Page 106 of The Rookie

“Good,” he murmurs, his thumb brushing my cheek as he pulls me into his lap, cradling me against his chest. The strength of his arms around me is grounding, like I could fall apart in them and still be safe. “You make me…want to go a little crazy, sometimes. I have to fight to stay in control.”

For a moment, we just sit there in silence, the hum of the city outside the only sound. My fingers find the edge of his collarbone, tracing idle patterns, and I let my head rest against his shoulder.

He grins, his green eyes bright as they search mine, like he can’t get enough of looking at me. “But seriously—anything you need? Water? A snack? A… massage?”

“A massage?” I echo, laughing softly. “What, are you trying to run a full-service spa here?”

He shrugs, smirking. “If it gets me a five-star review, why not?”

I throw back my head in laughter. The warmth in his gaze makes my chest feel light, and I tuck myself closer, letting the moment linger. Because with Griffin, even the quiet moments feel like everything.

“You know what I need?” I whisper, my voice soft against the curve of his neck.

“What’s that?” he asks, his hand sliding up and down my back in soothing strokes.

“Just this,” I admit. “Just you.”

“So you’re saying you want to go again already?”

twenty-nine

. . .

Griffin

The morning airis cooler than I expected, the breeze carrying the scent of salt and sun-warmed sand as I make my way down the quiet beach.

I hadn’t planned on waking up early.

But after last night? After her?

After screwing until three a.m.?

There was no fucking way I was sleeping in. I was full of nerves, and of butterflies.

I’d woken up before sunrise, the sky still dark, the waves rolling onto the shore in steady, rhythmic crashes. Despite my lack of sleep I was full of energy. But I hadn’t moved right away.

Because Avery was still asleep beside me.

She was curled into the sheets, completely tangled up, her hair messy and wild, her lips parted in soft, even breaths.

And I just lay there. Watching her. My little obsession. How did we get here?

I felt—feel—like the luckiest man on the planet.

I shouldn’t have touched her—not after the way I’d already claimed her, ruined her, memorized every single fucking sound she made—but I couldn’t help myself.

I’d leaned in, pressed a soft, lingering kiss to her bare shoulder.

And then I’d slipped out, needing air, space, time to think.

Becausethis?

This was everything I ever wanted. Everything I thought it could be.

And that is a fucking problem when she’s made it very explicit that this stays in Mexico.

The sand is cool under my feet, the waves rolling up to the shore in soft, frothy lines.

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