Chapter Nineteen
The tone of her voiceshould have warned him he was pushing it, but all he could think of was her safety.
“Damn, man,” Devon said as he grabbed Grant’s arm when he tried to follow.“If you don’t pull your shit back, you’ll scare her away.”
The muscle in Grant’s jaw ticked, but he relaxed back in his chair.
“What the hell is going on with you?”Devon lifted his beer and drank, his eyes locked on Grant.
“I don’t fucking know.”Grant’s low tone sounded tortured.
Devon watched Grant struggle.“I think I know how you’re feeling.I feel very possessive of Tessa, too, but you’re going beyond that and moving toward obsession, which isn’t healthy for anyone.”
Grant’s gaze cut toward Devon before returning to where the girls disappeared.“I’m already there.And I don’t know how to stop it.I’ve been this way since the moment I first saw her.”
“What’s it going to take for you to calm down?”
“Her in my house, in my bed, and under me,” Grant said bluntly.
Devon snorted and shook his head.“I have to warn you, Jennifer has little to no experience with men.”
Grant’s head snapped around.“What do you mean?”
“Just what I said.Tessa told me she’s maybe had one relationship, but she’s not even sure of that.”
Grant’s heart felt like it dropped to his stomach as he leaned toward Devon over the table.“You’re telling me she’s a virgin?”
Devon shrugged.“There’s a good possibility she is.”
Grant sat back in his chair before he glanced at the way the ladies had gone.“She told me she didn’t have a lot of experience, but hell.A virgin?”
“I’m not sure about that, man, but even if she wasn’t a virgin, she’s damn close.”
Grant’s gaze turned and pierced Devon’s as a muscle ticked away on the side of his jaw.“Devon, if you thought that would settle me down or help me to back off, you’re wrong.It’s making it ten times worse.The thought of me being the only man ever to have her is blowing my mind.”
“Man, listen to me.I told you that so you’d slow down before you scare the shit out of her.You don’t want that, right?”Devon whispered urgently.
Tension mixed with desperation in his voice.“Hell, no, I don’t.”
“No, you don’t what?”a familiar woman said.
Both men turned toward their women.Grant reached out and pulled Jennifer down beside him before curving an arm around her.“Nothing, baby.Are you ready to go?”
Jennifer and Tessa shared a look.“Sure, I’d like that.It’s been a long day.”Jennifer stood, and Grant helped her with her coat before she walked around Grant to hug Tessa.“I’ll talk to you soon.”
Tessa hugged her tightly.“Oh, yes, you will.”She chuckled.“Be safe.I love you.”
“I love you, too, Tessa.”Jennifer gave Devon a quick hug, and her eyes teared when she watched Grant lean over and loosely hug Tessa.She loved that Grant tried to get Tessa to accept him.
