Inked by an Angel by Shauna Allen Page A

with her family acting like she was some sort of pariah for leaving the firm and Charles treating her business like some kind of temporary hobby, it only made her more determined.
    Charles pulled the roast from the oven and stirred something on the stove as she sat. “Can we talk about this later?”
    She studied the tense line of his back. “No. Let’s talk about this now. Actually, what is there to talk about, exactly?”
    He sighed and turned back to her. “Kyle . . .”
    She tilted her head and folded her arms beneath her breasts. This had been the unspoken thing that had been brewing between them for months. Maybe he would finally have the guts to say it outright. “ Charles . . .”
    The timer dinged on the rest of the meal. His shoulders wilted in defeat. “Can we at least wait until after we eat?” His eyes begged her to relent.
    She looked him in the eye for several heartbeats. “Fine.”
    “Thank you!” He seemed so relieved, she felt a little sorry for him.
    He served their meal and poured her a glass of wine, obviously trying to be a gentleman.
    He lifted his glass for a toast. “To us,” he said with a smile. “To the woman I want to be with for the rest of my life and the future mother of my children. And to me, the new Vice President of the O’Neill Accounting Firm.”
    She stared at him, dumbfounded.
    “Well”—he smiled after he’d sipped his wine— “Aren’t you going to say something? Congratulate me?”
    “What happened? What about Brad?”
    “Brad had to step down for medical reasons.” He thumped his chest. “The old ticker just can’t keep up any more.”
    Oh no . Her father’s successor and next in line to be President of the company was an old family friend. She knew he was older, but she hoped he would be okay. She studied Charles’s self-satisfied face. He looked pleased as punch and not at all concerned with Brad’s health. He was only concerned with his own move up the corporate ladder.
    “Well, I’m very sorry to hear about that,” she commented as she picked up her fork and pushed her food around her plate.
    “And?”
    She glanced up. “But I’m glad that means you got a promotion. Congratulations, Charles. I’m sure you’ll do a great job.”
    He smiled. “Thank you, sweetie. I had my secretary send Brad and his wife a bouquet of flowers and a bottle of Dom Perignon with my best regards today. I hope he received it all right.”
    She watched him as he tucked into his meal, but he didn’t notice. Maybe he did care after all. Who was she to judge him for being happy for his windfall? It wasn’t his fault that Brad’s health had failed.
    “That was nice of you.”
    He shrugged and didn’t bring it up again. After dinner, he somehow talked her into bed, unaware that her emotional resistance was thin or she would’ve probably said no. Charles had never been a great lover. He’d never been horrible, just never great. Just sort of eh. She could usually pull out an orgasm. Maybe. But he’d never had a problem, so he was pretty confident in his lovemaking skills.
    He rolled off of her with a satisfied sigh.
    She stared at the ceiling, feeling vaguely unfulfilled. Visions of strong forearms and colorful tattoos danced in her head. She sighed and rolled over.
    “You know”—Charles touched her in the dark—“eventually your father will have to retire as well. Then I’ll be appointed the President of the company.”
    “Yes. We’ve always known that’s where things were headed. It’s what you’re meant for.” Even she heard the detachment in her voice.
    “I want you there with me, Kyle.” His hand was still on her arm.
    She tensed as a sense of unease began to eat at her. “Of course I’ll be there. What are you talking about?”
    He rolled away from her and started to dress. “I think you know what I mean.”
    She sat up, pulling the sheet to cover her breasts. “No, Charles. Tell me what you mean. Besides being your wife, what more do you want