by Allie York
Chapter Nine
Cori
What the hell have I gotten myself into? I didn’t want to tell him no, but I had to. I wanted to shout “yes” from the rooftops, but I couldn’t go through with it, especially not with him. Griffin was the picture of perfection. Confident and sexy, flawless. I was broken with scars and a bruised soul to prove it, but I let him carry me to my room. Griffin tossed me roughly on the bed before prowling his way up my body on all fours to kiss me again. The last thing I wanted was to freak out and have a PTSD-induced panic attack, but I knew it would happen. It was why the last guy dumped me, and he hadn’t even gotten as far as Griffin. Hell, I had freaked out when Justin tried to kiss me. Griff’s mouth devoured mine while he gripped the back of my hair gently to keep me from pulling back. The man obviously thought he could fix me, but I was beyond fixing. He ground the bulge in his pants against me, making me whimper, and I pushed him off me.
“Griff, I can’t do this.” My hands massaged the muscles in his chest as I said it, and he smirked, reaching back to tug his shirt over his head. Then my hands were all over him. I couldn’t stop myself from wanting to trace every single line of ink on his chest and back. Then there were the barbells through his nipples. It was like the cherry on the sundae. Griffin watched my eyes roam his torso with a cocky smirk. Asshole.
Panic settled in my chest, my gut, when he jerked me up into him to pull my shirt over my head. He didn’t bother studying my scars, he just buried his face in my neck, kissing, licking all the way to the lace of my bra. We were on our knees facing each other, at least until he needed me closer. Griffin tossed my bra across the room, dragging me up against him. I straddled his lap, pressed against him. His skin was warm, perfect against mine. When he laid me back on the bed, all bets were off, and I didn’t bother protesting. He practically tore the rest of my clothes off, running his hands over all of me. Every time I tried to speak, he kissed me, and each time it was fiercer. His tongue stroked mine and he took his jeans off, leaving only very fitting gray boxers that accentuated every massive inch of him.
I pushed him back again, breaking our connection. “I haven’t …” Griffin went for my mouth again, but I turned my head. “Please listen.”
“No.” Griffin took my chin, turning my face to his. “I know, so chill the fuck out, Cori. I’m not going to listen, not right now. So, quit overthinking this shit. I’ve got you, babe. Just trust me.” With his word being law, he stripped off his boxers, grabbed his wallet, and pulled out a condom. “Do you trust me?”
Everything around us froze for a fraction of a second when I looked into his eyes. I nodded, and Griffin grinned. Then I let my gaze fix on where the condom was going. Holy. Shit. It was pierced too. Twice. I had no idea where he thought all of it was going to fit, but the guy obviously had a plan. Griffin snatched me around the waist, positioned me on his lap, and slammed his mouth into mine. I gripped the back of his neck, he mirrored the gesture, keeping my mouth on his, and sliding his hand between my legs. I moaned, loud, into his mouth when he slid a finger inside me. So much for not screwing him. It took all of two seconds before he had me seeing stars, trying not to wake the kids all with only his hand. With a wicked smile, he moved his hand to his mouth and sucked the juices from his fingers. I stared, more excited by the second watching him lick his fingers clean.
I could feel the cold metal through the condom when he rubbed it against me before thrusting himself inside. A pleasurable pain raced through every inch of me. His mouth hit mine as I cried out and he groaned, “Fuck, Cori …” His words turned into another groan when he moved me on top of him, slowly at first. “So, fucking perfect.”
I clawed at his chest and shoulders, not able to get close enough. The piercing at the base of his massive manhood hit me just right. He filled me deliciously. There was no panic, no regret, only the overwhelming need to have him as deep inside of me as humanly possible. I picked up the pace, bringing on another orgasm, giggling breathlessly when Griffin covered my mouth with a huge hand. He was right behind me, squeezing me into him, growling low in his chest when he reached his own climax. Griff threw his head back, breathing hard and taking me down with him so I was draped over his chest. Then the panic hit me. I couldn’t catch my breath, couldn’t calm my pounding pulse, couldn’t stop shaking. Griffin moved and wrapped himself around me, completely covering my body with his. He shushed me, smoothing my hair. I squeezed my eyes closed, but all I saw was the glint of a knife, all I heard were his words.
“Scream, and I’ll gut your kid like a fucking fish.”
“Cori.” Griffin shaking me brought me out of my black hole and my eyes snapped open. “Stay with me. I got you, babe. I got you.” He kept his eyes locked on mine, while the visions in my head slowly faded. I nodded, moving off him to rake my hair from my face. Griff pulled me back to him and held me a while longer, calming me, kissing my head. Once I caught my breath, he stood, stretching. I couldn’t help but drag my eyes over him. Damn. I gathered clothes from the floor and he vanished into the bathroom. His absence made my panic resurface. My chest collapsed on itself, making it impossible to suck in a breath. I tucked my chin to my chest and pulled my knees up, memorizing the look in his eyes, the expression on his face when he asked if I trusted him. Eventually, I was able to breathe almost normally, and I waited for him to tell me he was leaving.
I was in my pajamas, or shorts and a tank top, in the fetal position when he came back. I was numb. I wanted to still be reeling from the amazing sex, but I wasn’t. I wasn’t flipping out, either, so that was good. He stretched out next to me, folding his arms behind his head. I couldn’t look at him. I warned him that I was a mess, and he was getting to see it first-hand.
“I’m sorry.”
“What the fuck for?” Griffin wiped the lone tear from my face. I was beyond a mess. Who the fuck cries after sex? Me. I cried. Grown ass woman, crying like a bitch after amazing sex with a hunky piece of eye candy. I didn’t answer him and he didn’t ask again. We laid against each other for a while, and I let my breathing match his. He was going to run the hell away for sure after my mini breakdown, so I was going to enjoy him while it lasted. “Are you going to kick me out?” His voice rumbled through me.
I tried not to react, tried not to look as shocked as I was, but I failed. “Uh, no.” He settled his face in my hair to get more comfortable. “You don’t want to leave?”
Griff laughed. “Hell no, I plan on getting you up early to do that shit again. It was fucking incredible, then I can wake up just like this.” The light from the bathroom was enough for me to see the devilish half-smile on his face, and I rolled my eyes. His hand found my ass giving it a squeeze. I kissed the scar on his lip and snuggled into him. Enjoy it while it lasts.
Griffin made good on his promise, waking me up a few hours later for more fun. Something about waking up to a man rubbing his hand against your lady bits is both exciting and scary. I scrambled backward, trying to clear the sleep from my mind and figure out what was happening. I didn’t get far because he grabbed by the hips to drag me underneath him. I lashed out, but he grabbed my hand to kiss my palm. Once I realized what was in store, I was on board. It was still dark out, so before six, so that meant we had plenty of time and less desperation. The time quickly left my mind when he ripped my underwear off, tossing them across the room. In one, very sexy movement, he had my legs thrown over his shoulders, burying his face between my thighs. My fingers threaded through his hair, my head fell back, and I was gone when he nuzzled against my legs. Griffin licked and nibbled my inner thighs, making my breaths come out in whimpers. I may have said his name paired with an “Oh, my god”, but my mind was hardly functioning. I bit my lip hard enough to draw blood to keep from being too loud when his tongue pushed me over the edge. He lifted my hips off the bed, making me ride it out to the fullest, and it was a serious battle to not scream his name.
I hadn’t even recovered before his mouth was on mine, nibbling my bottom lip as he eased
slowly into me. I could taste myself on his tongue and whimpered into his mouth as he tortured me slowly, easing into inch by hard inch.
“Look at me, babe. I wanna see those eyes when I make you come.” My eyes flew open at his demand, locked on his. Fire burned behind his light-blue irises. I tried to keep my gaze on his, but it didn’t last long. He edged me toward another climax, picking up momentum, making me moan. Griffin pulled my hair lightly, keeping his eyes on mine until I came undone and my eyes squeezed shut. His strokes sped up, his grunts turning into something primal, animalistic. His body fell on top of mine and he bit into the tender flesh on my neck. Stars exploded behind my eyes as I was sent over the edge of another wave of ecstasy. I got lost in an abyss of complete pleasure that I had forgotten existed, or maybe I had never experienced. Griffin came too, gripping the sheets and grunting, sinking his teeth in harder. Pain shot through me in a way I never wanted to end. He collapsed on me and I ran my nails over his shoulders, relishing the goosebumps left in their wake.
“Go back to sleep.” The demanding asshole pecked my lips and rolled off me to disappear into my bathroom.
“What time is it?” I whispered when he came back, sitting on the bed to put his boxers back on.
“Three-ish.” He laid back and pulled me on to his chest. “You look fucking amazing right after getting laid. Now go to sleep before you start overthinking shit again.” It hadn’t even crossed my mind, but it wasn’t overthinking. It was the constant reminder that I was powerless to stop a man from degrading me, using me. It was the knowledge of being weak to the point of breaking.
I pushed off Griffin. “You know it’s more than overthinking, right?” I sat up, curling my legs to my chest, fixing my hair.
He jerked me back down. “Yes, I fucking know,” he growled, “but it’s three in the morning. I can’t talk about it right now. I told you I’ve got you. Now trust me and go to sleep, Cori.” Anger flared in me and I rolled away from him, pulling the blanket up to my chin.
“Screw you, Griffin.”
“I said I know. I get it, babe. I’ve got you.” The jerk dragged my body back over to him, positioning me on his chest again, smothering me in his huge arms. “But it’s late, you work tomorrow, and now I’m worn out. We can discuss it later.” Griff kissed my forehead, loosened his hold slightly, and closed his eyes. Apparently, the conversation was done. He gently rubbed his thumb in circles on my back, slowing over time, then coming to a complete stop as he fell asleep. Griffin was determined to fix my tattered pieces and was doing a damn good job no matter how hard I fought it, but he wasn’t going to downplay how terrified I was of everything going on.
Chapter Ten
Griffin
My hand slid over the sheets only to find them empty and cold when I woke up. Where the hell did she go? If I found her crying somewhere I was going to lose it and never forgive myself. Cori had relaxed, finally enjoying herself, she needed to, but once her mind got the best of her, she broke again. Whatever it took to get her past what happened, I was going to do it. Even if it meant going against my nature, losing my mind in the process. Cori deserved more than I could give her, but I was giving it my best shot. I needed her to feel safe with me, because she was. I’d die before anything happened to her. The woman turned me into one sappy motherfucker almost overnight.
I got dressed, feeling slightly gross from my lack of shower and night of sex, and plopped back down on the bed to gather my thoughts. It had been four long ass months since I had gotten laid but Cori was worth the wait. Fuck, everything about her was so perfect. The just-fucked look on her face made me want to keep her up all night. I wanted to keep her in bed all the next day too, but we had kids to get to school and jobs to get to. It would figure that the woman of my dreams came along just after I had to grow up, be responsible. At least it was a woman who understood.
I found the three of them dressed, eating cereal, and watching cartoons. Cori was in black, looking sexy as hell, and had her brown hair up off her neck. It made me want to lick from her shoulder to her ear, but instead, I followed the smell of coffee to the kitchen to pour a cup. I leaned against the counter, sipping the black goodness until Cori came in to rinse the cereal bowls. I watched her, neither of us talking until she turned to mimic my position. I could see the mark left by my teeth peeking from under her shirt and I puffed my chest. I hadn’t done it intentionally, but leaving marks made it clear she was mine. No one could ever question that the woman was taken.
“I put Celia is some of Ax’s clothes. I didn’t know what you were doing today because I hardly know you at all, but I’ll get her clean clothes back to you soon.” The bite in her tone pissed me off, but her glare made me fucking livid. It also made me want to fuck her again, show her that her attitude was not going to give her the results she was used to.
“What’s the attitude for?” I crossed the gap to her, but she held her hands up to stop me from touching her. “What the fuck, babe?” I moved her hands gently to her sides and pinned her against the counter. “I had my face buried in your pussy last night, but now I can’t touch you? I don’t think so.” Cori gasped when I kissed her, thrusting my tongue in her mouth, claiming her. Her hands toyed between shoving me off her and pulling me closer, driving me fucking crazy. Trying to ease her mind, I touched her face, stroking her cheek with my thumb, and she melted into me. She thought I was going to leave her overa little breakdown but was very mistaken.
“I need to get going,” Cori whispered against my lips, making me even harder.
“Yeah.” I took a painful step back. “I need to go for a run. Celia has school today too.” I kissed her cheek, dragging my hand down her arm, taking her hand. “You’ll know me, but you may not like it.”
Cori sighed. “Yeah, right. I’m the one who’s fucked up, unless you’ve forgotten already.” I was going to fix her if it fucking killed me. All those little splintered pieces that she pretended were fine for Axel’s sake would be polished and whole again. She kissed my scar and tried to leave, but I jerked her back, moving her shirt to trace the bite mark with my thumb.
“Don’t push me away again. I’m not going anywhere. Your ass is mine now.” Cori giggled when I smacked her perfect round ass and I followed her out to collect the kids. I hugged her hard enough to pull her feet off the ground, kissing the purple bite marks on her shoulder, then watched her climb up into her Jeep. I fell for her like an idiot as soon as I walked into the dance studio and she pretended to not stare at me, but that night sold me. I pushed her boundaries and she let me, making me putty in her hands. I knew instantly she had ruined me for any other woman on the planet. Her just looking at me made me crazy. Cori could deny it all she wanted, but it was too late. We were all in whether she wanted to be or not.
Chapter Eleven
Cori
I pulled in to The Dog House right behind Jovie and Erica, dashing in to beat the client coming in behind me. I hated being late, but that time was worth every second and every inch. Despite how confused I was, how vulnerable I felt, I wanted more. I wanted every fucking bit of him constantly. Griffin was not my type, not my speed, but he was amazing. Harriet and Briggs were an odd match, but they worked out perfectly so maybe we could too. My thoughts made me sound like a crazy person. It hadn’t even been a week but I was thinking like we were going to be together forever. Forever was a long time to put up with the amount of crazy I was working with.
I dove into the day, trying to bury the feeling of a giant letter A on my shirt. It’s not like I was prude, but I felt like everyone knew my secret. I was a grown ass woman with a kid but felt shy about having sex. Mind-blowing, amazing sex. Really mind-blowing sex that made me forget how damaged I was. Maybe it came with the territory of only sleeping with two guys in my entire life, but I felt like they could read it on my face, which was insane. Despite my weird mixed feelings about whether to tell my friends about my sex life, I was happy. Honestly, I was nearly fucking giddy. He hadn’t seen me at my worst but had
witnessed my mini breakdown without any reaction other than to calm me. That alone made my stomach flutter, but the stomach fluttering stopped abruptly, and my day went to shit in one second. A man wearing a suit came in. I recognized him immediately as Richard’s scum bag attorney. He politely asked for me and Jovie waved me over. Fuck.
“Ms. Sharpe.” Darren McNabb tipped his head. “Can we talk outside?” It was a rhetorical question, of course. I followed him out, leaning against the bannister, waiting. “Your husband—”
“Ex,” I cut him off, crossing my arms, “my ex-husband.” He rolled his eyes like being married was a formality. It had been years since our divorce was final, but, apparently, the attorney thought it was a fluke.
“Mr. Sharpe has a parole hearing next week. He has asked you and Axel to come for support. He tried to call, but your number changed.” I bit my tongue. Of course, I changed my number. I wanted to be as separate from the man as possible. Richard was lucky I hadn’t changed my last name. If not for Axel I would have. “He wants to contact you to discuss a custody agreement and reconciliation once he’s out, but the restraining order makes all contact difficult.”
I nearly laughed. “We won’t be there and the restraining order is there to keep him away from us. He nearly got me killed, they threatened my daughter, and it’s his fault. So, you can tell him to stay the fuck away from us.” My nails dug into the wooden porch to keep me standing. “I won’t have him bringing any more of his dealer’s wrath on us. As far as you’re concerned, do not come interrupt me at work again. You can deal with my attorney. I’m sure you remember how to contact her.” I narrowed my eyes as asshole attorney flipped a card from his pocket, handing it to me.