Page 45 of Griffin

“Are you streaming tonight? What time do you want me to come over?” Griffin asked.

His eyes blinked open, still soft with sleep, and I couldn’t tell if my touch had tickled him awake or if he just liked it when I touched him.

It was simple. Maybe even silly. But it had become one of my favorite parts of being with him.

Yet if he came over to my place tonight—or rather, Casey’s—I wouldn’t get to see him like this tomorrow.

I took a breath, trying to sound casual despite the sudden knot of nerves in my chest.

“No, I’ll just, uh, bring my laptop over,” I said, my voice soft but uncertain, like I was testing the waters.

Griffin raised his head slightly, his brows lifting. “You’ll do it here?”

“Yeah,” I whispered, the words barely audible. “Can I?”

His arm tightened around me, pulling me even closer. His lips brushed along the line of my jaw, planting slow, deliberate kisses that trailed down to my neck.

The rough scrape of his stubble sent shivers over my skin, and I felt the curve of his lips as he smiled against me. He was happy—so happy it was contagious, drawing a breathless laugh out of me despite myself.

Griffin shifted, his weight pressing me into the mattress as his kisses grew hungrier. He nipped lightly at the sensitive spot where my neck met my shoulder, and my breath hitched.

My fingers tangled in his hair as he kissed his way down, his other hand brushing feather-light along my sides. The teasing touch made my whole body tighten, anticipation thrumming through me.

“Why don’t you just stay here until Casey and Sawyer come back?” he murmured, his lips grazing my collarbone.

I bit down on my lower lip to stifle a groan, my head tipping back as he worked his way lower.

“You only have one or two streams left, don’t you?” he added, his voice a low rumble against my skin.

“Mm,” I managed, my voice a little too breathy. “Todd said I might have to do more.”

The moment the words left my mouth, his hand stilled, and he pulled back slightly. The shift in the air was unmistakable.

Crap. Why did I say that?

Every time Todd’s name came up, something flickered in Griffin’s eyes. I didn’t understand it.

Todd was my manager, my best friend, and the one person who had stuck with me through everything. If I couldn’t talk about work or Todd with Griffin, what else was I supposed to do?

But Griffin’s irritation always left me on edge, like I’d unknowingly stepped into a minefield. I sat up, running a hand through my hair, frustration and guilt tangling inside me.

Griffin moved away, sitting at the edge of the bed. The loss of his warmth felt like a physical ache, and I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d ruined the moment.

“If it’s part of my contract, I have to do it if he tells me to,” I said, my voice quiet, trying to keep the defensiveness out.

My gaze dropped to the sheets as I fidgeted with the corner of the blanket, unsure of what else to say or do.

Without a word, Griffin crossed the room, grabbing his jeans off the floor. The muscles in his back shifted as he pulled them on, his movements deliberate but tense.

After a beat, he finally spoke. “If he’s really your friend, like you say he is, he wouldn’t make you do these streams. Doesn’the know how much this is affecting you? Because, honestly, it sounds like he’s making you do this just for a damn paycheck. Does he even care about you?”

The words hit me like a slap. My jaw tightened as I tried to keep my expression neutral. I knew Griffin wasn’t trying to hurt me, but it still stung.

Todd didn’t know exactly why I was in Pecan Pines. He didn’t know about the incident with the stalker, or why I was so reluctant to stream lately.

I’d never told him—never explained what had happened after I left him back at Cinderfield Games Con.

Todd was in the dark because I’d kept him there.

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