The Naughty Angel Returns (Naughty Angels In Love) (3 page)

Steadying herself, she managed to drag herself out of bed and get her bearings. Once that was accomplished, she grabbed the IV pole and steered it toward the door. Opening the door carefully, she cautiously peered outside. The hallway was pretty deserted, and she realized it was the late-night shift. She glanced down toward the nurses' station just in time to hear the elevator button
ding
and see Crispin get on the elevator.

He was leaving! She wanted to call out to him but didn't want to call attention to herself. Was she making too much of this? Did she really need to be with him? Then she saw a man in a white lab coat sidle up to the nurses' station and grab a file. There was something about the way he moved that chilled her. Trevor. She'd know his troubled gray aura anywhere. Oh Lord, he was coming for her. Her heart raced at the thought.

She could call out to the uniformed officer flirting with a cute blonde nurse, and it would be all over. Trevor would be under arrest. But she knew it came to close to breaking the rules if she directly fingered him to risk it. She'd just have to find a way to bring him down and save herself, and to do that, she had to survive the night.

Her heart was racing and her breathing too fast, threatening to make her hyperventilate as she grew dizzy. She deliberately slowed herself down, breathing deep, and her head started to clear. She still had time to escape.

She opened the door a little wider and slipped out into the hall, heading toward the end of the corridor, far away from danger. Her hospital gown was flapping in the breeze, giving anyone who cared to look a free show of her bare bottom, but she didn't let that stop her.

Sensing Trevor's bad aura coming her way, she ducked into the stairwell just in the nick of time. Then she peeked out of the door to see him heading toward her room, her file in his hands, looking like he was really supposed to be there. Other hospital employees didn't even seem to notice. It was true she'd have no protection here. She had to run…now.

Gritting her teeth at what she had to do, she peeled off the tape and pulled the IV needle out of her arm. Her knees wobbled at the sting, and she held her thumb over the wound to make it stop bleeding. Then a moment later she was on the move.

Holding the railing, she gingerly made her way down the staircase and, to her relief, didn't run into any employees on the way. How could she explain that she was out for a stroll? Expecting to be caught any moment, she breathed a sigh of relief when she reached the ground floor. Now what?

She opened the door and looked around, spotting the nurses' locker room. Providence seemed to be with her, or maybe it was Max aligning her lucky stars. She darted into the locker room and clicked the door shut behind her. Then she looked around for an open locker and finally found one, wanting to shout with relief when she found clothes inside.

There weren't any undies, but then, she hadn't expected any. She slipped into the other woman's street clothes, jeans that fit her newer fuller figure like a glove, a white blouse that clung to her bigger boobs, and wedge sandals. She saw the woman's purse and thought about fishing out ten bucks for a cab, but couldn't go that far. She'd just have to make it on her own. She glanced at her new reflection in the mirror, smoothing back her long, dark hair, seeing the same old light of adventure in her eyes. She was going to go get her man.

She left the locker room and headed for a side exit, feeling Trevor's frustrated rage descend over her like a wet blanket. He'd found her missing, but he didn't dare say anything without incriminating himself. She had to get away before he found her. She slipped out into the darkened employee parking lot.

Crispin sat in his car outside the hospital parking lot telling himself to go. But memories of Haley begging him to save her tormented him. How could he just walk away from her? Cursing himself for a fool, he yanked his keys out of the ignition and got out of the car. He'd go back and make sure she was safe.

But when he got up to her floor, he saw that all hell had broken loose. The accusations at the nurses' station told him what happened. “Where is she?” he demanded.

The cop glared at him. “Get the hell out of here, or I'll have you arrested for interference.”

Crispin stood his ground, giving him an implacable look.

The head nurse sighed. “She's gone. We found her IV in the stairwell.”

“Damn it. She was right,” Crispin said, turning and racing for the back stairwell. He opened the door to find Haley's IV still standing there, the tubing hanging. Damn, she hadn't had enough strength to do this, or had she? Her insistence that she was in danger replayed across his mind. He turned and headed back to the nurses' station. Either the killer had gotten to her, or she'd managed to run away. “Was anyone in her room?”

“No, just the usual med techs,” the nurse said. “The phlebotomist informed us that she was missing.”

“You don't seem to care.”

The nurse frowned. “Of course we're concerned. We have staff looking for her now.”

His gaze slid toward the cop. “You were supposed to protect her—how could you someone grab her?”

The cop shot him a dark look. “Listen, buddy, we didn't see anyone grab her, much less lurk around her room—nobody but you, that is. If she left, it was under her own power.”

“Bullshit—that's just a lame excuse for your negligence.”

The nurse cleared her throat. “Gentlemen, keep your voices down. You're disturbing the patients. Don't worry. We'll find her. She can't wander far off as heavily medicated as she is.”

“Morons,” Crispin mumbled to himself, shocked at their attitudes.

Maybe there was still time to rescue her. Crispin was heading for his car before the cop could sputter. He saw a familiar face in the lobby. Trevor from the paper, who shot him a sour look and headed into the men's room. Why was he here? he couldn't help wondering. Crispin barely gave the arrogant prick a glance as he raced out into the parking lot. They'd tangled before when Trevor had sexually harassed Kiera before she'd married Jaden and moved away. Then the guy had some kind of breakdown, and Crispin hadn't seen him since.

If Haley was on foot, she couldn't have gotten far. He jumped into his car and drove through the mostly deserted parking lot, not spotting her. It was after visiting hours. Then he had a hunch. If she'd gone down the back stairway under her own steam, she'd probably have taken the nearest exit.

He drove around the hospital to the employee parking lot. Rows of parked cars flanked the lot, obscuring his view. Then he saw a motion toward the back of the lot, almost at the street. A black SUV shot out of nowhere with its lights off and swerved toward Haley. Crispin sat there frozen, knowing there was nothing he could do to save her. At the last moment she jumped behind a parked car as the SUV grazed her and then spun out of the lot.

Crispin's heart started beating again. He slammed his car into park, got out, and ran up to her. Haley was sprawled on the pavement, dressed in jeans and a white blouse that clearly outlined her spectacular breasts and the fact that she wasn't wearing a bra. The frightened look in her eyes touched him. She smiled with relief when she gazed up at him.

“I was hoping that you'd come for me.”

Chapter Three

Haley sat sprawled on the pavement, her butt smarting from her collision with the blacktop, her heart still racing from her brush with death as she gazed up at her hero.

“You scared the life out of me,” he said, shaking his head, “and here you sit, looking like an angel.”

She dared a smile up at him, despite his disapproving tone. “More like a fallen angel.” She only hoped a fallen angel could triumph over evil. Her problems faded into oblivion as she took in Crispin's concern. He'd sensed her danger, and he'd come for her. Dare she hope that he was feeling the same soul-deep connection between them? His eyes darkened an instant before he reached for her, making her gasp.

But then he oh so gently pulled her up, and she went with a grimace as her aching body throbbed in protest. Wobbling a little, her soft body collided with his hard one, and she let out a little sob. Damn, he probably hated her getting all girlie and emotional on him.

He pulled her closer into his embrace, his body tightening. “Damn, you are hurt. I'd better get you back to the ER.”

“Don't you dare.” She clung to him, smiling through her tears. She loved hearing that he cared, despite his gruff words. “All I need is you.”

“You sure you're okay?” he asked in a grim tone, running an impersonal hand down her body.

His clinical words hit her like a bucket of cold water, warning her to cool it. Of course he wasn't on the same page sexually yet. Then she pressed against him, feeling the ridge of his arousal against her belly, and relaxed. He wanted her, but he was worried about her. “I'm fine,” she said, stepping back. “But I won't be if you take me back to the hospital.”

He gave her a firm look. “What did you think you were doing, running off in the dark like that? You ought to be spanked for pulling a stunt like this.”

She gave him a flirtatious, surprised smile, blurting out, “Play your cards right, and we might just get around to that eventually.” The flash of heat in his dark eyes made her blush before he got that remote look on his face again.

He shook his head. “Shit, I ought to have my head examined for even listening to you and thinking of helping you.”

“But you will help me, won't you?” She took a slightly wobbly step toward him, needing to touch him. He stood before her looking so forbidding, but his mask wasn't enough to stop her. She laid her hand on his chest, feeling the heavy beat of his heart. He really had been afraid for her. It was a sign that he cared for her, and she clung to it with all the desperation of a fallen angel fighting for her life. His aura was warm, peaceful, and when she touched him, it flared red, making something combust inside her and her sex cream. “And I never lie, at least not anymore.”

He stroked a finger down her face. “I may be crazy, fallen angel, but I believe you. Get in,” he said, opening the passenger door.

She let him bundle her inside, surprised by his sudden agreement. Hopefully, seducing him would be just as easy. He brushed aside her shaking hands and buckled her seat belt for her, in his gruff, masculine way. Then his hands brushed against her bared midriff, and they both sucked in startled breaths. She stared at his large, work-roughened hands, wondering how they got so calloused, and got carried away with a fantasy of them stroking her bare skin, bringing her to a startling, real-life curl your toes; dampen your panties, orgasm. She shuddered, clamping her legs together to stave off the ripples going through her pussy. Damn, he really would think she was nuts. Flashing a guilty glance his way as he pulled back, she hoped that he hadn't noticed. But the dark, sultry expression on his face told her that he had.

He firmly closed the door before she could say a word, saving her from making an awkward situation worse. She studied him as he strode around the car to the driver's side. He had a
drool worthy masculine stride that made her smile. But his watchful gaze as he scanned the parking lot brought her back down to earth. A killer was gunning for her—maybe two killers. Who in blazes had tried to run her down? The obvious name that came to mind was Trevor, the Scarlet A nut job, but somehow it didn't feel like him. It might have been an accident. A hospital employee so tired he couldn't see straight might not have seen her as she staggered along the parked cars. But it didn't excuse the driver from running away, unless he didn't know he'd hit her.

When Crispin opened his door and slid into the driver's seat of his car, she decided to table those worries for later. His dominant aura brushed against hers, and it was all she could do to think straight. When he slammed his door, cocooning them in their own little world, she actually felt sparks arc between them and burned with it. Did he feel it too? As if in answer to her unasked question, he flipped the air-conditioning on high, grumbling something under his breath about it being hot out. She finally dared a look at him. He was sweating too, and the heated expression in his whiskey brown eyes was enough to make a fallen angel like her blush.
Good golly!
“Where are we headed?” she asked when he slipped the car into gear and drove away.

“To my place,” he said, his jaw tight as he gave her a firm look, daring her to object.

Yummy!
She smiled back at him, sensing his satisfaction at her reaction. “Perfect,” she said, wearily leaning her head back against the headrest, relaxing now that she was safely at her hero's side. Knowing that she needed to regain her strength for the battle to come, she let her eyes drift shut. Crispin seemed to sense her exhaustion and let her sleep. In her frazzled state, she'd probably spill the beans and be recalled by Max so fast, it would make her head spin.

“We're here,” Crispin said fifteen minutes later when they pulled into his long gravel driveway.

Haley's eyes swept open at his voice, and she sleepily gazed at the rustic splendor of his lakeside cabin. The modern-day log cabin was just as cute as she'd pictured it in her dreams. Now she was going to get to experience it and him firsthand. The happy thought roused her from her slumber so fast, she let out a little gasp.

Misinterpreting her gasp, he turned to frown at her. “I know it's not the Ritz, and probably not what you're used to. If you want, I'll take you to the nearest five-star hotel.”