Chapter 4
The dining room was dark when she opened her eyes. Angel pushed against the warm surface she rested on to sit up fully. The arms around her relaxed, and Vex wrapped his hands around her waist to support her as she weaved slightly from her lingering sleepiness.
Meeting his gaze, she said, “You should have woken me up.” She was horrified he’d sat at the table in a wooden chair for a long time.
“You needed the sleep. I needed to hold you. Having you in my arms is a win-win situation. Do you feel better?”
She took a second to assess herself. “I’m good. I’ll never forget what happened, but with you, I’m not scared.”
“That’s the best compliment I’ve ever received. Thank you, Baby girl.”
Her full bladder made her squirm a bit. Embarrassed, she admitted, “Um. I need to go to the bathroom.”
“Let’s go take care of that.”
Vex lifted her to her feet and stood. Holding her hand, he led her down the hall past one bathroom to the large one off the main bedroom where they had showered earlier. He pointed to the small, separate toilet area. “Go potty, Angel. I’ll stay right here.”
She scurried inside and closed the door. Panic gathered inside her chest the second he was out of her sight. Angel flung the barrier open. “I can’t do it.”
Instantly, Vex was there by her side. He hugged her close until her shaking calmed. “Are you okay?”
Angel nodded and whispered, “I’m sorry.”
“No sorries needed, Baby girl. Let’s go potty.”
Vex lifted the oversized T-shirt up and helped her sit on the toilet. He stood close, rubbing her back.
Overwhelmed by her need for reassurance, Angel covered her face with her hands.
His low, “Baby girl, you’re fine,” reassured her he wasn’t too put off by being close.
Angel relaxed her muscles and peed. With a whisper of motion, Vex brushed past her as he shifted.
She heard the roll of the toilet paper and accepted the soft tissue when he held it close to her hand.
When she finished, he helped her up and smoothed her T-shirt into place before leading her to the sink. Wrapping his arms around her, Vex washed their hands together. He smoothed soap over her skin and rinsed off the lather with the warm water.
Angel couldn’t believe how comforting he was. He took care of her, anticipating what she needed and providing reassurance and resources automatically. Having his body bracketed around her reinforced her confidence. She peeked up in the mirror to see him concentrating on drying her hands.
His tender expression struck a chord deep inside her.
No man had ever looked at her like that.
Definitely not Trevor. Had he ever loved her?
The more she compared the two men, Angel recognized how her relationship with Trevor had resembled an arranged marriage.
Trevor didn’t stir any emotions inside her.
Vex glanced up to meet her gaze in the mirror. “You okay, Baby girl?”
“I’m good with you.”
He kissed the top of her head. “Then I guess you stay with me. Want to call your folks and that asshole who didn’t save you?”
“Trevor’s not really a fighter.”
“I’m not thinking Trevor’s much of anything,” Vex told her, his brows drawing together as his face hardened.
“He’s definitely not you.”
“No, Baby girl. And I’m not him,” Vex said and backed away to take her hand.
Immediately, Angel missed his warmth and squeezed her fingers around his.
She walked with him to the large family room to make her calls.
Angel used Vex’s phone, because who knew who had hers, and the call went straight to voicemail.
Her father didn’t return the message she left for thirty minutes.
When he did, she had to hold the phone far from her ear.
“How did you get this number?” Bert Daniels demanded.
“Father! It’s Angel.”
“Is this some sick ploy to get money out of me?” her father demanded.
“I was rescued, Father. The Ravagers don’t have me anymore,” Angel told him.
“Where are you? I’ll send a car for you?”
Angel spoke quickly to cover Vex’s “Fuck no!” at the thought her father wouldn’t come to get her himself. “I’m staying here, Father. I’m with the people that freed me. The Ravagers had two captives. They freed me as well.”
“So now they’re holding you for ransom?”
“No, Father. I’m staying here because I’m safe.”
“Stop playing around, Angel. You need to come home.”
“Mr. Daniels, Angel will remain here with me. That is not negotiable. She called to let you know she’s safe. I will bring her to visit you if and when she decides she’d like to see you. Goodnight.”
Angel stared at him in disbelief. Vex had handled her father, a mover and shaker in the highest levels of business, perfectly. And, her father hadn’t gotten what he wanted. That never happened. “Thank you.”
“My pleasure.”
Trevor was up next.
“Yes, who is this?” Trevor demanded. To her surprise, she felt nothing upon hearing his voice. No relief at finally talking to him. No joy at reconnecting.
“Trevor, it’s me. Angel. I wanted to let you know I’m safe.”
“I’m on my way to your apartment,” he said immediately. Keys rustled in the background, and the sound of a door closing leaked through their connection.
“I’m not there or at my parents’ house,” Angel said quickly.
“Where are you?”
“I’m with the man who rescued me. I’m staying here for a while.”
“I’ll come there. Give me the address.”
Vex shook his head. Angel couldn’t have supplied that information, anyway. She didn’t know where she was. She had not paid attention to the road names during their frightening escape from the Ravagers.
“Trevor, that’s not important now. I’m not up to seeing visitors.”
“I’m not a visitor, Angel. I’m your fiancé.”
Vex opened his mouth to say something, and Angel quickly leaned forward to place her fingers over his mouth. “Thank you for being concerned about me, Trevor. As you can imagine, being held captive was a terrifying experience. I need some time to recover before I reconnect with everyone.”
“And you’re hiding out somewhere you don’t want me to know?” He sounded astonished.
“For a while, Trevor. I wanted to reassure you that I am safe and free.”
“If you’re not being held somewhere, come home,” he demanded. “How do I know they’re not forcing you to say that to take the heat off? My rescue plans were coming together.”
That last statement exhausted the last of Vex’s ability to stay quiet. “Listen, cowardly asshole. Your unfinished rescue plans would have left Angel in grave danger. She could have died in there by the time you had the balls to make a move.”
Stunned silence met Vex’s declaration. Angel fell a bit more for Vex. He was right. Trevor would never have come to get her.
“Who are you?” Trevor demanded.
“The man who saved your ex-fiancée. Fair warning, I’m not giving her back.
” Vex disconnected the call and exhaled an exasperated breath.
“You were going to marry that spineless jerk? Come here. I need to hold you.” Vex scooped Angel up in his arms and hugged her on his lap, pressed tightly to his chest.
Cuddled against him, Angel ran that term ex-fiancée over and over in her mind. How could Vex have erased Trevor’s importance in her life so easily? The answer came quickly to her. Trevor wasn’t who she was supposed to be with.
“Vex? It’s okay. Trevor’s a good guy. He isn’t.… He’s not physical like you.”
Loosening his hold on her slightly, Vex growled, “That’s a polite way of stating he’s a fucking wimp who left the woman he’s supposed to love in danger.”
Angel met his gaze and shrugged. What could she say? He was totally correct. Neither her father nor Trevor had freed her from the Ravagers. Why had her father refused to pay Viper the ransom? She didn’t know what they’d done to rescue her or if they’d done something to help her.
“I’m lucky that you and your guys came to rescue someone else.” Angel leaned close to press her mouth to Vex’s. Instant heat flared between them. She wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to Vex as he kissed her deeply.
Vex’s kisses demanded a response. Angel met that challenge with enthusiasm. He made her feel alive, igniting a fire inside her she’d never experienced before. His hands stroked over her, leaving a trail of thrilling sensations. Need grew low in her stomach.
Hearing Trevor and her father reminded her how empty her life had been. Work and social events had filled her calendar. Neither had completed her life. Her time trapped by the Ravagers had changed her forever. Simply existing wasn’t good enough.
His thumbs brushed the side swell of her breasts as he gripped her rib cage. She gasped at the desire he provoked with his light caresses. Forcing herself to be brave, Angel leaned away slightly to whisper, “I need to feel alive. Would you make love to me?”
“You just escaped from a horrible situation, Angel.…”
She interrupted him. “I don’t want you because the Ravagers treated me badly. I want you because you make my heart pound. Everything else is irrelevant.”
“As much as I want to carry you to my bed and rip that T-shirt off you. You’re not ready. I need you to make that decision with your head and your heart. I won’t let you go after making love to you, Baby girl.”
Angel swallowed hard. He was right. She wanted him badly but needed to recover from the kidnapping. She replayed his words. Vex wouldn’t step out of her life after being intimate. He wasn’t interested in a meaningless fling. He wanted everything.
“You’re thinking hard, Baby girl,” Vex commented as he focused completely on her.
His endearment prompted her to ask, “You call me Baby girl and said you’re a Daddy.
What does that mean to you?” She held her breath, hoping to hear what she’d always fantasized about—a relationship like those in her books.
A future completely different than the unexciting past she’d had with Trevor.