Grant thought of nothing but that kiss as they drove in silence toward her school. She sat looking at he window, saying nothing. No doubt this was all confusing and worrisome for her. Still, hopefully she would want it more than she would fear it. He needed for her to want to be with him so that he could get into the Silver Wolves. At least, that is what he told himself. He couldn’t say for certain that he didn’t just need her to want him, period.
He pushed the thought away as he pulled up to the rear exit of the art building. Her mother would be waiting for her in the parking lot at the entrance on the other side, so she could just go straight through it and out the other side.
“Thank you for today,” she told him, kissing him on the cheek and hopping out of the car before he could respond
Grant watched her make her way to the building and go inside before pulling away. He parked nearby, out of sight, and waited until he saw the Mercedes SUV her mother drove pulling away from the other side, flanked by several Harleys. He pointed the car toward the cabin and tried to put her out of his head for a bit, but it proved harder than expected.
He was surprised when his phone rang, just as he pulled into the driveway. Glancing at the caller ID, he saw that it was Saul. Fuck. He was going to want an update and he had nothing to tell him yet. He took a deep breath and answered.
“Tell me what you know,” Saul said from the other end. No greetings, no good cheer - just right down to business. That was Saul.
“I’m making some progress. I’ve gotten in pretty good with Grant’s daughter, so just a matter of taking the next step and working my way into the fold.”
“And you think she can get you in?”
“I think she can. She seems to like me. I think she’ll be able to talk to her father and convince him I’m harmless.”
“Well, you ain’t got a helluva lot of time left. We need to get you in there and get information coming back out. Stop courting her like its fucking junior high and just fuck her senseless already. That will get a bitch to do what you want quicker than anything, giving them the big dick a time or two.”
Grant winced at the way Saul was talking about someone so kind and sweet, but didn’t correct him. That was not in his best interest. Besides had he really been any better with the women of his past? He was usually not shy about bedding any woman that wanted to give him a go. He just had a hard time thinking of Elizabeth in such crass terms. He didn’t know whether he was more concerned with how she made him feel or how he felt about the fact that she did so. Either way, it was new for him.
“I’ll get it done.”
“See that you do. Call me when you have some fucking news to tell me and it better not be too much longer. Too bad all them bitches are cursed. Nothing would fuck up Grant Lowery more than having his precious little girl knocked up by a Dire Wolf. I’d pay to see that fucker’s expression when he found out.”
“I’ll call you,” Grant replied.
“Yep,” Saul replied before hanging up.
“Always great to talk to you too, Saul,” Grant said mockingly into the dead line.
Inside the cabin, he considered his next move. He couldn’t push too hard. If he did, he risked spooking her. As with everything else, the thought left him to wonder if that was what he really believed or if it was just what he wanted. Was it really truer that he’d love to take his time and get to know the beautiful Elizabeth Lowery rather than just trying to get her into bed like a horny dog after a bitch in heat? He grimaced at even thinking he could do something so crass to her.
His phone buzzed and he looked down at it. It was a text from Elizabeth.
“Thank you for this afternoon, especially the kiss.”
Grant smiled down at the warm glow of the screen. He felt a tinge of sadness as he considered how limited his options were here. He let out a long sigh as he typed a quick response.
“My pleasure, literally.”
There was no response and he found that he was a little disappointed. No doubt she had been joined by others and couldn’t easily respond. He contemplated how hard it must be to be stuck in an environment where she wasn’t free to do as she wanted. Then again, wasn’t it because of people like him that Aspen kept his thumb down hard on his pretty step daughter?
He set about making himself some dinner and trying to keep Elizabeth off his mind. In a different time, a different place, things might be different. She was refreshing - unspoiled by life and the complications it could spew. Being around her made him feel alive again. He knew how much his life had changed in recent years but not how much it had affected him. He was only twenty-four and yet, he felt twenty years older than that. Pain ages you, makes you cynical and steals the small joys of life.
The rest of the day was uneventful. He needed to move things ahead. That was all. No more pussy footing around with Elizabeth. He could never be such a bastard as to take her innocence, kill her spirit. He knew how that ended for him and for women who he had known in the past. However, he did need to get her affections cornered. She needed to think of nothing but him and being with him. As nice as it would be to have her do that without manipulation, to truly experience what it was like to be loved by someone so kind and gentle - the fact was that he would resort to trickery in order to achieve the result. He hated himself for it, but it must be done.
So, no more lying awake in his bed at night thinking about Elizabeth. It was back to the business at hand, which was winning over more of her trust and getting his foot in the door of the Silver Wolf motorcycle club. He settled in to a meal of canned chili topped with cheese and adorned with a side of crackers, washing it all down with several beers. Even with the strong odor of the chili, he could still smell her body wash that lingered behind. It smelled like summer flowers and citrus. Just beautiful, like her.
“Fuck! You need to just go out and get laid. Stop thinking about someone you can’t afford to get all wrapped up in. You’ll lose a lot more than you ever imagined if you can’t get your libido in check, Harper,” he chastised himself aloud.