"What?" Confusion laced his voice, and his forehead was furrowed.
"Katie filled me in on what Brooke had told her about you. There's a disconnect between the two of you, isn't there?" Her legs were starting to ache from his weight on them, but she didn't want to dislodge him.
His grip tightened on her wrists, his gaze desperately searching hers for understanding. "I went there tonight to take her to dinner."
Clare shifted her legs, sliding them outside his. The moment she did that, he sank deeper against her. Okay, maybe not quite the right solution. She focused on Griffin, trying to ignore the pressure of his body between her thighs. His slowly growing hardness between her legs. "And she wouldn't go with you?"
"She wasn't there, but Hillary's new husband was. It didn't go well." Griffin's eyes began to darken, and his gaze drifted to her mouth. "She's trapped in that house, and I can't reach her. It's like my dream, only this time it's real, and I still can't reach her."
Clare swallowed, her body beginning to respond to the heated way he was studying her lips. This wasn't good. She couldn't do this. "Have you spoken to Brooke?" she asked, trying to keep the conversation directed to a safe topic.
"Yeah. She told me to leave her alone."
Clare's heart tightened for the pain beneath his words. "Don't give up on her. She needs you."
Griffin stared at her, and then a faint smile softened his hard features. "Thank you for saying that."
She smiled back, happy to see the hint of peace in his eyes. "I believe it."
"I know you do." He began to rub his thumb over the inside of her wrist. "And that's why it was so beautiful."
Tremors rippled down her arm from his touch, and a pulse began to beat low in her belly. "Griffin—"
"No," he said. "No more words. Not right now."
Then slowly, ever so slowly, he bent his head.
He was going to kiss her. She knew he was. She should push him away. Get out of bed. Run screaming. Go, Clare, go! "Griffin—"
"Tonight, you are my savior," he whispered. "That dream tortures me constantly, but tonight you took it away. You gave me room to breathe again."
Tears filled her eyes at the earnestness of his words, and then he kissed her.
Chapter 10
Griffin's kiss was everything Clare had dreamed of for years.
Feather-light and tender, his lips brushed over hers, a fleeting connection of desire and endearment that was over before she had a chance to take a breath.
He pulled back and studied her, as if trying to gauge her reaction.
She couldn't tear her gaze away from him, couldn't keep herself from being mesmerized by the depths of his dark eyes. She wanted him to kiss her again. And again. And—
"You're trembling," he said.
She blinked. "I am?"
"Are you cold?"
"No." She couldn't seem to find words.
He raised one eyebrow, and then a slow, seductive smile spread across his features. No dimple this time, just the awareness of a man and his power over a woman. "Hmm..." He released her wrist and laid his hand against her head, his fingers tangling in her hair in a sensual caress that sent spirals of pleasure cascading through her.
Still smiling, he kissed one corner of her mouth. And then the other. And then her nose.
Clare closed her eyes, afraid to breathe, terrified of shattering the moment. This precious, amazing moment. She drank in every touch, the warmth of his lips as they touched her skin, the gentleness of his hand in her hair, the heat of his breath against her cheek.
There were no words between them. No words to describe the wonder of what it felt like to have Griffin touching her. She reveled in the sensation of his skin against hers, the weight of his body pressing her to the mattress, the exploration of his lips over the curves of her face, the heat from her skin mingling with the damp fire rising from his.
Then he kissed her mouth again, and this time, the kiss was deeper. More insistent. More intimate. Seeking her response.
Desire blazed through Clare, answering his summons, and she began to kiss him back, tentatively at first, not sure what he wanted, or how to respond. But when Griffin made a soft growl of pleasure and deepened the kiss, sweeping his tongue across hers, she forgot to be worried. She forgot to fear. She just kissed him back, following his pace, setting her own. She became lost in the kiss, in his hands in her hair, in his body moving against hers, his hips nestling more deeply between her thighs.
His skin felt so magnificent as she moved her leg, sliding her bare foot along his calf. She basked in the hardness of his muscles as he supported his upper body, the sheer raw man that he was. She'd forgotten, oh, how she'd forgotten, what it felt like to be in a man's arms, to be kissed as though she were the most precious being in existence.
No, not a man. Griffin. It was only Griffin. His legs tangled around hers, his woodsy scent filling the air, his mouth nibbling so seductively along her collar bone.
Griffin lightly bit her lip, then the kiss changed. It deepened, it pulsated with power, and with urgency. With need.
Answering need rushed through Clare, and she shifted her legs apart a little further as he moved his hips against her, pressing into her. She tentatively set her hands on his shoulders, needing to feel his skin, wanting to pull him closer, not sure how to do it, not sure if she should.
"I like that," he whispered. "Hold me."
Excitement poured through Clare, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him back, feverish desire racing through her. It was beautiful and amazing and—
"Mom?"
Clare froze at the distant call, her heart hammering with desperate need as Griffin pulled back. For a moment, they simply stared at each other, as if they could will away the interruption and fall back into the magic that had begun to build between them. But as they lay there in frozen stillness, Clare felt the cocoon that they'd built around themselves beginning to unravel. The intimacy being torn apart. This special moment, this incredible feeling of being in Griffin's arms was crumbling through her fingers. Her hands dug into his shoulders, as if she could hold onto it, keep it from slipping away from her—
Then she heard footsteps descending the stairs. Coming toward them. "Mom."
This time, Clare heard the stress in her daughter's voice, and she knew she had to go. "I'm sorry, I—"
Griffin caught her face and kissed her once, hard. "Go," he said.
He smiled, and she smiled back, and something flashed between them. An understanding as parents? As lovers? She didn't know, but it felt beautiful, as if she wasn't alone.
"Go!" Griffin lightly smacked her bottom, and she scrambled off the bed and raced for the door as she heard Katie's feet at the bottom of the stairs.
Safely out of Griffin's room before Katie could see where she'd been, Clare hurried out into the hallway and intercepted her daughter as Katie reached the bottom step. "What's wrong, sweetheart?"
"Bad dreams." Katie was hugging Harvey, her ancient pink bunny who found his way into her bed only on really tough nights. Her hair was hanging across her face, and her shoulders were bunched. "Can I sleep with you?"
"Of course." Clare put her arm around Katie, guiding her back toward her bedroom. Katie closed her eyes and rested her head on Clare's shoulder, barely awake even as she walked.
As they reached the back hallway, Griffin leaned out his door. He nodded at Katie and raised his brows in question.
Clare smiled at his concern. "She's okay," she mouthed, as she smoothed her daughter's hair back from her face.
Griffin nodded and slipped back inside. She heard the soft click of his door shutting as they walked past.
Their moment was over.
"You had sex!" Astrid declared as Clare walked over to the corner table of Wright's with her cup of coffee the next morning.
Astrid's hair was pulled back in a thick ponytail, but she'd woven delicate red and blue beads into a few of her strands. The beads were today's daily remind
er to herself that she really was the artist she wanted to be.
"Astrid! Shut up!" Clare glanced around her at the bustling crowds, but on this Tuesday morning, everyone seemed to be too busy to notice to Astrid's attempt to embarrass her. Clare did a careful check of the table by the door, but Eppie wasn't at her customary spot, thankfully. Eppie would not have missed that comment, for sure.
Clare made a face at Astrid as she slid into the chair beside Emma. "Seriously. I really don't need anyone in this town talking about my sex life."
Astrid wrinkled her nose and glanced around. "Sorry," she said. "I was just so excited when I saw your expression when you walked in." She raised her brows and lowered her voice expectantly. "You slept with him, didn't you? Your eyes are totally sparkling."
Clare felt her cheeks heat up. "I—"
"No, you didn't. I can tell." Emma gave Clare a thoughtful look as she picked at a cupcake. Emma was paint-free this morning, which hopefully was a good sign. Since she'd been back in town, Emma had been up before dawn painting, no matter what time she'd gone to bed, and Clare was starting to worry about her need to bury herself in her studio. There was, however, a cupcake on Emma's tray, which suggested that Ophelia, at least, thought Emma was having a tough day. "You're not glowing or traumatized enough to have done the tango with him." Emma patted Clare's shoulder. "Good girl."
"I didn't have sex with him." Clare wrapped her hands around the coffee cup and let the heat penetrate her palms. Katie had had an early study session at school, and Clare had bailed before Griffin had emerged from his room, not quite sure what to say to him after last night. She peeked behind her to make sure no gray-haired ladies had zoomed in, but the backfield was clear. So, she leaned forward and lowered her voice, unable to keep the grin off her face. "But he kissed me."
"Really?" Astrid clapped her hands, a delighted smile on her face. "How was it?"
Clare replayed that moment when Griffin's lips had touched hers. The strength and heat of his body on hers. "Amazing. It was just incredible."
"Oh," Astrid said. "You look so happy right now. I'm so glad."
Even Emma smiled. "Really?" She sighed and put her hand over her heart. "That's so beautiful. You deserve a good kisser. They're really wonderful."
"And?" Astrid prompted. "What else?"
"Katie came downstairs and interrupted." Clare had gone over that incident a thousand times in her head since last night. What would have happened if Katie hadn't woken up? Or if she'd come down five minutes later? Clare still couldn't decide whether she was glad Katie had come down, or not.
"Well, that's okay. It builds anticipation." Astrid sat back in her chair, her eyes dancing. "This sounds promising. Are you excited?"
Clare spun the cup around in her hands, trying to find the words. She'd sat there staring at that box of condoms this morning for at least ten minutes before getting into the shower. If anything happened with Griffin, it would be only a night, or two, and then real life would be back, facing her every morning. Could she really gallivant to the heavens with Griffin and be able to return peacefully to her world?
Emma leaned forward. "What's wrong, sweetie?"
Clare eyed the cupcake that suddenly looked very tempting. "I don't know what to do."
"About sleeping with him?" Astrid asked.
Clare shrugged. "About everything. I mean, it's been so long. I'm totally not rational about it. When he was kissing me, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. I have no frame of reference or foundation or anything." She picked up the dessert and realized that it was an old one. From yesterday? It was totally against her morals to eat it, but she broke off a piece of the hardened frosting anyway, craving the chocolate. "I mean, it was the most amazing sensation ever, to feel his body against me like that. I wasn't even thinking logically. I just wanted more. I would have hung from the rafters with him, and that was just from a kiss! What will happen if there's more? I'll be insane. I won't even know how to think or act or respond."
"Of course you will," Emma said. "It's natural—"
"And that's not all!" Clare popped another bite of the day old dessert in her mouth and made a face even as she chewed. It was dried out and crumbly, but the sugar hit her system in a well-needed boost. "Do I even like him? Or was it just the feeling of a man giving me attention? And what happens if I do like him? And then he leaves?" She shoved the rest of the cupcake into her mouth. "It was so much better before he reminded me of what I'd been missing from my life." She groaned and put her forehead down on the table. "I'm such a wreck."
Astrid laughed and put her arm around her. "Oh, babe, it's okay. You'll be fine."
"No, I won't," Clare moaned, not lifting her head. "I don't know how to have sex anymore. I don't know how to kiss. I was so in awe of his hands in my hair that I think I would have fallen down if I hadn't already been in his bed."
Emma whistled softly. "You were in his bed? How did that happen?"
"Because I'm so ignorant when it comes to dating and men that I got myself into his bed half-naked without even thinking about the fact it could turn sexual. What else am I going to do? Hop into the shower with him by accident?"
Astrid was laughing openly now. "If you get in the shower with him, there's no way I'm going to believe it's by accident."
"It's not funny!" Clare sat back and folded her arms against her chest. Her breasts felt heavy against her arms, and she could almost feel Griffin's chest against them. "Emma was right. I'm in no shape for intimacy with a man. Some women are supposed to be celibate, and apparently, I'm one of them."
"If you were," Astrid said cheerfully. "It wouldn't have felt so incredible, now would it?"
"It felt too incredible. I can't be trusted." Clare groaned. "I don't even know what I'm doing." She searched the faces of her friends for answers she didn't have. "Would I really have had sex with him? I mean, I don't even know him. He's an outsider. He'll be leaving soon. He's everything that's wrong."
"And yet he's completely tempting." Emma drummed her fingers on the table, chewing her lower lip as she always did when she was in the middle of thought. Her white cotton blouse was soft, making her look even more fragile than she already did. "Maybe he should move out. I'm not sure that his staying there is a smart idea. Things could happen because of the proximity, not necessarily because you've thought it out and decided you were willing to take the risk of the fallout."
Astrid raised her brows at Emma. "You think she should kick him out?"
"No!" Clare's panicked response came out before she could stop it, and she saw the knowing looks from her friends at her intense reaction. "Oh, God. I'm already too dependent on him. I do have to make him move out, don't I? Or I'm going to jump him while he's sleeping."
"Oh, no." Astrid gave her a contemplative look, absently fingering the double heart necklace she was wearing. "You aren't just attracted to him. You actually like him."
"Yes, you do," Emma agreed with a grimace. "I thought sex would put you over the edge and make you get emotionally involved. But all it took was one kiss, and you already like him?"
"Well, yes, but it was a really good kiss." Oh, Clare didn't like how that made her sound a little too harlot-like. "Plus, he's a good man," she added hastily, as she brushed the cupcake crumbs off the table. Had she really scarfed an entire day old cupcake in two bites? Yes, she had. It was official. She'd lost her capacity to cope.
"He might be a good man, but he has major baggage with an ex-wife, and he lives in Boston," Emma said gently.
"I know, but—"
"It nearly wrecked you when Ed died," Emma said. "Don't get emotionally invested in a man who's guaranteed to leave you. If you're going to like a guy, at least pick one that has a chance of working out."
"You know, Clare," Astrid said. "I still believe you need to start dating again, and get some action, but I agree with Emma." She looked at Clare with concern. "Your heart is too big, and you've already opened it to Griffin. You can't sleep with him. You have to let him go.
"
"You're right." Clare bit her lip, trying not to think about that amazing kiss. "I know. You're right." She made a face. "But I really, really liked kissing him."
"Liked kissing who?" Ophelia asked as she walked up, carrying several plates of food from the deli. A personal delivery from the store owner meant one thing: that Ophelia was about to get personally involved, unless Clare could deflect her.
"Ed," Clare said quickly as Ophelia gave Astrid a warmed croissant and an orange. "My late husband. We were reminiscing about how he won me over."
Ophelia waggled a finger at her. "Now, now, missy, don't try to lie to me."
"I'm not. I—"
"I may have been married for fifty-three years, but I know a good looking and good-hearted man when I see one, and that Griffin Friesé is all that." Ophelia set another cupcake down in front of Clare, giving her a knowing nod that made Clare realize Ophelia had seen her scarf the cupcake and concluded she needed another one. "It's natural and right that Griffin would look at you the way he does, and what girl with a beating heart would be able to resist those smoldering looks he dishes your way?"
"He 'smolders' at me?" Clare grinned. Okay, if she wasn't going to convince Ophelia that she'd been talking about Ed, she might as well abandon the pretense and enjoy dishing about Griffin. Seriously. It wasn't every day someone told her a man like Griffin Friesé was giving her dark, lusty looks. "Really?"
"Oh, yes," Astrid said.
"'Fraid so," Emma added. "Are you going to eat that?" She pointed at the cupcake on Clare's plate. "Because if you're not, I'm going to, seeing as how you ate mine."
Clare looked at the cupcake and saw that the frosting definitely looked a little bit crustier than it should. "These are all from yesterday." She frowned at Ophelia. "You're supposed to throw away the old ones. You know it's against my rules to serve old ones."
"Well, we didn't get any new ones today because our cupcake baker didn't come through. Live with it."
Unexpectedly Mine (Birch Crossing Book 1) Page 12