by Fallon Hart
Griff’s hands rested on my waist for a few seconds and I heard him take a deep breath before he slid them down over my hips. He caressed me, almost like he’d never explored me before. Slow, curious. And then he reached around and untied my dressing gown before pulling it off my shoulders. It dropped with a rustle to the floor at my feet. Then he lowered to his haunches and gathered the hem of the silk nightgown in his hands. The cool fabric whispered across my skin as he pushed it upward. His hot breath kissed my skin a second before he pressed his lips to one cheek of my ass and then the other. I tingled with need.
“Griff.”
In answer he stood, taking the fabric with him and I lifted my arms to help him remove the nightgown.
Shivering in the cool early morning air I turned to face him.
I lifted my gaze to his and felt his power overwhelm me. His eyes blazed. Yet despite the fierceness of his countenance he remained gentle and explorative.
Griff’s eyes travelled downward as his fingertips trailed back up my arms, across my collarbone and toward the rise of my plump breasts. He followed the rise, goosebumps prickling my skin in the wake of his touch. My breasts swelled and my nipples pebbled with anticipation. I wanted his mouth on me.
“Griff,” I begged hoarsely.
In answer to my needy plea he gripped my hips, gently pulling me against him so I could feel the hard rigid length of his arousal.
“I hate making you cry. Do I ever make you happy?” he asked, his voice thick and low.
The question surprised me but I didn’t let it show. Instead I let my love for him show. “I’ve never been happier than when I’m with you.”
He closed his eyes, like my words were too much to bear. “Scarlett.”
“Take off your clothes.”
His eyes opened and explored my naked body with reverence. He cupped my face in his hands. “You are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life. Do you believe me?”
“I believe you,” I whispered.
His hands moved to my hips and cool air whispered between us as he stepped back a little to discover me all over again.
And discover me he did.
With light strokes he learned every inch of me with his touch—my ribs, my waist, my belly, my ass, my thighs, the backs of my knees... the tormenting gentleness of his hands only made my sex slicker and hotter with need.
And then he turned to my breasts. Finally.
“So stunning,” he murmured as he reached up and cupped them. “Sometimes all I can think about are your tits.”
I half-giggled half-moaned as I arched into his touch and he smiled. Ripples of desire undulated low in my belly as he played with my breasts, sculpting and kneading them, stroking and pinching my nipples. I thrust into his touch, whimpering my need for him.
Unable to take anymore without tasting him I slid my hands around his neck and pulled his mouth down to mine. I immediately parted my lips, inviting his tongue inside. He kissed me roughly, groaning as he pinched both my nipples. I grabbed his hand and coasted it down my stomach to my pussy. His fingers slipped through my wet and he broke the kiss with a guttural groan.
“Scratch that.” He nipped at my lips. “Sometimes all I can think about is your wet pussy. How fucking tight and hot it is. There is a heaven, Scarlett.” He groaned as he circled my clit. “And it’s inside your cunt.”
“Oh God.” My head fell back, my arms gripping tight to his biceps as I undulated against his touch.
“Griff…” The plea fell from my lips before I could stop it. Our gazes locked as the pressure inside of me began to build.
“All I can think about is the way you come apart when I’m inside you.”
Suddenly I was swept off my feet as Griff carried me to his bed and laid me down on it.
His erection strained against the zipper of his pants.
“Take off your clothes.”
But instead of divesting himself of his clothes, Griff explored me further. My feet, around my ankles, taking a slow, sensuous journey up my legs. He reached my knees and looked up at me.
“Spread your legs.”
I did as he asked and melted into the mattress in anticipation as he nuzzled his mouth against my sex. He licked my clit, pressed his tongue down on it, and my belly rippled with need. But it wasn’t voracious and dirty and rough. He kissed me. He kissed my pussy and licked at it gently, tantalizingly gently, building my orgasm slowly until I was panting, writhing, and flushed burning hot with need.
The orgasm that rolled over me seemed to go on and on, crashing in waves until I was soaked.
I both heard and felt Griff’s satisfied grunt against my inner thigh before he began pressing kisses up over my belly. He fell between my open legs, the friction of his clothes against my skin felt more erotic than naked skin. My thighs tightened against his hips when his lips closed around my nipple. He sucked deep, hard, a pleasurable pain rushing through me as he moved against me. As he had done with his hands he began to play my breasts with his hot mouth until I was on the brink of release again.
And then he was gone. Standing by the side of the bed Griff removed his clothes with a patience I did not feel.
“Griff, hurry.”
His eyes blazed with need but he shook his head.
I felt like I was burning up. My fingers curled into the duvet, tightening into the fabric as he was revealed to me. Strong, muscular, tight abs all wrapped up in that beautiful golden skin. My lips fell to that brooding mouth of his with his full lower lip.
My heart squeezed.
Yes, he was handsome. I’d always thought so.
But now… now he was so beautiful it made me want to cry.
As if he understood what I was feeling, his expression softened from fierce need to sultry desire. He put his knee to the bed and then curled his hands behind my knees. I let out a little gasp as he pulled me toward him. Angling my hips, gripping tight to my thighs, he held my legs open as he kneeled between them. I let out a moan as he nudged against me and then pushed inside. My slick wetness eased his way and I grabbed purchase on his biceps as I tilted my hips.
Griff held my gaze as he pushed in through the swollen, tight muscles and seated himself fully inside me. His chest rose and fell in shuddering breaths as he gazed at me, not moving, just feeling. As always he was overwhelmingly thick and I helplessly undulated, desperate to feel the push and pull.
Griff’s eyes moved to between my legs as he pulled out to the tip. Then he watched his cock slide back inside of me. “Look at you,” he whispered. “Look at you take me.” Our eyes connected. “You feel fucking amazing.” He wrapped my legs around his waist and fell over me, kissing me with gentle hunger as he glided slowly in and out of me.
Tears burned in the back of my eyes as I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and my ankles locked tight across his back. He kissed me, my lips, my cheeks, my nose, my neck, my breasts. He kissed me everywhere with a reverence and tenderness I’d never experienced before.
And when we came apart in each other’s arms, I held him to me, stroking his hair, caressing him, until he wrapped his arms around me and turned onto his back taking me with him.
I nestled into his heat, tucked into his body, and smiled as he kissed the top of my head.
No we hadn’t exchanged words of love but we both knew that what we’d just shared hadn’t just been sex.
We’d just made love to each other.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“I better get to work. I left far too much undone yesterday,” Griff said, getting up from the breakfast table.
“It was Sunday yesterday. The club isn’t open on a Sunday. You should take some time for yourself more often.”
He shot me a smoldering look. “Well if every Sunday is like yesterday I just might.”
I bit my lip to stifle my beaming smile. Yesterday had been amazing. We’d spent all day in bed, making love and fucking, fucking and making love. And to my pleasant surprise the making love part didn’t s
end Griff running for the hills. In fact, dare I say it, but he even seemed… happy.
He braced a hand on my chair and leaned down to kiss me. Except I didn’t just brush my lips against his. I wrapped my hand around the nape of his neck and licked my tongue against his tongue. Griff groaned into my mouth and slid a hand inside my nightgown. He squeezed my breast as he rubbed his thumb over my nipple and I sighed with pleasure, breaking the kiss.
“Are you sure you need to work?”
He growled playfully and suddenly I found myself lifted up onto the table, cutlery and dinnerware clinking and tinkling as my ass disrupted their space. My gasp of surprise turned to one of thrill as he spread my legs and glided his hands up my thighs.
“Maybe I could fit in a little breakfast dessert before I leave,” he murmured against my mouth.
“Oh?” I edged forward, my pussy already pulsing with need.
“You’re insatiable.”
“So you keep saying.”
“I’m not complaining.” His dark eyes glittered as he lowered himself to his haunches, preparing to go down on me.
“Oh beg your pardon!”
We jerked our heads around to see Xavier bumping against the doorjamb as he tried to get out with his hands over his eyes.
I was part-mortified, part-amused. I’d never seen our unflappable butler so… flapped.
Griff got to his feet as I hurried to close my dressing gown and hop off the table. The laughter in my husband’s eyes made me scowl. “Not funny,” I mouthed.
“It’s fucking hilarious,” he said out loud.
I made a face. “Poor Xavier. We embarrassed him. No more breakfast table shenanigans.”
“Fine.” Griff took my hand and hurried us out of the dining room.
“Where are we going?”
He answered by leading us into his office and locking the door. Without another word he lifted me onto his office desk, peeled my panties down my legs and then ate me for breakfast after all.
“Okay,” I panted, lying back on his desk. “Morning office shenanigans are definitely allowed.”
***
It was a weekend that started—well shaky was an understatement. And then it transformed into the best weekend of my life. That led into one of the most perfect Monday mornings.
Unfortunately, I momentarily forgot that perfect never lasts.
***
Glaring at my laptop, I lifted it up and put it on the coffee table in the parlor. It was a few hours later and I was writing. However, I’d only written a couple of thousand words when I made the mistake of stopping to check my emails.
I’d blocked my sister a few weeks ago but when I checked my spam she’d been sending me new emails every week from a different email address. In all of them Mel sounded more and more urgent to see me.
Guilt pricked me which just pissed me off because I had nothing to feel guilty about. I wasn’t ready to face my sister and I didn’t know if I’d ever be. She was ruining my happy day!
At the ding of the elevator, I smiled. Hopefully that was Griff to come and make my day happy again.
“Scarlett?”
A voice I hadn’t expected to hear made me blink in surprise. “Bryce?” I called back.
Footsteps closed in on the drawing room and then Bryce was there. I sat back on the sofa, uncertainty washing through me. “How did you get in here?”
“I just spoke with Griff,” he said, walking into the room. “He let me up.”
“Oh?” That didn’t sound like my husband. I stood up, my wariness obvious because Bryce kept his distance, striding over to the fireplace. He rested his hand on the mantle, looking chagrined.
“I apologized again to Griff. I explained everything to him. I told him I wanted to come here and apologize personally… but honestly,” he stepped away from the fireplace, “I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.”
I stumbled back, my legs hitting the sofa. Suddenly that boyish smile in his eyes didn’t seem so sincere. Sweat glistened on his forehead and he wore the expression of panicked desperation. It made his eyes round and wide, like he was… well like he was on something. The abrupt turnabout of his demeanor and his strange appearance here had me completely flummoxed. And unsettled. “I’m perfectly fine, Bryce. Now I’m sorry but I’m actually in the middle of something.”
“Scarlett.” He stopped me, stepping into my personal space to place a hand on my shoulder. “The way your husband treats you isn’t right. He’s a controlling bastard.”
What the hell?
Anger and confusion held me frozen. What was going on? If Bryce knew anything about Griff he’d know that was last thing he wanted or would ever be. And it wasn’t his place to interfere in our marriage anyway. Something was wrong. “I think you better leave.”
“I think you’re afraid.” He cupped my face instead. “Not just of Griffin but of your feelings for me. I know you’re attracted to me.”
“You’re delusional.” I jerked my head away. “Now I don’t know where this is coming from but you need to get out.”
Instead that desperation flared in his eyes. “Come on, Scarlett,” he said under his breath. “Just let me fuck you.”
“Are you insane?” I tried to push him away but to my horror he wrestled me to the couch. Fear lashed through me. I struggled against his arms but he pinned mine to the couch and tried to shove between my legs as I fought to stop him. My heart felt like it was going to explode out of my chest. Oh my God, what the hell is going on! “Stop it!”
“He needs this or I’m fucked,” he spat in my face, “So just give in and we’ll all be good.”
I had no idea what he was talking about. My mind reeled as it tried to keep up with my body, with the bizarre and terrifying turn of events.
Bryce let go of one of my hands to shove his hand up my skirt and something inside me roared to life.
Something primal.
I fought and screamed and bit and clawed until he slapped me so hard I heard ringing in my ears. By the time I shook off the daze, he was unbuttoning his jeans.
“No!” Every ounce of strength I had poured out as I threw him off my body. I scrambled over him as he sprawled to the floor and I stumbled to the fireplace for the poker. I picked it up but as I turned to brandish it at him I saw the small camera on the mantle that hadn’t been there before.
“What is this?” I asked, picking it up.
Bryce wiped at the blood seeping from where I’d clawed his cheek.
“You were going to rape me and film it?” I yelled just as my husband appeared in the doorway. Griff’s cheeks were flushed and his hair was askew like he’d been running.
And he’d heard my words.
“What the ever loving fuck!” his eyes fell on Bryce and he let out a roar unlike anything I’d ever heard as he launched himself over the couch.
Before I could say or do anything Griff started beating the shit out of Bryce.
“Griff!” I yelled, afraid he was going to kill him.
He wouldn’t stop. It was like he was consumed by rage.
Oh God. “Griff!”
Then Xavier was hurrying into the room with William and Hyde, our huge doormen, and they hauled Griff off him. My husband fought them but the guys restrained him.
My eyes fell to Bryce who groaned before he passed out.
His face was a bloody pulp.
“Are you alright?”
My gaze flew to my husband at his clipped question. His dark glower was on my chest and I looked down to see that Bryce had torn my sweater in our fight.
I shook my head. “I don’t know what happened.”
It was insane, completely out of the blue, and so fucking scary I could cry.
I held out the camera. “He came in here saying you sent him up to apologize but I knew something wasn’t right. He must have planted this and then he tried to seduce me and when I told him to leave he wouldn’t and then he was trying to… to … “ I shook my head.
I shudder
ed.
“Come here.” Griff shook off William and Hyde and then crossed the room. He folded me into his arms and that’s when my sobs broke loose. “Shh, love, shh. You’re alright.”
***
I wasn’t okay.
The police came along with an ambulance for Bryce. Griff went with them and after the police questioned me about what happened I found myself all alone.
Hours passed.
Day turned to night and still no sign of Griff. I tried his cell but it kept going straight to voicemail.
Xavier hovered, worried about me.
When Griff still hadn’t shown up the next morning I called Amelia and asked her if Quentin knew where he was.
“He doesn’t. What’s going on?”
I told her, breaking down when I had to repeat it. “I still don’t understand what happened, Amelia. It wasn’t like he was doing it because he wanted me… it was like he was desperate. I don’t know. I don’t know.”
“I’m coming over,” Amelia said.
“No. I mean, I appreciate it. I really do. But I need to see Griff first. And then come over, okay. I’ll call you.”
“It doesn’t feel right leaving you in that club alone after what happened. I’m going to ask Quentin to track down Griffin. You shouldn’t be alone.”
“Don’t be mad at him. He… He made a mess of Bryce he was so furious. I thought maybe he was being held by the police but Xavier said he called and that he’s fine. He’s just dealing with some stuff… but—”
“But nothing. He should be there. End of story.”
Confused enough without having to deal with Amelia’s annoyance I politely ended the call and went back to pacing and worrying.
Finally Xavier appeared. “Mrs. Mandeville, your husband has sent a car for you.”
“Is he okay?”
“Yes. He’s perfectly fine. The car is taking you to him.”
Not understanding the need for the all the mystery, I was irritated by the time I got down to the car. Then, as we pulled off into traffic, I started to feel nauseated. Something was off. Griff should have returned to me last night. After what happened… he must have known I needed him.