’ to you,
too, babe.”

She walked over to him. “I’m sorry. Good morning.
How are you feeling?”

“Sore. Ready to get the hell out of her.” He smiled,
and took her hand, pulling her close for a kiss.

“What did they want?” she repeated when the kiss was
over.

“How’s Melissa doing? Have you seen her yet?” He
changed the subject.

“She’s doing good. Now tell me what they were doing
here,” she insisted.

He blew out a breath, realizing she wasn’t going to
let it go. “Damn, baby, you’re like a dog with a bone. Won’t ever let it go.
That was just the welcome wagon.”

“What did they say to you? Tell me.”

“Angel, it’s okay. They just wanted to welcome me to
Arizona.”

“Bull shit.”

“Not a big fan of you swearin’, babe.”

She stared at him with her hand on her hip.

He sighed, and shook his head. “What do you think?
They probably already have a file started on me.”

“A file?”

“Babe, it’s no big deal. Just the usual drill. They
want to make sure I find my way back to California, ASAP.”

She shook her head, and looked away. “I can’t
believe they did that.”

“Said they worked with your Dad. They friends of
his?”

She nodded.

“Have they been helping you out since he died?”

She looked at him. “How did you know?”