Chapter 3

Angelo closedthe door behind the paramedics and leaned against it, his eyes glued to Teresa. She’d gotten more beautiful since the last time he’d seen her.

Her blonde hair was longer now, down to the middle of her back, whereas at school it’d been shoulder length, and nine times out of ten, she’d worn it in a ponytail.

Her legs were as long as he’d remembered, and the trousers she was wearing cupped her ass. Angelo clenched his fingers, tightening them into fists, to prevent himself from pulling her against his chest so he could find out if her ass felt as firm as it looked.

Asshole, she’s just seen her neighbor carted off to hospital after an attempted break-in, and you want to feel her up?

Yeah, he was being an ass.

“You good, Tre?” The nickname slipped off his tongue as if he’d always called her that. Actually, he’d used it a lot since she’d called him. Familiar.

“What do you think?” she scoffed. “I’m just peachy.”

Angelo much preferred seeing fire light her gray eyes, than seeing them dull with fear. He’d seen the fear when Phillip had confirmed someone had been trying to enter her apartment without her permission. “How about you tell me what’s going on? Why you called me to tell me you were in trouble? Why you can’t trust the police?”

He fired the questions as if he were back in the dark cave in Iraq, where he and his former team were attempting to get information from an insurgent.

Teresa’s spine straightened, and Angelo willed her to dig deep, embrace that fire that he’d ignited within her. If it gave him the answers he needed, he’d keep doing it.

No sooner had she stood taller, than she slumped as if the weight of what was going on in her world was too much of a burden for her to carry.

“I’ve seen too many cops who aren’t who they say they are.”

Angelo didn’t have any idea what she did for a living. Was she a government employee working for one of the alphabet agencies?

“How? Who do you work for?”

Her eyes darted around her apartment, as if she were searching for something.

For someone.

The hair on the back of his neck prickled. What the fuck was going on here?

Teresa didn’t look comfortable in her own home. Understandable, considering what she’d been through in the last hour or so. However, this was more. It was as though she expected someone to jump out of a room and scare her.

Was she worried the place was bugged? Was that why she didn’t want to talk to him?

If Teresa didn’t want to be here, Angelo was going to take her away from it. Take her somewhere safe where they could talk freely without anyone listening in.

“Come on, let’s go.” He held out a hand and willed her to take it.

“Where?”

She remained where she was, and he wanted to reach out and haul her close and out of the apartment.

“Get your purse. We’re going to get something to eat.”

“I’m not hungry.”

Angelo’s frustration levels skyrocketed, and his mouth firmed into a thin line. Didn’t she get the hint he was trying to get her somewhere they could talk, without actually having to say the words so that if—and that was a big if—her place was bugged, whoever was listening wouldn’t hear their conversation?

Clearly Teresa wasn’t, so he closed the distance and pulled her to him. Angelo lowered his head so his lips brushed her ear. “I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m trying to get you out of here. Okay?” he murmured.

She nodded.

“Say the words, Tre.” He stepped back and shoved his hands in his pockets.

“Fine, let’s go eat. Let me get my purse.” Teresa headed toward her bedroom.

No way was he going to let her go into that room by herself.

He stood in the doorway as she slipped on some shoes and collected her purse along with a medium-sized black messenger bag.

Interesting.

What did the bag contain? Probably her laptop, but what else? All he could hope for was that it guarded the reason for her to be skittish.

“I’m ready,” she announced.

“Good. I’m in the mood for Italian. You have a preference?”

“Nope, Italian is good.”

Angelo reached out and gently slipped the messenger bag off her shoulder and hiked it on his.

Teresa opened her mouth to protest, but he shook his head and she huffed out a breath.

He wouldn’t be so lucky when she found out where he planned to take her.

Thirty minutes later, they pulled into the driveway of his house. His place wasn’t fancy, but it was his. Angelo had taken the long way home, ensuring they weren’t being followed.

He still had no idea what Teresa was tangled up in, only that she was—because of the flashes of fear he’d seen cross her face.

Whatever it was, he’d keep her safe.

She’d called him, and he wasn’t going to take that call lightly.

“This’s not a restaurant. Where are we, Angelo?”

“We’re at my place.” He shut off the engine and waited for the explosion. He didn’t have to wait long.

“What?” Teresa yelled. “Why are we here? You told me were going for Italian. How could you do this? What’s going on? I trusted you, and you lied to me.”

Whoa, he’d expected her to be upset, but this was more than that. Yes, she was angry, but dammit, she was scared. The last thing he wanted was for her to be scared of him.

“Teresa.” Angelo reached across the console to take her hand, but she snatched it away and tucked her fingers tight between her legs. “I’m working blind here. You call and tell me you’re in trouble. I get to your place, and Phillip’s knocked out on your doorstep. Then when I ask you what’s going on, you look around your place as if you’re thinking it’s bugged or someone is going to jump out of the closet. I brought you here. To my home because I know the place is bug-free and we can talk freely.”

All through his small speech, he kept his focus directly on her, willing her to understand why he’d done what he had. Watching her to see if she was about to break down because if anyone should, it was her. Teresa had seen and had been through a lot in the last few hours.

Her eyelids dipped down before reopening. “I’m sorry. I-I just. I don’t know what’s going on anymore.”

“Then talk to me. Help me understand so I can do whatever you wanted from me when you called me. You called me for a reason. I’m here. Use me.”

A spark of humor lit her gray eyes. “Use you, huh? That’s leaving yourself open for a lot of uses.”

A chuckled rumbled through Angelo. “I can assure you, I’m very useful.”

A smile curved Teresa’s lips. “I bet you do. Is one of them cooking? Because I really am hungry.”

He curled a hand around her neck, tugging until she was leaning across the console. Angelo pressed his lips to her forehead.

Heat seared through him from the contact, and he wanted more. Now wasn’t the time.

Teresa needed him to be the person he was—a former SEAL and now security expert. There’d be time in the future for him to be more than that.

At least he hoped it would.

“My mama loves me, but she made sure I could look after myself. I can cook.” Angelo released her and got out of the car, leaning in before he closed the door. “Wait there.” He rounded the front of the car when his phone buzzed. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled it out, giving the screen a quick look. “Hey, Cass. What’s up?”

“I was checking the logs and saw you reported in. Everything okay?”

Angelo opened Teresa’s door, pointed to the phone, and held up a finger to say give him a minute.

She nodded, but a spark of annoyance flared in her eyes.

He supposed he had been a little rude, so he rested his hand on her knee, giving it a quick squeeze.

Fortunately, she didn’t pull away.

“I’m good, but I’m in the middle of something I may need to bring to the table. Thanks for checking up on me.”

“Always, you know that.”

Cass worked hard for Alliez, and they’d be lost without her computer skills. She was a genius, and they were lucky to have her. However, the fatigue in her voice wasn’t hard to miss.

“I do. But you should be sleeping. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“You’re as bad as Irish,” she grumbled and disconnected the call before he could say anything else.

Angelo popped his phone away and turned his attention back to Teresa. “You ready to be impressed?”

“I suppose,” she said nonchalantly and slipped out of the car, avoiding standing too close to him.

As much as he wanted to tug her close, he didn’t give into the urge.

She wanted space. He could respect that. However, he missed the closeness that they’d momentarily shared in the car.

“Here we are,” Angelo said as he opened his front door and disarmed the security system. “It’s not huge, but it’s home.”

The two-bedroom bungalow had been in terrible condition when he’d bought it. The foundation issues had turned many people off, but he’d seen the potential. Had seen the beauty that was possible beneath the dirt.

He’d gotten it for a song and had taken his time getting the right people to fix the problems. Now the house had a solid foundation, and everything was up to code.

“It’s cozy,” Teresa said as she ran her hand over the bright blue blanket thrown over the edge of his black leather couch.

“You can sit in here and relax while I cook.”

“Thanks.”

Once Angelo got Teresa settled, he headed for the kitchen. Before he dug deeper into what was going on in her life, he planned to feed her and get her to relax. He wanted her to know that his place was a safe haven for her.

This need to offer her a sanctuary plus protect her wasn’t one he could fathom. During the short time he’d been a SEAL, the protective instinct had grown. The need to ensure innocent lives were kept safe was a core feeling amongst his team, but it wasn’t ever like this. So strong he could almost touch it.

Angelo clenched his fists and closed his eyes. He focused on his breathing.

One breath in.

One breath out.

Why the hell was he feeling this intense around a woman he hadn’t seen in over a decade?

This reaction to Teresa was confounding. They’d had two, maybe three conversations after that initial encounter in the hallway at school. They’d never dated. It wasn’t like he had a crush on her and pined for her while he was at bootcamp. Nope, his focus had been on getting through it and then getting through BUD/S.

That was what he needed to do now. Redirect his focus to the task at hand. Find out what was going on in her life and solve it. Once he’d done that, then they could go their separate ways and never see each other again.

Angelo strode over to the fridge and checked the contents, pleased he’d gotten his thoughts and reactions back under control. There was some chicken in the freezer. He had the cooking cream, as well as some basil pesto. The cupboard was always stocked with pasta, so he had everything he needed to whip up a chicken pesto dish.

While the chicken was defrosting, he’d open a bottle of wine and pour them both a glass.

Teresa was where he’d left her in the living room.

The line of sight from the kitchen to the living spaces was something he’d wanted. His construction guy had listened, and even though it was an open plan, there was some separation as well.

“Thought you might like a drink.” Angelo held out the glass as he wandered up to her.

“Thanks.” Teresa took it from him and had a sip. “Oh, this is nice. What is it?”

“It’s a sauvignon blanc from New Zealand.”

She nodded and clutched the glass a little tighter.

Angelo didn’t like seeing her nervous; this wasn’t what he wanted. He wanted the opposite. “Do you want to come into the kitchen and watch me cook?” he offered when he heard the microwave signaling the defrost cycle was done. “We can talk.”

“Sure. That’d be good.” Her shoulders dropped, and her fingers around the stem of the glass lost their whiteness around the knuckles.

That was better.

“Take a seat.” Angelo pointed to the stools tucked under the island counter. “Prepare to be dazzled by my culinary skills.”

Teresa laughed, and he really liked the sound.

Wanted to hear it often.