Page 52 of A False Start
Everything about Griffin oozes sex appeal. And I am very muchnotimmune to it.
“Wow,” my sister-in-law whispers as we slow to a standstill at the base of the driveway.
“Yeah,” I breathe out, sounding like a total idiot. “But not about my brother,” I add quickly. “That would be gross.”
She snorts, eyes flitting over to me. “I’m not related to either of them. So, I can really enjoy the full experience.”
I bark out a laugh.
“What? Look at them. I didn’t know Griffin was so...cut.”
“Yeah,” I say again, having lost the ability to use many words at the sight of him working without a shirt, sweat trickling down his throat. His inked forearms ripple in the sun, the muscles in his back bunching every time he heaves up a bale.
“Damn, girl. You look like you’re going to eat him alive.”
Mira isn’t eyeing them up anymore. She’s eyeingmeup.Irises dancing with knowing amusement.
“No. He’s too...” I trail off.Too what?Manly? Strong? Comforting?
“Old?” Mira supplies, like a bucket of ice water over my head.
I swallow deeply and nod, trying my best to not look like a star-struck idiot. Which, coincidentally, is how I’m feeling.
Pretending I don’t feel inexplicably drawn to Griffin is a hell of a lot easier when I don’t have to see the man. Shirt or no shirt, I’m a total goner where he’s concerned.
Mira squeezes my shoulder, hitting me with her signature stare that is almost indecipherable. Smug and amused, like she knows a secret you don’t.
“Age is just a number, little Dalca. And the only number that counts is eight.” She points over to where Griffin stands, panting and glowing under the scorching sun. “Because that’s how many abs I can count on him.”
“Jesus Christ, Mira.”
She throws her head back and cackles as heat spreads across my chest. Her laughter draws the men’s eyes. And then the fucking traitor shouts, “Great news! Nadia is going to come keep me company while you guys do whatever man stuff you have planned.”
My brother lifts one gloved hand and offers a firm thumbs up.
Griffin just scowls.
* * *
The property is breathtaking.There’s something about being high enough up that you can see the entire valley that just feels so otherworldly.
Down in Ruby Creek, the heavy presence of the tall rocky peaks can feel oppressive. Like they’re weighing down on you. But up here, I almost feel like I’m flying.
I stepped out of my car and walked onto the front lawn, thinking I’d take a quick peek at what the small house overlooks, but now that I’m here, I don’t feel much like moving.
The hot sun is making its way across the sky, but there’s a cool breeze up here. With a hand held above my eyes, I scan the horizon, still not over the beauty that this part of Canada possesses.
I take a deep breath, letting the clean mountain air pour through my lungs. A fresh pine scent that is heart-wrenchingly familiar floats on the wind. A scent reminding me of Griffin, and how it felt to be captured beneath his arms. How I felt surrounded byhimwhen he kissed me.
I shouldn’t want him this badly. I’ve never wanted a man this badly. Usually, it’s the other way around. They chase the hell out of me. I like that part, then I give in. We have lots of hot, fun sex. And then I get bored with them. Then it gets mundane. Then I feel trapped, destined to follow in my mother’s footsteps. Get knocked up, get tied down, be stuck in some dark, miserable spiral. There’s this part of me that thinks I want that, and then this other part that is terrified to go down that path at all.
So, I move onto the next boy, keeping my insecurities close and my heart closer.
Without even trying, Griffin has ripped all that safety from me. He hasn’t wooed me. He hasn’t chased me. In fact, it feels an awful lot like he’s done everything in his power to push me away.
Truth be told, I’m not sure the man likes me.Likes me. Not just wants to fuck me, because I’m accustomed to that approach. I’m accustomed to men’s eyes on me—appreciative looks aren’t new to me. When your boobs fill out early and you’re a dead ringer for a woman like my mother, well, male attention hasn’t been scarce.
Some days, I ache for a man who sees more than the way I look on the outside. A man invested enough to peel back all the layers. But most of them stop the chase as soon as they peel back my clothes. Like that’s the final destination for them with a girl like me.
