Chapter Twenty-Four
“Hot damn.I’m the envyof 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.”
