12. Griffin
Chapter 12
Griffin
Complications On Full
I wanted to make it her decision.
Mine was already a foregone conclusion. A minute, a day, a week, or a month—I’d take whatever at this point.
Forever.
That voice could fuck right off.
I drowned it out with her taste as I wrapped my arms around her until there was no space between us. She went on her toes, hanging onto my shoulders. Annoyed and wanting her even closer, I lifted her off her feet and strode down the stairs to my bedroom.
Those ridiculously strong thighs gripped me as she shifted higher to brace herself on my shoulders. “So, we’re doing this, then?”
“Fucking right we are,” I said against her neck as I dragged my teeth up to her ear. Her hair smelled of me—of my soap and shampoo. My fingertips dug into her denim clad ass, holding her tight against me. The bookcase was still ajar, allowing me to slip right into my bedroom.
She tipped her head to the side to allow me more access to her neck.
My knees bumped into the side of my mattress. I was about to lay her down when she swung her legs down and stood on my bed, grinning down at me. My bed wasn’t too high off the ground, but she definitely had a few inches on me in this position.
She trailed her finger over my lower lip, down my chin, then tipped it up. Her dark eyes locked on mine. “The minute this isn’t fun anymore...”
The minute it wasn’t fun anymore, I’d be toast. Because it could easily be so much more.
But I knew what she needed from me right now.
She didn’t want complications.
And I just wanted her .
I dug my fingers into her thighs and lifted her up enough to tip her back on the bed.
She yelped, but her delighted laugh came through the whoosh of breath. She went to the button of her jeans and started wiggling them down.
I tugged from the bottom and whipped them off her thighs and over my shoulder. Before she could go for her panties, I crawled up her body, widening her legs to fit myself against her. “Don’t rush me, Lenny.” I dragged my lips along her inner thigh. “We have all day.”
“ You might have all day, but I’m expected at the taproom.” She twined her fingers into my hair and pulled me back from her skin.
“For what? There’s nothing to do until Saturday for St. Patrick’s Day.” The little bit of pain made my dick throb against my zipper.
I knew she wouldn’t be passive, but the control she demanded from her people at the taproom had no place here. She deserved more than just a quick fix.
And I wouldn’t be happy until she was screaming.
I hissed as she tugged again, but I gave it back to her with a nip at the fragile flesh.
“Did you just mark me?”
I grinned as I lowered my mouth again, this time, sucking hard enough to see the tiny red mark lift under her mocha skin. It would be purple later. “Now I did.”
She lifted her hips. “You think that’s funny?”
I lifted her other leg over my shoulder. “Don’t worry, darlin’. I’ll be good and only leave them where your clothes cover.” I nibbled my way to the simple white cotton panties that kept her from me. I gently dragged my nose along the center panel of her thong panties. “Wet for me already.”
Her scent was warm and heady.
She shifted restlessly. “Maybe.”
I tucked the tip of my finger under the elastic and pulled it over. She was indeed wet. Her pussy lured me closer—I had to know the taste. Spicy like her? Salty and fine? A mix of both?
I dipped my tongue along her slit and was rewarded with a rich honey instead.
She hissed out a breath and lifted to meet each stroke from my tongue. I sipped from her, digging deeper until my beard was brushing along her skin to tease and taunt as I drank her down like the finest wine.
I glanced up at her and we locked gazes right before I covered her clit and sucked hard before letting it free for the blood to rush back into the little bead. I slipped two fingers into her tightness as she pushed back on the invasion, driving me deeper.
Her back arched off my bed as she pushed my pillows out of the way to grab onto something.
I reached up with my other hand, burrowing under my borrowed shirt for her skin.
She tried to buck me free, but I clamped my hand on her breast, holding her firmly down so she couldn’t roll away. My tongue was too busy lashing against her clit as she soaked my hand.
As I wore her on my beard and chin and lips.
I growled against her hot skin and kept the pressure there.
Her thighs closed over my head. Still, I didn’t let go.
Still, I held on until a guttural groan broke free and soared over the music still playing through my place.
I scrambled up onto my knees as she rose up with me as if we were wrestling, for God’s sake.
“Come, goddammit,” I said against her pussy.
She shrieked out a curse, vising around my fingers. I wanted that to be my cock—he’ll, I couldn’t wait to drive into her, but I wanted this first orgasm in my mouth.
The sounds of her moans and the music were muffled as she clamped down on me.
“I’ll fucking suffocate first,” I said, against her.
“Oh, God. Oh, God.”
There was no headboard for her to hold onto, but she found my hair and gripped tight as she twisted onto her side.
I followed her and dug my fingers of my free hand into her perfect ass while holding on for dear life.
I knew I’d have to fight to get her under me, but not actual combat.
This was... holy shit.
I inched back and rolled her flat on her back again, holding her thighs wide open as I finally drove her up and over the edge. Her back bowed up and I wished the shirt was gone, so I could see every inch of her.
But this was enough for now .
For this first time.
She fought against the cascading pleasure, but finally, she shattered under me, collapsing onto the mattress with great, gulping breaths.
Her thighs splayed wide open and trembled lightly.
My dick was so hard I could probably hammer in any nail needed on the property, but I ignored the pain and slid up her body, nosing under my now favorite Johnny Cash T-shirt to lightly twine my tongue around her nipple until it tightened for me.
Her fingers tunneled through my hair as she moaned softly. “Sorry, currently expired.”
I grinned around the tight tip and tugged gently.
She hissed. “Fuck.”
I let it go to lick lightly. “We haven’t done that part yet.”
“Why are you still wearing all your clothes?”
I laughed and rested my cheek against her belly. “Because I couldn’t wait to taste you.” I rubbed against her and rolled onto my hip to give my cock a little breathing room.
I drifted my hand down over her naked hip, then between her thighs.
She clamped her legs over my hand. “I need a little recovery time.”
I smiled against her skin. “I’ll be gentle.”
“Yeah, right. You detonated a bomb in my girl parts.”
I chuckled and pushed up on my elbow. “A bomb, huh?” I disengaged my hand from her delectably strong thighs to trail light circles over her belly. “I didn’t even get up here to make sure these got the attention they deserve.” I pushed up the shirt and with the rhythm of the song playing, I drew lazy trails around one breast, then the other.
The cinnamon-colored tips tightened with each pass until I couldn’t resist lowering my mouth to gently tease and taste.
She was frowning at me, when I glanced up.
“What?”
“Nothing.” She tried to smooth her face, but the confusion wouldn’t be wiped away.
“What? I just like touching you.” I brushed my nose along the side of her breast before making the lazy circuit around in an infinity trail to the other. One hand slid down again to dip inside her soft, warm pussy.
She drew in a soft breath, then she sighed when I simply coasted through to draw her wetness along her belly. I inched down and chased the path of my fingers and licked up the salty trail.
I slid over between her thighs, pulling off my shirt to feel her skin to skin. Most of my weight was on the mattress. She shifted to cradle me closer.
Her frown returned as I just settled against her, tucking my arms under the curve of her lower back as I relaxed against her.
“You don’t want to…”
“You said you needed a little time. I’m in no rush.”
My dick didn’t agree, but I kind of enjoyed keeping her off-balance.
She didn’t seem to know what to do with her hands, and finally, she smoothed them down my back. “This wasn’t what I thought was going to happen,” she said quietly.
“Me, neither,” I confessed.
“So, you don’t do this super seduction scene for every woman?”
I lifted my head. “I’m a touchy guy. You’ll get used to it.”
“I’m not really the cuddly type.” Her foot rubbed against my outer thigh. I wasn’t sure she even realized she was doing it. I had a feeling Lennon was just as starved for touch as I was, she just didn’t want to admit it.
“We’ll see about that.” I pushed up, moving away from the warmth of her body, then rolled her over onto her front.
“Hey.”
“Relax. Take off my shirt.” I got up and went into the bathroom. I grabbed a bottle of lotion and pocketed a condom, hopeful that she wouldn’t make some excuse to disappear.
“So bossy,” she called out to me.
But when I came out, my shirt was tucked under her head which was resting on her stacked arms. She was only wearing her cotton thong, which was next to nothing.
Damn.
Resolute, I crawled over her and straddled her thighs.
She lifted her head and glanced back at me. “No butt stuff, pal.”
I laughed. “Understood.” I squirted some of the scentless lotion on my hands and rubbed it enough to warm it up a bit, then I firmly dug into her shoulders with my fingertips.
She groaned as I rubbed out all the knots in her shoulders. “This is not going to get you laid. This is going to put me to sleep.”
“Shut up and relax.”
“Your funeral for that hard dick digging into my ass.”
She wasn’t wrong, but I was too high on soothing her and making her comfortable with my touch. Something inside me knew that if I didn’t go slow, she’d be gone once the sweat dried on our skin.
It took awhile, but she finally relaxed under my touch.
And true to her word, she did drift off.
I stretched out beside her for awhile, but I was too wound up. I dropped the fuzzy blanket from last night over her and quietly left her to shower off the last of the previous night’s sins.
The sun was well into the sky when I tugged on a pair of sweatpants and added my hopeful condom to the pocket before I wandered out to the main living area.
I checked my phone and found a few messages from Beckett and Justin.
Beckett:
You playing hooky today?
Justin:
Yeah, hooky isn’t what he’s playing.
“Hell.”
A purple Jeep wasn’t exactly inconspicuous.
Well, too bad there. I didn’t care if people knew we were together. I guess I’d find out how she felt when she woke up.
I shot off a quick text back that I’d catch up with them tomorrow and tossed my phone onto the end table. I climbed the few stairs to the kitchen and grabbed a can of water from the fridge, draining it as I scoped out the freezer for something to eat later.
Laverne kept me in frozen dump meals—her name for them.
I chose a beef stew and peeled it out of the gallon bag, then dropped it into the Crock Pot she’d brought with the food.
Being mothered was a new and welcome aspect of living at the orchard. I turned it on medium heat, then grabbed a can of Coke Zero for a kick of caffeine.
While Lennon slept, I’d work on the music space I was planning.
I’d pulled my gear out of storage, now I just needed to load it on the pulley system Kain had built into the steel supports.
Trailing my fingers over the worn leather of my guitar case dredged up shitty feelings. And then some. I hadn’t touched my Taylor since the day Reversal of Fortune had dissolved.
It was time for that to change.
I hauled my ancient Fender house amp over to the support camouflaged with decorative gears that actually worked. I flipped down the heavy metal plate and set the amp on it and flipped the switch. It slid up almost silently.
I climbed up the ladder to the upper deck. There was already a long, low-slung couch perfect for chilling out and playing music. Mostly, I played acoustic guitar, but I wanted the option to pull out my Les Paul.
I was hoping working with Justin during the concert series would help remind me why I loved music.
Other people’s music was easy. I could listen to other artists all damn day—but my own creative sound had been missing for a damn long time.
I made a few more trips with the scent of beef stew finally drifting up from the kitchen by the time I had the last of my gear set-up. My stomach growled, but I ignored it in favor of restringing my Taylor Sunburst GA.
I brushed my palm over the marks along the body where my bracelets used to rub. The deep grooves had been made during a show in…Colorado. We’d jammed deep into the night. Marc and I had created a one-of-a-kind solo for “Bleed”.
I looped my strap over my head and the custom leather fell into place as my fingers picked out the familiar chords. The old calluses knew right where to slip into grooves on the fretboard and strings.
The soft strains burrowed inside of me and ripped open the scars that weren’t quite mended.
I flattened my palm over the strings to kill the sound.
“Why did you stop?”
I looked up from the guitar at her voice. She was standing outside my bedroom, wearing only my Johnny Cash shirt.
“Hey, you’re awake.”
She padded across the living room, then she paused. “How the hell did you get up there?”
“I’ll come down.”
She shook her head and put her hands on her hips. “I want to come up.”
I sighed. “Stairs are on this side.” I gestured to the wall with the big window.
She darted over and gave a delighted grin when I looked over the edge. I swung my guitar around my back to give her a hand up the final step.
“Thanks.” She looked around at the guitars in their stands, her gaze lingering on the open leather box, with a few percussion instruments inside. “Tell me there’s a cow bell in there.”
I shook my head and sat down, pulling it in front of me. “Of course I do.” I held up the cow bell that only came out when there was a lot of drinking involved.
She snatched it out of my hand and sat down on the couch beside me. “Perfect.” She leaned over me, her fingers gripping my thigh as she peered inside. “Two tambourines?”
“Harmonies are life.”
“Is that right?”
I nodded. “It’s a fact.” I pulled off my guitar and set it on the empty stand. Before I could sit back, she tossed her leg over me and settled on my lap.
“You left me.”
I rested my hands on her hips, groaning inwardly as my shirt rode up to show off her legs. I coasted my hand down her smooth skin. “You warned me you’d fall asleep.”
“I can’t believe you let me sleep the day away.”
I leaned back on the couch. “Plenty of light left.”
“Plenty of busybodies probably noticed my Jeep too.”
I winced. “‘Fraid so.”
She tapped my chin, then she stroked down my beard. “Let them talk. We’re both grown.” She tipped her hips forward and gave me a sly grin. “Very grown.”
I groaned. “You’re killing me here.”
She coasted her fingers down my chest. “So smooth.” Then she ticked her nail down the ridges of my abs to the drawstring of my sweats. “So hard.”
“Unbelievably hard,” I ground out.
She grinned. “So, am I the first one up here?” She glanced around. “Wanna christen your music…space?” She shrugged. “Not exactly a room.”
“Hell, yeah. As long as you intend to earn your name’s honor here.”
Her brow furrowed. “Honor, huh?”
“Yeah, with a name like Lennon, you kinda have to. As long as you’re feeling…daring.”