Chapter 13 #2
“Great.” She folded herself into the driver’s seat.
The convertible top was up due to a passing shower earlier.
She pulled on her seatbelt and started her car as he reluctantly closed the door for her.
He suddenly thought of something, tapped on the window, and gestured with his hand for her to roll it down.
“Do me a favor and call when you get home,” he pleaded. “With this nutcase running around, I’d feel better knowing you were safe behind locked doors.”
She nodded, said goodnight, and drove away. Sean watched the car’s taillights until they were out of sight. He smiled and told himself moving back home was one of the best decisions he’d ever made.
Now, as he finished his run, he realized that not once during the five-mile trek had he thought about the case or that pain-in-the-ass reporter who had pissed the hell out of him this morning.
Grace occupied his mind more than any other woman he’d ever known.
And tonight they were going on a date. His body immediately reacted to the thought, and blood raced to his groin in anticipation.
Shit.
Maybe he should run another five miles and then take a fucking, cold shower.
The sexual lust and energy which filled him every time he thought of her was driving him crazy.
He didn’t want to rush her into a physical relationship if she wasn’t ready, but he hoped she was.
He also knew, deep down in his heart and soul, that one night with Grace Whitman would never be enough.
Grace changed her clothes for the seventh time.
She wanted to knock Sean’s socks off, but nothing in her closet was exactly what she was looking for.
She took off the burgundy skirt she was wearing and threw it onto the bed, adding to the growing pile of discarded outfits.
A little meow caught her attention, and she looked over at the one-year-old cat lying on one of the bed pillows.
Even though things now appeared to be moving in the right direction for Sean and her, Grace had kept her promise to herself earlier in the day.
After breakfast and running a few errands for her business, she’d gone to the local animal shelter and adopted a beautiful, velvety, grey feline.
There had been so many cats and kittens to choose from, but this little guy had grabbed her heart when he immediately nuzzled up to her and then head-butted her hand.
The staff told her his owner had died recently, and none of her family or friends could take him in, so they’d dropped him off at the shelter.
Grace had changed that in an instant. A quick trip to the local pet store had garnered a litter box, carrying crate, scratching post, food, water bowl, and toys.
An hour later, Grace’s new little friend had been fed and was purring with contentment on her king-sized bed.
She reached over to scratch the animal’s ears. “Get used to it, Rico. Your new mommy is a fashionista at heart.”
She giggled as she thought of the night before.
The look on Sean’s face was so hopeful when he’d asked her out, Grace couldn’t have turned him down even if she’d wanted to.
And she definitely hadn’t wanted to. When he’d said, “real date,” her heart had skipped a few beats, and she couldn’t believe what she’d heard.
Sean Malone had asked her out on a date!
She wished she still kept a diary like she did during her early teenage years.
That very moment would have filled up at least ten pages.
Turning back to her closet, a flash of teal silk at the rear of the rack caught her eye.
Perfect! She’d forgotten all about the dress.
Her former coworker, Trish, had convinced her to buy the dress for a hospital Christmas party two years ago in New York.
Trish had told her it was made for Grace’s body and would drive men crazy.
The just-above-the-knee length showed off her long legs, and cutouts bared her toned shoulders before the luxurious material flowed gently down her arms and torso.
Grace had to admit Trish had been right—she’d definitely garnered quite a bit of male appreciation that night.
She held the dress up to her body and turned to face the bed. “What do you think, Rico? Will he like this one?”
The animal continued to purr and flipped over on his back, paws in the air, tail swishing.
“You’re absolutely right. It’s drop-dead gorgeous. He’ll love it.”
Slipping the silken material over her head and down her body, she glanced into the full-length mirror on the back of the closet door and knew for certain this was the right dress.
She finished off the outfit with a simple silver necklace, matching earrings, and the silver-toned high heels she’d originally bought with the dress.
Her long, blonde hair was swept upward and softly held in place by a rhinestone clip.
She spritzed a little of her favorite perfume on her exposed neck and wrists and took one last look in her mirror.
Hopefully, she looked as good as she thought she did.
If this outfit didn’t bring Sean Malone to his knees, nothing would.
A knock on the door interrupted her assessment, and she glanced at the clock next to her bed. Six-thirty on the nose. Sean was on time, but Grace still needed to throw a few necessities into a small purse. Instead of keeping him waiting, she ran to the front door to let him in.
“Hi, I’m almost ready…” she said in a rush before her voice trailed off as she focused on him.
He looked gorgeous standing there in a button-down, tan shirt, black trousers, and black dress shoes, spit-shined to a high gloss.
He’d shaved and gotten his hair trimmed, but the lock of hair, which always fell just above his left eyebrow, was still there.
She loved that lock of hair—it gave an impish look to his face.
And, oh, his eyes—those mocha eyes were now wide with appreciation and a hint of something else—desire.
Sean’s mouth went dry, and he struggled to swallow.
He knew Grace was a beautiful woman, but—holy fuck—she was the sexiest woman he’d ever seen in that blue-green dress.
He wished he had more than two eyes at that moment because he couldn’t decide where to look first. Her legs went on for miles, ending in the sexiest high heels he’d ever seen on a woman.
The shapely curves of her breasts and hips were perfect, and he was dying to taste the satiny skin of her exposed shoulders.
Suddenly, he didn’t want to take her out to dinner, he just wanted to take her to bed. He didn’t want any other man looking at her—he wanted that privilege all to himself. It was selfish, he knew, but he couldn’t stop the feelings racing through his body, straight to his dick.
He didn’t know how much time had passed before he found his voice. “Hi… wow… hi… um, wow…” Okay, he may have found his voice, but formulating a sentence seemed beyond his mouth’s and brain’s abilities at the moment. He cleared his throat and tried again. “You look beautiful.”
“Thanks. You’re looking very handsome yourself.
” Grace blushed under his continued scrutiny.
If she had wanted to impress and seduce him, then she’d definitely succeeded.
He wanted to have her for dinner instead of food.
Inhaling deeply to get oxygen to his foggy brain, he entered the foyer when she stepped to the side to let him in.
Turning around, she hurried toward her bedroom. “I need a minute. I just have to grab my purse.”
Sean closed the door behind him and stared at her retreating backside.
Holy shit! How the fuck was he supposed to get through dinner with a raging hard-on?
Tilting his head toward the ceiling, he breathed deeply and tried to get his body to behave.
Something rubbed against his leg, and he glanced down to find a grey cat doing figure-eights around and through his legs.
Sean smiled at the animal and squatted down to stroke its back. “Hey there, little guy. Who are you?”
“That’s Rico.” Grace returned with a silver clutch and a light, black cape in her hands.
“I didn’t know you had a cat—he wasn’t here when we had dinner the other night, was he?”
Grace chuckled as he stood again. “No. This is Rico’s first day in his new home. I found him at the animal shelter this afternoon and fell in love with him. When I brought him home, he immediately strutted around like he was a king of the castle. No adjustments needed.”
She handed Sean her cape and turned around so he could place it over her shoulders. He was disappointed the material covered up her bare skin. He opened the door for her while she bent down to scratch the top of Rico’s head. “Now, you be a good boy, okay?”
Rico meowed his response, leaning into her touch.
After one more ear scratch, she stood, then stepped over the threshold with Sean on her heels, shutting the door behind them.
He placed his hand on her lower back, escorting her to his car, and she could feel the heat of her skin burning his hand even though the silk and light wool materials separated them.
She shuddered as they reached the vehicle.
“Cold?” Sean asked. Without waiting for a reply, he opened the car door for her and took her hand to help her into the low seat. He silently groaned when the hem of her dress rose even higher as she settled in.
Heaven help him.