Captivated by Love (Grangers Book 1)

by Brenda Jackson

  “It wasn’t that bad.”

  Halifax chuckled. “Still the do-gooder, I see.”

  “Trying.”

  “So what’s going on? What kind of favor you need?”

  “I’m here with one of your…ahh…customers. I understand he missed his payment date and might need an extension.”

  “Who is he?”

  “His name is Pence Denmark.”

  Expletives came through the line. “That dickhead. How did you get mixed up with the likes of him?”

  “He’s threatening my family.”

  “Say what? How? Why?”

  “Long story. Can you do the favor?”

  Pence waved his hand in the air to get Sheppard’s attention, not that it had ever left him. “What is it, Denmark?”

  “Since he’s a good friend, how about getting him to cancel the loan altogether,” Denmark said, in a tone that was barely a whisper, a hopeful smile on his face.

  Sheppard glared at Pence. “You made the loan and you should pay it.”

  “What did you say, Shep?”

  “Sorry about the interruption, Halifax. Denmark is here and was trying to get me to ask you to cancel the loan altogether.”

  “That won’t be happening.”

  “I wouldn’t ask you to do that, anyway. He made the loan and should pay it, exorbitant fees and all. It was his decision to take it on. Just give him an extension.”

  “I already gave him one. He got another week.”

  Sheppard drew in a deep breath. “He needs more time than that. He’s broke.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me. He gambles. He loses. And then he comes to me to borrow money to pay his debt. But for you, I will give him an extension. Six months. But I expect my money, paid in full with all the interest he owes. I am a business man, after all. And Shep?”

  “Yes?”

  “Put Denmark on speakerphone so he can hear my every word.”

  “He’s already listening.”

  “Good. Hey, Denmark?”

  Denmark came a little closer. “Yes, Halifax?” he asked in a somewhat shaky voice.

  “Because Shep and I go back a long ways, I’m going to extend the note on your loan another six months. At the end, I want my money with all the interest you owe.”

  “You’ll get it,” Denmark said eagerly. Sheppard saw relief in the man’s features.

  “And Denmark?”

  “Yes?”

  “Another thing. Shep helped keep me alive while I was in the slammer so I owe him. That’s the only reason you’re getting this break. Don’t know what kind of threats you’ve made against his family, but drop the shit. If I hear of you causing him any more trouble, I’m going to get my boys to whip your ass so bad, you’re going to wish you were dead. Then we’ll do a Jimmy Hoffa on you. We’ll kill you and get rid of your body so it won’t ever be found.”

  Sheppard saw Denmark’s eyes nearly pop out the sockets. “But you don’t understand. My mother left his wife a lot of money in her will and--”

  “I don’t give a damn about that. I’m loyal to my friends and brutal to my enemies. Remember that. Hell, I won’t even let my boys work you over. I’ll personally blow out your brains myself.”

  Sheppard saw the look of total fear on the man’s face. A part of him felt a little sorry for him, but all he had to do was remember just how badly he’d treated Carson.

  “Do we understand each other, Denmark?” Halifax asked.

  “Y-y-yes, we understand each other,” Pence said, all but stuttering in fear.

  “Fine. And Shep, it was good talking to you. Wish you the best, man.”

  “Thanks.”

  Sheppard clicked off the phone and stared hard at Denmark. “Stay away from my wife. You had the chance to make her happy and you blew it. Your mother evidently thought highly of her and wanted to help her. So get over it.”

  He turned to leave, but before opening the door, he glanced over his shoulder. “And seriously, please seek out help for your gambling addiction or you’re going to eventually lose everything.” Sheppard then walked out the door.

  When he reached his car moments later, he pulled out his phone and punched in a number. “Halifax?”

  “Hey, Shep, how did I do?”

  Sheppard shook his head. “Great, but you might have laid it on too thick. He was shaking when I left. When I called you last night, all I asked you to do was agree to the extension.”

  “Well, I decided to do more. There was nothing wrong with putting the fear of God in his ass.”

  “Yes, but threatening to blow his brains out? Did you really have to go there? Don’t you think that was going a little too far?”

  “No. Although I know you don’t approve of what I do, it is a legitimate business. And just so you know, since getting out the slammer, I do things differently. I don’t use the violence to collect on the loans like I used to. But Denmark had it coming. He should not have gone after your wife like that.”

  No, he should not have. “Well, thanks for doing me the favor. And I’m glad you’ve changed your approach. I don’t ever want to hear about you going back to Glenworth.”

  “Hey, I won’t ever go back there. Trust me.”

  “Good. Take care of yourself.”

  “You, too.”

  Sheppard hung up the phone, then checked his watch. It was still early. He would grab a cup of coffee before heading back to the office.

  As he pulled his car out of the hotel’s parking lot, he didn’t notice how the occupants of two cars parked not far away waited until he was no longer in sight before getting out of their vehicles.

  #

  Pence had just hung up the phone after booking a flight out of Charlottesville when there was a knock at the door. Figuring it was housekeeping for real this time, he crossed the room and snatched the door open. He was startled to see six strangers standing there, glaring at him. Three were dressed in business suits and the other three were wearing jeans and t-shirts.

  Before he could ask who they were and what they wanted, one of them practically pushed him aside as all six entered his hotel room. “Wait a damn minute. Who are you?” he asked, backing up when one of them, the one who wore his hair in a ponytail, advanced on him.

  “We want you gone. Out of Charlottesville within the hour,” one of the suits said.

  Pence backed up some more. “Who the hell are you guys? I don’t know you.”

  “But we know you,” replied one of the rougher looking characters. “And we know all about the trouble you’ve been causing Carson.”

  Pence swallowed. Christ, did his ex-wife have an army protecting her? “Granger just left here and I agreed not to bother Carson again.”

  “And we’re going to make sure of it,” another guy in a suit…the youngest one…said as he glanced around. “Where’s your luggage?”

  Pence swallowed again. “In the closet. Why?”

  Without answering him, another suit wearing dude went to the closet, got his luggage and all but tossed it on the bed, while the others flung open the dresser drawers and began throwing his belongings into it.

  “I’m calling the cops,” Pence threatened.

  “You can do that, but it will have to be after we kick your ass. Don’t tempt us,” one of the men snarled. “You mess with Carson, and you mess with us. Remember that.”

  When they had finished, the tallest of the suit-wearing guys said, “Let’s go.”

  Pence backed up again, nearly flattening himself to the wall. He could feel his body shaking. First he’d been threatened by Halifax and now these six goons. “Go where?”

  “We’re taking you to the airport.”

  “But I just made a reservation. My flight doesn’t leave until noon.”

  “That means we’re getting you there early,” one of the t-shirt wearing guys said. “So move.”

  Pence thought of making a run for it but figured he wouldn’t get far. And he totally believed the six of them would end up kicking hi
s ass, just as they’d threatened. But first, he wanted answers. “Who the hell are you?”

  They just stared at him, and then one of the suit-wearing men spoke up. “Enemies of yours.”

  “And just so you know,” one of the other guys continued. “There are more than twenty of us ready to protect Shep and Carson from scum like you. If you ever think about returning to make trouble, we’ll make you wish you hadn’t.”

  “Let’s go,” one of the others said. “You’re getting a free ride to the airport.”

  Less than an hour later, Jace, Caden, Dalton, along with Striker, Quasar and Stonewall stood in the parking lot of the airport and watched as Pence Denmark all but ran inside the terminal without looking back.

  “You think we’ve seen the last of him?” Jace asked, still feeling the fury that had overwhelmed him when Striker had contacted him that morning to let him know what was going on. He hadn’t been surprised that his father had intended to handle things himself. But Jace would be damned if he’d let some lowlife like Pence Denmark cause problems for his father and the woman he loved.

  “It better be the last,” Caden all but growled.

  “I think it will be,” Dalton said. “After that stunt we just pulled, he would be crazy to come back.”

  “It might have been a stunt for you three, but it was the real deal for me,” Stonewall said, drawing in an angry breath. “I was ready to kick his ass all over town.”

  “So were we,” Striker and Quasar said simultaneously.

  “Is that why he looked a little pained when he climbed out of the backseat with you, Striker?”

  Striker grinned. “It wasn’t my fault Stonewall’s car is so small that every time he turned a corner, my elbow accidently jabbed the bastard in the ribs.”

  Jace shook his head, fighting a grin. “Well, I’m glad he’s gone.” He tried reining in his anger now that Pence was on his way back to where he’d come from. After everything his father had gone through over the years…being locked up for a crime he hadn’t committed, separated from his family, and his name dragged through mud…there was no way in hell Jace would have allowed someone like Pence Denmark to waltz in and hurt his father and the woman who loved him, the one who’d waited for him five long years, the woman who made him happy. And if anyone deserved to be happy, it was Sheppard Granger.

  Jace checked his watch. “Come on guys, let’s go grab some breakfast.”

  “Sounds like a deal,” Striker said.

  “Being a bad guy has worked up my appetite,” Caden said grinning.

  “Mine, too,” Quasar chimed in.

  “Shit man, you’re always hungry,” Dalton teased.

  “So are you,” Stonewall added.

  The six men turned and walked back to their parked cars.

  21

  On her way home Carson thought about the text message she’d gotten from Sheppard. All it had said was – Denmark has left town. Won’t bother us again.

  She’d wanted more details, but when she’d called his mobile phone, it had immediately gone to voicemail. She’d called his office number only to be told that he was in a meeting that would probably last the rest of the day.

  After that, they’d basically played phone tag all day. When she’d finally left the courtroom, she’d checked her phone and saw the most recent text message…Be ready for a night of fun. SG style. As far as she was concerned, anything they did Sheppard Granger-style was going to be really, really good. This was day two and she still hadn’t told him about her pregnancy. Now that Pence had been dealt with—and she wanted to know exactly how that had happened--all she had to worry about was the best way to break the news to Sheppard that he was going to be a father…again.

  However, for now she needed to know what happened with Pence. She knew Sheppard had intended to visit her ex-husband this morning but hadn’t told her how he was going to handle the meeting. She couldn’t see Pence agreeing to leave town on his own. So what kind of pressure had Sheppard used to influence him?

  Carson had showered and taken a power nap before Sheppard arrived. As soon as she heard him enter the house, she walked down the stairs. A smile touched her lips when she saw the huge vase of red roses Sheppard carried in his hands. “Are those for me?” she asked excitedly.

  “Of course. They are for the woman who captured my heart,” Sheppard said handing her the vase.

  She sat them on the sofa table, leaning over to inhale their lovely scent. Roses still were her favorite flower and while incarcerated, Sheppard would send them to her a lot. She glanced at him and saw him eyeing her outfit, a short printed caftan. She had worn this particular outfit because she knew he liked her wearing anything that showed her thighs. He was definitely a thigh man.

  ”What’s the occasion, Sheppard? We celebrated our anniversary a few days ago.”

  “No occasion. Just because I felt like it.”

  Leaning up on her tip-toes, she brushed a kiss across his lips. “Thanks.”

  He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. “I think you can do better than that, Mrs. Granger.”

  He then lowered his head and sank his mouth into hers while his hands lowered to her thighs, rubbing his palms over her skin. She wondered at what point he would notice she wasn’t wearing underwear.

  When he slid his tongue into her mouth and began devouring her, all the wanton need and heated desire that had begun sizzling through her from the moment she’d read his text message was like a jagged edge, cutting passion into her body. This is what she liked the most--the intimacy they shared, the desire to communicate their love this way.

  He could ignite sexual feelings inside of her so easily, making sparks of sexual excitement flash through her stomach. The sinfully erotic movements of his hips that made her feel his hard erection poking into her middle brought her right to the edge of sanity. And when he deepened the kiss, an intense throbbing rushed through her entire system.

  From the first, she had felt this primal need for him in every part of her body. Even now, her senses were being overwhelmed by him. Still, they needed to talk. She needed to know what happened earlier today with Pence. But at that moment, the only thing on her mind was finding the nearest bed.

  Her husband evidently had other ideas when he picked her up and headed for the sofa. In all honestly, she really didn’t care what sort of cushion hit her back as long as the ending result would be same. She needed him inside of her. But she had a feeling he would sexually torture her before that happened.

  He placed her down and she stretched out on the sofa. Looking up at him, she felt the heat between her legs. Just a look from him could do that to her. Make her sizzle and stir a yearning inside of her. Sometimes, when he stared at her the way he was doing now, he could even make her come. Just from the intensity of his gaze.

  “Are you going to stand there and stare or are you going to undress me?” she asked. Carson could actually feel the penetrating fire from his gaze scorch her nipples, heat her belly and singe the area between her legs.

  “I want to stare for a minute longer,” he said in a sinfully erotic voice.

  She wondered if he was noticing any changes in her body. “You can’t see anything.”

  A corner of his lips twitched in a smile. “Trust me, I see plenty.”

  “Claiming x-ray vision, are you?”

  He chuckled. “No, these are the eyes of a man who has a vivid imagination when it comes to his wife.”

  Her body shifted a little, lifting a leg to deliberately flash him. She was certain he saw that she wasn’t wearing any panties. “Why imagine when you can get a first-hand view?”

  He shrugged his massive shoulders. For his age, she thought he had an impressive physique. Not that she considered him old, just older. His ingrained charisma, sophistication and suave nature were such a turn-on. He hadn’t even removed his business jacket yet and she was already hot for him. “Because imagining what you might or might not have on under that dress is more captivating.�
�

  “For me, captivating is what I feel whenever you’re inside of me, Sheppard.”

  She watched the impact of her words on him--the flaring of his nostrils, the penetrating heat of his gaze and the swelling of his erection beneath his pants.

  “That can be arranged,” he said in a deep, husky voice.

  She watched as he began removing his clothes, first his suit jacket and then his shirt. When he tossed both aside and she got a full view of chest, she delighted in how well-built he was. He took physical fitness to heart and had always worked out in prison. One of the things they’d added when they remodeled this house, which had been his grandparents’ home, was a fitness room in the basement, as part of his man-cave. She knew he got up early most mornings and worked out. And more than once, she had gotten up and looked out the window to see him jogging down the long lane that led to the main road. He had the stamina of a much younger man and at times, she had a hard time keeping up with him.

  While her mind had been occupied, he’d removed his shoes and socks and was now easing down his zipper. This was her favorite part, when he exposed himself. She loved seeing him. She loved taking that part of him in her hands, rubbing her fingers all over it, feeling the strength, the hardness.

  “Your breathing is changing, baby. It sounds choppy. Labored. Forced.”

  He was beginning to toy with her. He knew the reason her breathing was out of whack. “Does it?”

  “I think so.”

  Two could play his game, she thought, shifting her leg to flash him again. His gaze followed the movement and she immediately noticed his breathing change. “Now, from the sound of it, so does yours,” she added with a grin.

  “You play, you pay,” he said, easing his pants down firm, muscular thighs.

  “And I have no problem with that,” she responded as the throbbing grew more intense between her legs. “You do things to me, Mr. Granger.”

  “Do I?”

  “Yes, you do.”

  He was standing before her, completely naked. Seeing her husband like this always stroked a primal need within her. He was hairy and she loved the sight and feel of the hair on his chest, legs and definitely between his legs where his huge erection was jutting proudly from a dark thatch of curls.