Drake was no fool, nor did he feel an ounce of remorse for hustling Evangeline out of Impulse and into his waiting car before she had time to second-guess her hesitant acquiescence. He had also issued a sharp command to his driver to get them to his apartment building with no delay, an order Brady immediately complied with, and to Drake’s immense satisfaction, the car pulled to the front of the skyscraper housing his penthouse apartment in record time.

Evangeline had sat beside him, motionless and quiet, seemingly frozen in place. Her eyes were wide, almost as if she were struggling to take it all in. Or perhaps she was just coming to grips with the enormity of her decision. Not that he’d given her much in the way of an option. His request was hardly worded as one.

But again, he hadn’t become successful in business—or in personal matters—by hesitating when an opportunity presented itself. When—not if—Evangeline gathered her shaken senses, he wanted it to be on his turf. Where she couldn’t run from him. No escape. He couldn’t very well pull out every weapon of persuasion in his arsenal if he was persuading thin air. Which was where she would have vanished if he hadn’t taken swift advantage of her shock and momentary loss of her wits.

If that made him a bastard . . . Well, he’d certainly been called—and for that matter, was—a hell of a lot worse. In the end, what mattered was that he got what he wanted.

Evangeline. Angel. His angel.

In his apartment. His bed. Under his firm hand and protection. For as long as he wished her to be there.

For the first time, he hadn’t already put a finite time on a liaison. Hell, he wasn’t even considering this anything so casual. The days of one-night stands, or even the occasional weekend when he kept the same woman and sated his desires until Monday morning when his workweek began, and the rare weekend he took off, were over.

All he knew was that she was here. With him. About to enter his home. A place he never took a woman—any woman—and he had no intention of letting her go any time soon.

He frowned, uncertain of what to make of that particular revelation. For the time being, he shoved it firmly away and compartmentalized it in his mind to reflect on later. Much later. After Evangeline was taken care of and the matter of their relationship settled.

He opened the door, reaching for Evangeline’s hand, even knowing she couldn’t open the opposing door into the street. She didn’t resist when he stepped onto the sidewalk, carefully pulling her with him. He anchored his arm around her waist as she too stepped from the car, and he ushered her quickly to the entrance and into the lobby where the elevator doors had already been opened by the doorman who worked the night shift.

The doorman courteously extended his arm toward the inside of the elevator and murmured a respectful, “Good night, Mr. Donovan.” But Drake didn’t miss the quick lift of one eyebrow as the doorman’s gaze swept over Evangeline huddled against Drake.

Drake sent him an icy look that had the man retreating as Drake inserted his key card for his floor. He was well aware of the doorman’s surprise, given that Drake never brought women to his home, but the man should have had more discipline than to allow his thoughts to be broadcast through his body language.

As the elevator began its ascent, Evangeline wobbled slightly against him, and he silently cursed those damn shoes he’d been forced to put back on her swollen feet. Then he simply bent and wrapped his fingers around one delicate ankle, ignoring her gasp of surprise as he lifted first one foot to remove the offending heel and then the other. She was forced to hold on to his arm to maintain her balance.

When she reached to take them, he simply shoved them underneath his other arm before once more curling his free arm around her waist, solidly anchoring her back to him.

“You won’t be working in these again,” he said bluntly. “You won’t be working at all. The only time you’ll be wearing heels is if you’re out with me or I want to fuck you in them.”

She stiffened and her eyes sparked when she tilted her head up so their gazes met. She opened her mouth but the elevator stopped, the doors opening immediately, and Drake took advantage by pulling her forward and into his foyer.

They had walked only a few steps when Evangeline abruptly halted. He glanced down, bracing for the inevitable protest, the regaining of her senses, or perhaps she’d finally figured out exactly what she wanted to say but had been too overwhelmed to do so before. But she merely stared wide-eyed, not at him. She wasn’t paying him the slightest bit of attention.

Her gaze swept the sprawling, spacious open-concept apartment, a dazed expression on her face. And then she finally swung it up to meet his, puzzlement and awe swirling in her eyes.

“This is your apartment?” she barely managed to whisper. “I didn’t think they made apartments this large in New York.”

He wanted to kick himself in the head. His wanting to get her to his apartment as quickly as possible was because he didn’t want her too overwhelmed. If anything, seeing and being in his apartment had tipped her the rest of the way off the ledge.

Not knowing what else to do or say at just that moment, he started to pull her into the shelter of his arms to offer her comfort, but just as his fingertips brushed over her arms to take hold, his intercom buzzed.

Evangeline jumped and turned as though she expected someone to be behind her. Drake, however, was pissed.

He strode the few steps to the wall where the speaker was mounted and slammed his thumb over the button.

“What?” he barked.

There was a slight hesitation, and then Thane’s voice bled into the room.

“Uh, Drake? You might want to come down here. We have a situation.”

“What situation?” Drake asked in an icy tone. “I distinctly left orders with all my men that under no circumstances was I to be disturbed.”

Thane sighed loudly. “This woman showed up at the club right after you left and demanded to see you. She then said that if I didn’t produce you immediately, she was calling the cops. I brought her here so whatever burr she has up her ass can be removed and we don’t incur unnecessary trouble.”

There was another slight pause as Drake mentally ran through every curse word in his dictionary. And then some.

“And Drake, it might be a good idea to bring Evangeline with you.”

Before Drake could respond to that absurdity, a screech blasted through the intercom that made him wince.

“Damn right Evangeline better be with him so I can see for myself she’s okay, or swear to God, I’ll call the cops and report Drake Donovan for kidnapping and I’ll tear this whole damn building apart to find her if I have to.”

Evangeline let out a sound of dismay, and Drake turned to see her stricken, mortified expression. She closed her eyes but bristled with humiliation, which made Drake want to put his fist through the wall. This was not how things were supposed to have gone, and this wasn’t going to do anything to settle Evangeline’s fears.

When Evangeline opened her eyes, Drake lifted one eyebrow in question. She promptly sagged like a deflating balloon. She covered her face with both hands as if wishing to be anywhere but where she was. Drake could already feel Evangeline slipping from his grasp, and something akin to panic skated up his spine. He never panicked. Nor did he fear. What would be, would be. And yet he found himself holding his breath in dread.

“It’s Steph,” she said quietly as she let her hands slide slowly from her eyes. “She’s one of my roommates. And Drake, she’s serious. You don’t know her. She will absolutely call the police and God only knows who else. I have to go down there.”

“Not without me,” Drake said, his tone carrying a bite he hadn’t intended.

He shoved the button on the intercom.

“Sit on her, Thane. I’m coming down with Evangeline and by God, Steph better be there when we arrive.”

He turned to Evangeline and extended his hand, waiting for her to slide her much smaller hand over his. He experienced a fierce sense of satisfaction when her flesh met his, but as his grip tightened in preparation to take her into the elevator, he could feel her trembling.

Doing his best not to frown and scare her to death, he instead pulled her close to him and slid his knuckle under her chin, gently nudging it upward.

“You aren’t alone, Angel,” he murmured. “I’ll be with you the entire time. You just have to inform your friend of your choice.”

Left unsaid was that he too would have to be informed of her choice because he was no longer certain she would choose him. Her friend might very well coax Evangeline away. His jaw tightened just thinking about the possibility. Under no circumstances would he let her go. She was worth fighting for.

With that in mind, he sent her a questioning look. She correctly interpreted the silent question as to whether she was ready, and she nodded. Drake pulled her to his side, tucking her beneath his shoulder as they entered the elevator.

The ride down was silent, and Evangeline’s gaze remained fixed on the floor the entire time.

Damn it! He just needed time. A few days. So he could show Evangeline the world she was entering. Instead, as soon as they’d walked inside his home, her friend had arrived, effectively dragging Evangeline crashing back to earth.

As soon as they exited the elevator, Drake saw a very determined-looking redhead stalk forward, Thane behind her looking pissed. Well, that made two of them.

“Evangeline, thank God,” Steph said as she barreled toward them.

To Drake’s surprise, Evangeline nestled closer to his body as if seeking comfort or support.

“To what do we owe this interruption at this hour?” Drake demanded.

Steph’s eyes narrowed. “I had to make sure Evangeline was okay. When she didn’t come home, we thought something horrible had happened.”

“Well, as you can see, she’s just fine,” he drawled. “Now if you’ll excuse us, it’s been a long day.”

Steph’s frown deepened and her eyes shot daggers at him.

“Evangeline is perfectly capable of speaking for herself,” she said acidly. “I’d like to know what she wants. Preferably from her.”

Drake felt Evangeline stiffen, her features drawn in mortification. Shame dulled her eyes, no hint of the vibrancy that made staring at her so entrancing. He swore viciously under his breath and started to put an end to this shit right now, but Evangeline drew in a deep breath and stepped from the protective refuge of his body.

His pulse ratcheted up and he had to fight to maintain an air of indifference. He’d never allow anyone to see his pain if she left with her friend.

“As you can see, I’m fine, Steph,” Evangeline said in a soft voice. “I’m sorry to have worried you, but I did call you and left a voice mail saying I wouldn’t be home tonight. I texted you, Nikki and Lana, as well. And then Drake sent Maddox over to personally reassure you that I was okay.”

“Yeah, a hired goon who looks like he just got out of Rikers,” Steph said, anger still seething in her voice.

Evangeline’s earlier look of shame and defeat evaporated and her spine went rigid. She stared back at Steph, her gaze unflinching as her face flushed. But not in embarrassment. No, his angel was pissed.

He fought to hide his reaction—his surprise—and forced himself to remain a bystander and allow Evangeline to fight her own battle unless it became apparent she was backing down. She further surprised him by walking up to Steph and getting right in her face so there was no possibility of misunderstanding. She pointed her finger directly into Steph’s chest, eliciting a look of complete shock on her friend’s face as if Evangeline had never stood up to her—or any of her so-called friends.

“You will not talk about Maddox that way,” Evangeline snapped. “He has been nothing but kind and patient with me. He intervened at Impulse when Eddie would have likely put me in the hospital. He was kind, respectful and gentle. He took me home, made certain the apartment was safe and told me he would be there the next night at seven because Drake wanted to see me. But I had to work and so Maddox waited for me at the pub until I got off and drove me to Impulse to meet Drake, where we agreed on a personal matter that will remain personal. You have no right to judge Maddox or Drake or Thane, for that matter, who went out of his way to let you know I was okay, when you know nothing about them. And furthermore, you are clearly questioning my judgment. My wants and my needs, which I remind you, are my concern. Not yours. I don’t tell you how to run your life, Steph, and I expect that same respect in return.”

Her hand swept toward Thane, who was wearing a look of shock mixed with approval. Pride even. Thane lifted his gaze to Drake as if to say, You picked a good one. Drake merely nodded his agreement.

“And Steph. You showed up at Impulse after being told I was fine and what my plans were for the night and threatened Thane unless he brought you to wherever Drake and I were. Has he hurt you? Has he threatened you in any way? Because the way I see it, he has treated you with far more respect than you’ve afforded him. I expected more from you, Steph. I expected your faith and trust in me to make my own decisions. I don’t need your, Lana’s or Nikki’s approval or permission to do anything. I don’t interfere in your personal lives, and yet you interfere with mine at every turn. And just to remind you, I never wanted to go to Impulse. It was the last place I wanted to go, but the three of you railroaded me into going, and the result was a night of humiliation I’ll never be able to forget.”

She shuddered and clasped her hands over her upper arms as if she were suddenly cold. Drake could contain himself no longer. He stepped forward and wrapped her securely in his arm, replacing her hand on the arm facing away from his body and rubbed up and down both for warmth and comfort. And to let her know he had her back.

Thane looked completely bewildered and discomfited by Evangeline’s defense of him and Maddox. There was a different look to his eyes when he gazed at Evangeline now. One that held a glimmer of respect, and Thane didn’t respect many people.

Drake’s admiration grew even more because he’d been right, or rather his gut instinct about his angel had been dead-on. Her sweet, soft, delicate feminine appearance, in fact, disguised a woman with an iron will and determination that wouldn’t allow anyone, even himself, to run over her. No matter that she thought the opposite. She clearly thought she was timid and weak and hated conflict, and she likely did. But it didn’t mean she couldn’t hold her own and stand up for what she thought was right. His arm tightened around her, giving her a gentle squeeze of approval as pride settled over him. As did peace. He’d chosen well. He hadn’t been wrong about her at all.

Steph looked taken aback, her mouth falling open at Evangeline’s outburst. She glanced between Thane and Drake like she was sizing up two serial killers. Then her gaze drifted back to Evangeline, clear disbelief reflected on her face. Before she had time to respond to Evangeline’s blunt, impassioned statement, Evangeline pressed while she had the advantage.

“I’m fine, Steph. You were told I wouldn’t be home tonight or today or whatever it is. There was no reason for you to come here and cause a scene. I’ll call you, Lana and Nikki in the next day or two and explain everything. Until then, I would appreciate privacy and no more embarrassing scenes at this hour of the morning.”

Steph pinned Evangeline with a ferocious stare, one Drake imagined worked to intimidate Evangeline most of the time. Only this time, his angel didn’t seem in the least fazed.

“You better do just that,” Steph snapped. “Because if I don’t hear from you personally in the next twenty-four hours, I’m coming back with the police.”

Then she shifted her furious stare at Drake, who merely looked at her as though she were a nuisance.

“There isn’t a place in this damn city you can hide from me, and so help me God, if you hurt Evangeline in any way, I’ll cut off your balls and make you eat them.”

“Since that’s not ever going to happen, your threat is completely hollow,” Drake said in a dismissive tone. One that said it was time for her to leave. Now.

He lifted his gaze to Thane and sent him a silent look of apology. Thane mouthed his words but Drake could clearly see what he’d said and only barely managed to hold back his laughter.

Thane had said Fuck me.

“Thane will see you home now,” Drake said in a formal voice, remaining cold and aloof toward the woman who’d nearly ruined the entire evening. For that matter, she might well have for all he knew, because he had no idea what was going on in Evangeline’s mind.

Not waiting for any more drama or theatrics, Drake drew Evangeline to his side and guided her back to the elevator. Her eyes were closed the entire way up, her features still frozen with mortification.

He gently escorted her into his apartment, this time giving her no time to ponder the size and elegance of it. He ushered her into the bedroom and she immediately began to tremble against him.

Something went soft inside his heart. It was an alien, uncomfortable feeling. One he was not used to at all.

But she looked exhausted, lost and so confused that all he could do was pull her into his arms as he’d wanted to do before they were interrupted by her roommate. At first she was tense against him, but as he did nothing more than hold her against him and stroke a hand through her hair in a soothing motion, her own arms crept around his waist and she relaxed.

She laid her cheek against his chest and he felt her soft sigh all the way to his bones. It was a sound that would make a man do anything to make this woman happy.

“Get ready for bed, Angel,” he said gruffly. “You’re tired, your feet hurt and you’ve had a very long couple of days. The thing you need most right now is sleep. However, you sleep with me, in my bed. Every night. No exception.”

Slowly she nodded, her cheek rubbing up and down his chest.

“Don’t get me wrong, Angel,” he murmured. “There’s nothing I’d love more than to make love to you all night so that when you wake up you’ll know exactly who you belong to. But you’re dead on your feet, and for now, just having you in my bed, in my arms, is more than I could have dreamed of.”