Chapter Twenty-One
They were both silent. Grant’s nose pressed into her hair, breathed deeply, and took in her scent.
“When was the last time you ate anything?”
She turned rigid. “I don’t remember,” she whispered nervously under her breath.
“Are you kidding me?” he said calmly but with clenched teeth, pulling her toward the sofa.
“Come sit. I’ve brought some muffins and breakfast sandwiches.
I left some at the shelter for your staff.
” He pulled the food out, spread it on the table before her, and unwrapped one of the sandwiches.
“Start eating. I’ll go get you some juice. ”
Once in the kitchen, Grant pressed his forehead against the coolness of the fridge.
He couldn’t seem to make his heart stop racing.
When he’d found out she’d been unreachable, he’d lost it.
He made it across the city in half the time it usually took.
He started to calm down when he saw she was all right, but then he got a look at her.
For a small woman, she had long, feminine legs with softly defined muscles in her thighs and calves. He couldn’t stop the image of those legs wrapped around his waist as he took her. He groaned low in his throat as the image flashed across his brain.
“Is everything okay, Grant?” Jennifer called from the living room.
He squeezed his eyes shut and cleared his throat.
“Yeah, I’m coming.” He gritted his teeth against the ache of his erection that rested heavily in his pants.
It would be torture being near her with only her thin, short nightgown and his pants between them, and not to lie her down and sink into her so deeply, she’d never get the feel of him out of her mind.
“Here you go, baby.” He handed her the glass and tried to keep his gaze from her half-naked body. He unwrapped a muffin and put it down on the sandwich wrapper. “Here, eat some of this, too.”
Jennifer smiled up at him. “Thank you for feeding me. It seems you do that a lot. And for thinking of my staff.”
Grant wiped a crumb off the corner of her mouth with his thumb. “Someone has to.”
She shrugged, kept her eyes on the food, and took little bites.
“I’m usually very good at taking care of myself, Grant. I’ve been doing it for a long time.” A smirk crossed her face. “You just don’t like what I eat.”
He narrowed his eyes and nodded. “You’re right about that. You eat like a teenager, and you don’t eat enough.”
Jennifer tossed her hair over her shoulder and looked up at him. She exhaled. “Grant, you’ve got to remember, I’m half your size.”
“Oh, I know exactly what size you are,” he said as he leaned forward and placed a hard kiss on her lips. “The perfect size for me.”
She snorted. “I guess, if you like women you could put in your pocket.”
He nodded slowly, and his features took on a serious tone. “Yes, I would very much like you in my pocket. And in my house, my bed, and I’d very much like to be in you. Anywhere.”
****
Jennifer
Crumbs from the sandwich in her hands scattered on the hardwood floor.
She was pulled into a whirlwind of desire so quickly she lost her breath.
A hiss escaped between her lips, and she jumped when his heavy hand landed on her naked thigh.
She’d forgotten she wasn’t wearing anything but a pair of cotton panties and a short baby-doll nightgown.
She looked down in shock at the large, dark, masculine hand covering her pale, slim thigh, and the contrast between her light, soft skin and his hard, dark skin sent another rush of fervor through her.
Her gaze traveled to her nipples that tried to poke through the thin fabric before raising her eyes to his dark ones.
“God, baby, don’t look at me like that, or I’m liable to carry you to bed.”
Jennifer’s eyes locked on his as she swallowed, then gingerly placed her hand on top of his. A deep need overwhelmed her. Jennifer couldn’t seem to grasp a thought as spirals of heat spread through her, pushing her toward a level of desire she’d never considered before and never thought achievable.
“Would that be such a bad thing?” she breathed.
“Dammit.” He growled, pulled his hand away from her thigh, stood, and walked toward the patio door with his hands on his hips and his head hanging.
Jennifer looked at his rigid back and felt a spear of pain and something like dread tighten in her stomach.
What was she thinking? She should have kept her mouth shut.
She lowered her gaze to the forgotten meal and blinked several times.
God, when would she learn? She wasn’t the type of person people wanted in their lives the way she needed them, even if they said they did, like Grant just had.
Her parents taught her that. Of everything they’d said and done to her, the insult, “No one would ever want you,” sunk the deepest and forever tarnished her self-esteem.
And God forbid, if she forgot that lesson, they would beat it back into her either with words or drunken fists.
She had to get used to being alone and appreciate what she did have.
“Grant, thank you for the food.” She stood and tried to keep emotion out of her voice.
If she could get to the bathroom and lock herself in, she could silently release some of the pain that tightened her chest and made breathing difficult.
“I’m sorry, but I have to get ready and go to the shelter.
” She walked toward the hallway to her bedroom.
She turned at the last minute and cringed at the angry look on his face.
“I’m really sorry I made you uncomfortable.
That was not my intention.” Jennifer turned before any tears fell and hadn’t taken two steps before an arm like a steel band wrapped around her waist and lifted her off the floor.
Her scream at the sudden move was cut off when a growl tore from him and blew roughly against her ear.
She felt the heat of a blush cover her face. She’d never been this embarrassed in her life, and the last thing she wanted to do was face him.
Jennifer took a deep breath, kept her eyes down, and concentrated on swallowing back the tears stuck in her throat. Dammit, why did I have to turn around, she thought. She would have made it to the bathroom had she not paused.