Page 49 of Outlaw Ridge: Griff
Hallie had all but ordered them to go home and get some rest. Lily hadn’t argued. Not out loud. But the weight in her chest said otherwise. She needed rest—mercy, did she need it—but she also wanted to keep working. She and Griff had been chasing shadows all day, and they still hadn’t caught one.
And Griff… she knew he felt the same. He hadn’t said much on the drive back to his place, but every line in his face had shoutedfrustration.
They had a long day ahead of them, too. Rhett had lawyered up the second Hallie called him in, so his interview was on the books for morning. Everett would be coming in, too.
It was going to be a full day.
They’d need to be sharp.
But right now, Lily felt anything but. She couldn’t bring herself to move past the living room. Couldn’t make herself head toward the guest room. Her feet stayed rooted to the floor. Her muscles ached from adrenaline. Her heart still beat faster than it should have.
She exhaled slowly, not sure what she was waiting for.
Then she felt Griff’s presence at her back. He stepped in close, his warmth sliding against her like it had every right to be there. He didn’t say anything, just wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against his chest.
Lily let herself sink into him, closing her eyes, her fingers curling into the front of his shirt. No words. No plans. Just this. Just him.
Lily let out a low murmur against his chest, her cheek pressed to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.
“Close contact like this is risky,” she mumbled. “After that kiss earlier.”
Griff didn’t answer at first, just held her tighter.
“Well… notrisky,” she added, voice even softer. “Not like we’re going to jump into kissing and sex tonight. We’re both too tired for that.”
He chuckled, low and warm. “We’renevertoo tired for sex.”
But the kiss he pressed to the top of her head wasn’t a tease. It wasn’t a lead-in to anything more.
It was comfort. Steadying.
The kind of gesture that slipped beneath defenses and didn’t ask for anything in return.
Lily exhaled and turned in his arms, pressing her front to his, her hands sliding up to rest against his chest. His mouth was within reach now, and the ache that had been coiled inside her since that first kiss earlier bloomed again. Quiet, hungry, alive.
She leaned in, brushing her lips over his.
Just a touch.
But the heat sparked instantly—more than a simmer, less than a blaze. A thread of something real pulled taut between them. She let herself hover there for a breath, toying with the notion of deepening it, of letting go, just a little—
Ping.
Griff’s phone vibrated in his back pocket. He didn’t groan or curse, but she felt the moment shift as he slowly pulled back.
Duty never slept.
And neither, it seemed, did their case.
Griff eased back just enough to reach into his back pocket, still keeping one arm around her like he wasn’t ready to let go entirely. He glanced at the screen, and the faint glow lit up his face—just enough for Lily to catch the flicker of surprise in his eyes.
“It’s from Jesse,” he said. “Apparently, he’s not following Hallie’s orders to get some rest either.”
Lily arched a brow. “Guess that makes three of us.”
Griff didn’t answer right away. His gaze stayed locked on the message, his expression sharpening as he read.
“What?” she asked, heart suddenly thudding a little faster.
