9. Charlotte

9

CHARLOTTE

T ingles rush all over my skin. Unless I misheard, Grayson said the flirtiest thing he’s uttered to me so far.

As thrilled as I might feel, I try to manage expectations. Mostly my own.

“Oh stop it.”

I wave him off and let out a nervous laugh.

“A man like you, Mr. CIA black ops, would never be into a woman like me.”

He tilts his head to the side, his silver-gray eyes penetrating me to the core. I feel like I have no secrets with him. I feel even more like I don’t want any. Not with Grayson.

“Why don’t you think I could be into you, Charlotte?”

His tongue caresses my name, massaging every syllable. The low, growly quality of his voice sends a shiver through my entire body.

“Oh come on, we’re just too different, Grayson. Just look at us for a second. I look like a trendy fashionista, and you’re all tattoos and muscles.”

“Differences are what makes sparks, Charlotte.”

His eyes smolder like twin flames in the half-light. I suppress another shiver as he opens the door for me. I start climbing into the Jeep. His hand rests on the small of my back, giving me a little assistance up. I can’t suppress the shiver this time.

Grayson closes the door, his hands lingering on the metal. His gaze remains locked on me as he walks around the front of the Jeep and gets in behind the wheel.

My mind reels. The chaotic party, with all of its multitude of revelers, and Wyatt’s strange but unthreatening behavior were just a preamble for Grayson getting me all flustered. I don’t know what to say now. I don’t know how to act. It’s never been like this before. I’m usually good at flirting!

Or maybe I’m not so good at it after all. When I think back to the men I’ve dated, especially the ones since I achieved fame, none of them held a candle to Grayson. Mostly fake Hollywood types, full of superficial charm that vanished once they got comfortable with me.

I’d more or less sworn off dating for the last nine months, choosing to focus on my career instead. An influencer’s span on the top can be measured in dog years, so I thought this would be a smart move.

And then, the Order hacked into my feed, and I hired Platinum Security and met Grayson.

My mouth is dry, my palms are wet. I can’t seem to sit still. A subdued throb from between my legs pulses through to my brain, subtle and yet insistent.

Oh jeez. It occurs to me that there are two things I haven’t really considered. For one, we’re all alone. For another, we’re going to some safehouse where we’ll be spending the night together.

I know I shouldn’t read into things, but my mind has already decided what course to take. I can’t get over the sensation of Grayson’s hand on the small of my back. It’s like I can still feel it there.

It’s driving me absolutely crazy. I don’t know how much of this I can take. I look over at him, and he seems so placid. So calm. Is he not burning up on the inside like I am? I have to know.

“Grayson?”

My voice cracks a little, sounding small in the wind coming into the cabin.

“Yes, Charlotte?”

His gray eyes dart over to me before returning to the road. I swallow hard, and forge on.

“I just wanted to know…are you feeling what I feel right now?”

Grayson glances over at me sharply, his lips parted.

“Yes, I am.”

My heart stops beating for a moment. New sweat breaks out on my body, and all of the sudden I get fidgety. I tug at the hem of my dress, and smooth out a few wrinkles with my fingers.

“You are?”

“Yes,” he replies. “I’ve been feeling it for a while.”

My chest thumps like a rabbit pounding the dirt in warning. I shift in the seat, pressing my thighs together.

“I didn’t know that you felt that way.”

He cocks an eyebrow.

“I’m surprised, quite frankly, that you noticed it, too.”

A frown forces its way across my face. What he just said doesn’t make much sense.

“I…what do you mean, Grayson?”

He inhales deeply, and then lets out the breath slowly.

“I’ve been all over the world, Charlotte. I’ve been in a lot of dicey situations. It’s only understandable that I would feel it. I just don’t get why you do.”

I don’t know what to say. The one thing I never would have pegged on Grayson is a lack of confidence.

“Why don’t you understand it?”

He shrugs. “I guess, it’s just not what I expect out of you, that’s all. And that’s my fault for letting my prejudices overrule my better judgment.”

“I’m just a woman, Grayson. There’s nothing special about me.”

Grayson arches his brows and tightens his grip on the steering wheel.

“Charlotte, you’re the most special woman I’ve ever met.”

Okay, now my heart hammers so hard I can barely even hear myself think. I stare at the floor and ball up my hemline in my fists.

“Do you really mean that?”

“Of course I do. I mean, you figured out the black SUV has been following us almost at the same time that I did. That’s incredible.”

My jaw drops open.

“We’re being followed?”

“Yeah, that’s what you were talking about, wasn’t it?”

I feel heat burning into my flesh like a thousand suns. Oh, the humiliation. I can’t even stand to look at him.

“Yeah, that’s what I was talking about. That we’re being followed…”

Then it hits me. We’re being followed. That should be a bigger priority than my embarrassment.

I start to turn around to see the car following us, but Grayson hisses through his teeth.

“No! Don’t turn around. Don’t give them any sign that they’ve been made. Can you read backwards in your sideview mirror?”

“Yes.”

“Then take my phone and text the license plate number to H.V. That will get it to our resident tech expert.”

“All right.”

I peer at the side view mirror and try to transcribe the plate number. It's harder than I thought it would be, but I manage. I send the text off and then turn to Grayson.

“Okay, I did it. Now what do we do? Should I call the police?”

“They probably won't get here in time, assuming they can find us at all. I’m going to try and lose them, once we get to a good place for it.”

He glances over at me. For a moment I think he’s checking out my chest, but then I realize the truth. Grayson is checking that my seat belt is secured.

Now it really starts to hit me. This is a dangerous situation. I’m glad Grayson is here. No, not just glad. Relieved. His cool professionalism might throw me off at times, but at the moment it reassures me.

“Oh man,” I mutter under my breath. “Oh man, oh man, oh man…”

His gaze darts over to me for a moment.

“It’s a scary situation. You can cuss if you want.”

I laugh, and even I can tell how anxious it sounds.

“I’m afraid if I get into the habit of cursing, I’ll start doing it when I’m live streaming.”

I take in a breath and look over at my bodyguard.

“Grayson, tell me it’s going to be okay.”

“It’s going to be okay, Charlotte.”

It’s stupid, and I know it, but hearing Grayson speak those words helps. It doesn’t eliminate my fear, but it does cut down on my need to panic.

His phone rings. Grayson snatches it up and stares at the screen before he answers.

“What’s up, Jax? A little busy at the moment.”

The volume on his phone is high enough that I can clearly hear Jax’s reply.

“Harlowe told me you’re being followed.”

“Yeah, does she have any hits on the license plate yet?”

Jax makes a low growl in his throat.

“She’s working on it, but I wanted to talk to you right away. Listen, don’t do anything heroic like trying to lose the tail or running them off the road, all right?”

Grayson’s lips twitch. “Jax, I taught the damn defensive driving course at Quantico for a year. I know how to lose a tail, safely.”

“This ain’t the CIA, this is Platinum Security,” Jax growls. “Harlowe can track you by your cell phone, she just needs time. I’ll send you back up as soon as possible. Do you have a full tank of gas?”

Grayson checks. “Little over half.”

“Then just lead our friends on a long, slow ride along the coast until you reach the nearest police station. You hear me?”

“They could make their move a long time before that, Jax. Every second that they’re on our tail, the danger gets worse and worse. I already subtly increased speed three times and they've sped up to match without fail.”

“Damn it, Grayson, wait for backup–”

Grayson shuts the phone off and opens the center console. He deposits the phone within and snaps it closed.

“Secure anything that isn’t nailed down.”

I gasp. “Grayson, my streaming gear is in the back.”

“I strapped it down with a half dozen bungee cords. It’s not going anywhere.”

I grab the armrest and squeeze until my hand cramps.

“Jax said to wait for backup.”

“Jax isn’t here. Brace yourself.”

“What?”

Grayson throws the wheel hard to the left. I scream as the jeep careens madly onto a side road. The wheels on my side of the jeep come up a good two feet from the pavement before we bounce back down hard enough to make my bones rattle.

Grayson floors it, muscles in his arm dancing as he slams the Jeep into a higher gear. Behind us, I hear the screech of rubber and the whine of metal on metal as the pursuing car struggles to make the same, sudden turn.

I catch a glimpse of a black SUV before we tear around a bend in the road. Grayson is all business, working the steering wheel and gear shifter like a rally racing champion. I bite my tongue as we hit a deep dip in the road. For a moment I think we’re going to bounce right down the steep embankment on either side of the path, but Grayson regains control.

“Ow,” I say, poking my finger in my mouth to see if there’s blood.

“Are you okay?”

“Bit my tongue.”

A pair of headlights flash into existence behind us. The black SUV is catching up to us much faster than I would have thought. Grayson throws the Jeep into top gear, but the headlights behind us steadily gain ground.

“Can’t you go any faster?”

Grayson speaks through gritted teeth.

“I’m topped out.. Don’t worry, I’ve got them right where I want them.”

Is Grayson solid, reliable, and decent? If ever there was a time I needed to know, it would be right now.

All I can do is hold on and hope that my trust in him isn't misplaced.