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“I don’t do this.” Her voice made me freeze. It wasn’t sad, just serious, “I don’t bring men into my life,ourlives.” I watched her swallow, staring at the blank computer. She said it like a threat, telling me not to fuck this up. Twenty-four hours and I was done.
“I don’t take women on dates. So, we can commiserate about the similarities later.” A smile tugged at her lips and I quit fighting the urge. The space between us vanished, leaned over the counter, close to her face and kissed her forehead softly. The move shocked me, I wasn’t the gentle kind of guy, but Cori looked so scared. I wanted so much more but left it at a kiss. Cori watched me walk out, I felt her eyes boring into my back, like the day before. What was it about this woman I just met making me crazy? It took considerable effort to not throw her over my shoulder and drag her back to my bed. If I was ever lucky enough to get her in my house, she wouldn’t be leaving. Once I was out of her sight, I adjusted myself. Being near her made me all hot and hard.Damn it.
FIVE
Cori
Iblew out a shaky breath once the door closed behind him, but watched him walk all the way to the end of the block. The light kiss on my forehead spoke volumes, but I was focused on his ass as he strolled down the block. Damn, he was beyond sexy. Griffin was the antithesis of the straight-laced, professional types I went for in the past. Success was a turn on for me, or it was until Richard went from successful and professional to drug dealing and strung out. After Rich, I had no type. My type was to stay the fuck away from men. Then Griffin walked in, and it took a whole day for him to turn me into a drooling idiot. He had the dominant, edgy, badass thing down to an art. I was getting sucked into it, but the sweet peck on my forehead melted me. I had even gotten to work early to focus on anything but Griffin Steele and my new obsession with him. The fantasizing thing, it totally happened.
“If I wasn’t deliriously happy with Briggs, I would power-walk after his fine ass.” Harriet’s voice made me jump. She had perfected the hippie look. Billowing skirt, tie-dyed top, and leather sandals. The four of us made quite the cross section of American women. Harriet was the Bohemian goddess, Erica was country girl chic, I had the punk rock look down, and Jovie was the sweet girl next door.
“Seriously, have you seen my tattoo artist? I know you’re celibate, but Griffin Steele is eye candy if there ever was.” I felt my face heat up as Harriet breezed behind the counter with our coffees. Then she smirked at me accusingly, “You watched Griff run by, didn’t you? I was beginning to think you were a lesbian.”
“If I were gay, I would have put the moves on you already. I’m having dinner with Griffin tonight.” Yeah, I was bragging a little, and why the hell not? He was gorgeous, and my life left me little to brag about other than Axel. My skin still tingled where he had grabbed my arm and kissed my forehead. His masculine scent still lingered in my nose. The man was gone, but I was still feeling his presence. I was losing my mind.
Harriet’s eyes lit up. “You’re joking!” I shook my head. “You two are the perfect couple. I mean it. I can’t wait to hear those details.” Then she narrowed her eyes. “How is Alpha female going to handle Alpha male? I know him pretty well, and I know you very well. Two dominant people can create quite the heat.” She vanished into the back while I thought about it. I thought about it all day. I was a little domineering, but I had to be. Richard wasn’t. Well, until he started getting high on his own product, then I had to take care of our business. Harriet was certainly right about Griffin. He threw his weight and size around like a champ. Every time he was near me, I felt combustible.
My work day went by in a frenzy. We were slammed. Jovie was gone, leaving Erica and me to run the front, groom dogs, and take calls. By the time we finished our dogs, we were both beat. We had snapped at each other all day, she fought with Josh, her husband, on the phone at least twice, and we were ready to murder each other. Erica and I decided we desperately needed a third groomer and that Jovie should have hired one before going on vacation going into the busy season.
At five, we both pulled out of the lot like our lives depended on it. I was finally able to focus on being a nervous wreck. Mom had picked up Ax from school so I could put all my energy into getting ready. Right as I walked into my adorable two-bedroom brick house, the phone chimed. I knew who it was before I even looked. It was less than an hour until he picked me up, but I hadn’t sent him an address yet. My keys landed on the table near the door and I dug the phone out of my bag.
Griffin: Standing me up?
Cori: Shit. Sorry. Busy day. 702 Mayes Dr.
Griffin: See ya in 45
I only had forty-five minutes, so I ran through the living room, stripping as I went, and jumped in the shower. I really didn’t want to spend the night smelling like wet dog. I rinsed my hair while trying to figure out what to wear, lathering myself in citrus body wash. The last date I had been on was a year ago. It ended with me being called a tease. My vibrator took care of all my needs from then on, but the prospect of Griffin helping me out was exciting. So exciting that I slid my hand down between my legs. Why not, right?The house was empty, so I didn’t bother being quiet about it, shouting out a loud moan when I slumped back onto the cool tile. I called it stress relief and moved on, knowing I would be the only one touching my lady bits … probably ever. As bad as I wanted Griffin, mentally I was in no shape for sex or intimacy. Dinner and conversation I could handle; sex I could not.
I was shaved, showered, and primped by six. I went with a slightly conservative black skirt, a silver top, and silver flats. My nails were already black, and I pinned the top half of my hair in a bun before slapping on some eyeliner. The doorbell rang at six on the dot. I rushed out of the bathroom, stopping at the hall mirror to check my red lips, and grabbed my black studded purse.
Griffin was clean shaven wearing tight black Henley with biker boots. Damn he was gorgeous. After an epic stare down emitting all kinds of heat and lust, he wordlessly gestured out the door. I locked up and followed him down the front steps where his car was parked on the curb. Griffin opened the passenger door, closing it behind me, and climbed into his side.
“You look sexy as hell.” I took the compliment as the Griffin version of “you look nice”. I laughed. At least he was consistent and the compliment gave me a surge of confidence. Sitting next to such a gorgeous man was intimidating, but the compliment helped.
“You clean up nicely yourself.” I dragged my eyes over him, not even caring that he was watching me. He could easily throw me around and do whatever he wanted to me with his giant arms. It was another exciting prospect, or it would have been if I could be intimate without a panic attack. He started the car, shifted into drive, and reached across to rest his hand on my thigh. Griffin didn’t gauge my reaction, didn’t seem to care if the gesture made me uncomfortable. His confidence alone was hot as hell. Surprisingly, I wasn’t entirely unnerved by the gesture, it was calming, like he was there to steady me.
We drove into downtown with the windows down and silence surrounding us. It wasn’t awkward, it was nice to stare at him while he drove. Griffin was calm, in control. I took the time to study the intricate tattoos on his arms, appreciating every line, each design.
We parked near the river and climbed out of his Jeep, still in silence. Griffin seemed to only speak in gestures as he put a hand on my waist, tugging me possessively into him. Harriet was right, too much Alpha. The hostess had to lick the drool off her lip after eye-fucking my date and led us out to a patio. I kind of wanted to stab her with my blunt knife by the time she finished touching him.
A certain amount of quiet after a hectic day was nice, but his silence was getting old so I took in my surroundings. He insisted on dinner but decided to not have conversation—totally normal.Or not.We were seated on a dock extending from the back of the restaurant at the very end over the water. Big, bulky, and tatted picked an upscale place to eat, even if he was suddenly too good to talk to me. The waves from boats lapped at the wooden pillars of the dock and ducks bobbed near the shore. Pink reflections danced on the water, glinting in the lowering sun, as a few jet skis went by. It was beautiful, but I really wanted some conversation like the day before. When I couldn’t take it anymore, I broke the silence.
“So?”
“Tell me about Axel’s father.” His demand was simple, quick, and slightly rude. I didn’t talk about Richard, but Griffin showed me he wasn’t backing down as he rested his forearms on the table, staring me down and waiting.
“Pick something else.” I could be rude too. Richard was the last thing I wanted to think about while I was across from Griffin. Or ever if I could help it. My ex was certainly not a first date topic.
“You can tell me now, or you can save it for dessert.” Griffin cocked one eyebrow, waiting for me to answer his demand with an arrogant smirk.
I shifted, calming my angry pulse. “Richard was a professor at the university my freshman year. We got married once I was out of his class when I was nineteen and had Ax the same year. Long story short, he started selling pills to the students on campus, then moved to heroin, coke, and who knows what else. Pretty soon, the idiot was using more than he sold. He was in deep with some dealer. He dropped out of rehab a few times, like he didn’t even want to recover, and, finally, it caught up to him, well us. One night they came looking for him, but I was there alone with Axel. Ax slept the whole time, although I don’t know how. Richard was gone but they essentially beat the shit out of me, raped me, and left me as a warning to my husband.” I paused, gathering my thoughts and avoiding the gaze I knew was aimed at me. I hadn’t taken a single breath. “Anyway, Richard was so strung out when he got home that he didn’t even notice his wife in a pool of her own blood. When I came to, he had coke sitting on the dresser next to where he was passed out in bed. So, I packed a bag for each of us, took Axel, called the police, left the door wide open, and drove straight to the ER. The day Richard finally got sentenced to prison, I filed for divorce.” I kept my face blank while Griffin gaped at me. I must not have breathed through the entire explanation because dizziness hit me, and I sucked in a breath.
“Fuck, Cori. I just wanted to know I didn’t have some asshole to compete with.” Griffin shook his head. “I’m sorry.”
I shrugged. “It was three and a half years ago. Richard’s in prison and can’t come near us when he gets out.” Griffin only stared at me with an awful look of sympathy on his face. I went back to the menu, quickly crumbling under the heavy gaze he was giving me. I had never told anyone the whole story other than the doctors who treated me and the police. It was yet another reason I had avoided dates. The idea of someone seeing all the scars was nauseating, but the sympathetic look was worse. At least I got it out of the way; that way I couldn’t be mocked for it later. Griffin could take me home and drop me off with no doubt as to why he wasn’t calling the next day. Hopefully, the man would leave me with some dignity and not go around talking about me.
“I have no memory at all of Celia’s mother. I’ve seen pictures, had a DNA test, and have heard her name, but I don’t remember her.” I met his eyes over the menu before folding it and setting it on the table to listen. It was not what I expected him to say as a follow up to my story.
