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)
“Griffin?”
When he looks at me, genuine anguish is written in his eyes, darkened pupils with deep-set emotion weighing on his brow. I run the tips of my fingers over the edge of his jaw and lean down to kiss him. I don’t want him feeling less or horrible for an accident that I mistook as a cruel act. He’s right. Now that I’m getting to know him better, he wouldn’t have done that. That alone shows how far we’ve come and so quickly.
The pressure is light at first, but I deepen it. His hands slide around my waist, and then his arms wrap around my body, holding me close. Just like last night, I could get lost in him if I let myself, but this isn’t the time or place, so I reluctantly pull back. When our lips part, I slowly open my eyes again. “I’m free tonight.”
“I thought—”
I’m not a romantic, but he makes me want to believe in the notion again. “Doesn’t matter what I said earlier. I want to see you again, as much as I can.”
When he cups my cheek, I lean into it, briefly closing my eyes and just feeling the joy he brings me. Is it so wrong to want one night without complications? One night when he sees me for who I am just like he did four years ago. My own person again. Not as my father’s daughter or someone’s mother, though the latter is a role I’ll never take for granted. But as a woman with her own needs and wants, goals, and ambitions.
He’s wearing his heart on his sleeve for me, so I can do the same for him. For one night, we can just be together. But I also know that I can’t control this situation forever. I need to tell him before he finds out. Because if that happens, I could lose my son.
CHAPTER 17
Cricket
“Right there,” I say, holding my palms up. “Perfect.” The desks are angled toward the window to maximize the view. I slide my chair under but stand to admire the new office. With Griffin coming around to stand next to me, I slip my arm around him. I do it partly because I can. And the rest because I want to. I’m already struggling to keep my hands off him. Maybe I’m more of a romantic than I could admit before.
He doesn’t flinch or step out of my reach, doesn’t seem to mind at all, as if this is normal, everyday behavior for us, rather than something new and shiny. He slips his arm around me and leans against the desk, getting us closer to eye level, though I’d still need to gain another few inches for that to happen.
Holding me by the hips, he pulls me between his legs, then cups my face. “Your cousin,” he whispers with his eyes fixated on my lips, “went to get drinks for us.”
“That gives us a good ten minutes alone,” I say, insinuating so much as I drag my hand up his neck and dive my fingers into the hair on the back of his head.
“Best make the most of it.” He lifts my glasses to the top of my head and kisses me, caressing my face and holding me to him. Our lips part, and his tongue finds mine in a swift and sweeping motion before they tangle together. His breathing picks up, and when I lean against him, my stomach to his middle, I can feel how quickly things have escalated.
My body becomes a traitor to the impulses of being with him again, the memory long faded and needing a new one to replace it. Lifting myself on my tiptoes, I brazenly rub my body against him and kiss him deeper while holding him tighter. I moan into his mouth. He swallows it down, as his hands lay claim to the small of my back.
I want to lose track of time, but it’s hard to forget where I am. I pull back. Through heavy breaths, I ask, “Will I get to see you tonight?”
“I like this side of you.”
“What side is that?”
“Your spontaneous side.” His grin gives me the answer I want, but then he asks, “What time should I pick you up?” I feel more beautiful under his gaze as his eyes graze over my features like he’s going to be quizzed on them later. He even lingers over each part of me like he’s right-clicking and saving them to memory. Licking his lips, he leans back just enough to get a better view of me. “Or we could take off when we’re done here?”
Running my hand over his cheek, I stop to admire his tanned face. As a baseball player, he practically lived outdoors. That’s been a while, though this week was mostly sunny. I met him in Costa Rica, but I wonder if he was always traveling to warm-weather destinations. Tapping the tips of my fingers across his chin, I move to just barely touch his bottom lip before kissing him again.