by Parks, AL
**It’s a day of rest**
**Maybe for you**
**Oh, good, Condescending Griff is back. I was beginning to miss him. NOT! Come to brunch, Grumpy**
Another minute passed. Ding!
**Fine. Dress code?**
**Totally casual. Jeans, shorts, whatever**
**Time?**
**10**
**Anything else?**
**Bring swimsuit**
** ? **
**For the pool**
**Do you ever get tired of ordering people around?**
**Nope. See you tomorrow, Grumpy**
**Later, Heiress**
She smiled and could picture him sitting on his couch, watching whatever Nascar race was on that he had been excited about when she left earlier that day, also smiling. She turned back to her computer and re-attacked the photo she was editing, eager to see where her friendship with Griff would take them.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Clarissa checked the mirror once again. She didn’t wear much makeup since she usually had a camera up against her face. She also never liked to bring attention to herself. Her mass of wavy auburn hair was loose around her shoulders and falling down her back. She hardly ever wore it loose. She had on a top that came off the shoulders and was flowing. Her hair acted as a sort of curtain, which she realized negated the reason one wears an off-the-shoulder top - to show off skin.
There was a knock at the door. She took one last look at herself in the mirror, and decided it was too late to change. Griff was standing on the path when she opened the door, and she nearly gasped at his appearance. He had on a white button up top and black cargo shorts. The sleeves were rolled up, showing off the elaborate swirling scroll tattoo that ran from his elbow to his wrist. His short, dark hair was still wet from the shower. It looked as if he had trimmed his light beard, as well.
Damn, her newest friend was all sorts of sexy. She had a mental vision of sauntering over to him, wrapping her arms around his neck, and pulling him in for a long, deep, passionate kiss.
He narrowed his eyes as they met hers. “Do I get to come in?”
“Huh? Oh, sorry, yes, come in.” She stepped out of the way and let him pass.
“Is something wrong, because you’re looking at me like you’re surprised to see me?”
“No, nothing’s wrong.” She took a breath and tried to convince her heart to slow down. The heat that was ravaging her body had found a home between her legs and making her head a bit fuzzy. “I guess I’ve never seen you in anything other than jeans and a t-shirt.”
“That bad?” He looked down at his shirt and shorts.
“No,” she stammered. “That good.” He chuckled and she rephrased. “You clean up very well, is what I meant to say.”
“Back at ya.” His eyes slowly wandered over her body. Usually, this type of attention made her uncomfortable and she would remove herself. But not this time. She liked it, wanted Griff to appreciate her body.
“Shall we go eat?”
He cleared his throat and lifted his eyes to hers. “Uh, yeah. Let’s get out of here.” He made a beeline for the door, opened it and didn’t stop until he was back out on the path.
***
Griff was sure that being friends with Rissa was going to be the cruelest torture known to man. Look but don’t touch was especially hard when she was sitting across from him in a top that displayed soft delicate skin from one shoulder across her chest to the other. Kissable skin. And the skin he couldn’t see on her shoulders was covered by that rich reddish brown hair that he had instantly fallen in love with as soon as his fingers had touched it the other day. It was taking every bit of strength in him not to reach across and pushed her hair down her back. Then he could feel the soft strands between his fingers and gaze on her bare shoulder.
Fucking torture.
But brunch had only been the appetizer. Once she dropped the wrap-around cover at the pool, Griff was happy he had decided to try out the diving board and was already completely submersed in the water. He was sporting some serious wood watching Rissa walk slowly into the pool. She was wearing a bikini, but not the string kind and not the barely there variety, either. It completely covered the essentials, but it didn’t matter. She was still the most beautiful woman he had laid eyes on. Period.
The pool was heated, but no one else was there this late in the season. In fact, the waiter had told them they would be closing the pool the next week. Griff sent up a silent prayer of thanks that it was open for one more day. Seeing Riss in a bikini may just give him some of the sweetest dreams for months to come.
“I am so full,” she said, making her way across the pool to him.
“Yeah, me too, but it was worth the gluttony.”
She chuckled and nodded her head. “The water’s nice and warm.”
“Uh, yeah, sorry. Couldn’t hold it.” He watched as her mouth dropped open and her eyes went completely wide. “Kidding.”
“Funny…really gross, but funny.” She punched him in the shoulder, and he grabbed her wrist.
“You know, if you keep hitting me in the shoulder, I’m going to have a bruise.”
“One hit, and it wasn’t even that hard.” She narrowed her eyes, but that quirky smile lifted the corners of her mouth. He wanted to kiss her so badly.
“Yeah, but you hit me in the shoulder yesterday AND the day before. Do you always abuse your friends in this manner?”
“Only the ones that are big babies and can’t take it, you whiner.”
“Oh, I’m a whiner, am I?” He yanked her closer and she lost her footing for a second.
Placing her free hand on his chest, she said, “And a baby.”
“Is that right?” He placed his other hand on her head and pushed down. She squealed and tried to get away but he had her head under the water before she was able to get out from under his grasp.
She resurfaced, gasping for air. Pushing her hair away from her face, she lunged for him. “Oh, you are so dead.”
He turned and swam away from her, but not too fast and not too far. After all, he didn’t really want to get away from her at all. Until…
He felt his trunks being yanked down his legs before he knew what was happening. Rissa resurfaced in front of him, proudly displaying his shorts. “Tada!”
“Just for that, I am going to pee in the pool.”
“Eww!” She tossed his trunks at him and swam a safe distance away.
He chuckled, managed to get his trunks back on, and swam over to her. He was a few feet away when she put her hands up. “Truce, truce.” She was laughing, having fun, and he was having fun. He couldn’t remember the last time he had this much fun. Damn, if this woman didn’t make his heart want to burst.
A voice called out behind him, and he turned his head to see a bunch of teenagers standing at the side of the pool. “Do you guys mind if we pull the net across and play volleyball?”
Griff glanced over at Rissa, who shrugged and nodded her head. “Sure, go ahead,” he answered the boys. “But only if we can play, also.”
“Doesn’t bother us,” the ringleader answered. After the net was set up, the kid said to Griff, “We already have teams, so you have to be on separate teams.”
“No, problem,” Rissa said, swimming to the other side of the net. She pointed a finger at Griff. “You’re going down.”
“In your dreams, doll.”
The boys all snickered. By the end of the first two matches, Rissa’s prediction came true. She taunted him fromt the other side of the net, laughing and dancing awkwardly in the water.
“I think the second helping of prime rib is coming back to haunt me. I don’t know how much more gas I have in the tank,” he groaned, rubbing his stomach.
“Oh, thank God. I’m dying.” She let out a long sigh. “Hot tub therapy?”
“Let’s go.” They spent the next half hour letting the jets work on their muscles. It was totally relaxing and rejuvenating at the same time. They got
out and dried off. Rissa wrapped her towel around her waist and grabbed her cover and the room key.
“So, get changed and rent a movie in the room?” She raised an eyebrow at him while she spoke.
“No chick flicks.” He grabbed the room key from her hand and headed out of the pool area.
She caught up to him and grabbed his hand. He narrowed his eyes, looked back at her and then down at their hands. “You’re going to have to pull me up the hill to the villa. I think I may have overdone it with that last spike over the net. Do you remember that spike? It was right in front of you, but you missed it and we won the match.”
“Keep talking smack. I’ll let go and laugh as your ass rolls back down the hill and into the pool.” She laughed behind him. He pulled on her arm, forcing her to come in closer to him. Her forehead rested between his shoulder blades. Hot breath fanned over his skin, surging through his body and bringing his erection back to life. Her other hand rested lazily on his hip.
Jesus, he wanted to stay in this moment forever, but too soon they were at the bottom of the stars leading to her veranda. She pulled away, but he held tightly to her hand. There was no way he was willing to give up all physical connection with her. It felt too good having her so close.
He wondered how he would make it through an entire movie without trying to get even closer. That was going to be a challenge either way he approached it. Challenge one: staying away. Challenge two: convincing her to get close to him. Real close. All in close.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Once inside the villa, Clarissa extracted her hand from Griff’s and grabbed the movie guide from the table.
“Here, find us a movie while I jump in the shower.” She didn’t wait for a response, or give him an opportunity to object or reach for her. Because if he pulled her close to him again, she would not be able to resist letting him kiss her and touch her. She closed the bathroom door behind her and wondered if she should lock it. Would he try to join her in the shower?
She decided to take the chance rather than completely insult him if the lock clicked loudly when engaged. Besides, she would jump in, wash her hair quickly, and get out. That way, Griff could take a shower while she ordered some snacks from room service. She was second-guessing the movie idea. It was hard enough keeping her hands off him. Let’s add sitting close to each other on the couch, blinds closed for movie effect, and what was sure to be a scary movie where she would hide her eyes in his firm, hard chest.
She groaned. Thinking about his chest being hard led her to think about other parts of him being hard. She leaned against the wall of the shower and closed her eyes and let her mind wander through visions. His hands on her shoulders, gliding over her breasts. His lips sucking on her nipples. His erection pushing against her sex. Her legs wrapped around him, begging him to move inside her.
Her body was screaming at her for release. What the hell was going on with her lately? She never thought about letting a man do those things to her. Never wanted another man inside of her. But she wanted Griff. Wanted to feel what it was like to enjoy a man between her legs, kissing her so passionately her toes curled. Touching her everywhere and feeling the electric spark his fingers would leave in their wake. She didn’t want just sex. She wanted Griff to bring her back to life.
But she had tried that with him, and it left her devastated. And left him thinking he had done something wrong and that she hated him. No, she had told him they could only be friends. She couldn’t expect him to keep going down this road with her, never knowing what or when something would spark a memory so vivid that it shut her down. It was too much to ask, and it wasn’t fair to keep yanking his chain back and forth.
She turned off the water, and stepped out of the shower. It was all too clear. She would tell him she had a headache from the sun and heat of the hot tub, and was going to take a nap. Maybe offer a raincheck for the movie. After drying off, she hung the towel on the hook and looked around for her clothes. Her bathing suit was sitting in the corner where she had tossed it.
Damn, I forgot to bring clothes in here with me.
Wrapping the towel securely around her, she drew in a deep breath and opened the bathroom door.
***
Griff looked around the room for the bag with his clothes from earlier that day. He would need to take it into the bathroom with him when he took a shower. Friends didn’t traipse around in front of each half naked after they got out of the shower. Although he wished they did.
He was a few steps from his bag when the bathroom door opened. Rissa stepped out wrapped in nothing but a towel, and nearly ran him over.
“Whoa,” He stopped and grabbed her around her shoulders as she stumbled into him.
A deep flush invaded her cheeks. “I forgot to take clothes in with me.” Her eyes bore into him, flaming hot. Her chest was rising and falling heavily. He should release his hold on her, but he couldn’t make himself. He was captivated by her presence, and her eyes were holding him hostage. She made no attempts to pull away from him. They just stood there, breathing heavy, staring into each others eyes.
She stepped to him. Her hands were on the sides of his face, pulling it towards hers. She drew his lips closer, tilting her head to the side and slipping her tongue into his mouth as their lips melded together. His hands slid to her hips, gripping the towel. He waited, expecting the inevitable pull away from him. Instead her fingers moved into his hair, deepening the kiss, not allowing him to pull away. Not that he had any intention of doing that. He would stand there forever, or until their knees gave out and they fell to the floor. Even then, he would do his best to keep his lips on hers for as long as possible.
Her head fell back just slightly, but enough to break their connection. Her eyes peered deeply into his, soft and sultry. Her hands dropped to the front of the towel, opening it and letting it fall to the floor. She guided his hands to her breasts, holding them there. God, she fit so perfectly in his hands. His head dropped forward until it rested against hers. He felt as if he had fresh air for the first time. She was a crisp, clean wind that blew through him. He inhaled, taking in her scent, letting it invade every part of him.
She grabbed at the hem of his t-shirt and pulled it over his head, tossing it on the floor. That small separation, for even a second , was more than he could take. He reached for her, pulled her back against him. Their lips crashed together. His hands flexed into her lower back, pulling her midsection against his. He was hard, pushing into her abdomen. A gasp came from her and she stilled.
He pulled his head back. “Rissa, look at me. Just keep looking at me. I’m not him. I’m not going to hurt you. I would never make you do anything you didn’t want to. You just need to tell me what you want, baby.”
“Griff.” It came on an exhale, almost a whisper. “I’m scared. I want you, but I’m scared.” Her head dropped to her chest.
He placed his hand under her chin and lifted it so that her eyes were on his again. “Riss, you don’t have to be scared. If you tell me to stop, I’ll stop. No questions asked. No matter what. I want you, but only the parts you want to give me, when you want to give them to me.” The heat within him was at a boiling point. There was no way he would be satisfied with anything less than having all of her. Except the look on her face, the fear in her eyes, it tore at his heart. It would never be worth it unless she was ready.
“I don’t want you to stop, Griff. I want to be with you.” She closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against his chest.
Placing both hands on either side of her face, he raised it. Their lips were almost touching, their warm breath mixing between them.