Grant (Riding Hard) - Jennifer Ashley Page 0,9

Grant said with conviction. “Or climbing someone else. Where’s Ray?”

“I came out here by myself. Damn it, Grant. Just help me.”

Grant chuckled. “Grace under pressure.”

“I suck at that, and you know it. You going to help or just laugh at me?”

“Laughing at you is more fun,” Grant said as he came closer. “Hold still.”

He worked at the twigs woven through the tulle. Christina didn’t move, the warmth of him holding her in place more securely than the branches.

Grant tugged harder, his sleeve brushing her bare back. “You are well and truly stuck.”

“I know that.”

Grant pulled at the big wad of tulle sewed to the satin. “Maybe I can just remove the bow. Oh, wait, some of the back of the dress is tangled too. You might have to rip the whole thing.”

Christina let out an exasperated breath. “Geez, Bailey will kill me. She and Mom spent so much time on the dresses.”

“You can always take it off.” Grant’s tone moved from laughing to sensual as his blunt fingers flicked the tab of the zipper.

Christina stilled as heat rocketed through her. Fire moved from his finger on the zipper down between her legs and up again to her breasts.

An image flashed through her head of Grant skimming the dress from her, his arms around her, she lifting to him, their bodies coming together in the darkness under the trees.

She cleared her throat. “Right,” she said, her jaw tight. “And run around in my underwear? I’d look like a fool.”

“No,” Grant said in a low voice. “That’s not what you’d look like.”

Christina held her breath. Moonlight caressed Grant’s face as he gazed at her for a long moment.

The moment broke and he bent to concentrate on loosening the twigs from the dress.

Christina turned her head to study his jaw, brushed with dark whiskers, the dark hair smoothed around his ear. All she had to do was lean a little farther, and she could take his earlobe between her teeth.

Grant’s hand brushed her bare scoop of back, his touch hot and strong. Christina couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. A breeze swirled around her and she shivered.

“Ah. Got it.”

The dress went slack as the twigs loosened their hold. Christina stepped away from both the tree and Grant.

“Thanks,” she said quickly.

He said nothing, so she nodded at him, and started to walk away.

“You got crap all over you,” Grant said behind her. “Might want to do something about that.”

Christina balled her fists, her heart sinking. She wanted to get away from him before she did something stupid, but she marched back to him as well as her high heels let her. “Brush it off. Please?”

Grant went silent as his warm hands started down the dress, picking things out of the tulle, smoothing the satin.

After a moment, his hands slowed. Grant was standing almost on top of her, his feet alongside hers. Christina’s hip moved against his thighs, and then against what was between his legs.

Hard and thick, his cock pressed the fabric of his tux pants, telling her he wasn’t immune to their closeness, the intimacy of being alone together in the dark.

Grant’s chest moved with his intake of breath. His touch stilled on her back, only to come around her waist as he turned her, pulling her against him.

Christina’s hands landed on his chest, fingers curling.

For one heartbeat, two, they looked at each other. The breeze swirled around them, bringing the laughter from the tent, the acrid smoke of the barbecue mixed with the mellow scent of spring wildflowers.

“Aw, fuck,” Grant said in a hoarse whisper.

Christina couldn’t breathe as Grant’s hold tightened on her, and he came down to cover her mouth in a raw, desperate kiss.

Chapter Four

Christina tasted like champagne and smelled like roses. Grant opened her mouth with his, their tongues tangling, seeking, hands dragging each other closer.

Christina’s dress molded perfectly to her body, the satin letting Grant run his palms up her waist, under her breasts. Only the tulle got in the way, a huge lump of it where her ass was. But screw it. He could kiss her fine like this, cupping her breast in his hand.

Any second one of them would come to their senses and push the other away. Any moment now.

Christina clutched at his jacket, and damned if she didn’t start pushing it open. Her hands landed on his cummerbund then moved quickly up the thin shirt. Fingertips found his flat nipples and she started to caress them.

She must remember how much he loved that. Tingling started in