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I cleared my head to focus on the upset woman in front of me. My hands rubbed up and down her arms until I couldn’t stand it anymore. I tipped her face up, making her kiss me. There was no way to tell her how fucking bad I wanted her or how sorry I was for shutting her out, so I kissed her. My body stretched down the length of hers and I stroked her cheeks with my thumbs, nibbling her lip until I felt her breath catching. I had never wanted anything so bad in my life.
Cori jerked away. “Is this a game to you?” Her defiance moved toward all-out anger and she narrowed her eyes at me.Well, shit.
“No, not at all.”
“That.” She shoved me back, but I didn’t move. “Your flippant bullshit is what I’m talking about. One second you are all brooding, the next you are shoving your tongue down my throat. I can’t figure your ass out, it pisses me off.”Damn, my girl was cute.“I know the thing with Ben had to piss you off. It pissed me off, but you are the one demanding we spend time together and then shutting me out. You can’t have both. I have no idea why, but I want to know what you’re thinking.”
“I wanted to kill him,” I admitted through grit teeth. If I hadn’t shut her out, I would have made an even bigger scene in front of Celia, and my daughter was upset enough. “I mean, honest to god wanted to snap the fucker’s neck, but I didn’t. So, yes, I’m brooding now. That anger needs to go somewhere.” Cori swallowed and kissed the spot on the edge of my lip she liked so much. I didn’t let her pull back, though; my tongue slid into her mouth effortlessly, making her whimper and she gripped my shirt tighter. My cock appreciated the gesture a little too much. Her pulse picked up under my hand wrapped around her neck. All I could think about was how wet she was for me the other night. It took god-like self-control to not fuck her next to the river. All those thoughts sent the perv from the zoo out of my mind.
The oven beeped and she snapped out of the trance I had her in. Cori cleared her throat, wiggling free from me with a warring tension on her face. It was like half of her wanted to stay there with me, but the other half wanted as far from me as possible, “I scared you, didn’t I? You’re afraid of me.” Maybe not me specifically, but the whole idea. Cori’s heartrate was from fear, not desire.Fuck.Her sister had tried to tell me how messed up Cori was, but I didn’t let her words get to me, or I tried not to. Arianna was a stuck-up bitch, but maybe she knew her sister better than I thought.
The chicken was in the oven and I pulled her back to me. “Not for the reason you’re thinking. You didn’t scare me.” She jumped up on the counter and I settled between her knees. “I wouldn’t call it fear, either. This is just unsettling. I’ve never dated, ever, and I’ve made it my goal to keep men out of my life after Richard. I don’t know what I’m doing.” Cori opened her pretty little mouth to continue, but I grabbed her chin, kissing.
“I don’t care.” She tried to speak again, but I covered her lips with my thumb. “Celia talks to you, talks to Axel.” Cori stared glaring, so I tried to hurry. Words were not my strong point. “I don’t do this shit, either. I get laid then move on, but you …” I raked my hands through my hair. “It’s been a few days and we have been on two really fucking awkward … outings. But I want to spend every possible second with you. I want you so fucking bad, Cori.” Her glares turned into a cocky smile and she patted my chest roughly.
“You like me.” I huffed at her taunt. “The man the Jovie called ‘womanizer extraordinaire’ and fessed up to you trying to get in her pants, has actual feelings. Mr. I-Don’t-Treat-Women-Right or I-Don’t-Have-Relationships is getting all soft.” Cori shimmied forward so she was pressed into me, her tits against my chest, making my cock jump to attention. Nothing soft about it. Damn her being so sexy, and damn Jovie for running her mouth. I slid my hands up her back, under her shirt. Cori shuddered. “Say it,” she demanded, a little breathless.
“What part?” I knew what my woman wanted to hear, but I wasn’t giving in so easily. As sold as I was, I wasn’t a complete pussy. “You want to hear how bad I wanna fuck you right now?” Cori rolled her eyes but her face turned red. “Fine, I want to bury my face between your legs, then I want to bury my dick there.” Her face turned bright red and she shoved me back, trying not to laugh.
“You’re an animal, Griffin Steele. A Neanderthal.”
I gathered her up in my arms, leaning as close to her as I could. “Yes, I am,” I whispered the words huskily in her ear. She leaned into me, my touch, despite trying desperately to fight it. “I always get what I want.”
“I’m a mess, Griffin. Not your typical run-of-the-mill mess, but scared for my life kind of mess.” Cori rested her head on my chest, staring at the space between us. Her words hit me right in the gut. No one would ever touch her again, other than me, I would make damn sure of it. I was a mess too, but I had created my drama, literally. Cori hadn’t asked for any of it. If I ever got my hands on her ex, jail would be a fucking dream for the guy. He was missing his kid’s life by his own hand and had broken the most amazing woman I had ever met.Asshole.
An alarm beeped, pulling me out of my head and Cori out of my arms. She wiped her face, putting an end to the tears forming in her eyes, and started plating dinner. We called for the girls to come eat. I helped her serve dinner on their patio. Axel talked incessantly, constantly, and without taking a breath all through dinner. I have no idea how the kid even ate with her mouth always moving, but Celia was responding. The kid was cute as hell. Axel was the opposite of Celia, and it was bringing out a side of her I had been hoping for. My princess laughed, answering questions, smiling the entire time. Cori didn’t speak to me or look at me all through dinner. Instead, she put on a happy face for the girls, focused on them, barely touching her food. She laughed with Ax, and Celia told her about school. It blew my mind that Cori had Celia talking so quickly, but Celia answered every question with eye contact and a smile. The girls finished up quickly, then ran into the fenced backyard to play on the swings. I cleared my throat to get Cori’s attention, jerking my head for her to come to me. She did, and I pulled her into my lap. I sprung to attention again when she snaked her hand up my chest and around my neck. I cocked my eyebrow at her, making her giggle and kiss my scar. It took me a few times to realize that she was kissing the scar specifically.
“What happened?”
“Bar fight. I was drunk, he was more drunk and was harassing the bartender. I told him to lay off the poor woman then he sucker punched me. Had a big ass football ring.” I ran my finger down the scar on her neck. “Your turn.”
“I already told you,” Cori snapped, turning back to watch Celia chase Axel with a rubber snake, her jaw clenching. I nibbled behind her ear, down the line until she covered it with her hand. I pried it away, continuing my path to her shoulder. My girl gave up easily, leaning in and closing her eyes. Why was it so hard for me to tell her that I had feelings for her after just a few days? I heard what her sister said and it was complete shit. I wanted all of Cori. The good, the bad, and all the shitty baggage. “It’s getting dark. Should we put on a movie for them? Does Celia need to go to bed?”
I grumbled at her, keeping her in my lap. “Yeah, a movie sounds good.” Neither of us moved for a minute, enjoying the closeness. I was nowhere close to ready to go. After I had to restrain so much anger, Cori was exactly what I needed.
The girls followed us in, Cori put in a movie while they changed, piling blankets in the floor for them to lay on. Axel and Celia were cuddled on the floor while we were on the couch. Something was on the TV, but I was stroking her hair, inhaling her scent, and desperate to get my hands on her rack. Cori swatted my hands away playfully every time I tried, but I was relentless, not the type to take no for an answer. She had to work in the morning, but I didn’t care, I needed her. I neededsomething.
Celia and Axel drifted off on the floor as the movie ended and I pulled Cori into my lap, running my hand under her shirt. Her skin was soft, delicate against my callouses from work. I watched her chew her lip before crashing my mouth into hers. Ignoring her protests, I scooped her up, stepped lightly over the sleeping children, and carried her to her room.
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.
