The tension in his voice caught her breath.
“Yes, I’m sorry, Grant.I’m just surprised to hear from you.”
There was a slight pause.“I thought I told you I’d call?”
“I know.But Grant, I don’t know about this thing between you and me.I have no experience with men,” she said, biting her lip in embarrassment.What kind of guy wants a woman who has no experience?
Another pause.“I see.Are you glad to hear from me?”
The timbre of his voice had roughened, sending a shiver up her spine.
“Oh, God, yes.I’m sorry if you thought I didn’t.When I heard your voice, it took my breath away, and I couldn’t seem to catch it.Just hearing your voice seems to affect me.”
He blew out a breath.“Good answer, Jennifer.Very good.I feel the same way about you.Everything about you turns me on.”
Jennifer swallowed, sat, and relaxed back in her chair.
“Really?Is this normal?”
“Not for me, it’s not.I’ve never felt this way before.”
They both paused for a moment.He cleared his throat.
“The reason I called ...what are you doing for lunch today?”
“Well, I brought in some of our leftovers for my lunch.I think there’s enough if you want to stop and eat with me.”
There was a silent pause.“How about I bring in lunch for us instead?”
“Grant, that’s a waste of money when we have food here.”
Did she not understand he had plenty of money?Maybe someday he’d tell her about the promise he made to himself when he left his childhood home.He was going to make something of himself so he wouldn’t ever have to eat day-old food again, and if he wanted a steak every day, he could damn well afford it.
“I want to bring lunch to you.If you want to save what you have there for later or tomorrow, do that.”
Jennifer used the toe of her tennis shoe to remove a streak of dirt that stained her office floor.
“Okay.What time will work for you?”
Grant chuckled.“Baby, I’m the boss, remember?I can take off anytime I want.When’s the best time for you to take your lunch?”
She told him a time, and they hung up.She sat for a bit.Jennifer lay her head back against her chair and closed her eyes.A groan slipped out when she realized she probably sounded like an idiot, asking him to share her leftovers.
If she were honest with herself, she just couldn’t see a time in the near future, or ever, that she wouldn’t try to save money.It was ingrained in her now after so many years of counting every penny and stretching every dollar she made.
Jennifer took a quick look at the clock on her computer.She had about half an hour before he got here.She could get a lot done and hopefully have some quiet time with Grant during lunch.
As she worked, her thoughts turned to Grant.She was drawn to this man for some reason.She wanted to be with him.She liked making him smile.She could tell he didn’t do that often.But Tessa’s reaction to him bothered her.Tessa was not a mean person and liked everybody, so why didn’t she like him?
Still, even knowing that, it would be impossible for her to let him go.How could she explain the riot of emotions cascading through her when she didn’t understand them herself?She did know that none of them were based on fear.
He made her body feel things she never knew existed, and although she wasn’t comfortable with it sometimes, she was quickly becoming consumed by the emotions that should have scared her.Her heart and body were demanding she never let this man go, but her head kept intruding with thoughts about why he was even interested in her.
Her insecurities took over sometimes, usually when she was alone, and it was hard to come up with any logical explanation for his attraction to her.She wasn’t ready to push him away, but she knew deep inside that it would happen someday, so she had better be ready to move on with her life without him.
