Page 86 of Crash
Quynh moaned in her sleep and wiggled closer to him. Griffin’s arm tightened around her as he gripped her. He never wanted to let her go. Not now. Not ever.
Love is such a wild feeling. Knowing his heart was no longer beating in his chest, but was lying next to him disguised as this sleeping beauty, made him fearful. Out of control. A sensation which terrified him more than the possibility of relapse.
With them being miles apart, the possibilities wereendless and fraught with danger. There was so much uncertainty stretching between them. He was too far away to protect her.
The thought of anything happening to her terrified him more than anything he thought possible. His restless mind whirled with possibilities.
forty
QUYNH
“So, what do you think?” Quynh asked over her shoulder, smothering a smile at his disgruntled expression.
“It’s…something,” he finally admitted, his voice flat as he tilted his head to look at the sculpture from a different angle.
It was Sunday afternoon. They spent the day sightseeing. Quynh took him to her favorite diner around the corner, where she watched in awe as he ordered everything off the menu and ate everything that arrived. The plates were piled high everywhere. When she only gaped at him in astonishment, he scowled at her and ordered her to eat her breakfast, which sat cooling on her plate.
She merely smiled at him and took small bites from her veggie omelet. When she took bites from the pancakes he ordered, he’d playfully swatted her fork away from his food. Though she saw the look of pleasure as he watched her eat raptly.
She knew he was worried she didn’t eat enough food. It’s not like she was concerned about her weight, more like she often forgot to eat with how busy she was with her life. Most days, she would be running around at the clinic and barely had time to eat. It became second nature to miss meals.
You’d think she’d be skinnier than she was, but the roundness of her abdomen contradicted her lack of eating. It was a frustrating conundrum. She didn’t forget to eat when she was with Griffin, who often went out of his way to feed her.
After their brunch, she’d taken him on a walking tour of her block. There wasn’t much to see besides busy restaurants and chain stores. Then they hailed a cab to take them across the city so she could show him the historical sights, which included the park with its many artistic and unique sculptures. That’s where they were when he finally straightened up with raised eyebrows.
She laughed at his expression before tugging on his arm and dragging him to the next sculpture.
They continued on through the park, occasionally stopping to people-watch and rest on the metal benches. They kissed beneath the cherry blossom trees, which were no longer blooming for the season. It didn’t make the moments less romantic, though.
Griffin’s disgruntled expressions at being draggedaround the city made her laugh. Despite his grumbling, she knew he was happy by the twinkle in his green eyes.
She couldn’t remember the last time she had so much fun with another person. Despite his gruff exterior, Griffin was a softie inside. He was down for almost anything she suggested.
Later, she dragged him inside a lingerie store and pulled out some items to try on. She was inside the dressing room trying on a light purple teddy when something was tossed over the door and plopped to the ground.
“What’s this?” she asked, bending down to retrieve the new garment. Her eyebrows shot through her hairline as she observed the barely there outfit of lace and ribbon barely held together with straps going every which way. The material was soft and thicker in areas like the nipple and the crotch. She did not know how she was going to even get into the garment without ripping it to shreds.
She modeled the teddy for Griffin, who’d grunted his approval before walking back into the dressing room. She pulled off the teddy over her head and tackled the ribbon and lace. After a few moments, she assembled all the parts appropriately and admired herself in the full-length mirrors in the dressing room. She turned and twirled as she admired how her ass looked from all angles.
She looked good.
She started opening the door to the private dressingarea. Griffin was sitting slouched against the couch and perked up with attention when he saw her peek through the door.
Bolstered with confidence, she pulled the door open wide and stepped out, trying to feign confidence as she strutted slowly toward him on her bare feet. She watched as his face tightened while his pupils dilated. His big hands clenched into fists on top of his thighs as if he was fighting the urge to not jump up and grab her.
It was probably illegal to have sex in the dressing room, but she knew the outfit was a keeper by the way he stared at her and watched her every movement.
She loved this feeling. She felt powerful. Beautiful.
Griffin had a way of making her confident in anything she wore. Even when she was in her grungiest outfit, he still looked at her as if she were the sexiest woman he’d ever laid eyes on. It was unnerving.
She loved it.
She loved him.
She never wanted to leave him.
They still had a lot of things to figure out and had barely talked about the details of their relationship. The only thing she knew for certain was she was not willing to let him go.
