by Judy Kentrus
“I’ll help you out as much as I can, but you have to assess the priorities in your life and make changes that are the best for you and Mathew.”
“I appreciate everything you’ve pointed out, but there’s something I want to point out to you.” Gray tightened his grip on her hand and pulled her close, so close he wanted to feel her breath catch when their bodies touched. His arms slid around her so she couldn’t get away, and he kept his voice to a husky drawl.
“It’s killing me to stay away from you. I’m forty-two, old enough to be able to keep my libido in check, but lady, you’ve unleashed a dragon. I want to make love to you so badly all my male hormones have settled permanently in my groin.” To prove his point, his flattened hands slid lower and he cupped her nicely rounded cheeks to bring her flush against him. “The next time you visit my bedroom and I’m stark naked, don’t walk away. You left me with such a hard-on, my teeth hurt. I found out the hard way that cold showers don’t work. The last time I used my hand, I was fourteen.”
“It’s tit for tat.” Jennie lifted her arms around his neck and used the tips of her fingers to gently massage the warm skin at his hairline. “Grayson Wolff”—she sighed with too much longing—“you made me wet. Feels like you and your hand are going to become best friends. If I do enter your inner sanctum, you’d better be prepared to let your dragon breathe lots and lots of fire.”
“Malibu Barbie, you are a wicked tease.” He groaned and strengthened his hold. “Get down off your sexy soapbox, because I’m going to kiss you. It’s going to be hard and quick because I have a date with a ten-year-old to clean up his room.”
“And after you kiss me senseless, I’m going to my room to change my panties, grab my tablet, and search out party ideas. We’re going to have the best damn Star Wars party no galaxy far, far away has ever seen!”
Gray let out a hearty chuckle. It had been a very long time since he had something to laugh about. Jennie was a treasure.
Monday morning, Jennie got up at five-thirty, took a quick shower, and managed a half-hour of yoga. She also sent her brother Preston a quick text, asking him to call her as soon as possible. The school bus picked Matt up in the front of the house at seven-fifty, and Grayson had to leave by eight-thirty for a meeting at his brewery in Fort Mavis.
She made French toast for breakfast. She really wanted to make pancakes, but couldn’t find a box of mix, or flour to make them from scratch. Until she got to the store, Matt’s lunch would have to be one of the prepackaged lunches that came with a drink.
Last evening, Mathew was ecstatic about his party, and he’d put the invitations in his backpack before he went to sleep. He had warmed up to her a little bit, but she wouldn’t push.
She was just beating the eggs and milk together when Gray came into the kitchen. Her body, mind, and heart weren’t prepared to see him in a richly-cut dress suit of dark smoke gray. His shirt was a deep mauve with a lighter gray and black tie. His cheeks were smooth, and his Polo cologne overpowered the scent of the coffee he’d just made. He was so damn handsome, she wanted to swoon. There was that stupid word again, she chided herself.
“This is how you go to work every day?” she asked, picking up her own cup of coffee with a slightly trembling hand.
“No, thank God. It reminds me too much of my father. I have a big meeting with beer wholesalers and distributors. My operations manager and I are giving them a tour of the brewery and doing a sample run. Then I’m taking them to lunch. I’m meeting with a second group tomorrow. We plan to get my new beer into production by the summer.”
“I didn’t realize how big an operation you have. I’m impressed.”
So she really knows nothing about my family, he said to himself. Gray handed her a credit card and a sticky note with the name of the grocery store in Fort Mavis, along with a password. “Use this card to order everything you’ll need for the party. Pay for priority delivery. You’ll have to order Matt a sleeping bag.”
Jennie tucked the note and card into the pocket of her jeans. “What about you?”
“Why would I need one?”
“You’re going to let nine little boys sleep un-chaperoned in your living room?”
“I hadn’t thought of that. Where are you going to sleep? I’d be happy to share my sleeping bag with you.” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
“In my bed.” She laughed and dipped the bread into the egg, milk, and vanilla mixture before placing it on the hot skillet. “If they get too rowdy, I’ll threaten them with a bucket of cold water.”
“Do you think I should have one of my bouncers here to keep them under control?”
“You’re serious?”
“No,” he said, wondering what he was getting into. “Vanessa fills our grocery order online and they deliver same day. I have a running account. Order plenty of nutritious food,” he added with a smile.
“Count on it. What time does Matt get off the bus?”
“Four-thirty. He has soccer practice on Mondays and Thursdays. Baseball won’t start for a few of weeks. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday the bus will be here by three-fifteen. Vanessa lets him relax a little while and have a snack before he starts his homework.”
So he does have some idea about Matt’s afterschool care, Jennie said to herself. “I’ll stick to that routine to keep things as normal as possible. Do you know what Matt likes to eat? His favorites.”
Grayson was oblivious to her questions. He was already thinking about his day ahead when he became aware of a delicious scent. Jennie set a platter of French toast in the center of the table that had been set for two, along with glasses of orange juice.
“Sit. Breakfast is ready. I couldn’t find any powdered sugar, so you’ll have to settle for pancake syrup.”
“This is a treat. I don’t think about eating until lunchtime. I depend on coffee to keep me going.”
Matt came running into the kitchen and stopped at the sight of his uncle sitting at the table. Panic filled his young features. “Uncle Gray, I don’t have a sleeping bag! We need to get one for my party!”
“Jennie is going to order you one today.” Gray placed a piece of French toast on Matt’s plate. “Sit and eat breakfast. Jennie made us a special treat.”
The adults were puzzled when Matt sat down and just stared at the food on his plate.
“If you don’t like French toast, you can have cereal,” Jennie said quietly.
“My mom used to make this for me and spread it with peanut butter. Sometimes she’d put bananas on it and make a face with jelly.”
Jennie’s heart was breaking for this very special boy, and she forced a teary-eyed smile. “We don’t have any bananas, but I’m sure I can make something similar.” She smoothed the peanut butter on his slice and quickly outlined a smiley face in jelly. The grin he gave her when she set the plate in front of him couldn’t be purchased for a million dollars.
A plethora of emotions gripped Gray’s insides. This was the first time Matt had offered something personal about his relationship with his mother or father. While in foster care, he received some counseling because of the accident, but since coming to live with Gray he’d been a normal kid. Gray refrained from talking about Crystal and Todd because he was afraid it would upset Mathew. This was something else he’d been doing wrong. It was time to tell Matt about his wonderful mother’s growing-up years.
Gray glanced at his second slice of French toast and decided, When in Rome. “I feel slighted. Where’s my smiley face? You can hold the peanut butter.”
“Coming right up!” Jennie wished she was able to kiss him for his beautiful gesture, and was thrilled they ate the six pieces of toast she’d made.
“Matt, the bus will be here in ten minutes and you still have to brush your teeth. Before you go, how about thanking Jennie for a great breakfast?”
“I don’t want a thank-you, I want a hug.” Jennie helped herself to a small squeeze and whispered in his ear, “Do you want me to feed Tiger?”
&
nbsp; He nodded and smiled before running into the bathroom.
Gray stood up and slipped his arms around her. “I want a hug, too. Is there something going on with Matt that I should know about?”
“Nope! If he wants you to know, he’ll tell you himself.” Jennie stepped closer and his arms tightened. “Will you be home for dinner?”
“That sounds very domestic. I should be home by five. I’m making quite a few changes in my life, and spending more time with Matt is one of them. I just realized you don’t have my cell. It’s written on a sheet next to the house phone. Call if you have any problems.”
“I’m not use to being housebound, so I’m going to need a set of wheels.” She wasn’t about to confess she’d played snoop and knew about the cars in the barn.
“I hadn’t thought of that. Wait here.”
Jennie had just finished loading the dishwasher when Gray returned and held out a set of keys.
“My Maserati is in the barn.”
“Why do you drive a three-year-old truck when you have a Maserati?” It wasn’t like she wasn’t accustomed to driving expense cars. At home, she drove her brother’s Aston Martin.
“It’s from a lifetime ago, and driving one around here would make me stick out like a sore thumb. I run it every week, so you shouldn’t have any problems. There’s a second car. A red Mustang that belonged to my sister when she was a teenager. I had it fully restored and am saving it for Mathew when he’s old enough to drive.”
“That’s very thoughtful of you. I owe you a second apology. You really do know what is going on in Matt’s life. I jumped the gun.”
“Let’s just say you’re pointing me in a better direction.”
Matt came running into the kitchen with a backpack. He wore a lightweight jacket over his jeans and t-shirt. “I remembered my soccer gear.”
“Here’s your lunch,” Jennie said, and held out the thermal bag that she’d found in the freezer. “Have a good day at school.”
“I’ll wait with Matt till the bus comes and then I’m going to work. If you have any problems, call me.”
“’Bye,” she said, and returned his flirty wink.
By three-thirty, she’d done their wash, made the beds, vacuumed, and ordered the stuff for the party and more clothes for herself. The market had delivered her food order and she put everything away in the refrigerator and pantry. Tonight’s dinner would be spaghetti and meatballs, garlic bread, and salad. Dessert would be ice cream. If Mathew was hungry when he got home from school, he could have fruit, yogurt, or a few chocolate chip cookies she’d just taken out of the oven. She was also exhausted.
She’d just sat down to have a cup of tea when her brother called.
“Hey,” she said. “How’s married life?”
“I didn’t know a person could be this happy. How’s your trip going?”
“Great. I’m staying with a friend in Texas, but I need a favor. I can’t go into a long explanation, but I’m going to ask you to do something that probably isn’t ethical, since you work on the side of law and order.”
“Stop beating around the bush and tell me what you want me to do. I won’t get in trouble.”
“I need you to wave your magic forensic accountant wand and look into the financial background of Dottie Dimple, the caseworker who’s overseeing an adoption for a friend of mine.”
“You’re kidding. Right?”
The chuckle in her brother’s voice made her smile. “It’s for real. I’m not going to give you my friend’s name, to protect his privacy. It’s taking a lot longer than necessary, and I think she’s taking bribes to stop the adoption. Large deposits should be obvious. I can be way off-base, but I’m going with my gut.”
“I know how to do my job, Jennie. I’ll get on it tonight. When can we expect you? The house is ready whenever you get here. Nothing like having my sister as our next-door neighbor.”
“I should be there in about two weeks.” A pang of regret seeped into Jennie’s heart. No, she had another life beyond Fort Mavis.
At four-twenty-five, she decided to walk to the end of the driveway and wait for the school bus. The late afternoon sun was warm and the sky was a cloudless blue. She wore her white shorts and a tank top, and had gathered her hair into a ponytail. There were a few one-story homes on the two-lane country road that bordered horse farms. Tomorrow her new sneakers would be delivered and she could get back to her morning run.
Several cars slowed when they passed Gray’s house, and she offered a friendly wave. The warm, welcome feeling died when she spotted a familiar motorcycle slowly cruising past the house. He was dressed in black leather, rode without a safety helmet, and a large decal of a skull and crossbones covered the back of his jacket. He turned around and stopped his cycle directly in front of her.
“Well, if it ain’t Malibu Barbie,” he sneered, and let his eyes move up and down her bared legs. “Moved in with the rich bastard. Did he offer to replace your clothes if you take care of his itch?”
“You have a filthy mind and owe me four thousand dollars’ worth of clothes, you bastard!”
“I’d like to see you prove it.”
Jennie spotted the yellow school bus coming down the road. “Get out of here, you worthless piece of shit.”
Burt, too, spotted the bus. “That ain’t nice talk, especially around a kid. I meant what I said. I’m not done with you, bitch.”
Revenge was going to be very sweet. He’d be spreading the word that a woman of questionable character was warming Wolff’s bed right under the nose of his very young nephew, and corrupting his morals. He would also be calling child services.
Chapter 5
She waited until after Mathew had gone to bed before she told Grayson about their surprise visitor. They were sitting on the couch in the great room, and Grayson had spread out some of the paperwork he’d need for his meeting the following day.
“That bastard! Showing up here and threatening you. Tomorrow, I’m going to call the sheriff and let him know Burt paid a visit to my home. Technically that’s harassment, and I’m going to file a complaint against him. We know he trashed your clothes and slashed your tires, but we don’t have any proof.”
“I’m not afraid of Burt. He still pisses me off.”
“You don’t have to worry about being here alone for the next couple of days. Tomorrow morning, Larry and Boomer and a couple of their friends will be here to dismantle the furniture in the other guest bedroom and are carting it off to Goodwill. I ordered a desk, a couple of chairs, and some top-of-the-line office equipment. Everything should be delivered and set up the day after tomorrow. Thursday the cable company will be here to install additional wiring for my new office.”
“When you make up your mind to do something, you don’t waste time.”
“That all depends on how you look at it. I’ve got a beautiful woman sitting next to me and time is my enemy. You’ve only been here two days and it feels like I’ve known you forever. Dinner was perfect. Mathew said they were the best meatballs he’d ever eaten, and you make great cookies. He didn’t give me the usual hassle going to bed, and he told me about Tiger.”
“I’m glad. Did you ask him why he didn’t want to tell you about his pet?”
“He found a little kitten when he was in foster care and they told him he couldn’t keep it. Matt was afraid I would tell him he couldn’t keep Tiger.” A band of grief gripped Gray’s chest, so much he found it difficult to breathe. “When he told me that, I wanted to cry and lash out at the people who made him get rid of the kitten. I understand rule are rules, but shit, Jennie. My heart breaks for that kid. I told him he could bring Tiger into the house, and we’ll take him to the vet to get checked out.” Gray wiped the stray tear that did escape his eye. He offered a tense smile. “You’ve changed so much in such a short time.”
Jennie sniffed back her own tears. “Gray, I love being here with you and Mathew, but it isn’t real.” Jennie got up from the couch, took the papers from his hand
, and lowered herself to his lap. She took his face in her hands and looked deep into his eyes that had just shed a tear of love. “It’s like we’re playing house inside these walls, but reality is out there. You and I have different lives, different goals. You are personally making strides to change your life and give Matt a happy home.”
It took everything to resist the hopeful expression on his beautiful face. “Please don’t ask me to stay, because I can’t.”
“And she reads minds, too, so you know what I want to do next.” He took her by the shoulders, slowly lowered her against the cushions, and propped one of the pillows under her head. “Do you think it would be safe if I made love to you a little bit?”
Jennie reached for the back of his head and removed the leather band from his hair. A rich black cape swept his shoulders. “No woman is safe around you, my gray wolf.”
“So now I’m your gray wolf? I like that.”
“For a little while.” Her fingers slipped into his hair on either side of his head and drew his mouth down to hers, and she captured all of his wild, untamed strength. There was something about her wolf that made her shed all moral restraint. She gripped his head and encouraged him to strengthen the pressure on her lips. She never wanted this kiss to end.
Gray had never experienced instant fire, but the first contact with her delectable mouth fed his seething need for this woman who was rocking his world. He plunged his tongue into her mouth to explore and indulge in her sweet taste. When it got difficult to breathe, he reluctantly released her mouth. But he wanted more.
“I need to see your girls,” he rasped, and searched for the edge of her shirt and drew it up to expose a black lacy demi-bra. The moment he undid the front clasp, they sprang free in invitation and he cupped each one. “Beautiful,” he said, and put his lips to one hard nub to suckle and savor while he massaged and committed to memory the warm silkiness of the other with his fingers.
