Redhead Blitz (13 page)

Johnny’s gaze flipped back and forth between
Gigi
and the stalker who really wasn’t a stalker.
 
Thankfully, Sean remained frozen, with his hands still above his head, but his forehead was creased in frustration.

“I was explaining to the officer I was a coworker following you home to make sure you arrived safely.”
 
His forcibly even tone wound her nerves tighter than jeans straight from the dryer.
 
He probably wished he’d never laid eyes on her.

“It’s true, Johnny.”
 
She took a step toward her old friend and gestured for him to put the gun down.
 
“Sean works with me.
 
When I thought I was being followed, I freaked out a little and called 9-1-1.
 
My imagination just got carried away.”
 
Gigi
hoped Sean would forgive her for embarrassing him this way.

Johnny holstered his weapon but shot Sean a distrustful look.
 
“Why didn’t you tell
Gigi
you were going to follow her home?
 
You scared her half to death.”

“I happened to recognize her car in front of me.”
 
Sean turned to her.
 
“I’m sorry.
 
I didn’t mean to frighten you.
 
I guess since I followed you last night, I thought you’d recognize
my
car.”

“All I could see was a pair of headlights.”
 
And she couldn’t tell one model of car’s from another.

The sound of crackling, followed by a dispatcher’s rapid words came through the radio attached to Johnny’s shoulder.
 
“You sure everything’s okay?” he asked
Gigi
, pausing with the mike near his mouth.

“It’s fine, Johnny.
 
But thanks.
 
I’m sorry for the confusion.”
 
She approached Sean, showing her friend she had no fear of this man.
 
Johnny turned and spoke into the mike as he headed back to his cruiser.

Embarrassed beyond belief,
Gigi
hesitated before meeting Sean’s gaze.
 
He was either going to tell her
she
was a total idiot or that
he
was for wanting to help her.
 
But as he shut the driver’s door and closed the distance between them, he made neither claim.

Instead, he enfolded her in his arms.
 
“I’m sorry I scared you.
 
I should have known you couldn’t distinguish my car from any other in the dark.”
 
His warm breath on the top of her head made her scalp tingle.

Thank God, he wasn’t furious.
 
She relaxed into him, exhausted from her fear and the horror of her mistake.
 
“It’s okay.”

Her head fit under his chin.
 
He was the perfect height for snuggling.
 
He felt so good, nestled against her so perfectly she didn’t want to move.
 
Ever.
 
Ignoring the mantra that echoed somewhere in the far recesses of her brain, she tilted her face up.
 
Without consciously intending to do so, she placed a gentle kiss on his Adam’s apple, then licked her lips, savoring the heat and salt of his skin.
 
Mmm
.

More
.
 
Reveling in the taste and feel of him, she returned her lips to his throat.

“Christ,
Gigi
.”
 
When Sean’s mouth slowly rained warm kisses down the side of her face and across to her mouth,
Gigi
stopped thinking.

The sound of the police cruiser passing reminded Sean why it would bad form to throw
Gigi
on the hood of his car and rip her clothes off.
 
He’d have to limit himself to simply kissing her.
 
He started softly, but after what could have been minutes or seconds, her responsiveness zapped his best intentions.
 
Her arms circled his neck while she pressed her body so snugly against his that not even air could have passed between them.
 
Her intoxicating scent filled his nostrils and for the first time, he fully appreciated the power of the olfactory sense.
 
His hands traveled in opposite directions, one down to cup her sweet ass and the other up her neck under the fall of her hair, angling her head for a deeper kiss.

She must have read his mind because her lips parted, inviting him in.
 
Sean didn’t hesitate.
 
Their tongues swirled and stroked, and he growled with pleasure.
 
He’d imagined kissing her so many times, both before and since that first kiss in her office.
 
Imagined how she’d taste and how he’d feel.
 
The reality was more fantastic than anything he’d conjured in his mind.
 
She tasted of mint and warm chocolate--sweet, creamy and so delicious he knew he wouldn’t be able to stop until he’d devoured every bite.

Beep, beep, beep.
 
The staccato car horn jolted him from the kiss.
 
Instinct had him pushing
Gigi
against the car and placing his body between her and the danger of the approaching vehicle.

“
Jeesh
, get a room you two.”

“Go for it, buddy.”

The good-natured guffaws from the carload of teenagers had
Gigi
hiding her face in his shirtfront.

Relieved there was no real danger, Sean skimmed one of his hands up and down her arm in comfort.
 
“So, are you going to invite me up?”
 
If she didn’t, if those little rodents had caused her to change her mind about the wisdom of those kisses, he was going to hunt them down and strangle each one of them.

She pulled back and looked up at him, her expression one of both embarrassment and arousal.
 
“Of course.
 
I owe you at least a beer for the trouble I’ve caused.”

Within seconds, he’d locked his car and pocketed his keys.
 
He walked
Gigi
to her car to grab her purse and then followed her up the stairs to her apartment, admiring the view of her ass in her skin-hugging jeans.
 
She set her purse and keys on a small table just inside the front door and closed it behind him.

“I hope light beer is okay.
 
Or I have some caffeine-free diet soda.”
 
She walked ahead of him into the kitchen with its black-and-white motif and small café table and two chairs.
 
The room smelled like his mother’s sugar cookies; he spotted a large scented candle in a jar.
 
When
Gigi
bent to reach into the refrigerator, her pretty ass taunted him again.
 
His arousal pressed against his fly, and he hoped to God that her invitation was for more than a beer.
 
She pulled out two bottles, and Sean twisted the top off the one she offered.

“Would you mind?”
 
She extended her bottle, and he opened it, then put both caps into the tall trashcan he spotted between the fridge and the wall.

She gestured back out into the hallway.
 
“We can sit in the living room.
 
It’s more comfortable.”
 
When he waited for her to lead the way, she squeezed past him, her butt grazing his thigh.
 
He wanted to grab her right then, but the living room did sound like a better place to take up where they’d left off outside.
 
And he had every intention of doing so.

Gigi
switched on a shaded floor lamp, bathing the large room in a pale golden glow.
 
As he looked around, Sean was taken aback by her furnishings.
 
Since she dressed so stylishly, he’d expected her to have trendy, modern pieces.
 
Or, if she didn’t have much money to spend on outfitting her place, maybe an odd mish-mash of styles.
 
But he should have known not to pigeonhole
Gigi
.

An antique secretary, looking like something Margaret Thatcher would sit at for penning correspondence, nestled between the two front windows.
 
A classic styled sofa covered in a small navy pattern rested against the left wall with two ivory upholstered chairs facing it.
 
In the center of the seating area was an oriental rug topped with a cherry coffee table.
 
A pair of matching end tables on either end of the sofa held crystal-based lamps.

“Wow.
 
This is not what I expected.”

Gigi
looked at him, her brow hitched.
 
“Just what did you expect?”

“I don’t know, maybe a few
Ikea
pieces or some chrome, glass and leather.
 
Myself, I go for Early American garage sale.”

Her smile told him she wasn’t insulted.

“Hell,” he continued, “I’ve got a beanbag chair and a futon, both left-
overs
from college, in my living room.”

She tapped her temple with her index finger.
 
“But--and I’m going out on a limb here--I predict you paid enough for your television to buy a whole room full of furniture.”
 
She took a sip of her beer, waiting for his response.

“Busted.”
 
He hadn’t expected
her
White House style surroundings, but she certainly had
him
pegged.

“And for the record, I didn’t buy all this.”
 
She walked further into the room.
 
“I inherited it when my grandmother went into hospice a few years ago.”

“I’m sorry.”
 
Although he felt bad for mentioning bringing up sad memories, her answer made him realize he knew very little about
Gigi’s
personal life.

She turned back toward him, a cheerful expression on her face.
 
“No, no.
 
I have awesome memories of Nana, and if anyone can raise some hell in heaven, I bet it’s her.”

Gigi’s
sense of humor and brilliant smile suddenly reminded Sean how lonely he’d been since the move.
 
While he had no regrets, at times he missed his family and hometown friends.

“Have a seat.”
 
Gigi
perched on one end of the sofa, her left leg curled underneath her right thigh.

Taking her choice as a good sign, Sean chose the sofa as well.
 
Privacy, soft lighting, a beautiful woman--this evening was officially the best one he’d had in months.
 
Taking that kiss into account, make that years.

“Congratulations on your win tonight.”
 
Her smile was enough to illuminate the room even without lamplight.

“Thanks.
 
Both teams played a good game.
 
I’d like a bigger point spread next time, but other than that, I’m pretty pleased.”
 
He took a long swig of beer and then turned his body toward hers, hitching his knee up on the sofa.
 
So, do you have other family in the area?”

She finished a sip, then twisted to set her beer bottle on a coaster on the end table behind her.

“My brother and his wife live here in town.
 
He’s an attorney.
 
My father and stepmother are here a large part of the year but winter in Arizona.”

She unconsciously toyed with the hem of her sheer green blouse, and Sean allowed himself to momentarily study her breasts.

“How about you?” she asked.

He met her gaze, and she gave him a grin that said she’d caught him.

“Heidi said you moved to town this past June,” she continued.
 
“Do you have family or friends here?”

She’s talked to Heidi about me
.
 
A good sign
.
 
“Actually no.
 
My folks live in Akron, and a lot of my friends have scattered across the country.
 
No brothers or sisters.”