Page 31 of Louisiana Protector

The evening passed with an awkward energy pulsating in the air. The men were obviously upset not only by their talks with Chief Breaux but also about what had happened to her.

Thankfully Danny seemed oblivious to all of it. At one point River got down on the floor to play cars with him while the other adults continued to visit.

Tension coiled tight in Mimi’s stomach as the night went on. Now that Chief Breaux had questioned the men, it made it all the more real to her.

The main question she had in her head was what might happen next since it was obvious she was still spending time with Johnny. In fact, all day long she’d thought of the kiss they had shared. What shocked her was that she wanted to kiss him again and again. Even though she had limited experience, she couldn’t imagine anybody kissing better than him.

She gazed at him now. Nobody wore a pair of jeans quite like Johnny did. They hung a bit low on his lean hips and clung to his long legs. Tonight, he had on a short-sleeved button-down blue-and-black striped shirt. The shirt fit tight across his broad shoulders, and the bottom was tucked in at his slim waist. He looked sexy as hell.

His gaze caught hers, and a flame danced in the blue depths of his eyes. Oh, she recognized that flame, and it ignited a fire deep in the pit of her stomach.

She quickly looked away. Her physical desire for him was as strong as it had ever been, but that wasn’t what she needed from him right now. In truth, she didn’t know exactly what she needed from him.

Thankfully, River, Gus and Jean-Luc left early. Once they were gone, she tucked Danny into bed and then went back out to the living room where Johnny and Gramps were talking.

Johnny had moved from one of the kitchen chairs to the sofa, and she sank down next to him.

“So, what do you think? Which one of them is guilty?” he asked her.

“Heck if I know,” she replied. “What do you think?”

“I think one of them is a very good liar, but I don’t know who it is,” he replied.

“What about you, Gramps?” she asked.

“I’m with you two. I don’t know who’s guilty, but it’s got to be one of them. Nobody else would care whether you dated Johnny or not,” Gramps replied.

“It hurts me to think one of my close friends would even be capable of doing something like that to me,” she said.

“You know all three of those men are in love with you,” Johnny said.

She looked at him in surprise. “Oh no, surely, you’re mistaken. We just all share a deep friendship.”

“He’s right, Mimi,” Gramps said. “Those boys are all crazy about you. I don’t know why none of them have talked to you about their feelings.”

“River has come close,” she replied thoughtfully. “But none of them have actually told me they’re in love with me. Heck, none of them have ever even asked me out on a date. That’s why I think you two are mistaken about their feelings for me. We’re all just close friends.”

“One of them isn’t your friend,” Johnny replied. “One of them thought it was okay to grab you from behind and scare the hell out of you. Those aren’t the actions of a friend. It sounds like somebody who’s obsessed with you and wants to keep you all for himself.”

His words shot a new chill up her spine. Obsessed. She didn’t like the sound of that. She certainly didn’t want anyone obsessed with her.

“Well, now that Chief Breaux spoke with them, they will all be on notice, and hopefully whoever it is will now leave me alone.” She blew out a tired sigh. “Thinking about all this is positively exhausting and just a little bit heartbreaking.”

“I think that’s my cue to get out of here,” Johnny said and stood.

Gramps also got up from his recliner. “It’s definitely past my bedtime. I’ll just tell you both good night.” As he ambled off toward his bedroom, Mimi got up from the sofa and walked Johnny to the front door.

When they got there, she opened it and stepped back from him. As much as she’d like a repeat of the kiss they had shared before, tonight the thoughts in her head were just too jumbled. The last thing she needed to do was add to the chaos with another hot kiss.

He must have sensed her mood for he merely grabbed hold of one of her hands, gave it a tight squeeze and then released it. “I know this must be difficult for you. Aside from the attack on you, the fact that probably one of your good friends is responsible for it must hurt.”

“It does,” she admitted. “I just want to know who could betray my trust like this.”

“Hopefully Beau will be able to figure it out,” he replied. “And never forget that I’m here for you.” His gaze was soft, and she almost wanted to melt into his arms.

But she didn’t. Instead, she stepped back from him.

“Good night, Mimi. Stay safe, and I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said.