Chapter 43
forty-three
GRIFFIN
G riffin tossed and turned on his bed. A bed which seemed much too large now without Quynh by his side.
The anxiety was eating him up inside. By this time tomorrow, he’d have her back in his arms. Once she came back, he would make sure she never had a reason to leave him again.
If it meant he had to chain her to his bed, then so be it.
He would never let her go for the rest of their lives together.
He’d talked to her on the phone a few hours ago, though she seemed distracted.
He chalked it up to her being busy packing up the rest of her apartment for the road trip.
Griffin was tempted to fly down there to drive back with her to make sure she didn’t have cold feet.
Unfortunately, Quynh merely laughed at his suggestion, thinking he was joking.
He was completely serious about needing her back in Willowbrook. Back in bed with him and by his side again .
Every second he spent without her here made him restless. His barely suppressed agitation was obvious to everyone in town who made a more concerted effort to avoid being around him this past week. Even Sean kept to himself, and Julio avoided making any of his usual jokes at Griffin’s expense.
He was an insufferable asshole all week. He could at least acknowledge it, but with every passing moment without her being here meant she could change her mind.
He wouldn’t be able to handle it if she changed her mind about coming back. He knew she would return eventually to see her father and sister, but it didn’t mean she’d come back for him. Even though they loved each other, it didn’t make the fear any less real. He could still lose her at any moment.
Growling, Griffin rolled over in bed onto his stomach.
He snatched the pillow Quynh typically used and hugged it tightly to his chest. He ignored his semi-hard-on.
The damn thing has been unsatisfied with all the times he’d jerked off with Quynh during their video calls.
There was no use until he saw her again.
Then it would be an act of sheer willpower to not explode as soon as he was buried deep inside her warm pussy again.
Fuck!
He couldn’t wait until she was here. Griffin shut his eyes and tried to think of sheep jumping over a fence.
He’d tried every breathing technique he could think of to fall asleep, but none worked.
Just when he thought he was in for a long night, he heard Rover stir at the bottom of the bed.
Rover had been sleeping in his bed more often since Quynh left.
He didn’t mind it since it made him less lonely.
“What is it, buddy?” he asked Rover as the dog perked up. Rover’s ears twitched as if he heard something before leaping out of bed with his tail wagging.
Frowning, Griffin untangled his legs from the comforter and followed the excited puppy down the hallway, where he sat staring at the front door expectantly.
“Is someone here, buddy?” Griffin asked, voice gruff.
In answer, there was a timid knock at the door. Griffin frowned. He wasn’t expecting anyone this late. He padded toward the front door on bare feet and unlocked it. Griffin was not prepared for what greeted him on his front step.
“Hi! I need help. My car broke down, and I was wondering if you could help me out?” The woman on his step bit her lip and looked up at him with her big brown eyes.
Griffin didn’t know how to react, but then her words registered. He let loose a grin at the reminder of how they first met before yanking the door open and grabbing her around the waist.
Finally, Quynh was here, back in his arms. She laughed as he picked her up and brought her inside his house, her hands going around his neck while her legs wrapped around his waist.
“Sunshine,” he said in greeting.
“Grumpy bear.” She smiled at his mock frown.
“Don’t tell me you drove all night to get here.”
“Ok, then I won’t.”
He growled and snapped his teeth at her, which made her giggle. His heart stopped beating in his chest at the sound of her laughter. He buried his face in her hair, breathing in her scent. Griffin hugged her tightly to his chest and relished the way her breath caught in her throat.
“Are you really here?” he murmured against her.
“I’m really here.” Her hand moved into his hair, fingernails scratching against his scalp. He bit back on a groan of pleasure as a shiver raced through his body.
“Thank fuck.” Griffin lifted his head. Finding her eyes were wet with unshed tears, he frowned.
“What’s wrong?” His voice came out rougher than he intended. Quynh offered a small smile before tilting her face up in a silent command for a kiss. He leaned down and met her soft lips with his own. It was a sweet kiss. Gentle. A meeting of two souls as they reunited.
She pulled back and shook her head.
“Nothing’s wrong. Everything is right for the first time in a while.
” Her smile lit a fire within him, making him aware of every beat of his heart.
For the rest of his life, he would make sure she always had a reason to smile at him just like this.
Like he was her entire world. He would move heaven and earth to give her everything she might want or need in this lifetime.
And the next, if he had anything to say about it.
Griffin never believed in soulmates, but the past few weeks of being separated from Quynh showed him what it was like to exist without his other half. Without her, his soul left his body. She was his in every sense of the word. His soulmate. His better half. The missing piece to his jagged puzzle.
It made him powerful to know a strong woman like her called him her man.
With Quynh tightly wrapped up in his arms, he turned to run up the stairs, only to have her yell.
“Stop! Put me down!” She slapped his shoulder for him to let go of her. When he refused, she sighed. “I need to get Pickles out of the car.”
Griffin’s grumble was loud, but he let her unwrap her legs around his waist. She made a move to open the front door, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
His lips closed around her yelp of surprise, which quickly turned into a groan of pleasure.
His cock hardened at the sound. Lips and tongues met in a primal dance for dominance.
He gripped the back of her head, grabbed a fist full of her dark, silky hair, and tugged.
Her body went boneless in his arms at his display of dominance.
He continued to lead their kiss but pulled back before things became too heated, or he’d fuck her up against the wall.
Pulling back, he untangled his hand from her hair and let her rest against the wall while he ran out to her car, which was parked in his driveway.
Pickles was sleeping soundly in his carrier.
He gently carried the sleepy cargo inside the house.
He put the carrier down on the bench and opened the latch.
Pickles took his time to stretch and worked his way out of the crate as if it were a normal occurrence to be back at Griffin’s home.
Though Griffin always had a dog for a companion, he admitted it was nice to have Pickles around.
Now, they were all united under the same roof.
Quynh disappeared into the kitchen. He heard the sounds of her shaking Pickles’s dry food out.
He watched her as she made sure Pickles was taken care of.
She was always thinking of others before herself.
A trait he admired, but he knew people would take advantage of her generosity.
He’d make it his personal mission to make sure she was never taken advantage of again.
Finally, when Pickles had food and water set up. Quynh straightened up and brushed her hands together. She smiled at him as she slowly walked toward him, her hips swaying side to side with the movement .
There it goes again, his heart stopping in his chest when she aimed her smile at him. She was going to be the death of him. What a way to go. If he died with her eyes on him, he’d die a happy man, knowing the last thing he saw would be her smiling face.
When she finally reached him, she placed both hands on his chest and looked up at him.
The moonlight streamed in through the windows, giving her an ethereal glow.
She looked like a goddess asking her supplicant for a sacrifice to show his devotion to her.
Griffin bent his head down, their lips merely centimeters apart.
He grasped her hand above his heart and gave her a small squeeze.
Her pouty lips parted. Her pink tongue peeked out as she licked her lips.
“Take me to bed, Griffin.”
At her husky command, Griffin bent at the knees and picked her up.
Throwing her over his shoulder as he ran up the stairs.
He shut the door before Rover or Pickles could sneak in.
He spent the rest of the night showing her how much he’d missed her, whispering promises against her heated skin, wringing out her pleasure with every kiss and touch he knew would make her whimper.
Only when he was satisfied she knew her rightful place was with him did he finally allow himself to come. They fell asleep tangled up together.
The last thing he heard before complete darkness was her whispered words.
“I love you.”
I love you, too.
T he end.