He was that kind of devil, but still.
“YOU JERK!”
Nathan only laughed, not at all surprised when a beautiful handcuffed virago came charging his way. “A wondrous welcome as expected,” he drawled just as he caught Alyx by the waist and lifted her up before she could head-butt him.
For one moment, he allowed himself to savor the sight of her. She had cut her hair since he had last seen her, a pixie style that made her look more feminine rather than boyish, with the way it emphasized the soft lines of her face. It made her look more petite and curvier, too, and the longer he stared at her, the more he remembered just how much he had wanted her the first time they met.
When her furious eyes collided with his once more, he said wickedly, “Did you miss me?”
“ASSHOLE!”
He laughed.
“You were the one who sent me here, weren’t you?”
“Yes.”
“YEARGH!” It was a rather unique sound that had him blinking – like a mix of a snarl and growl – and then she was kicking and yelling, calling him all sorts of names in English and Russian.
“Calm down.”
But somehow, his words only seemed to incense her further, and she went ballistic, her words becoming more incoherent.
Solitary confinement! Asshole! Such insensitivity! Bastard!
“This is your revenge because I stood you up, isn’t it?” she demanded.
“Not at---” Nathan grunted as Alyx managed to land a solid kick in his chest, hard enough to knock his breath out of him for a moment. “Let me explain---”
“You’re an asshole,” Alyx yelled, “and there’s no need to explain that!” She tried kicking him again, but with the ex-model now holding her so far up and away from his body, her legs only struck thin air.
Argh!
“Let me down!”
Deciding that it was just better to let Alyx blow off some steam, Nathan simply kept her hanging in the air while enjoying the sight of her jiggling breasts as she tried to wriggle out of his hold. She was such a little ball of action, Nathan mused. She exerted so much energy in every little move she made that if it ever translated to passion in bed, that would make her quite the wildcat in his arms---
Scratching his back---
Biting his shoulder---
Damn. Nathan grimaced as he realized that the direction of his thoughts was making a certain part of his anatomy rather alarmingly stiff.
“I knew you were a jerk the first time I saw you!”
What a shrew Alyx Marshall was, Nathan thought indulgently.
“You have no decency, no decency at all!”
But this time, her voice was no longer as furious or high-pitched. He gave her another minute, but it only took about twenty more seconds when Alyx finally stopped ranting and started catching her breath.
Looking up, he asked softly, “Have you calmed down now?”
Alyx nodded jerkily. She had calmed down, and now that her brain was functioning properly again, she couldn’t help feeling appalled at her loss of control.
How had her life come to this?
Yanna had always been the hopeless romantic among them, the one who would throw away everything for love. And Daria had always been the impulsive and carefree type, the one who would feel and react first rather than thinking anything through.
Alyx, on the other hand, had always been the opposite. She was the one people came to for answers, the one people depended on to be rational.
As Nathan lowered Alyx to her feet, she heard herself say, “I’m a mess.”
“Yes.” His hands on her waist tightened. “I know.” Alyx became stiff and silent at his words, but even so he continued softly, “The police told me what happened, and that multiple witnesses corroborated the report. They said that the other woman attacked you several times, for no apparent rational reason, and that you only sought to defend yourself. When the police arrived---”
“I called you,” Alyx finished tonelessly.
“You did.” And her exact words had been, “I think I’m going to need your help in a bit.” Nathan tipped her chin up. “They were only supposed to arrest her. And you knew that.” He paused. “Didn’t you?”
According to the police report, Willa Ingress had spit on Alyx’s face, and a second later Alyx had returned the favor by giving her a hard uppercut. She had every chance to walk away and let the authorities deal with it, but instead Alyx had chosen to retaliate, in full sight of police officers.
It was a cry for attention, for help, and before all of it, she had called Nathan – her first cry.
Alyx whitened at the look on the ex-model’s face. Shit. He knew. Not the specifics, of course. That would be impossible. But even so, he knew. The look in his eyes made it clear enough.
Nathan Callis knew she was lost.
“Alyx---”
“I don’t know what you mean,” she muttered, wrenching her face away from his hold. Stalking away, she started banging her cuffed fists against the metal door. “Let me out!” She could sense Nathan approaching her, but Alyx didn’t look back. “Let me out, assholes!”