Then it all went to hell.
Before I even had a chance to twist the key and unlock the door, it swung open, revealing a tall, sexy Griffin standing inside my apartment in all his insanely hot glory. “Oh come on!” I shouted. “Now we’re breaking and entering? That’s low, Griffin. Even for you.”
Taking me by the elbow, he pulled me into the apartment and closed the door behind us. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he replied, crossing his arms and leaning casually against the door. “Your neighbor, Mrs. Nesbit was kind enough to use her key to let me in when she found me sitting out on the stoop waiting for you. Lovely woman.”
“Oh my God! You’re using your charm to con little old ladies now? Mrs. Nesbit’s like, ninety! I’m pretty sure she’s senile.”
“Well, she was with it enough to tell me ‘how happy she is to have such a sweet, handsome boy watching out for our Pepper’ when I showed her my badge. And that’s a direct quote. Just an FYI.”
“You flashed her your badge, too?!” He didn’t show a single ounce of remorse. Since arguing about all the ways in which he manipulating poor Mrs. Nesbit was just wrong seemed pointless, I dropped my bag on the sofa, let out a sigh and asked, “Why are you even here?”
“Because I want to be with you. I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing or what’s going to happen a week down the line, but I do know I want to be with you. And I’m not just gonna sit on my ass at home and wait for you to text me that you don’t want this.” He waved a hand in the space between us. “Because I know that’d be bullshit. You want me too.”
I opened my mouth to deny it, but he moved too quickly. He was right in front of me in a heartbeat, his hand covering my mouth to block my objection. “I fucked up with you four years ago, I know that. I won’t make the same mistake this time, Pepper. I want to be with you, and that feeling is stronger than my concern that Dex could end up hating me.”
My heart felt like it was going to come through my chest at any moment. It was beating so hard I was certain Griffin could feel it as he pulled me against him. “You really mean that?” I asked on a whisper once he uncovered my mouth.
“I do. I love Dex like he’s my brother, but what I feel for you is so goddamned consuming I can’t think about anything or anyone else. If I keep trying to ignore it, I’m gonna lose my mind.”
It was like I was being split into two pieces; one half overjoyed at hearing Griffin declare how badly he wanted me, the other worried about all of the aspects working against us that could slam the breaks on our relationship before it ever gained speed.
“Dex might never be okay with it,” I warned.
“That’s a risk I’m willing to take, sweetness.”
I totally swooned right then. “But what if we don’t work out? I mean, are you really okay with potentially ruining your friendship with my brother to see where things with me go, only to have it play out with us hating each other in the end? We’ve been at each other’s throats for the past four years, Griffin! There’s no guarantee we’ll work out. This could be one huge mistake.”
The corner of his lips cocked up in a grin. “We’ve been at each other’s throats for four years because I hurt you and you were lashing back.”
I scowled up at him. “That’s a logical reason on my end. What’s your excuse for being a dick the last four years?”
“I think it’s insanely hot when you get all riled up. There isn’t a woman on this planet sexier than you when you’re getting feisty. Maybe it’s not a good excuse to you, but every time I pushed your buttons, it was because I missed that fiery redhead.”
Shit. That was a phenomenal excuse. But I wasn’t quite ready to let him know that just yet. “So what you’re saying is, you’re just an asshole.”
“Pretty sure we established that a long time ago.” He grinned as his head lowered toward mine. “Tell me you forgive me.” His breath was a whisper against my lips that sent a shiver through my body. It wasn’t something I’d admit out loud, but bossy Griffin was such a turn on. It drove me all kinds of crazy.
“What if I don’t?” I whispered back.
I expected him to play along. We’d battled for years. It had been engrained in me to anticipate the push and pull that came with any conversation between me and Griffin. It was almost as if we were at our best when we were challenging each other. I thought he’d counter as he always did, basically daring me to push him.
But his quiet “Please,” combined with the desperation lurking in his eyes was enough to break through any wall I’d erected to protect myself, sending it crumbling to the ground in pile of rubble.
“I forgive you.” The last word had barely escaped before his lips were on mine. It was a burning, blistering thing of passion that set my entire body aflame in a matter of seconds. Just like most everything with us, it was a battle; dueling tongues and nipping teeth, neither of us wanted to hand over complete power. But despite being strong-willed, there was always one thing Griffin had over me.
Strength.
No matter how badly I wanted to be the one with all the control, all he had to do was exert a modicum of his strength and I’d lose. Fortunately, he lifted me off the ground, his strong fingers digging into my flesh as he squeezed my ass, I didn’t mind handing the reins over to him. Locking my ankles behind his back, I held on for dear life as I devoured his mouth, not giving a damn where he was taking us as he moved through my apartment.
Once in my bedroom, Griffin left me with no choice but to let go as he threw me on the bed and, faster than a man his size should be able to move, had my pants and underwear stripped off my legs. Wanting to feel him skin-on-skin, completely naked, I sat up just long enough to strip off my t-shirt and bra. That night in my sewing room had been a frantic clashing of bodies. We’d both been so frantic for each other we hadn’t even gotten our clothes off. I didn’t want that this time. I wanted to actually see all of him.
His knee hit the bed and his massive frame hovered over me as he went in for another ravenous kiss. “Off,” I muttered against his lips as I pulled at his shirt trying to get to his warm skin. Using one hand, he reached behind his head and whipped the shirt over his head, tossing it to the floor where it joined my clothes. As he continued to feed on my mouth, I dragged my nails along the contours of his chest and stomach, not stopping until I reached my destination.
“Take my cock out, baby,” he growled against my lips, making me hotter, wetter than I already was. I pulled and tugged at the button and zipper until I felt everything give. Sliding my hand into the front of his pants, I couldn’t hold in the moan that built up in my chest as I wrapped my fingers around the silky steel erection. I wanted him so fucking bad. In that moment I couldn’t think of anything I’d ever wanted more in my entire life.
The grunt that I pulled from his throat as I slid my hand up and down his length was enough to spur me on. I tightened my grip around him and began jacking him in earnest.
“Ah, fuck,” he groaned as he began to fuck my fist, his hips snapping back and forth. “Are you wet for me, sweetness?” he asked, biting my bottom lip before soothing the sting with his tongue. “Does knowing you drive me fuckin’ crazy make that tight pussy wet?”
Oh, God. I was so turned on at that point I thought I could come with just his dirty words. I wanted him to slide inside of me and see for himself just how drenched I was. But first, there was something I was dying to do.
“ROLL OVER.”
My body paused at Pepper’s unexpected command. “What?” I lifted my head just enough to look into her glazed over eyes. A sense of accomplishment washed over me when I saw that needy, flushed expression on her face.
I did that to her.
She didn’t respond. In an impressive move I didn’t know she was capable of pulling off, she shifted her hips and rolled, taking me to my back with her legs straddling my waist. I would have been in heaven if not for the fact that her hand was no longer on my dick. “What are you doing?” I asked as she slid
down my body, taking my jeans and boxer briefs with her.
Her voice was low and throaty as she said, “I want to taste you.”
“Oh, fuck me!” I shouted, my head falling back on the bed as Pepper’s lips parted and she sucked as much of my length into her mouth as she could. It was deeper than any woman had ever taken me before, and the heat combined with the sweet suction of her mouth was almost enough to make me explode.
“Ah, yeah,” I grunted, wrapping my fist in her hair as I lifted my head for a better view. “Just like that, sweetness. Christ, your mouth feels so fuckin’ good.”
Her green eyes shot up to mine and she moaned around me as if my words alone were enough to get her there. The sight of her head bobbing up and down, her lush, full lips stretched from being wrapped around me was a goddamned wet dream come true. The only thing that would have made it any better was if those lips had been painted in her signature red. There would always be time for that later.
My balls drew up and that telltale tingle began radiating at the base of my spine as she sucked me harder and the pressure of her fist at the base of my cock grew tighter. Every time her mouth met her hand I felt myself slipping closer and closer. I didn’t want to come like this. Sure, I’d fantasized about blowing down her throat, but after the past twenty-four hours, I didn’t want to come in her mouth. I needed to be inside her.
“Pepper,” I panted. “Baby, stop. I’m close.” That only seemed to spur her on; her pace increased and her sounds grew needier as she moaned and whimpered around my dick. The vibrations alone were enough to drive me crazy.
She wasn’t stopping. And I’d be damned if I was going to come in her mouth when I’d been craving her pussy. She emitted a tiny squeak as I grabbed her under her arms and hauled her up, rolling us over so she was pinned beneath me. All rational thought fled the room when I felt the bare, naked heat against my aching cock. I had tunnel vision, only one thing my brain could focus on.
Getting inside of her.
“I’m not gonna be soft,” I warned, too far gone to give her sweet and slow. I needed to fuck her like a goddamned animal.
Her eyes went half-mast and her swollen lips curled into a smile. “I don’t want soft. I want you to fuck me like you’re dying for me.”
“That won’t be a problem.” With her words and that look, something snapped inside of me and what was left in its place was completely primal. I grabbed her by her hips and rolled her onto her stomach before hiking her hips into the air and burying my cock deep inside of her in one hard thrust.
“Griffin!” Her head shot back, all that flaming red hair falling like a curtain across her bare pale skin. I pulled out, leaving just the head inside her before slamming back in, earning myself another pleasurable cry. The sounds she was making as I fucked her were intoxicating. Every whimper and gasp drove me on as I leaned over her, pressing my chest into her back.
“I am dying for you,” I ground out as I gave her everything I had, holding tight to her hips so she couldn’t slip away with each brutal thrust. “Every fucking day, I’m dying for you. I need inside you more than I need air.”
“Oh God,” she moaned, and I about lost it when she began pushing back into me every time I plunged back inside of her, her body begging for more. “Harder, Griffin,” she begged as she turned her head to look at me over her shoulder.
Christ, she was perfect. My perfect match in every way. Pepper was completely uninhibited in bed, willing to beg when necessary, but strong enough to take it if she wanted it bad enough. There was no way sex with Pepper O’Malley would ever grow stale.
I gave her what she wanted, moving so hard she had to brace her hands against the headboard to keep from sliding across the bed. And still, she wanted more. “Close. So close.” She sucked air into her lungs as she rode my cock at the same time I was riding her. “Shit, shit, shit,” she chanted, arching her back further in an effort to take me even deeper. “Oh, God. Oh shit. Griffin!” And just like that, she clamped down on me as her orgasm rushed through her body. Pepper yelled my name over and over as her body grew stiff with pleasure so intense she pulled me over the edge into oblivion right alongside of her.
“Pepper,” I groaned her name, thrusting a few more times before it finally became too much, too good. “Unh, unh. Oh Christ. Fuck, fuck, FUCK!” I poured every last ounce of myself inside of her, coming so hard the edges of my vision grew dark as spots began to dance in the air in front of me.
My cock continued to twitch as my body lost the ability to stay upright. Collapsing into her, I took her down to the mattress with me, careful not to lose the connection between us just yet. I wasn’t ready.
I knew sex with Pepper was fantastic. I’d experienced it enough times to know it wasn’t just a fluke. But that… that was… out-of-this-goddamned-world-off-the-charts-make-you-see-Jesus, good. It had never been like that before. Not with anyone.
Then I realized why.
If my heart hadn’t already been pounding against my ribcage, I had no doubt it would have been as I rolled to my side, making sure to keep Pepper pinned to me so that we were laying chest to back.
“Baby,” I spoke softly as I ran the strands of the hair through my fingers, hoping the motion would soothe her before I dropped the bomb. “Sweetness, I forgot a condom.”
THE WAY I SAW it, I had two choices. I could freak out and use the whole condom thing as a way to push Griffin away and keep my heart safe. Or I could be honest.
My body decided for me. After what we’d just done, I was too exhausted to move, let alone have a meltdown.
“I’m on the pill,” I told him quietly. “And I’m clean, I promise.”
I’d expected a relieved breath or a Thank Christ or something. Instead, he pressed a soft kiss against my shoulder blade. “I trust you. And I’m clean too, swear to God. If you want proof—”
I surprised both of us by interrupting him with, “I trust you too.” I hadn’t realized until just that moment that I really and truly did.
“Thank you, baby,” he whispered against my skin, tightening his arms around me.
I wasn’t sure exactly what was happening, but something had most definitely shifted between us. It was in the air, it was in how he held me against him as though I was something precious. Things were different. There was no going back to how things were. There was no more “just sex,” not that there ever really was. I wasn’t sure if either of us believed that lie we were telling ourselves.
I wasn’t going to lie to myself. I absolutely loved laying there in Griffin’s arms, sleepy and sore in the best ways possible. But I wasn’t a big fan of the fact that, with the shift that had just taken place between us, it felt kind of like there was a stranger pressed against me. Everything was just so different.
“It wasn’t exactly how I’d planned it, but I told you I’d be inside you today,” Griffin rumbled in that cocky voice of his. And just like that, we were back.
My face stretched into a big smile. “Don’t be a dick.” I tried to sound stern, but the laughter in my voice wouldn’t allow it.
“Speaking of dick…” Griffin shifted his hips and I gasped in surprise.
“Already?”
“This is what you do to me,” he said gruffly as he shifted our bodies in the bed for round two.
“THAT NEVER HAPPENED!” MY stomach ached with laughter as I rolled around under the covers listening to Griffin tell stories about Dex and Rowan back in college.
“It did, I swear. I’m pretty sure I still have pictures somewhere.” he chuckled. We’d yet to get out of bed. It was well past midnight, and even though we both needed sleep, we were too busy talking and enjoying each other’s company to try. We weren’t doing anything that would necessarily constitute as special, but for some reason, I felt the need to mark this night down as one of the best of my life.
“So how’d you finally get Dex’s head out of the banister?”
“Well,” Griffin exhaled, his fingers tracing a path along my b
are ribs as I laid pressed against his side. “We ran out of butter, and since it was a frat house and no one cooked, there wasn’t any canola oil or vegetable oil the try and grease his head with.”
“So what did you use?” I asked as I outlined the dips and ridges of his abs.
“Lube.”
I lifted my head, one eyebrow cocked. “Lube?”
“Yep,” he grinned devilishly. “Like I said, we lived in a frat house. We didn’t have any cooking oil but we had a shit ton of lube. Worked like a charm. Dex’s head slipped right out.”
“You guys are a mess,” I giggled as I lay back down.
“That’s nothing. You should have been there when Rowan superglued Frankie Mulroney’s ass cheeks together. Now that was a party. Granted, it ended with a rush to the emergency room and a police questioning, but still. Epic.”
“Rowan physically glued another man’s butt cheeks together?” I asked in bewilderment. “And you don’t see anything wrong with getting that close to a drunken frat boy’s ass?”
Griffin’s fingers paused. “Well, when you put it like that I do. I was a drunk college kid. Back then I thought everything was hilarious, cut me some slack.” I burst into another fit of laughter and he held me tight. Once I calmed down his voice grew more serious as he said, “I’ve been thinking…” Those three words are never a precursor to something good, but I let him continue anyway. “I think we should still keep our relationship quiet for a little bit—”
“What?” I snapped sharply. “Are you fucking kidding me?” I tried to pull away from him, but he held strong.
“Now, hold on and just hear me out, okay?”
“Pfft. Screw that! Let me go!”
Fire & Ice (The Locklaine Boys #1) Page 12