CHAPTER SEVEN
Grayson reached Jennifer’s trailer and gripped the door handle. He sucked in a deep breath and then opened it without knocking. She was seated on the bed, shoving her things into a backpack. He sat beside her, gripping her wrist tighter than intended.
“Let me go, Grayson,” she said still looking down. He heard her sniff and stilled, loosening his grip.
“Jennifer, look at me,” he said calmly. “Please.”
It was the ‘please’ that got her. Grayson wasn’t known for saying please to anyone. She stilled and looked up at him with red eyes.
“Baby, I’m sorry,” he whispered. Jennifer swallowed.
Did he just call her baby? What was all this about?
“I haven’t handled all of this very well. Seeing you, seeing you hurt and nearly naked, it made me feel like a berserker. I just wanted to kill everyone in my path.”
“I know,” she said touching his hand. “I have to do this, Grayson.”
“Yeah, I know but you’re not doing it alone. The team wants to do this with you.”
“Just the team?” she asked quietly. Grayson stared at her then gripped her waist, easily lifting her to him, straddling his lap. His big hands rubbed up her back, careful not to hurt her injuries.
“No. Fuck, no. I want to be there to help you, to be with you.”
“Why?” she whispered, daring to ask the question that might break her.
“Because I fucking love you, Jennifer. I have for so long it’s nearly killed me. First you were just a cute kid, then a knockout teenager, then suddenly you were a young lady. I’m a lot older than you are.”
“I don’t care,” she said resting her head against his shoulder.
“I know. But I have to care enough for both of us. I have to do this right, Jennifer. You can hate me if you want to but I have to call your father.” She stilled for a moment, then looked up at him.
“You’re sending me home?” He shook his head. “Then why? Why are you calling my father?”
“Two reasons. One, to tell him that you’re safe and what happened.”
“But…” He pressed his finger to her lips.
“Two, is to tell him that I’m in love with his daughter and I’d damn sure like his permission to marry her when we get home.”
Shock filled her face then a sudden realization that he wasn’t joking. He was serious. He was going to ask her father if they could get married.
“You’re in love with me?” she smiled.
“I’m in love with you, Jenn. I have been for a long, long time. I just ignored it.”
“I love you, too,” she said wrapping her arms around his neck. “But you knew that.”
He laughed, shaking his head, kissing the tip of her nose.
“I had a clue,” he said pulling her tighter to his body. She wrapped her legs around his body and he growled, a rumble deep in his chest. He touched his lips to hers, the kiss quickly going from soft and touching to deep and penetrating.
Jennifer tilted her head to accommodate him, gripping his shoulders as the heat surged through her body, begging him to take her. Grayson fisted her long hair, wrapping it around his arm, tilting her neck back. His tongue ran up from the hollow of her throat to ear lobes. Then he pulled back.
“Wh-why are you stopping?” she gasped, bleary-eyed.
“I have to speak to your father first, Jenn. I know you don’t understand it. But I can’t do this to him and your mom.” She wanted to argue but she knew it was pointless. It was a code that all the men at Belle Fleur had deep in their core.
“Okay. Call my dad,” she nodded, sliding off his lap. She made the mistake of looking down, the long thick ridge pressing against his trousers. She swallowed, blushing and turned the other way.
Grayson had a satisfied smirk on his face. He didn’t want to scare her but he also needed her to know that he wasn’t a man she would ever forget. Taking out his Shadow Warriors tablet he took in a deep breath, then hit the home number.
“Grayson? Is everything okay?” asked Hiro.
“All is good, brother. Can you do me a favor and get mom and dad, and also Moose and Erica in the room.”
“Yeah. Yeah, sure. Give me five.”
He watched as Jennifer took her things out of the backpack, her sweet little ass wearing those skintight blue jeans. He shifted uncomfortably, closing his eyes to gather his strength.
“Grayson? Is everything okay, son?” asked Striker.
“Hey, Dad. Everything is fine. Is Mom there?”
“Mom is here and so are Moose and Erica. This is confusing son. What’s wrong?” Grayson reached for Jennifer’s hand and pulled her into the view of the screen’s camera.
“We have a story to tell you,” he said calmly. The faces of their parents turned dark, then terrified, then something he couldn’t identify. Behind them, Ham, Rush, Cowboy, and Christian listened in.
“I love your daughter, Moose. More than anything in the world. I have for a long time but kept my distance. She was too young. Now, well now I’m asking for your permission to marry her. After we kill Kyle Lacroix.”
Violet and Erica hugged one another and smiled.
“We knew,” they said in unison. Jennifer and Grayson stared at one another then back at the screen, speaking back in unison.
“You knew?”
“Mothers always know,” said Violet. “I think you’re perfect for one another and your age difference isn’t any different than Striker’s and mine.”
“Or mine and Moose,” smiled Erica. “We’ll start making wedding plans for when you return.”
The two women left the room and Moose and Striker stared at one another, confusion filling their faces. They turned to the men behind them who shrugged then looked back at the screen.
“I’ll make this easy for you, Grayson. I will gladly give you permission to marry my daughter. Just keep her safe.”
“You know I will, sir.”
“Oh, I know you will because your father and I will be joining the hunt.”
“But, sir,” he started.
“No, sirs,” said Striker. “We’ll be headed that way within the hour.
A full team. We’ll do some research on our end, see if we can find his current location.
This isn’t a guy who gives up easily. He’s either searching for Jennifer and those kids right now or he’s on to the next victims. Either way, we’ll be there to support you. ”
“Thanks, Dad,” smiled Grayson.
“Jennifer, I wish you would have trusted us with what happened to you,” frowned Moose.
“It wasn’t about trust, Dad. I was ashamed, scared, and didn’t know what to do. It was a mistake and I’m sorry.”
“You have nothing to be ashamed about. You were a victim, a young girl just getting a taste of independence. Grayson? We’re going to use one of our drones to drop a bunch of injectable trackers. Use them.”
“A bunch? Dad, I only need one,” said Jennifer.
“They’re not all for you,” he said firmly. “Grayson’s team just became part of our family. We’ll track all of them. It also allows us to be certain that they’re all loyal to Grayson.”
Grayson started to protest and then realized they were right. As much as he trusted every man under him, it was still possible that one of them could be a plant.
“Got it,” nodded Jennifer. “I’m really sorry, Dad. I love you.”
“I love you too, kiddo,” said Moose, the big man had tears in his eyes and it was nearly Grayson’s undoing. That is until he saw tears in Striker’s eyes. He shook his head, swallowing.
“We’re going to be okay, I promise,” said Grayson.
“We’ll see you all soon,” said Striker.
The screen went dark and Grayson reached for Jennifer, holding her tightly to his chest. His phone buzzed and he looked down at the message.
“Come on. The Sisters and the kids are getting ready to leave. They’re taking them to a safe house until this is all over.” She nodded, standing to leave then turned to him.
“Grayson? This will be over, right?”
“One way or another, baby. One way or another.”