Chapter Twenty-Four
“Hot damn. I’m the envy of every man, walking in with the two hottest women here,” Devon said, making Tessa snort and Jennifer laugh.
“Grant’s going to flip.” He held up his hand when he caught Jennifer’s concerned frown.
“In a good way, Jen. I promise. Here you go, ladies. Here’s our table. What can I get you to drink?”
Devon walked off with their orders.
“Jen, he’ll be here,” Tessa said, touching Jennifer’s arm.
Jennifer stopped looking around the room to focus on her friend. “I know. I just miss him. Isn’t that crazy? We’ve only been together a little over a month.”
Tessa chuckled. “I can’t say anything. Remember, Devon asked me to marry him on our first date and every date after that until I said yes?”
Jennifer laughed, and her shoulders relaxed as she remembered the early days of Tessa’s relationship with Devon when they were all in college together.
“Jen, here is your wine, and Tessa, your margarita.” Devon moved a chair, so it was up against Tessa’s before he sat down and put his arm over the back of her chair. “So, what were you two talking about?” His brows puckered together when both women burst out laughing.
Devon’s head snapped up as he caught a glimpse of something large out of the corner of his eye. “Oh, shit, don’t look now, but here comes the beast to Jennifer’s beauty.”
Jennifer jerked, turned, and stood as she watched Grant close the distance between them.
She smiled at how he would brush people off, his whole focus was on her.
She started to get nervous when the closer he got, the deeper his frown.
Her smile faltered, and she ran her suddenly sweaty hands down her hips.
****
Grant
Grant stopped a few feet from her. He gave her body a raking gaze as his breath seized in his lungs before they landed on her face again.
Damn, she’d been the most beautiful woman before tonight.
But now, he didn’t have the words. Her dark reddish hair had been cut differently.
It was the same length, it just had more layers and a body.
The color had changed a little, too. Now, there were more colors than before that caught the light and made her hair shimmer somehow.
Her beautiful features were enhanced with makeup.
It wasn’t a lot—just enough to reveal the structure of her face and pretty eyes.
The outfit was new and fit her perfectly.
Her heels weren’t tall but enough to put the top of her head against his shoulder instead of a few inches under his chin, and they showed off the perfection of her long, slightly tan legs.
He closed the distance in two strides and pulled her into his embrace as he lowered his head.
His lips took hers in a kiss very close to desperation.
Grant ate at her mouth like a person who hadn’t eaten for many weeks.
He thrust his tongue into her mouth and dueled with her tongue.
A sound between a groan and a growl passed his lips even as they stayed sealed to hers.
Grant jerked his head up and back when a heavy hand gripped his shoulder. He was ready to blast whoever had the nerve to interrupt him but encountered Devon with a huge smirk on his face. In all the time Grant had known Devon, this was the first time he ever wanted to pound him into the ground.
“Man, you've got to pull back a bit,” Devon whispered with a grin. “You’re practically making love to her in the middle of a ballroom with a hundred people watching.”
Grant took a deep breath. The last thing he wanted was to embarrass her.
He nodded but turned back to the tiny woman in his arms. He couldn’t seem to let her go.
His arms seemed to be glued to her and unable to release her.
He wondered if she would be upset if he picked her up and they left.
Shit. He couldn’t do that to her, at least not yet, and that would mortify her.
Later in the night, he’d sneak them away.
“Hi.” Jennifer’s voice was slurred and hesitant.
“Hi, yourself.”
“I guess I don’t have to ask if you missed me.” Jennifer smiled shyly and tried to straighten and take a step back.
His grip tightened. “You have no idea how much I missed you. Then I come home to you, and you’ve sexified yourself enough to drop every man in the building.”
Jennifer tilted her head to the side and laughed. “Sexified isn’t a word, is it?”
He shook his head slowly. “No, I just made it up for you.”
Jennifer tightened her arms around his waist. “Thank you. I’ve never had anyone make a word just for me.”
“That’s not the only thing I will make for you.”
He almost made it sound ominous, but she knew better, and it drove a massive bolt of heat through her.
“I’m excited to find out what you have in mind,” she said and grinned.
He set his forehead on hers and closed his eyes.
“I really did miss you, baby. More than I thought was even possible. I never want to go a whole day without kissing you or touching you.”
Jennifer shook her head. “I don’t either, Grant.” After a minute, Jennifer looked around and finally noticed all the attention people gave them. “Everybody’s staring at us.” A blush moved across her cheeks as she ducked her head and hid her face against his chest.
Grant didn’t take a moment to look around but kept his eyes on Jennifer. “I don’t give a shit.”
“Can we sit down, please, Grant?” she said, pulling away from him a bit.
Grant set his jaw against denying her. “Sure, baby.” He tightened his arm around her waist. Grant nodded a greeting to the other two couples at their table and pulled her chair out for her to sit before maneuvering his chair as close as he could to hers.
One of his hands landed heavily on her knee before sliding up and under the edge of her skirt.
She loved that he was touching her this time, but he was pushing it tonight. She placed her hand on his and waited, watching what he’d do.
He looked down at her hand and then her eyes. He sighed but moved his hand back to her knee and turned to talk to Devon.
Jennifer looked at the disbelief in Tessa’s wide eyes and open mouth and choked back a laugh.
Both men continued to talk until Devon leaned over and whispered something in Tessa’s ear.
A dark red flush tainted her cheek at what he said to her, but she leaned over and kissed him before he sat up and resumed his talk with Grant and the other men at the table.
The meal of prime rib was served shortly after Grant’s arrival. Jennifer caught the people at their table staring at the tender way Grant was with her. Both couples had known Grant for a while and were shocked at his display of affection. People usually only saw the hard, arrogant side of Grant.
Even though they ate the same thing, Grant fed her bites of his own meal.
Grant also couldn’t seem to keep his hands or mouth off her.
Jennifer would have been extremely embarrassed if she hadn’t loved his attention so much.
Most of the evening, they were so wrapped up in each other that no one else existed.
Grant pulled her out of her chair when the music started. “Dance with me?” he asked, even though he was already guiding her to the dance floor. He pulled her into his arms until nothing, not even air, could get between them.
Grant bent his head and pressed his nose against her neck. “God, you smell good.”
Jennifer couldn’t talk. The feel of his warmth and his muscled body took her will to do anything except absorb him.
He leaned back when the second song started. “How much longer do you want to be here?”
Jennifer almost smiled at the desperation in his voice. “Just a few more dances.”
“As long as I have you in my arms, I’m okay.” He tried hard to keep his hands in a respectable spot on her body, and his cheek pressed against her hair.
“That’s sweet, Grant.” She laughed when he snorted. “You haven’t told me if you like how I look.”
Grant slid his hand underneath her mass of dark red curls and cupped the back of her neck. “You’re absolutely stunning, baby.”
Another slow song started, but you couldn’t tell by looking at them. They stood still in the middle of the dance floor in their own little world. “So, it’s not too much?”
“No, I don’t think so. Do you like the way you look?”
“Yes. I feel almost beautiful.” A sweet joy spread across her face.
“Jesus, woman. There is no almost about it. You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known, and I can’t think of what I did to deserve you. But I don’t care. As long as I have you, I’m happy.”
“There’s you being sweet again.” She laughed at his feigned look of displeasure.
He bent close to her ear. “You say that again, and I’ll swat that sexy behind of yours.”
Jennifer’s breath caught in her lungs as a shiver ran down her spine.
Grant’s arms tightened around her as a small groan slipped out. He couldn’t take much more before he picked her up and took her home. He tilted her head back, bent, and took her lips. His tongue slipped in when she gasped. He pulled back reluctantly.
“You’ll come home with me tonight.”
Jennifer smiled softly. “Is that a question?”
“Hell, no. The only thing that will keep me from taking you home and making love to you is you saying no.”
Her eyes roamed over his strong features. “I’m not going to say no.”
He visibly relaxed, exhaled, and quickly kissed her lips. “A few more dances.”
“Yes. Only a couple more,” she said as she moved closer to him.
“I have to tell you the truth about something,” he said as he bit the inside of his cheek.
“What?” She might have been nervous if he hadn’t made it sound overly dramatic.
“The first thing that went through my mind when I saw you tonight was jealousy.”
“Jealousy? Why?” she asked, curious.
“Because I didn’t want anyone else looking at you. I knew eventually, it was bound to happen, and it has.”
“Grant.” She laughed. “You’re silly.”
“Baby, there are men here that I know have looked you over and imagined themselves in bed with you, and it drives me insane.”
“Oh, for God’s sake. You’re being—”
Grant pressed his fingers against her lips, interrupting her words. “Do you know what I told myself that helped calm me down?”
Jennifer looked up at him and shook her head, making her hair sweep across her back, hitting his hand that curved around her waist.
“I told myself that no matter where I took you or what you are wearing, people were going to look at you, and I had to come to grips with it or drive us both crazy. Most importantly, I’d be the man that gets every part of you, and no one else would ever touch what’s mine.”
Jennifer snorted out a laugh until she looked into his eyes.
Her breath stuttered in her lungs, and her heartbeat accelerated at an alarming rate in a short amount of time.
A rush of need ran through her body and tightened her core, forcing a wave of moist heat from her.
He wasn’t kidding, and she should feel a little irritated at his arrogance, but all she felt was hope, love, and need.
Grant studied her expression and tightened his arms almost painfully.
“Are you ready?” he whispered gruffly against her ear.
Jennifer took a step away from him and nodded. She couldn’t wait another minute without him.
Satisfaction bloomed in his eyes. He didn’t say anything, just placed a broad hand on the small of her back and led her to the table to get her things and say good night.