Kiss an Angel(69)

“I cracked the whip before I let it touch you.” He flicked his wrist, taking the tension off the lash so that it loosened and she could slip free. “It’s an old trick, and the crowd loves it. But after I snare your wrists, you’ve got to smile at the audience so they know I didn’t hurt you. Otherwise, you’ll get me arrested.”

She rubbed one wrist and then the other. To her amazement, they were perfectly fine. “What if—what if you crack the whip after you catch my wrists?”

“I won’t.”

“You could make a mistake, Alex. You can’t always get every trick right.”

“Sure I can. I’ve been doing this for years, and I’ve never hurt an assistant yet.” He began collecting his whips, and she marveled at his perfect arrogance, even as it made her uneasy.

“Things went a little better this morning,” she said, “but I don’t see how I can go into the ring with you in two days. Jack said I’m supposed to be an untamed gypsy maiden, but I don’t think untamed gypsies scream like I do.”

“We’ll think of something.” To her surprise, he gave her a swift kiss on the end of her nose, began to walk away, stopped, and turned back. He looked at her for a long moment then returned, dropped his head, and settled his mouth over hers.

Her arms entwined his neck as he pressed against her. While her mind told her that sex should be sacred, her body craved his touch, and she couldn’t get enough of him.

When they finally drew apart, he looked down at her for a long, sweet moment and whispered, “You taste like sunshine.”

She smiled.

“I’m going to give you a few more days, sweetheart, because I know this is new to you, but that’s all.”

She didn’t have to ask what he meant. “I may need a little longer. We have to get to know each other better. Build mutual respect.”

“Sweetheart, when it comes to sex, I’ve got nothing but respect for you.”

“Please don’t pretend not to understand what I’m talking about.”

“I like sex. You like sex. We like having it together. That’s all there is to it.”

“That’s not all there is! Sex needs to be sac—”

“Don’t say it, Daisy. If you say the s-word, I swear I’ll flirt with every truck stop waitress between here and Cincinnati.”

She narrowed her eyes. “I’d just like to see you try. And sacred isn’t a dirty word. Come on, Tater, we have work to do.”

She flounced off with her elephant trotting behind, if she’d thought to look back, she would have seen something that would have surprised her. She would have seen her tough, humorless husband grinning like a teenager.

Despite Alex’s protests, she’d continued to work in the menagerie, although Trey now did many of the routine daily tasks. Sinjun eyed Tater as they approached. Elephants and tigers were natural enemies, but Sinjun seemed more annoyed by Tater’s presence than anything else. Alex said he was jealous, but she couldn’t imagine attributing such an emotion to the cranky old tiger.

She studied Sinjun with satisfaction. Between adjusting his feed and his daily showers, she thought his coat already looked healthier. She gave him a mock curtsy. “Good morning, your majesty.”

He flashed his teeth at her, a gesture she interpreted as his way of reminding her not to get too cute with him.

She hadn’t experienced any more of those mystical moments of communication with him, and she’d begun to think they’d been induced by fatigue. Still, just being near him filled her with awe.

She’d left a bag of treats she’d bought with her grocery money near a stack of hay, and she carried it over to Glenna’s cage. The gorilla had already caught sight of her, and she pressed her face between the bars, patiently waiting.

Glenna’s quiet acceptance of her fate combined with her yearning for human contact broke Daisy’s heart. She stroked the petal-soft palm extended through the bars. “Hello, love. I’ve got something for you.” From the produce bag, she drew out a ripe purple plum. The fruit reminded her of the touch of Glenna’s fingers. Firm, smooth skin. Softness beneath.

Glenna took the plum and settled back in the cage where she ate it in small, delicate nibbles while she regarded Daisy with sad gratitude.

Daisy handed her another one and continued to talk to her. When the gorilla was done, she once again approached the bars, but this time she reached for Daisy’s hair.

The first time she’d done this, Daisy had been frightened, but now she knew what Glenna wanted, and she pulled the rubber band from her ponytail.

For a very long time, she stood patiently in front of the cage and let the gorilla groom her as if she were her baby, picking through her hair for nonexistent gnats and fleas. When she was finally done, Daisy found that her throat had tightened with emotion. No matter what anyone said, it wasn’t right for this humanlike creature to be caged.



Two hours later, Daisy and her pet elephant were heading back toward the trailer when she spotted Heather practicing with her rings near the ball field’s home plate. Now that she was no longer so exhausted, Daisy had been able to think more clearly about what had happened the night the ticket money was stolen, and she decided the time had come to talk to Heather.

Heather dropped a ring as she approached, and while she bent to pick it up, she regarded Daisy warily from the corner of her eye.