****
Jennifer
Jennifer watched as a slight, distant change came over Grant.Most of the time, she saw a gentle, sweet Grant, but a few times, she saw this side of him.The hard, cold, arrogant man who sometimes seemed to make Tessa uncomfortable but never Jennifer.She knew in her heart and without a doubt that this man would never hurt her.Before she said anything, he changed the subject.
“So, tell me a story about work?”he asked while he kept hold of her hands tenderly, but his eyes stayed a little distant and cold.She told him about a few funny things that had happened at the shelter just to see the dark look fade from his eyes.
By the end of dinner, they were both relaxed and smiling.Grant pulled Jennifer up from her chair and led her out of the restaurant.
Jennifer slid into the car a little slowly, pressed a hand to her stomach, and looked up at Grant as he stood beside her.
“Oh, God, Grant.I’m so full, I can hardly move,” she groaned.
Grant leaned toward her with one hand on her door and his other on top of the car, and his gaze slid down her body, taking in her compact, curvy shape.
“Good.I will always make sure you get enough to eat.”
Jennifer grunted.“If you keep feeding me like this, I’ll be a blimp before long.”
Grant laughed.“I think you’ll be just fine, baby, but you should know I’ll take you any way I can get you.”He shut her door and walked around to his side.
Jennifer leaned the side of her head against the headrest and kept her eyes on him.“That was sweet to say.You’re a very nice man.”
Grant turned toward her and laid an arm along the back of her seat.“I’m pretty sure no one has ever used that word to describe me.”
A smile pulled across her face.“Well, I guess they don’t know you as I do.”
Grant pushed his fingers through her soft hair.“You’re right about that.”His tone of voice softened.“I will always be good to you, baby.I don’t want to scare you, but I want you to know my intentions are good.”
Her eyes widened.She stayed silent for a moment.The way he talked should alarm her.It was way too soon to talk like this, but all she felt was happiness and a sense of relief that he felt as strongly for her as she did for him.
Grant’s lips twitched as his thumb glided over her soft cheek.“Nothing to say, baby?”
Jennifer shook her head.Her breathing deepened.
Grant groaned when her tongue crept out to moisten her lips.
“One thing about me you should know is that I trust my instincts.They have never pointed me in the wrong direction, so when they tell me to snatch you up and never let you go, I will certainly listen to them.”
He cupped the back of her head to guide her toward him.He was a breath away from taking her lips when he paused and narrowed his focus on her.
“You have no idea what you do to me, do you?”
Jennifer shook her head and closed her eyes before she pressed forward to feel his lips on hers.
They both moaned as Grant deepened the kiss.He plunged his tongue into the depths of her mouth before teasing with hers.He pulled his head up.
“We have to stop, baby.”His chuckle mixed with a groan when her eyes remained closed, and she reached for more.“Jennifer?”
“Mmmm?”
“God, you’re killing me here, babe,” he chided softly.
The tortured tone of his voice slid through her and urged her to open her eyes.
His body tightened at the hungry daze in her eyes.If he didn’t have her soon, he was going to go insane.He breathed a sigh of relief when she blinked and moved back.
“Good girl.Now, let’s get you home.”His thumb took one more swipe of her soft cheek before he reached across her for her seat belt and secured it before starting the car.
