We walk through the entrance to the dining room but continue walking toward the kitchen. “Well?” My stubbornness does not let this go.
“I will tell you everything once we are alone, mo chroi, yeah?” His accent is more prominent, suggesting he is becoming impatient with me.
I continue staring at him until he turns his head toward me and looks down. “Mo chroi?”
I let it go. “Yes. But you tell me everything. Everything, Grant.”
He nods his agreement as we continue through the kitchen until we reach a door with more security. I purse my lips but keep my annoyance to myself because Grant said he will answer my questions. I know Joe is the one who started this. But why is Grant being so protective? Tonight, I will get answers. I am not happy about what my father has done, but I must admit they have cared for me and I haven’t suffered.
A stout little man scurries out of the kitchen calling to Grant. “Mr. Cooper, we are ready for you both. Please follow me.” Fredo is the head chef at the Contessa and waves off the security guard standing in front of the closed door.
He pushes the door in a hurried move and bows to Grant. “Please, if you will?” Again, he waves his hand with a flourish and invites Grant and me inside the room.
“Thank you, Fredo. I appreciate you preparing our meal for us.” He places his hand again on my lower back and guides me into the room.
I scan the room and realize there is only a single table in the middle of the room. The glimmer of candlelight is the only thing illuminating the small area.
Grant pulls one of the two chairs out for me. Sitting down, he nuzzles my seat closer to the dinner table set for two. Drawing out his own seat, he takes his position across from me.
Fredo whips my napkin into the air, giving it a snap, startling me. “If I may?” He lays the cloth into my lap and moves toward Grant.
Grant snatches the napkin from his plate and lays it in his lap himself. “I’ve got this, Fredo. Thanks!” He gives Fredo a wink and smiles.
“Of course, Mr. Cooper.” Fredo wore black pants with a white button-down shirt, and a vest that almost makes it across his belly. The buttons are fighting to stay attached to the fabric. He tugs to straighten his vest and then clears his throat.
“I have prepared a special meal for the two of you. I will serve you myself this evening. Would you like to start with a glass of wine?”
Grant looks across the table at me and smiles. “Would you like wine, mo chroi?”
I am not old enough to drink and never wanted to try alcohol because I didn’t like how it had affected Joe. “Well I’ve never tried wine or any kind of alcohol.”
“Well, maybe a small taste then.” He glances at Fredo and smiles. “Fredo won’t card you tonight, will you Fredo?”
“Of course not. No. No. No. Miss Kelly please order anything you like.” Fredo places his palms together and gave his hands a little shake. “Tonight, is for you.”
I straighten myself in my seat and smile at Fredo. “Thank you, Fredo. I think I will stick with water for now.”
Fredo glances at Grant for guidance.
“Maybe we will have something with dinner, Fredo. Maybe we can start with an appetizer, hmm?” Fredo nods to Grant and takes two steps backwards before turning toward the kitchen.
“I don’t think anyone will get into trouble if you have a glass of wine with me.” He smiles, hoping to encourage me to enjoy a glass with him.
“I don’t drink, Grant. It’s not an issue of not being old enough to drink, I just don’t.” Straightening the salad fork next to my dinner fork, I hope to end the conversation.
“Not that there is a reason you should drink mo chroi, but it sounds to me there is something behind your choice you’re not telling me.”
I close my eyes and sigh. Glancing back up at him, his emerald eyes seem to glow in the candlelight. “Why is this important to you?”
“Everything about you is important to me, mo chroi.” I feel his sincerity. He isn’t lying about this.
“Okay. If I answer this for you, you will answer something for me, deal?” Without hesitating, Grant agreed. “Deal. Tell me mo chroi.”
We stare at each other for what feels like minutes. I try to decide where to begin. “Well. There are two reasons, really.”
Grant sat, not giving me a reason to end my confession before I get started. He nods his encouragement to continue.
“Joe is the first reason. When he drank, he couldn’t stop. And when he was drunk, he was… let’s just say he was a mean drunk.”
Grant’s eyes narrow on her. “Did he ever hurt you?” His voice deepens into a growl.
I can’t help but turn away. I look toward the kitchen, willing Fredo to return.
“Kelly. Did. He. Hurt. You.”
“I don’t know what you want me to tell you, Grant. I didn’t have a happy home life. He yelled at me.” I returned his gaze. “He had hit me when I was little, but that stopped when I got older. So, his drunk nights were all about throwing things against the walls and yelling. But the physical abuse stopped.”
I can see the storm brewing behind Grant’s eyes. “It was a long time ago, Grant. I doubt I will ever see him again.” I purse my lips. “After what he did… giving me away, I hope to never see him again.”
Grant nods. I knew he understood. “Are you happy here, mo chroi?” There is a softness in his voice.
“You can’t ask another question until I get to ask mine.”
“Please finish then. You haven’t yet shared your second reason for staying sober.” He raises an eyebrow. “Go on. Please tell me the other reason.”
I considered for a moment how to continue. “My radar. I’m afraid if I have alcohol or take drugs, or anything like that, my radar will fail.”
“Your radar? And this does not count as another question, this is to clarify your statement.” He taps the table with his long index finger.
“I don’t know what else to call it really, so I call it my radar. I have a knack of knowing if someone is lying to me or not. Or if they are sincere. I guess it’s like having a built-in lie detector.” I shake my head. “That’s sounds wrong, but I don’t know of a better way to describe it.”
The kitchen door crashes open as Fredo rushes to their table. “I have made a little snack for you while I finish preparing your dinner.”
“What do we have here?” Grant assesses the small platter.
“Asparagus wrapped in prosciutto, a touch of goat cheese and a hint of lemon.” He kisses his fingertips. “Please, enjoy!” He disappears back into the kitchen.
I did not need to be told twice; I reach for one of the little green bundles and place it on my appetizer plate in front of me. Grant follows my lead but takes a bite.
“This is very good. Try it.” He encourages.
Taking a small bite, I savor the hint of pine nuts and lemon that hide in the goat cheese. “Mmm. This is good.”
We finish the bundles, and it is now my turn to ask a question.
“My turn, now.” I swipe my napkin over my lips.
“Yes. I suppose it is your turn. What would you like to ask me?”
“Why am I here?”
“To have dinner with me.” He smiles, but he knows what I want.
I place the fork on the side of my plate and cross my arms. “Take me back to my room.”
“No, mo chroi… I.”
I stand up and take a step away from the table, but Grant blocks me from leaving. I gasp. “Don’t do that. I want to go back to my room.”
“You promised me you would obey me in all things, Kelly. Please. Sit down. I am only teasing you. I will give you what you want. Sit.”
Grant nudges me back to my chair to sit down. “You will tell me everything?”
Closing his eyes, he nods. “Please. Sit, mo chroi.”
I reach out with my radar to check his level of sincerity and know he is telling me the truth. I would get the answers I wanted. I raise my eyebrows to encourage
him to begin.
“I’m not sure where to start…”
“Try the beginning.” I blurt.
“Yes. The beginning.” He narrows his eyes in warning.
“Do you remember the first time we met, mo chroi?” His voice softens.
“Yes. I think it was when you mowed me down at the bus stop. Right?”
“Well, not exactly.” He looks away and rubs the stubble on his face. “You were with Joe here at the casino. The two of you walked into my office. Joe said he was looking for an exit, but I doubted that was true. That was the first time I saw you, mo chroi.” Grant may have stopped breathing for a moment, feeling his anxiety building.
“I don’t remember that ever happening.”
“Let me explain, mo chroi. Vampires can never glamour their mates. It’s how we find our mate.”
“Glamour? Explain.” I lean in toward him.
“Vampires can control a human's mind to some extent. We can erase memories, or plant false memories.”
My heart pumps a little more. “Are you saying you have done that to me?” I sit back again and draw my hand across my chest.
“No. But that’s just it. I can’t control your thoughts, Kelly. When we first met you, you and your father walked in on Nick and me,” he pushes his hands through his thick blonde hair. “We were trying to extract information from someone who had been spying on our operations.”
“You were torturing them.”
He lifts his chin. “Yes, that’s the crux of it. It’s my responsibility to protect my coven, and I will do what needs to be done to keep me family safe.”
Softening my tone. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…”
“Yes, you did, mo chroi. You thought I was doing it for the pleasure of torturing someone. I understand your misplaced judgement. I will always protect what’s mine.” His head tilts as he raises an eyebrow which is all I need to understand he believes I belong to him.
“I attempted to glamour both you and Joe to forget what you saw in my office. Your father’s memories faded, but you,” He waits to make eye contact with me. When our eyes lock, I know what he will say before he finishes. He was speaking the truth. “Mo chroi, I wasn’t able to glamour you.”
“But I don’t remember that ever happening.” My lips become a thin line. “That makes little sense.”
“Mates cannot glamour one another, yeah?” His Irish accent is bleeding through. “But I didn’t glamour you. Nick did it.”
I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. I frown and shake my head. “Nick?”
“Yes, mo chroi. Nick has been your bodyguard ever since.”
Tears prick my eyes. I am not sure how to react or what to say to Grant. Out of habit, I do what I also did when I face confrontation. When Joe confronted me with something I didn’t want to hear, I shut down.
Grant watches as my face loses all expression. “Kelly? Please say something.”
“I want to go back to my room. Please.” I wait.
“We need to talk about this mo chroi. I want to get everything in the open.” He reaches to take my hand, and I do not resist. “Let me explain.”
I continue to stare blankly at Grant. The storm building from within me is making it difficult to remain calm. Heat is flushing through my body. My heartbeat is thumping out of my chest.
“How long have you known me, Grant?”
His jaw tightens. This was bad. “Seven months now.”
“You have been stalking me for seven months?” My cheeks redden.
“Stalking? What? NO!” He looks around the room to see if anyone is nearby before he continues.
“You need to understand, you were... you are my mate. No matter what, you were made for me. I had to protect you! I am protecting ya from a fate worse than anything ya can imagine.” The angry brogue seeps through his lips.
“Your father, the stupid bastard owed Finn Bailey fifty thousand dollars in gambling debts! When I found out that he would trade ya to Finn I had to do somethin’! So, I had Nick rescue you from Finn’s men.” Grant stood, pushing the chair away from him and began pacing the small dining room.
“He woulda tortured ya mo chroi, he’s a killer. That much is true. And I can’t lose you because of your father’s stupidity.”
“Wait. What?”
In three steps he stands next to me. “This was not how I envisioned our beginning, mo chroi.” He kneels down in front of me and grasps my hands.
The energy in the room shifts, and I struggle to keep it in check.
“Kelly. Breathe with me. In - out.” He pauses. “In - out. I can feel ya fightin’ the pulsing energy inside ya.”
As if on cue, the electrical outlets in the room spark.
“Kelly, you can control it. Look at me, mo chroi.” He holds my face in his strong hands and pulls my focus back to him. “I want ya to let the energy seep out ya. Think of it draining to the floor in a puddle.”
I lock eyes with Grant’s. My lips and throat are dry. I try to visualize the energy seeping out of me into a puddle under my chair. My breathing becomes less strained.
“That’s it. You’re doin’ it. Keep breathin’ with me.”
I match the rise and fall of his chest. My mind is frazzled, but I keep my focus on draining the pocket of energy that has built up in me. I take a deep breath in, but on my exhale the last snap of energy pushes out of me more quickly than I wanted.
Grant quickly releases me as a snap of electricity burns his hands. “Shite!”
Peeking up at Grant through eyelashes. I apologized. “I’m sorry.”
Chapter 18
Kelly
Both Grant and I sat in a heap next to the table, trying to shake off the energy I discharged. Fredo jogs out of the kitchen to see what happened. “Mr. Cooper, Miss Kelly, are you all right?”
Fredo reaches down to help me to my feet, but Grant stops him. “No, don’t touch her Fredo.” Grant is concerned I still may have some residual static discharging and didn’t want Fredo to get hurt.
Fredo narrows his eyes. “I cannot leave her like this!” He stands behind me and reaches for my shoulders. “Here, Miss Kelly. Let me help you up.” When his hands make contact with me, he gets a faint shock through his body. Quickly letting go of me, he shakes out his arms. “What… I’m sorry, Miss Kelly. I must be charged with static from running to you.” He lifts his foot to see the sole of his shoe. “Sometimes these rubber-soled shoes make the static on the carpet.”
“It’s okay, Fredo.” My throat is dry.
“Let me go get you a fresh glass of water. I’ll be back in just a moment.” Fredo turns and starts jogging back to the kitchen but stops himself and slowly steps across the carpeted floor.
“Fredo.” Grant pulls himself up as he calls to the chef. “Please have dinner sent up to the penthouse for me.”
Fredo nods and disappears into the kitchen. I can hear the chef yelling orders in what I assume must be Italian.
“Place your hands around the arms of the chair before you do anything else, mo chroi.”
I glance up at the chair. It is mahogany wood and tufted silk fabric. I move myself to a kneeling position in front of the chair and wrap my hands around the chair arms.
“Now what?” I stare up at Grant expectantly.
He kneels back down next to me. “Mo chroi, I want you to focus on releasing the rest of the energy into the chair. The wood will ground ya and help diffuse any charge that’s left in ya.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
Closing my eyes, I visualize the energy slowly seeping out of my fingertips into the chair. It only takes a few moments until I have completely released all the bent-up energy. I exhale in relief.
“Better?” He brushes his hand across my forehead, moving the hair from my face.
“Better. Can we go now?”
He offers me his hand, hoping I do not refuse him. Grant offers me more than just helping me up to my feet. He wants me to accept him and what I am to him. He holds his hand, w
aiting for me to take what he offers.
I close my eyes. I know what Grant has told me is the truth. We must be destined for one another. Soulmates. If I am being honest with myself, I get the pull between us. I admit, I secretly hoped Grant would come for me when I had attempted to escape. My mind told me to escape, but my heart was pleading with me to stay.
Glancing up at him again, I see a man who loves me. I can continue to fight him or accept what he offers. I grasp onto his strong hand and allow him to pull me to my feet.
Grant wraps his other hand around my waist, still holding the hand I offer to him, and pulls me close. “Mo chroi.” He whispers. His emerald eyes glow.
I watch him slowly lean down towards me. Grant inhales my scent between the curve of my neck and shoulder. “You’re mine, mo chroi.”
Grant pulls himself away from my neck.
I smile faintly. “Take me home, Grant.”
He studies my expression, intending to find some deception on my face. “Home, mo chroi? And where is that?”
I pitch my chin toward the ceiling, meaning upstairs. “Home. I’m feeling a little drained and would like to get out of this dress. Maybe some yoga pants.”
Grant wraps my hand around his arm and lead me out of the private dining room. “Home it is then.”
He is hurrying, and I am struggling to keep up with him. “Grant! Please, slow down. I can’t move as fast as you.”
“I’m sorry, mo chroi.” Leaning over, he throws his arm around my shoulder and squeezes me. “I wasn’t thinking.”
He opens the door and ushers me through it, only to find Nick standing at the ready to escort us to our next destination. The two vampires walk me briskly to the elevators. Nick unlocks the elevator car that goes directly to the penthouse. The three of us board the car in silence.
“You’ve been following me for seven months.” The statement tumbles out of my lips.
“Yeah, kitten. I have been protecting you for a while.” He looks over at Grant and back to me. “And I don’t have any plans to stop.” Nick stands statue still as the elevator jets us to the penthouse.
I gently place my hand on his broad shoulder. “Thank you.”
Paid in Full: Kelly Kennedy Series (Book One) Page 15