A Flower for Angela (21 page)

He turned with sudden purpose. "Not here. Where're your bags?"

"They're packed and I'm ready to leave, so let’s talk here," she insisted with more force than she felt. Part of her wished he would just walk away so she could avoid this confrontation. But the other part, the bigger part, wanted the consolation of his love.

Instead of responding, he opened her closet door, grabbed her suitcase and travel bag and headed for the door. "I'm parked illegally. Come on,” he ordered with a toss of his head that brooked no argument.

"Where are we going? I told you, I can’t come to Sedona."

"I'm not taking you to Sedona. You said you wanted to explain. We'll do it at my place." Impatience and a touch of defensiveness edged his tone.

"Your place. That's ridiculous. We don't need—”

He left the room before she could finish. Hurriedly, she followed him out the door.

"Let me leave a message for Dr. Wheeler." She veered towards the registration desk when they passed through the lobby.

"No." His curt demand halted her in her tracks. She turned incredulous eyes in his direction and saw his jaw clench in determination. "I already talked to her and told her you were coming with me."

"You presumed a lot." She jammed her hands on her hips and glared at him. "She and I have plans to leave for Nogales in a couple of hours."

As soon as she had uttered the words, Angela realized her mistake.

His expression grew stormier. The muscle in his jaw twitched. "Don't say a word until we get to my place,” he said, heading out of the hotel door.

Angela trotted after him. "I can't just walk out of here. I haven't paid my bill or—”

"You're checked out of your room." He tossed her bags in the trunk of the Ferrari.

Angela jumped into the car before he could assist her and waited impatiently for him to join her. She fumed. He had no right to treat her this way, but she wasn't about to make a scene. People were already staring by the time they'd left the lobby, people she knew. This display wasn't going to help either one of them.

Ricardo climbed into the driver's seat. His temper matched hers. Probably surpassed it. She supposed he had a right to be angry with her. He wouldn't appreciate her decision to spend the weekend with Dr. Wheeler instead of him. She had to make him understand why she’d made that choice.

Ricardo drove out of the downtown congestion into the foothills of the resort city, but then headed east instead of north toward Phoenix. He pulled the car up the drive leading to the Ventana Canyon Resort.

"I have a suite. We'll talk here,” he explained in a gruff voice at her questioning gaze.

Angela surveyed the plush surroundings as she followed Ricardo. She definitely wouldn’t run into anyone she knew here. The desert resort was way out of her friends' league. The inn blended with the rugged terrain. Huge windows allowed the visitor a full view of the city of Tucson below them, and crags covered with the majestic saguaro cacti towered behind it.

She followed Ricardo across the deck that surrounded the main pool and along a path that led to another level of buildings. Passing through a small, enclosed patio, Ricardo opened the sliding glass doors of a large two-bedroom suite.

He deposited her cases on the floor and turned to confront her. She stiffened in defense, forgetting all the reasons she had allowed him to bring her here.

"Now, suppose you start telling me what the hell's going on." He bunched his fists on his hips. "I don't like getting secondhand messages telling me to buzz off."

"I was afraid if I told you in person, you'd try to change my mind.”

"Damned right, I would." He scowled for a moment and then paced the living room. "Why?"

Wanting to reach out to him, but not daring to, Angela grasped the full skirt of her silk dress with damp hands.

"I refuse to be used to destroy you." Her resolve strengthened her voice so that it sounded deceptively calm and strong.

"Destroy me!" A stream of Spanish oaths rent the air.

When he paused for breath, she continued. "Don't you see? Somebody's using me to get to you." She had to make him realize that the rumors and accusations about them could discredit him.

"What makes you think that?"

"I talked to the professors." She licked her dry lips before explaining. "They—they aren't involved in the intrigue. I trust them."

"So you think someone is after me?"

"What else could it be?" She gripped the silk to keep her hands away from him.

"It's not me, but you they're after."

"There's no reason. I'm nobody…” She stepped back in alarm when he stiffened and was visibly keeping himself in check.

"Don't ever say that again!" he growled. “You
are
somebody, somebody special.”

How could she walk away from that? She had to break it off with him now or she would never be able to leave.

"I must go." She started to back away. "I love you too much to be a party to your downfall."

What
had
she said? She’d really done it now. She had to get away, but he stood between her and the glass entrance. Agitated, she turned and ran to the inside door, which she hoped led to the corridor. But her shaking fingers fumbled with the catch and she moaned with frustration as she he came up behind her.

"Angela!” he cried out and pressed his body against hers, trapping her between him and the solid wood. "Don't leave,
querida
." She heard the agony in his voice.

She had lost her heart and soul to this man, and her surrender to it calmed her.

Ricardo pressed his face into the curve of her neck. She had said she loved him. Those words kept echoing in his head. An ugly fear had gripped him ever since he'd received the message that she wanted to sever their relationship. But he had only suspected the reason for it. Now that he knew for sure it wasn’t what she truly wanted, relief and happiness surged through him.

From the moment he had seen Angela standing in front of her students, so proud of them and so enthused about her work, he had wanted her. Holding her now, he was filled with love.

He could feel her tremors and knew he should reassure her.

"You can't leave now. We have too much to settle." Slowly and carefully he turned her around to face him.

If she had hesitated or shown an inkling of doubt, he would have held back. But the yearning in her expression cut the last thread of his self-control. He lowered his head and pressed kisses on her mouth.

Angela's whole body trembled. How could she have ever thought she'd be able to walk out that door? She'd told him that she loved him, and she had meant it.

"Stay and talk to me,” he whispered into her hair.

"We'll talk. But later… I don't want to right now."

He knew what she really wanted. He lifted her into his arms and carried her across the room. He eased her down so she was standing in front of the large sofa.

"Kiss me,” she breathed against the pulsing skin of his neck. "Now, Ricardo. This minute."

"I want to more than anything, right now. But are you sure?"

"I need you."

"
Querida
,” he whispered as he pulled her into his arms. In a tangle of arms and legs, they sprawled onto the sofa.

A long sigh escaped Angela. Ricardo shifted his weight to his elbows and looked down into her face.

Her eyes opened—incredible eyes that looked into the very core of his being. A smile formed in them, warm and luxurious, that let him see the pleasure she felt.

"I feel delicious," she confirmed.

"You
are
delicious." He nipped tenderly at her lips. When she nibbled back, Ricardo chuckled.

"Witch,” he murmured.

"Beast,” she teased.

He admired her beauty. And she made him feel like a man. He started to rise.

"Don't go. I love the feel of you."

He rolled off of her. "You've had a long day. I don't want to take advantage of you now."

"Ricardo. What about—”

"Shhh. We'll talk about it later, after you’ve had a bath and some food."

With another sigh, she finally conceded. Ricardo was relived. They would forget their problems in each other’s arms. Nobody would know they were together. Anyone who tried to reach her from school would figure she'd stayed in Tucson with the professors. What were a couple more days except more time for getting to know each other?

MUCH LATER, Angela purred as the jets from the whirlpool swirled around her tender body. Ricardo stepped into the doorway.

"I'm hungry," she announced, glad for the bubbles that covered her.

"You worked up an appetite with all the tension you were under today."

With a flick of her hand, she sent a spray of water at him.

"I could have
you
for dinner instead of steak and lobster," he gazed amorously at her.

"Don't you dare think it. We're eating real food before I fade away to nothing."

"We wouldn't want to ruin that sexy body. I'll order from room service."

"Good idea. I don't feel like getting dressed."

Ricardo waggled his eyebrows at her."You don’t?"

"Of course, I’ll put some clothes on." Angela smiled mischievously. "I meant I didn't want to get dressed up."

"Why, you're just a big tease."

"¿
Quién
, me?" She reached for the sponge and began to slide it over her arms.

His laughter vibrated across the steamy room. "The way you mix Spanish and English makes me laugh.”

"Thanks a lot,” she said in mock annoyance. "All the studying I did, and you make fun of me."

"What prompted you to learn Spanish?" he asked seriously.

"I traveled in Latin America one summer. I was on a plane to San Jose, Costa Rica, and it crash-landed on a beach." She paused.

"Why did your plane crash?"

"I didn't know why, at first. For two hours I tried to find out. But no one spoke English, and my Spanish was so limited I didn't understand what they were saying."

Her hands dropped in her lap as memories of the terrifying experience flooded her. In a hushed voice she explained how the custom authorities from San Jose had finally arrived to check the stranded passengers into their country. One of the officials spoke English and finally explained that San Jose was fogged in. The ancient aircraft had no flight instruments so they were forced to land on the beach.

"For that you learned Spanish?" Ricardo shook his head as he laughed in disbelief.

"I vowed never to be in that predicament again. I hated not knowing what was happening." Annoyed by his laughter and lack of understanding, she tossed the sponge at him. He caught it but didn't say anything, so she continued with her story. "That experience enables me to empathize with the students. I
know
how frightening it must be to enter a classroom full of strangers and not understand a word or know what's happening."

"You don't say?"

"Just like you must have felt during your first day in my classroom,” she teased.

He started to reply but instead strode across the room and knelt down beside the tub.

"Let me." He rubbed her shoulders with the sponge. She arched toward his soothing ministrations.

Love welled up inside Angela. She longed to know more about him, too; to be free to explore his past. Would there be a time for them?

"This tub is so big, it's sinful." She leaned forward into the bubbles to give him better access to her back. The movement helped distract her from disturbing thoughts.

"Your skin is like satin." He placed kisses on the nape of her neck. Angela gasped.

She closed her eyes, longing to tell him again of her love; but she dared not. He hadn't mentioned that he felt the same, and she refused to muddy the waters of their relationship with demands for words he could not and should not say at this time.

"If we're ever going to eat, we'd better get out of here." Strain made his tone husky and his fingers trembled.

Bubbles slid down her skin as she reached for a towel. Angela cast an admiring glance his way, and his face flushed under his brown skin. That she could make him react with a simple look delighted her. She never guessed that a man could be so easy to please.

Ricardo groaned, "Watching you could make a saint change his mind."

"You'd better leave."

He reluctantly backed out.

When he was gone, Angela dressed and entered the sitting room where he waited for her.

"Come here." He beckoned. "I have a surprise for you."

The excitement that brightened his features intrigued her more than the gift, but she tore at the blue bow and silver paper surrounding the box.

She gasped in surprise when she saw the miniature version of the black satin robe that matched his.