For the last few weeks, I’ve had a standing appointment with Angel every Monday and Wednesday afternoon. I’ve considered adding Tuesday and Thursday as well, but I don’t want to scare the girl or come across as clingy.

Obviously, I’d be happy to fuck her every day, but I’m trying to pace myself.

So, when I get a call on Monday morning telling me that Angel is no longer available and I’ve been rescheduled with Vickie, I don’t understand what’s happening. The woman doing the scheduling at Fate is absolutely useless. The more times I ask why, the more uncomfortable she gets, which just makes me more worried about Angel.

I try calling Angel directly to find out if she’s okay, but my call goes to voicemail.

For two hours.

It’s just after eleven when I finally text Mark to see if he has any information. Is Angel okay?

He responds immediately. I think so, why?

Is she working today?

I saw her about an hour ago, so yeah. What’s going on? I can tell Mark is getting antsy too. He cares about his employees and if she’s in trouble, I know he’ll be there to help her.

Relief washes over me knowing she’s not in a hospital or a ditch somewhere, but I still don’t understand why she had to cancel with me if she’s working today. Your receptionist rescheduled my standing appointment to Vickie. What’s going on?

I’ll find out.

I place my phone on the table next to my tablet so I don’t miss his response while I try to focus on my meeting. I just need to know that Angel is okay and that the cancellation was a misunderstanding so the shaking of my leg under the table will finally stop.

Only five minutes pass before Mark responds to my message. Sorry, dude. She asked to take you off her schedule going forward.

What the fuck? Things have been great between us. We’ve even added lunch or coffee after most of our appointments. Maybe that’s the problem. Are we getting too close, and she’s starting to develop feelings?

Because that seems less awful today than it did a month ago. In fact, it seems inevitable. And maybe even kinda nice. The more time I spend with Angel, the more I want to spend with her. And having lunch with her isn’t like it is with most woman. I don’t have to listen to stories about how amazing she is or how down on her luck she is. Angel doesn’t ever make me feel like she wants me to take care of her.

She just likes being around me.

I like being around her.

Which is why this whole thing doesn’t make any sense. I don’t know what motivated her actions today, but I intend to find out.

As soon as my meeting’s over, I storm out of the building and head straight to Fate Advisors. It’s lunchtime, so traffic is heavy along El Camino Road, but I pull into the parking lot at twelve twenty.

The lot is almost full, but I’m able to find a spot at the end of the driveway. Before I even get out of my car, a man walks out of Angel’s office, and my blood starts to boil.

She doesn’t have time for me, but she can fuck this dude?

Part of me wants to tear this guy apart for touching my woman, but a bigger part of me wants to storm into that room and make her tell me what’s going on.

My original appointment was scheduled for two o’clock, so I know she won’t have another client until then. There is always an hour or more buffer between clients to allow the cleaning crew to take care of the room, so she’s probably alone right now. I consider waiting until Angel has a chance to shower and clean up, but I’m tired of waiting.

I want answers, and I want them now.

The second her client pulls out of the parking lot, I head straight to her room and pound on the door.

Angel is wearing her thick robe and has her hair pulled up in a messy bun when she opens the door. “Brende— Oh, Garrett. Hi.”

I take a deep breath, willing myself to remain calm even though hot surges of both anger and lust are shooting through my veins. “Can I come in?”

“Um, sure. But, did you get a call from the front desk today?” She bites the corner of her lip, obviously not comfortable with the conversation we’re about to have.

Too bad.

“Yeah, I did.” I follow her inside and slam the door behind me. “That’s why I’m here. I want to know why.”

Angel pulls her robe tighter over her chest so there’s no chance of it opening then sits down in her desk chair to force some distance between us. “Look, I’m not judging you. You can do anything you want with your life, but your wife or girlfriend or…baby mama…paid me a little visit.”

“What?” My mind is spinning as I try to understand what Angel means.

“Yeah, and she made it very clear that I’m not welcome to be a part of your sex life.” Angel takes a deep breath and stares at her fingers in her lap. “So, I just don’t feel comfortable seeing you anymore.”

“Seriously, I have no idea what you’re talking about. I don’t have a wife or a— Goddammit.” I slouch back into the chair at the desk and rest my fists on my forehead. “A tall blonde, bitchy and really loud?”

Angel cocks an eyebrow and nods her head once. “Yeah, I guess you could describe her that way.”

“That stupid bitch is trying to get money out of me.” I look up and meet Angel’s gaze, hoping she’ll at least hear me out. “I dated her very briefly about six months ago, and then she took off. She showed up pregnant about a month ago and has been asking for a ton of cash since.”

“Regardless of what kind of woman she is, she’s carrying your child, Garrett. That matters. I grew up without a dad and, well, I told you how that worked out for my sister.”

“It’s not my kid, Angel. I swear.”

Angel just stares at me as if I’m being naïve. “How do you know?”

I smile. “Unlike with you, I was extremely careful with Tiffany and there were no accidents. Ever.”

Angel’s eyes soften as she watches me for several long moments before relaxing in her chair. “Well, still. She came at me in a Starbucks. I can’t have crazy exes hunting me down in public. What if I was with Oscar?”

“Fuck, I’m sorry.” She’s right. It’s not fair for me to put her in this kind of situation. “You’re absolutely right. I won’t call you again until I deal with Tiffany.” I lean forward with my elbows on my knees and look Angel right in the eye. “But as soon as she’s out of the picture, I’m coming back for you.”

Angel’s breath hitches, and I swear she shivers as if a chill has just run through her. “Vickie will take care of you for now,” she whispers.

My eyes harden at the insult. “I will not be seeing anyone else, Angel. I come here for you. If I had my way, you wouldn’t be with anyone else either. But I want you to know that until you’re ready to see me again, I’ll be waiting very impatiently.”

I have Tiffany on the phone before I’m even back in my car. “Meet me at Ben’s in an hour.” The small dive bar near my home is one she knows well.

“Good afternoon to you too, Garrett.”

I hang up without responding. She doesn’t deserve my greetings. She doesn’t deserve shit.

But I don’t really have time to waste with her games.

I just want her out of my fucking life.

When I walk into the bar with the quickie contract my lawyer drew up, Tiffany is sitting with a glass of something that looks like a cocktail but she claims is just soda water and cranberry. Without much more than a scowl in greeting, I hand her the settlement check and contract.

I’m prepared to give her two million dollars to never come near me or Angel again. Tiffany tries to play hardball for all of thirty seconds before tearing the check from my grip and agreeing to my terms. In addition to no contact, I’ve stipulated that she cannot live within two hundred miles of me for the next thirty years. It’s probably not something that would hold up in court, but I like the idea of her avoiding my stomping ground for the foreseeable future.

When Tiffany slides out of the booth to leave, her stomach actually looks a lot smaller than it has. I’m not convinced she’s actually pregnant, but I don’t give a shit either way. Seeing the hurt and disappointment in Angel’s eyes when she thought I was married was enough to snap me out of my stupor of ignorance.

I like Angel. A lot. And I need to stop being an immature ass.

As scary as it sounds, I want to see if there’s a chance that she cares about me too. I need to know if the pull between us is more than lust. If there’s even a tiny possibility that she’s my true mate, I can’t let her go. Neither of us will ever be happy. And based on the way I feel when she’s not in my arms, I’m starting to realize I’ve already fallen further than I ever have before.

After dropping the signed contract off with my attorney, I head back to Fate Advisors to fulfill my end of the bargain. I didn’t expect to be back so soon, but I’m glad as hell that I am. If it had taken weeks to settle with Tiffany, she might have been signing from a body bag rather than a booth in a dive bar.

It’s almost four when I get back and I know Angel’s probably wrapping up her final session for the day. She doesn’t usually work this late, but some clients request special hours.

Not willing to leave and risk missing her, I head to the lobby and request a meeting with Mark.

“Hey, buddy. Everything okay?” Mark asks while ushering me back to his office.

“I think it will be.” I give him the short version of my situation with Angel, and a few things seem to click together in his mind as I speak.

When I’m finally done, Mark takes a moment to consider everything I’ve told him before giving me a soft smile. “I think she likes you too.”

“Why do you say that?” What does he know?

“I hear things.” Mark smirks as he leans back in his chair with his fingers steepled in front of his mouth. “And see things.”

I groan, imagining the things he’s seen. “Um, I don’t think I want to hear about all that.”

“All I can say is, I think there’s something there.” Mark chuckles. “As long as you’ve taken care of that other shit, you might have a chance.”

I sigh, just realizing how tense my shoulders and neck have been all day. “I hope so.”

I sit silently for a moment before looking back at my friend. “Is it stupid? Guys like us have so much to lose… You think it’s worth risking everything for the possibility of a mate?”

Mark twists his head to look out the window, staring off into the distance. “I think it is, Garrett. I haven’t gotten there myself yet, but I hope that if I ever do, I recognize the moment and go for it.” He turns and looks me right in the eye. “Because I don’t think we always get second chances. You’ve done what you set out to do in your career. Isn’t it time to focus on something that will last beyond a stock certificate or a webpage?”

“Maybe.” I glance at my watch and stand up. “And I guess now is my chance to find out.”