Page 35 of Snow Bound (Odyssey #1)

Simon leaned down to pat Henry , then straightened. “ Let’s just say I thought a cooler head might be needed.”

“You knock?”

Simon shook his head and stepped aside so he was no longer blocking the door. “ This is your show, pal.”

With a grunt of agreement Grant stalked to the door and gave it two solid raps. “ Anna , it’s me. Open the door.”

Silence was the only response.

“Anna.” He knocked harder, the sound echoing in the empty hallway. “ Open up.”

“Maybe she’s not home,” Simon suggested.

“Where else would she go?” Grant wondered. “ You run her credit cards?”

“She stopped for gas a couple of times yesterday, nothing since.”

“Gas?” Grant frowned. “ She was supposed to fly.”

Simon pulled his phone out of his pocket, tapped the screen. “ She rented a car at the airport in Marquette yesterday morning, turned it in at O’Hare just shy of two o’clock.”

“I guess I should be grateful she didn’t drive my truck all the way home,” Grant muttered.

“What?”

“Never mind.” Grant held out a hand. “ Give me your picks.”

“Grant,” Simon began placatingly.

“Save it. I know you have them.” He waggled his fingers. “ Give .”

Resigned, Simon pulled a small pouch from his back pocket and slapped it into Grant’s hand. “ Somebody calls the cops, I’m pretending I don’t know you.”

“Your support is noted.” Grant crouched to look at the lock. Complete garbage, he thought in disgust, and added Get Anna better locks to his mental to-do list, right after paddle Anna’s ass for leaving him and fuck Anna’s brains out.

He made quick work of the lock—and the equally useless deadbolt—and opened the door.

He knew as soon as he walked in that she wasn’t there.

The apartment had that empty feeling homes got when no one was in residence for a while, the air stale and somehow too still, a thin layer of dust on all the surfaces.

Still , he did a quick walk through of the small rooms, checked the refrigerator for fresh groceries.

Frustrated, he returned to the living room. “ She’s not here.”

“No kidding.” Simon had settled himself into a leather recliner and was kicked back like he owned the place. Henry was busy sniffing the sofa. “ What now, Romeo ?”

“No hotels on her credit cards?”

Simon shook his head. “ No ride shares or taxis, either.”

A ride share would require a credit card, but she could’ve paid for a taxi with cash, or gotten on a bus.

“What about her friend?” Simon asked. “ The ball buster.”

“Lola. She might go there,” Grant allowed. “ Can you dig up an address?”

Simon pulled out his phone. “ With pleasure. Maybe we can wake her up out of a sound sleep.”

Grant found himself grinning. “ You’re never going to get over that, are you?”

Simon shot him a fulminating look, then turned back to his phone. “ Got it. She’s ten minutes away.”

“No I’m not,” someone said and Grant whirled to find a short, blonde, white woman standing in the open doorway. She tossed a purse the size of Rhode Island aside and slammed the door behind her. “ I’m right here.”

Grant narrowed his eyes. She was petite and fine boned, with a tousled mane of platinum blonde hair that hit a few inches below her jaw, razor-sharp cheekbones, and eyes the color of good whiskey.

She wore diamonds the size of cherry pits at her ears and a black overcoat with high heeled black boots that came to the knee.

Her lips, painted murder red, curled in a sneer.

“Grant Snow .”

It wasn’t a question, but he answered anyway. “ Yes .”

“Good. I’d hate to give this to the wrong guy.” She strode forward, hitched up the coat with one hand, and swung her foot directly into his balls.

The air whooshed out of his lungs as pain exploded, and he barely felt himself hit the floor.

He lay there, unmoving, and Henry trotted over to lap sympathetically at his face. When that didn’t elicit the usual response, Henry sat and whined, slapping at his master with an oversized paw.

“Move, Henry ,” he heard through the ringing in his ears, and Simon crouched next to him. The look of unbridled amusement on his friend’s face was salt in an open wound. “ You gonna puke?”

It was a legitimate question. Grant took inventory—a cold sweat still sheened his skin and his balls ached like a bad tooth, but the nausea was fading. He shook his head, hoping it wasn’t a lie, and after some deep breathing, managed to get to his feet.

He ignored the throb in his groin and aimed a glare at Lola . “ What the hell was that for?”

“Being a shitty Dom ,” she shot back, then looked down at Henry , who’d wandered over to sniff her boots. “ Does he bite?”

“Unfortunately not,” Simon said cheerfully, and handed Grant the bag of frozen peas he’d liberated from Anna’s freezer. “ Here .”

Grant took it with ill grace and limped over to the chair Simon had vacated. “ I am not a shitty Dom .”

“That remains to be seen.” Lola patted Henry on the head, then turned on one needle-thin heel and stalked over to Grant . He barely suppressed the urge to flinch when she stopped three feet in front of his chair and planted her hands on her hips.

“Brain working yet?” she asked.

His eyes narrowed. “ Enough to realize I could have you arrested on assault charges.”

She snorted, unimpressed. “ Sure , we can do that. Right after I have you and your buddy arrested for breaking and entering.”

“Anna gave me a key,” he said, lying without compunction.

“You popped the lock with a set of illegal picks that Big Dick Hastings here pulled out of his back pocket,” she corrected.

“What did you call me?” Simon choked out.

“There’s a doorbell camera, asshole,” Lola continued and, ignoring Simon’s indignant sputtering, pulled a phone out of her coat pocket and shoved it in Grant’s face. “ How do you think I knew you were here?”

Grant stared at the screen, where he could clearly be seen taking the lock picks from Simon , then crouching to pop the lock.

Disgusted with himself—how could he have missed something as basic as a damn doorbell camera?

—he said nothing as Lola perched on the edge of the coffee table.

She crossed her legs in a smooth, elegant motion and aimed those whiskey eyes at him.

“Anna’s fine, in case you were wondering. She’s at my place, and no,” she said before he could heave himself out of the chair, "you cannot go see her there.”

Grant scowled. “ Why not?”

“Because you and I need to get a few things straight.” She angled her head. “ You seem a little agitated, Grant . A little angry. Why is that?”

“You mean besides the fact you just kicked my nuts into my nostrils?” he snarled.

She waved an elegant hand with nails that matched her lipstick. A ring with a rock the size of his thumbnail flashed. “ Besides that.”

“I don’t know,” he drawled, sarcasm dripping from every word. “ It might have something to do with the fact that the woman I love skipped out in the middle of the night, stole my truck, then told me she loved me in a damn text.”

“She stole your truck?” Simon asked politely.

Grant ignored him. “ I’m running on three hours of sleep, nine cups of gas station coffee, and a questionable breakfast sandwich I picked up outside Michigan City . My back hurts, my balls hurt, and I don’t see how any of this is your fucking business.”

“You couldn’t see water in the middle of Lake Michigan ,” Lola replied evenly. “ But Anna loves you, so I guess we’re just going to have to put up with each other.”

“I want to see her,” he said stubbornly.

“No,” she said calmly. “ You need to decide if you just want a convenient fuck or if you love her.”

“I just said I did,” Grant all but snarled.

“Then act like it, and start thinking about why a woman who loves you would be too afraid to tell you so in person,” she shot back.

Grant started to snap back, then paused when something tickled the back of his brain. “ Does this have something to do with her mother?”

Lola smiled. “ Maybe you’re not such a shitty Dom , after all. You can see her tonight at Odyssey .”

“Odyssey?” he repeated.

“Odyssey’s closed on Sundays ,” Simon interjected helpfully.

“Yes, but I bet you could make a few calls and get it opened up.” She pulled a card out of her coat pocket and laid it on the coffee table. “ There’s my number. Let me know if you can’t pull it off.”

“I’ll pull it off,” he vowed. He’d call in every favor Michael owed him. Hell , he’d blackmail him if he had to.

“Good boy.”

He blinked. Good boy? He looked at Simon , who was coughing suspiciously.

“Unless I hear different, we’ll be there at seven.”

“We?”

“You don’t think I’m sending her alone, do you?

” She stood and smoothed down her coat. “ Get some sleep, get some food, and I don’t know if that smell is you or the dog, but just in case, get a shower as well.

And don’t fuck this up, Snow , or I’ll twist your dick into a pretzel. With salt. Lock up when you leave.”

She walked toward the door, eating up the floor with long strides on those ice pick heels. She shot Simon a look as she passed. “ Big Dick ,” she drawled, then scooped up her purse and sailed out the door.

Simon frowned at the empty doorway. “ I don’t think she meant that as a compliment.”

Grant had already pulled out his phone and dialed Michael , who answered with a snarl on the fifth ring. “ You keep calling me at the fucking crack of dawn and we’re not going to be friends anymore.”

“I need a favor,” Grant said, ignoring the threat. “ Can you open up Odyssey tonight for three people?”

“Four.” Simon interrupted. “ No way I’m missing this.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Michael groused, and Grant filled him in.

“Fine,” Michael said. “ But it’s going to be five people. Seven o’clock.”

Grant let out a relieved breath. “ I owe you one.”

“You sure as fuck do,” Michael grumbled and hung up.

Grant stood, only wincing a little at the twinge in his balls, and tossed the half thawed peas at Simon . “ Put those back, and lock up.”

“Where are you going?”

He scooped Lola’s card off the coffee table. “ Home .”

“You might want to hit a sporting goods store on the way.”

Grant paused at the door, frowning in confusion. “ For what?”

“An athletic cup.” Simon’s grin was one of unholy delight. “ You know, just in case.”

Grant shot up a middle finger and walked out the door with Henry , Simon’s laughter following.

Anna was curled up on the sofa, pretending to read and not obsessively check her phone when Lola sailed in the door.

“Hey. Where did you go?”

Lola set her enormous purse on the sofa. “ I had an errand to run.”

Anna eyed the lipstick, the overcoat and boots. “ You got dressed like that for an errand on a Sunday morning?”

“I needed to make an impression.” Lola peeled off the coat to reveal the tank top and shorts she’d slept in.

Anna laughed. “ Nice .”

“Perception is everything.” Lola sat on the sofa. “ What are you reading?”

“I have no idea.” Anna set the book down. “ I can’t concentrate because I keep checking my phone in case I missed Grant’s call. But I couldn’t miss it, because I haven’t let my phone out of my sight since I left yesterday.”

She looked up with worried eyes. “ He hasn’t called, Lo .”

“It’s okay, sweetie.” Lola patted her shoulder, then dug into the pocket of her discarded coat.

“Yeah, but…” Anna frowned at the phone Lola held out. “ What’s that?”

“That’s your boyfriend and his sidekick,” Lola said while Anna watched Grant crouch in front of her apartment door, Henry between him and another man. “ Picking your locks.”

“What?” Anna watched as on screen, her apartment door swung open. Both men and the dog disappeared inside.

“I had my phone set for your door camera while you were away. It woke me up this morning.” Lola took her phone back and set it down. “ I managed to get there before they left.”

Anna leapt up. “ Why didn’t you wake me up?”

Lola bent to peel off her boots. “ I wanted to talk to him, find out what his intentions are. He loves you, by the way.”

Anna’s knees dissolved and she dropped back down. “ He told you that?”

“I believe him, even though he was kind of snarling when he said it. He was pretty mad.”

Anna winced. “ At me?”

“No, at me.” Lola propped her bare feet on the coffee table. “ I kicked him in the balls.”

Anna leaped up again. “ What ? I have to go over there.”

“He’s not there now,” Lola said before Anna could dash for the door.

“Then I have to call him.” Turning in a circle, Anna patted her pockets. “ Where’d I put my phone?”

“Right here.” Lola waved the phone, then yanked it out of Anna’s reach when she grabbed for it.

Anna frowned. “ What are you doing? Give me that.”

Lola shook her head. “ When you have to apologize to a man, it’s best to do it in person. And when you have to apologize to a Dom , it’s best to do it in person while looking very, very sexy.”

“Oh.” Anna lowered herself to perch on the edge of the coffee table. “ That’s a good point.”

“And since you’ll need privacy to apologize properly—as well as kink friendly, neutral ground—we’re meeting him tonight at Odyssey .”

Anna blinked. “ Odyssey’s closed on Sundays .”

“He’s pulling some strings. I told him we’d be there at seven, which gives us…” Lola paused to check the display on Anna’s phone. “ Roughly ten hours to make you irresistible.”

“I need to go back to my apartment,” Anna decided. “ I don’t have anything sexy with me.”

“I’ll go. I should’ve checked your closet while I was over there, but I was too busy making a dramatic exit.”

“Is that code for ‘kicking my boyfriend in the balls’?” Anna wanted to know.

“No, that was my dramatic entrance.” Lola stood and put her coat back on. “ Any requests or do you trust me?”

“That’s a loaded question,” Anna muttered.

Lola just winked and shoved her feet back into the boots. “ Go shave everything. I do believe makeup sex is in your future.”

“Thank God ,” Anna breathed. “ Lola ?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

“Anytime, my darling.” Lola leaned down, planted a smacking kiss on Anna’s cheek, then scooped up her bag and headed for the door. “ Now go get ready so you can get the magic peen back.”

Anna laughed. “ You’re such a freak.”

“Takes one to know one!” Lola called back.