Page 50 of How to Date a Younger Man
“Well, when the home of my dreams finally went on the market, I knew I had to jump on the opportunity. And it’s not like I needed a partner to help offset the down payment,” I reply, forcing a casual smile on my lips. I’m not about to pick a fight with this woman, but her passive-aggressive comments about my life choices make my blood boil.
“I can’t imagine having all that space to myself. Although, I guess with the hours you work, you wouldn’t really have the time to relax and enjoy it like we do,” Liza says, wrapping her hand around Tom’s arm and beaming a sugary-sweet smile up at him.
I’m about to ready to snap when a hand lightly touches my lower back, and Griffin’s tall, strong body appears beside me.
“You know, that’s a common stereotype about lawyers, especially women who have the balls to take on high-powered positions,” he says, standing close enough to me that I can feel the heat radiating from his body. “But you’d be surprised how easily Layne manages her schedule. What’s that saying? Work smarter, not harder? She’s an absolute beast, and a damn good lawyer. I think we can all learn something from the way she leads her life.” He flashes one of his charming smiles Liza’s way.
Good God, I could rip his clothes off right here.
He clinks his glass to mine with a wink, and this time my stomach does a freaking round-off back handspring.
Liza doesn’t respond. She simply smiles and changes the subject, but I can tell from the look in her eyes that she’s been defeated. For now, at least.
“Thanks for that,” I murmur, sidestepping away from Liza and her cronies. “Really. It means a lot.”
“It’s true,” he says.
He’s still standing close enough that my elbow tingles where it makes contact with his arm. I have a feeling that if I were to look him in the eye right now, I might actually burst into flames.
“I should probably go make sure we’re not running low on canapés,” I say halfheartedly, not wanting to leave, but wary of the two of us being seen together alone for too long. I make a move to turn to leave, but his fingers graze my arm, stopping me in my tracks.
“I want you so bad right now,” he says, low enough that only I can hear.
“Griff . . .”
“As great as that dress looks on you, all I can think about is taking it off.”
I go weak in the knees, and for a second, I’m worried they might actually buckle. “Not now,” I whisper, slowly regaining my composure.
“Then when?” His voice is low, seductive.
After a quick scan of the backyard to be sure no one’s watching us, I turn back around to meet his eyes, my shoulders squared to his broad ones, my breasts nearly touching his chest. “Ten minutes. Meet me in the upstairs bathroom.”
Before he can respond, I slide past him, finding a confused-looking caterer to direct back to the kitchen. I take one last look at Griffin before walking inside the house and am pleased to find a dumbstruck but definitely turned-on look plastered on his face, only to quickly wash away once someone he knows approaches him to talk.
Again, as if he can feel me watching, Griffin catches my eye for a moment, his mouth twitching into a half smile as he lifts his chin with a subtle nod.
My stomach completes its gymnastics routine as I lead the caterer into the kitchen, pointing him in the right direction before grabbing a strawberry from one of the platters and making my way to the front of the house.
Checking the few rooms nearby to make sure no one will overhear, I walk into the upstairs bathroom. I glance at my reflection in the mirror, barely recognizing the woman staring back at me. My cheeks are rosy, and my eyes are bright.
The sound of footsteps in the hall makes my heart beat faster, and I swear all the blood in my body goes straight between my legs.
Griffin steps through the door, closes it quickly behind him, and removes the distance between us in one fluid motion. He takes my face in his hands, then slides them behind my hair and pulls me to him, our mouths meeting with more passion and urgency than they ever have before. The kiss is feverish, frantic even, as the sexual tension that’s been building between us for the past two hours releases all at once.
He backs me up against the counter and lifts my butt easily onto it, parting my knees so he can situate himself between my legs. He presses against me, already hard and ready, ratcheting up my need for him even more. Making quick work of unbuttoning his pants, I slip a hand inside his waistband, and give his shaft a long, slow pull that makes him growl into my neck.
