Victoria
I followed closely behind Grant. I had to admit he knew how to control his bike. He wasn’t one of those wild and reckless daredevils, though there were times when he would smirk or smile that he would get this glint in his eyes, and I knew he could be a daredevil if he wanted to be.
It didn’t take us long to reach his loft, about ten minutes. It was a nice-looking place, a little more upscale than I would’ve thought. I didn’t know what to think about Grant. I was determined to find Sage no matter the cost, even if it meant involving myself with the leader of Devil’s Horns. It just seemed so ironic, though. I had been trying to get Sage away from the motorcycle club.
What kind of a man was Grant? He seemed controlling and dominating, but he also didn’t seem to be overly so. His men respected him. They listened to him. They wanted to find Trenton as badly as I wanted to find Sage.
And that was my concern. They didn’t want to find Sage. That wasn’t their main objective. And I understood that. I didn’t blame them for feeling that way. I wasn’t worried about finding Trenton myself. I just wanted my girl back. I wanted her to be safe and happy. If something terrible had happened to her, if she were hurt, I’d never forgive myself.
I turned off my car and reached for the door handle, but Grant already opened the door. He held out his hand, but I ignored it and climbed out without his assistance. I wasn’t sure what to think about him, and it bothered me to realize I was attracted to the man. Now wasn’t the time or the place. A tragic situation—that hopefully would have a simple and easy ending—had brought us together. Adding anything else to the mix wasn’t smart.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spied his crooked smile. I didn’t need his help getting out of a car. I didn’t want to have to stay at his place. What if Sage had been kidnapped? What if her disappearance was unrelated to Trenton’s? I realized that wasn’t likely, but what if she got away? Her first instinct would be to return home. How would she feel if she went home to find me gone?
The thought that my home might not be safe for her or for me left a bad taste in my mouth. I swallowed hard as Grant unlocked the front door.
He held the door open for me and gestured for me to go to the right. I entered the clean and polished kitchen and took a seat at the island.
“Want a drink?” he asked as he opened the fridge.
“Yes, please.” God, I could use one. Or five.
He grabbed two beers, opened one, and handed it to me. Our fingers brushed as I took it, and the warmth of his skin felt almost too hot. Our gazes met, and he gave me a grim smile. He was anxious and worried, too, but he was trying to hide it. Why? For my sake? Or because he wasn’t used to feeling anxious and worried?
Grant pulled out and sat on the stool next to mine. His leg pressed against mine, and I took several quick swallows of my beer. “We’ll find them.”
I knocked my beer bottle against his. “I’ll drink to that.”
We both drank, and silence fell over us. Again, my thoughts started to churn. My being here felt so wrong. I had no clothes but what I was wearing. Yes, I had made arrangements with Heather Franklin to keep the restaurant up and running with strict orders to not bother me unless it was an absolute emergency, but I felt like I was pausing my life to find Sage. Which was fine. I had no problems with that.
But sitting here, drinking a beer, feeling the power from his leg as it was pressed against mine, it felt so wrong.
I drank from my beer only to discover it was empty.
“Want another?” Grant asked, already getting up.
“Sure. Thanks.”
He got out another two and opened them. After he reclaimed his seat—I swear he was sitting a little closer to me now—he said, “Tell me about Sage.”
So I told him. I told him about her appearance, about her kind heart and how she kind of always seemed to be at war with herself. How she wanted to be independent but knew she wasn’t ready for that yet. How she could be frustrating and even infuriating at times. How she could be kind and considerate.
It wasn’t until I had two more beers that I added how she should find someone better than Trenton.
“Why is that?” he asked, his tone suddenly cool.
“He’s not good for her.”
“Why do you say that?” He had turned toward me to look at me as we talked, but now he shifted to face forward, his jaw tight, his back rigid.
“You aren’t Trenton,” I blurted out.
Grant tilted his head, his cocky grin making a reappearance. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Trenton’s bad news.” I winced. “I’m sorry. He’s yours. He’s one of yours. He’s…I just don’t think he’s right for Sage. You know?” I was rambling. Beer always made me ramble.
“If I’m not Trenton, and he’s bad news, does that make me good news?” His gaze shifted downward to focus on my lips.
I refrained from licking them. Somehow. “I’m not sure yet.”
He leaned closer, close enough for me to be able to see the flecks of gold in his eyes. “Do you want to find out?”
Yes.
No.
I didn’t know.
I reached for a beer bottle and knocked an empty one over. “Sorry.” I glanced away to pick it up, and when I turned back to Grant, the moment was gone. Which was probably a good thing. This man was fine. Incredibly fine. And I couldn’t have a distraction. Too much was at stake.
Later on, though, once Sage was found, that would be a different story.
“I understand,” he said quietly.
Did he, though? Did he understand that when he touched and squeezed my shoulder, it sent a shot straight through me? That I was afraid it wasn’t just him that I was responding to, but that I would be feeling and reacting this way to any guy since it had been so long since I had been involved with one? Did he agree that now wasn’t the time? Was he one of those guys who screwed women and tossed them aside when he was bored of them? Honestly, I might have done that once or twice to a guy. A long-term relationship hadn’t been something I needed when I had been climbing the ladder to restaurant ownership, but now that I had accomplished my business goals, why couldn’t I find myself a guy if the right guy came along?
Once Sage was found, of course.
And the right guy couldn’t possibly be from a motorcycle club.
So maybe one more throwaway guy was in the cards.
But as I stared at him, at his deep eyes, his strong lines, his bulging muscles, I knew he wouldn’t be the kind of guy to settle for being a throwaway. He was the kind of guy to be the one to throwaway instead.
Slowly, his lips curled into a teasing smile. “I wouldn’t mind if you took a picture.”
I felt my cheeks flush. “I was just thinking that you’re dirty. I mean, I’m dirty. Not like that. I mean…a shower. Do you have a shower? Of course you do. Can I use it?”
“Dirty body or dirty mind?” he asked, a wicked twinkle in his eyes.
Like a fool, I just gave him a slight smile back. I did not want to keep talking and continue to make a fool of myself. What the heck was going on with me? Four beers was less than my limit, so it shouldn’t be the alcohol. Had to be stress. And Grant was a hot guy. I was out of practice talking to one who made me feel all jittery inside. Some of the guys I interacted with at the restaurant were hot, but I didn’t view them as dating material.
So was I viewing Grant that way?
Cool it, hormones.
Grant polished off the last of his beer. “I’ll grab you a towel. Follow me.” He led me down the hallway to a closet. After he removed a towel, he jerked his head to the right. “This way. Once you get out, I can give you a tour of the place. It’s not huge, but it’s got what I need.”
What do you need? was on the tip of my tongue, but I swallowed it. There was no way a man who looked like he did—a god of sorts with his muscles, that perfect hair for running fingers through, those lips that begged to be kissed—would not take that question sexually.
“Use my shampoo, my soap. Whatever you need.” He opened a door in the long hallway that revealed a rather impressive bathroom. Its cleanliness struck me immediately. Did he not bring a lot of women here? Or maybe he hired a cleaning service. I didn’t think Grant was the kind to get his hands dirty. Not with cleaning at least.
“Thank you.”
He handed me the towel, and I made sure our fingers didn’t touch. His smirk left me wondering if he realized I did that intentionally. I had to get him out of my mind. I needed to focus on Sage and finding her.
We’ll find her soon.
I hoped.
I stripped and adjusted the water to my liking before stepping in. The shower was huge, definitely large enough to fit two people. There was room enough for people to wash each other, to suds up their bodies, making them all slick and wet and clean. There was room enough for sex in a few positions. Leg up in the air, from behind, facing each other, maybe sitting on the ledge, too.
As I washed up, I found myself daydreaming I weren’t alone, that Grant was here, and I almost felt ashamed for it. It was obvious he was attracted to me, too, but the timing was so wrong, and besides, it would never last anyhow. Our worlds were too different.
Didn’t mean we couldn’t have a romp or two.
No. Not now. Not until Sage and Trenton are found.
Still, I was wet between my legs when I climbed out of the shower. I glanced at my pile of clothes and grimaced. I really didn’t want to have to put them back on. Maybe Grant had a shirt I could borrow. A long shirt.
I dried my body and wrapped myself in the towel. Maybe this would only make things worse. The sexual tension between us had started back at his headquarters, but it had only increased since we were in such close quarters.
The moment I exited the bathroom, I collided with Grant. His strong arms wrapped around me, to keep me from falling, but then he didn’t let me go. His penetrating gaze shot straight through me, and I grew even wetter. My gaze shifted from his eyes to his lips, and I barely had time to close my eyes before he pressed them to mine.
The kiss started out innocently enough, but when I wrapped my arms around his neck to draw him closer, he pressed against my back so there was no space between us but his clothes and my towel. My tongue pushed against his lips, and he parted them, and our tongues dueled as the kiss heated up.
Before we could go any further, because that was definitely where that kind of a kiss was heading, his phone vibrated.
Grant broke off the kiss. “Damn it,” he growled. He didn’t step back as he grabbed his phone out of his pocket, one hand still on my back.
I reveled in the feel of the length of his hard body against mine, but I tried to damper down my excitement. We needed to focus on Sage and Trenton, not each other. It was for the best that we had been interrupted.
My hormones sure disagreed, though.
He stared at his phone. “A text. Someone spotted Sage on the eastside of town.”
“Let’s go.” I shrugged out of his grip and started toward the front door.
“As much as I love how you look in that towel, I think you might want to get changed before we go.”
“Oh. Right.” I dashed back to the bathroom. Who cared if I wore the same clothes? If we could find Sage already, everything would be perfect!
I threw my clothes on and applied some of Grant’s deodorant. It smelled strong, and it thrilled me to smell like him.
To say I was pissed and annoyed to find Grant’s bike gone and him not in sight in his loft would be an understatement. He had left me a note on the counter. I’ll be back as soon as I can. Make yourself comfy. Time is of the essence.
He was right about that, but I had only taken three minutes to change. He couldn’t have waited three minutes?
I paced around the table a few times before my stomach started to churn. I was both nauseous and hungry. By the time I decided eating might be a good idea, I heard the roar of his bike and the flashing of his lights.
Quick as a rabbit, I rushed to the door. Grant’s grim face greeted me.
“It was a false lead. I’m sorry. I went to the place and scoped it out, but I found nothing.”
“Where was it?” I asked. My heart sank, but honestly, I wasn’t surprised. Something in my gut told me Sage was in trouble. We hadn’t gotten in a fight. She had no reason to run away.
“A bar. Cowboy’s Lasso. You know the place?”
I stilled. Sage might only be nineteen and underage, but that was a place she frequented. “Cowboy’s Lasso. Sage often went there with Trenton. You sure that it was a false lead?”
“She wasn’t there. Neither was Trenton. Could they have been there earlier? Not today, at least. I asked the bartender, and he said no. Trenton never mentioned the bar to me himself, but I’ll go back tomorrow and ask more questions.”
“I’ll come with.”
He reached over and patted my hand. “You need to get some supplies and clothes. Maybe call around a few more friends or other places that the two would hang out.”
“Why do you want me to lay low?” I demanded, pulling my hand back and putting it on my hip.
“I want you to stay safe. I don’t want anyone else to go missing.”
“And you assume that because you’re a big, tough guy you’ll be fine?”
“Exactly.” He brushed his knuckles against my cheek. “I’ll go in the morning alone, but I’ll notify you the second I learn anything. Do we have a deal?”
“I’m not gonna change your mind, am I?” I sighed.
He laughed. “If I’m anything, I’m stubborn.”
“I am, too, but fine. Just this once.”
“Just this once.”