Page 24 of Crash
The rest of the day passed by in a blur. Griffin offered to take her to see her father again after lunch. She texted Ruth to let her know of her plans. Cindy let her in as soon as Griffin put the car in park. She surprised Quynh by giving her a large hug and said she was excited to see her again.
Even though she did not have much of a relationship with her father, she would not waste what little time they had left. She wanted to get to know him as much as possible. Quynh would deal with the consequences later.
She didn’t see the harm in appeasing a dying man’s wishes. He seemed just as eager to see her, though they were careful to avoid any conversation that might involve her mother or her childhood.
It was a pleasant visit, and when he started to wilt, Quynh made her exit. She asked Griffin to drop her off this time so he could get some work done. She waited inthe sitting room while Cindy chittered on about the weather this time of year.
At the rumble of Griffin’s truck approaching, Cindy escorted Quynh through the lobby to the front door. This time, when Cindy gave Quynh a hug, she was prepared for it and returned the gesture. When she turned away, she could have sworn she saw tears in the elderly woman’s eyes.
By the time Quynh made it to the porch, Griffin was already standing by the passenger door, waiting for her. As she approached, he opened the door for her and helped her climb into the truck with a firm grip on her hand. He waited until she was settled into the seat before shutting the door and rounding the hood of the truck.
In the short time she sat alone in the truck, she tried to hold her breath to avoid breathing in his intoxicating scent. It was a pathetic effort since she’d obviously need to breathe at some point or pass out from sheer stubbornness. As soon as he settled into the driver’s seat, she could have sworn the heat inside the otherwise chilled cabin of the truck ratcheted up. Or maybe it was just her heart rate at the close proximity of someone she clearly found attractive.
Not just physically attractive, because any woman with good eyesight could tell Griffin was a handsome man. His chiseled jawline underneath his neatly trimmedbeard was enough to melt many panties. Coupled with his piercing green gaze and soft, kissable lips, she didn’t know why there wasn’t a line of women banging on his door.
Or, she supposed, it was possible it was happening. She had only been in town for a short time. He hadn’t mentioned anything about having a girlfriend or a lover, but she never asked either.
The questions were bubbling up inside her, making her feel like she would burst.
“Griffin?”
“Hmm?” He glanced at her from the corner of his eye briefly.
“Can I ask you a question?”
“You just did.”
She huffed. “I mean, can I ask you a personal question?”
He paused before answering.
“Sure.”
“Are you…Are you seeing anyone else?”
The silence stretched between them as she waited anxiously for an answer.
This couldn’t be a good thing, right?
It wasn’t a complicated question. A simple yes or no answer would suffice.
God, she wished she could take back thelast thirty seconds. This was humiliating. Maybe she was better off just jumping out of the truck now.
“No.”
“No?”
“No. There’s no one else.”
No one else? Does that mean I was someone to him?
Probably just wishful thinking. They hardly knew each other, though one thing was for certain.
There was an undeniable attraction between them.
Her body never felt so alive until she met him. Now, she was uncomfortably hyper-aware of the way her skin was stretched too tight. Or how empty her core was, desperate to be filled. Never mind how she suddenly became unnervingly aroused in close proximity to him.
His scent was intoxicating.
