Tattered & Bruised

by Allie York

  Having nothing else to do with my hands, I moved them down to his chest, taking in the solid muscle underneath his shirt and running my hands up his shoulders to his neck. Griffin’s free hand grabbed the back of my neck gently and he attacked my mouth. I gasped, parting my lips enough for his tongue to stroke mine. His grip on my ass tightened when I returned the gesture. I had no control over anything my body was doing, but there was no denying I enjoyed every bit of it. I was the puppet and Griffin Steele was my master. My mind froze and my mouth took over, giving him back all he had to offer. I hadn’t kissed a man in years, but I could kiss Griffin for the rest of eternity. His smell, his taste, the feel of him took me over, lulling me into a stupor that didn’t leave room for fear. My breathing and pulse went in a million directions. I didn’t bother trying to stop it. Feeling him hardening against me just intensified my lust, and I gripped his hair, kissing him like my life depended on it.

  We were mostly hidden from sight and it was dark, so I wasn’t worried about being seen, but being heard was a different matter. The hand on my ass moved around to my thigh, sliding up under my skirt and making me whimper. The man was everywhere at once, his hands roaming me, coaxing more from me. No one had touched me since Richard, or Richard’s dealer, rather. Anyone who tried sent me into a panic attack and left in a hurry, but Griffin was nothing like Richard. His hand inched forward like he was expecting me to stop him, but there was no way in hell. With his giant erection pressed into me and his mouth assaulting mine, I needed every bit of it. It didn’t matter how he said he treated women, or what kind of breakdown I had coming later. Axel was safe with Mom, I was a grown ass woman, and it had been far too long. Griffin was exactly what I needed.

  I moaned against his mouth when he skimmed up my thigh and brushed my panties out of the way to touch me. “So fucking beautiful,” he muttered against my neck as he moved his mouth down, biting me gently.

  My brain went from “Oh, shit!” to “Why the hell not?” in a matter of seconds. I moved to free him from the jeans he was ready to burst out of. Before I could even start my task, he grabbed my hand, removing his from between my legs.

  “Not here.”

  His shoulders were heaving, and he looked pissed at his own words. There was no doubt I would lose my nerve by the time we got anywhere else, but hey, his loss. My pulse started slowing and, within a matter of seconds, I was starting to think straight. I literally nearly had sex with a man I barely knew, outside in a public place after years of celibacy. It was like Griffin put me in a lust-induced trance. When I looked up at his face, his expression mirrored mine and I giggled, resting my forehead on his. Griffin fixed my skirt, wrapped his arms around my waist, and planted a very chaste kiss on my lips. Surprisingly, of all the things I was feeling, panic wasn’t one of them. Griffin nuzzled into my neck, inhaling.

  “Only like I breathe.” I shimmied out of his grip, off his lap, dropping back down next to him. Without another word, he tugged me up by my hand, kissing me possessively on the mouth before we made our ascent back to the sidewalk. Griffin opened my car door and we drove silently with his hand on my thigh to the coffee shop near our houses. The look on Mitchell’s face when we walked in with Griffin’s arm around my waist was priceless. I took it to mean Griffin had done the tattoos on Mitch’s arms.

  Mitch’s dog, Bruce, got groomed by me every six weeks and Harriet picked up our coffee from him every morning. For living in a big city, we had a tight community in our area, especially the small businesses. We bartered and hung out on weekends. It was a like having a huge family. I zoned out while Griffin bullshitted with Mitchell, thinking about how he was parading me around like he owned me. I kind of liked it. I was bracing myself for the erratic breathing, the heart rate that wouldn’t slow down, and the paralyzing fear to take me down, but nothing happened.

  “Cori?” I jerked to attention when Mitch said my name. “The usual?”

  “Uh, yeah, but iced.”

  “How long has this been a thing? I’ve known you both for a while. I have to admit, I like it.” Mitch slid my drink to me waiting for an answer. “You’re both good people—a little rough, but good.” He nodded as he spoke, approving his own words. I tossed Mitch a twenty before Griffin could get his wallet out and we exited, not answering Mitch’s question. There was no thing and probably wouldn’t be. I was a mess, and Griffin didn’t date. It was all just a little fun.

  As soon as we were outside, Griffin turned me into him, controlling my movements by the firm grip on my waist. “Don’t do that again.” He smiled when he said it, but there was bite in his words. We stared each other down for a moment, waiting to see how long it would take for the other one to give in. After a good thirty seconds, I broke our gazes, shrugging off his demand.

  “Who are you to set back women’s rights fifty years? You know I vote too, right?” He was still staring but laughed, tugging me closer. “Speechless?”

  “I invited you, I pay.” He then indicated I was allowed to move my feet again and we settled on a bench, watching the traffic go by, sipping our drinks. “Do you have a curfew I’m supposed to have you home by?”

  “No, Ax is with Mom tonight. She’ll take her to school tomorrow. Why?” Griffin only shrugged at my question. His strong silent thing was definitely different, I relented to his silence, letting him drape his arm over my shoulders and leaning into him. Griffin was so damn comfortable, not just physically, but in general. I felt a sense of calm being next to him, one I hadn’t enjoyed in years. A group of college girls in skanky dresses eyed Griffin as if he was a steak as they stumbled by giggling. He drank his coffee like he didn’t notice, but he had to, it happened everywhere. It was either turned up noses or complete lust in every person who laid eyes on him.

  I tossed my empty cup into the trash next to me, moving closer to him, and rested my hand on his leg. I noticed him shift but didn’t move. If he could act all possessive, I could too. The date had overall been a bit of a disaster, but I didn’t give a shit. Griffin glanced down at me a few times, like he was reassuring himself that I was still there, but otherwise kept quiet and sipped his coffee. If I only got the one date with him, I was going to enjoy feeling safe.

  Again, he wordlessly stood, stretching his arms over his head before pulling me off the bench and into him. Instead of going to the car, we ambled the two blocks to my place, without a word, my hand in his. At my door, Griffin leaned against my door frame, blocking me from unlocking it. “Since we got all the awkward baggage out of the way, when are you free again?” He wants to see me again? The man is crazier than I am.

  I shook my head. “I don’t know, Griffin. I haven’t done this in years, and I want our girls to be friends without any worries about us tearing them apart. Maybe we should leave things alone.” Griffin lifted my chin, making me look at him. He kissed my forehead softly . I blew out a slow breath through pursed lips, closed my eyes, and tried to formulate my next response. It was like every touch wiped my brain clean, leaving me without a single comeback.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow.” Mr. Sexy-As-Hell moved from in front of my door, down the brick stairs, and to the sidewalk without another word. I wanted to chase him down to make me kiss him again, or come inside, or talk to me about what the hell was happening. Instead, I watched, rather shamefully, as he strode confidently toward the end of the block. Being so big did not make him less graceful. Griffin walked like a man who knew his place, with no questions as to who he was. I let myself into my empty house, locked the door behind me, and stripped my way to the bathroom to take off my makeup. No Axel meant I could sleep naked but after at least an hour of tossing and turning I started flipping through Facebook, stalking my date on social media.

  Chapter Six

  Griffin

  Shit. It was the best word I could come up with to describe how the night had unfolded. Cori looked amazing, felt amazing, but the whole thing felt forced and awkward, nothing like the day before. I didn’t know how to treat I woman I di
dn’t have my dick in and she didn’t know how to be treated by a man. Fuck me sideways.

  The best part of the night had been her straddling my lap in the dark looking at me like I was the only man on the planet. It wasn’t even the fact that I could have taken her, it was the way she looked at me. I couldn’t fuck her there, not to escape the shit she had just told me. Cori deserved better than I treated other women. I wanted to treat her better than them. The look on her face when she told me about her dumbass ex was enough to knock the wind out of me. She acted like she had something to be ashamed of, like it was her fault, but Cori was the victim of her ex’s bullshit. She was so fucking strong.

  Once I was in my car, the built-up anger and pent-up frustration took over. I growled, slamming my hands into the steering wheel. Fuck. There was no doubt Cori wanted me, but I didn’t want to just screw her and move on. I wanted to know her, touch her. I wanted to put the tattered pieces of her together again. I wanted to own Cori Sharpe, every damaged bit of her. I wasn’t taking no for an answer about it, either. I had gone my entire life without feeling a damn thing for anyone, so I wasn’t letting anyone ruin my high, not even her.

  Home was a whopping mile away, but I drove the distance anyway. The house was dark and quiet—not even Tank greeted me. Hell, the dog barely even wagged his tail when I came in. I got a beer from the fridge, settled on the recliner, and pulled my phone out.

  Hattie: Well?

  Griff: I don’t even fucking know.

  Hattie: What did you do to the girl?

  Griff: Nothing, I was chivalrous and shit, but I fucked it all up. She’s been through some shit I wasn’t aware of. I think I blew it being an ass. I’m not taking no for an answer, but tonight may have bruised my ego. I doubt she’ll want to see me again.

  Hattie: Don’t push it. Just be you, Griffie. Any girl would be lucky to have a guy like you after her.

  Griff: So, says the lesbo

  Hattie: Fuck you then, trying to help.

  Griff: Sorry. I don’t do this shit and I’m failing miserably. See ya tomorrow.

  I tossed the phone onto the table next to me and groaned. How had we been so comfortable one day and so damn tense the next? The answer was obvious. I pushed too much too fast. I wanted to ensure the guy was out of the picture, but the answers coming from her perfect mouth floored me. I shouldn’t have asked about her ex, Axel’s dad. It was obviously a sore subject and she had every right to not talk about it, but Cori opened up about it, giving me more details than I expected. Her words haunted me. The jackass was given the perfect woman and daughter, but he threw it all away for a temporary high. Fucking moron.

  It was almost impossible to sleep once I laid down. I stared at the ceiling, hard as a fucking rock, and not willing to do anything about it. Jerking off thinking about her in my lap seemed wrong, like it was tainting the time we had together. Since when do I have a moral compass? So, I suffered through a very painful erection until I fell asleep.

  I got into the shower the next morning unable to control myself any longer. I would shower again after my run, but I needed a cold one to help my aching cock before I met her at work. It wasn’t long before my shower thoughts went dirty and I was picturing Cori in there with me. The way she kissed me on the rock had me hard in a second, and remembering it was almost as good as the real thing. I soaped up, sliding my hand up my cock and back down, letting the barely-warm water hit the back of my neck. When I slid my hand up her skirt, I felt how fucking wet she was for me, and it took too much self-control to push her hands from my zipper. When I took her, I planned to do it right, not fuck her in public then take her home. Thinking about her soaked panties had me coming in my hand, groaning, shooting my release into the shower jet. I was jerking off like a horny teenager after telling the woman we couldn’t have sex. Shit, I’m an asshole.

  I stopped halfway through my morning run at The Brew, picked up the same drink from the night before, winking at Mitch when he handed me her order, and walked to The Dog House. Her car was there and I stopped to collect my thoughts before going up the ramp. I never had to try with a woman before, which meant I had shitty taste in women, but I never cared until that very second. All the women leading up to Cori had one purpose, and it wasn’t conversation or companionship. I started in, but the voices inside made me wait. The window was open so I heard it all clearly.

  “Sex does not make you a whore.” Harriet’s voice was light and bouncy, much like her. “Plus, who wouldn’t want a piece of him?” I moved just enough to see them through the crack in the curtain.

  “I didn’t have sex with him, but damn I wanted to. We were outside, Harri, sitting on a damn rock.” Cori threw a paper towel at the trashcan. “Then my wishy-washy self tells him we can’t get into a relationship. I don’t even know if he wants a relationship. The whole night was a disaster and it was my damn fault.” Harriet grabbed Cori’s shoulders, shaking her a little.

  “Calm down, deep breath, and close your eyes.” I could feel Harriet’s hippie bullshit coming on, but stayed to hear what she had to say. “Now I want you to listen. You are my dear friend, I love you, but you sound extremely unstable right now. He wants to see you again, today, so let the insecurity about it go. If this is about the sex thing then tell him, but try not to let fear hold you back.”

  Cori dropped her head back, letting out a loud groan. “I haven’t had sex in nearly four years because I have PTSD but let’s fuck on a rock? Harri, I haven’t been able to even kiss a man until him. How do you think a man like Griffin Steele would react to me being so weak?” She stepped back from Harriet. “Sounds like a great conversation. I want to keep him, not run him off!”

  Four years? Since the night she was attacked. Being raped was not sex. I gripped her latte, gritting my teeth. At least my woman said she wanted to keep me, not like I was giving her a choice, but it was nice to hear. Cori had no idea what kind of man I was, but to be honest, neither did I. What I did know was that I would fix Cori if it fucking killed me.

  “I’m just trying to help, Cori. I’ve cleaned Needles a million times, he’s a good man. He’s edgy and badass, but genuinely good. I’ve see him tattoo all kinds of flirty girls’ tits and everything without reacting to their advances. If Griff has a thing for you, go with it. The way his daughter has opened up should tell you how patient the man can be.” Cori grumbled something at Harriet and I took the opportunity to stroll up the ramp. I held the door open for Harriet. She winked at me, patting my chest as I stepped inside, and she hurried across the street. She knew I had been listening. Harriet was a transplant from Washington and had inserted herself into every business in the area, but she was an awesome chick. I had to thank her for trying to talk sense into Cori.

  Cori was missing so I settled on the bench up front to wait. A man came in with a big black dog, making the door chime, and Cori hurried up front. The look of surprise on her face when she saw me was adorable, but she recovered quickly, greeting the man. She asked about his phone number, rubbed his dog down enough to make me slightly jealous, and waved him off. Then she took the dog to the back, not even acknowledging me, so I waited. After plenty of time had passed, I realized she was hiding from me, so I shoved off the bench. Fuck it. I wanted her, and I tried, but she wasn’t having it, so it was a waste. I left the coffee next to the cash register, starting out the door. Erica pulled up in her massive truck and waved. I returned it with a grunt, walking down the ramp. I stopped before I reached the sidewalk. No, I wasn’t going to leave. I was going to march my ass back in there to claim what was mine. I started to turn back just as Cori gently touched my arm. My pissy attitude got in the way of hearing her follow me out. I was not making a good impression, and after the night before, I needed one.

  “Sorry, I had a mess to clean up.” Even the smock thing she wore was badass. It was black with pink edges and her shoes matched. Erica winked at me as she passed with her toy poodle. How do all these women know things I don’t?

  “I didn’t
want to bother you.” I was still pissed, but no point in dwelling since the woman chased me outside. I did want to bother her. A lot. “I work the rest of the week, but are you free Sunday? I don’t care what you think of last night, I’m not taking no for an answer.”

  Cori chewed her lip, shaking her head. “No. My sister and I take the kids to the zoo on Sundays.” Then, without any warning, she stood on her toes to softly kissed the edge of my lip. She knew I was pissed. “You and Celia can come with us if you want, but only if you think you can handle my sister. She and I are nothing alike.”

  I curled my arms around her, needing to touch her, needing her close. Cori fit against me perfectly, her soft curves to my rough edges. Cori was just tall enough for me to rest my chin on her head. “Celia would love the zoo. I can sure as hell handle your sister.” Cori rested her chin on my chest, staring up at me. “I’ll let you work.” I moved her hair to kiss her neck and noticed the scar running from her ear down her neck to her shoulder. It was barely noticeable, a white line, but there if you looked closely enough. I settled on kissing her cheek before letting her retreat into work. Before I made it to the corner she came running up behind me, grabbed my arm, and stood on her toes to kiss me. I smothered her kiss with one of my own, gripping her ass to get her closer, then finally letting her go. I watched like a love-sick moron while she walked back to work. Yeah, I’m gone with that one.

  I had a few hours before work, so I trekked back home to hang out with my little girl. She was camped in front of the TV, Tank at her side, with the stuffed horse when I came in. Mom was making breakfast but stopped to kiss my cheek and pat my arm.