Page 10 of Sweet Dreams
I was about to automatically answer no to both those questions, but then I stopped myself. I had that weird box with lingerie delivered the other day. That was definitelyodd.
"If you consider an anonymous box on my doorstep with black lingerie in it and no note to be odd, then yes, I've had something odd happen recently.” A feeling of dread was taking hold of me as I wondered if the two things arerelated.
"I guess that depends on you. Do you frequently have lingerie delivered by secret admirers?" he asked with a raisedeyebrow.
"No!" I exclaimed. "I hadn't even been dating for a long while before Ivan, so I don't know who it might befrom."
"No return address? No post office stamp? Nothing but thelingerie?"
"Nothing. Totally random and out of the blue with no way to trace who it came from,” I assuredhim.
"Okay, let's talk again after I review the tapes from the cameras they have here at Pacific City. I'll officially document this incident. If there's anything to go on from the tapes, I'll let you know. If anything else happens that seems even slightly odd, please call me on this number, Ms. Grant," he said, handing me a businesscard.
"Sounds good. And call me Esa, please." I took his card and stood up. Hey, I knew about his dimples and he knew about my lingerie and dating habits. We'd graduated to firstnames.
"You got it, Esa.” He stood also and gave me a look that seemed extremely friendly based on the dimple on full display. "But only if you call meJack."
What was up with all the hot men recently? I have a long dry spell and then they all come out of the woodwork! "Thanks again, Jack," I responded. I turned toward my shop and squared my shoulders at the site of my window. Time to clean that shit off my shop and open up forbusiness.
What I didn't see is Detective Ramirez's appreciative once over of my body before he tookoff.
It was a crazy day. Jaz and I cleaned all the spray paint off the window, got the shop opened up, and steadily fielded a ton of traffic and questions. Seemed all the locals had heard about the vandalism and wanted to check it out for themselves. HB was still a small town and we looked after our own. I appreciated the concern, and I certainly appreciated the influx to my cash register, but I was seriously tired. I couldn't shut my brain off and I couldn't stop thinking about what was going on. Creepy lingerie delivery and now vandalism to my shop? They could totally be connected which freaked me out because they knew where I livedandworked. And it meant someone was targetingme.
I was stocking up our white cups at the counter when I heard Jaz mutter, "Well hello, handsome" next to me at the register. I jerked my head toward the door and made instant eye contact with Ivan. He was frowning and throwing off a seriously pissed off vibe. The line of guests waiting to place their order with Jaz parted for him as he approached the counter, as if they didn't want to mess with him and his black cloudeither.
When he reached the other side of the counter right in front of me, he placed two hands down, leaned forward, and got in my space. "A word, Esa?" hegrowled.
"Sure," I responded carefully. No one moved a muscle and there was an awkward silence in theshop.
"Outside, Esa," Ivan said in that same growlyway.
Oh, great, now Ivan was mad at me? Why didn't we just add that to the flaming pile of crap this day was turning into? I was called a whore on my storefront today and now Ivan was here to yell at me? Oh, hellno.
"Okay, but you can't growl at me. I don't like that tone and I've had quite the day already. I don't need you yelling at me," I responded with both hands on my hips. I still had a big knot of angry in my belly from the vandalism. I didn't want to take it out on Ivan, but he needed to back off. No way was I going into another relationship with a guy that thought he could steamroll me. Best get that straight from thebeginning.
Ivan inhaled sharply, leaned back, and smoothed his face out. Gone was the aggression, replaced by a look of concern and what I thought and hoped was respect. "Understood."
We kept eye contact, but both turned and walked out the door into the courtyard area of the shopping center. He grabbed my hand on the way out the door and offered me a seat on the same bench I had sat on earlier with Jack, the delicious detective. Ivan settled my hand on his leg and stroked his thumb across my skin, trying to soothe me, probably. And, damn, but it wasworking.
"First of all, I'm sorry for appearing angry when I walked in. I got a call from Detective Ramirez about how my girl's shop was vandalized and I didn't hear from you. So, I freaked out, went into protective overdrive and raced over here to see if you were handling things. Are you? Handling things?" he asked while peering into myface.
His ready apology smoothed over my concerns while his worried expression made that warm feeling come back. "Yes, I'm handling it as well as I can. The place has been a madhouse with people wanting to know what happened. I haven't really had a chance to sit down and rationally think about things. Jack thinks the lingerie and the vandalism might be connected. And that has me scared, to be honest," I said with afrown.
"Jack? You guys are on a first name basis now?" Ivan asked, back to that growlyvoice.
"Ivan, stop. Jack is a nice guy, but there's nothing there, so drop it, okay?" My eyebrows were scrunched up again. I couldn't believe he was focused on my supposed involvement with Jack when I had a serious problem on my hands. I felt like a pinball ricocheting between scared, angry, and giddy feelings about Ivan. It wasexhausting.
"I'm sorry. Again." Ivan sighed, running his hand through his hair. "I don't mean to pick a fight with you. I just feel insanely protective of you and I'm saying all the wrongthings."
“Well, stop making that face. You'll have major frown wrinkles if you keep that up," I said while reaching over and using the pad of my thumb to push on the line between his eyebrows. Maybe some humor could help us both turn this day around. "Besides, I'm kind of enjoying dealing with you right now and after a five-year dry spell, I can't handle juggling multiple men. There's nothing to worry about," I added with a teasinggrin.
Ivan looked at me, his eyes still guarded. After a long moment, he sighed again and his eyes warmed. He must have realized I was being honest because his face softened into a grin right before he pulled me into him and landed his lips on mine. It was a gentle kiss that soothed me more than I couldsay.
"You smell like sugar," Ivan whispered against my lips. "It's distracting. I want to inhale you all daylong."
I giggled and whispered back, "It's a hazard of myjob."
He pulled back far enough to look into my eyes and continued the serious part of our conversation as if the sugar comment was just a stream of consciousness and not something he intended to voice out loud. "I think I should stay with you tonight, baby. I don't like that this guy knows where you live. If the two are connected, we know we're dealing with a guy totally into you sexually, and now that he saw us together last night, he's pissed off. I need to know you're safe," Ivan finished on a gruffwhisper.
