Outspoken Angel (7 page)

Calmed by her touch, Max took control. “Get
the security guard in here, Kingsley. I need to see the
surveillance tapes.”

Max balled his fists and watched Kingsley
hurry away.

“Are you going to beat your chest too?”
Cameron asked dryly.

Max felt his anger begin to dissipate.
Instead of falling apart, Cameron had held it together and now she
wanted to play.

“No.”

“By the way, how come you had time to throw
on your sunglasses but not your shirt?”

A sly grin creased his lips. “I thought it
might cheer you up.”

Her response was interrupted by the arrival
of Mr. Kingsley, the store security guard and two uniformed
policemen. After reviewing the security tapes and taking Cameron’s
statement, the police left the store with Max’s cell phone number
embedded in their brains.

“Okay, Miss Priss.” Max exhaled in
irritation. “We’re leaving.”

“Not without your clothes,” she insisted,
once again pulling him across the store.

His lips formed a cynical smile as he
followed behind her sexy ass. The woman had guts, that was clear.
As much as Stone scared her, she was bound and determined he
wouldn’t interrupt her life. Smart lady. And, as long as he had
something to say about it, Stone wouldn’t get close enough to
interfere. He’d just have to keep her on a short leash.

Cameron pointed to the dressing room.
“Hurry.”

“You’re coming with me this time.”

“Right behind you.”

Pulling her inside the cubicle, he pushed her
down on the bench and threw the lock.

“Max,” she said weakly, “there are chairs
outside.”

“Don’t move.” He grabbed his shirt and poked
both arms through the sleeves. Determined to hurry, his movement
was stopped when he felt Cameron’s fingers trace the molded muscles
of his chest.

“I’m glad you were here today.”

He swallowed, careful not to react. He felt
himself stiffen, craving more of her touch. Looking deep into her
sailboat blue eyes, he knew exactly what she wanted. And as bad as
he wanted to comply, that was impossible. She was a mark. An
insanely beautiful challenge.

“Your chest fascinates me,” she whispered as
she moved her hand down his stomach. “You’re so hard, Max.”

He began to sweat. He was hard. Unbelievably
hard.
This cannot happen
.

He gently pushed her hand from his body,
pulled the shirt over his chest and squatted down between her legs.
“He scared you.”

“Terribly.”

“I won’t let it happen again.”

“Max,” she whispered, urging him closer with
her knees.

Slowly she lowered her head and placed a soft
kiss on his lips. He returned her kiss while his self-control
teetered on the edge of snapping.

“Thank you,” she said, running her hand
across his head, “for being so lucky.”

He closed his eyes behind his sunglasses and
allowed himself a millisecond to enjoy the ecstasy of her touch.
The savage beast inside him purred rhythmically and rolled to its
back with all four paws in the air. Mentally leashing the subdued
animal, he stood and separated their bodies.

He opened the dressing room door. “I’ve had
enough shopping for one day.”

“Maybe so.” She grinned and scooped up the
pile of clothing. “But we’re not leaving without these.”

He followed her helplessly to the sales
counter and slid a credit card to the clerk.

Cameron pushed his card back to him. “Let me,
it’s the least I can do.”

“No, thank you.”

“Why not?”

He gestured at the clothing. “If I let you
buy these, the next thing I know you’ll be dragging me to the
spa.”

Her eyes sparkled with amusement. “You might
like the spa, Big Guy.”

“Don’t even think about it.” He signed the
sales slip, gathered the shopping bags and steered her out of the
store by the elbow.

Max made one last sweep of the parking lot as
Cameron opened the trunk with her remote.

“Where do you suppose he went?” she murmured,
taking the bags from Max and stowing them in the trunk.

He opened the driver’s door and shuffled her
inside. “To hell if he’s smart,” he answered as he shut her
door.

* * *

A satisfied chuckle left his throat as he
watched Cameron fumble for her keys. She was such a ditz. Always
was. Just the way he liked her, too stupid to question much. She
really thought she was safe with the beefy, bald guy. He snickered
at her ignorance. The man in black was obviously twice her age, and
his size made him slow. The only thing those muscles were good for
was show and tell.

He eased himself out of the shadows, having
gathered enough information to initiate his next move. He slipped
behind the wheel of his truck, confident in his plan. As soon as he
caught her, and he would catch her, life as she knew it would cease
to exist.

* * *

A momentary feeling of relief nudged Max when
the security light over Cameron’s front door blinked to life and
she punched the remote to open the garage door. As soon as she
parked inside, she turned off the car and lowered the heavy
door.

Max snapped his fingers. “Key.”

“Don’t have one,” she retorted.

“You don’t have a house key?”

“No.”

“You locked the door but you don’t have a key
to unlock it.”

“Yes.”

He counted to ten while irritation overtook
his earlier sense of relief. Another game.

“How are we going to get in the house?”

“Well, Einstein, we’re going to punch my code
in the pad.” She gave him her trademark eye roll and then got out
of the car.

He watched her enter her security code then
turn the doorknob to open the door.

“See? Magic.”

He smirked as he climbed out of the car and
followed her inside.

“Call a locksmith, Houdini.” He shut the door
behind him. “I’m locking the doors.”

“Fine.” She tossed her purse on the kitchen
counter. “Are you hungry?”

“Always.”

“Since we’re having a slumber party, how
about pizza?” She smiled sweetly. “Sausage or pepperoni?”

“Whatever you want,” he challenged.

As soon as those words rolled off his tongue,
he regretted even answering.

“I know what I want.” She stepped closer to
him. “Do you?”

You. I want you.

“You’re playing with fire, Princess,” he
warned.

“I know several firemen, remember?”

He snarled. “I remember. Are you going to
order the pizza or not?”

She giggled as she dialed the phone. “Okay,
Max. You win. This time.”

Listening to her order pizza only made
matters worse. Her soft, sultry voice danced through the stillness
of the room. He stood mesmerized, his eager libido gaining
momentum. She had no idea how sensuous she sounded. He mentally
kicked himself.
She’s ordering pizza, not having phone
sex.

Relieved when she disconnected, he took her
by the elbow and escorted her to the living room. “We need to get a
couple of things straight.”

She scowled and glanced at her elbow. “Like
what?”

“First, you’ve got to take this
seriously.”

“I am! I let you move in, didn’t I?”

“That’s not all.”

“I’m losing my appetite,” she grumbled.

He ignored her false distress. “You have to
listen to my advice.”

“Your advice?”

“Yes,” he said, his tone offering no
argument.

“You don’t offer advice, Max. You issue
orders like a drill sergeant.”

“You don’t follow directions.”

She gave him a hostile glare. “I refuse to
play hide-and-seek. Vince is a blowhard. Once he gets it through
his thick, empty skull I mean business, he’ll leave me alone.”

“Not necessarily.”

“How do you know?” she replied curtly.

“I know. These things get ugly fast. We have
to be careful until he’s caught.”

Her eyes flashed in amusement. “Why can’t you
just beat the crap out of him?”

“It’s not that easy. I need more proof.”

“How about I bait him?”

“No. Stilettos and pantyhose won’t hold him
this time.”

She shook her head as the doorbell rang.

“Dinner’s ready,” she sang, rushing for the
door.

“Damn it!” He grabbed her arm.

Her eyebrows shot to the top of her forehead.
“You don’t want pizza?”

His lips thinned with anger. “I don’t want
you to answer the door.”

“It’s just the pizza.”

“How do you know?”

“X-ray vision,” she answered flippantly.

He cracked a grin, despite his frustration.
“I’ll get the door.”

She threw her hands in the air. “Whatever you
say, Sergeant Slaughter. I’ll get plates and napkins.”

He opened the door and inserted himself in
the opening.

“Leave the pizza on the porch,” he barked at
the wide-eyed teenager standing there, “and step back five
paces.”

The baffled deliveryman slid the steaming
pizza box toward Max and quickly stepped back.

“You have ID?”

The young man shook his head.

“Oh for Pete’s sake, Max!” Cameron screeched
from the doorway. “Pay him and get the pizza.”

She gave an apologetic look to the startled
deliveryman. “Sorry, Lonnie.”

Max handed him several bills and carried the
box into the house.

“Do you need to taste it first?” she asked,
teasing laughter shining in her eyes.

Max chose non-response and followed her into
the living room.

“Seriously,” she said, sitting on the floor
next to the coffee table, “Vince is not a psycho killer.”

Max raised an eyebrow as he lowered himself
to the sofa.

“Psycho, yes,” she corrected, “killer,
no.”

She opened the top of the box and the spicy,
mouth-watering aroma of sausage and pepperoni filled the air.

“He’s determined to have you,” he reminded
her with lethal calmness.

She handed him a piece of pizza.

“Yes,” she agreed before she wrapped her
glossy lips around her own slice of pizza and took a bite. He
watched in silent agony as she wound the stringy cheese around her
tongue and then drew it into her mouth before she swallowed.

“But,” she continued, “not enough to harm me.
Besides, once I give him a taste of my poisonous tongue, he’ll give
up.”

He gave her a black-layered look. “What if he
decides to shut you up permanently?”

Her face paled and she dropped her slice of
pizza to her plate. “I’m really not hungry.”

Satisfaction patted him on the back. “Now
we’re on the same page.”

She gave him a critical squint. “You either
really, really like me, Maxie, or you’re a major overachiever.”

He pinned her in place with a burning stare.
“Believe me, Princess, I’m an expert at everything I do.”

Her eyes sparkled in return and she nodded at
the pizza. “Are you finished?”

I haven’t even started
. Max pursed his
lips before his challenge barreled through.

“Yeah.” He stood and offered a hand to help
her from the floor. “It’s late. I’ve got some phone calls to
make.”

He shivered at the warmth of personal contact
in his hand as she accepted his offering.

“I’m going to bed,” she said, extracting her
hand. “Where it’s safe.”

Cameron flung herself down on the bed with
her arm over her eyes. How on Earth had Vince found her? She had
too many better things to do than fool with Vince. And to top it
all off, Max was all over her.

She smiled and leaned up on her elbows.
Max all over her
. Maybe not a bad thing. She’d been fighting
her attraction to him since she flashed him. His rugged, muscular
body beckoned her and dared her to rub her body against his
defined, chiseled muscles. Needles of pleasure tickled her just
thinking about it.

At six feet, four inches tall and an attitude
twice as big, he towered over her, doing his best to intimidate
her. But he was no match for her. She could meet him word for word,
challenge him head-on, and stuff his cocky self in his place. So
maybe it was time to stop fighting and see what happened. He might
just see another side of her. One he couldn’t resist.

Stubborn man
. She swung her foot
lazily over the edge of the bed. His attempt at keeping his cool
was to be commended; however, she was bound and determined to
unravel his restraint, string by tiny, little string. It would be
fun to watch Mr. Cool come undone. And she wouldn’t mind going a
couple of rounds with him between the sheets. She could drink her
fill and send him on his merry way, both of them satisfied. After
all, that arrangement appeased most men. And that suited her needs
too. Not that she’d had that many men, but she valued her golden
idol of independence too much to be tied down. Besides, artists
required space to grow and flourish. Max would only get in the way
with his big, burly, dominating self.

This decision required ice cream. She stepped
out of the bedroom into the dark hallway and adjusted the spaghetti
straps of her camisole. A small shiver ran up her spine as she went
downstairs, the cool air conditioning tickling her bare legs.
Stupid phone calls
.

Cameron tiptoed across the living room to the
kitchen while her heart beat furiously in her chest.

The darkness of the kitchen enveloped her as
she made her way to the refrigerator. Relieved that the light would
come on when she opened the door, she began to relax. Until someone
grabbed her from behind and lifted her from the floor. With her
heart hammering, she kicked and screamed hysterically.

“Stop squirming, it’s just me.”

She froze, both mad and relieved to hear
Max’s husky voice.

“Put. Me. Down,” she insisted through gritted
teeth.

He set her on the floor and chuckled under
his breath as he flipped the light switch.