Chapter 14
PHOEBE
I breathed in deeply through my nose and then out my mouth. Griffin said nothing as he took both our bags and hauled them upstairs.
“I’ll go check out the bedroom,” I said.
“Excellent,” Emma said. “If you need anything, just holler and I’ll come help with whatever. But everything should be there. I put towels on the bed. The bathroom is an en suite.”
“Thank you.” Panic rose in my throat as I hurried up the stairs.
Griffin had put the bags by the door and was looking around. The room was spacious enough, but there was no couch or anything.
He turned to face me. “I’ll tell them that I’ll sleep on the couch downstairs.”
I grimaced. “That looks super uncomfortable.”
“You don’t know that,” Griffin commented.
“It didn’t look like a pullout.”
“You’re right.”
Shit, shit, shit. Why didn’t I even think about this scenario?
Griffin cleared his throat. “Look, it’s no big deal if it’s uncomfortable. It’s just one night. I’ll tell them I’m a very bad sleeper and have to sleep downstairs.”
I bit my lower lip, running a hand through my hair. “But you’ll kind of be in their way downstairs. The bathroom isn’t close by.”
He frowned. “I didn’t think about that.”
My heart was beating so damn fast that I wasn’t even sure how to calm it down. I felt like I’d been racing around the house at top speed.
“Um, look, this can work,” I said. “The bed is huge, and we’re adults.”
He opened his mouth, but only something resembling a growl came out. He cleared his throat again, a bit roughly this time.
“No.”
“Huh?”
“We’re not doing this,” he said.
I swallowed hard. “I don’t see any other solution.”
“We can stay for a few hours, and then we’ll tell them that you aren’t feeling well and we need to head back.”
I put a hand on my hip, considering this. “Do you think you can seal the deal with him before then?”
Griffin shook his head. “Not likely.”
“That’s what I thought too. So then this whole weekend will have been for nothing.”
“I don’t want you to do anything you’re uncomfortable with, Phoebe.”
I fiddled with my thumbs. The problem wasn’t that I was uncomfortable, it was that I didn’t know how to be so close to this handsome man and not cross a line.
Oh come on. Shake yourself off, Phoebe. This truly is a huge bed.
I pressed my palms together, crossing my fingers. “The bed is enormous, Griffin. I’m sure we won’t even know the other one is in it.”
He took in a sharp breath. “I’ll know. I’ll so fucking know you’re there.”
I didn’t have any reply to that. My throat thickened as he stepped closer. Oh sweet Lord, this wasn’t helping my case. My pulse was even faster. How on Earth was this possible?
“Phoebe, are you sure?”
I nodded. “Yes, of course. I wouldn’t have suggested it otherwise.”
He looked straight at me for a few seconds, then tilted his head, glancing at the bed. I had the distinct feeling that he was bracing himself somehow. His nostrils flared as he took in a deep breath.
“All right. But if at any point you change your mind, just tell me. I’ll find an excuse, and we’ll go back to the city.”
“But it’s not fair to you, your deal.”
“Fuck the deal.” His voice was so damn sexy. “I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”
“I’m not, I promise. I’ll tell you if I change my mind, but I don’t think it’s fair to ruin their weekend.”
He shook his head. “It wouldn’t ruin it. I’d ask for a car to be sent to pick us up. This isn’t an island.”
My eyes bulged. What? That’s something he could just do? I’d never heard anyone say that except in the movies.
“Thanks.” I was utterly happy that he was willing to go to any lengths to make me feel comfortable.
“How about we change and then join them downstairs?” Griffin asked.
“Good idea.” I needed to get rid of my bikini.
“I’ll change in the bathroom.”
“Sure.”
He put my suitcase and his gym bag on the desk under the window.
There was no dresser here, so I assumed they never had a guest who stayed longer than a few days.
Griffin took out some clothes and went into the bathroom.
Before closing the door, he said, “I’ll take a shower too. Actually, do you want to take one?”
“No, I’m good.”
“Then I’ll go ahead. Don’t wait for me.”
“All right.”
I opened my suitcase, trying to decide what to wear. I hadn’t packed the right dresses. Most were too fancy, but after our dinner in the city, I wanted to be prepared for anything.
I took out a white beach dress, smoothing some of the wrinkles. As quickly as possible, I removed my bikini, keeping my fingers crossed that Griffin wouldn’t walk out right at that moment. I put on a white thong and bra before slipping the dress on.
Is this too casual?
Ugh, I had to stop overthinking.
A groan from the bathroom distracted me from my thoughts, and I hurried to the door. Shit, had Griffin hurt himself?
I stood in front of it for a few seconds, and then I heard another groan. I was about to knock and ask if he was okay when I heard a low sound. If I hadn’t practically pegged my ear to the door, I would have missed it completely.
“Fuck, Phoebe!” And then another groan.
Heat pooled between my thighs. I barely bit back a groan myself as I realized what was happening.
Griffin was pleasuring himself.
Heat like I’d never known coursed through me. I fanned myself as I took deep breaths, then I swallowed hard. I was already slick between my thighs. Holy shit.
I looked at the bed, then back at the door to the bathroom. I wasn’t going to survive the night. There was no way I could sleep next to this man and not give in to my feelings, knowing he’d touched himself while thinking about me.
I hurried out of the room before Griffin had the chance to come out. If I saw him with damp skin, I was going to maul him right there and then, there was no question about that.
Emma and Jude were both at the kitchen island chopping vegetables when I stepped in.
“Hey,” I said. “Can I help in any way?”
This would be an excellent way to take my mind off all the sexy things happening upstairs.
“That would be great. We’d finish the preparation faster,” Emma said.
“It’s going to take a while for everything to be ready,” Jude added.
“What are we making?” I asked.
“Skewers,” Jude replied proudly, nodding toward the long metal rods on the table.
Emma was chopping up cucumbers. “We’re also making a salad,” she explained.
“This looks delicious.”
“You want to start the fire, honey?” Emma asked Jude.
He nodded. “Yes, I’d better. The fire does take me a while.” He looked at me. “We have a grill, but I prefer the fire pit.”
“My parents had that too,” I said as Emma handed me a cutting board and gave me tomatoes and cucumbers.
“Please chop those finely into small bites. They have more flavor like that.”
“Got it,” I said.
“You were saying about your parents?” Jude asked.
“Oh, we had a fire pit when I was growing up.”
“You’re from San Diego?” Emma asked.
“Yes. My parents lived here until a few years ago. My grandparents moved to Montana about eight years ago. That’s where they’re from, and now they need a bit of help, so my parents moved there as well.”
“What am I missing?” Griffin asked, jogging down the stairs.
He came straight to me, putting a hand at my lower back. I hoped to God I wasn’t blushing.
“You already put her to work?” Griffin teased.
“Nah, we were just hoping to get some insider info on you,” Jude said with good humor.
Emma elbowed him lightly. “She’s telling us about her parents.”
Griffin kissed my shoulder, and shivers raced all over my body. His groan from earlier resounded in my mind. I wouldn’t be able to forget that moment anytime soon, if at all.
“Phoebe?” Griffin asked, and I realized he’d been talking to me.
“I spaced out, I’m sorry.”
“Emma asked you if you prefer chicken or beef.” He was so close to me that his mouth was almost on mine.
“I eat everything,” I said, looking straight at Emma.
She nodded. “Fair enough. Then we’ll make half with chicken and half with beef.”
I realized that they’d given Griffin a cutting board too. He was in charge of slicing the meat. I grimaced at that, and Emma laughed.
“Is that how you usually do things?” she asked us. “He chops the meat, and you do the veggies?”
I hadn’t realized she was watching us so closely.
“We’re a good team,” Griffin said, and I simply nodded.
We all worked side by side to assemble the skewers. Half an hour later, Emma put them on a platter and took them outside for Jude to cook.
The second Griffin and I were alone in the kitchen, I became jittery. I tried focusing on taking out plates and cutlery. Emma had tried to fight me on it, but I truly needed to do something.
“Phoebe,” Griffin said slowly, coming right next to me. I almost expected for him to touch my lower back again, but he didn’t. “Are you okay?”
I licked my lips, pushing a strand of hair behind my ear before turning around and looking straight at him. “Um, yeah, sure. Why?”
“You seem uneasy.”
Uneasy, huh? More like turned on and confused. There was no way to talk about what I’d heard without being even more awkward. And certainly not here in front of Jude and his wife.
“I’m just trying to find my footing,” I told him, which was true.
“If you change your mind about spending the night here—”
I shook my head vehemently. “No, that’s not it.”
“So, there is something,” he pressed.
Damnit, he was really good at reading me.
“I’m trying to gauge how to best play this. It’s a bit different than at the restaurant.”
His shoulders relaxed. “Yeah, it is. It’s more intimate.”
“Exactly.” I averted my gaze because I was sure that if he made eye contact long enough, he’d realize I’d heard him.
“When did you come downstairs?” he asked me.
I turned around, taking out the plates from the overhead cabinet. “After you went into the bathroom. I didn’t need much time to change.”
“All right,” he said.
His voice was a bit different. I wasn’t sure if he was buying it. He grabbed the stacked plates and cutlery, I gathered four glasses, and we headed outside.
The outdoor dining area was in the back of the house. I hadn’t even noticed it when we first got here. The fire pit was a few feet away. Jude had set the skewers on the bench next to it and was busy stoking the fire. The salad was already on the table.
Once Griffin and I put the glasses, plates, and cutlery down, Emma asked, “What does everyone want to drink? We have the same wine we drank on the boat.”
I nodded. “Yeah, I’ll have that. I don’t want to mix drinks even though it’s been a few hours.”
“That’s good for me too,” Griffin said.
“We’ll bring a bottle of red too. We always like to have both on hand,” Emma said before hurrying inside.
Griffin and I headed to the fire pit.
“Jude, you need help with that?” Griffin asked.
“No, don’t get close. This is my domain,” Jude replied with a laugh.
“My dad is the same. He’s very territorial with his grill,” I said.
“You miss your parents,” Griffin said with a soft voice.
“A lot.”
“When’s the last time you visited them?”
Jude narrowed his eyes, and I felt as if someone had dropped ice cubes on my back. Thank God Emma wasn’t here; she would pick up that something wasn’t right.
“I was there last month, remember? When you and your brothers went to…” My voice faded because I had no idea what to say.
Once again, I felt utterly unprepared. Every time Griffin and I spoke alone, it was like I already knew him and didn’t need to ask anything else.
Yet when we were together with Emma and Jude, I realized how many things I actually didn’t know and should have asked.
“Napa Valley,” Griffin finished.
“That’s right,” I said.
“You’re doing business in Napa?” Jude asked.
Crisis averted. Thank heavens.
Griffin looked at him, putting his hand in his pocket. “My brothers and I bought a winery, and we’re going to rebrand it.”
“I thought your businesses were separate from your brothers’.”
“They are, but we decided on a whim to do this together. I’m enjoying it. It’s been a while since we started something from the ground up together. I didn’t even realize I missed working with them until we embarked on this project.”
“Tell me more,” Jude said.
Griffin held up a finger. “On one condition. I want to stoke the fire.”
Jude looked at me. “He always drives a hard bargain, doesn’t he?”
I laughed. “He truly does.” He didn’t even know the half of it.
Jude and Griffin fiddled with the fire for close to twenty minutes before Jude declared it hot enough to place the skewers.
After that, it took another forty minutes for the food to be ready.
“They’re delicious,” I exclaimed after the first bite. “I personally feel like food is more delicious when cooked on a fire pit.”
We debated the pros and cons of an actual grill versus a pit, and then the conversation moved to comparing gas and wood grills.
As I helped myself to a second skewer, I decided to get a fire pit in my backyard too.
I didn’t want to splurge on anything, but I was certain I could find some cheap ones online.
I didn’t need anything fancy, just something where I could make a fire in the evening and roast something on it. Or honestly just look at it.
The flames had a calming effect on me. I smiled to myself as Emma and Jude went inside for more drinks.
Griffin brought his mouth to my ear. “You look cute. Remember to tell me later what you’re smiling about.”
Our hosts were nowhere around, so he hadn’t said this for their benefit. The lines between us were blurring.
Before I had a chance to reply, they came back with yet another bottle of red and one of white wine.
“Do you have a favorite? If not, we’ll just open both,” Jude asked. They started to laugh for no reason. God, they were cute.
Griffin beamed widely, “Go ahead, open them both. Phoebe, want some red wine too?”
“No, I’m sticking with white. Who knows what will happen if I mix them.”
“We don’t want to get drunk, do we?” Griffin asked, and I blushed.
After Griffin refilled our glasses, Jude held his up. I did the same with mine.
“To a great weekend and making new friends,” Jude said.
I felt Griffin tense next to me.
Friends. That could turn into a complication. But I was certain Griffin would solve it. Once he’d signed the deal, he could come up with an excuse about why I wasn’t in the picture anymore. I had full confidence that he could get out of that.
But I wasn’t nearly confident enough that we could spend the night together and not touch each other.