by Cat Johnson
That expression didn’t bode well. Grant would bet that it was not good news on that screen.
He consciously steadied his hand as he slid his eye protection off and reached for the phone.
The first part of the text was nothing more than an address listed as Bethany Milton’s current residence.
Needless to say, it was not the street address of the home they used to share. She'd been quick in changing her address with both her credit card company and her cell phone service.
He thought about asking for privacy before he read any further, but then considered why Jon was hovering so close. They were at a gun range. Grant was skilled and armed and apparently about to get some bad news that might send him on a rampage. One that Jon would no doubt prevent even if it meant Grant’s former subordinate had to take him down to do it.
Resigned he was going to do this while being watched, Grant scrolled down under Jon’s scrutiny. That’s when the whopper came. Listed as a cohabitant at that same address was a name he recognized.
“Mother fucker.”
“I take it you know him?” Jon asked.
“Yeah.” Grant handed the cell back to Jon before he did something foolish with it, like used it for skeet shooting. “He and his wife were our neighbors when we were living in officer housing right after we got married.”
That had been before Grant had bought a house out in town because Bethany whined so much about living in base housing. The whole situation begged the question, how long had Bethany and this guy been so close?
And in this case the word close was definitely a euphemism for what he expected was really happening.
Jon’s eyes widened. “He’s Navy?”
“Yup. Not sure if he’s still in now though.”
“Fuck. You think maybe she’s just staying with him and his wife.”
Grant leveled a gaze at Jon. “Did your guy list the wife as another occupant of that residence? I didn’t see it in the text if he did.”
“No.” Jon pinned Grant with his stare. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” He was pissed but he’d reached a kind of calm that came from knowing. A feeling of closure he’d never have achieved without the proof. “I’m gonna head out.”
“Where you going?” Jon stayed right there blocking the way out, still in watchdog mode as Grant started packing up his shit.
“I’m not going to do anything, Jon.”
“I’d feel better if you left your gun with me.”
Did Jon seriously believe Grant would completely ruin his own life over a woman who obviously didn’t give a shit about him?
“Do you honestly think I don’t have more guns at my disposal?” Grant let out a snort.
Big ones. Small ones. Rocket launchers . . .
Jon lifted one shoulder. “At least it would take you some time to get to them and you could cool down.”
Grant rolled his eyes. So much for what he’d thought was his level headed, cool as a cucumber leadership style. “I’m going to Legal to drop off the divorce papers for them to go over with a fine toothed comb. I’m not all that inclined to blindly trust Bethany to not screw me financially now that I know she’s screwing somebody else.”
Finally, Jon tipped his head. “All right.”
“So I’m dismissed, sir?” Grant asked, his bag in hand.
Jon smiled. “Yes. But call or text me if you wanna talk. Or get shitfaced. Whatever. And you can come over to the condo day or night if you need to get away.”
“Thanks.” Grant acknowledged Jon’s offer with a nod, but without any intention of following up on it. Hanging out with a happily married man wasn’t what he needed right now.
Grant knew what he wanted to do—needed to do—and he’d get to doing it right after making that stop at Legal on base.
Chapter 15
“We can not go. I'm fine staying here with you.” Jen’s mother hovered in the doorway between their adjoining hotel rooms.
“No. Go. I’m really fine.” Jen leaned in and kissed her mother’s cheek. “You look beautiful. You have to go and show off that dress.”
“But you haven’t been completely alone since—”
“I’m not completely alone. I’m in a hotel filled with people just a hallway or a phone call away. I’m going to catch up with some shows on HBO that I missed. You and Dad will be back before I’m even ready for bed.”
“Are you sure?” her mother asked one more time.
“Yes.”
“She said she’s sure, sweetie. Let her have her space away from her parents for a little while. She’s probably tired of us.”
Jen smiled at her father. “Never. But I’ll be very happy here alone finishing off the contents of my Presidential gift basket in front of the television”
Finally, after one more eternally long pause, her mother nodded. “Okay. But I’ll have my cell phone on vibrate. You call if you need us to come home early.”
“I will. I promise. Now please go before you’re late for your show," Jen pleaded.
Her mother hesitated but finally said, “All right. We’ll see you soon.”
“Okay, Mom. Have a good time. See you when you get home."
“Night, Jen.” Her father physically steered her mother away from the door, closing it firmly as Jen breathed a sigh of relief.
It wasn’t being alone that was one of her big triggers. After all, she hadn’t been alone when she was taken. She’d been in the backseat of a full car in the middle of a crowded city.
That was her trigger. Traffic. And more, the close confines of a vehicle, even the backseat of her parents’ car.
She’d fought the panic the entire drive to DC. Her parents had chosen to drive rather than fly thinking the heightened security in the nation’s airports would bother Jen, but they were wrong.
The backseat of the Buick had nearly done her in.
Being alone for a few hours in her pajamas in front of a large screen television with the full season of Girls that she’d missed was not going to be a hardship.
There was even fruit and cheese left—but that thought immediately brought to mind Grant. And their kiss. And how he’d said goodbye to her rather than stay when she so wanted him to.
Sighing, Jen settled in on the sofa. She had just picked up the remote control to try and figure out how to watch what she wanted to when she heard a swift hard knock on her door.
In spite of all her bravado in front of her parents about being fine alone, the unexpected and nearly violent knock on the hallway door set her heart pounding.
Of course it could also be that her parents had changed their minds and decided not to leave her alone, but they’d likely use the connecting door.
She shouldn’t panic. For all Jen knew it could be room service delivering something else sent over by the White House. She was learning to expect the unexpected considering everything she'd experienced since arriving in Washington.
Jen pushed through the fear and padded barefoot to the door. Keeping safety in mind, she left the security latch on when she opened the door just a crack.
He was leaning on the thick forearm he had braced against the doorjamb. She recognized his build even before seeing his face.
“Grant?” Jen was as surprised as she sounded.
Opening her hotel room door to see him back less than twelve hours after he’d said goodbye was a shock.
Grant pinned her through the narrow opening with a stare. “Can I come in?”
“Of course.” She closed the door to flip the latch, and then yanked it open again. Backing up, she cleared the way so he could come in before she closed it behind him.
He glanced at the connecting door in the wall between her and her parents’ room. “Are your parents in their room?”
“No. They went to a show. I didn’t feel like going so I stayed here. Why?”
“This is why.” He dipped his head and captured her lips in a hard kiss while backing her up across the room. After they hit that connecting door
, pinning her between the cold hard surface and his warm firm body, he broke contact. “Did you think about your feelings like I asked you to?”
“Yes.” She’d done nothing but think about Grant.
The day of sightseeing had been completely wasted on her. She wouldn’t have been able to say what she’d seen, she was so distracted all day.
“Do you feel the same about me as you did last night?” His question was filled with raw emotion. More than she’d ever seen this cool, collected man display.
“Yes. Grant, it’s not gratitude. I mean yes, I am grateful but it’s you—the man—who I want. Not the hero who saved me.”
His eyes narrowed. “You’re sure?”
“Yes.”
“Thank God.” His mouth crashed against hers as he leaned into her.
She’d never seen him like this. He seemed crazed. Frenzied. Out of control. She liked it.
Jen was completely pinned by this man, unable to move, and she loved the feel of it.
He pulled away, breathing heavily. “How long do we have before your parents are back?”
“About two hours maybe.”
“I guess that’ll have to be long enough.” He scooped her up in his arms.
It was nothing like the fireman carry he’d employed when he’d toted her away from the kidnappers. No, this time was far more Rhett and Scarlett and every bit as romance-filled as he strode to the bed.
He laid her down gently on the mattress but didn’t waste a single moment before he was on top of her, crawling up her body. As if he couldn’t get close enough. Like he wanted to be inside her skin with her.
Oh, how she wanted him inside her.
“Tell me to stop and I will.” His arms shook as he braced above her, his offer hanging in the air between them.
If he was seriously waiting for her to tell him to stop, he’d be waiting a long time. That definitely was not going to happen.
“Don’t you dare stop.”
She didn’t know exactly what had changed his mind and made him drive back to her and she didn’t care.
Maybe he’d delivered those divorce papers. She didn't know and wasn't going to ask now.
Whatever had changed his mind wasn’t important. He had come back to her and that was all that mattered.
His gaze stayed locked on hers as he slipped his hand under the elastic waist of her pajama bottoms.
Jen felt the relief that she’d chosen to pack her nice PJs for this trip. That relief was quickly replaced by a different kind—the exquisite feel of Grant’s touch finally on her bare skin as he trailed his hand lower and lower still.
Finally he zeroed in on her sensitive core.
First contact had her gasping. A little more pressure from his skilled fingers had her mouth opening as she worked to breathe.
He wet his fingertip on his tongue and brought it back to make fast circles over her tight bundle of nerves. Jen pressed her head back into the pillow, gasping as she lifted her hips higher to press against his touch.
She came apart, right there as Grant watched closely, taking it all in.
The combined intensity of his gaze and her orgasm had her slamming her eyes shut and riding the waves that kept coming.
By the time he eased up on her and she came down to earth she opened her eyes to find his gaze still on her while he rubbed the bulge visible in his khaki pants with his free hand.
She could help him with that.
Reaching out, she worked the top button of his pants with shaky hands. He didn’t help, or offer to. He seemed happy to watch her lower the zipper and reach inside to run a finger over the length outlined beneath his underwear.
When she slipped him from beneath his briefs, Grant hissed in a breath. Only then did he move, standing to kick off his sneakers and then the pants and underwear.
He tugged the shirt off over his head and tossed it, followed by his socks, onto the floor.
Her fantasies had come to life. Grant was naked within touching distance.
She was still wearing pajamas, but being this close to him, she couldn’t seem to get her brain to function enough to realize she could get naked too.
Luckily she didn’t have to think or even undress herself. Grant’s capable hands took care of it for her as he yanked her bottoms down and off, and then tossed them to the floor on top of his own clothes.
Her pajama top quickly followed the bottoms. Then Grant was on top of her, touching and tasting every inch of her.
He latched his teeth onto one nipple while his hands traveled down her body.
Wedging himself between her legs, he pushed her legs high and wide, tasting her there too.
That didn’t last nearly long enough before he disappeared over the side of the bed, diving for the floor.
He emerged with a condom in hand and wasted no time rolling it on before nudging himself into her. He slid in gently, but it didn’t remain that way.
Once he was inside her his tightly held control seemed to slip. She didn’t mind. She wanted him crazed with his need for her.
Watching a man like Grant lose control, all because of her, was a powerful aphrodisiac. She held on tight, listening to his labored breathing above her as his breaths kept time with her own.
When he came, it was loud and hard. A full body effort that shook him and her.
As her brain began to function again she was very glad her parents weren’t in the next room.
Grant held her for a long time, but it was still not long enough when he said, “I really should get going.”
“I don’t care if my parents see you. Or, if you’re worried, I can hide you in the bathroom when they come to say goodnight.”
“As tempting as that sounds, I can’t stay. The commander approved my being in DC last night. Not tonight. I’m breaking the rules being here. Technically, I shouldn’t be more than an hour from base without official leave.”
Jen frowned. “But it’s the weekend. Don’t you have off?”
“My department doesn’t exactly work that way.” He smiled. “Don’t worry, Jen. We’ll be seeing each other again. If you decide that’s what you want.”
How could he think otherwise after what they’d just shared?
“What do you want?” she asked.
He ran his hand over his face. “It’s wrong but I can’t help it. God help me, I want you, Jen.”
“It’s not wrong.” She climbed on top of him, straddling him as she leaned down and kissed him.
Wrapping his big warm hands around her hips, he thrust his tongue between her lips.
Kissing Grant was good, and she enjoyed it for quite a while, but she wanted more of him. It didn’t seem to matter that she’d just had him.
Sitting up, she watched his eyes close as she lowered herself onto his length.
He opened them again and held her gaze as she rode him. A crease formed between his brows and his eyes lost focus as she moved faster.
Just when she thought she was in complete control of this man, he showed her differently. Jen found herself flipped onto her back with Grant above her, rolling on a fresh condom.
He’d moved so fast she wasn’t sure how she’d started out on top of him but had somehow gotten below him, but she couldn’t think about it more. He lifted her hips and pounded into her, fast and hard until he groaned with his release.
Still inside her, still breathing heavily from the exertion, he glanced at the clock.
“It’s getting late.” He pulled out of her. “I value your father’s respect too much to have him walk in on us here like this.”
Jen felt the pout form. “All right.”
Grant lifted one brow. “You’re making it hard to leave, you know.”
“Am I? Good.” She couldn’t help enjoying that fact.
He smiled and leaned low, coming in for one more kiss. That kiss got hot again fast before he groaned and pulled back.
“I’m getting dressed before I end up stay—” The muted buzzing of a cell phone inte
rrupted him. He dove for his pants on the floor and pulled it out. One glance at the display had Grant cussing. “Shit. I gotta go. I’m being called in.”
“Are you going to be in trouble? Can you make it back to your base in an hour?”
“No. Not without zero traffic and getting arrested for speeding, but it’s not a one-hour recall. For now. I got lucky, but the situation could change at any moment.” He pulled on his clothes as he spoke.
The man dressed as quickly as he undressed, but there was far less joy in it for Jen.
When he’d shoved his sneakers on, he stood and leaned over her in the bed. “I don’t know what I’m getting called in for, or for how long, but I’ll try to get in touch with you while I’m gone.”
Jen was starting to not like what he was saying. She of all people knew well what kind of assignments Grant got sent on. How dangerous they could be. How unpredictable. Quick deadly action that could go either way.
She nodded. “Okay.”
He shook his head. “I’m sorry. This isn’t how I wanted to leave.”
“It’s okay.”
“It’s not." He scowled. "I need you to realize that if you don’t hear from me while I'm gone, it’s not because I don’t want to talk to you. I swear.”
She nodded as tears pricked behind her eyes. She was starting to feel bad for judging Grant’s soon to be ex-wife so harshly as she began to see that loving Grant was not an easy thing to do.
Loving Grant.
Did she love him? So soon? God help her, what was she going to do about that?
Chapter 16
Grant navigated to the highway, accelerated to a cruising speed that would get him there fast but not get him a speeding ticket and then glanced at the time on the dashboard. It was getting late, but not on the West Coast.
He reached for his cell and hit the button to initiate voice dialing. “Call Old Man.”
The cell’s computerized voice parroted back the command before he heard ringing.
Usually hearing the phone repeat back how he’d entered his now retired SEAL chief into his contacts list—just to piss him off—had Grant smiling. Today, he had other things on his mind.
