It takes me a second as I spell her name backward in my head and then I’m laughing harder than I’ve laughed in a long time. What are the fucking odds? The woman who attacked me in my club was wearing all white, she’s a damn virgin who worships God, and her fucking name is heaven spelled backward. If there was ever a sign that I need to leave this woman alone, it’s her goddamned name.
“What’s so funny?” Her nose scrunches up in annoyance.
“Nothing.” I shake my head, still chuckling. “I wasn’t making fun of you when I called you Angel. Honest.”
“Okay.” She stands. “Well, if I’m going to be stuck here for the foreseeable future, I’m going to need some clothes. Can you take me to my apartment?”
I pull the covers back and get out of bed. “I’ll go by your place and grab your clothes. It’s best for you to stay here. Logan wouldn’t think to look here for you. My dad lives in New York, only visiting occasionally for business, and when he does, he usually stays at the hotel. And I have a townhouse in Margate City. He would look at those places first. My dad never liked Logan, so he was never invited out here to his beach house.”
“I have a roommate…Blaire. She’s going to be worried. And I need to notify work. We went back to work today from spring break. I also need to call my dad to let him know I’m okay. I got into a fight with my mom yesterday and was supposed to go to their house to finish our conversation.”
“I’ll grab your purse and cell phone,” I tell her, remembering I have both at my place.
“Oh! You have them? I thought it was all destroyed. When the detective tried to track it, it came up untraceable.”
“I turned it off. You can call whoever you want to check in, but you’re going to need to take some time off from work. Tell them you went on an impromptu vacation.”
“I can’t afford to take time off work, and I’m going to be leaving my students and the principal hanging. I was planning to quit, but I was supposed to give my two weeks’ notice so they could find someone else and I could hopefully find a new job. Plus, I’ve never gone on vacation before. They’ll never believe that.”
“If you’re taken by Logan, your job won’t matter anyway,” I say too harshly, but damn it, she just doesn’t understand what people in my world are capable of. “It doesn’t matter if they believe it. Just say it.”
She sighs. “Okay.”
“Why were you planning to quit your job?” I ask, curious.
She sucks her bottom lip into her mouth and chews on her fleshy lip for a few seconds, debating what to say. Then what she does say, shocks the hell out of me. “I’ve decided to change some aspects of my life. I’m done with the church and God and my mom for the foreseeable future. And since they all go hand in hand, I’ve decided it’s best to quit my job.”
“You’re done with God and your mom?”
She nods. “For now.”
“Why?”
“Because I’ve spent my entire life giving them everything, all of me, and in the end, all they gave me in return were lies and heartache. I’m going downstairs to make breakfast.” She turns and heads out the door, and once again, I watch her ass sway as she walks away. I make a mental note to make sure I grab lots of pants when I pick up her clothes.
After showering and getting dressed, I head downstairs to find an omelet waiting for me. It’s delicious, and I devour it in four bites. It’s been over twelve years since a woman has cooked for me. I go in search of Nevaeh to thank her and let her know that I’m leaving—this entire situation is beginning to feel way too domestic for my liking. I quickly find her in the back of the house, lying out on a lounge chair by the pool. It’s a bit warmer today, and the sun is shining in the cloudless sky.
“Thanks for the omelet. I need to get going. I’ll be back later.”
She gives me a soft smile. “You’re welcome.”
“If you want to go swimming, the pool is heated. My dad keeps an array of bathing suits in the guest bathroom. They’re all new.” I start to walk away, but she stops me in my tracks.
“Wait! Do you have an iPad or Kindle I can borrow to read on?”
“No, but when you walk past the dining room and make a left, two doors down you’ll find a library. It was my mom’s, so I’m sure there is a ton of romance crap in there.”
Her smile widens. “Thank you.”
“Yep,” is all I say before I leave, refusing to acknowledge what her smile does to me.