Page 41 of Seductive Secrets

“Good. Then quit your job and let’s figure out our future together.”

Angela opened her mouth and for a brief moment, James thought she would say yes. But then she pulled back, her eyes shuttering. Finally, she said, “Let me…figure this out. There are too many loose ends.”

James sighed, but he nodded. “Okay. How about this then: will you spend the next few days with me? Either here or back at my place in Virginia? It’s only about a ninety minute drive to my house. We could be there soon. I can reintroduce you to Fox and Bessie. I’m sure you remember Ruppert.” She laughed, thinking about the adorably ugly donkey that ruled the herd in his stables. “Come with me, Angela. Dare to put your belief in what we could have together.”

She stared up at him, her chocolate eyes wanting to say yes, but he knew that she couldn’t. “I need time,” she blurted. “This is all…everything is just a mess! We still don’t know what happened to your friend, I don’t know who at my company is a criminal. And there’s still a drug out in the world that could mess with national security!”

Hiding his disappointment, James nodded. “You’re right. This has moved pretty darn fast. There are a lot of details that still need to be worked out. I don’t mean to rush you, Angela.” He moved closer. “But promise me that you’ll think about us.”

“I will,” she replied and he felt her body relax against him.

“What about the next few days? You still have the rest of this week off. Will you spend it here with me?” He saw the hesitation and continued. “No pressure. We’ll cook inventive foods and watch movies. We’ll talk and,” he lowered his head to kiss her, just a brief kiss, before he continued, “and we’ll make love. At the end of the week, we can go our separate ways.” He pulled her closer. “After that, we’ll talk on the phone. We’ll visit each other and I’ll prove that we can make this work.”

“You’ll fly out to Chicago?” she asked, stunned by his offer and more relieved than she was ready to admit. James wasoffering her everything she wanted. Why was she hesitating? Why didn’t she grab onto what he was offering with both hands and have faith that they could make it work?

“Absolutely!” he replied without hesitation. “Will you visit me in Virginia?”

She smiled and nodded, then snuggled closer, shy all of a sudden. “Will you do that thing with your tongue?” she whispered, her eyes sparkling with hope.

James chuckled. “Every damn time!”

She laughed as well. “Okay, then…how about if I hit the grocery store and get ingredients for dinner? You said you have business calls to make. I’ll get enough food for the rest of the week and we’ll…see how things go.”

He leaned forward, kissing her lightly. “That sounds like an excellent plan.”

She felt almost light-headed as she stepped back. “Do you trust me with your car?”

He immediately pulled his keys out of his pocket. “Go for it.”

She swiped the keys with a laugh. “I’ll be back. Text me if you think of something you need.” She grabbed her purse, glancing over her shoulder. “I’ll get more of that wine you found the other day. It was excellent!”

James watched her go, admiring the saucy sway of her hips. She was beautiful. Angela Bertuccio was a stunningly beautiful woman, both inside and out. She was stubborn and wary, kind and generous. He knew that she loved him, but the idea of such strong emotions terrified her.

Trust, he reminded himself when the door closed behind her. He needed to gain her trust. Unfortunately, James had noidea how to do that. He remembered how he felt when she drove away, back in October. The thought of her doing so again made his stomach clench. Somehow, he had to convince her that they could make a relationship work. He had to prove that she could trust him.

He had a few calls to make, and then he was going to make more oatmeal raisin cookies for Angela. He hadn’t ever made that kind before and baking wasn’t his favorite pastime, but he’d do whatever it took to get her to trust him.

A half hour later, he was finished with his calls, and was ready to move forward on several new business deals. But he wondered how much longer it would take Angela to get back from the store. The grocery store was only a couple blocks away. He would have expected her to return by now.

Pulling his cell phone back out, James dialed her number. Unfortunately, he heard a familiar ringing sound close by. Looking around, he pulled one of the pillows from the sofa away and, sure enough, there was Angela’s phone.

Shaking his head, he ended his call and saw the light flash on her cell phone. Picking up her phone, he saw several messages from Joe. Curious, he punched in the security code he’d seen her enter several times over the past few days. He wasn’t spying on her, he assured himself. However, there was a niggling sensation in his gut. He couldn’t quite tell what was wrong, but something was.

The door opened and James turned, about to tell Angela that her boss had sent her several messages, but it wasn’t Angela. Dash strode into the house.

“Sorry,” he called out, lifting a hand to stall James’ comment. “I know that I said the house was all yours, but I need to get something to my DEA contact. Joe, Angela’s boss,has disappeared. A team of DEA agents out of the Chicago office executed a search warrant for his house and office. They found several burner phones with calls made to Vietnam and Laos offices, which have nothing to do with Hazelton business. Plus, they found a cache of the blue powder.”

“No!” James snarled, his hands curling around Angela’s phone.

“Yep!” Dash confirmed. “We’re concerned since the agents can’t find him.”

James looked down at Angela’s phone. He tapped on the first message, then muttered a curse as he turned on his heel and raced out of the house, grabbing Dash’s keys right out of his stunned hands.

“What the hell?” Dash called out, hurrying after James. He dove into the passenger seat just as James pulled out of the short driveway.

“Angela accidentally left her phone at the house,” he explained tersely, handing Dash the phone as he concentrated on speeding through the neighborhood towards the grocery store where Angela said she was going to grab groceries.

Dash paused to read the message, then emitted a low, furious growl. “He’s threatening her?” Dash snarled. “I will end him!”

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