Chapter Fourteen #2
He let me take over. My back pressed to the slick tile, one hand locked around his cock, the other curled behind his neck. I hooked one leg around his waist, opening myself up to him.
Griffin entered me slowly, like he had all the time in the world…
Then slammed into me so hard my teeth clicked.
I gasped, the sound echoing off the shower tile.
The water made everything slick and hotter, drowning out every sense but touch.
My world shrank to the burn between my thighs and the slow grind of his hips and the way his tongue never left mine.
He braced me with his hands gripping my ass and my back sliding up the tile with every movement.
I held his gaze, refusing to look anywhere else, like if I let my eyes slip shut I’d lose my only anchor.
He liked that. Griffin liked me looking at him, and I realized he needed it almost as much as I did.
He fucked me with a slow, relentless rhythm, grinding his cock deep and hard, and every time he thrust deep I felt another small shockwave ripple out through my whole body. I didn’t want it slow, but I couldn’t even form the words to tell him.
When I started to clench around him, he quickened his pace, slamming into me hard, fucking me relentlessly. I clawed at his back, leaving welts on his skin, and he smiled like a wolf when he felt the pain.
He crowded in close, pressing his forehead to mine as the whole world narrowed to the sound of water pounding the tile and the click of my teeth as he fucked me upright against the wall. I screamed, the sound bouncing off the shower walls.
He didn’t stop. He kept fucking me, burying his face in my neck before growling as he bit down on my shoulder, coming with a violent shudder that jerked his whole body.
He bent forward, still grinding himself inside me, his breath scorching hot in my ear as he whispered, “I need you so fuckin’ bad, Veda. I don’t want to let go.”
I held onto him as hard as I could. For a few seconds, all I heard was the thump of my heart and the endless rush of water over our skin. He finally eased out of me, lowering me back to the shower floor, and I clung to his chest to keep from falling.
We scrubbed each other down in silence after that.
I leaned into his touch as he soaped and rinsed me, then ran the same bar of soap up his own arms and over his chest. I wanted to tattoo the memory of his body into my brain, every scar and every edge, because some part of me still couldn’t believe this was really mine. At least for now.
When he turned off the water we both toweled off.
Griffin wrapped me in a second towel and threw me over his shoulder like a sack.
I yelped but didn’t struggle. He just carried me into the bedroom, dropped me gently on the bed, and lay down next to me, both of us still damp with heat radiating between us. I couldn’t help but smile.
“You sure you’re all right?” he asked as he settled me against his chest.
“Yeah. Been worse.”
He grunted. “Not the point. If you need --”
I cut him off. “Don’t make this weird, Griffin. I just need you to not disappear on me.”
He stared at me, eyes sharp and green and slightly incredulous, then shook his head and snorted. “Wasn’t planning on it.” He wrapped his arms around me tighter. “Lie still. Rest.”
I did, because at this point I was too tired to argue. Besides, it felt good to be in his arms like this.
The room was quiet except for us. Outside, the faint noise from the docks was a distant thrum, softened by distance and the thick night. The fridge kicked on in the kitchen, then off. Somewhere farther away, a motorcycle gunned to life, the rumble fading as the rider took off.
Griffin stroked the back of my head, fingers threading through my hair until I almost drifted off to sleep.
I hadn’t realized how tired I was until I finally let go.
I pressed my cheek to his chest, let my eyelids go heavy, and for a few minutes, the world didn’t need anything from me just yet.
Even if it did, I was too exhausted and battered to care about any of it except my sister.
I’d stay here for now. With Griffin. I’d figure out how to leave him later.
The stillness didn’t last. It never did. The phone on Griffin’s nightstand lit up with a cold, blue glow and started to vibrate. He grumbled but didn’t move, just cracked one eye to see the caller. I saw the name from my side of the bed.
Knight.
Griffin sighed, picking up his phone without sitting up. “Yeah?” he answered, voice thick with sleep and sex.
“Found your buyer,” Knight said, voice clear and sharp enough to cut glass. “You’re gonna want to sit up for this.”
Griffin blinked, then levered himself up on one elbow. I rolled to my back as Griffin put Knight on speaker. “Shoot.”
“Remember that ‘I’ code in the ledgers? It’s Judge Isaiah Marlin. Got his name cross-referenced against three separate wire routes. All of ‘em line up with buyer transactions for high-value inventory. Dude’s not just a legal shield. He’s a fuckin’ customer.”
That woke me up fast. I sat straight up, ignoring the way the blanket tumbled to my waist. “You’re sure?”
“Positive,” Knight replied. “He’s got a private estate outside the city. Been using it to meet with brokers for off-book purchases. He’s in for at least four other shipments, all under the ‘special handling’ code.”
I stared at Griffin, who was already sitting at the edge of the bed, rubbing a hand through his hair. The wild look in his eyes was back, but this time it wasn’t for me. It was for the coming hunt.
“What else?” he asked.
“Tonio’s got a friend in the marshal’s office who tipped us to Marlin being off-docket all day tomorrow. If we want to hit him, tonight’s our shot.”
Griffin nodded, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. “You call Knuckles yet?”
“I wanted you to hear it first, brother.”
Griffin’s eyes flicked to me. “We’ll be ready in ten. You have a floor plan for the estate?”
“Pulling it now. Old money. Big show, really. The security’s mostly wishful thinking. There’s a gate, two guards, and a rotating schedule for hired help.”
“We’re on the way, Knight. Thanks, man.”
“Anytime.”
Griffin buttoned his jeans, then pulled on a T-shirt. “You want in on this, Veda?”
“You really think you can stop me?” I said, already reaching for my boots. “Surprised you’re not trying to sideline me.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” He found his pistol, checked the magazine, chambered a round, and holstered it at his back. “But you stay close. I know this is for your sister, but no freelance hero shit.” He pointed a finger at me. “You follow my instructions or you stay here.”
I rolled my eyes, but didn’t argue. I found my own shirt, slid it on, and laced my boots with steady hands.
As we made our way to the main compound, the sounds of this place waking up surrounded me. Everyone prepared for the battle to come. I liked how there was never a question of if they were going to find Tessa. This place truly felt like home and family.
As we reached the door to Knight’s office, Griffin paused. He looked at me with that unblinking, battlefield calm I was starting to understand was his way of saying he cared. “You stay close,” he repeated. “Promise you’ll do what we say.”
I grinned. “Don’t make me repeat myself about giving me orders.”
For a second, I thought he’d argue. Instead, he shook his head and actually let out a laugh. “Hellcat,” he grumbled.