just called the cops on her Bro Fabio!
“You look a little peaked,” Mary said. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine.” Gwen cleared her throat, grateful for the chair. She felt strength coming back now that there was a bit of distance between her and Ransom. “I’m fine,” she repeated, before turning her attention to Ransom. “And very sorry for whatever trouble I caused. I thought you were a burglar.”
“It was an honest mistake. I’m glad you thought to act first and ask questions later. That doesn’t always happen these days. People are not as willing to get involved. But then”—Ransom focused those hypnotizing eyes on her again—“something tells me you’re not like the other people around here.”
“Miss Mary, since I know you’re all right,” Gwen said as she stood, “I’ll be leaving.” She tried to brush past Ransom. “Nice meeting you.”
“Wait a minute, neighbor, not so fast. We can’t let an angel such as yourself walk home alone. I was just leaving anyway, and will be glad to escort you.”
Gwen laughed in a way she hoped sounded light and unaffected. “Don’t be silly. I live right next door.”
“Oh, let the young man walk you home,” Mary encouraged. “Honey, never pass up the opportunity to have a fine man on your arm!”
Ransom had her arm again, in that firm yet gentle way that spoke volumes about who he felt was in charge.
There was a strained silence as Ransom and Gwen covered the short distance from Mary’s to her mother’s. As soon as she stepped on their lawn she stopped.
“Okay, I’m in my yard. Thank you.”
“What? I’m going to be a jerk and leave a lady like you on the grass? Oh no, we must make sure you’re safely inside.”
Gwen held a rein on her temper as she hurried up the steps. Obviously this man had no idea how close to being out of control she was around him. She’d never reacted this way to a man and quite frankly, it scared her.
“We’re here. My front door. Good-bye.”
“Good-bye? Just like that? You call the police on a law-abiding citizen, forcing him away from his scheduled task of squirrel-hunting…and now it’s just…good-bye?”
Gwen put her hands on her hips and raised up to her full five-foot-seven. “Look, I said I’m sorry about the phone call. What else do you want from me?”
“Just this.”
The assault was not what she expected. Instead of a hard, bruising kiss, Ransom’s attack was soft, yet deliberate. He rubbed his lips against hers, ever so slightly, as he made circular motions at the nape of her neck, massaging her into submission. Before Gwen realized it, she’d opened her mouth to welcome him and Ransom instantly took full advantage. His thrusting tongue was hot and purposeful against the insides of her mouth, devouring her with a gentleness that belied his strength. He dug his hands into her hair and deepened the kiss. His other hand caressed her back, even as he outlined her lips with the tip of his tongue before plunging in again.
He kissed with a rhythm that reminded Gwen of lovemaking. She wanted to push him away but couldn’t. She’d never, ever experienced a kiss like this before. It made her want to laugh, to cry, to pledge her undying love, to take the first thing smoking out of Sienna. In short, it made her crazy. And she knew that if she didn’t stop the madness now, then later on, it would be too late.
“Please,” she said, placing a hand on his chest and putting as much distance between them as she could, still wrapped in his arms. She didn’t know that his desire-filled eyes mirrored her own. “I can’t,” she stuttered.
“Baby, you taste so good. I can only imagine…”
“Well, don’t be imagining anything. You said a kiss was the other…payment…you wanted for my calling law enforcement and you…well…we’ve done that. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a busy day tomorrow.”
“The kiss was just the beginning,” Ransom said, undeterred by her stern manner. He liked his women feisty, and loved a challenge. “Give me your number. I’d like to take you out. I’ve been thinking of you since we…ran into each other the other day.”
“No.”
“No?”
“You heard me.”
“Why won’t you go out with me? Scared you’ll seduce me on our first date?”
“You’re pretty sure of yourself, aren’t you?”
“No, but I’m pretty sure of us. Something is going to go down between us. I felt it from the first moment I held you in my arms…because of the butterfly.”
Gwen was thinking of butterflies all right, the ones that kept fluttering in her stomach every time this man opened his mouth. The mouth that had kissed her so thoroughly, so…
“Look, I’m here to take care of my mother. And dating is out of the question.”
“Why?” Ransom stepped forward.
Gwen stepped back, and fumbled for the doorknob behind her. “Because I’m…not interested!”
With that, she ran inside and closed the door firmly behind her.
10
It had been three days and Ransom couldn’t stop thinking about her. Gwendolyn Marie Andrews, according to Kristy’s Aunt Betsy, had been Adam’s classmate. She’d pored over old yearbooks and found Gwen’s picture. Ransom couldn’t believe she was the same age as his older brother.
A little digging and he’d found out more: that she was the new first-grade teacher at his daughter’s school. She’d be Isis’s teacher. Since Ransom didn’t plan on quitting until he’d scored at least one date with Miss Gwendolyn Andrews, he loved this little tidbit of information. It would give him legitimate, almost unlimited access to the woman who had captured his interest from the get-go. After all, he was a concerned single father, and when it came to his daughter’s education, a very involved parent…especially now.
“I’m going to Kristy’s. Anybody want anything?” Ransom’s crew murmured various orders. He waved away the offers to chip in on the purchase and jumped into his Jeep. On the way, he continued to think about Gwen, his mind swirling with questions. Why is she not interested in going out? Does she think she’s too old for me? Is she married? Ransom didn’t know the answer to any of these questions, but he fully intended to find out.
Gwen ran a hand through the straight hair she was still getting used to. Whenever she touched her hair, she thought of that guy, Ransom, who’d shaken her to her very foundation with a simple kiss, even as he massaged the tresses at the nape of her neck.
Ransom, she thought, as she walked to her pre-owned Toyota and slid into the driver’s seat. What kind of name is that, anyway? Gwen realized she had more questions than she did answers. Like where was he from? Gwen prided herself on staying somewhat current with the Sienna population, at least until ten years ago, the last reunion she’d attended and the time she’d married Joe and
