Chapter 21
twenty-one
GRIFFIN
G riffin’s heavy weight on top of her was a welcome sensation, grounding her in reality while providing her with a sense of comfort she had never experienced before. Thankfully, her ever-present and swirling thoughts were quiet for what seemed like the first time all day.
She could get used to this.
This , of course, meant the sense of belonging. Even if it was short-lived, it was such a nice feeling. The orgasms were a perk, obviously.
But lying here, with Griffin’s giant body pinning her down like a human weighted blanket, she felt safe. Cherished. Loved.
Loved?
It was way too soon for it, but she imagined this was it.
Their bodies moved together in a sensual rhythm, a timeless dance of desire and passion.
It was as if their bodies were magnetically drawn together, each curve and angle complementing the other.
His hardness to her softness. Like yin and yang, or two missing puzzle pieces needed to complete the picture.
Griffin’s softening cock slipped out of her body. The telltale sensation of his cum trickling out of her was new. She never had sex without condoms before Griffin. The mere thought of his cum inside of her drove her to the brink of orgasm.
Do I have a breeding kink I wasn’t aware of?
She’d have to find some new romance books with breeding kinks to explore the next time she went to the bookstore.
Griffin groaned as he lifted his head from the crook of her shoulder.
“You okay?”
His husky voice sent shivers through her body. There was no way she could go another round.
Griffin kissed her softly on her forehead, bringing her attention back to the present.
“I’m fine.” Her hands continued their stroking motion against his firm back.
She nearly groaned in frustration when he lifted himself to look down at her.
“Just fine?” His eyebrow quirked in question.
“Better than fine,” she amended with a smile.
“Oof, tough crowd.”
She laughed as he pushed off of her, his cock slipping completely free. She hurriedly squeezed her thighs together as he heaved himself out of the bed.
Well, this was awkward.
How am I supposed to take care of the mess and not leave a trail behind?
Griffin disappeared into the ensuite bathroom. She heard the sink run as she contemplated her options. His cum continued to leak out of her.
Jesus, how much more of this stuff is inside of me?
Griffin returned with a damp washcloth in hand just as she contemplated doing an awkward waddle to grab her discarded underwear, unabashedly naked as the day he was born.
He sat down on the bed and gently pried her thighs open.
Carefully, he used the damp washcloth and cleaned her.
He kept his touch tender, yet she still flinched when the rough fabric grazed her oversensitized clit.
She always took care of the cleanup alone.
This was a first for her. She relaxed into the bed and let him take care of her.
When he was satisfied, Griffin got up and went back into the ensuite to ditch the washcloth.
Slowly, she sat up. Her muscles were sore and tender in places she never knew possible.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, sheets rustling with her movement made her wince.
Griffin tossed something by her side. She looked down to find one of Griffin’s T-shirts with the name of his shop across the back.
She glanced up just in time to see his delectable round ass before they disappeared into another pair of grey sweats.
God, does he own any other type of sweatpants, or did he just have grey ones?
It should be illegal for men to wear grey sweatpants. Why does he have to look so good in them?
She pulled on the worn shirt, its soft cotton gliding across her skin, trying not to overthink the gesture. When her vision cleared, Griffin was standing by the door. Shirtless.
She tried not to drool at the sight.
Down, girl!
“Let’s eat.” His knowing smirk made her blush.
He didn’t wait for her to respond before he opened the bedroom door.
The sound of nails over the hardwood floor was the only warning she got before Rover came running in and launched himself at her.
She laughed as they fell onto the bed, his giant tongue assaulting her face with his happiness.
“Rover. Get down. She’s mine.”
Rover whined but followed his owner’s command.
Quynh ignored the way her body tingled at how he’d claimed her as his .
He means nothing by it, right?
No. Of course not.
She was probably reading too much into it.
Griffin whistled, and Rover jumped off the bed to his side.
“We’ll be downstairs. Come down for dinner when you’re ready.”
He didn’t wait for her response as he headed down the hallway.
Quynh attempted to make herself presentable in the bathroom.
Unfortunately, her hair was a giant, frizzy mess, her lips were swollen, and her skin was hopelessly mottled in multiple areas from Griffin’s rough beard.
She tried to stamp down the glee she experienced at the sight of his marks on her.
Placing a hand over her neck, she recalled the way it felt when he’d sunk his teeth into her.
She was dismayed when she couldn’t see any marks.
It was the first time anyone ever bit her during sex.
Apparently, she liked it. Or, at least, she liked it when Griffin bit her.
She was learning so much about herself in the past week. She wondered if she ever truly knew who she was before now.
She splashed cold water on her face and attempted to control her unruly hair, using her fingers to detangle the mess. She made her way back into the bedroom. The wet stain on the bedsheet made her flush with embarrassment.
Quynh went searching for her underwear. Spotting them at the end of the bed, she stepped into them. No way was she going to attempt putting on her leggings again. She pulled off the dirty bedsheets and went hunting for clean ones. She found a spare set in the bedroom closet.
When she finished making the bed, she eyed her leggings again. She couldn’t possibly go downstairs without pants. It would probably be a bad idea. Plus, it was chilly. Then something caught her eye.
There, at the foot of the armchair in the corner, were the pair of sweats Griffin wore earlier. She tiptoed across the carpet, biting her lip with indecision.
It was probably overstepping by wearing more of his clothes.
“Quynh? Dinner’s ready!”
She jumped at Griffin’s shout. It sounded like he was at the bottom of the stairwell. Grabbing the giant pair of pants, she hurriedly put them on, rolling the top a few times so they didn’t slide off her. Then, she rushed out of the bedroom.
Quynh found Griffin and Rover in the kitchen. She tiptoed across the cold linoleum and sat at the table. Griffin already placed the utensils on the table. He didn’t seem to need any help with dinner .
Griffin came over with two plates piled high. The delicious aroma of freshly baked chicken and pasta made her mouth water. She caught a whiff of it earlier when they first entered the house.
She murmured her thanks as he set a plate in front of her. She bit back on a moan when the flavors hit her taste buds. The only other sounds in the room came from their utensils scraping gently while Rover ate his dinner in the corner.
“This is delicious. You’re a very good cook.”
When Griffin didn’t respond, she glanced up from her plate and gasped.
“Are you blushing?” She couldn’t help giving him a hard time.
“No. Of course not.”
“You are!”
“A man never blushes.”
“Ha!”
He shot her an unamused look, which made her chuckle.
It was cute that he was embarrassed about his culinary skills.
Did he ever cook for anyone else?
She hoped not. The thought of him sharing this part of himself with another woman made her burn with unwarranted jealousy. Quynh had no reason to be possessive about Griffin. Besides sharing several intimate moments, they made no promises to each other.
Her time in Willowbrook was limited. The ever-present hourglass hanging over her head as the sands of time slipped by, marking their passage of time, knowing, inevitably, her time would run out here, and she’d have to face reality. Go back to the city and deal with the mess she left behind.
She still needed to find a new job. The prospect seemed incredibly daunting.
She wasn’t quite ready to tackle the obstacle.
The thought of having to find a new job where she was not valued made her want to break out in a rash.
She could really use at least another week before she needed to get her act together.
On top of her severance pay, her mother taught her the importance of saving her money, so she had a comfortable nest egg to last her a while, if necessary.
She didn’t have many bills other than car insurance.
Her previous employer paid for her to relocate.
As part of the relocation, they also paid for her apartment.
The lease was good for the rest of the year.
Ugh. This was the first time she had even thought about her boss since she got to Willowbrook.
Or, former boss. She hadn’t seen the obituary notice yet, but funeral services were probably happening soon.
She should at least go and pay her respects.
Quynh made a mental note to contact one of her other coworkers for any updated information on funeral arrangements.
Not to mention, her car wasn’t ready yet, but hopefully, the parts she just ordered will arrive soon.
“Quynh.”
Griffin’s voice broke her out of her spiraling thoughts.
“Hmm?”
“You okay?”
“What? Oh. Yes, of course.”
“Don’t lie to me.”
Quynh put her fork down, folding her hands in her lap. She glanced at his face, which was set in determination as he waited for her to say something.
She fidgeted with the material of the borrowed grey sweatpants, pinching it between her fingers as she thought of what to say.
“I’m fine. Really.”
“But…”
“But…I guess I was just thinking about how I should probably check up on things back home.”
Griffin’s expression hardened at her words, and his lips set in a thin line as his eyes assessed her. After a tense moment of silence, he gave her a curt nod.
“Once the parts to your car get here, it won’t take me very long to get it fixed. You should be back on the road in no time.”
Griffin got up and brought his plate to the sink, his movements jerky as he washed them.
“I can take care of the dishes since you made dinner…” The sound of the running water drowned her voice out.
“No need.”
Quynh furrowed her brows in confusion.
Did I upset him?
She didn’t mean for what she said to upset him. She stood up from the table, grabbing her dirty plate and utensils. Cautiously, she approached an irate Griffin.
She placed the dish on the counter with one hand, her other hand coming up and reaching tentatively for his stiff back. She kept her touch gentle, almost like she was reaching out to a wounded animal. She didn’t want to startle or anger him.
The muscles on his back tensed impossibly further beneath her touch. He turned the faucet off, arms gripping the sink. Griffin hung his head between his shoulders.
“Did I upset you?” she asked in a low voice.
He shook his head in response but didn’t look at her.
“It’s nothing. It’s getting late.”
She dropped her hand back to her side, a sharp jab to her heart at his rebuke.
“Yeah, okay. I should probably get going.” She backed away from him, making a hasty retreat from the kitchen .
“Thank you again for dinner.” She tossed the words over her shoulder as she hurried to find her sneakers.
Where the hell are my sneakers?
They weren’t at the front door. Then she remembered how she’d lost them on the way to the front.
She turned around, only to find Griffin blocking her path.
His looming figure felt larger than before.
His muscles were taut with tension, his hands flexing at his sides as his dark gaze stared her down.
What was his problem?
“Um, I just need my shoes…” Her words trailed off as he took halting steps toward her.
Her senses were suddenly on high alert at the danger he presented.
She didn’t think he’d hurt her, but her body reacted to his unexpected aggression.
Her skin tingled with awareness while a buzzing noise filled her ears.
She became acutely aware of every heaving breath as she mirrored his movements.
She took a step back, slowly backing away from him.
Griffin snapped.
He rushed at her before she could make another move. She gasped as a rough hand wrapped itself around her throat. He didn’t squeeze her to apply pressure, but the threat was there. With a thumb, he lifted her chin.
Quynh ignored the way her body responded to him. Her pussy ached, begging to be filled again with his girth, her panties damp from his light but possessive touch .
“Don’t go.” She shivered as his deep voice came out in a low growl. “Stay.”
His command almost brought her to her knees. He wrapped an arm around her waist and brought their bodies together. Her nipples were taut against the soft cotton of her borrowed shirt. The sensation was more erotic than it should have been.
“O-okay.” She nodded at his request.
She sensed the moment he relaxed. His deep intake of breath filled his chest, rubbing against her aching nipples.
His deep exhale across her lips made her want to catch his breath with her own lips.
She stuck her tongue to lick her lips, wanting his mouth on hers again.
As if he read her mind, he tilted his head towards her.
Griffin’s kiss was surprisingly gentle, a contrast to his turbulent mood, as if he was making a promise to her with his body, the way he was incapable of words. A promise she understood. He’d never hurt her. Not unless she wanted it.
She kissed him back fervently, answering his promise with her own. She wouldn’t hurt him either. A promise she wasn’t sure she could keep. For now, it was enough.
It had to be enough.