by Bella Rose
Then Griffin pushed open the door of the suite, and they walked inside. She was powerless to stop herself from reacting. “Oh.” The soft word drifted past her lips, and she could not believe the amount of emotion that came welling up along with it.
Beautiful did not begin to cover it. A wall of windows looked out toward the gardens and then the pitch blackness of empty pasture or forest beyond that. The stars in the night sky twinkled overhead, and a sliver of moon rose over the treetops.
Thick rugs covered the polished wood floors. Leah wanted to take her shoes off and walk barefoot just to see what it felt like to curl her toes into the nap. The shabby chic furniture, accented with tasseled pillows and throws, invited curling up in front of the fireplace, which was so large she wondered where the iron kettle was.
Through a half-open doorway on her right she saw a bathroom done in shades of sand and mocha with a huge sunken tub in the center of the room. The windows were frosted over for privacy’s sake. It wasn’t difficult to imagine what might happen in a bathtub like that one.
Finally, she glanced to the left and was enchanted by the king-sized, four-poster bed covered in quilts. The turned back covers revealed inviting white sheets. This bed looked tough enough to handle legions of newlyweds. Leah could hardly imagine what it might be like for some of those couples, the ones that had waited months or longer to be together. How many people had made beautiful, lasting memories within these walls?
She would not be one of them. It no longer mattered what she might have once believed about her wedding or her honeymoon. She had married the wrong man for the wrong reasons and nothing was going to change that.
Griffin walked to a side table and picked up a bottle of wine and an corkscrew. He casually scanned the label. To Leah’s surprise, he made a soft chuffing noise. “This is a pretty decent local wine. I prefer their Pinot noir, but the Sauvignon is good too. May I pour you a glass?”
He was already opening the bottle. Leah realized that she had made a lot of assumptions about this man. He owned a bar. It was very likely that he knew something about wine and labels. Yet she had always figured him to be a little bit of an ape. A trained monkey who was uncouth beneath any layer of civility he might wear.
“A glass of wine would be nice,” she said in a voice that trembled. “Thank you.”
He lifted one shoulder in a shrug and poured two glasses. Then he set the bottle down and picked up both glasses. He swirled the contents in each one with expert motions of his hands. He handed her one and took a sip from the other.
“There’s some cheese and crackers and stuff here too.” He gestured to the little table. “You might want to eat something so this doesn’t go to your head.”
“Why?” She gave a bitter laugh. “Are you afraid I’ll get drunk and rape you?”
He cocked his head as if he had a thought he could have shared, but he didn’t say anything. Instead, Griffin settled himself on the floor in front of the fire with his shoulders braced against the seat of the couch.
Leah stood for a few more moments. She didn’t want to sit down. She didn’t want to get comfortable, and she most definitely didn’t want to let down her guard. Something might happen. Worse, she might lose control and like it. It was like dancing on razor blades and not knowing what would happen if she fell.
“Leah,” he murmured in a raspy voice. “Just sit down and relax. Nothing’s going to happen unless you want it to. I’m not going to push. I’m going to keep my hands to myself. In fact, if you want to have sex with me, you’re going to have to instigate it all on your own.”
She sank down to the floor on a nest of pillows and soft chenille throws and finally let herself relax. Maybe this wasn’t going to be a bad thing after all.
Chapter Thirteen
“So you flushed the firecrackers down the toilet?” Leah couldn’t help it. She was laughing her ass off. She was more than a little bit tipsy after all the wine. She’d eaten a few crackers, but for the most part she’d been drinking on an empty stomach. Never a good idea.
Griffin had kicked off his boots and was now lounging on one elbow in front of the fire. As he nodded his head, the firelight caught on strands of his blond hair, making it look golden. The tangled mass was loose around his ears and brushed his collar. She longed to push it back away from his face. In fact, she just wanted to touch it to see what the texture was like. He was perpetually tousled. He always looked as if he’d just shoved his fingers through his hair.
“I was only fifteen,” he told her. “I can’t be responsible for what seemed like a good idea in a panic.”
“Yeah, but didn’t the water in the toilet just put out the fuses?” Her logical mind was clamoring for attention, but she shoved all rational thoughts away. She didn’t want to think right now.
“You would have thought, right?” He snorted and popped a cube of cheese into his mouth. “But they weren’t just regular firecrackers. They were little pieces of dynamite. They don’t sparkle or anything. They just make a huge boom. At least one of those suckers had enough juice to go off inside the toilet, which as an adult I can say probably set off the others that were all stuck in the U joint.”
Leah rolled onto her side, holding her belly as she giggled. “Which then blew up the toilet. I never realized that was you!”
“I was a year ahead of you, remember?” He waggled his eyebrows at her. “You probably never knew all of the stuff I did to get in trouble.”
“You had quite the reputation around town.”
He heaved a giant sigh. “That hasn’t changed much.”
“Poplar Hollow is a small town,” she reminded him. “Small towns are nice because you know everyone. But they also suck because everyone knows you.”
“Do they all remember that you’re Deacon’s kid?” he asked softly.
She gazed into his face and wondered what he was thinking. There was so much compassion in his expression. At least she thought it was compassion, but she was tipsy enough that she wasn’t sure she should trust her instincts.
“I should probably stay away from you,” she mused. Of course, the whole issue of being married to him didn’t factor into her statement. “You’re dangerous to me.”
“How’s that?” He reached over and tugged on a strand of her long hair.
“My mother wanted me to settle down with someone who was about as far from my father as he could be, you know?”
Griffin took a deep breath. He wasn’t nearly as drunk as Leah, but he was certainly inebriated enough that he needed to be careful with what he said. Wine tended to loosen his tongue, and that wouldn’t necessarily be the best route right now.
“Are you sure your mother meant for you to settle down and marry some boring doctor or lawyer?” he asked with forced casualness. “Maybe she just meant that she wanted you to be with someone who loved and cherished you.”
“Guess I failed no matter what she meant, huh?” She rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling.
The fire crackled in front of them and he could feel the heat beginning to ebb as the logs burned down to ash. He considered throwing another on the fire, but it was getting about time to hit the hay. This wasn’t necessarily how he had pictured his wedding night, but at the same time he had wanted to show Leah that he could be a gentleman. He wanted to her to see that he could be the one to cherish her. But he seemed to be unable to get that point across.
“I hated going out with those guys.”
Her whisper startled him. Not because of the content, but because she had admitted it out loud. Now he waited, afraid to breathe lest he somehow interrupt her confession.
“They were all so careful not to offend me that I felt like I was the only one who ever made a decision.” She turned her head to stare right at him. “Do you understand what I mean?”
“No, but you could help me understand.”
She chuffed and rolled her eyes. “It was like they wanted to be so polite and so chivalrous that they never made a f
ucking decision about anything. Not where we ate or what we ate or what they wanted to do. I don’t get it. Women always talk about how guys are bossy and always choose this, or pick that. Wasn’t my experience at all! Sometimes they would choose a wine or something. And they obviously ordered their own food. But then they’d take me home and I would stand there wondering if we were going to have sex and they’d just wait like they expected me to work it all out.”
There was probably nothing Griffin liked less than hearing about other men trying to get up the courage to have sex with his woman. And yes, he completely thought of Leah as his woman. Now that he had managed to marry her, it was likely time to admit that, as Hobbs had pointed out, he had always had a thing for Leah.
Griffin cleared his throat. This was not the time to go all caveman. “So did you want them to just inform you that they wanted a fuck? What was missing?”
“The passion!” she burst out. “They didn’t want it bad enough! They didn’t seem to want it at all.”
“And if they had?”
She shrugged. “It’s not like I was a virgin before the other night you know. Occasionally I would do some exaggerated bit about coming in for a drink, and it was like that made them think I was ready to put out. So they’d come in and then fifteen minutes later, it would be all over, and I’d just lie there and wonder what the big deal was.”
Griffin couldn’t help it. He started laughing.
“What?” She reached over and swatted his shoulder. “It’s so rude to laugh at me like that!”
Leah could not stop staring at his lips. His eyes were gorgeous too. The blue was very intense here in the firelight. Then the corner of his mouth twisted up into a grin, and he gave her a smile that made everything below her waist go up in flames.
“I was just contemplating how hard it must have been for these guys to ever try for a second night in your bed. They’d apparently made fools of themselves the first time. Maybe you just got them so hot and excited that they couldn’t take it, you know?”
“You didn’t have that problem,” she pointed out.
Oh, the arrogant expression on his face! She wished she could obliterate it, but if anyone had a right to look proud of his sexual prowess it was Griffin. The man was so yummy she was getting wet just thinking about it.
Suddenly she didn’t know why she was lying in front of a fire with a sexy man doing an internal rant about being sexually frustrated. She grabbed her shirt and wriggled out of it. Then she unfastened her pants and started doing the same thing.
“What are you doing?” He didn’t sound alarmed, just mildly interested.
“I’m horny,” she said irritably. “You made me that way, so you’re going to fix it. Now.”
“Oh, I am?”
“Yes!”
She finally got her pants off, and she got to her knees and reached up behind her to unclasp her bra. It fell off and her breasts hung free. She groaned a little as her nipples hardened. Putting her hands on her own breasts, she gave each nipple a tiny pinch to ease the ache. To her surprise, it felt pretty good.
“Shit,” Griffin growled. “Do that again.”
She pinched her nipples again. Closing her eyes, she started rubbing her own breasts while on her knees with her legs slightly spread apart. Her pussy was so wet she felt the juices coating the insides of her thighs. How had that happened? It didn’t seem logical, but there it was.
The sound of a zipper and the rustle of clothing made her open her eyes. Griffin was naked. He had to have gotten undressed in record time, but she didn’t have any time to mull that one over. He got to his knees as well and dragged her close to his body.
She felt the heat of him, and it was delicious. Then the crinkly hair on his chest tickled her breasts and she stopped touching herself to wrap her arms around his midsection. “Fuck me, Griffin. Please. I need you.”
Griffin could safely say that he had not expected to hear those words from Leah tonight. As if he could have stopped himself at this point. He was so turned on from watching her touch her breasts that his cock was ready to burst. He was going to come as soon as he entered her hot, tight pussy, and he didn’t even care. He just needed to be inside her.
He spun her around in his grip. Still on their knees, he put her back to his front and pressed his palms to her chest. He stroked her with long, lazy movements that made her undulate against him to beg silently for more. He let his fingers barely brush her mound. She whimpered. Finally, he couldn’t stand it anymore, and he buried his fingers in her hot cleft. She was so fucking wet. The woman was dripping for him.
Finding her clit with his index finger, he gently worked the nub while he let his cock slide against the cleft of her ass. He used his free hand to position his cock between her legs. She was spread apart just enough that his head slipped between her pussy lips. He felt the wet heat of her sex against his cock. With a groan, he entered her from behind.
Leah cried out at the abrupt penetration. Griffin rubbed her clit until he felt her inner muscles relax and accept his intrusion. Keeping two fingers straddled around her clitoris, he used his other arm to hold her still. The wave of power that crested inside him was intoxicating. This beautiful woman was utterly under his thumb, and he was going to fuck her senseless. That was all he wanted.
He started moving his hips. Bracing his knees on the rug, he thrust into her body over and over again. She trembled and clenched around his shaft. Fucking her like this denied her clit any proper stimulation from the root of his cock. Instead he toyed with her using his fingertips. She tightened around him—close, so close. Holding her off for just a few more seconds, he reveled in the sensation of being truly joined with her. Then he gave in and let go.
Orgasm hit him like a tidal wave. He convulsed as the overwhelming urge to thrust hard took over. He removed his finger from her clit and used both arms to hold her as close as possible. He gently wrapped his left hand around her neck and whispered erotic promises in her ear. He poured his seed into her body while she climaxed right along with him.
Chapter Fourteen
Leah rolled over in the bed and blinked away the heaviness of sleep from her eyes. For a moment, she could not figure out where she was. The mattress was far softer than hers. The room was warmer. The sunlight streaming across her body added a delightful amount of brightness to the day. And as she rolled over she instantly realized that she was not alone.
The events of the night before came rushing back in a Technicolor nightmare that made her sit bolt upright in bed. Her head immediately began to spin, and she had to take a few deep breaths to avoid throwing up. It felt as though someone was trying to shove knives through her eye sockets while playing the cymbals right behind her head. Wine. There had been wine and it had tasted so good that she had overindulged. A lot.
From the corner of her eye, Leah saw Griffin stretched out like a big lion in the bed. Braving the queasy feeling in her stomach, she turned her head for a better look. He lay on his belly with his head cradled in his arms. The sheet rested just above his buttocks, and she could even see the twin dimples just beneath his lower back. He looked good enough to eat. His skin was golden, and his sleep-tousled hair fell across his face. What she could see of his expression looked peaceful. He didn’t look anything like an arrogant tyrant at the moment.
She drew her legs up, resting her chin on her knees and wrapping her arms around them. She was naked. She’d never slept naked before, but it was strangely comfortable. She could not even remember going to bed. Had Griffin carried her? She wasn’t used to thinking of him as chivalrous. It was disconcerting.
“Hey.”
Crap. He was awake. Leah couldn’t decide exactly how to proceed. She should have been hurrying out of bed and finding her phone so that she could call a cab or something. Surely she could find a ride back to her place. A shower and fresh clothes, and she could get on to work. She had responsibilities.
Griffin rolled over onto his side, bent his elbow, and propped his
head on his hand. “You okay?”
No. She was not all right. She wanted him to stop looking so damn attractive. It was doing horrible things to her resolution to stay aloof in this weird relationship she had going with him. She needed boundaries. Fast.
“I’m fine.” She even managed to say it without her voice trembling. “I’m just going to be late if I don’t get moving.”
“Do you want to take a shower?” He sat up and the movement flashed her a view of his groin.
She was staring at his dick. Griffin hid a smile and wondered if she realized what she was doing. Yes, she did. She had just ripped her gaze away as though the sight had burned her.
He forced himself to focus on conversation. He could let her pretend that the night before hadn’t happened. For the time being. “Leah?” he prompted. “I can be ready to leave in fifteen minutes if you’re ready.”
“Oh!” She bounded out of bed, dragging the sheet right along with her. She wrapped it toga style around her body, making an obvious effort to keep him from seeing her sweet curves. “Yes. I need to go right away. I’ll just go—well, take care of some things.”
“You know,” he couldn’t resist saying. “That bathtub is pretty inviting. Are you sure you don’t have time to take a bath? I’m in no hurry.”
“No.” She said it quickly, but then she walked into the bathroom still dragging the sheet behind her. He heard her sharp intake of breath. “Well, maybe. Wait. No!”
“Come on, Leah,” Griffin coaxed. “I paid for the room. We might as well enjoy it, right?”
“Well I suppose when you put it like that.” She yanked the rest of her sheet through the bathroom door and then slammed it closed. Her next words drifted through the thick wood of the door. “I’ll just be a few minutes.”
Griffin rolled onto his back and stacked his hands beneath his head. He was going to give her just a few minutes. He’d let her find the bubble bath he’d requested. Then he’d let her settle into the nice, warm, bubbly bathwater. After that he was going inside that bathroom. He might not get anywhere, but that wasn’t going to stop him from trying.