Page 14 of The Sinner's Touch

“What about guests of the renters?”

“We had a policy change last month. Guests have to be cleared ahead of time, and they will still need to sign in and out. I bitched about it when I had to register Lily, but what are you gonna do? I called the building and let them know you and Angel would be staying there and to make sure you had a set of keys. You’ll both need to register before you go up.”

“Thanks, kid.” There were times it paid to have family with money, and this was definitely one of them.

“You given any more thought to the job I offered you? I know Viktor offered you a position in his company too.”

“No. I haven’t had time, not with this case.”

“Well, think about it. I guarantee you’ll make more money.”

The grin in his little brother’s voice was enough to turn up his own lips. The kid just had a way of making you smile. Cheeky bastard.

“I will, and thanks, Nik. I appreciate it.”

“No worries, man. Lily has some clothes in the place if Angel needs to borrow some. Not sure they’ll fit her, though. She’s taller than Lily, I think.”

“I told her to grab a few things, but thanks for thinking of it.”

“Angel is a friend. I have maybe two friends who are female, excluding Lily. If there’s anything she needs, just ask.”

“You sound like you know her pretty well.”

“Yeah. I stumbled into her bar sophomore year, drunker than I’d ever been. She refused to serve me, shoved me in the back to sleep it off, and we’ve been friends since. Not sure why she went to all the trouble for someone she should have just called a cab for, but she means a lot to me. Take care of her, Kade.”

“I will.” Kade knew exactly why she’d gone to so much trouble. All the brothers except Dimitri looked alike. Angel had to have known who he was the moment he stepped into the bar. She’d taken care of him because she knew how much Kade loved his brother.

“Just a heads up, man. There is absolutely no food in the apartment. We don’t keep much there since it’s a weekend place for us and we order in.”

“Duly noted. I have to go, Nik. Bailey is waving at me like a madman.”

“Okay. Tell Angel to shout if she needs anything. I’d be more than happy to hire extra security for her.”

“I might take you up on that.”

He said his goodbyes and hung up. Bailey stood in the hallway, looking exasperated. It had to be something Angel did.

He suppressed a grin, wondering what the hell she’d done now, and decided to relieve the poor detective. Angel could be a handful when her temper flared, and right now it was out of control.

But that was when he had the most fun.

CHAPTER SIX

Angel tried to focus on the passing landscape, but the woodsy scent that was all Kade invaded her senses. He never wore cologne. His smell kept bringing back old memories, memories she’d worked hard to forget. Not that she ever really forgot, though. They haunted her dreams at night. She couldn’t hide from them there.

Like the Saturday he found her on the beach, two weeks after he’d seen her show at The Velvet Room. What possessed her to wink at him, she’d never know, but the devil in her couldn’t stop from reveling in the open lust burning in his eyes as he’d watched her dance. Men had stared at her, ogled her body, but no one affected her like Kade. His gaze lingered on her skin for days. She couldn’t shake him.

She loved lying on the beach, loved the feel of the sun caressing her. When her friends called and wanted to know if she’d go, she’d dug out her favorite red bikini and sun hat. An hour later, the three of them were stretched out and admiring all the fine specimens of the male species littering the sand. Two had already caught her eye, one of which she was engaging in asilent flirtation of stolen glances. Tall, blond, a surfer. Abs that went on forever.

“He’s so worth it.”

Jasmine’s low whistle made her grin. The girl had sized up Angel’s surfer and found him acceptable. Hannah seemed to agree. She couldn’t keep her eyes off him. Angel had met the girls at the strip club. While they were both older than Angel, they’d hit it off better than she had with any of her friends from high school. Most of them had already gone off to college, and the ones who hadn’t seemed to have disowned her for the most part. They didn’t agree with her choice of employment. “Screw them all” had been her mantra. Angel didn’t need friends who judged her.

“I don’t know.” Her teeth worried her lower lip as she studied the sun-kissed Adonis. “He seems a little flakey. See the way he flexes when a girl passes by? What if he spends more time in front of the mirror than I do?”

“Girl, please.” Hannah tossed her hair over her shoulder as she sat up. “All you’re interested in is a little fun. You’re too young to get all involved. Live it up and take that boy home.”

Angel laughed. “Could you imagine if I did and Peter walked in on us?”

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