Page 68 of Small Town Frenzy
“I’m fine. Totally fine. Never better.” I clamp my mouth shut to stop the bleeding, but it might be too late. She’s already onto me.
“Griffin?”
“Yeah?” She doesn’t say anything, but she does stare like I’ve morphed into an alien. “What is it?”
As if she’s holding her breath, she doesn’t blink. And then her body depletes when she releases the next one. “What’s going on? I can tell something’s wrong. Talk to me. Please.”
What do I say?I’m having a midlife crisis because I might have fallen in love with her.Fuck.That’s not even true. I’m lying to myself. There was nomight haveinvolved. I’ve fallen for her.Whoa!That’s heavy stuff right there. “Nothing’s wrong.” I lie again, this time to her.Fuck.The dam’s been broken, and the lies flood like water from my tongue.
This is ridiculous. Why am I acting like this is a bad thing? It’s Cricket. She’s incredible. I’d be lucky if she felt the same. I force myself to look her in the eyes, for her benefit and mine, when I say, “Tomorrow’s Sunday?—”
“Technically, it’s already Sunday.” Her smile is softer, her lids even starting to fade with the early morning hour.
“Right.” I roll to my side to face her, and because I like looking at her in our bed, this bed I made for her. “I wanted to see if you and Jacob wanted to come over and we could spend some time together.”
There’s that night bloom of a gorgeous, flowering smile. “I’d like that very much.” When her gaze drops to the floral sheet between us, she pauses but then looks back up as if she’s talked herself into something. “Do you mind if I ask him if that’s what he’d like to do? I promised we’d spend the day together. I don’t want him to think that I?—”
“That’s fine. I understand.”
“Would it be here or . . .?”
“I was hoping I could show you, show you both, the ranch where I grew up.” The rush of nerves through my veins keeps my voice low, fearing rejection. It could happen at any point, so my hopes are held on standby just in case.
“Would we meet your family?”
“Do you want to?” I counter, not even considering how my family fits into the picture at this point in the relationship or with Jacob.
She scoots closer and snuggles against my side. With her eyes hidden from me, I close mine and kiss the top of her head. “I think it would be nice, but . . .”
My eyes flash open again. “But?” I ask, staring off the front of the porch where I can no longer make out the trees from the dark sky.
“It’s not the right time to share who Jacob is to them or you.”
I breathe easier, knowing we’re on the same page. “I agree. Doing things at a pace best for him is my focus.”
She kisses my chest, and whispers, “Thank you.”
Wrapping my arms around her, I say, “I could get used to falling asleep with you.”
“We can’t fall asleep this time.” She pokes her head up. “I need to get back soon.”
“How soon?” I begin to shift from her hold and move lower on the bed. “And what can I do to convince you to stay a while longer?”
Her legs butterfly open for me, causing my cravings to kick in again. My dick is already hard before I dip under the sheet and slide my shoulders between her legs, ready to satisfy my hunger. I start with an appetizer of kisses before my tongue dives in for the main course.
“Stayover at the Riggins’s house most of the night?” my dad asks, looking up from a crossword puzzle book next to an empty plate on the table when I finally show my face after sleeping well past lunch.
Running my hands over my hair, I seem to think I have a chance in hell of taming its rough stage of bedhead. “Yeah. Got back around three.”
“What were you doing?”
Replying,Cricket Dover, isn’t the response to go with, but I’m having trouble thinking of another fast enough. He looks over at where I’ve stopped on the bottom step, and asks, “Working on a project over there?”
I step down and walk to the fridge. “Something like that.” Tugging the door open, I bend down to see what the selection is today. Orange juice, milk, prune juice . . . I glance back at my dad, water and beer. I grab the carton of OJ and set it on the counter. “It’s mine now.”
“What is?” He shifts in his chair, resting his arm across the back as he looks at me.
“The house. Since he left it to me, it’s mine.” I pour halfa glass before cleaning my mess. “I didn’t know he’d do that, but I sort of feel my return makes more sense now.”
