Chapter 170
720 Words
Jenny pulled up to King’s Garage and hesitated. The thought of walking into a place owned and run by some guy with possibly-shady connections was a bit worrying. So was the fact that most everyone inside was going to be male.
OK, Jenny. Deep breath. Chris is in there, and if you want to talk to him right now, this is where you have to go. You’ll be fine. You're ready.
She opened her umbrella and walked into the garage, looked around cautiously. It was huge inside, with huge men all over the damn place. She didn’t see Chris anywhere, and a familiar feeling of panic started to settle over her.
“Can I help you?”
She whirled around to see a massive man. He was ferocious and tattooed and between her and the door. Her breath caught.
OK, calm down. Remember what you and Chris and Lori have worked on. Remember that not every single man on the planet is a rapist. Right? Just talk to the guy, Jenny. Tell him what you want.
“Hi,” she squeaked. “I’m – I’m looking for Chris.”
The man gave her a narrow, intense look. “You Jenny?”
She jumped. “Uh, yeah. How’d you know?”
“Lucky guess.” He came closer and she stood still. “I’m King.” Cautiously, he extended his large hand. “Good to meet you.”
She looked down at his hand. It suddenly occurred to her that the third man she was actually going to touch in more than six years was a possible criminal.
This is Chris' boss and he's not going to hurt you. Just shake the man’s hand.
She reached out. “Good to meet you too.” His grip was surprisingly gentle, and she saw real kindness in those gray eyes. They looked a bit like Chris’, and her chest tightened at the thought that she may have screwed everything up with him.
He smiled. “Chris is upstairs. You go on through, hon.”
“Thanks,” she said.
Jenny walked up the stairs, trying to ignore the fear building in her stomach. What if he was so angry he wouldn’t listen to her? What if she’d lost him?
She reached the top of the stairs and looked around. “Chris!” she called softly.
A door at the end of the hall opened and there he stood. He was huge and gorgeous and she ached to kiss him. All she wanted was to be in bed with him, with him deep inside her body, giving her pleasure, taking pleasure from her.
“Jenny!” He was shocked. “What are you doing here? My God… are you OK?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
He bolted down the hall to her, then he remembered her reaction to him that morning, and he stopped dead.
Don’t scare her, man. Just keep away from her until she tells you otherwise.
She saw the uncertainty in his face and she closed the distance between them in four steps. She walked right into his arms and held on to him, her lips on his throat. Without any hesitation now, he wrapped his arms around her tightly.
“I love you, Chris,” she whispered. “I love you so much. Can you forgive me for being so stupid this morning?”
Stunned, he held her away from him. “You – what?”
“I love you.”
He stared down at her. “You do?”
“Yes. And I’m sorry I panicked this morning… I just – I heard you say you love me last night, and I freaked out.”
He cursed under his breath. "I thought you were asleep. You weren't supposed to hear that, Jenny. I didn't think you could handle it... it was too much, too soon. I mean, we'd just made love for the first time." His eyes were anxious. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be." She reached up and touched his lips. “I should have talked to you about it. I should have told you what was happening in my head. Please, babe, believe me when I say that I’ll never shut down on you like that, not ever again. I promise.” She kissed him. "I love you."
- Writer
