Page 29 of Crash
They were still practically strangers.
Strangers with an undeniable connection, which was getting harder to resist the more time he spent with her. He didn’t know her story yet, but he wanted to know. For the first time in forever, Griffin wanted to know everything about a woman. Not just any woman. This woman.
Wanted was putting it lightly. He needed to know everything about her. The things that made her unique. Her life story. Her likes or dislikes
Griffin knew she was a kind woman with a huge heart, not only by the way she’d stepped up and taken care of him and the guys but also by making space in her life for her estranged father. Griffin didn’t know much about what happened between them, but old man Jones was well known on this side of town. He was one of the richest men here. Griffin recalled some drama that made the rounds, but he had been too young to care. He wondered if it had anything to do with Quynh and her reappearance.
He’d grown up in Willowbrook all of his life. The only child he’d known Jones to have was Ruth. They didn’t run in the same social circles, but she seemed to be the apple of her father’s eye.
Realizing he was still standing a little too closely behind her, Griffin stomped away before he acted on his impulse to bend her over the counter and strip her out of her pink dress. Her dainty feet were encased in matchingpink socks, and he wanted to take them off with his teeth.
Griffin seemed to have developed a foot fetish in the time he’d seen her tiny feet. He’d certainly like to see those toes of hers curl in pleasure.
He was flipping through Netflix when he heard her soft footsteps approaching, followed closely behind by the clacking of Rover’s claws on the wooden floors. She stood on the precipice of the doorway and shifted on her feet.
“Want to stay and watch a movie with me?”
Griffin surprised himself with the words that came out of his mouth. It was probably a bad idea to sit next to her for so long, but he didn’t want her to go back to her place where she’d be alone. Well, alone with her cat. When he was also sitting alone with his dog.
What was the harm in keeping each other company?
The shy smile she offered him cemented his decision to invite her to stay. It made him wonder if he had ever asked a woman to stay longer than was necessary. Come to think of it, he’d never cooked for any other woman, either. She was his first of so many things.
He made room on the couch for her. Rover typically liked to lie with his head on his lap as they relaxed before bed. It was a nightly ritual for them.
“Any requests?” he asked as he continued flipping through the options.
“Justno horror.” Her body shifted on the couch to get comfortable. She sat with her feet curled up under her, and he bit back a curse. She was probably cold. Unfortunately, he didn’t keep any blankets in the living room.
After flipping through a few more options, he saw her perk up when he scrolled ontoSuits. He knew he had made the right choice when she offered him a smile and settled into the couch.
He rarely watched legal drama, but he admitted the show was actually pretty good. Though Griffin attempted to concentrate on the TV, he increasingly found himself enthralled by her responses as time went on.
He snuck glances at her as she watched the show. Judging by her rapt gaze, she seemed to enjoy the show, though he wondered if it was the show or the undeniably attractive male characters.
By the time the first episode was over, he’d worked himself up into a jealousy frenzy at the thought of her finding an actor attractive. He had no right to her or her affections. His jaw ached from clenching it so tightly for so long. A small arm touched his shoulder, making his tense muscles relax slightly.
“Hey, are you okay? You seem tense.”
No kidding.
“Fine.”
She let go of his shoulder. He ignored how the loss of her touch made him panic.
“I should get going. It’s getting late. Thank you so much for tonight.”
She was already in the hallway by the time he got his act together and followed her. Cursing himself for being a rude host, he stomped after her retreating form.
He grabbed her arm before she got to the door and whirled her around to face him.
“Hey, hey. I’m sorry.” He wasn’t sure exactly what he was apologizing for, but he knew he needed to apologize for his irrational response to the idea of her finding anyone else attractive.
“It’s okay.” She made to move out of his grip.
Acting purely on impulse, he slowly backed her up against the hallway until her back was flush against the hard surface. He maintained a couple of inches of space between their bodies.
Using a finger, he lifted her chin and looked into her amber eyes. Eyes that captivated him with her unspoken words.
