Chapter 23

Grayson

Once I was back downstairs, I found Jake and Dominic at Carrie’s kitchen table, both sipping coffee from her pink and purple coffee mugs. My lips twitched at the sight.

“How is she?” Dominic asked, setting his mug down.

“She’s fine.”

Both men leveled me with a look and I inhaled a deep breath as I folded my arms over my chest. When I released it, I gave them the truth. “She’s one of the strongest people I’ve ever come across. After everything she has been through, the shit the world and her fucking family have thrown at her, she should be a fucking mess. No one could blame her if she was.”

They both nodded, knowing her past.

“She’ll get through this,” Jake said, taking another sip of his coffee.

I looked to Dominic. “We good?”

He turned his laptop to face me, the screen showing a single blinking dot surrounded by water. When he returned, he informed us he’d planted a tracker on the fishing boat, and when he got a certain distance away from the coast, we would lose connection. Until that happened, we would be monitoring it, just in case someone came across it and called the Coastguard.

“You explain anything to her yet?” Dominic asked.

I shook my head. “No, just that the fucker gave her a fucking date rape drug you could only get from one place.”

Dominic’s jaw tensed. “You told Ash about this yet?”

Jake met my eyes and shook his head. “We don’t need to do that right now. The last thing we need is for Ash to get riled up again and go looking for that woman.”

I lifted my chin. “We got anything on her yet?”

Jake leaned back his hair; his face grim. “Not yet. Finding a needle in a haystack is easy, but finding a needle no one knew existed before now? That’s fucking hard.”

“But can you do it?” Dominic asked, facing Jake once more.

“I said it was hard, not impossible. It’s just going to take more time.”

“Uh, hi.”

I turned around to find Carrie standing at edge of the kitchen, her curls hanging just past her shoulders, water soaking into her maroon bookshop sweatshirt. Black leggings clung to the curves of her legs, stretching down to her ankles, where fuzzy pink socks covered her feet. Her cheeks were tinted pink, her lips slightly darker, and her blue eyes were bright, looking alive for the first time since I got here last night.

She took my fucking breath away.

The boys shot to their feet behind me as her eyes landed on them. I watched as Carrie bit the inside of her cheek and looked back to me.

“Come here,” I ordered softly, unfolding my arms.

Silence filled the room as she made her way to me, and I turned to face the boys, dropping my hand to the small of her back. “Boys, this is Carrie,” I introduced. “Carrie, this is Dominic Edwards and Jake Murphy.”

She nodded but didn’t hold her hand out to them. “Hello.”

Dominic smiled at her; his eyes warm. “Nice to meet you, Carrie.”

“We’ve heard a lot about you,” Jake noted, smiling as he stepped to the front of the table.

Carrie looked back up at me, her lips parting in surprise. “Y-you have?” she asked, looking back to my men.

Before they could answer, I jerked my chin to Jake. “You needed to run some tests?”

He nodded. “Right. Carrie, could you come sit here?” he asked, gesturing to the chair beside him.

She remained still, her body tense. I leaned down, my lips brushing the shell of her ear. “Go on, Sunshine.” I gave her a gentle push, and she was moving.

Once she was sat, Jake began explaining what he was going to be doing, and not once, did her eyes leave mine. She was confused, sure, but I knew she knew that when she was with me, she was safe.

That would never change.

Dominic rose from his seat, taking his laptop with him, moving into the living room. He stopped beside me, and whispered, “She’s got a nervous tick, Gray. Her hands.”

Instantly, my eyes dropped from hers to her hands, noting how white her knuckles were. She was digging her nails into her palms. Dominic had a PHD in Psychology, and he was trained to analyze people. This shit came naturally to him, giving him an advantage the rest of us didn’t.

He would also be analyzing her for the next few minutes, just in case.

“Got it,” I muttered, and Dominic moved into the living room at the same time I stepped forward.

Jake, who was all business now, was going over her medical history, asking her questions and not caring about what I was doing. I took Dominic’s vacant seat and moved it closer to her. Her head was turned, and she was answering all Jake’s questions in a soft, calm tone, keeping her hands in her lap.

Gently, I placed my hands over hers and watched as her shoulders dropped slightly. As they continued talking, I pulled her hands apart and held them separately, my thumbs stroking back and forth over her soft skin, her berry scent filling my nostrils.

“Can you tell me the symptoms you were feeling last night?” Jake asked gently, his eyes soft.

I expected hesitancy, but she surprised me by answering the question head on. Pride swelled in my chest but only for a moment. My jaw hardened to the point of pain, and I listened to her tell us what happened last night. With each passing second, every muscle in my body tensed as I imagined shooting the fucker all over again.

Jake listened to her heart, checked her lungs, and then her vision. He went on to explain that Nightwalker was a compounded date rape drug that just started popping up about a year ago, and the side effects are different for everyone.

“So you’re a doctor?” Carrie asked.

Jake shook his head. “No, I went to medical school, but I didn’t have the patience for it,” he explained. “I’m just the tech guy now, but I also handle basic medical things too.”

She looked at me. “And you work for Grayson?”

God, the sound of her saying my fucking name.

Jake nodded when she looked back at him and then stood up, his eyes flashing to me. “She’s good.”

“What does Damon do?” she asked, looking at me.

“Dominic,” I corrected her, feeling his eyes on us from his spot in the living room.

She looked over to him and winced. “Sorry.”

“It’s alright, honey,” he murmured, giving her another smile.

“He’s Red Snake’s weapon’s specialist,” I answered as Jake began to pack up his things.

“So are you the only bounty hunter?” she questioned, her brows coming together.

I squeezed her hands. “No.”

“He’s just the best,” Jake muttered, slinging his back over his shoulder as my eyes flicked up to his. He shot me a wink and looked at Dominic. “You ready? We have to be at the airstrip by ten.”

Dominic nodded, rising from his seat and packing his shit.

Carrie watched my men in awe, and I could see the wheels turning in her head. Once both the boys were loaded up, they looked at me. “See you soon, Gray.”

I jerked my chin to them, and then, just as quick as they arrived last night, they were gone. Carrie remained in her place, opening and shutting her mouth again. I chuckled as I released her hands and pressed my lips to her temple. “Fuck, you’re cute.”

She twisted her neck, her big blue eyes landing on mine. “Where are they going?”

“Back to Denver,” I answered softly.

“Is that where your—is that where Red Snake is?”

I nodded. “One of the locations, yeah. We have another one in Charlotte.”

“Charlotte?” she parroted.

“Mhm,” I hummed softly, taking in her beauty, counting the freckles that ran across the bridge of her nose.

Fuck, I’d almost lost her.

“Don’t you need to go with them?”

I brought my hand up to cup her face. “I’m right where I need to be,” I whispered, my voice thicker than usual.

She swallowed. “You’re really not leaving this time, are you?”

My thumb dropped to her lips, brushing over their softness gently. Fuck, I wanted to kiss her. I wanted to claim her body, her heart, her soul, but I couldn’t. Not now.

She needed time, and I had all the time in the fucking world for her.

“I’m never leaving you again, Sunshine.”

“Grayson?”

I looked at Carrie perched on the counter adjacent from her stove. Her ankles were crossed, her curls beginning to dry and take shape, and she was twisting her fingers in her lap, a look of uncertainty flickering in her eyes. “What is it?” I questioned, still stirring the sauce in the pan.

“Don’t you think we should have a conversation? Or something?” she asked, chewing on the inside of her cheek.

There were many conversations we needed to have, but I needed to feed her first. “I need to get some food in you first,” I told her. “The sooner we do that, the better you’ll feel.” I looked back down to the creamy sauce I started throwing together after the boys left. They would be back in Denver soon, and Hayes would conduct daily check-ins with me. Once Carrie and I were settled, we would need to discuss our relationship and whether she wanted to stay in Astoria.

Of course, I wasn’t rushing anything now.

After the last six months, just being in her presence was enough.

When I turned to look at her, I found her staring at me. My lips twitched. “What is it, Sunshine?”

“You know everything about me, and I know nothing about you,” she noted, tucking a curl behind her ear.

I gestured to the space between us with an open palmed. “Start asking then,” I invited.

“Asking what?”

A chuckle rumbled up from my chest. “The hundreds of questions you have swirling around in that gorgeous head of yours,” I clarified softly, looking back to the food. I set the wooden spoon aside and moved closer to her, grabbing her butcher knife and chopping up some herbs while feeling her eyes on me. Without looking at her, I added, “Can’t read your mind, baby. Ask aloud.”

Her fuzzy sock-covered foot pressed into my hip, giving me a small but playful shove. “Don’t be a smartass,” she chided as she dropped her foot.

“Don’t give me a reason to be one,” I shot back lightly, twisting my neck to look at her again. Those bright blue eyes scanned my face for a moment. Then, the interrogation began.

“Can I ask anything?”

“Yes,” I told her, returning to chopping.

“Why is there a security panel in my living room?”

I shot her a look. “Because you aren’t living in a house without a security system,” I deadpanned.

“You put that in?”

“No, Jake did last night,” I told her simply.

“Well, how much is it?”

I looked to the ceiling. This fucking woman. “Free.”

“But—”

My eyes met hers again. “I thought you had more questions than that,” I reminded her.

She pondered for a moment, her eyes assessing me. “Are you going to answer all my questions?”

“I’ll try. Can’t answer too much about my work, though,” I informed her.

“How did you get into that?” she asked.

That , I could answer. “Got into bounty hunting as a favor to a good buddy of mine. We met in the Marines, got close, and he told me he had a half-brother somewhere out there. One night, when we were both on watch, I promised him that if we made it out, I’d find his his brother,” I explained, keeping the memories of war at bay. I’d done a good job of not succumbing to them for the last three years, and I had no plans of stopping now.

“Did you ever find him?”

My hand froze, the blade hovering above the next bundle of oregano. “No, I’m still looking for him,” I told her honestly.

“Does this buddy work for you?”

I resumed chopping. “No, he works down on a ranch in Colorado.”

She was quiet for a second. “Did you get your scar in the Marines?” The question came out softer than the rest, like she was afraid to ask it.

I finished chopping the leaves, crushed some between my fingers, and sprinkled it over the sauce before looking at her. She watched as I yanked the collar of my shirt down, revealing the rest of the scar that started at my temple, skirted my eye socket, down my cheek, into my beard, and down my neck. “Interrogation gone wrong,” I answered, watching her flinch. The phantom pain was back, but it wasn’t as bad as it had been in June. I could talk about it. There was just something about the anniversary that triggered my mind, sending signals to my body, reminding it that I should be in pain.

Her eyes widened as they trailed the length of it. “How long ago?”

“My first tour,” I answered simply, righting my shirt and turning back to the food, giving it a stir and checking if the pot of water on the next burner was boiling yet. The tenth of June.

“Are you okay?” she croaked.

I turned to her, opening a cabinet. “Do I not look okay?” I returned calmly. I knew I would have to talk to her about this eventually, that I’d have to brace for the reaction I thought I would get.

She blinked, squeezing her lips together. She was about to cry. I didn’t think she would cry for me.

Fuck.

Closing the distance between us, I gently cupped her face. “Don’t you dare shed anymore tears for me,” I murmured, wiping the first one away. What happened in the past was done. My scars, inside and out, were for me to bear, not her.

“I’m so sorry,” she rasped, her hands latching onto my sides.

“It’s in the past, baby,” I told her, assuring her. “I’m okay. I made it out.”

“You were tortured,” she croaked, her breath hitching. “I hate that you were in pain.”

This woman and her fucking heart. “It’s alright. It happened a long time ago.”

Her fingers flexed at my sides. “Did you get them? The guys who hurt you?”

I couldn’t tell her all the details about that mission—it was classified—but I could give her this. “My buddy? The one I just told you about?”

“Yeah?” my woman whispered.

“He’s the one who saved me, two other soldiers, and twelve hostages,” I explained. “He got them for me.”

She nodded. “Good. He’s a good man, then.”

She had no idea.

I pressed my lips to her forehead, closing my eyes for moment, knowing damn well I needed to call Mags and thank the bastard one more time for saving my life. If it hadn’t been for him and his bravery, I wouldn’t be here, in this girly kitchen, holding the most beautiful woman in the world.

Yeah, I needed to fucking thank him again.

“Ask me something else,” I ordered against her skin before I stepped away, searching for the pasta.

“How old are you?”

“Thirty-six.”

“Do you have a last name?” she continued.

I looked at her. “Grayson is my last name, baby.”

She blinked. “What’s your first?”

“Joseph.”

“And I take it you don’t like to be called that?” she guessed.

My lips twitched. “No, I don’t.”

“Why?”

“I was named after one of my ancestors. Plus, I just don’t like that name.”

“So you’re okay with me calling you Grayson?”

I swallowed, forcing my eyes to stay on her face and not trail down her curves. “Yeah,” I said, my voice deeper than I expected it to be. “I’m fucking okay with it.”

Her cheeks flushed, and she looked away, clearing her throat. “What about your family?”

I located a box of pasta and dumped it into the now-boiling water. “What about them?”

“Are you…Are they…Do you talk to them?” she asked, fumbling with the words.

“Mom, yes. My father died serving our country shortly after I was born.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

“It’s not a big deal, Carrie. I never knew him,” I assured her.

“Where is she? Your mom?”

“She has a small home just outside of Charlotte,” I told her, moving around her kitchen from cabinet to cabinet.

Carrie hummed. “Is that where you’re from?”

“No, I was born in the Midwest,” I said, meeting her eyes. “Indiana. Mom moved us to Charlotte after my father’s death. She raised me on her own.”

“She must be one hell of a woman, raising a man like you.”

I ticked my head to the side. “A man like me?” I parroted.

Carrie slid down from the counter to her feet and made her way to me, her head tilting back to keep our gaze. Slowly, she lifted her hand and put it against the scarred side of my face. “Yeah,” she whispered, stroking her thumb over the damaged skin of my cheek. Her face softened, reminding me of the first time I’d kissed her, giving into the temptation I’d been feeling for weeks.

So much time had passed since then, and yet she and I had barely even begun.

In an instant, one of my arms were banded around her waist as I pulled her against me, my free hand cupping her face. “Told you to stop looking at me like that,” I warned, staring back into her bright blue pools shining with gratitude.

“I owe you my life,” she croaked, her sweet voice filled with emotion.

“Also told you that you don’t owe me anything,” I growled. Killing that bastard was a great pleasure and, as I said, I wouldn’t be losing any fucking sleep over it. Her eyes dropped to my lips, and when they flicked back up to mine once more, I was barely holding on.

“I didn’t wait for you,” she breathed, her words unsteady.

I brought my forehead down to hers. “Carrie, so help me God,” I said through clenched teeth. “We aren’t having this conversation now.”

“We need to,” she shot back, stepping away from me, tears in her eyes. “We have to talk about it. I didn’t…You made me a promise and I—” She cut herself off, looking away from me and putting her hands against her soft belly.

My eyes scanned her movements, noting the way she was swaying. In a flash, she was in my arms, and she yelped my name as I carried her to the counter again. “Sit your ass down. Don’t move from this spot until the food is done. Understood?” I commanded, glaring at her. The last thing I needed was for her to faint. Jake said that after he did his tests, she would need food. Now, I was beginning to kick myself for making her a home cooked meal instead of shoving a protein bar down her throat.

“But—”

“—no.”

She jerked back as my jaw tensed. “We need to talk about last night,” she challenged.

I folded my arms over my chest. “And we will—after you eat.”

My sunshine shook her head, getting ready to argue. “Grayson—”

“I’m going to make that sweet ass of yours so fucking red, baby,” I said darkly, stepping closer. “I’ll take you over my lap and enjoy every fucking spank I give you. I’ll love watching that ass jiggle for me. I’ll love the way my handprint stays on your skin. I’ll love your whimpers and cries. They’ll be my new favorite sounds.” I dropped my arms and braced my hands on either side of her hips. Hers shot up to my chest, her eyes wide once more. “You’ll be begging for mercy, Carrie,” I continued softly, studying her lips as I imagined how she would beg for me— plead for me. “Crying out my name with your little pussy dripping onto my jeans, begging for me to stop.”

A sound came from her then, and it went straight to my cock.

My eyes met hers. “I’m not in the business of mercy, Sunshine. I’ll stop when I think you’ve had enough and not a moment before. Remember that the next time you want to give me that attitude of yours.”

She was panting now; her fingers curling into my shirt.

Jesus, she was going to be the death of me.

“You going to be a good girl and let me feed you? Or do you want a red ass?”

Before she could answer, my phone rang in my pocket. “Stay,” I ordered as I pushed off the counter and pulled out my phone.

“Grayson,” I answered, returning to the food.

“Just checking in,” Ash greeted, his voice dark. “Is Carrie okay?”

The boys must’ve called and told him what was going on. Now, despite everything Ash had been through and the pain he was in, he was calling to check on my woman.

I looked at her, noting her flushed skin and desire shining in her eyes. She wasn’t afraid of me and thank fuck for that. “She’s perfect,” I assured.

“You need anything from me?” he asked.

“Yeah, I need you to rest and heal,” I firmly stated, looking back to the food. “The vote was made, and when Jake gets back, he’ll start looking.”

Ash was silent.

I closed my eyes and bent my head. “We’re going to find her, Doss. You have my fucking word on that. Clear?”

“Clear.”

“Right. Now get back to resting and don’t use that fucking arm.”

If ads affect your reading experience, click here to remove ads on this page.