the one who truly needed protecting. She was in real danger. As far as I could tell Mel didn’t even know her big secret, and that meant it was all up to me to do something about it.
Raindrops pelted her relentlessly as she moved hurriedly down the sidewalk in my direction. She had the hood of her rain jacket pulled up over her head so I couldn’t see her face, but I’d remedy that in just a moment. The Mine bartender and I definitely had some unfinished business. She was going to look me in the eyes and tell me what the bloody hell had happened to her. I was pretty certain I already knew, and that was what had me so worked up. So much so that I’d been parked out on the street all night long, sitting in my car waiting for her like a fucking stalker.
“April,” I called when she got close enough, stepping out of my car to intercept her.
She kept going as if she hadn’t heard me. She had though. She had definitely stepped up her pace. I jogged behind her and grabbed her arm, swinging her around to face me.
“Dizzy, go away!” she hissed her expression apprehensive beneath the shadow of her hood. She turned and glanced over her shoulder nervously. “James is home. He’s awake. Our window faces this way. He’ll see us.”
Her fear of him revealed a lot. “I don’t bloody care,” I snapped. Anger toward him and agitation over what he’d been doing to her had me at the tipping point already. She tried to yank her arm free.
“We’re getting soaked.” The rain was coming down harder now. Everything but my jacket was saturated, clothes cold and wet and plastered to my skin, rivulets of water dripping from my hair and into my eyes. I gestured toward the Panamera. “Get in the damn car so we can talk!”
“No!” she protested.
“Yes!” I insisted, dragging her by the elbow to the passenger side and clicking open the lock.
“You can’t make me go with you, Diz.” That was the first time she’d used the shortened version of my name. I liked it, and I liked that spunk evident in her tone. She wasn’t afraid of me. What I didn’t like seeing were those red rimmed eyes. She’d been crying, a lot I think.
Shit.
“You wanna bet?” I wasn’t above a little blackmail at this point, so I laid it out for her. “You either get in the car with me or I’ll go up to your apartment and have a word with your husband myself. Which is it gonna be?”
She ducked her head and slid in. I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding and closed the door after her. Jogging around the rear of the Panamera, boots kicking up a big splash of water sheeting down the street, I folded into my side and closed the door.
“Please. Just drive.” She was tense as fuck, staring straight ahead, hands clenched into tight fists on her lap. “Get us away from here.”
“Alright.” My voice was gruff reflecting my own internal turmoil regarding this whole twisted up scene.
She let out a shaky breath as soon as I peeled around the corner and headed downhill toward the waterfront on Burrard. I looked at her. She was shivering, soaked to the bone. Droplets of water clung to her lashes as she returned my stare. “Let me out here. Pull over into that empty spot.” She gestured toward the curb.
“Not gonna happen, Kitten.” But I did pull over, just briefly, so I could shrug out of my jacket and drape it around her shoulders. I liked the way it looked on her. I could have stared at her just like that for hours, but she was still cold. I turned up the heat some more and reached over covering one of her fists with my hand, tapping down the intense hum of desire I was getting used to feeling whenever I touched her. “I’m gonna ask the questions and you’re gonna answer them. We can talk here in the car, but I’d prefer it if we go somewhere else. I have a feeling I’m not gonna like what you tell me, and I don’t want either of us to get hurt if I lose it and wreck my new car. Ok?”
She nodded once, sagged in
Raindrops pelted her relentlessly as she moved hurriedly down the sidewalk in my direction. She had the hood of her rain jacket pulled up over her head so I couldn’t see her face, but I’d remedy that in just a moment. The Mine bartender and I definitely had some unfinished business. She was going to look me in the eyes and tell me what the bloody hell had happened to her. I was pretty certain I already knew, and that was what had me so worked up. So much so that I’d been parked out on the street all night long, sitting in my car waiting for her like a fucking stalker.
“April,” I called when she got close enough, stepping out of my car to intercept her.
She kept going as if she hadn’t heard me. She had though. She had definitely stepped up her pace. I jogged behind her and grabbed her arm, swinging her around to face me.
“Dizzy, go away!” she hissed her expression apprehensive beneath the shadow of her hood. She turned and glanced over her shoulder nervously. “James is home. He’s awake. Our window faces this way. He’ll see us.”
Her fear of him revealed a lot. “I don’t bloody care,” I snapped. Anger toward him and agitation over what he’d been doing to her had me at the tipping point already. She tried to yank her arm free.
“We’re getting soaked.” The rain was coming down harder now. Everything but my jacket was saturated, clothes cold and wet and plastered to my skin, rivulets of water dripping from my hair and into my eyes. I gestured toward the Panamera. “Get in the damn car so we can talk!”
“No!” she protested.
“Yes!” I insisted, dragging her by the elbow to the passenger side and clicking open the lock.
“You can’t make me go with you, Diz.” That was the first time she’d used the shortened version of my name. I liked it, and I liked that spunk evident in her tone. She wasn’t afraid of me. What I didn’t like seeing were those red rimmed eyes. She’d been crying, a lot I think.
Shit.
“You wanna bet?” I wasn’t above a little blackmail at this point, so I laid it out for her. “You either get in the car with me or I’ll go up to your apartment and have a word with your husband myself. Which is it gonna be?”
She ducked her head and slid in. I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding and closed the door after her. Jogging around the rear of the Panamera, boots kicking up a big splash of water sheeting down the street, I folded into my side and closed the door.
“Please. Just drive.” She was tense as fuck, staring straight ahead, hands clenched into tight fists on her lap. “Get us away from here.”
“Alright.” My voice was gruff reflecting my own internal turmoil regarding this whole twisted up scene.
She let out a shaky breath as soon as I peeled around the corner and headed downhill toward the waterfront on Burrard. I looked at her. She was shivering, soaked to the bone. Droplets of water clung to her lashes as she returned my stare. “Let me out here. Pull over into that empty spot.” She gestured toward the curb.
“Not gonna happen, Kitten.” But I did pull over, just briefly, so I could shrug out of my jacket and drape it around her shoulders. I liked the way it looked on her. I could have stared at her just like that for hours, but she was still cold. I turned up the heat some more and reached over covering one of her fists with my hand, tapping down the intense hum of desire I was getting used to feeling whenever I touched her. “I’m gonna ask the questions and you’re gonna answer them. We can talk here in the car, but I’d prefer it if we go somewhere else. I have a feeling I’m not gonna like what you tell me, and I don’t want either of us to get hurt if I lose it and wreck my new car. Ok?”
She nodded once, sagged in
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