Bad Habit (8 page)

He nodded and complied with her
orders.

“
And stay on your side.”

“
No problem,” he said. He closed his
eyes and was immediately asleep.

#

She was in bed with a great looking
partially-clad man. Not a first for Teri Slaughter but the first
time with a veritable stranger.

Of course, he was ignoring her. She heard his
regular breathing and relaxed a little.

Angel was only wearing boxer shorts. He had a great
body. She could still see it even though her eyes were tightly
clamped shut. He must work out or indulge in some active sport.
Nice pecs. Nice abs. Nice butt and nice legs. Whatever Angel Garcia
did to exercise his hunky body, it involved the whole enchilada.
Teri turned to face the bathroom door.

Teri grinned in the dark. She shouldn’t have worried
about Angel. He was a perfect gentleman.

#

The next morning, Angel awoke
feeling warm. He opened his eyes and found that he had Teri
Slaughter in his embrace. He raised his head slightly and saw her
pretty face nestled on his shoulder. She was curled on her side
with all her luscious female parts pressed up against him. Only a
thin cotton gown separated her warm skin from his. Her arm was
flung over him and one leg was curled across him in a very intimate
place.

So this is what heaven is
like.

He remained motionless as he
watched Teri sleep. Her translucent skin resembled the inside of a
shell. She smelled good like lilac and vanilla and clean woman. It
was probably some lotion or whatever she used on her
hair.

She stirred and Angel knew he was
going to have a full-fledged erection by the time she woke up. But
he couldn’t bear to push her away and make a run for the bathroom.
Her lips opened and she stretched, settling again. Her thigh
pressed against him and he resisted the urge to touch her. He
concentrated on breathing in and out. Slowly he lifted his hand and
pushed a strand of hair off her forehead. She slid her hand across
his chest and embraced him. Unable to control his actions he
pressed his lips against hers.

She responded, kissing him with
amazing passion. Her hand slipped behind his neck and pulled him
closer.

Angel threw away his resolve and
kissed her, returning her passion with an intensity that surprised
even him.

She kissed him with her eyes closed
but when she opened them she didn’t pull away.

He leaned over her, gazing into the
aquamarine eyes.

She closed her eyes again and
arched toward him for another kiss.

Angel rolled on top of Teri, kissing her and
exploring her body with his hands. She stiffened and he
stopped.

They gazed into each others eyes
and listened to each other breathe.

Teri glanced away and he rolled off
of her. She reached for her robe and got out of bed.

Angel lay back on the pillows as
she locked the bathroom door. He raked his fingers through his
thick hair, replaying the previous few minutes. His heart still
slammed against his ribs like a percussionist on speed.

I want to wake up with her every
morning for as long as we both shall live.

#

Teri locked the bathroom door and
leaned against it. She tasted Angel’s kiss and felt his hands on
her body. She awoke aroused and still felt the heat of Angel’s
kisses.

She had never been kissed with such
passion.

She had never wanted anyone the way
she wanted Angel Garcia.

She had never felt so vulnerable in
her life.

After an awkward encounter when she
emerged from the bathroom and Angel ducked inside, she located her
clothing. She threw on her jeans and knit shirt and tied her
sneakers. Teri gathered her belongings and repacked the carry-on
bag while Angel was in the bathroom.

When Angel emerged, he was freshly
shaven and dressed in a white shirt and navy slacks.

She tried to appear completely
composed, as though she was prepared for whatever the day had to
offer. She wondered if she’d imagined being in bed with Angel,
kissing his lips and feeling his muscular body pressed to hers, his
hands caressing her.

“
Ready for a big Sunday breakfast?”
he asked.

“
Absolutely!”

This was the enthusiastic response
she’d found effective when fielding any question from her boss,
Martin Kelso. Her eagerness and personality had propelled her to
the forefront of her agency. Sheer grit and determination took her
to the top and kept her there. Now she had thrown away her second
career by fleeing the scene of a murder.

“
I’ll check out and we can eat.”
Angel ushered her to the car and drove to the motel office. She
watched him sign for the room charges through the windshield. When
he climbed back inside the car, his scent gently caressed
her.

Angel drove downtown, parking in a
lot beside the freeway. He escorted her to an older Mexican
restaurant, tucking her hand in the crook of his arm.

“
What is this place?” she
asked.

“
This is El Mercado, the old market
square and we’re about to enjoy a classic dining experience.” He
steered her into Mi Tierra Restaurant.

There was a large waiting area and
a row of glass- fronted cases filled with freshly baked
Mexican-style pastries. The mingled aromas were seductive,
triggering an aching hunger reaction in those who entered. The
serving area was contained in several huge rooms beyond the
bakery.

A hostess wearing a black ruffled
blouse and tiered sequined skirt greeted them and led the way to a
booth. She leaned over as she placed their menus on the table,
giving Angel a view of her cleavage. The hostess swept him with an
appreciative glance under long lashes and sent a dimpled smile his
way.

Angel met Teri’s amused expression with a shake of
his head and an innocent expression.

“
Do you always draw that kind of
attention from females?” Teri grinned at his discomfort.

“
I didn’t do anything,” he
protested.

“
You were breathing.” She smiled at
him before opening the menu. “What do I want?”

“
I’ll order for us,” he
said.

When the food arrived they were
served tall glasses of freshly squeezed orange juice, and a pile of
fresh flour tortillas with their breakfast. The waiter placed three
small bowls on the table. They held a red sauce, a green sauce and
a chunky salsa with roasted tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, onions and
cilantro.

Teri giggled, taking a warm
tortilla. “It’s a good thing I’m not still making my living as a
fashion model,” Teri said. “If I ever get back to New York City,
I’m going to be such a blimp they’ll fly me in the Thanksgiving Day
Parade.”

Angel shot her a sharp glance. “I
think you look fine, Teri.” His gaze warmed her insides.

“
I wasn’t fishing for a
compliment,” she protested. “Just commenting on my expanded state
and underlying hope of returning home soon.”

We’ll get there, Teri,” Angel said. “And I’m sure
you can step right back into your job at the ad agency.”

Teri pressed her lips together and
sighed. “At this point, I’m not sure that’s what I actually
want.”

He smiled at her across the table. “What is it that
you want?”

“
I wish I knew. Teaching at St.
Pius made me feel truly useful for the first time in my life...Not
just decorative.” She bit into her filled tortilla. “What I really
want is for this to be over. I want the men who killed Colin to be
caught and I want to feel safe to go back to my apartment and get
my life back. I’m just not sure it will be at Kelso and
Richardson.”

“
You have lots of time to make
career decisions.”

“
I guess. I have to make up for the
damage I’ve done. I want to make sure Bernie is safe and that the
nuns at St. Pius aren’t in danger. I wish I could make it up to
them for lying. The girls will be so disappointed in
me.”

“
They’ll get over it and forgive
you.”

“
I hope so.”

After their repast they walked
around the Market Square, peering into shop windows.

“
Oh, look!” Teri pointed to a store
window filled with small skeletons, many involved in daily tasks.
She saw an entire band of hand carved skeleton
musicians.

“
Día de los Muertos.” Angel smiled
at her in the reflection of the store window. “Day of the Dead. We
usually stretch it over November first and second and make a big
deal of it.”

“
What’s that about?” she
asked.

“
A day to honor our ancestors and
loved ones who have passed on.”

“
Oh.” She ducked
her head.
Why is he staring like
that
?
It’s like
he evaluates my every move
.

“
Do you have someone to honor who
has passed on?”

Teri nodded and turned away from
the window. “Too many to count,” she said and walked ahead of him
so he couldn’t see the tears that gathered.

#

CHAPTER EIGHT

When they returned to the car,
Angel headed for an older section of San Antonio. Driving into the
historical residential area close to downtown, he turned onto a
tree-lined street where huge oaks reached their branches across to
each other, like lovers straining to embrace. Many of the large
two-story houses had Texas Historical plaques anchored in
front.

Angel pulled into a narrow driveway
and drove around to the back, sounding the horn.

“
Where are we?” she
asked.

“
Home.”

The back door opened and someone stepped out onto
the screened porch.

“
Angel? Is it really you?” A lovely
girl in her early teens skipped down the stairs and came to look in
the car. She ran screaming into the house. “Mama! Papa! It’s Angel
and he has a girl!”

The back door burst open and a mob of excited people
rushed toward them.

Teri saw a tall man who looked a
lot like Angel but sported a mustache and silver strands threaded
through his hair. He turned to extend his hand to a petite woman
with auburn hair. He held her hand as she made her way down the
steps. The younger ones surrounded the car and dragged Angel from
the interior.

Teri grinned, watching him interact
with the people who were obviously his loving family. A lump formed
in her throat, but she swallowed down her aching lonliness and
smiled at the joy surrounding Angel Garcia. The detective’s reserve
slipped away, and he was merely a beloved son returned
home.

He ruffled the hair of a younger version of himself.
The teenage boy flung himself at Angel and was lifted in a bear
hug. Angel turned back to the car and opened the door for Teri.
Grinning, he held his hand out to her, much as his father had
reached out for his mother.

Teri hesitated, then placed her
hand in his and was immediately drawn into the gleeful crowd. The
smiling, curious family surrounded her.

“
Teri, this is mi familia,” Angel
said. “They’ve just returned from Mass at the San Fernando
Cathedral.” He introduced his parents, Arturo and Isabel. Angel’s
father kissed her hand and his mother wrapped her arms around Teri,
delivering real kisses to both cheeks. Teri recalled the many air
kisses she had exchanged with people in New York too distant to be
hugged.

“
These are my sisters, Elena,
Rosario and the little one is Esmeralda. We call her Esme. This is
my brother, Miguel but he prefers to be called Mikey.”

“
I’m happy to meet all of you,”
Teri said. “What a great family.”

Angel kept her hand in his while
they moved as a group up the back stairs.

Entering through the laundry room
and passing into the kitchen, Teri was assailed with heavenly
aromas. The large gas range held several pots and the intermingled
odors made Teri’s mouth water though she was far from
hungry.

They went through the formal dining
room with the table set for eight. Four more chairs flanked the
sideboard ready to be drawn up.

When they arrived in the front of
the house, Teri glanced around at the array of antiques. She was
seated on a damask covered Queen Anne sofa with Angel beside her.
The others sat on upholstered antique chairs and Esme threw herself
into the space beside Angel. Six pairs of large, luminous brown
eyes gazed at Teri expectantly. She felt her cheeks start to
color.

“
Give her a break, folks,” Angel
said.

“
I’m sorry for our rudeness, Teri,”
Isabel said. “It’s just that Angel has never brought a girl home
before.”

“
Mom!” Angel said.

“
I’m sorry, Mijo, but it’s true. In
school, he had all the girls calling him and hanging around, but he
never was serious about any of them.”

“
Oh, well...This is just--,” Teri
faltered, not sure what their relationship was after waking up in
his arms.

“
We’re friends,” Angel
supplied.