Chapter seven

JAMESON WILCOX

Grace moans appreciatively, leaning back in her chair as we finish off dessert: a giant slice of triple chocolate cake.

My favorite part is watching Grace indulgently lick the icing from her fingers.

She’s so damn irresistible without trying.

“This is why my hips are spreading at astronomical rates,” she groans, draining the rest of the wine in her glass.

“I love your hips,” I blurt without hesitation.

I loved her body. Period.

She’s pure perfection. My straining cock against the zipper of my pants is a true testament to that fact.

“Hmm,” she hums, lazily acknowledging my compliment and I know the wine has gotten to her head.

She’s on her third glass and relaxed. Slightly tipsy Grace is even more enjoyable than I imagined.

I want to tell her as much until a man near the maître d’s podium catches my attention.

I freeze, feeling my jaw lock and eyes narrow involuntarily.

“What’s wrong?” Grace sounds worried across the table.

I turn my eyes back in her direction and try to offer a reassuring smile.

There’s no way in hell I’m telling her that Brick is in the building.

I was trained to maintain my cool in the face of adversity and that’s exactly what I intend to do until my exit strategy is in place.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” she observes and I say a quick prayer that she won’t turn around to see the “ghost” for herself.

“It’s nothing,” I lie cautiously.

My breaths are calculated as I watch Brick being ushered into a different dining room. He never turns directly toward us and I think we’ve gone unseen but I still want to get the hell out of here.

“Listen, are you ready to get out of here?” I ask and even I notice the arctic chill that has entered my voice.

She visibly flinches at my sudden shift in tone, before nodding and hurriedly gathering her purse.

“I’m ready,” she says quietly as I leave a few bills on the table.

As we walk out to the bike, I feel like shit when I notice the slight droop in her shoulders.

Even though she hasn’t said anything, I know Grace thinks she’s done something to cause my dark mood.

“Grace,” I call just before we reach my bike.

We both stop walking and I face her, studying her features in the final light of dusk.

She’s fucking breathtaking.

“Yes?” she asks uncertainly.

“I’m sorry about that back there. I saw something that upset me and I didn’t handle it well. I don’t want you to think it has anything to do with you. You’re perfect. Dinner was perfect,” I explain.

Relief washes over her features and her beautiful smile follows.

“I wanted to get out of the restaurant but I’m not ready for our night to end. Let me take you somewhere else.”

“Okay,” she agrees easily. “Where to now?”

We finally reach my bike and I retrieve our helmets.

“I have a place in mind,” I say, extending the extra helmet in her direction.

*****

As we near our destination, I slow the bike to a crawl, loathe to stop the thing for fear of Grace releasing her hold on me.

She feels damn good wrapped around my torso so tightly. Even if it is a struggle to breathe.

“We’re here,” I announce, cutting the engine in a well-lit parking lot.

“The community college?” she asks and her bewilderment isn’t lost on me.

“Take a walk with me,” I say extending my hand.

She takes it without hesitation and falls in step with me.

“So, are you going to explain why you picked this place to end our evening?” Grace asks five minutes into our walk.

There’s a tinge of sassiness in her voice and I try not to laugh.

“Give me a break. This town isn’t exactly full of places to take a date.”

“A date?” she echoes before humming something lowly to herself.

“I have a story about this place,” I offer as bait.

“Do tell.”

“I dropped out of this place after three weeks of classes.”

She turns to look at me, stunned by the revelation.

“You’re telling me you dropped out of community college?”

“Yep,” I nod. “I never wanted to go the college route in the first place and this was my compromise to get my parents off my back. I told them that I would transfer to a four-year college after two years just to placate them but I knew it would never happen. I hated school. Always had.”

“Wow,” she says quietly. “I would have never guessed it. You seem so educated and refined.”

I know she’s teasing me and a grin breaks out over my face.

“I owe my refinement to the navy. I quit this place and enlisted a week later. My parents were pissed,” I chuckle at the memory.

My mother had been stunned silent and my father had turned so red, I thought he would faint.

“I bet they were. You’re their only child, right? I’m sure they only wanted the best for you.”

“The navy was the best for me. It taught me everything I needed to know about life. I ended up getting my bachelor’s degree while I served so it worked out eventually.”

She smiles at me, letting me know she’s pleased by this new information.

My dick reawakens for the first time since the restaurant at the sight of her smile.

There’s nothing I don’t find sexy about this woman. And I can’t believe I’m walking around an empty campus sharing my life story with her.

A woman I’m supposed to deliver to Brick in less than two weeks.

We walk and talk for a bit longer before Grace starts discreetly yawning and I know she must be exhausted.

I get us back to her place and walk her to the front door, still not quite ready for our time together to end.

“Thank you for a wonderful evening, Jameson,” she says shyly and it’s the most adorable thing I’ve ever fucking witnessed.

“The pleasure was all mine, Ms. Chambers,” I say truthfully. I can’t remember the last time I’ve had so much fun with a woman outside the bedroom.

I step forward, closing the space between us and the heat radiating between us is palpable.

She’s just as aroused as I am and the thought drives me wild.

Grace Chambers wants me.

Leaning down, I cover her lips with mine and savor the taste of Grace. Her lips are pliant against mine and I kiss her hard before my tongue slips out to get in on the action.

I hear a thud as her purse hits the ground, then her arms are wrapped around my torso, hugging me to her as she deepens the kiss.

Wanting to get as close as possible, I back her into the door and grip her hips possessively.

I need her.

As her lips continue to brush against mine, the hypnotizing scent of her perfume drugs me, making me crave her even more.

Panting, I tear my lips from hers and stare at her stunned face.

“You’re going to be the death of me, Grace Chambers,” I whisper as I plant a soft and final kiss on her lips.

She’s speechless.

I bend down to retrieve her purse from the ground and hand it over.

“Go inside before I change my mind and give your neighbors the show of their lives,” I tease.

“Goodnight, Jameson,” she sounds just as dazed as I do.

I know it won’t be much longer before we both succumb to the lust building between us but it can’t be tonight. I have too much to handle at the moment.

Patiently, I wait while she secures the lock, chain and deadbolt on her door. To others it might seem like overkill but I was pleasantly surprised when I’d entered her apartment and saw the extra safety measures in place.

There was even a baseball bat resting against the table in the foyer and I was happy she seemed aware and capable of handling any lurking danger.

As I walk back downstairs, I allow myself to relish the kiss once more before my thoughts shift to more daunting territory.

I need to come up with a plan to protect Grace before that bastard finds her on his own.

Despite the late hour, I pull out my cell phone and call Mendoza letting him know we need to meet up as soon as possible.