Page 14 of Not A Whisper

Before Trip can respond, our waitress is back with our sampler platter.

“You came at the right time,” I tell him. “Want to order a drink?”

“Naw, I have a test tomorrow in one of my classes. Maybe when I come over after you get off work, we can share a drink or two then.”

I don’t follow. “I’ll be seeing you twice in two days?”

“Yup. In fact, you may see me every day from here on out.” Jason nods with a wide grin.

Don’t get too excited, I warn my rapidly beating heart.

“What about Garry?”

“What about him? I haven’t seen anyone following me in almost five days now. I don’t know if they’ve just gotten better at hiding or if Garry’s called them off. Not that it matters since we’re changing gears. Garry can watch me all he wants. He’ll just find that I’m going to be spending more time with you.”

My brows furrow. “I’m not following.”

“We’re done keeping our distance, dollie.” When Jason glances over my head at Trip I realize that this is a conversation they’ve had before. Has the distance been eating at them too? When his gaze returns to my face, he’s oddly serious. “I’m sorry I haven’t been around more, but I’ll make up for that. I can’t believe we let our fear of Garry keep us from you.”

I suck in a shaky breath as hope tries to plant a seed in my heart. Am I really going to be seeing them more? Trip said something similar earlier. Can I trust them that things are about to change?

“What does Grant say about that?”

“Fuck Grant,” Trip mutters.

I start to turn but then I catch a flicker of annoyance racing across Jason’s face. He shakes his head and says, “He’s being weird lately. Who knows what he thinks about this.”

“Weird?” My heart sinks. “Weird how?”

“Grant’s been acting off,” Jason hedges carefully. “Something is happening under the Gipson roof, but Grant’s been tightlipped, which isn’t normal. It’s pissing us off.”

“Is he… Is he ok?”

Jason’s arm drops from around my shoulders to wrap around my waist. Leaning toward me, his lips brush against my temple.

“I’m sure he’s fine. He’ll come around eventually. Sometimes he gets like this. It still doesn’t make his distance alright, but at least it’s not completely abnormal. Now, let’s eat.”

He and Trip reach forward at the same time for the platter of food in front of us. I hesitate, my mind still on Grant.

If these two aren’t too worried, I shouldn’t be, right? So why is my stomach knotting and internal warning bells are ringing in my head?

Four

The next day at work, I’m practically fluttering around the library.

“So, tell me something,” Jonathan asks as I stop by the desk to make sure he has everything covered. I haven’t been able to sit still long enough to join him yet. Apparently, all I need is a date with my guys and some great sex, and I’m ready to tackle anything.

“Yeah?”

“This Trip guy, did he replace Grant?”

I pause, surprised by his question. “No, why?”

“Because last time I heard, you were seeing Groveton’s royalty, yet it wasn’t Grant you introduced us to last night.”

“Grant’s been… busy.”

Jonathan’s pupils narrow on me. “So while he’s busy you’re seeing someone else?”

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