Sweet Temptation

“Goddamn it, Angel.”

He was furious, but she was determined to have her say.

“I’ve done a lot of thinking, Micah. A whole lot of soul searching, and what I’ve found makes me ashamed.”

Micah dragged a hand through his hair and pulled it tight at the base of his skull. He looked like he was going to explode, but he remained silent. It was probably killing him.

“I was so determined to show you how perfect we could be together. I loved you. I thought that was enough. I guess being naïve, I thought I could make you love me. Chad was convinced he and I belonged together. He was obsessed, but in his mind he was only doing what he thought was right. He thought if he could just make me see how much he loved me that somehow I could love him back.”

Micah made a strangled sound. His eyes glittered with rage, and she realized he knew where she was going with this. She held up her hand, determined to ward off the meltdown.

“I was as wrong as Chad was,” she said quietly. “I had no right to intervene in your life. I had no right to intrude in your private grief when you went to Mama Rose’s. I certainly had no right to barge into your life here and insert myself into your group of friends and remind you of everything you’d tried to forget. I judged you, I was angry at you for wanting to forget, when it was your right to do so.”

She took a deep breath and plunged ahead.

“When it was just me I had to think about, I was okay with the possibility of rejection. I was okay with putting my life on hold and taking risks. Young and in love and all that. Whole life ahead of me. Nothing to lose. That’s all changed now. I have a baby to think of. I can no longer make decisions based on what affects me. I have to make them with my child in mind. She deserves that much.

“So I’m going back to Miami. I have a house there. I can use my degree and teach. I have to do this for our child, Micah. You can’t give me or her what we need the most, and I’m not willing to settle for less. Not anymore.”

“Are you finished yet?” Micah demanded.

His entire body vibrated with anger. She wasn’t up to a lengthy diatribe. He’d bitch, yell, make ludicrous demands. Especially now that she was pregnant. Probably only because she was pregnant. He’d certainly never made it a secret that it was over with once her stalker had been captured.

“It’s over, Micah,” she said evenly. “You told me to expect sex and nothing more. This was a temporary situation. I told you I’d take whatever you could give, but I’ve changed my mind. That’s my prerogative just like it was yours to make conditions. I’ll never try to keep you from your child, but you need to understand that I’m no longer willing to be the one making concessions.”

As she said the last, her finger found the nurse call button. It was a cowardly thing to do, but she was hanging on by the thi

“If you have any affection for me at all, Micah, please don’t make this difficult. I’m tired. I hurt. I’d like you to leave.”

Micah stared at her, his lips pressed together so tightly they were thin, white lines. The door opened, and the nurse bustled in, an inquiring look on her face.

“Are you ready for more pain medication? I’m glad you changed your mind. Pain isn’t good for you or the baby.”

Without a word, Micah got up, and as he’d done before, he left the room without looking back.

Tears brimmed in Angelina’s eyes as she watched the door swing closed.

Mistaking her upset for discomfort, the nurse placed her cool hand on Angelina’s forehead. She wiped her hand into Angelina’s hair in a gesture of comfort as she readied the syringe to inject medication into the IV.

“You’ll feel better in just a few minutes,” the nurse soothed.

She wouldn’t feel better, but she’d made the right decision.

Micah stood outside Angelina’s hospital room waiting for the nurse to wheel her out into the hall. He’d respected Angelina’s wishes. He hadn’t been back to her room, and he’d damn well given her plenty of time to think.

Well, he was done with all that now. Oh, he understood why she’d said all she did. It was nothing less than he deserved, and in an absurd way, he was proud of her for making a stand for their child. She’d make one hell of a mother. But hell would freeze over before he’d leave her to be a single mother and care for their child alone. And duty had nothing to do with it.

He paced back and forth until finally the door opened and the nurse pushed Angelina out into the hall. She visibly flinched when she saw him, but she didn’t say anything. She just waited, her dark eyes looking so soulful that his chest tightened.

“Thank you,” Micah said as he took the handles of the wheelchair. “I’ll take it from here.”

The nurse handed him Angelina’s discharge papers and then smiled cheerfully at Angelina as Micah rolled her away.

He took her down in the elevator and out to the front, where his truck waited. She didn’t say anything, but then neither did he.

He helped her into the passenger seat, and after making sure she was settled and buckled in, he walked around to the driver’s side and slid in.

She kept glancing sideways at him. He hadn’t told her he was coming to get her from the hospital. If he had, she probably wouldn’t have been there when he arrived.

“Where are we going?” she asked in a nervous voice.

“Your apartment,” he said in an effort to dispel her trepidation.

She relaxed against the seat and turned to stare out the window. Did she honestly think he was going to deposit her at her apartment and walk away while she prepared to walk out of his life?

Of course he hadn’t given her any reason to think differently. That would change quickly enough.

He pulled into the apartment parking lot in front of her building and turned off the truck.

“Stay there. You need to take it easy,” he said as he opened his door.

It was a gorgeous fall day. Bright blue skies and no hazy smog hanging over the city. Beautiful day, and his entire life was falling apart. It seemed apropos.

He walked around and opened the door for Angelina. Hugging her arm to her injured shoulder, she wiggled across the seat. He reached up and carefully eased her into his arms so he wouldn’t jar her ribs.

“I can walk,” she said in a stuttering breath.

Her body trembled against his, and as much as he wanted to keep her in his arms, he didn’t want to push too soon. Not yet.

He set her down and waited for her to get her feet underneath her. He kept his hand at her elbow to steady her, and they walked toward her door.

“Let me have the keys,” he said.

She handed them to him, and for a moment, his hand curled around hers. She looked tired. Fragile. Lost. He wanted to pull her into his arms and go to bed for a week. Just him and her. No outside world. No worry. No pain. No past.

He pulled away and unlocked her door, shoving it open. She walked in ahead of him and when they stepped into the living room, it erupted in chaos.

“Surprise!”

The voices echoed across the room as people jumped up. Okay, the girls jumped up. The guys sort of stood there looking faintly amused as Julie, Serena and Faith ran over to greet Angelina.

Angelina took a step back, her expression horrified. Tears welled in her eyes and her face crumpled. With a choked sound, she turned and ran into the bedroom, shutting the door behind her.

The girls stood looking mystified at Angelina’s abrupt departure.

“I told you this wasn’t a good idea,” Co

Micah sighed as he sca