Page 31 of Shocking Sapphires
Realization dawned on us both at the same time. We said the name, “Eva,” in unison.
Grant ran a hand through his thick, wavy hair before saying, “She manipulated us both to get her way.”
I nodded before saying, “And you two broke up anyway, right?”
“We were never really together, but yes, we officially cut ties with each other,” he confirmed before adding, “She’s not the one I want.”
My heart hammered wildly in my chest, despite my mind’s silent warning to it to calm down. Forcing my lips up into a fake smile, I said, “Yes, I saw you with Kristen Lawrence today. You two make a great couple.”
Grant started to respond, but his words were overshadowed by the booming voice of Cole Daniels saying, “Molly, my love, there you are,” just before he tipped me back and planted a wet kiss on my lips.
29
Molly
Ismacked at Cole’s chest, but he had literally swept me off my feet, so I wasn’t able to get away from him without risking falling to the ground. Instead, I turned my face to the side and said, “Eww. Stop it.”
Cole reluctantly placed me back on my feet, but he kept his paw possessively around my shoulder. I tried to wiggle away, but he had a firm grasp on me.
“Let the lady go,” Grant said in a low voice that I’d only ever heard him use against villains in his movies.
“She’s with me,” Cole spat, before goading Grant, “Besides, what are you going to do about it, roll over my toes?”
“I most certainly amnotwith you, nor will I ever be,” I said firmly before extricating myself from the rude man’s grasp.
Once I backed out of the way, Grant wheeled closer to him. “Want to see what I’ll do about it? How about this?”
One of his powerful arms lunged out and landed a hit directly in Cole’s gut. The man doubled over before saying, “This isn’t fair. I can’t fight a helpless cripple.”
“Sure, you can,” Grant offered. Pointing to his chiseled jawline, he encouraged the other man, “Come on. Let’s see what you’ve got.”
When Cole reared back to take a punch at Grant, I squealed and lifted my hands to my face. Unable to keep from peeking out, I saw Grant stop Cole’s fist with his strong right hand, just before popping Cole in the eye with his left.
“Oh, that’s going to leave a bruise,” I quipped, enjoying watching Grant teach this jerk a lesson.
“Now, get out of here unless you want more of that because I’d be more than willing to continue beating your ass all night long,” Grant seethed between gritted teeth.
Cole didn’t consider it for long. Even though he wasn’t able to stand completely upright, he turned around and hobbled back to shore.
Once it was obvious that he wasn’t coming back, I smiled at Grant and said, “My hero!”
To accentuate my words, I leaned down and planted a kiss on his five-o’clock-shadow-covered cheek.
“A hero deserves a kiss right here,” Grant murmured as he pointed to his lips.
Rather than over-thinking it, I brushed my lips lightly against his. He raked a hand through my hair and deepened the kiss. A moan escaped from deep in my throat as I made out with the man of my dreams.
My thoughts swirled together as he pulled me down to sit on his lap. Kissing Grant was even better than I had imagined. Kristen Lawrence was one incredibly lucky lady.Kristen!
I pulled back as soon as I remembered seeing the lovely and talented actress in this precise position earlier today.
Grant tipped his delectable lips up, angling for more kisses, but I stopped him by snapping, “You have a girlfriend.”
I tried to scramble off his lap, but he kept his arms locked around me as he asked in a bewildered voice, “I do?”
Beyond frustrated with him, I said, “I saw you and Kristen kissing today. It was obvious that you two have a serious off-screen relationship.”
Grant had the audacity to bellow with laughter at my expense. When he saw my angry glare, he explained, “Yes, we have a close relationship outside of work, but it’s more like siblings than anything romantic.”
