“Meaning it’s not now?”
Her gaze searched his expression for clues. He’d spoken easily of their years apart until now. He didn’t seem to want to talk about his recent past.
“It’s okay. It’s a job and I needed one.”
She knew all about that. “I can relate. I’ve moved around for the last few years. Mostly I wait tables or tend bar. I think about going to college but maybe I’m too old.”
Or in danger.
“You’re not even thirty, sis. What would you study if you could go back?”
“I’d like to help kids like us. I was thinking I might enjoy being a social worker.”
Zach reached across the table and patted her hand. “You always were a soft touch. I imagine you would be quite good at it. If you want to do that what are you waiting for?”
She’d never intended to lie to him about the last few years but she’d underestimated how difficult it would be to tell him. Telling West had been hard enough, but then he’d been incredibly pissed off at the time while Zach had no idea the implications of the question he’d asked.
“Well…it’s funny you asked that. The last few years have been challenging to say the least. You suggested we travel to Chicago together to see Aubrey so there’s something you should know before we go.”
His fingers tightened on her own and his smile fell. “I’m listening. Is everything okay?”
West and Wyatt chose that moment to join them at the table. West’s gaze flickered back and forth between Gigi and Zach. “Did we interrupt?”
Gigi shook her head, her stomach clenching painfully. Zach was going to think she was a complete idiot.
He might not want to be around her anymore once he found out Alan wanted her under his thumb. Or dead. Alan also wanted anyone around her dead which wasn’t good news for Zach. He might decide it was more prudent to walk away until her life was pieced back together. She wouldn’t blame him a bit.
“I was just about to tell Zach about Alan,” she said softly. “He needs to know.”
No matter what it cost her it was time to face her past and move on. Alan didn’t get to win. Not anymore.
* * *
“I think we’re being followed.”
Zach had pulled West aside as they’d headed toward the elevators of their hotel. Lunch was over and Gigi had told her story. Her brother had alternated between anger at Morton and sympathy for his sister. Zach had muttered something under his breath about kicking Morton’s ass but he’d have to get in line. West wanted to do it himself.
West didn’t even glance over his shoulder. “I think you’re right, although how you knew I’d like to know. They’re not doing too bad a job of it.”
A smile slowly spread across Zach’s face. At that moment he looked very much like Gigi.
“I told you I was in the military and that I’ve done some private security as well. I was a bodyguard for a couple of hotshot movie actors. They’ve got females following them in droves and they’re always trying to sneak up into the hotel room for some naked action. After awhile you get a sixth sense about it.”
“I don’t think these guys want to get naked,” West chuckled. “But I do think they’d like to get their hands on Gigi. I don’t intend to let that happen. They’ll have to go through me first.”
“And me,” declared Zach, his jaw tight. “I haven’t met this guy Alan but already I think he’s slime.”
West and Zach were going to get along fine.
“He is slime. Some of the worst. Gambling. Drugs. Prostitution. And those are his good qualities. The rest of the time he’s a controlling asshole who wants to turn Gigi into a life-size Barbie doll.”
Zach glanced at Gigi talking animatedly to Wyatt near a magazine display. “If I’d been around none of this would have happened. I should have been there.”
Gigi had mentioned Zach had a protective streak a mile wide but it was no time for ifs, ands, or buts. The past was the past and they needed to focus on the present. They were far from out of the woods.
“Don’t beat yourself up about it. What matters is that you and Gigi can be a family again.”
Zach nodded absently, his mind somewhere else. “I want to help.”
“Help? I’m not sure I follow you.”
“I want to help you get him. I want to help keep her safe.”
“I know you mean well but this could get danger–”
“Fuck that.” Zach angrily waved away West’s warning. “I’ve been in combat. I’ve been a bodyguard. I’ve got a black belt. Shit, I can handle myself.”
West rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. “If you get hurt Gigi will kill me.”
Zach laughed and slapped West on the shoulder. “You’re not afraid of a little bitty thing like her, are you? Man up, my friend.”
West quirked an eyebrow. Clearly Zach had been separated from Gigi for too long. “Your sister has been on her own for a long time and she can handle herself too. She’s a damn good shot and not bad in hand to hand combat. She wouldn’t hesitate to knee me, and you, in the balls so watch yourself.”
“I’ll gird my loins. So are you going to let me help or not? I don’t see that you have much choice really with only Wyatt to help you.”
West hated it when other people were right. He needed Zach and the man did look like a freaking brick wall.
“You can help but just so we’re clear about the chain of command…I’m in charge. Got it?”
Zach’s brows shot up but he didn’t object. “Got it. Does the man in charge have any ideas as to how we’re going to get to Chicago without being followed?”
Shit. Fuck.
“No,” West admitted. “My training says to create a diversion but that’s as far as I’ve gotten with the plan.”
“You’re in luck,” Zach grinned. “I have an idea. Want to hear it?”
“I’m open to any and all ideas. Let’s head to the hotel room.”
West led the way upstairs with Wyatt and Zach surrounding Gigi. Someone was watching them and the sooner West shook the tail the better. Whatever was waiting for them in Chicago didn’t need to know the minute Gigi stepped foot in the city.
Time for a covert operation.
Chapter Nineteen
‡
Gigi flipped through the television channels one by one but not really paying any attention to the screen. They’d ordered room service and had dinner with Zach and Wyatt. Pizza and a bottle of Chianti which had made Gigi slightly dizzy. West had teased her and said she was a cheap date. One drink and she was feeling it.
“Are you even watching the TV?”
West stood next to the bed wearing nothing but an unzipped pair of blue jeans and a smile that showed off that dimple in his cheek. Despite all the crap they’d been through in the last few days her libido perked up and took notice of his very fine self. There ought to be a law against a man being that damn sexy, but then he’d probably just charm his way out of jail.
Drop dead gorgeous.
Gigi would never admit it out loud but she was attracted to men with an edge. Alan’s edginess had been a cover for someone who was deeply and irrevocably disturbed. A violent man, he couldn’t control the demons that drove him to do unspeakable acts upon other human beings.
West, on the other hand, had an aura of strength about him. He was an alpha male that others rarely messed with since he carried himself with such incredible confidence. It wasn’t arrogance either, but some innate quality that made men want to follow him into battle and women want to take his pants off.
As a young woman Gigi hadn’t been able to discern the difference between a violent, controlling asshole and a swaggering, cocksure but protective male. Thankfully this time she’d finally found the right man.
A man that loved her and had basically demanded she love him back. Period.
Love was a word she hadn’t used much in her life. She adored West. She wanted him around all the time and she couldn’t imagine her life without him. Sh
e trusted him. Wanted to make love to him. Wanted to laugh and joke around. She even liked it when they simply sat around and watched a movie.
Was that love?
If so she was screwed because he evoked such strong emotions she didn’t even have words to describe them anymore. He was West and he was all she needed.
She hit the off button on the remote and tossed it aside. “No, I’m not really watching television. I’m thinking about tomorrow. Tell me again why we’re flying and not driving.”
“Because we’re being followed,” West explained patiently. “We’ll shake the tail and fly to Chicago. Since we’ve been driving all this time they won’t expect that. I want the element of surprise on our side.”
West had impressed upon her that they needed every advantage they could get. Alan would be waiting there with some evil plot to take her away.
“And just how are you going to get Alan’s men off our tail? If they know we’re here in the hotel they’ll be waiting for us to leave.”
West chuckled and leaned against the dresser, his long legs stretched out. “I’m counting on that. Now are you done asking questions? Just trust me, babe. I feel good about this plan. I promised I’d get you to your brother and I did. Now I promise I’ll get you to Chicago and your sister.”
He was a man who kept his promises. It was one of the reasons she’d been with him this long.
“I am done and I do trust you. So we just sit tight until morning?”
She doubted she’d get much sleep with more traveling the next day. She longed to curl up in West’s bed, his body pressed against her own. She would sleep for days.
“I have something else in mind. You’ve been under so much stress. You need to relax. I thought a date night might do the trick.”
West had that sneaky look she knew so well. Shit eating grin. Twinkling green eyes. Her man was in the mood to be naughty.
And she was a lucky girl.
“How are we going to go out on a date? I heard you tell Wyatt that we were in for the night.”
Wyatt was staying in a connecting room and there was only an unlocked door separating them in case something happened.
“We are in for the night but he gave me a hand with the setup.” West opened the small refrigerator and pulled out a bottle. “Champagne to start us off.”
Gigi laughed as West popped the bottle open and the golden liquid fizzed over the top. He poured a little into two plastic cups and handed her one. “I never knew you were so romantic, Westin Anderson. I’m impressed.”
“There’s a lot of things you don’t know about me. You should stick around and discover them all. How about a toast? To us.” He leaned down, one hand on the bed so their gazes met. Her heart accelerated in her chest at his intense but passionate expression. “And to our future.”
With a shaky hand she lifted the cup and tapped his own. He wasn’t going to let up on her. “To us and the future.”
She sipped the tart liquid, the bubbles tickling her nose and making her sneeze and giggle. “This is good. I could get used to drinking champagne in Las Vegas.”
West had expressed his regret that they weren’t able to truly enjoy being in Sin City and had promised a future trip to make up for this one. She could have cared less, honestly. Being with him was quite enough. Only a few days ago she’d thought she’d never see him again.
“I’m just sorry we’re not here for a better reason.” He set his cup down and dug into his bag and pulled out his iPod. “Champagne is only the beginning. There’s also dancing.”
He placed the player onto the clock radio dock and the slow strains of At This Moment filled the room. Holding out his hand, he gave her a sexy smile and showed off that dimple. “Come dance with me, babe. Let me try and help you forget everything but the two of us.”
He was better at that than he knew. Whenever she was in his arms it was as if the world fell away. But she always seemed to come down to earth with a jolt. Reality could be highly overrated at times.
They seemed to float together, her feet never quite touching the ground. His body brushed hers, sending sparks straight to her core. Her heart raced and her knees trembled at his nearness, his warm citrusy scent teasing her nostrils. It was a solid, manly aroma that wrapped around her like the softest comforter. When she was with West the fear that she’d lived with for so long melted like ice on a hot day.
Speaking of heat…
What had begun as a slow simmer of warmth in her abdomen had turned into a five-alarm barn burner that had her pressing herself as close as she could get to West’s muscular frame. Arousal pooled in her belly and her nails dug into his biceps when he dipped his head and slid his lips along the cord of her neck. She moaned and quaked, her eyelids fluttering closed to savor the ricocheting sensations that were currently making her world spin.
Cool air between them caused her eyes to snap open. West had taken a step back and was regarding her steadily, a deep vee between his brows.
“What’s your favorite movie?”
Gigi had to shake her head to loosen the cobwebs. “What? I don’t understand.”
She’d thought they’d been about to make love but he wanted to play Twenty Questions instead?
“What’s your favorite movie?” he pressed, an exasperated look on his handsome face. “This always happens. I start out with the best of intentions to find out more about you and then we end up in bed. I won’t let that happen this time. Dammit, woman, I was trying to be romantic.”
Gigi tilted her head in question. He seemed completely serious. He wanted to know her favorite movie instead of having sex.
Well…okay.
“Rear Window. It’s a Hitchcock film with Grace Kelly and Jimmy Stewart.”
His frown only deepened. “I know that. I saw it years ago.”
If he wanted to discuss film she could do that, although she could think of far more pleasurable things to be doing. “It’s a cinematic masterpiece. The first five minutes of the film not a word is spoken but Hitchcock communicates the setting and circumstances perfectly.”
“Are you a big Hitchcock fan?”
This entire conversation was surreal. Her body was humming and she could clearly see the bulge in his pants but they were talking about movies.
What the hell?
“I wouldn’t say I’m a big fan. I liked Dial M for Murder and I thought Psycho was scarier than hell but some of his other films were just so-so for me.”
“Psycho was scary. We should watch it together sometime. What’s your favorite color?”
Apparently they weren’t done.
“Red. Next question.”
“I should have known that.” His lips twisted and he nodded. “You wear a lot of red. What’s your favorite ice cream flavor?”
“Chocolate marshmallow. Are we done now? Because the mood is rapidly dissipating, West.”
He crossed his arms over his broad chest. “I told myself that I’d get to know you. Really know you. I don’t want us to get distracted.”
West was a wonderfully sweet man but he simply didn’t understand. How could he not see something that was so incredibly clear to her?
“You know me better than anyone in the world,” she said simply. “You may not know my favorite foods or where the scar on my knee came from but you know me. You know the me inside.”
His gaze flickered down to her leg but they were covered in denim. “How did you get that scar on your knee?”
Gigi smiled at the memory. “We were at the park and Zach was pushing me on the swing. I kept telling him I wanted to go higher and higher and he kept pushing me harder and harder. The inevitable happened and somehow I let go of the chains holding up the swing. I flew several feet and cut my knee on a rock.”
His expression softened and he reached out to run his rough fingers down her cheek, sending a streak of arousal straight through her. “I bet that hurt. Did you cry?”
“I tried not to but yeah, I did. Zach cleaned me up and put a
band-aid on it but now I have a little reminder of that day.”
“I want to know everything about you.” His voice was soft but there was a tinge of frustration in the tone. Typical West Anderson. Most things in his life had come quickly and easily so he thought this should too. She’d already let him in further than she’d ever planned.
“You will…eventually, I’m guessing. But you already know the important things. Everything else is just details.”
“What do you think is important?”
She sat down on the bed and let her mind wander back over the last three months with him. The time they’d spent together had been some of the happiest of her life, despite all the crap she’d had to hide from him.
“You know my mood just by looking at me. Even when I’m trying to hide it. You know how to make me laugh. I especially like it when you do the Kermit the Frog voice. It cracks me up every single time. That always makes my day no matter how bad it’s been.”
His face flushed at the mention of his Muppet impressions. For a sex god he was kind of dorky once someone got to know him.
“I like making you laugh. You didn’t do much of it when we first met so I might have acted a little silly in the beginning. You know, to see you smile.”
Gigi clapped a hand over her mouth, emotion tightening her chest. If he only knew how much that meant to her. No one had gone out of their way like that just to see her smile. “And no one tells worse jokes than you do. Some of them are truly bad. Like the horse that walked into the bar and the bartender said–”
“Hey buddy, why the long face?” West finished for her, a grin spreading across his own face. “That’s a great joke.”
“It’s a silly joke,” she giggled. “But that’s just part of all the things you know. You knew, even when I didn’t tell you, that I had a secret. You never gave up on me. You saw something inside of me I didn’t even see myself.”
West was looking at her like she was the greatest thing in the world. Why hadn’t she noticed it before? It was the same way she looked at him.
“Love.”
Hiding From Danger (Danger Incorporated Book 2) Page 12
