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He hated the cold-shoulder treatment. Rubbed him the wrong way.
“I guess I’ll take off then,” he muttered, giving her one last chance to show him some kind of sweetness before he left. She didn’t. Just opened the curtains and stepped inside. Moose wasn’t about that bullshit. Taking two large strides, he gripped the curtain before she could draw it closed, catching her by surprise. “I’m not leaving without a kiss.”
She stared at him in shock. At least she was speechless too. Taking advantage of the moment, Moose grabbed her by the back of the neck and yanked her to him. She yelped, catching her balance with her hands against his chest. Mist coated his face as he crashed his lips into hers and kissed her hard, making sure he left a mark because she damn sure was going to remember who she belonged to while he was away.
“I’ll check in with you later,” he informed her, allowing the words to carry a slight warning that communicated he wasn’t going fucking anywhere, so if she thought he was, she’d better get that notion out of her head, pronto. “Have a nice shower.”
Without a backward glance, Moose turned to leave, closing the door behind him. It was a damn good thing Rena hadn’t made it home last night, he thought to himself as he crossed back to the bedroom to gather his clothes. Otherwise, she would have had a dong show. Moose wasn’t shy, so it didn’t bother him none, but he’d bet that she and Angel wouldn’t be too happy to both know how and what he was working with.
Welcome to the meat factory, toots.
Although the morning hadn’t gone exactly as planned, and he wasn’t in the best of moods, Moose was fairly confident that he had shit under control. That kiss had done a long way in boosting his morale, and he was choosing to hold onto that little gem until he had his mouse back in his arms again.
twenty-two
She didn’t know why she was so upset. Okay, that was a lie. Angel knew exactly why she was upset: her kid sister was, once again, digging herself another hole and climbing right in without thought. Would she ever grow up to become a responsible adult, or was Angel going to end up burying her before her time?
The idea of her sister in danger was making Angel physically sick. Her stomach had been a mess all morning, the queasy feeling preventing her from eating and following her into work. Every time she even thought about food, she had to swallow hard and talk herself out of running to the bathroom.
“You okay, hon? You look a little green around the gills,” her manager said as she passed by with a tray filled with drinks.
Angel merely nodded and managed a small smile. She’d been quiet all evening, keeping to herself and taking care of her tables quickly and efficiently. It was a night she’d rather be home, lying on the couch watching TV and shutting out the world.
Except she didn’t think that would solve anything, but it was worth a shot, right?
On her way back to the bar, Angel swung her gaze around the floor, scanning the tables for any sign of Kade. He’d promised to see her later, but later had come and gone with no sign of him. She was concerned. What if she’d driven him away with her behavior earlier?
The kiss he’d left her with had certainly stuck with her, leaving behind a purple bruise on her upper lip, which he’d probably intended to do. He was so possessive sometimes, and she loved it. It made her feel claimed, wanted…even, dare she think it…loved.
Touching her fingers to her lips, a feeling of sadness threatened to overcome her. Kade was the closest thing to a real and loving relationship she’d had—ever. The time they’d been spending together was leaving an indelible mark, and when she thought about him going away, a peculiar kind of panic sprung to life that she didn’t like one bit.
Angel had never been dependent on anyone because no one had ever taken care of her but her. She was the adult, always had been, ever since she was a kid. But lately she’d been letting that steel guard slip without even realizing it, and now she felt the fissures of vulnerability creeping across her skin, little cracks in her façade spider webbing through her insides.
God, I’ve become dependent on him, she thought miserably. And yet, despite the self-loathing, she couldn’t drum up the desire to erect those walls again. They’d come down for a reason. She just prayed that Kade wouldn’t make her regret it.
Now, she needed to focus on what she was going to do about Rena. That girl was forever a thorn in her ass. Kade had all but promised he was going to take care of it, but Angel needed a certain amount of control over the situation to be sure it was taken care of. Like she’d told him, he wouldn’t allow a brother to fall victim any more than she would allow her flesh and blood to. So she needed a game plan.
And the only one she could think of was obvious: She needed to confront the problem at its source.
The idea of confrontation made her uneasy, and when a waitress with a tray of fresh chicken wings walked by, Angel’s stomach performed another flip. Clutching her stomach, she held her breath like she’d been doing all night, but this time, it didn’t work.
With a groan, Angel held her tray tighter and sprinted through the dining area to the kitchen, slipping the tray onto a counter and calling “I’ll be right back” to whomever was listening as she raced to the bathroom.
Punching open the door, she dodged a few surprised patrons and burst into a stall, barely making it to the toilet before the few liquids she’d managed to consume that day came back up.
Dammit, this was all Rena’s fault. Angel had moved away because of all of this drama. The stress of it always made her sick, and now here she was again, her world being turned topsy-turvy and it wasn’t even her fault. When would it end? She planned to address that as soon as her shift was over.
Exiting the stall, Angel’s steps faltered when her eyes met her manager’s.
“Okay, you’re not fine. And I can’t be having the other girls or myself picking up whatever you got, so I’m sending you home. You have lots of vacation time built up, so you’re gonna use it until you’re well enough to come back, hear?”
When Wanda used that no-nonsense tone, Angel knew there was no arguing with her. So she shut her mouth and nodded, then headed to the back to get her things.
Damn, she didn’t like the idea of missing work—for any reason—but it looked like she didn’t have a choice. If she explained to Wanda that she was only sick because she was stressed the fuck out, then she’d open herself up to questions she didn’t want to answer and that were nobody’s business. Telling one person under that roof was the same as telling everyone because everyone talked. There were no secrets in the club.
It was probably a good idea to take a little time off anyway, just until she got all of this crap sorted out. Once Rena was squared away and safe again, Angel could get back to life as usual. Bonus: now she wouldn’t have to go find and confront this guy she was seeing in the wee hours of the morning when she was tired and aching for her bed. This way, she was fresh-minded and just pissed off enough to wage a good, solid argument and come out on top. Hopefully. If not, then she had her trusty Taser to back her up.
***
