33
Jess cringedas the tall man with the gun walked over to them as they laid on their stomachs on the floor, hands behind their head. He was still pointing it at Griffin who said, “I’m Griffin Houser, and who the hell are you?”
“Oh, shit!” the man whispered. “Sorry, sir. Here, let me help you up!”
“Don’t bother,” Griffin growled as he got up and helped Jess up too. “And you are?”
“The new head of security. Donald Noland.” He extended his hand for a shake, and Griffin just looked at it.
“I don’ think so,” Griff said as he glared at the man. “My fucking pictures are all over the house. Don’t try to tell me you had no idea who I was.”
“No, sir, really,” Donald said. “This is my first night to work. I was hired on to secure the outside, the animals. The inside is still your security guy you’ve had for years. Mr. Stout is the one who hired me to take care of the outside. I haven’t even met your family yet.”
Griffin’s cell phone rang, and he took it out of his pocket. “It’s Ethan.”
When Jess’ cell rang too, she pulled it out of her pocket and saw it was Kel. “I hope nothing’s happened!”
Griff gave Donald a nod. “Go on about your business. We’re going inside, anyway.” He led Jess out of the barn and back toward the house as he answered his phone. “Griffin here, Ethan.”
“The jig is up. Time to tell Jess about the bet,” Ethan told him.
Jess was listening to Kel as she told her, “I got it out of Ethan about the bet. It’s off. Tell Griff about the fake marriage scam.”
“Wow,” Jess said as she followed Griff into the house. “You’re remarkable.”
“I know. See you on Monday when we come back. We’re going to stay the weekend in this mansion he rented and send his fake family home. You to have some real fun now that the lying is over. Love you, sis.”
“Love you too,” Jess said then ended the call. She found Griffin putting away his phone then he turned to look at her.
“You knew about the bet all along, Jess?” he asked her, afraid to pull her into his arms the way he yearned to.
“I did,” she said and took a step closer to him. “And we made up the phony marriage thing to see if you guys would run. But you didn’t.”
Ethan looked at her with a sheepish grin. “We all kind of adore you girls. And we all took you on these horrendous dates to make you think none of us were great marriage material.”
“So, the bull-jacking thing is bullshit?” she asked him as she took another step closer.
“It’s a load of it. We do have machines that take care of that task. Can you ever forgive me for almost making you touch a bull cock?” he asked as he wasn’t sure she’d forgive him or not.
Jess closed the gap between them, wrapping her arms around his neck and gazing at him in a new light. An honest light. “If I’d had to touch one then I can’t say for sure. Since I didn’t have to, the answer is, yes. I forgive you, Griff. And can I ask you to be honest about how you feel about me?”
His hands tangled in her long blonde hair as he whispered, “I’m crazy about you, Jess. That’s the truth. And how do you feel about me?”
“Oh, I think you’re just about the best thing since sliced bread, Griff.”
He kissed her then. Their first honest kiss. Neither had expected the fire that ripped through them as their tongues danced and their bodies stretched, trying to feel every part of the other’s.
Griff pulled his mouth away and said, “In the spirit of being honest. What are the chances you and I can go up to my bedroom and spend this entire weekend making sweet love to one another?”
Jess winked at him. “I’d say there is a one hundred percent chance of that happening.”
Breathing out a sigh of relief, Griff picked his girl up and carried her away with him. It hadn’t been that long in reality, but it had seemed like forever since they’d met. And things were finally going to be real between them. Griffin was set on making Jess see how he really felt about her.