by Nina Lincoln
When I stare at him like he’s grown two heads, he turns away and says, “Eat.”
Not knowing what to do, I eat, feeling immediately calmer when the food hits my belly, thank fuck.
I’m halfway through the sandwich, uncomfortable under Griffin’s scrutiny as he stares at me broodily, when Max comes into the kitchen, followed by the chick who came with us and whose name I never gleaned.
My stomach clenches immediately, and I drop my sandwich to my plate as Griffin glances at them and back to me with a crease between his brows.
“Hey, baby,” the bitch says in a breathy tone, sidling up to Griffin as Max smirks and grabs a beer.
“What’s going on in here?” Max asks with a gleam in his eyes.
Glancing away because I get the sick sensation that he brought the chick with him to stir up trouble, I slide from my seat as I consider his quiet words from before.
Max is convinced Griffin has always been hung up on me, but if that’s so, he’s done an outstanding job of hiding it, and poor Max is in the same boat as me, loving someone who will never love us the way we need.
Inexplicably sad, I glance at Griffin to find him watching me with a frown, and when I turn to Max, I see jealousy and malice. I guess before, I never saw it, but now it’s clear. Does he even hate me for the adoption shit? Or was it this all along?
“Yo, Hals?” Max says.
“Yeah,” I whisper, sweat dripping down my spine.
Why do I feel like a mouse caught in a trap around him? As though he’s waiting like a giant fucking python to swallow me whole?
“Jason was looking for you.”
Stiffening, I search his gaze, trying to parse out the truth from what I suspect are a lot of lies, but he just smiles at me, leaving me guessing.
If Jason is looking for me, well, he can fuck right off, but…shit, he still has the videos. Do I have a new threat to look forward to?
Griffin shifts and I turn to him, watching as the chick snuggles against his arm. Raising a cold brow, he smirks, and I glower, quite sure this display is for me.
Stalking from the room, my last glance at Max shows him smiling triumphantly, but it’s lackluster because he’s not in Griffin’s arms either.
Chapter Thirty
Eventually, it will all unravel, and all you’ll have left is the thread.
Later I make my way down to the bonfire, sitting in the sand as everyone carouses around me. Griffin is nowhere to be found, and sourly I wonder if he’s fucking her as my punishment or because he doesn’t care? Who the fuck knows, but it’s a reminder to keep my distance, not that I have much willpower.
“Hey,” David says, dropping down beside me with a cautious smile.
“Hey.” I’m not in the mood for much more than a halfhearted grin, but he doesn’t seem to notice.
“So, are you with Hathaway?” he asks bluntly.
Startled, I say the first thing that comes to mind. “Is he with anyone?”
David chuckles, his eyes bright, but before we can take the conversation any further, Griffin sits down beside me and grabs me up in his arms. With a gasp, I try to wrench away, to no avail, as he wraps me up tighter and places his warm hand along the inside of my thigh.
I can’t help the shiver that racks me as Griffin smiles brutally at David, who stands with his hands held out before him and then walks away with a confused smile.
“Why do you keep doing that?” I hiss, pulling away when his arms loosen.
He stares at me with a dark expression and my stomach clenches. “Because.”
“Because, why?”
Grabbing my chin, he pulls me around and I flinch at the ferocity staring back at me. “I’m not ready to share.”
“Share?” I echo before I pull away altogether with disgust. “What the fuck does that mean?”
“It means, sweetheart, that you’ll fuck no one else while I’m enjoying your pussy. No one,” he says icily.
“That’s,” I sputter, “crude, first of all. And second, we’re not a thing.”
“No, we’re not,” he agrees, and my heart clenches, “but I want you, and until I’m done, you’ll stay away from dick.”
“How romantic. Until you’re done—I can’t believe I’m even having this conversation with you. Fuck off!”
“You want romance, sweet?” he snarls, grabbing my face once more. “Or maybe you just crave double penetration?”
It takes a moment for his words to sink in as I stare at him blankly before I stiffen with outrage and to his credit, his mouth pulls back in a grimace as he sighs. But I don’t fucking care as I stand abruptly, my heart cold. “You can go fuck yourself. Don’t touch me. Don’t talk to me. Don’t…”
With that, I walk away into the night, and I don’t stop until I’m alone in the dark, where I can’t escape the useless fucking tears.
Somewhere in all of this, there must be a lesson, but for the life of me, I can’t figure out what. All I know is with each passing day, I become more confused.
After a while, the crowd gets rowdier, and sighing, I brush my butt off and head back. I generally try to avoid drinking whenever possible, not only because of the meds, but obviously, alcohol is what led me down this path, but tonight, I think a drink or two are in order.
Now I just need to find a place to hide it from Griffin and my brother, assuming either of them cares.
Grabbing a beer from the refrigerator, I walk down halls I’ve never been down, passing room after room before I find a cozy dark library and close myself inside.
After the first beer, I’m woefully sober, but I refuse to go back. Instead, I pass into oblivion, exhausted from the emotional roller coaster I can’t seem to get off.
∞∞∞
“Sh, quiet, fucker.”
Flipping my eyes open, I spy two shadows pass the room and continue on.
“Seriously, I need you, fuck,” Max growls, the timber of his voice easily recognizable.
“Whatever, you’ll get dick in a minute,” Jason says, and I sigh.
My stupid-as-fuck brother and Jason…again.
Rolling off the sofa, I peek around the corner and, when the coast is clear, hightail it the other direction. I don’t know how to express the sheer disgust I feel for them both, Max for knowing I have issues with Jason and Jason for blackmailing me but feeling free to fuck my brother.
Seriously, this is grade A soap opera shit right here.
Passing through the living area, I pause at the door to the billiards room, spying Griffin alone inside, and I hesitate, which is just enough time for him to look up and spot me.
With a smirk, he raises his pool stick, and I stare, fighting the twin feelings of hate and lust as he raises a mocking brow in challenge.
Fuck it.
Grudgingly I step inside as he says with a sexy lip curl, “What are the stakes this time?”
Shrugging, I say, “I win, and you have to skip sex for the remainder of the week.”
His brows raise to his hairline before he frowns, which drops away with an unholy gleam behind his eyes. “Fine. I win, and you do whatever I say for the week.”
“Anything?” I ask uneasily.
Sensing my discomfort, he searches my expression, his eyes losing the devilish gleam, before he says, “Yes.”
“Okay,” I whisper because I saw that softening, and it’s inspiring me to be an idiot.
With his customary arrogance back in place, he racks up the balls and waves for me to go first. Stepping around him, I lean over the table to line up my shot. But just as I’m pulling back, he leans over me and adjusts my angle as he whispers in my ear, “I’m going to enjoy fucking you tonight.”
Gritting my teeth and ignoring the pulse in my core, I make the shot and hit the felt, the balls scattering every which way.
“Too bad,” he says with a smirk.
Glowering at him, I step away, eyeing him speculatively as he grabs his pool stick up with a wicked gleam in his eyes.
Okay, I ca
n play this game.
Smiling, I pull my tank top over my head to reveal my bathing suit underneath as I murmur, “Is it hot in here?”
He watches me with laser intensity as I run my finger down my throat and between my breasts, zeroing in on my nipples, tight in my top, before he turns back and makes the shot, one solid ball miraculously making it into the pocket.
With eyes blazing with triumph, he looks up at me and I pulse delicately. “Solids.”
A shiver curls down my spine at his victorious look, and stepping back, I lean on the table behind me and arch my chest, a thrill running through me when his eyes darken with fire.
He misses his next shot, and I take mine, both relieved and disappointed when he doesn’t approach me. With two balls down, I wait for his turn, leaning over the table as he does and giving him a nice view of my tits, aching for his touch.
He smirks and licks his lips before taking his shot, and two balls fly into the corner pocket. Annoyed but aroused, I wait my turn, stepping up with a sigh as he leans over me and puts his hand over the pool stick, moving it just so as his erection rubs against my ass, and he pants heavily in my ear.
“That’s better,” he whispers.
Whimpering, I arch against him slightly, my pulse pounding as he grabs my hips and grinds against me heavily before stepping back.
Of course, I miss my shot, and his wicked smile widens as we both glance over at the sound of voices approaching. Disappointed, I turn away to hide my frustration, but it disappears as he shuts the door with a definitive click and turns back to me with a raised brow.
“My turn?” he purrs, adjusting his dick in his shorts.
Helplessly, I watch his muscles ripple under the movement, his beauty enough to cause me to swallow my damn tongue.
“Yes?” His lips curl with amusement when I don’t respond.
Nodding silently, I turn away with a deep breath, no longer sure if I want to win because the remainder of the week spent with Griffin under the guise of a bet sounds fucking amazing.
Maybe I need to take what I can get while I can because it will be over all too soon. I can’t outrun what’s barreling down on me, after all.
We pass two more turns dancing around each other before it’s my turn, and when I lean in, he follows, his warm hands caressing my back as he pulls the ties on my top, and my breasts slide free.
I hear his breath hitch against my neck, and I stare at the felt dumbly, as he runs his hand down my spine. “That’s better.”
With a low groan, I line up the shot, practically panting as he grabs my tits and molds them under his warm, rough hands, tweaking a nipple as he growls. “Mm.”
“Griffin,” I moan, pushing my ass against his erection heatedly.
“Yes, sweet. You need something?” he rasps, and I shudder, missing my shot altogether as he pulls me around and sets me on the table.
Gently he pushes me back, and I lie down, the balls scattering around me, as he spreads my legs wide and runs his palms up my thighs. Arching into him, I watch through lidded eyes as he licks his lips and leans over to suckle a nipple into his mouth.
“Oh god,” I gasp, and he chuckles.
“Fuck, you have beautiful tits,” he groans, sucking them between his teeth before biting down ravenously, and it’s so hot I’m close to orgasm when he pulls back.
With a whimper, I show my distress as he runs his hands down my sides, causing goosebumps in his wake before pulling my shorts off with a heated stare and gazing at my pussy with avid eyes.
“Beautiful,” he mutters, running his fingers through my pleasure before sucking them off with a smirk.
“Fuck,” I groan, pulsing heavily as I arch into him.
With a growl, he drops to his knees and licks between my lips before fucking me with his tongue until I’m mindless and bowing off the table.
“Griffin,” I cry out, as I orgasm in his mouth, whimpering under his continued assault.
Before I have time to recover, he surges to his feet and enters me smoothly, stretching me wide as he thrusts heavily. His balls tap my ass as he stares at me with glittering eyes, and he lifts my hips, changing the angle as he hits a spot inside of me just right.
“Mm,” I moan as my eyes flutter closed. He grunts and picks up speed, slamming into me so heavily my back inches across the felt. His harsh pants ring in my ears as he bucks into me desperately before grinding deep as he leans over me. My heart clenches in my chest when he grabs my hand on the table and intertwines his fingers with mine.
We exist like that for a moment, the gentle slide of him inside of me both sweet and tempting, until he sees my need as I arch against him, and he pulls back and slams into me once more.
Crying out, I race toward another orgasm and tip over the edge, pulsing around him, as he jackknifes into me and spews, moaning, “So fucking sweet.”
For a suspended moment, I’m caught in his feral gaze as he jerks inside of me before he collapses against me, his chest warm against mine as he breathes deeply.
Ignoring the painful thudding in my chest, I clutch his shoulder against the urge to run my fingers through his hair, both deliciously sated and sad.
But I have no time for melancholy thoughts because he raises his head and growls, “Again.”
And through lidded eyes, I comply when he helps me to dress before he pulls me upstairs into his room and fucks me again.
Chapter Thirty-One
What’s the definition of insanity again?
A light tap at the door wakes me, and flipping open my eyes, I listen as Griffin opens it, staring blindly out the french doors at the sparkling lake beyond as the sounds of people already gearing up to party filters in the open doors.
“What?”
“Griff, baby—”
“Not now,” he says and presumably closes the door in her face.
Wincing because that could just as easily be me, I shuffle around for my clothes as he joins me back on the bed and pulls me into his erection. “Where are you going?”
“Giving you space,” I mumble.
“I don’t want space,” he growls, pushing me to my stomach and spreading my legs. “I’m gonna fuck you, sweet.”
My heart sputters when he pauses, giving me a chance to respond. Opening my legs wider, I drop my head to the bed and sigh as he fucks me so good, I come twice.
∞∞∞
“Get up,” he says a while later as I doze, completely relaxed.
“What?” I mumble, burrowing into my pillow.
Pulling the covers back, he slaps my ass. “Let’s go down to the water.”
“Griff!” I jump and turn to him, watching the playful smile fade from his lips. Fuck. With a mental sigh, I drop my head to the pillow. What am I doing? What is he doing?
This is madness, and my heart is confused and hopeful, which is a horrible combination with him being my first love. If he’s playing with me, I may break, and what then?
I don’t even know.
“Up,” Griffin says, stalking away, and I stare after him, admiring his beautiful naked ass. Yum.
Once he’s in the bathroom, I roll out of bed and escape to my room, dressing in a bikini and shorts, just in time for Griffin to appear and stare at my boobs heatedly. His eyes flash, his mouth curling up at the edges before he blanks and he steps back, grabbing my hand.
“C’mon,” he says in a low tone, and I wonder at his thoughts as he pulls me down the stairs and outside to the water.
Down by the dock, he gives me a playful smirk, his devilish demeanor back in place as he mounts the Jet Ski and motions me toward the back. With a little thrill, I slide on behind him and squeal, holding on tight as he takes off with a rowdy laugh.
The sound makes my heart clench in my chest before galloping away because I haven’t been exposed to light-hearted, happy Griffin in so long, and I crave this from him.
Griffin speeds crazily around the others while I grip him tightly, my hair flying behind me, before he takes a sharp
corner that sends us into the water, and I come up laughing as he grabs me up in his arms and growls.
As I glance at him from below my lashes, my head spins at his playful demeanor, caught between him and the lies resting on my tongue, but he kisses the thought away and pulls me back on the Jet Ski, racing away once more.
We do this for hours before we end up in the water for the millionth time, and shivering from the chill, I sigh into his warmth as he pulls me into his arms and palms my ass.
“Cold, sweetheart?” he rumbles.
Nodding against his chest, I gasp when he lifts me in his arms and runs his erection over my core, saying with a heated smirk, “Shall I warm you up?”
Glancing around, I see no one nearby and wonder if we tipped from the Jet Ski by design before he pulls me back to the present by arching into me once more. Looking at him from below my lashes, I marvel at his beauty, his eyes gleaming with desire, and nod my head, pleased when his nostrils flare.
“Mm, shall I eat your pussy? Or fuck you hard?” he growls.
“Griff,” I moan, arching against him as I pulse at his naughty words.
“Fuck, sweet.” He turns me toward the floating Jet Ski and pushes my bathing suit to the side.
I have just enough time to grab on before he’s pumping into me, and I cry out, the stretch so deliciously wicked.
“Griff.” He thrusts into me so brutally, the water splashes roughly around us.
“Yes, fuck, you feel so good,” he groans, and I come, gloriously, tipping my head back as he surges inside of me and follows.
Clutching my back to his chest, he buries his face in my neck and hums. The gesture brings tears to my eyes which I will back, along with the burn in my heart for more.
Instead, I close my eyes and take in the moment with regret until he pulls away and turns me around with an arrogant smirk to help me back on the Jet Ski.
After we race back to the dock where he heads off to throw the ball with his friends, and I lounge by the pool, soaking in the rays, my mind spinning over the events of the last few days.