A Good Time

by Shannyn Schroeder

  Although he enjoyed the sexual charge, he stepped away and moved to the other side of the kitchen. He’d be able to think clearly if he kept his distance.

  With the kettle on the burner, she turned to face him.

  He’d lay it out quickly. “I’m sorry I left.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I have a confession to make.” He paced the kitchen and the adjoining dining area. He’d go insane if he had to live in such a small space. There was nowhere to move.

  “Is this tabloid worthy?” she joked.

  “No, sorry, you won’t get rich off this one.”

  She snapped her fingers. “Too bad. I planned to use my profit to buy a villa on a tropical island.”

  If he thought it would make her happy, he’d buy it for her. “Remember when I showed up at the hospital?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I overheard you and your dad talking. At first I waited outside the door, listening to you yell at him. I was proud of you for tossing some of his own shit back at him. But then he started talking about your mom.”

  Indy’s face dropped. She moved silently to a stool and sat.

  He fought the urge to hold her. “I realized you were in the same situation your mother had been in.”

  “You figured I was part of some twisted family cycle—”

  “No.” He grabbed her hand. “No. I heard your dad say he married your mom because of the baby.”

  Indy’s gaze met his.

  “It scared me to think you’d want the same.”

  She yanked her hand back. Golden eyes blazed. “When have I ever mentioned marriage? Now we’re back to me being a tramp who’s trying to trap you for your money.”

  Frustration clawed at him. “Would you shut up and listen?” His sharp tone caused her jaw to snap shut. He softened his voice. “Please let me finish.”

  She said nothing but raised her eyebrows for him to continue.

  “I thought you might want to get married, and that’s the one thing I can’t give you. You made it easy for me to walk away rather than risk disappointing you.”

  “You didn’t even bother to ask me what I wanted.”

  The muscle in his jaw twitched, and she held her hands up in surrender. He continued, “You shoved my key in my hand. That said a lot.”

  He reached for her hand and stroked his thumb across her knuckles. “I’m asking you for another chance. I haven’t been able to get you out of my head since I left.”

  She quietly slid her hand from his grasp. “I appreciate this.”

  “But?”

  The kettle whistled, and Griffin turned and filled her cup before Indy could move. She accepted the steaming cup.

  “Everything I said earlier stands. My life is a huge, stinking mess. I can’t add anything else to my life right now.”

  Griffin broke the string on the bakery box and lifted the brownie. He set it in front of her, still wrapped in wax paper. “I don’t want to add anything. I’m suggesting we take the time to get to know each other and explore what we have.”

  Indy stood and gathered the pages she’d spread across the kitchen. She stacked them neatly beside her laptop. Her silence was excruciating. He stuffed his hands in his pockets to prevent himself from shaking her.

  “No sex,” she finally said. “It’ll muddy everything.”

  No sex? He’d never been with any woman without sex. For how long?

  She chuckled. “Now who’s spooked?”

  He leveled his eyes on hers. “Not spooked. Thinking. How about kissing? Touching?”

  “I don’t think so. It all leads to sex.” She fidgeted with everything within reach.

  “Any other demands?”

  “No demands at all. This is all new territory for me. I do have a question. You said you couldn’t marry me. Why?”

  “You want to get married?”

  “I didn’t say that. You’re dodging the question. You didn’t say you didn’t want to get married, you said you couldn’t.”

  Damn. She would pick up on that. His muscles tensed and he sought the words to explain. The wrong tactic would shut him out again. He paced. “The simple answer is my father. He married my mother but constantly cheated. I don’t want to make promises I can’t keep.”

  “That’s bullshit. Cheating is a choice.”

  Griffin shrugged. “I think he loved my mom. She believed he did, so she kept taking him back.”

  “What does that have to do with you getting married?”

  He knew his fear was irrational. He’d never tried to explain it to anyone before. “I’ve got a lot of him in me. I swore to myself that I would never do what he did. I’d ruin a marriage.”

  “How do you know if you’ve never tried?”

  “Marriage isn’t something you try on for size.” He believed marriage was a lifelong commitment. Maybe he had more of his mother in him than he thought.

  Indy closed in, and he smelled her perfume, enticing and inviting. She stroked his cheek. “You’re already a better man than him.”

  “Thanks.” He didn’t buy it, but he felt better hearing it.

  “Come and share this brownie with me.”

  The thought of her moaning and licking chocolate off her lips made his blood race again. “No, thanks. I’m going home. See you tomorrow?”

  “Yeah. I should have this put in some semblance of order.” She pointed to the papers. “I need to find an apartment soon. Quinn is going to get tired of me taking over her kitchen for work.”

  “When do you plan to move?”

  “Whenever I find something I like and can afford. My search has slowed because I’m busy with school and work.”

  “Let me know if I can help.” He already had ideas. She wouldn’t ask for help, but she’d probably take it if it stared her in the face.

  He thought of the kids in his program. None of them asked for help either, but when he offered a way out, they grabbed on.

  Indy walked him to the door. Knowing he was pushing his luck, he pressed a quick kiss to her lips. “This might kill me. You know that, right?”

  “No man has ever died from lack of sex. Besides, I said I wouldn’t have sex with you. I’m sure someone else can help.”

  He growled out of frustration as much as need. She didn’t get it. He pulled her close again, letting her feel his need, his desire. “No one else can help me.”

  Exiting the house, he inhaled the below-freezing air. It worked better than a cold shower. He couldn’t marry Indy, he couldn’t take the chance on screwing it up, but she’d be a definite part of his life.

  He knew he wasn’t his father any more than Indy was her mother. But they were the products of the parenting they received. No one could escape it.

  If Indy wanted to know him, she’d have to see all of him. That meant meeting the kids and understanding the vision he had for the foundation.

  It scared the shit out of him.

  He’d never shared the foundation on a personal level with anyone. He cared what Indy thought. Her opinion mattered.

  She mattered.

  She’d be spending so much time at his house that she’d have to get used to the idea of the kids being there.

  The kids would have to get used to her too.

  What if they didn’t like her?

  He shook his head. What’s not to like? Indy was bright, beautiful, and funny. And pregnant. Unmarried and pregnant.

  He’d bring the kids to her.

  Indy pried open the lid on the paint for Griffin’s bedroom. She’d chosen a shade deeper than maroon, with a tinge of brown. She smeared a patch onto the wall to check it. She’d hired a couple of college kids to help with the painting, but today she worked alone in order to stay on schedule. The doctor said to limit her exposure to the paint; so as long as the windows were open and she wore the respirator, she and the baby would be okay.

  While she worked, she thought about Griffin. She didn’t know what to make of him. He’d wanted to go out to dinner t
o talk about decorating, but he’d spent all of five minutes looking at the proposal for each room before signing. Then he’d spent the rest of the time talking about his charitable foundation.

  His excitement shone with every word. The charity was obviously the most important thing in his life. It explained a lot.

  Now she understood why he’d been upset over the bad publicity for Night Beasts. It also explained why he couldn’t marry her.

  Her pregnancy could easily become a scandal. Especially given his past. He hadn’t said it, but she knew.

  She’d enjoyed learning more about him, and he’d been downright explosive with information over the last two weeks, but they couldn’t continue to go out. He appeared in the paper too often, and their relationship would quickly be misconstrued.

  She stepped back and admired the paint job. The warm color accentuated the dark wood, creating a romantic atmosphere. Stop thinking like that. The reminder did nothing to lift her mood.

  Griffin insisted she come to the house today, yet he wasn’t here. She removed the mask she wore and gathered her brushes and roller to clean. She wanted to spend some time in the workroom and computer lab. It remained the only room for which she hadn’t created a proposal because he hadn’t told her what he wanted.

  After wrapping the brushes and roller in plastic until she could find a spot to clean them, she wandered downstairs. The silence startled her. The construction noise had become so much a part of her experience that the quiet felt weird. Carpenters had been finishing trim when she arrived, but they were gone. A peek out the window confirmed it. Not a truck in sight.

  She sighed and went to the computer lab. Griffin hadn’t indicated what the layout would be, but the outlets dictated the workstations. He’d said he’d been working with a small group of teens and wanted to grow the program. The room was huge. How many kids did he plan to have here?

  Loud noise outside pulled her attention. Before she could move to explore, the door flung open and Griffin came in followed by a group of teens. When their eyes met, his face lit up with a smile, creased dimple and all. She loved that smile.

  “Good, you’re here.” He moved toward her. Kids poured past them and began commenting on the size of the house.

  “Yeah, but I’m the only one. The rest of the guys took off,” she said over the din of the kids.

  “I know. I told them to wrap up early today because I wanted the kids to see the house.”

  “Oh.” She looked away. “I’ll get out of your way.”

  “No.” He grabbed her hand. “I want you to meet them.”

  Meet them? The kids in his program? Probably not a good idea. No one jumped to conclusions quicker than teenagers.

  When she tried to pull away, his fingers tightened on hers. “They don’t bite.” Still holding her, he turned and called, “Okay. Everyone in here, then we’ll do the official tour.”

  Kids came from upstairs, around corners, and down the hall. She counted twelve.

  “What’s up, Mr. Griffin? This really your house?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then why isn’t your furniture and stuff here?”

  “The house was run-down when I bought it. It needed a lot of work, but I’ll be moving in soon. This is the room you guys need to see.” He hitched a thumb over his shoulder, and they all filed into the empty lab.

  Their comments echoed in the huge space. “It’s big.”

  “There’s nothing here either.”

  “What’s it supposed to be?”

  Griffin released her hand and moved to the center of the room. “This is our computer lab. Behind you will be individual workstations, extending around this side.” He backed up and swung his arm to the other side of the room. “Over there will be the repair center. I’ve already got five companies donating broken computers for you to fix.”

  They all stood in awe. Griffin continued to rattle on about how he expected them to work, and Indy told herself to pay attention, that she’d probably need the information for decorating, but her focus was riveted on the kids. They looked at Griffin like he was a god. But more.

  He wasn’t just a suit with deep pockets. They liked him. He connected with them.

  She had no idea what they talked about. She tuned the conversation out and watched the interaction. When they stared at her with open curiosity, she snapped to.

  “Everyone, this is Indy. She found this house for me and now she’s decorating it.”

  She waved from the doorway.

  A tall, thin black guy stepped forward with one eyebrow cocked. “Are you his girlfriend?”

  “No,” she answered at the same time Griffin said, “Yes.”

  The conflicting responses elicited snickers from the group.

  “Nice to meet you, Indy. I’m Duane.” He reached her with his hand extended.

  She shook his hand and he held tight, adding, “If you were my woman, there wouldn’t be no confusion.”

  She couldn’t help but smile. She looked around him and pulled her hand free. “Giving charm lessons, now?” she asked Griffin.

  “Hell, no,” Duane said. “I’m teaching him.”

  Griffin closed in and put his arm around Indy’s shoulder. The casual gesture made her knees wobble. She’d been careful to restrict all physical contact between them. Her heart leaped. How could he tell them she was his girlfriend?

  “Let’s give them a grand tour.”

  He didn’t give her much choice. He pulled her along, prompting her to tell the kids about her plans. At first she thought the details would bore them, but they listened intently.

  They wanted to know about the work Griffin had done himself, and they looked for things to criticize. She enjoyed the kids and their enthusiasm. They were rough around the edges and they let enough slip that she could tell they came from hard lives. She totally understood Griffin’s dedication to them.

  Listening to them talk and joke, inspiration struck, and her fingers itched for a pencil to sketch her ideas for the lab. The computer lab was their space. She wanted it to reflect them.

  After the tour, Griffin promised to take them all for pizza. Pizza with rowdy teens? He was definitely a brave man.

  “You coming with us, Miss Indy?” a bright-eyed girl asked.

  Indy searched for her name. Marisol. “No, I don’t think so. I still have some work to do here.”

  She looked disappointed, but turned to Griffin. “I think she needs to eat, Mr. Griffin. She’s kinda skinny.”

  Indy resisted the urge to rub her protruding belly. Her baggy shirt didn’t hide the pregnancy.

  “I think you’re right, Marisol.”

  Indy clenched her jaw. Hadn’t she decided to limit her exposure with Griffin? He always acted like everyone should bend to his will. “Sorry to disappoint you, Marisol, but I really do have work to do. Then I have homework to finish.”

  “You’re still in school?”

  “Yes.”

  “But you need to eat. We know the best pizza place.”

  Indy’s stomach growled. She’d already skipped her morning snack and lunch was late.

  “You guys go get in the van. We’ll be right out,” Griffin said. He moved against the current of kids to reach her. “I think Marisol likes having another female around. Usually Caitlyn would be here, too, but she’s sick. Marisol’s feeling outnumbered.”

  “So am I.”

  “Have pizza with us and I’ll help you with your homework. I have something to show you anyway.” He bent and kissed her cheek.

  Why that made her feel like a schoolgirl, she didn’t know. Her cheek warmed and something fluttered in her chest. “Fine. I’ll eat with you, but then I have to do my homework.”

  He held her coat open for her to slide in. A huge fifteen-passenger van was parked at the curb. The kids had their faces pressed to the windows like expectant puppies. They hooted while Griffin locked up, but attempted to straighten their faces before he got to the van.

  If anyone could keep Gr
iffin on his toes, these kids could.

  Chapter 15

  Griffin was glad he’d convinced Indy to join them. When he came into the house with twelve teens, she’d been startled but eased into comfortable conversation with them. Over pizza they joked and had a good time. She seemed to have genuinely enjoyed the time with the kids. He didn’t like having her with them while driving the kids home, though. He’d been into these neighborhoods plenty while visiting the kids. Although he’d never had any problems, it didn’t mean some wouldn’t pop up. Indy didn’t seem bothered by where he drove. Instead she watched with open fascination.

  Four of the boys all lived in one of the few remaining projects in the city. The buildings were slated for demolition within the next two years. In the meantime, these boys spent their days dodging bullets and flashed gang signs to survive.

  Duane was the last to be dropped off. He lived in a modest bungalow with his grandparents. He never mentioned his parents. Griffin suspected they were either dead or in jail.

  As he exited the van, Duane paused and tapped Indy on the shoulder. She twisted in her seat.

  “Remember what I said about being my girlfriend. I’m all good.”

  She flashed him a friendly, flirtatious smile. “Thanks, Duane. I’ll keep it in mind, but I’m off the market for now.”

  “Too bad. See you around.” He slid the side door open and jumped out. Before closing it, he asked, “When you figure we’ll be back in class?”

  “A few weeks. Maybe a month. All of the equipment is on order.” Griffin knew Duane needed the influences outside his neighborhood. “I’ll see if I can find you something to do before then.”

  “ ’Kay. Thanks.” The door slammed with a boom. Duane’s grandmother waved from behind gray curtains.

  “You weren’t blowing smoke were you?”

  “About what?” he asked, pulling away from the house and the miserable neighborhood.

  “Finding something for him to do.”

  “No. He needs something to keep him involved or he’ll drop off the map. He’s the kind of kid this neighborhood will swallow.”