Page 39 of Crash
“Where’d you go?”
“Hmm?” She turned to look at Griffin, who paused in thepath.
He angled his body to face hers, his back to the lake as his eyes roamed her features.
“You went somewhere. In your head.”
“Oh.”
How did he know that?
“Tell me.”
The command in his voice would have normally made her bristle if it were anyone else, but coming from Griffin, it sounded more like a plea. She knew he’d be respectful if she decided not to respond. He was always respectful to her during the time they’d known each other.
“I was just thinking about my family. Pretty soon, there won’t be anyone left. I’ll be alone.”
She shot him a melancholy smile and continued walking. A hand gripping her arm softly halted her.
She turned to look at him, the setting sun behind him casting his face in shadows. His green eyes were almost glowing in the dim lighting as he stared down at her, one hand reaching up to cup her chin. Then, slowly, as if he didn’t want to spook her, he lowered his face. He hovered mere inches from her lips, giving her the option to make the last move.
She gripped the hand holding her and stood on tiptoes as their lips met in a sweet kiss. It differed from their other kisses, seeming to communicate he understood how it felt to be alone in life.
The kiss was brief, but it ignited her nerve endings,nonetheless. She was dizzy with the intensity of her reaction to him.
She wondered if kissing him would always make her feel like she was coming alive.
It was disconcerting how her body responded to his caresses, as if it were vital to her existence. As if she were a zombie and he injected her with a life-giving serum.
She could get addicted to this. The way her body responded to him was like magic. It was hard to imagine being this way with someone other than Griffin.
All too soon, Griffin pulled away from their kiss. He didn’t go far, bending to touch his forehead to hers. Her hands found their way into his hair while his hand cradled her head, fingers wound in her messy bun.
It probably needed to be fixed, but it was the least of her worries at this moment. Standing nose to nose, breathing in the same air, the rest of the world faded away.
“You are never alone.”
It took her a moment to realize he was responding to what she said before he kissed her. Well, technically, she kissed him, but nobody was keeping track.
Standing in his arms, locked in the intimate embrace beneath the oak tree, she could believe him. She let herself believe she wasn’t alone in this life. It felt nice.
Is this what it was like to have someone on my side? To know there was always someone there for me?
“Thank you.”
His eyes bounced between hers. It was like he was trying to see if she believed him. Griffin must have been satisfied with what he saw in her eyes as he took a step back and grabbed her hand.
They continued walking hand in hand until the sun was nearly gone from the horizon.
nineteen
GRIFFIN
He needed to get away from her.
Right now.
Before he crossed the line and things got complicated. Before they did something they both would regret.
