by Nina Levine
I took hold of his face with both hands. “Let me be who you need,” I pleaded.
He stared at me for a long moment before briefly closing his eyes. When he opened them again, I saw the change in his stare. His resolve gone, he nodded once.
And then I met the real Griff.
16
Griff
Let me be who you need.
Those words out of Sophia’s mouth were everything I wanted to hear in this moment, and everything I wanted her to take back and pretend like she’d never said. And, yet, here we were with them hanging in the air between us. They would either be our downfall or the beginning of something between us, because I sure as fuck knew that if she loved this and begged me to fuck her again, I’d never be able to say no.
Placing my hand against the small of her back, I ordered, “Start walking.”
She did as I said, and I directed her to my bedroom.
“I want you to sit on the edge of the bed and wait for me,” I said, and when she sat, I left her to go and find my rope.
When I returned, the sight of her naked, on my bed, waiting where I told her to wait, sent a new rush of need straight to my dick.
Standing in front of her, I dropped the rope on the bed and took my shorts and boxers off. Watching desire flare in her eyes at the sight of my dick being freed only intensified my desire. Sophia needing me made me need her even more.
Jesus, that need was dangerous.
“Stand,” I commanded.
She stood, and I turned her around so her back was to me. Taking hold of her hands, I positioned them behind her. “Hold your hands together while I tie them,” I said, still waiting for her to deny me, but she didn’t.
I wrapped the rope around her wrists and bound her hands together tightly. The sight of rope against her skin nearly did me in. It looked ten times better than I’d imagined it would. With a flick of my wrist, I spun her around to face me again. Her eyes found mine, and, fuck, I loved what I saw there.
Total fucking submission.
I took a step back and let my gaze travel the curves of her body. I loved the contrast of the muscles she was building in the gym with the softness of her body. When my gaze reached her pussy, my dick jerked as I remembered the feel of being inside her.
So sweet.
So fucking perfect.
When I’d taken my time admiring her body, I shifted my gaze back up to her eyes. “I have rules and if you don’t follow them, this is over. Understood?”
“Yes.” She spoke softly and waited for me to continue.
God fucking help me.
She’s perfect.
“One – if you want me to stop, you say no. In my bedroom, no always means no, so use it whenever you need it, and don’t say it unless you mean it.” She nodded. Good girl. “Two – you do whatever I tell you to do. If you don’t want to do it, we negotiate until we come up with something we’re both happy with. I will never make you do something you’re not comfortable with.” Another nod. “Good girl.”
I reached into my bedside table drawer and pulled out the blindfold I kept in there. “Turn around,” I ordered her, and when she did, I secured the material in place. I then wrapped my arm around her, across her chest so that my hand held her arm firmly. Pulling her back into me, I tilted her head to the side and kissed her neck, softly at first and then a little more roughly. My teeth nipped her but I didn’t bite her. At the same time, my free hand ran over her ass and when she relaxed into me while I kissed her neck, I spanked her again. She jumped at the unexpected touch, but her moan told me she loved it.
Fuck, I needed my hand on her ass more. I shifted her so I could sit on the edge of the bed. “You’re going to lie across my lap, Sophia, face down,” I said as I pulled her onto me.
I positioned her far enough down the bed so that her ass was right where I needed it. Laying one hand on her ass, I used my other hand to spread her legs so I could reach for her pussy. A moment later, I rubbed her clit and she moaned again. My eyes narrowed on her lips as she bit it, and fuck if that didn’t drive me wild. I pushed my finger inside her and she writhed in pleasure as I fucked her with my finger, her breaths becoming more ragged as I built her bliss.
I took her to the edge before pulling out and spanking her again. Her body jolted and she moaned. My gaze shifted from her ass to her face and I took in the way her tongue ran over her lips.
Fuck.
I need more from her.
I lifted her off my lap to a standing position. Moving off the bed, I removed her blindfold, and then reached for her hair. Gripping it in a ponytail, I pulled her head back. Her eyes widened but she didn’t utter a word or a moan. I held her head back, and murmured, “Good girl.” I then took my other hand and ran it along her collarbone and down to her breast. My touch was feather light, and I loved the shiver it caused in her body. Bending, I took one of her nipples into my mouth, sucking and nipping lightly with my teeth. I kept hold of her hair, and every now and then, I glanced up at her, loving the sight of her exposed neck. I tended to both of her nipples before working my way up her body, kissing a trail along her skin all the way to her neck.
Letting her hair go, I watched as she brought her head forward, her eyes watching me intently. I traced a finger over her lips. “You okay?” I asked, and she nodded. I got lost in her lips as I traced them over and over. This woman held me hostage and she didn’t even realise it. Hell, I hardly realised it. I had the power here, but for the first time in my life, a niggling thought at the back of my mind told me I was powerless.
Fuck.
I lifted her so that her legs wrapped around me, and backed her up against the wall. Her hands were still tied at her back so I had to hold her close to support her. She wiggled in my hold, and desire slammed through me again, and my instincts took over. I pressed my mouth to hers and kissed her with a passion I’d never felt before. It consumed me body and soul, and she returned it. Our lips and tongues tangled as we showed each other our need.
When I pulled away from the kiss, I growled, “Are you ready to come, baby?”
She nodded, and panted out her reply. “Yes.” Her breaths were coming hard and fast, and her need was clear in her eyes.
I carried her to the bed and deposited her on the floor next to it. Turning her so her back was to me, I undid the rope, freeing her hands. Then I leant into her and spoke close to her ear, “On the bed, on your hands and knees. I need to see that perfect ass up in the air.”
She did as I said, and a moment later, I was blessed with the vision of her ass. Fuck, a man could get used to that vision. I grabbed a condom from my side table, put it on, and then moved to position myself behind her on the bed.
I ran my hands over her back, down to grab her hips, and pulled her back to me. Taking hold of my dick, I slid it through her wetness, teasing her as I went. Pushing inside her a fraction and then back out. I repeated this a few times until I knew I had her panting for more.
Fuck, I need to be in her.
Taking hold of her ass, I thrust my cock into her pussy. She whimpered, and that sound lit me up with more need. I pulled out and thrust back in. God damn, so fucking beautiful. I thrust in and out, over and over, working us towards our release. The sounds of our bodies slapping together, my grunts and her moans filled the room, pushing me on.
Closer.
Almost there.
Fuck.
I lost focus of time and space.
Sophia cried out my name and her pussy squeezed around my dick.
I gripped her harder.
I slammed into her faster.
Rougher.
Jesus, so fucking close.
I grunted as I kept pushing, thrusting, forcing.
Reaching.
Fuck.
I roared as I came harder than I’d ever come.
And when I’d finished with it, and come to my senses, I pulled out of her, moved off the bed and left her so I could discard the condom in the bathroom. Taking a moment
, I gripped the sides of the sink and stared into the mirror. I wasn’t looking at a man in control. Hell no. The man staring back at me was as far from in control as he could be. And that shit messed with my mind more than it was already messed with today.
This woman had turned my world upside down. I’d gone from a man never wanting a relationship again to a man captivated by a woman to the point that the only word screaming through my head now was ‘mine’.
Sophia is now mine.
17
Sophia
I blinked my eyes open and tried to move, but I couldn’t. Strong arms held me so tightly that there would be no escape until they loosened. I looked up at Griff. He had me hard up against his body with my head on his chest. His arm was around my shoulders and his hand gripped me firmly to hold me in place. It was still dark, but I couldn’t be sure of the time because he didn’t have a clock in his bedroom. This room was another sparsely furnished room – a bed, bedside tables, a chest of drawers and a chair in the corner. From what I’d seen of his house so far, it spoke of a man who didn’t put down roots. There were no family photos, no personal touches, and the tired feel to the carpet, paint and everything in between gave me a sense of someone who didn’t get attached.
He shifted and even though he hadn’t moved much, it was enough for me to wiggle out of his hold so I could go to the bathroom. However, the second I tried to move, his arm tightened around me again, and his eyes opened. Our gazes met, and he murmured, “You going somewhere, sweetheart?”
He doesn’t want me to leave.
That knowledge made its way into my heart and settled there. It was the first time he’d given me something like that.
I smiled. “Just gotta go to the bathroom, handsome.”
He didn’t loosen his hold on me straight away. Rather, he continued to watch me in that intense way he often did, like he was working stuff out in his mind. Eventually, he nodded and let me go. He didn’t say anything, though – still my man of few words.
I took my time in the bathroom, because, heck, I looked a sight. My hair sat on my head like a crazy bird’s nest, my mascara sat clumped on my lashes and face where it had been wiped from my eyelashes during sleep, and my face looked all puffy and washed out. I had no tools to work with here, but I did my best to tidy up my hair and face. I also used Griff’s toothpaste to freshen up my breath. No one needed morning breath after amazing sex.
When I finally made it back to his bedroom, I found him sitting in his bed waiting for me. His eyes tracked my movements as I went to him, and, good God, that made a woman feel good. When I crawled onto the bed, his arms reached for me and pulled me onto his lap so I sat straddling him with my face to his. My belly fluttered and my heart danced a little. This Griff was a man I could get used to.
“Morning,” he said, his eyes firmly on mine. I loved that, because while a man’s eyes on your body felt good, his eyes seeking yours – seeking your attention in the way Griff was now seeking mine – made you feel special. And I would take special over good any day of the week.
“Morning.”
He raised his brows. “That’s all you’ve got, baby? I thought for sure you’d have a lot more than that to say this morning.”
“Smart-ass,” I said with a smile. “I’m regrouping.”
He chuckled. “How long does that usually take you?”
I tilted my head. “You know, just quietly, I’m liking this sense of humour thing you’ve got going on. I would so not have picked it from you, but that’s one of the things I like about you the most – I never know what’s coming next. And while we’re talking, can I just say – I don’t know where you keep your comb or your brush, but you seriously need to consider keeping it in the bathroom, because when a woman looks how I looked when I woke up this morning, she needs something to fix her hair with, and while my fingers did the trick this morning, they didn’t really cut it, if you know what I mean. This hair would look so much better if I could have run a brush through it.”
He glanced at my hair for a second and then his eyes found mine again. “I see the regrouping has taken place,” he murmured, his voice deeper, more gravelly than before.
“Well, I’m not sure about that, but the thing about the brush needed to be said.”
“I’ll take it under advisement, sweetheart. I’ve never had an issue like this before…never had a woman wake up next to me in this bed.”
Oh. My.
His words caused me to falter. More regrouping would need to take place now.
He watched me, waiting for me to reply, and when I didn’t, he added, “And for the record, there was no need to run your fingers through your hair. Bedhead suits you.”
God, he was killing me this morning. My heart almost swelled out of my chest with happiness.
His phone sounded with a text, and while he kept one hand firmly on my back, he reached for his phone with the other. I watched his beautiful face while he read the message, taking in the lines across his forehead that etched his thoughts onto his face, and the stubble he always wore, and those green eyes of his that held all his pain. Griff’s was a face I could study for hours. I watched it now as he processed the message, and I knew that whatever that text contained, it hadn’t been good news for him. Not if the way the lines and twitches on his face were anything to go by.
He placed his phone back on the bedside table and eyed me. “You working today?” And just like that, he seemed to compartmentalise the parts of his life. It was as if he’d swept aside whatever he’d just read so he could focus on me, not even allowing his emotions about the text message to touch his mind.
“Yes, unfortunately.” I decided not to acknowledge the text or his feelings on it. I figured Griff was a man of so many layers, and it was going to take me awhile to peel each layer back. I also figured he wasn’t the kind of man who would let a woman rush that process, so I was going to have to be patient.
“I’ll take you to work and pick you up,” he stated, and his tone told me there would be no arguing.
“That’s a nice offer, but you seem to have forgotten that I don’t have any clothes here. Not to mention, a brush, or makeup, or any of that stuff a girl kinda needs to get ready for work.” I couldn’t help tease him, but seriously, did he think women just got out of bed and were ready for work?
His eyes flashed a mixture of heat and frustration. And then he shifted so he could move me off his lap and deposit me on the bed next to him. He left the bed and eyed me. “I’m gonna get your clothes, you’re gonna get dressed, and then I’m gonna follow you to your house.” He raised his brows. “Where you can use your brush and makeup and all that stuff you think you need to make yourself beautiful. And then, I’m gonna put you on the back of my bike and take you to work. Where you can regroup and get that gorgeous mouth of yours ready to give me more of the smart-ass I love from it.” He paused for a moment before he asked, “You good with that?”
Oh, he had no idea how good I was with that.
I nodded. “I’m good with that.”
“Thank fuck,” he muttered. Then he turned and left the room to go in search of my clothes.
And I sat and waited while my heart did the jig in my chest.
This man.
Oh, my.
* * *
Griff followed me to my house, however as we were walking inside, he received another text message. This one caused him to swear and then he gave me a regretful look. “I’m sorry, sweetheart, I’ve gotta head out and take care of something for work.”
“It’s only just after six in the morning. Do you often get called out at that time of the day?”
“Some days, yes.”
Disappointment filled me, but seeing his regret made it okay. It wasn’t as if he wanted to leave. “Will I see you tonight?”
He put his hand out. “Pass me your phone. And yes, you’ll see me tonight.”
I gave him my phone and he keyed in his number and then sent himself a text. As he handed it back, h
e bossed me, “Use that number if you need it. I’m only a phone call away.”
I smiled at him, loving his bossiness and what it told me about him – he wanted me. Pressing myself against him, I said, “You should go before I decide not to let you go.”
His hands landed on my ass and his lips brushed mine. “I’ll see you later,” he promised, and I nodded, fully intending to make him keep that promise.
As he turned to leave, I was surprised to see Magan walking towards the front door. When she reached us, she looked Griff up and down. “Shit,” she said before looking at me. “Dude’s hotter in person than on your phone.”
Mortified yet again, I widened my eyes at her, screaming ‘shut up’ through eye communication.
Griff smirked and raised his brows at me. “Didn’t realise I was on your phone. I’m thinking I might need something similar on mine.”
If I could have dug a hole and jumped in it at that moment, I would have. Magan and I would be having words. I pulled myself together and winked at him. “I’ll be sure to send you something, handsome.”
His smirk turned into a chuckle. “I see you’re regrouping again.”
I blinked as I stared at him, my cheeks burning what I figured to be a nice shade of red. The only thing a woman could do in a situation like this was hold her head high and brush it off. And give her man a little sass. “I may be spending the whole day regrouping at the rate we’re going, so if you were hoping for some of that smart-ass you love so much, I’d advise you walk that sexy ass of yours right on out of here and go do whatever the heck a man does at six am in the morning. And as far as a photo appearing on your phone today…that’s going to take a lot of regrouping which would only be helped along by either texts or photos, if you know what I mean. And I know you’re a man who guards his words like he guards his secrets, so I’m more than good with photos, but, just sayin’, words are so much sexier.”