LITMIR.BIZ

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available, I’d take any man who was?”

      As she spoke, her voice rose almost to a shout, but it all came back on her, all the pain and mortification. She laughed, but it wasn’t a happy sound. Derek sat staring at her, his expression almost comically blank.

      Well, he wasn’t used to hearing her yell. She’d always been meek and agreeable with him, so much so she’d made his objective pathetically easy. He’d overwhelmed her with his bigger-than-life persona, but not anymore. Now she’d changed, thanks to the way he’d screwed up her life. And he had changed as well.

      “Believe me, Derek, you were the only one. And once with you was more than enough.”

      It was her sneering tone, meant to show him her loathing, only it didn’t work.

      She’d started to tremble and Derek was suddenly there, his arms around her, his lips against her temple. “Shh, baby, I’m sorry. So sorry.”

      “Just go back to work, Derek. Leave me alone.”

      “I can’t do that.” He leaned back, keeping her pelvis pressed to his, but putting space between their upper bodies. “You don’t want me to do that. For whatever reason, Angel, you contacted me.”

      She opened her mouth, but she couldn’t think of a single thing to say.

      “Shh. It’s all right. You don’t have to tell me now. I’ll wait until you’re ready.”

      That he suspected her of having ulterior motives should have alarmed her, but she was just too tired to fight with him. And since she desperately needed his concession, she nodded, relief making her slump against him.

      “I was an idiot in the office yesterday. Of course I know you haven’t been with anyone else. Sometimes men just say…stupid things.” He seemed to be floundering for the right words as his hands coasted up and down her back, soothing. “We won’t mention that again, okay?”

      Reluctantly, she nodded.

      “Good.” He stepped back, but rather than sit at the table again, he began compiling his own sandwich. “I do want to hear everything—no matter how insignificant—that’s happened to you since we’ve been apart.” He gave her a sharp, assessing glance. “I have a lot of catching up to do. All right?”

      “Yes.” The distraction of simple conversation would help her regain her balance. She didn’t want to confide in him yet, not until she knew she could trust him with Grayson’s safety. “Yes, I’ll tell you…everything.”

      He stayed longer than she would have guessed, and he asked more questions than she could answer. When Grayson awoke, Derek changed the baby, cuddled him for long moments, and when Grayson demanded to be fed, he finally took his leave. But he promised to come back the next day.

      And though she was annoyed with herself, Angel already looked forward to his next visit.

      CHAPTER FIVE

      DINNER SEEMED TO LAST forever. All Dane wanted to do was go home and ponder Angel’s revelation. She’d been a virgin. God, he still felt stunned. And entirely too aroused.

      From what she’d told him, she’d only been with Derek once, and that had been a disappointment.

      Possessive heat filled him. She hadn’t really belonged to Derek, not the way a woman should, not the way she would belong to him. Guilt plagued him as he considered making her his own while knowing Derek had been her first and only. But with every minute that passed, he felt more determined to tie himself to her. There were numerous reasons, none of them overly honest, but still, they served his purpose.

      He adored Grayson, already loving him as if he were his own. Dane had never thought to fit the bill of father—his chance had been lost to him so long ago. But it was precisely because his chance had been lost, and why, that he wanted to protect Grayson. Angel was right to fear his family; they would take over without giving her a single chance if he let them. But her fear also seemed exaggerated and somewhat pointless. Sooner or later they’d find out about the baby. It was inevitable.

      He planned to be there when they did, to soothe her fears.

      Angel also deserved his protection, and the luxury the Carter name could supply. Whatever else Derek had become, he’d still been a wealthy man. Grayson had a birthright that would pave much of his way in the world. Derek should have seen that Grayson received his due; for reasons of his own, he hadn’t, and Dane was determined to correct the oversight.

      He also still believed Angel to be the most likely link in discovering what had happened to his brother. So far, nothing seemed to fit. Derek was capable of some pretty ruthless behavior, but the way he’d treated Angel seemed out of character even for him. Much of the cruelty had been deliberate and unnecessary. Why had Derek done it? And what was the real reason Angel had contacted him again, despite the damn past they shared? There were secrets there, things he had to discover, and that too, was a good reason to stay in touch with Miss Angel Morris.

      The biggest reason of all, of course, was the chemistry between them. When he touched Angel, all his senses exploded like never before. And not even the memory of her and Derek’s past experiences could dampen her responses; it was driving him insane.

      Damn his brother for complicating things so, for hurting her. And most of all for letting himself get killed. What had Derek been up to?

      “Dane?”

      Startled out of his ruminations, Dane looked up to see his mother frowning fiercely across the table at him. She did it well, he thought as he speared a bite of asparagus and chewed slowly. Her look was so forbidding that most people immediately apologized even before they knew what they’d done wrong. At sixty, she was still a slim, attractive woman with her light-brown hair stylishly twisted behind her head, and her brown eyes sharp with intelligence. She kept herself in top physical shape; her pride would tolerate no less.

      Dane stifled a bored yawn. He’d quit playing his mother’s games long ago. “Did you want something, Mother?”

      She pinched her mouth together at his lack of manners and deference due her. “Where in the world is your attention? You haven’t been following the conversation at all.”

      Celia smiled toward him. “Do you have a big investigation that’s got you stumped, brother?”

      He sent her a chiding glance. Celia had been teasing him about being a P.I. since he’d walked in the door. She’d had the gall to ask him if he carried a spy kit. His sister seemed different than he remembered, more lighthearted, more playful. He liked the changes.

      To his surprise, Raymond blurted, “You aren’t still wondering about the Morris woman, are you?”

      His mother straightened to attention, jumping on the topic like a dog on a meaty bone. She had plans for Dane, he knew. She’d sat him at the head of the table—a major concession for her, and an indication of what she expected from him in the future. She wouldn’t want any threats to her plans, and his interest in anyone or anything other than the company would certainly be considered a threat.

      He hadn’t yet told her of his intentions, or rather lack thereof, toward the family and the company. He wanted everything settled first before he dropped his news on her.

      “What’s this, Dane?” Her face was alarmingly pale, her eyes flashing. “What’s Raymond talking about?”

      “Nothing of any import, Mother. I merely asked Raymond a few questions about Angel Morris. I was curious since Derek had been seeing the woman for a while.”

      Celia turned quiet and gave her attention to her food. His mother wasn’t so reserved. Her hands fisted on the table, yet she managed to keep her tone calm. “He wasn’t seeing her, for heaven’s sake. He merely associated with her to ease the effort of the takeover. She was a secretary of sorts, no one important. Certainly no one important to Derek.”

      Forcefully keeping his emotions in check, feigning a certain lack of interest, Dane

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