Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 102185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 511(@200wpm)___ 409(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 511(@200wpm)___ 409(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
As soon as it’s set down, he flops on the center of it. “How’d you get the other furniture up here? Don’t tell me you two did it all?”
“Ding. Ding. Ding.” Savvy taps her nose, then points at him. Sitting down on her chair, she rolls to the window and looks out.
Looking at me, he asks, “What gives? Is the winery having money issues?”
My father would blow a fuse if that was ever even hinted at in his presence, especially by Griffin, a Greene of all people. “No money issues,” I say, acting nonchalant. “Long story. Not worth wasting time on when we could be talking about what you’re doing here, which is much more interesting to me.”
I sit in my chair and glide a little closer since there’s no desk to separate us.
He grins. That’s all the sign I need to make me want to roll right up on him and kiss that mouth of his. I don’t. Well, I roll over to close the gap, but the kiss is going to have to wait. “Hope you like surprises.”
“Sometimes.” His eyes are bluer in the defused sunlight drifting through the large windows, especially against the white of his T-shirt. That tee is doing me all the favors. too. Tight around the biceps, fitted across the shoulders enough to see the dips and hills of his muscles even when he’s sitting still. I don’t think I realized men could be built like Aphrodite had a say in the matter. Good lord almighty. Griffin Greene is quite the man indeed. “This time it’s more than welcome. In the area?” I ask as if I wasn’t just drooling when I checked him out. I need professional help with my totally shameless behavior.
“Nowhere near it. I just wanted to see you again.”
Just as my usually dormant heart roars to life again, like it did when I was with him last night, a clearing of the throat drags our attention toward the door. My cousin stands in the doorway with her arms crossed over her chest and one quirked eyebrow. “Don’t mind me. I’m going to pop out to . . .” She investigates the hallway and then doesn’t bother finishing the sentence. She just walks out, shutting the door behind her. She was always good with the subtleties. In this case, we’re practically skywriting that we’d like to be alone, so not-so-subtle messaging that was hard to miss.
Being alone with Griffin plants a smile I don’t want to hide right on my face. Giddiness zips through my veins. It’s been years since I’ve felt like this, and all because this guy came to see me. I glide my chair the rest of the way, closing the gap between us until my knees bump against his. “You came all this way to see me?”
“It’s not that far, LIttle Chirp. Like twenty minutes.”
“If you’re speeding.”
The rogue grin splitting his cheeks tells me he might have been. “A few speed limits were broken, but all for a good cause.” He shrugs so casually that I honestly don’t think he’d care if he had been ticketed. “What can I say? I was looking forward to seeing you.”
I can feel the heat flooding my cheeks as he stares at me. It’s so tempting to look away, to hide my face like I should be ashamed by the pinkening. I don’t. I force my chin up and soak in his gaze because I’ve never had a man look at me as he is now, like I’m endgame material.
Overanalyzing would typically be my go-to in these types of situations, but is it so wrong just to enjoy the moment we’re sharing? I deserve nice things, and he’s proving to be a really nice thing in my life.
He spreads his legs farther apart as his boots loop with the metal base of the chair to slide me even closer. Leaning forward, he whispers, “I haven’t stopped thinking about you.”
I gulp. So embarrassing. I blush for different reasons now but he’s quick to caress my cheek and soothe it away, replacing it with comfort from the warmth of his hand. I take a quick breath, and whisper, “Same. I’ve been thinking about you since you dropped me off last night.”
“What do you say we do something about it? I know a little swimming hole not too far from here—”
“I can’t,” I say, starting to think whatever this is between us is more real than I first imagined. Last night I was saying yes to anything he asked because I was right there with him. But it’s not smart for me to act like I don’t have responsibilities when I do. Jacob being the main one. As much as I want to toss my work aside and run off with him for a few hours, I know I can’t. It’s not my job either. It’s the secret I’m keeping from him. It’s time for me to face my fears and make a decision. I’m either going to tell him or not, and I know the answer, even if I’m not ready to fully admit it yet. “I’m sorry.” I look around as if that’s enough for him to know what I’m thinking. “We have more to move, and it must be done today. And then later—”