It was past two a.m. when he finally came back.

She was asleep.

He undressed and stood over her, looking down at her. If he’d had a shred of decency, he would have left her alone. He’d known the minute he first saw those green eyes, he was in over his head. How I’ll ever get out of this, I don’t know. And at that moment he didn’t want to. Couldn’t have if he tried. He was in deep, as deep as he’d ever been, and he couldn’t fight it anymore.

His fist closed over the bedsheet, and he slowly pulled it from her, watching as it slid over her skin, exposing her naked body inch by inch. He tossed the fabric to the floor and let his eyes run over her curves.

He moved over her prone, sleeping form leaning on his elbows on either side of her waist. Even in the dim moonlight he could see the tracks of tears on her face, proof that she’d cried herself to sleep.

The muscles in his arms and shoulders rippled as he leaned his head down and kissed her throat, her collarbone. God, he needed her. He left a trail of kisses along her chest.

Angel moaned in her sleep.

He dipped his head to her breast and touched her nipple with his tongue. He pulled it into his mouth, gently sucking. She arched her back, coming awake and pushed against his shoulders, not realizing where she was.

He raised his head and looked down at her. “Shh. Shh, baby. It’s okay,” he soothed her. His mouth returned to what it had been doing.

She thrashed, trying to pull away.

He tightened his arms around her, his strong biceps locking around her ribs. “Don’t fight me, Angel. Come on, baby. Relax for me. That’s it.”

***

“Cole.” She pushed at his shoulders, the heat spreading from his mouth all through her. It wasn’t fair. He could have her melting at his mere touch. He wanted her physically, but emotionally he wouldn’t let her get close. “Cole, no,” she whispered breathlessly.

“You’re mine, Angel. Don’t deny me. You don’t ever deny your man, understand?” He slid down to her navel, his mouth soft, his tongue delving.

Her breath caught in her throat, and she turned her head from side to side. “You said I don’t belong here. You pushed me away. Why do you keep pulling me back? Why must you do this to me? It’s not fair.”

“You want me. Say it.”

“No. I don’t,” she whispered.

***

“Liar,” he accused softly and nipped at her with his teeth. If he had any conscience left, he would have left her alone. But, God forgive him, he couldn’t leave her alone. She was fast becoming an addiction to him, his drug of choice. The cravings he felt for her were just as strong.

“Cole. Please, no—”

“Don’t fight it, sweetheart,” Cole growled low in his throat. He slid up to her face, his hands running through her hair, pulling her head back. He kissed his way up her throat and over to her ear. He whispered, “Please, baby. I need you. Open your legs for me, Angel.”

Hesitantly, she obeyed his command, relaxing beneath him.

He had her anchored to the bed, holding her as she opened to him, and he slid his hips into the cradle of her thighs. Cole groaned at her surrender, and his mouth closed over hers.

She answered his heat with a fire all her own.

He bit her lower lip gently, and need swirled through him as her hands slid over his back. He couldn’t deny he wanted her. He wouldn’t deny it anymore. And he couldn’t deny the possessive feelings that had taken hold of him. She was his. His angel. A confusing mix of fire and ice, claws one minute, purring the next. “You’re mine, Angel. Say it,” he demanded softly.

She shook her head from side to side.

His mouth moved to her ear, and he whispered, “Say it.”

She couldn’t deny it, anymore than she could deny her need to breathe. Whatever this was between them, it was powerful. “Yes, Cole. I’m yours.”

He growled low in his throat as he entered her.

Angel caught her breath, and then wrapped her legs around him and hung on as he took her to heaven.

 

***

 

Angel awoke alone. She looked over at the clock radio. Seven a.m. She waited for a while, thinking he would come back. At nine, she got out of bed and got dressed. She was combing her hair when there was a knock at the door. She opened it and found Crystal standing there.

“Morning,” Crystal said.

“Morning,” Angel replied.

“Mack wanted me to tell you that he wants to speak with you.”

What could he want to talk to her about, she wondered. “Crystal, do you know where Cole is?”

She shrugged. “He left a while ago.” Then she turned to go.

Angel followed Crystal out. They walked down to the main room to the bar. She could smell the aroma of just brewed coffee, and her eyes located the coffee maker on the counter against the wall.

“The coffee’s fresh. I just made it,” Crystal informed her as she handed Angel a clean mug.

“Thanks.” Angel took it and poured herself a cup.

“Mack’s waiting for you in there.” She nodded toward a room off to the side.

Angel looked back at Crystal. “Do you know what he wants to talk to me about?”

Crystal shook her head. “I wouldn’t keep him waiting.”

Angel turned and carried her coffee with her. She peeked inside the open door and saw Mack sitting at the far end of a long wooden table. It looked like a boardroom, a lot like the room at the Dead Souls’ clubhouse where she had first met Cole.

Mack looked up and saw her standing there.

“Come on in, darlin’.” He indicated the chair next to him.

She sat down, setting her coffee mug on the table. “You wanted to talk to me?”

He nodded. “Yeah. Just wanted to say thanks again for that help you gave us.”

She smiled timidly. “You’re welcome. I didn’t want to see Cole get in any trouble.”

“Right.” He drank from the coffee mug he was holding. “So, you got feelings for Cole?”

She wasn’t ready for the direct question. “Why are you asking?”

He shrugged. “Just wondering. You two have been pretty tight since you met.”

“I guess so.” He was making her nervous. She looked down at the table and played with the handle of her coffee mug.

“How old are you, Angel?”

She frowned. “Why are you asking me all these questions?”

“How old?” he pressed her.

She stared him in the eye, determined not to let him see how much he rattled her. She felt out of her element. “Twenty-one.”

He nodded. “Wow, twenty-one. You have your whole life ahead of you, don’t you?”

“I suppose.”

“I can’t see you getting mixed up with this kind of life. It really doesn’t suit you.”

“How would you know what suits me? You don’t know me at all,” she insisted, staring into her mug.

“I know you. Your kind.”

She turned to look at him. “My kind?”

“You think he’s broken, and you’re gonna be the one to fix him. It’s what all you little girls think.”

Angel watched as he put a cigar in his mouth, lit a match, and puffed to get it lit. Then he looked over at her. “You can’t change him, darlin’. So don’t go tryin’ to save his soul. This club? It’s in his blood. It’s who he is. You’re no good for him, Angel. When you’re around he’s distracted… he makes mistakes. Mistakes that can get him killed. Is that what you want?”

“No. Of course not.”

Mack puffed on his cigar, looking at her.

“Where is Cole?” she asked, looking over her shoulder at the door.

Mack leaned back in his chair. “He had some business concerns to take care of. He won’t be back for a few days.”

“A few days?” She stared at him, confused. Why didn’t he say anything to her? He didn’t even say goodbye. She looked down at the table, trying to understand.

“Yeah. He wanted me to make sure you got a cab home.”

Angel stared at Mack. None of this made sense. Cole wouldn’t just brush her off like this, would he? “Did he… did he say anything else?”

Mack shrugged, tapping his cigar in the ashtray on the table. “He said to be sure to tell you he had a good time.” He saw the hurt in her eyes. He waved the hand with the cigar. “Cole’s not very good at saying goodbye.”

“That’s funny. He told me he was.” She got up, shoved her chair back, and walked out of the room.

Mack hollered after her. “I’ll call that cab for you.”

She walked straight over to Crystal.

Crystal turned to her and saw the look on her face. “You okay?”

“Do you know where Cole went?”

Just as she was about to answer her, Crystal looked past Angel and saw Mack standing in the doorway. “Oregon, I think.”

Angel looked behind her and saw Mack. She turned and ran up the stairs back to Cole’s room and closed the door. She couldn’t understand. Why would he do this? Maybe she was wrong about him. Maybe she was wrong about everything. She looked around the room realizing she didn’t have any belongings to pack. Everything she had was borrowed.

Her eyes landed on the desk. She moved toward it and rummaged till her fingers brushed over a pen and an old envelope. She wrote him a note leaving him a couple of phone numbers if he wanted to contact her. She told him she hoped he would call her. She said she didn’t understand why he left without saying goodbye at least.

Sitting on the bed she looked around the room, committing it to memory. She had a feeling she would never be back here again. She sat there a long time.

The doorknob turned. She held her breath. Hoping it was Cole.

Crystal stuck her head in. “Angel, your cab’s here.”

Leaving the note lying on the bed, Angel got up and walked out of Cole’s room and out of his life.

 

***

After she drove off, Mack walked into Cole’s room and found the note he was sure she’d leave. He read it. Then he shook his head, crumbled it up, and stuffed it in his pocket.

 

***

That afternoon, Cole, Crash, and Red Dog returned from the run they had made. They walked into the clubhouse. Crash and Red Dog stopped at the bar. Mack was sitting there with a couple of guys.

Cole headed to his room.

“She’s not there,” Mack said quietly, sipping his drink.

Cole paused and looked back at him. He looked from Mack to the other guys. He walked slowly back and stood next to Mack. “What do you mean?”

“She left. Called a cab this morning.” Mack turned on his barstool to look at Cole. “Guess she wanted to get back to her life. Probably had enough of playing the bad girl.”

Cole lunged at Mack.

Crash jumped in front of him and pushed him back, while Red Dog grabbed his shoulders from behind, restraining him.

“What the fuck did you do?” Cole shouted at Mack.

Mack stared him down. “I didn’t do a damn thing. She went back to her life. What? You didn’t see this coming? She didn’t fit in here. We all saw it.”

Cole shook off Red Dog’s hold and shoved Crash away. He headed upstairs. Opening the door to his room, he was half hoping it was all a joke, that he’d find her sitting on the bed reading a magazine, waiting for him.

The room was empty. He looked around. No trace of her. No note. Nothing.

He sunk into the mattress and leaned his arms on his knees. He shook his head. It didn’t make any sense. She said she didn’t want to leave. Did she mean it? Did this life frighten her? Could he blame her? Isn’t he the one that told her this wouldn’t last? That she didn’t belong? So, why did this bother him so much?

She didn’t say goodbye.

He could find her, track her down… and then it dawned on him. In all these days they’d spent together, he didn’t even get her last name. How could that be possible? He’d never asked her last name.

She was gone. He’d never be able to find her.