Page 10 of Grayson

“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.