“What a fucking day,” I said out loud in the car as I drove. I was exhausted, and I knew I only had a couple of hours to sleep, and my bed was calling for me. “How the hell does she have a stalker?” I asked myself again. She never went anywhere to get a fucking stalker.
The fact that someone was in her house pleasuring themselves on her bed made me furious. The fact that she wanted to stay in her house irritated me even more, because it was obvious she wasn’t safe.
It wasn’t my job to make sure she was safe. She made that clear. She could look after herself. I thought about the panic she was in when she called me.For help.
Cursing loudly, I turned the car around and ignored Cooper’s knowing grin when I passed him in his car and pounded my fist on her door.
Angel opened it and gaped at me. “What?”
“Get your stuff. You’re not staying here.”
“This is my house,” she said again.
“Yeah, it’s a house where some loser is coming in and jerking off over your bed and your clothes. Get your stuff.” She lookedlike she wanted to argue. Shocker. “It isn’t a request, vampire.” I saw her hesitate, and I leaned forward. “It’s either me or Cooper, but you’re not staying here. Pick wisely.”
“You better come in while I grab some things.”
Not long after, we left, and I waited as she locked up her house. I’d never shared a car with Angel before. Had I not been conscious of the fact that she looked like she would jump from the vehicle at any moment, it would otherwise be a normal car journey.
Opening the gates that led to my house, I saw her glance at me but say nothing. The drive was lit up, and she gawked out the window as I drove the short distance. The house was secluded, and the first thing I had liked about this property when I bought it was that the short driveway was curved, so it hid most of the house from the street.
Well, if there was a street.
Parking, I got out without a word and headed to the house. When I didn’t hear her car door open, I looked back at the car. She was sitting inside, and I knew exactly what she would be thinking.
If she came into my home, she was admitting she needed me. And she did. But it was still a hard pill for her to swallow. Asking me for help. I should probably be more gracious.
I wasn’t known for my grace.
I waited. If she thought I was opening the car door for her, she’d thought wrong. She took any longer, and she’d be sleeping in the car. She must have seen my intent on my face as the car door slowly opened. Angel got out, opened the rear door, and pulled out her overnight bag.
She walked toward me, flinching when the car beeped, alerting her to me locking it. In silence, we entered the house, and I disabled the alarm quickly before I led her through the open-plan living area toward the kitchen.
Turning and leaning against the counter, I watched her put her bag on the barstool and look around, her hands running over her skirt, because she was still in her work clothes.
“You have a beautiful home,” she told me.
“I know.” Reaching into the fridge, I pulled out two beers and handed her one before I twisted the cap off of my own.
“Thanks,” she offered before she took a drink.
“Twice in one night. You should be careful, vampire, people may begin to think you like me.”
Angel rolled her eyes as she turned away from me, studying my house. “It’s huge,” she commented.
“That’s what all the ladies say,” I quipped as I took a long pull of my beer. “Well, this has been . . . what it’s been.” I walked past her and headed to the stairs. “I’m going to bed.”
“Um, where am I sleeping?”
“I have four bedrooms, pick one as long as it isn’t mine,” I told her as I climbed the stairs. “I don’t feelthatsorry for you.”
“You’re a dick!” she called up the stairs after me, and I didn’t bother replying. It wasn’t as if this was news to her, and I made no apology for who I was.
In my room, I shed my clothes and headed for my shower. It was where I was heading when she called me earlier, and I was keen to wash the day off. After an invigorating shower and pulling on my sweatpants, I headed out of my room to see which room she was in.
All of my windows were alarmed. I didn’t want her to open the window in the middle of the night and wake me up. Again.
I couldn’t fight the smirk as I saw she had taken the room farthest from mine. Rapping my knuckles on the door, I waited. Pressing against the door, I heard water running.
