Angelina’s lips twisted into a rueful smile. “You certainly have a way with words. No wonder Nathan is so smitten.”
Serena and Faith burst out laughing.
“Oh my God we have another Julie on our hands,” Faith exclaimed.
Julie grinned. “I knew I was going to like her.”
Serena rolled her eyes. “Oh please. You were ready to scratch her eyes out when you thought she was Micah’s woman and she was having a thing with Connor.”
“Seriously?” Angelina asked with a laugh.
Julie slanted a sideways glare at Serena. “Yeah well, at the time my info wasn’t up-to-date. And now that it is we need to discuss jazzing up your social life, which means I will be the one who has to save you, because these two are boring old maids now that they’ve married.”
“Oh Lord,” Faith groaned. “Be afraid, Angelina. Be very afraid.”
“What are you doing next Friday night?” Julie asked.
“I think you know I’m not doing anything,” Angelina said dryly.
“Okay, well I’m dragging Nathan to this really great club for some dancing. Why don’t you go with us?”
Serena’s mouth fell open while Faith looked a cross between horrified and hysterically amused.
“You’re taking Nathan where?” Faith asked.
“You heard me,” Julie said.
“Poor Nathan,” Serena murmured. “What did he do to you to deserve this? Are you still punishing that poor boy?”
Julie uttered a hmmph as she glared at Serena and Faith. “It’s part of our deal. One weekend he chooses what we do and I get to choose the next. And if I have to endure a monster truck rally then he can damn sure go shake his ass with me.”
Angelina covered her mouth to prevent the laughter, but it spilled out anyway.
“I know I’ve just met him, but I can’t see him at some club unless maybe it was a biker bar.”
Julie grinned. “He would look good on a Harley, wouldn’t he?”
Angelina nodded.
“So you want to go? Nathan won’t mind so much if he gets to escort two hot women around.”
“Thank you,” Angelina said with a smile. “I’d love to go. I love to dance. Miami has some fantastic clubs.”
“Okay, great. We’ll pick you up Friday then. Just don’t wear something too sexy. I don’t want to kick your ass if Nathan starts gawking.”
“Uh, Julie, don’t you have that bass-ackward?” Faith asked. “If your man is gawking, you should be kicking his ass not hers.”
“Oh, don’t worry,” Julie said sweetly. “I won’t kick her ass until after I’ve removed his nuts.”
CHAPTER 15
If Micah thought that not seeing Angelina or being near her would somehow remove the searing lust that raged through his veins, he was wrong. If anything, he wanted her even more. His craving was dark and ran deep, and in his darkest fantasies it shamed him the things he longed to do to her.
His friends and coworkers watched him suspiciously, seemingly weighing his mood. He could see the judgment in their eyes, knew they condemned him for crimes committed. Only Faith seemed to try and make the effort to talk to him, and it pained him to rebuff her attempts, but what was he going to tell her? That he dreamed of completely dominating his best friend’s little sister to the point of tying her to him day and night, slaking his lust and desires and rousing the simmering passion in her dark eyes?
He had to stop thinking about her. How was it that he’d been able to turn off thoughts of Hannah and David, and yet he couldn’t block one sensual angel from his mind? She haunted his dreams and she haunted his days.
But with her came memories that he had no interest in reliving. Happier times when he, David, Hannah and Angelina had been a family.
“Micah?”
Faith’s soft voice carried through his bleak thoughts. He looked up from his desk to see her standing at his office door, a cup of coffee in hand.
“Hey, doll, come in,” he said with what he hoped was a welcoming smile.
“You missed the morning coffee-and-donut session, but I saved you a cup and the last donut.”
She set the steaming cup in front of him, and he sniffed appreciatively at the aroma.
“Thanks,” he said sincerely.
“You’re welcome,” she said and smiled sweetly at him.
“Everyone ready to lynch me yet?”
She laughed. “Oh, come on. They’re guys. Their sole comments amount to something about a stick up your ass and they’re taking bets on how long it’ll take you to correct the problem.”
He snorted. “Amazing how fast shit gets around.”
She hesitated for a moment, biting her bottom lip as if deciding whether she wanted to say something.
He sighed. “Just say it, doll. I’m not going to bite your head off.”
She smiled faintly. “We’re family. You know that, right?”
A peculiar curl unsettled his stomach.
“I guess what I’m trying to say is that we’re all here for you. I can’t speak for the guys, but I love you a lot you know.”
They both chuckled at that.
Micah reached out and touched her hand. “I love you too, doll. You’re one of my favorite people.”
“So you know you can always talk to me about anything. After all, we’ve been far more intimate than most friends.”
He laughed outright at the devilish gleam in her eyes. Though there certainly hadn’t been any residual awkwardness after their threesome with Gray, neither had they ever talked about it.
“I know, I know,” he said. Then he hesitated. “I hope me not ever saying anything about my past ... about Hannah ... didn’t hurt your feelings. It’s not like I didn’t trust you or anything. I just never talked about it to anyone.”
“I understand.” She cocked her head to the side and stared at him with those wide green eyes. “I like her, you know.”
“Like who?” he asked.
“Angelina.”
That sinking sensation in his gut intensified. “I take it you’ve met,” he said stiffly.
She studied him with a hint of confusion. “Sure. Connor gave her some of my old furniture. Serena, Julie and I went over the other night to bring her dinner and see if she needed anything else.”