IMPASSIONED.

CHAPTER 2.

The next morning was anything but pleasant. First, my alarm decided not to go off. So when I didn't come downstairs at my regular time, Mom had come to my room and woke me up. Then, my car decided not to start, so Mom had to drive me to class. Finally, I had been thirty minutes late to my lecture, so the stupid professor refused to let me in. I had sat in the cafeteria for an hour, texting Grayson, who was very sympathetic and understanding at my rantings. We had hit it off so far, and regardless of how shitty my morning had gone, I was looking forward to our date. He was kind, polite, almost too good to be true. I knew guys usually acted that way to draw you in, but I couldn't help but feel he was different. Maybe I was naive, but I didn't care. He seemed genuine, and like a kind person. He wasn't hard to trust, regardless of how long you'd known him. 

Finally, my first class had ended, and I found myself sitting in the other remaining ones, counting down the minutes until each class ended. 

When the end of the day rolled by, I was relieved. My mind had been everywhere but on my classes. Emily and her friends captured my attention, the fact that she was no longer there to bother me in class, or invite me over anymore hitting me. She was a good person, totally undeserving of what had happened to her. Her body, along with her friends, had been mauled. They were calling it a homicide, but it seemed more like an animal had attacked them. Her parents were devastated, having walked in and found the grizzly scene. I could only imagine how they felt. 

Mom was waiting for me as I walked out of the building. She unlocked the doors, letting me climb in. "So, Dad is going to look at your car when he gets home. He thinks it may be the battery, so should be an easy fix."

"Thank God." I said relieved. "I hate bumming rides from you."

"Oh, hush. You love having me drive you around." she fired back, nudging me. "So, what do you have planned for the rest of the day?"

"Well, I actually have a date at five." I mumbled, knowing she was going to freak out.

"Oh my gosh, please tell me it's with that hunk from the diner?" she exclaimed.

I rolled my eyes, looking out the window. "Mom, no one says 'hunk'. But yes, it's with him."

"What was his name? Grayson?"

"Yes."

"Is he picking you up?" she asked, driving back to the house.

"Yes. He'll be at the house around five." I replied, pressing send on a text to the very man we were talking about.

"Ugh, you're so letting me help you get ready. You haven't had a date since starting college. I'm so excited!"

I rolled my eyes again. "We're just going out to dinner or something. Relax, we aren't getting married or anything."

"Yet." Mom joked.

"Ya' know, you really act more like an older sister in these situations rather my mom." I said with a laugh.

"You love it." she sneered jokingly. "He seemed very nice when I met him. I know it wasn't for long, but I have a good feeling about him, Grace."

"Me too." I mumbled, a small smile on my face. "I feel like a thirteen year old talking to her first crush."

"Me too, and I'm not even the one who he's taking out." 

I stared at her, a laugh caught on my lips. "Okay, ew. You're old enough to be his mom."

Mom laughed, shaking her head. "I don't mean it like that. He's just handsome, and kind. Who knows, maybe he's genuine?"

"Maybe." I replied, going back to staring out window as we drove home.

We arrived shortly after, and Dad still hadn't gotten off from work. We walked in together, going to my room, where Mom began rummaging through my closet and drawers. "Go take a shower. I know you bathe every other minute, but you want to be fresh."

I rolled my eyes and complied, getting into the shower and washing my body. I stepped out a couple minutes later, wrapping myself in a towel and stepping back into the room. Mom had numerous dress, blouses, and pants laid out on the bed. She was holding up different things, trying to decide if they were worthy for me to wear.

"Mom, it's really not that big of a deal." I said, sitting on the bed, still grasping my towel around me.

"I know, Hun. But I'm having fun." she replied, still looking through the clothes. "Dress, or blouse and nice jeans? Hmm?"

"Blouse and jeans." I said after a moment of thinking.

Mom grabbed a pretty white lace blouse, holding it up for approval. I nodded. "Yeah, I like that one. Maybe with my black jeans with the rips in the knee?"

"And those black flats with the pointy toes? That would be casual but not too casual." Mom finished, grabbing the jeans and laying them with the lacy blouse. "Are they in the closest?" she asked, already making her way over to it.

"Yes, I have them sitting in the back against the wall with my other shoes." I called out, standing up and walking to one of my drawers, sliding on a pair of cream colored panties and matching bra. 

She walked back in the room as I was zipping my jeans, the shoes in question in her hands. "Yeah, these are definitely the ones."

I smiled and laughed, putting on the lace blouse, tucking it into the jeans a little. "What would I do without you?" I asked, taking the shoes from her and sitting on the bed, sliding them on.

"Oh, I don't know, probably let an extremely nice and attractive man take you out in sweats?" she replied, acting like she was picking at her nail.

I rolled my eyes, standing up and walking over to the vanity. "Would you like to do my hair while I put on makeup, oh great one?"

She rolled her eyes in return and walked up, grabbing a brush and began brushing through my dry hair. "Honestly, I think you should be grateful to have me. God knows what you would be wearing if your father had anything to do with it."

I laughed, beginning my makeup routine, which I usually skipped unless I had to wear it. "Does he even know Grayson is coming to get me?"

"God no. You know how he is." she answered, grabbing the curling iron and plugging it in. "I thought we would surprise him."

"Mom," I groaned. "He's a total brute when it comes to guys. What if he scares him off?"

"Hush it, he won't. I'll be right there with y'all. And besides, Grayson seemed like a strong minded guy. He won't scare easily."

I sighed and continued with my makeup, letting Mom have her way with curling my hair. In all, it took an hour to finish, and the time was ten minutes till. I was a ball of nerves, much like any other girl who was waiting to go on their first date with a new guy. I was sitting on the couch when the door bell rang. Mom got excited and rushed over to the door, opening it with a smile on her face. "Grayson, it's good to see you again! Come in." She stepped to the side, letting him walk through. 

He dressed up nice, wearing a dark grey button up that was tucked into a dark grey pair of form fitting slacks. He had brown colored dress shoes on, and his dark hair had been styled messily. He looked amazing, even more amazing than he had the day before when I met him. I stood from the couch, glancing nervously at my dad, who had stood from his recliner. "Dad, this is Grayson. Mom and I met him at Uncle Roger's diner yesterday."

Dad looked him up and down, a judgmental look on his face. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Dan Winters." he said, holding his hand out for Grayson to shake.

Grayson smiled charmingly, reaching out and firmly shaking Dad's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr.Winters. I'm Grayson King."

"King?" Dad questioned. "I'm not sure I know anyone with that last name."

"I'm actually from New York, Sir. I'm here on business for a few weeks." Grayson replied.

"Huh." was Dad's response. He let go of Grayson's hand, placing it back at his side. "So, you're taking my daughter out?"

"Dad." I mumbled warningly, going to stand beside Grayson. 

"Yes Sir, as long as you're okay with that." Grayson replied easily.

Dad raised his eyebrow, not expecting the reply. "Take care of her while she's with you. Then I'll have no problems."

My face heated up, and I glanced at Mom, giving her a 'help' look.

Mom winked and grabbed Dad's arm. "He was the kind gentleman who covered our tab when I left my card at home, Hun. I'm sure he'll continue to be a gentleman."

"Yes Sir, I will. I promise, I'll have her back safe. We were just going to dinner and possibly sightseeing, since I'm not familiar with the area yet." 

Dad looked him up and down once more before nodding. "Alright. Be safe you two." He gave me a pointed look. "You know the rules, Grace?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, Dad. Now can we please go?"

He cracked a small smile and nodded, sitting back down in his recliner. I shot Mom a thankful smile and turned to Grayson. "Shall we?"

"After you." he replied with a smile, letting me lead him out of the house. He shut the door behind him, placing his hand gently on my back and leading me out to a black Mercedes. I marveled once he opened the door for me. "Wow. I didn't know you had a Mercedes."

He chuckled. "I'm a bit of a car guy. I like my expensive cars."

I giggled and climbed in, watching as he walked around to the drivers side after shutting my door. I slid my seatbelt on as he climbed in, sliding his on before starting the car. "You're dad doesn't play, does he?" he jokingly asked.

"I am so sorry. He's so embarrassing sometimes." I said with a blush on my face. "He forgets I'm a twenty-two year old woman and not a teenager sometimes."

Grayson laughed, his deep baritone laughter filling the car. "It's okay, I understand. If I had a daughter as beautiful as you, I would be protective too."

I giggled and rolled my eyes. "Stop it."

"I'm serious. You probably have guys begging you for attention. You're just too shy to notice?" he asked, his tone lighthearted.

"I mean, I know I'm decently pretty, and yeah, I've dated a few guys. But I wouldn't say I have them begging." I replied. "What about you? I'm sure you have girls begging for you to come pick them up in your Mercedes."

It was his turn to roll his eyes. "A lot of girls see me and see dollar signs. It's safe to say, I don't date much."

"What made me different?" I asked, my eyebrow raised. 

He shrugged. "I don't know. Are you different?" He glanced at me as he asked.

I smirked. "I'm in college for a business degree. I don't need a man's money to get by."

He laughed and shook his head. "You definitely are different from the girls I'm used too. I like that. You have drive, ambition. We need more people like that in the world."

I blushed and sat back in my seat, relaxing. "So, where are you taking me?"

"Well, as I told your father, I don't really know this area. So, any suggestions?"

"What are you in the mood for?" I asked.

He shrugged once more. "Anything. What's your favorite place?"

"Umm, that's a hard one. There's this nice Italian place downtown. And there's plenty of Mex-Tex restaurants all over. My favorite would honestly have to be my Uncles place though."

He smiled, glancing at me. "We can go there. I enjoyed it this morning. We don't have much like that in New York."

I smiled back, nodding. "Okay. Sounds good."

We settled into a comfortable silence, the radio playing softly in the background. We pulled up to Rogers Diner after a moment of driving, and once again, Grayson opened my door for me. I smiled and thanked him, taking his hand and letting him help me out the car. He placed his hand back on my back, guiding me into the diner. We moved to a booth near the back and slid in, sitting across from one another. A waitress I didn't know walked over to take our drink orders. She looked taken aback at Grayson, but I couldn't blame her, given how mesmerizing he was.

We placed our orders and Grayson looked around at the diner. "So, your Uncle owns this?" he questioned.

"He's actually my moms best friend since high school. He's been around my whole life though, so I think of him as an uncle." I explained.

Grayson nodded. "Oh, okay. It seems he's done well for himself."

I smiled. "Yeah, he has. He used to always say when I was kid he was gonna own his own diner one day. And it would be nineties themed to make him think he was young." I said with a laugh.

Grayson laughed also, leaning his elbows against the table. "It's definitely got the nineties written all over it."

I smiled and nodded. "I sometimes wish I would've been born a little earlier so I could've grown up in that decade. They had the best of everything."

"Oh yeah, definitely. The nineties were definitely a trip." he agreed, his charming smile ever present on his handsome face.

"How old are you?" I asked, resting my elbow on the table and propping my head on my hand.

"Twenty-five." he replied. "I was born in ninety-seven."

"You aren't like most twenty-five year old men I know. You're more.. polite and established. I mean, who owns a business that young, right?" 

He chuckled, almost nervously. "My family has owned the business for decades. My father thought I was ready, so he passed it to me. I still have his help from time to time though." He stopped and took a sip from his drink before continuing. "As for my politeness, you can thank my mother for that. She's very old fashioned and raised me the same. I was always taught to respect woman and my elders."

I smiled at the mention of his mom. "Well, from what I can tell, she did a very good job at instilling that you in. You've been nothing but at gentleman so far."

"So far?" he chuckled.

I giggled and nodded. "Oh come on, you can't blame me. You know how guys are."

He rolled his eyes playfully. "Well, I assure you, I'm not like most guys. I'm sure you've heard that before though?"

I nodded, my smile still evident. "But that doesn't matter. I'm interested in the family business, if you don't mind spilling some details."

He took a deep breath, letting it out. "We basically manage properties across the nation. So, I guess it would be formally called real estate."

"Oh, and your family has owned it for decades?"

He nodded. "Yeah. My grandfather built the company up from the ground and made it what it is. My father took over, and when he felt I was ready, I took over."

"Wow. Not many people can say they've had such success."

"I know. We're very fortunate. And good at managing a business." he jokingly added.

I giggled and leaned back as our food was placed in front of us. We began eating, continuing to talk through our meals. He was so interesting, never running out of topics to talk about. He actually listened to what I had to say, soaking in every word like it was some important piece of knowledge he just had to know.

"So, go back to the canoe thing. Your mom saw a snake and thought it was a good idea to jump out the canoe?" he asked, his laughter breaking through his words.

"I know." I said, catching my breath from my laughter. "Dad was ready to kill himself after the trip. I mean, I swear, you can't take her anywhere."

We both laughed together at the story of the last ever camping trip my family had went on.

"You're parents seem very fun to be around, even your father." Grayson noted.

I nodded, popping a fry in my mouth. "They are. My mom sometimes forgets she's my mom and acts more like a bad influence big sister. And Dad, well he's pretty chill when you get to know him."

Grayson chuckled and shook his head.

"What about your parents? You mentioned them earlier?"

"Yeah, my fathers a hard ass sometimes, but he can have his moments. My mother is the kindest and most down to earth woman you'll ever meet. She can have a temper though when it's needed. That's how she keeps my Father in line."

"What are their names, if you don't mind me asking?" 

"Sebastian and Diana King." he answered.

I nodded. "I was just curious."

"It's fine. Maybe you could meet me soon." he said, a charming smile falling on his lips.

"I'd like that." I replied, nodding.

We finished eating and decided to go riding around. Grayson was interested in seeing downtown, and possibly going to Lookout Mountain. We drove around the town, talking and laughing nonstop. Finally, we parked at Lookout Mountain, stepping out of the car and sitting on the front. It was dark out, and the lights from the city shone bright, like stars.

"This view is amazing." said Grayson, leaning back on his arms. 

"I know. I love riding up here when I just need a break." I replied.

Grayson smiled and glanced at me. "So, how am I looking on getting a second date?"

I laughed, looking up at the sky. "I think you deserve a second date."

"I would love a second date."

I turned and looked at him. "Name the time and place, Mr.King."

He chuckled, brushing a piece of hair from my face and tucking it behind my ear. I studied his face, finding myself falling into his pretty brown eyes. He was very attractive, as I had noted many times before. But with the glow from the city bouncing off his featured, he seemed almost inhumane; angelic. 

"You sure are staring hard at me right now." he mumbled, his fingers caressing my cheek. 

"Just admiring." I said, a blush creeping onto my cheeks.

He thought for a moment, pondering over his words. "Would you be offended if I kissed you right now?"

I smiled and shook my head. I knew it wouldn't go any further, so what would one kiss hurt? Slowly, he leaned in, barely brushing his lips against mine. I leaned in the rest of the way, connecting our lips together. Fireworks. That's the only way to describe the feelings that shot through me. I had kissed guys before, but none had felt like this. His hand caressed my face and angled it so we were more comfortable as he began kissing back. It was bliss-and then it was over. A rustling came from the woods behind us, and in an instant, Grayson had pulled away. His brown eyes shot to the woods, narrowing them as his eyes scanned the tree line.

"Grayson, it was probably an animal or something-" I started, wanting nothing more than to go back to kissing him.

"Shh." he shushed me, his eyes eyes not leaving the woods. "Get back in the car." he said after a moment, his voice serious as he stood from car. 

"What's wrong? What's out there?" I asked, fear beginning to creep up in my voice. 

He turned to me, grabbing my hand. "Just get back in the car, okay? Trust me, please."

I stared at him a moment, before nodding and letting him help me off the front of the car. He gently helped me in the passenger side, shutting the door and locking it as he disappeared behind the car. I sat there what felt like ages, waiting for him to return. Something had spooked him, I knew that. But I had no idea what it was.

I waited and waited, and finally, he came back. He unlocked the car, climbing in the driver side and starting it up. 

I watched him for a moment, trying to read him. "Grayson, what's wrong? What has you so freaked out?"

He didn't answer for a moment, instead taking the time to drive off and begin heading back to the city. "I thought I heard something, but it was nothing. I'm sorry for frightening you." he said, placing his hand on my thigh.

I laid my hand over his, feeling the same sparks as before as our skin touched. "It's okay. Don't apologize. Thank you for caring so much about my safety."

He squeezed my thigh gently, keeping it there the remainder of the ride. We sat in a comfortable silence as he drove me back to my parents house. I stared out the window, pondering over what had just happened. Something had him freaked out, and it wasn't nothing. I figured if he wanted to talk about, he would bring it up himself, so I decided to leave the topic where he had left it.

We pulled into my parents drive way, and he shut the car off, getting out and walking around to my side. He opened my door, helping me out as he had all night. We walked up the steps to front door, and stopped. I turned to him, giving him a smile. "Thank you, for tonight. I really had fun."

He smiled back. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. I'm sorry I went commando earlier." he joked.

I shook my head. "It's okay. It didn't ruin anything at all."

He nodded and leaned down, pecking my lips softly. He pulled away, much quicker than I had hoped. "It's getting cold out, you better get inside. You have class tomorrow too, I assume?"

I groaned and nodded. "Yes, sadly."

He chuckled, brushing his knuckles across my jaw. "You'll be okay. I'll try to stop by and see you in between classes if you'd like?"

"Yeah, I'd love that." I said, probably a little too enthusiastically.

He nodded, stepping back off one of the steps. "Will you promise me something?" 

I nodded, my hand resting on the door knob. "What is it?"

His look grew serious as he sighed. "Don't go in the woods right now, not with the murders that are happening. Promise me you'll stay away from them and be safe?"

I bit my lip, nodding. "I promise, Grayson."

He smiled and nodded, stepping off the last step. "Good night, Sweetheart. I'll try my best to see you tomorrow."

I smiled and nodded, watching him walk back to his car and climb in. I waited for him to start it before turning the handle and opening the door. He pulled out, turning and driving back towards the city. I let his words linger as I walked in the house.

Don't go in the woods right now, not with the murders that are happening.