Sweetest Surrender (10 page)

Yeah, probably because he had a harem of women waiting on standby. She dug her cell out of her purse, typed in her security key, then slid it over to him. “This is just a date. Don’t expect anything.”

He shook his head, a dimple appearing in his left cheek as he typed in his number. “I’m always hopeful, but never expect a thing. I can pick you up or meet you out some place. Think about it then call or text me later with what you want. I’m easy.”

“I bet you are,” she murmured before she could stop herself.

He let out a loud bark of laughter that had heads turning their way as he handed her phone back to her. Before she’d put it back in her purse, Vadim was suddenly there, standing next to them.

And he looked pissed, his glare icy and cutting as he watched Logan. “Your services aren’t needed anymore.” His slight accent was heavier than normal, as if he was barely containing his rage.

Alarm slid through her at Vadim’s reaction to Logan.

“I don’t know, I think Angel might disagree with you.” Logan’s voice was smug.

Dear God, what was Logan doing, poking a rabid beast? She wanted to tell him to shut up. How could he not sense Vadim’s anger simmering beneath the surface?

When Vadim looked at her, his expression softened. “Are you ready?” He still sounded pissed though, his voice vibrating with anger.

She nodded. “Yes, but I need to pay first.”

“I got it,” Logan said. When she started to protest, he shook his head. “If it makes you feel better you can buy me a drink tomorrow night. On our date.” He looked at Vadim almost challengingly as he said the last part.

That was when she realized Logan was intentionally trying to rile Vadim up. Maybe that was the only reason he’d asked her out. The fact that she didn’t even care told her she should cancel the date. When Vadim actually took a step toward Logan, she slid off her chair and stepped in between them. She placed a hand on Vadim’s chest and her traitorous body flared to life. Just like that, her nipples hardened at the feel of all that strength underneath her fingertips. She clearly needed her head examined. “Let’s go,” she murmured, pushing against him.

She couldn’t have moved him if he hadn’t wanted to go, but Vadim took a step back, his body rigid. Angel glanced over her shoulder and thanked Logan for the drink before being herded out by Vadim. To her surprise, he placed his hand firmly at the small of her back in a way she knew he meant to be proprietary as he propelled her away from Logan and the restaurant. Why did she have to like his touch so much? Just the feel of his hand on her back, not even on her bare skin, got her hot and flustered.

His behavior surprised her, but maybe it shouldn’t. Maybe it was a ridiculous guy thing. Another man was showing interest so he decides to get all macho and stupid. Ugh. This wasn’t even about her, she realized, as Vadim steered her across the main lobby to a door she knew led to one of the private, employee parking garages. This was all about male ego.

Vadim slid a key card over the scanner then yanked open the heavy metal door. She stepped into the hallway that would lead to the garage ahead of him, but before she’d taken more than a couple steps, she found her back pinned against the nearest wall.

Vadim’s pale eyes were dark with anger as he crushed his mouth over hers, rolling his hips against hers in such a dominant display she knew she should be angry. Knew she should shove him away. But as his tongue danced against hers, she moaned into his mouth, linking her fingers together around the back of his neck.

She truly, utterly needed her head examined. She didn’t like this caveman routine, let alone that he’d been with another woman last night. Hell, she hadn’t thought Vadim capable of it. But she loved the way he was pressing her tightly against the wall, loved the feel of his thick erection pressing against her lower belly.

Taking her completely by surprise, he eased his hips back then cupped her mound, rubbing the heel of his palm against her clit. Even with her pants and underwear in the way, the friction felt amazing. Her inner walls tightened, heat flooding between her thighs as she imagined what it would feel like to have him pushing deep inside her. But she needed to stop this. What the hell was she doing? Before she could protest, the sound of the door opening made her snap her head back.

Vadim dropped his possessive hold on her most intimate area, but kept his body pressed tight against hers as he glanced toward the door.

Two laughing women entered—she immediately recognized them as blackjack dealers—talking animatedly until they spotted her and Vadim. One of the women’s eyes widened. “Sorry,” she murmured, grabbing her friend’s elbow as they whispered and hurried down the hallway, their shoes clicking loudly against the tile.

Vadim took a step back from her then, putting a foot of distance between them. He was dressed casually in black pants and a thick, cable knit blue sweater. He shoved his hands into his pockets, his expression unreadable. “Why did you make a date with Logan?”

His question surprised Angel, though maybe it shouldn’t have. She shrugged, trying to act casual, but the motion was jerky. “Why shouldn’t I?”

He rubbed a hand over his face and for the briefest moment, he looked shattered. Which killed her. But screw him, he’d slept with someone else. That rigid mask slipped back into place so quickly though, she could almost believe she’d imagined that streak of vulnerability. “I thought you had feelings for me,” he said quietly.

“Yeah well, I thought you had them for me too,” she snapped, unable to hide her anger.

“I do.” He sounded so convincing. “Did you agree to go out with him to make me jealous? I didn’t think you played games,” he said stiffly.

She snorted. “I’m not playing any games! You’re the one who slept with someone else so blame yourself for—”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” he asked, his angry tone taking her off guard. “I haven’t slept with anyone since I met you. Hell, I hadn’t slept with anyone in the six months before that.” While he seemed embarrassed by the admission, he also seemed impossibly sincere.

Either he was the world’s best actor or he was telling the truth. Relief detonated inside her like an atomic freaking bomb. She nervously licked her dry lips, some of her earlier steam subsiding. “I called your hotel room after your car was vandalized. Well, first I tried your cell, but when it went straight to voicemail I called the hotel. A woman who’d clearly just woken up answered and I could hear a man in the background.” A man she’d assumed was him.

Vadim smiled suddenly, an actual full-on smile that made her breath catch in her throat. But she couldn’t imagine what there was to be happy about when she’d just called him out on being a liar. “That’s why you’ve been so angry at me?”

Frowning, she nodded.

“If you called right after my car was damaged, then you would have called late Friday, long after we’d left. The reason I didn’t answer my cell is because it was off—because I was on Wyatt’s jet. We finished our business early. We didn’t even stay at the hotel a single night. Just checked in that morning, then grabbed our stuff again that afternoon before flying out.”

All the anger left her then and she felt, well, she didn’t know what she felt other than staggering relief. Now that she thought about it, it actually made sense, especially since he’d gotten home not too long after, scaring the crap out of her with that gun. Not wanting to wait another minute, she pulled her cell phone from her purse and texted Logan, telling him there wouldn’t be a date tomorrow night. She knew he’d get over it, if he’d even care at all. When she was done, she looked up to find Vadim watching her with a mix of curiosity and wariness. “I just texted Logan and told him there won’t be a date.”

When Vadim smiled this time, it was one of his half-grins, the sexy predator back. “Good, I won’t have to kick his ass now.”

For some reason, she didn’t think Vadim was kidding. “I’m sorry I’ve been so…distant, I guess. I just thought, well, after our kiss when I thought you’d slept with someone else, it hurt me.” Way more than she’d imagined it would.

Vadim took a step forward, eliminating the distance between them. Gently, he cupped her jaw and stroked his thumb over her cheek. “I don’t want anyone else but you,” he said softly, the conviction there making her toes curl in her slingbacks. Before she could respond, he dropped his hand, though it appeared to pain him to do so. “Let’s get out of here. I don’t want any more interruptions.”

The implication of those words made heat bloom inside her, rapid and scorching. Not trusting her voice, she simply nodded and let him guide her toward the parking garage. She really hoped the reason he didn’t want any interruptions was the reason she was thinking.

Now that she knew he wanted her as much as she did him—and wasn’t screwing around with other women—her imagination ran wild about what he’d do to her, and let her do to him. Suddenly the thought of being under his roof for the next week or so sounded like a lot of fun.

Chapter 10

Angel slipped her sweater over her head and pulled her damp hair through, letting it fall down her back. Vadim had received a work call almost the second they’d gotten in the SUV. Then he’d received two more and had still been on the last one when they’d reached his house. He’d looked so apologetic, but she didn’t mind the calls.

She was still reeling from the sharp relief that he hadn’t slept with anyone else. That he wanted to be with only her. Because she definitely felt the same way.

Smoothing her hand nervously against her jean clad thighs, she stepped out into the hallway. The house was quiet and after searching most of it and finding it empty, she knocked on the door of what he’d told her was his office.

When no one answered, she cracked it open and peeked inside to see if he was on the phone. He wasn’t in there, but a glass door leading to the outside was open. The room was gorgeous, with a full wall of windows. The drapes were pulled back, revealing the dark night and desert stars. She imagined he got a lot of natural light in the day. His desk was in pristine condition, with two laptops on the glass top. The rest of the desk was wood, teak she guessed. It went perfectly with the wall of built-in bookshelves.

He must have taken Charlie out because Angel hadn’t seen the dog anywhere either. A cool breeze blew through the room. “Vadim?” she called out, not wanting to invade his privacy, even if he had told her that his office door was always open to her. He didn’t answer so she started to leave when another gust of wind swept through.

A manila folder on his desk flipped open, the pages ruffling, a few scattering to the floor. Pushing the door open, she stepped farther in and started to pick them up when she saw her name on one of them. As she started to scan it, her fingers turned numb as it sank in what she was looking at. He’d compiled information on her.

“Angel.” Vadim stood in the doorway, his expression grim.

Since she’d already jumped to conclusions once, she didn’t want to do it again. Giving him the benefit of the doubt, she stood, one of the fallen papers in hand. “The wind blew these off your desk and I saw my name.” She motioned to the others near her bare feet. “Is this work related? Did your boss want you to look into me after I took the food from Cloud 9?” She really hoped that’s what it was and could actually understand that. Sierra hadn’t said anything about telling Mr. Christiansen about what Angel had done, but for all she knew, the chef had done just that. And she wouldn’t blame her.

Vadim paused for a moment and she thought he was going to say yes. But he shook his head and stepped to the side as Charlie came in. He shut and locked the door behind the dog, then picked up a small remote from the nearest bookshelf. He pressed a button and she nearly jumped in surprise when the drapes slid closed, covering the windows.

“I didn’t want to do this now, but will you take a seat?” He motioned to a small cushioned chair on the other side of his desk.

It looked a little worn, as if he sat in it often in addition to the ergonomic chair behind his desk. Not that she cared about that. She wanted to know why Vadim had a file on her. She’d been stalked once and was now on the run because of it. As she sat, she placed the paper with her name, address and other employee information on the desk and tried to hide her trembling hands in her lap. Charlie plopped down beside her and nudged Angel’s foot, as if to let her know she was there. But she couldn’t even look at the dog, her gaze was riveted on Vadim.

He sat on the edge of his chair, but he looked like a caged tiger, wanting to pace. “Until today I’ve never looked into your past. I never wanted to violate our friendship like that. I hope you believe me.” The expression on his face told her that was important to him.

Which eased her fears. “I do.”

Vadim let out a sigh and slouched back against his chair, the action disconcertingly uncharacteristic. He scrubbed a hand over his face like he did only when he was upset about something. “I don’t talk much about my work, but you know I handle a lot of Wyatt’s computer security.” When she nodded he continued. “Before I came to work for Wyatt I was part of an intel unit in the Marines. I did a lot of stuff for them in conjunction with other government agencies.”

She didn’t even want to guess what agencies, though the way he said it, she could. “So now you do similar stuff for Mr. Christiansen?”

He nodded. “Yes. Sometimes legal, sometimes not.” After he said that, he watched her carefully, as if waiting for a reaction.