Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 55171 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 276(@200wpm)___ 221(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55171 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 276(@200wpm)___ 221(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
“That’s not all,” Griff says after a few moments of silence. Silence that has me on edge with worry. I tilt my head to the side, waiting him out. Unsure of what he’s going to say next, worried really because if that’s not all, is he going to bring up my craziness when I was drowning myself in tequila?
“It’s not?”
“Nope. How much do you remember of that night?” Fuck me sideways. Of course he’d bring that up.
“All of it,” I admit after wishin’ and hoping, and thinkin’ and prayin’ he wouldn’t ask that. Yes, I’m singing that song in my head while reciting the lyrics. I mentioned my aunt was crazy, right? Well, it seems some of her crazy was passed down to me. Responding in song lyrics is not part of our thing.
“Good, then this won’t come as a surprise. That ride you were willing to go after, you’ll get it from me and no one else.” My mouth opens and closes as I gulp for air like a fish out of water. No one has ever been so blatant to me about sex, though I wasn’t really quiet either. Zach was my first and last, which obviously was lackluster at best. Stupid me, marrying a man at the age of twenty-four who would get his rocks off and leave me in another form of denial. Thankfully, I was a pro at self-satisfaction. And Griff now knows all there is about that subject as well.
“Umm…” I’m still at a loss for words. God, I’m an idiot.
“You got any plans for this evening?” I shake my head no, wondering what he is after. “Good, I’m at the bar tonight. I’ll be closing it down, or I’d take you to dinner like a man should. That being said, we’ll have dinner there tonight.”
“Um, Griff, you don’t have to do that. You’re working and, well, shouldn’t it be me paying or offering dinner to you?” I reply with trepidation in my voice.
“Baby girl, we’re having dinner tonight. You want to cook dinner for me, I’ll take it, but you are not paying.” Well, okay, then, growly alpha man has entered the chat.
“I mean I can’t cook for you, not that I can’t cook, but, well, you saw my apartment. Everything is packed up.” Griff looks at me like I’ve got two heads. The verbal vomit is a real thing when I’m confused and worried and, well, all the things really.
“Dinner at the bar it is, then.” His hand slides down my neck, squeezing the tight muscles once. I hold back a moan, barely. His hand continues its downward path. My body lights up beneath, and a tremble runs through me.
“Okay.” There’s a slight tilt to his lips as his hand wraps around mine, holding my hand firmly in his, and then he’s leading us back up the dock. I’m left in a Griff-induced stupor, not completely sure what just happened, yet I like it all the same.
4
GRIFFIN
“I hope you know what you’re doing.” Barbie doesn’t mince words. Her voice is quiet yet speaks volumes. She’s been with me from the very beginning of opening the bar. It’s why I’d ever allow her to question what I’m doing. If it were anyone else speaking to me like that, well, they’d have fewer fucking teeth. That being said, this is Barbie. She’s got a past of her own in this small town, except the rumors swirling around her were no fault of her own. Her parents were the talk of the entire town at one point. The epitome of toxic, one a drunk, the other an addict. It’s a wonder Barbie came out unscathed. That doesn’t mean a part of her isn’t hardened. She has a few times a year where she’ll allow herself a moment to grieve when she lets those walls down. Both her parents are gone due to a car crash a few years back. One or both were intoxicated and had a fight that the whole town square could hear. When the news was delivered that they were killed after going double the speed limit on the highway, lost control, and did a lot of flips, Barbie was on shift. A small hint of emotion took over but also a look of relief. So, her bringing it up, completely valid. Shit, I’ve been doing exactly that since the night I was with Stormy. So many worries, issues, and hurdles we’ll have to jump through in order to get to where we’re going. I take my baseball cap off my head, run my fingers through my hair, and leave it off since I’m inside the bar and the sun isn’t blaring in my eyes. I contemplate what Barbie said again, choosing my words carefully before I respond. My head is in the damn clouds, consumed with the way Stormy felt against me, how she gave in to my touch so freely. The soft sigh she tried to hide still replays in my mind. The only thing that could have made it better is if she was moaning my damn name.