Chapter 23 #4
He was half a block from Tiffany’s store when he stopped abruptly on the sidewalk, shocked to see her prancing around outside the store with Patty.
And what the hell were they wearing? Sailor suits?
If you could call them “suits.” Tiny scraps of fabric held together with a square knot placed strategically between two sets of full breasts.
His cock stood up for a better look at Tiffany, but he willed it into submission by allowing in the anger.
He’d told her he didn’t want her doing that!
A crowd of men had gathered to watch the two women as they teased and flirted and tried to entice customers into the store.
The squeal of car tires tore his attention off her as two cars narrowly avoided colliding in front of the store.
All the stress and emotion of the last hour bubbled to the surface, filling him with fury as he covered the remaining distance, laser focused on Tiffany.
As if he was outside himself watching someone else, he grabbed her arm and marched her into the store, slamming the door in Patty’s face as she scrambled after them.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Tiffany asked, outraged as she pulled her arm free.
Blaine hadn’t been this angry since he’d heard about what Eden had been up to while he worked nights. “What did I tell you about that?”
“In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a grown woman who can do whatever she wants, and the last thing I need is another man in my life thinking he can call all the shots while I watch passively from the sidelines.”
He took her hand and pulled her over to the window. “See those guys over there?” Pointing to the crowd of randy, leering young bucks who’d gathered on the sidewalk, Blaine said, “They’re all picturing you naked right now.”
“So what? They’re never going to see me naked.”
“You’re goddamned right they’re not.”
“Neither will you if you don’t get out of here right now.”
He pulled his citation book from his back pocket. “Not until I cite you for public indecency.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Blaine knew he’d probably regret throwing his official weight around, but at the moment, he was too damned mad to care about repercussions. “Don’t act like I didn’t warn you. The mayor has been all over me about your ‘advertising’ strategies, and you’ve given me no choice.”
“You absolutely have a choice.”
He pulled two pages from his book. “A citation for you and a warning for Patty. Now put on some clothes and quit creating a nuisance.”
Right before his eyes, Tiffany tore the citations into tiny pieces and sprinkled them like confetti at his feet.
“You’re just begging me to arrest you.”
She held out her hands. “Go for it.”
“If I didn’t have much bigger problems at the moment, I would, so count yourself lucky.”
When she stuck her tongue out at him, it was all he could do not to take her up on the blatant invitation.
“You need to put on some clothes.”
“I have clothes on.” Tiffany put her hands on her barely covered hips and met his mulish stare with an even more mulish stare of her own.
“That,” he said, gesturing to the suggestive outfit, “does not count as clothes.”
“Everything is covered.”
“Not covered enough.”
“I asked you to leave.”
“Not until you change.”
“I’m not changing, and you’re leaving.”
“Mac and his brothers are missing.” The moment the words left his mouth, Blaine felt like a total ass for telling her that way. “That’s what I was coming to tell you.”
Her lips parted, and her eyes filled with tears. “What do you mean missing?”
Blaine told her about the crash with the freighter. “There’s one confirmed fatality, but we’re keeping that info close until we know more.”
She bolted for the changing room. “Oh God, I’ve got to get to Maddie. Does she know?”
“Not unless one of the others called her.”
Tiffany emerged from the dressing room wearing jeans and a formfitting T-shirt that Blaine didn’t like much better than the skimpy sailor suit.
The woman was too sexy for her own good—and his.
When she reached for her purse and keys on the counter, her hands were shaking so badly she dropped the keys.
“I’ll drive you,” he said.
“I can drive myself.”
“Tiffany, you’re upset. Let me take you.”
“Not if you’re going to lecture me about how I choose to run my business.”
“I won’t say another word about it—for now. We’ll talk about it later.”
“Fine. I’ll let you take me to my sister.
” She pulled her cell phone out of her purse and hit a number on speed dial.
“Mom, I need you to get Ashleigh and Thomas from camp and meet me at Maddie’s.
” Tiffany told her mother what’d happened as she followed Blaine from the store.
On the sidewalk, she stopped to tell Patty she was in charge at the store for the rest of the day.
“You got it, boss.”
On the way to Maddie’s house, the unusual silence between them grated on Blaine’s already frayed nerves. “Tell me what you’re thinking?”
“I can’t even imagine what’ll become of my sister if he’s dead.”
“He can’t be dead. He’s too vital and too stubborn to die.”
“Do you really think so?” she asked, turning to him.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw tears rolling down her cheeks and pulled the car over to the side of the road. “Come here.” He held out his arms to her and was relieved when she allowed him to comfort her. “Try not to think the worst until we know more.”
“It doesn’t sound good, though, does it?”
“No, it doesn’t.” He rubbed his hand over her back. “Try to get yourself together. She’s going to need you.”
“Yes, you’re right.” She wiped away the tears. “She’s always there for me, so I need to be there for her.”
“That’s the way. Ready?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”