Free Taming McGruff (Book 3, Once Upon A Romance Series) by Laurie LeClair

said, bringing himself back to the moment with a crash. No, it was their secret to keep.
    “Rico, come on, we’ve got a wedding to finish up,” Francine said, tugging on his arm. “You’ve got less than an hour to pull it together, my friend.” She smiled at Griff, asking, “Who gets married on a Monday night?”
    Peg chimed in, “We aim to please.”
    “Is that a King motto?” Griff wondered.
    “No, but it could be,” she said, scribbling the phrase down on the paper on her clipboard. “Dagnabbit, my pencil broke. Be right back.” She rushed into the boutique, following Francie and Rico.
    “Do you attest to that saying?” he asked Priscilla. His body hummed, standing so close to her again.
    She swallowed hard, searching his gaze for a hidden meaning, he was certain. “I guess that depends on who I’m pleasing,” she said in a low, sultry voice.
    Griffin blew out a long, hot breath. His blood pulsed. A wave of anticipation swept through him. He wanted to be the one she pleased.
     
    ***
     
    Nearly ten at night, Griffin finally reached the door of the store. The night guard stood there.
    “Mighty late for your first night, isn’t it?”
    “Bruno, right?” Griffin shook his hand. “Call me Griff. No rest for the wicked,” he joked, but a knife-like pain shot through his gut. From all accounts of the employee records, King’s had served its people well and they the store. And this man had a long, distinguished tenure.
    “You can say that again. I was gonna retire, been saying that for years. But, now Miss Charlie having them babies, I gotta stay, make sure they know who their grandpapa was.”
    “Stories to tell?” How much did he know about Mrs. King?
    “Plenty.”
    “Interesting. Maybe we can catch up sometime.”
    He eyed him slowly. “Maybe.” But what he didn’t say reverberated between them. You have to prove to me first that you should know.
    Griff nodded. He appreciated a cautious man. Bruno had every right to be wary of him, too. “Have a good night.”
    “Same.”
    The cool night air whisked away the stuffy cobwebs lingering in his head. Thankfully, he didn’t have far to walk. Charlie had given him her parking spot since her husband’s driver delivered and picked her up every day.
    The sleek black limo, a short way down and across the street, caught his attention immediately. The familiar front license plate shot a wave of recognition through him. He halted. His heart seemed to stop, and then beat nearly out of his chest.
    With each step he took crossing the street, he drew a little closer to his past. The chauffeur behind the wheel of the running car didn’t bother to exit. The back window was half-way down when Griff got to it. The flash of blonde hair in the far- reaching streetlight held his rapt attention.
    “Agnes King, I presume,” he said.

 
     
     

Chapter 9
     
     
    For the rest of his life, Griff would never forget the sound of the doors unlocking. He opened the door, and then slid in beside his worst enemy. This woman consumed his waking hours and, sometimes, his nightmares.
    She didn’t even acknowledge him; she leaned forward to speak to the driver. “Go,” she commanded.
    Her small white dog, sitting between them, stuck his cold nose under Griffin’s hand. Instinctively, he reached out and petted the animal, feeling sorry for it.
    The purr of the car picked up as they swung away from the curb.
    He turned to look at her in the shadowy interior, examine every inch of the woman who destroyed his father. Would she even remember? Or had he been one in dozens? “To what do I owe this pleasure?” he baited, noting the perfectly styled updo and ramrod straight profile. Dressed in all black, she blended into the leather seats. In her hand, she held a half-empty glass.
    He didn’t have to ask what she drank. The stench of it would forever be seared in his senses. How ironic his father’s drink of choice was hers.
    Having her show up didn’t come as a complete