Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
Savanna folded her arms over her chest as Griffin dropped onto the leather couch in front of the fireplace, a scowl on his face. His mood had abruptly changed after the phone call with Carter. A call where Griffin listened while Carter spoke, so Savanna hadn’t been privy to even a few hints.
“What is it?” She advanced closer, but he avoided looking her in the eyes and slowly tapped his phone on his knee. What was it he didn’t want to tell her?
“Nick Vasquez was at your house four days ago,” Griffin finally said, directing his words toward the fireplace.
She faltered a step at not only the revelation but the accusatory tone in his voice. She knew he was implying she’d lied and withheld that bit of information, but she was still hung up on the news that Marcus’s brother had been at her house. It had to be a mistake.
“How do you know? Are you sure?” Her arms fell limply to her sides as he turned his attention on her and set his phone on the couch.
“So, you didn’t talk to him? See him?”
And there it was. She didn’t blame him, she supposed. They were strangers, so why wouldn’t he question her? But that didn’t make it hurt any less. “No, I would have led with that last night when I showed you the money.”
He stood but didn’t approach.
“You don’t believe me?” She tipped her head and studied him while he quietly observed her, feeling as though she were on the other side of a scope. Was he going to take the shot and trust her?
“I believe you,” he said softly, not making her wait long, thank God.
She sidestepped the coffee table but left some space between them. “But Carter thinks I lied.”
“He doesn’t trust anyone.”
She arched a brow and moved within arm’s reach. “And do his trust issues extend to you?” When he didn’t reply, she tossed out, “I didn’t think so.” Her gaze slowly moved to his phone. “How do you know Nick was at my place? I don’t have security cameras.”
“No, but the people across the street from you have a Ring doorbell camera, and our guys hacked into their security footage. Four days ago, at twenty-one hundred hours, a car was rear-ended in front of their house. Nick happened to be at your door and looked back when the incident happened, and his face was captured on camera. Fortunately, your porch light was on. Carter sent me an encrypted shot of him.” Griffin grabbed his phone from the couch, and she did her best to process the information while he opened it.
“At nine o’clock, I would have been closing the cafe?.”
“Well, he went inside your place. As for how long he was inside, we don’t know. The clip of the accident was all we could pull.” He handed her the phone, and she stared at the screen while his app worked on whatever decryption thing it was doing. When the photo went from completely pixelated to showcasing a man who looked just like Marcus, she squeezed her eyes closed. Looking at Nick was like looking at Marcus. They were practically twins aside from a few years’ difference in age.
“That’s him. I mean, I only met him once, but based on the picture, it’s definitely Nick.” She handed him back the phone and dropped down onto the couch.
“I assume he picked the lock, but I have no clue why he’d break into my house,” she shared her thoughts aloud. Her heart was thumping furiously in her chest as she tried to come up with a reason that’d make sense.
“Gray’s checking CCTV footage in and around Birmingham to try and pick up where else he may have gone. No record of him on any flights. Pretty sure if he traveled, he used an alias. But if we can pull his photo from an airport security camera the way Gray’s sister did for the man Jesse killed, we will,” Griffin calmly explained. The tense tone in his voice was gone, which had her believing he really did believe she was telling the truth.
Now she needed him to convince Carter. Surely Jesse would step up to bat for her as well. Unless, of course, he no longer trusted her in light of the fact she’d kept the suitcase of cash a secret for years.
“If someone is looking for Nick, it’s possible they managed to track him down to Alabama, and?—”
“And to my house. Someone is definitely after him, not me.” She popped back up to her feet, unsure if this was good or bad news. A little bit of both?
“My guess is they want to question you to see if you know where he is. Given the number of men they pulled together and so fast that were sent to Jesse’s yesterday, someone wants him pretty damn bad too. Any idea what Nick might have wanted from your house?”
“No,” she quickly answered because there was literally nothing he could possibly want from her. Unless it was the money, in which case, how’d he know she hadn’t spent it or put it in the bank? Or that it was hidden under her bed?
“Okay, well, if something comes to you, let me know.”
Her eyes fell closed as an uncomfortable knot formed in her stomach.
At the feel of his hand beneath her chin, guiding her to look up, she opened her eyes. Griffin’s deep brown eyes pulled her in and momentarily calmed her nerves. “We’ll figure it out. We’ll find out who’s after him and why,” he reassured her. “It’s what we do.”
Savanna clenched her hands as worry flowed through her like a tidal wave. “I know Nick is a criminal, and Marcus wanted nothing to do with him, but can you . . . save him too?”
“I’m not sure if he needs saving, but I’ll do my best.” Griffin let go of her and backed up a step before offering her his phone again. “Why don’t you call Jesse. I’m sure you’d like to talk to him as much as he wants to talk to you. He’s got a burner right now, and I saved the number in my phone under his name.”
She wrapped her hand around the phone and nodded her thanks. “What will you be doing?”
“I’ll be out in the garage. When we roll out again, we’ll take the truck instead of the minivan. Probably needs an oil change.” He peered at her for a moment, brows drawn together in a frown that he quickly replaced with a small smile. “It’s my form of therapy, a distraction while we wait for news.”
Ah, well, she could understand that. And, oh shoot, they hadn’t eaten yet. She needed to put the biscuits in the oven.
“I’ll let you know when breakfast is ready.”
Griffin nodded and started for the garage.
“Hey, Griffin?” Savanna called out, and he peeked back at her. “Should you tell Carter about our conversation?”
“I have another phone,” he answered. “I’ll call in the garage.” She just hoped Carter believed her innocence in all this and that she was telling the truth.
“Okay, don’t get too dirty before you eat.” Oh my God, Savanna, he’s not a five-year-old going outside to play.
This time when he turned to face her, one corner of his mouth turned up in an amused smile. “Kind of hard not to get dirty when changing oil, but for you, I’ll do my best.”
Once he walked away, she rolled her eyes and palmed her face. Apparently, she was determined to make the man think she was nutty. She sighed and headed into the kitchen, turned on the oven, and then dialed Jesse.
“Savanna.” He answered on the third ring, so he must have been expecting her call and from Griffin’s number. “I’ve been worried. Are you okay?”
“I’m safe, but I’m freaking out that Nick was in my house. It’s crazy, right?”
“I told Carter you didn’t know about that,” he quickly said. From the sounds of it, he’d never doubted her, and for that, she was grateful.
“Is he treating you okay?” she heard Shep call out in the background.
“Tell him I’m totally fine, and Griffin is . . .” A gentleman? That didn’t sound like the right word to describe the man. She couldn’t go with sexy, strong, and a total alpha male, either. Neither Shep nor Jesse needed to know she wanted to jump his bones.
The news about Nick nearly had her forgetting the sexual tension between her and Griffin that could have started a kitchen fire during their baking lesson, but it was front and center in her thoughts now.
Had she really told him, without actually telling him, that she’d been getting herself off because there was no one else to do the job? The words had fallen with such ease from her lips too.
“Hey, you there?” Jesse asked.
Just daydreaming about Griffin pinning me to the counter and screwing my brains out.
She imagined him ordering her to place her palms on the kitchen counter, pressing his hard chest against her back, and whispering “good girl” in her ear before forcefully yanking her jeans down around her ankles. Then he’d run his hand down her spine, pushing her aching breasts against the countertop before . . .
She chewed on her short nail as she considered the multitude of possibilities.
Spank me? Plunge a thick finger inside my pussy to get me ready for his hard cock?
“Savanna?” Jesse. Shit, he was still waiting for her to talk. And now her panties were soaked from her inappropriate fantasy.
Griffin was right. Sex was definitely more therapeutic and a much better distraction than baking. Or changing oil, for that matter. Just thinking about sex with Griffin had her momentarily losing all of her worries.
“Sorry. I’m good. He’s good. Nice, in fact. We got food this morning. Baked biscuits,” she rambled.
“Baked together, huh?” That was a loaded question if she’d ever heard one. Savanna didn’t miss the implication, so she quickly changed the subject.
“How are you holding up? Griffin said no one got hurt last night, or I would have obviously checked in with you sooner. I’m so sorry I ever put you in that position.”
“You didn’t do this, sweetheart. From the sounds of it, your former brother-in-law is to blame.”
In her mind, Marcus would always be her husband, which meant there was nothing “former” about Nick.
Her shoulders fell at that thought. She would never be able to fall in love with another man, would she?
Maybe she could just have meaningless sex. A few one-night stands. That was . . . sad. But what choice did she have?
“I hate that I’m not there with you,” Jesse said, followed by Shep repeating the same thing in the background. “We may not know the guy, but before A.J. left, he vouched for Griffin. He said they worked together last summer, and he’s a solid sniper.”
Sniper? So, she was right. “I’m in good hands, then.”
Hands she struggled not to stare at. Hands she wanted to feel touching her . . . everywhere. The roughness of his palms skating over her skin, caressing her breasts, his thick fingers pinching her nipples.
Oh. My. God. And back to horny again. The adrenaline from the last few days must’ve done something to her libido.
“Are the Feds there?” she whispered around the weird tightness in her throat.
She eyed the mess in the kitchen. She hadn’t even prepped the biscuits for the oven, which meant she was out of it for sure.
“They were, but thanks to Gray’s government contacts, as well as A.J.’s wife’s friends at the Bureau, they didn’t give us a hard time. Asked some questions, then bagged the bodies. I think they were instructed not to bother us, but Gray secured photos and fingerprints so we can keep at it.”
“‘We’? Are you still helping? This isn’t your responsibility. I don’t want you in any more danger.”
“Now that Beckett’s daughter and Ella are heavily protected, thanks to Carter’s additional reinforcements, I’d like to work the case. Help out.”
Work the case? She blinked in confusion. “I know this feels personal for you, but you don’t need to do this.”
“I want to,” he said emphatically. “Don’t take this the wrong way, because I’d never want you to be in a mess like this, but I kind of miss doing work that feels, well, important.”
Ah, her heart. She understood that feeling, and she also knew it was one reason she was certain Marcus would have served until the day he . . .
He did die, Savanna.
“You’re important, regardless of your work. I hope you know that.”
“He misses the danger,” Shep called out loudly.
“And running into burning buildings is safe, huh?” Jesse countered sarcastically to Shep.
She held the phone to her ear with her shoulder while preparing the biscuits for the oven. “Thank you,” she said once the boys were done with their brotherly-like bickering. “Just don’t get yourself hurt. I couldn’t handle that.”
“Roger that. I already got an earful from Rory. She’s dying to talk to you, so she’s going to buy a disposable phone and call you soon on Griffin’s phone.”
Jesse’s sister, Rory, was another one of her best friends. They’d grown close over the years, despite the fact that, until recently, Rory had been a globe-trotting adventurer. Now she trained military K-9s. “I’d love to talk to her.” Maybe Rory could make sense of the insane feelings she found herself having for a man she barely knew.
“We’ll call as soon as we know more,” Jesse promised.
“Sounds good,” she said as she placed the biscuits in the oven and ended the call.
Once she cleaned up the kitchen, Savanna headed for the garage to let Griffin know the food was about ready. She wasn’t prepared to see the man standing there shirtless in his black jeans and boots, laces untied, with a streak of oil on his cheek and chest.
Fuck. Me.
No, like literally.
Please.
Her thoughts were blasting on full volume in her head, so loud that she was terrified she’d actually said them.
The sight of him standing there bare chested, tatts on display, all sweat streaked and dirty, clutching a wrench in his veiny hand . . . She was experiencing what the heroines in her historical romance novels referred to as “the vapors.” The feeling that at any moment, she might be overcome by the hero’s sheer manliness and sexual intensity. Savanna braced herself against the doorframe like a wilting flower, her back holding open the door behind her. How in the world was she expected to do anything with him standing down there looking at her like that?
“You got dirty.” Her voice cracked as she forced the words from her dry throat.
He looked down at his chest before his eyes traveled back to meet hers. “From the looks of it, so did you.” He tipped his chin toward her shoulder.
“What?” She slanted her attention to where a kitchen towel lay draped over her shoulder, forgotten. She palmed her face with it, assuming there was flour on her cheeks. “Might need another shower.” For multiple reasons.
“A shower, huh?” He set down the wrench, or whatever that thing was, and started her way, which had her heart pumping harder in her chest.
He climbed the few steps and braced a palm on the wall alongside where she stood in the doorway like a startled Bambi. Here was her buck.
“Yeah, I, um, feel dirty.” Why did every conversation they had somehow go back to a read-between-the-lines sexual one? He made her feel like a good girl turned bad whenever he pointed those dark brown eyes at her. But thoughts of being naughty with this man felt amazing.
“You do, huh?”
She kept the towel clutched tightly in both hands, her back still propping open the door behind her, but at least she was able to stand without support. She may not be a wilting flower anymore, but Griffin’s bulging bicep stretched out next to her face wasn’t helping matters.
What she wanted to do right now was reenact the fantasy that’d played out in her head earlier and pretend Griffin was one of the characters in her novels, which meant he’d be fictional, and she wouldn’t get hurt in the end.
But he is real. That’s the problem. Too, too real.
And hard.
Everywhere. So hard.
“You okay, Sugar?” He was testing her limits. Maybe his own too. The way he leaned in close to her ear, his breath floating through the air to send tingling sensations along her neck. “You seem off.”
“I should say so, what with everything going on.” She tipped her chin and closed her eyes when he skated his mouth so close to her skin she thought he might steal a taste.
“You’ve held yourself together better than most would in your position.” Savanna felt his heat disappear, and when she opened her eyes, he’d pulled away, taking his spine-tingling lips with him.
But oh, he was struggling to restrain himself. His jaw was clenched tight as if he were holding on by a thread right now.
Never in her life had she experienced such raw sexual attraction to someone. It hurt to admit, but this wasn’t something she’d even had with Marcus, and if she hung on to that thought for much longer, she’d plunge into a pool of guilt and drown in it.
But right now, she just wanted to be here in the moment with this man. A man that made her feel like he was a book boyfriend come to life. And that happily-ever-afters were possible outside the world of literature.
It hadn’t even been twenty-four hours, and she wanted him to remove her clothes with his teeth and make her come. That had to mean something. Was this somehow Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation coming into play? He was a force attracting her to him, and she was growing powerless to stop the pull. After all, how does one fight gravity unless you were designed to soar?
“Savanna?”
“Yes,” she breathed out, noticing his bicep flex.
“I’m not romance-novel material, I promise,” he murmured darkly as if reading her thoughts and feeling the need to send her a warning—a clear if-you-cross-the-line-with-me-I’ll-hurt-you in the tone of his voice. “At best, I could only ever be a side character. Never the lead act.”
“Side character?” she whispered, her heart constricting. She could relate to that. “You really think that?” How could this man ever be a side anything, though? And no way would he be the villain. He was a hero, and heroes deserved love.
“It’s true.” His brows tightened, and he pushed off the wall with his palm and took a step back.
“How do you know?” She stepped away from the door and moved closer to him, so close she had to look up to see him.
His Adam’s apple moved as he studied her with a contemplative look in his eyes. “Because it’s all I want.”
“And what if that’s all I want too? To be a side character?” I’m lying, aren’t I? “Or all that I’m capable of after . . .” For some insane reason, she drew her thumb across the streak of oil on his chest.
He swiftly captured her wrist and lifted her hand between them, and she gulped as she looked up into a pair of dark eyes. “No.” He tipped his head to the side and frowned. “You, of all people, deserve a happily-ever-after.”
“I thought you didn’t believe in those.”
His calloused hand was so warm as he gently and carefully held her wrist. “Not for my story, but I sure as hell hope it’s true for yours.” He released her wrist, turned, and went back down the steps.
“I won’t get a second shot at love,” she found herself sputtering, and his body went still.
This man had been assigned to keep her safe, and he was still a stranger, but she felt such a deep and unexplainable connection to him.
If this were a movie, Griffin would have received one of Marcus’s organs or something in a weird twist of fate after her husband’s death, and that would explain her pull to him. But Marcus’s body was never found. So that’s not plausible, regardless. And she really needed to focus on reality.
But still, there had to be an explanation as to why she felt so strongly for a man she hardly knew. Wasn’t it worth exploring? Even if it was only between the sheets?
“So, um.” She couldn’t believe she was going to say this or even had the guts to . . . “If you ever want to try something different for a therapeutic distraction,” she rasped around a tight swallow, her stomach aching with the need to be touched by him, “you know where to find me.”