7. Griffin #2
“Yeah.” Her murmur behind me sends a shiver down my body, and I suck in a sharp breath but barely noticeable one. “It’s one of the reasons I decided to live upstairs my workplace.”
“It’s not just the view,” I say as I turn around to face her. “This”—I wave around—“all of this…it’s so you.”
“You think so?” There’s a hopeful sparkle in her green eyes as she asks me the question.
“Yeah. It’s all so very you and it looks amazing.”
Her cheeks just went back to their normal pearly white composition when the pink hue returned with my comment and she bites the corner of her bottom lip.
Fuck…could it be? Could I be affecting her like she is me?
“Thank you, it means a lot to me. Of course, I didn’t do all this myself.
Jacob and my parents were here to help but yeah, I love this apartment. ”
“So, you and Jacob…” I trail off as soon as her eyes grow so wide they’re about to pop out and she waves her hands in front of me frantically. I was going to ask about their friendship but she doesn’t let me finish.
“No, no, there’s no me and Jacob apart from friendship. Never was. He’s more like Cal to me, filling in that older brother role while my own is out saving the world.” Julie smiles faintly, but it doesn’t quite reach her sparkling eyes.
I already knew all this, of course, but seeing her so panicked over my possible implication was quite cute and I have to bite down on my lip to hide the pleased smile.
Yeah, I know I’m an idiot because I’m smiling for no damn reason, but whatever.
“Would you like some tea or cookies?” Julie asks, and I’m getting ready to open my mouth and say no, thank you when my head is already nodding.
That’s it, my body can’t be trusted around this forbidden woman.
Julie tucks a wayward strand of her fiery hair behind her ear and rushes into the kitchen as she turns a hand painted kettle on.
“Please, make yourself comfortable,” she tells me but there’s no comfort for me when she lifts up on her tippy toes, reaching for a mug on a shelf and that T-shirt of hers rides up to just the curve of her ass.
For the second time today, I choke on my own saliva that’s been pooling in my mouth at the sight of her.
She was beautiful, irresistible at fifteen, but now?
She’s my own brand of heroin. That’s exactly what she is.
“Are you okay?” Julie turns her concerned gaze at my coughing, and I rasp out “Yep, fine” while slapping my chest and turning slightly away to hide how not fine I was.
A few minutes later she extends a cup my way with a sweet cherry scent pouring out of it. I inhale it greedily and stifle a moan because how in the world had she managed to replicate the scent of her in this tea? It’s identical. Down to the last note.
“Sorry, I don’t really own a dining table and chairs, do you want to sit on the couch or the window?”
“Dining rooms are overrated. The window sounds great.”
Julie brightens with that soft smile of hers and I realize I’d sit on the damn pile of crap if she asked me to.
The windowsill—that is more like a small patio that is propped with pillows all over, so we settle into the corners across from each other, with our knees drawn up but there’s not that much room, so they are touching.
Just the barest of contact. A feather touch and I’m so grateful it’s dark out. So, so grateful. Because not only is my dick out of control but my heart has zero interest in being subtle as well.
“So, you were out with double-trouble tonight?” she asks, taking a sip of her own tea as she watches me from the brim of the mug. The light dusting of freckles over her nose playing hide and seek with me.
“Ha, that’s what I called them too.” I laugh. “Yeah, Alec came to my rescue when Mom was whoring me out all over town, so I escaped with him.”
It’s Julie’s turn to choke on her liquids. “Whoring you out?”
“Mm-hmm, I guess she decided I need to get married or something along the lines. So she was introducing me to any and all women here.”
“Sounds like Izzy.” Julie snickers and then quiets down for a bit, her gaze shifting to the ocean ahead.
“Don’t mind your mom. You know how they all are here.
They love to meddle, and they think everyone needs to be in love.
Our mom manages to reach Callum all the way in the middle of the ocean to pester him,” Julie adds, shaking her head.
“Seriously?”
“Mm-hmm. Just last week she sent him tips on asking someone out.”
A laugh bursts out of me because I can just imagine Cal’s face when he saw that email.
“I don’t think he needs any help with that. The amount of girls that guy—” I cut myself off when Julie’s face twists with disgust. “Sorry.” I chuckle.
“I’m well aware of all the broken hearts he left in his wake over here, I just like to pretend to be oblivious to all of it.” She shudders at the thought, and I can’t help but laugh some more.
“I guess you have it even worse, living right next to her.”
“Uh, no.” She shifts as if uncomfortable but not from the position she’s sitting in.
“What do you mean, no?”
“Mom never pressures me about marriage or kids.”
I gape at her.
“What kind of herb did you use and how quickly can I get one?”
Julie chuckles. “Now he wants to use my herbs for his selfish purposes.”
“I’m not above begging, Birdy.”
I should’ve missed the small hitch in her breath amidst the sound of softly crushing waves, but I didn’t.
What was just a silly, light conversation, suddenly feels like more. There’s a note of tension in the air around us and everything inside me screams to retreat. To go back into the comfort zone I’ve lived in for decades around her.
But…
“Would you like me to? Beg?” I ask.
“Would you?” She slowly turns her head my way, watching me carefully with an emotion I’m too scared to pinpoint.
“For you? Always, Birdy.” There’s that hitch again and she tears her gaze away from mine, severing the note of tension off.
“I’ll give you a freebie this once. No magical herbs this time. Mom just knows it doesn’t work on me and never will… So, what are your plans now? You said you’re staying in Loverly Cave for good.” Julie shifts the conversation, and I clear my suddenly parched throat.
“Yeah, and I’m not sure what I’ll be doing, to be honest.” My hand reaches for the back of my neck when I catch Julie’s mouth tilting in one corner as she watches me, slightly amused. “What?” I ask.
“Nothing.” She shakes her head, still wearing that small smile and doesn’t answer until I keep staring her down with one eyebrow raised. “You didn’t lose your nervous habit.”
“My what?”
Julie lifts her hand to her slender neck, pointing.
“Whenever you’d get nervous or stressed, you’d always rub your neck, and I think it’s cute you still do it.
” Even in the night, her fair skin can’t hide the blush coloring her cheeks and if the heat filling mine is anything to go by, I’m wearing a matching one.
She noticed that?
“Damn, and here I thought I was sneaky all these years.”
“Oh, you are.” She giggles in that magical fairy-like way. “I don’t think anyone is onto you.”
“You are,” I state, and she shifts once again, her bottom lip disappearing between her teeth.
“I’m perceptive, that’s all,” she says, and before I can respond or overthink what it means, Julie is once again shifts the conversation. “So, no ideas on what you’d like to do?”
My hand reaches for the back of my neck out of that stupid habit, but I stop midway, dropping it as I steal a glance at noiselessly chuckling Julie. “Frank Lovehill actually just approached me at LPs, offering a job at the fire station.”
“Wow, I don’t know why I didn’t expect that but now that I’m thinking about it, you’d be perfect for that job. This is exciting!” She claps her hands, but the broad smile drops from her face when she sees mine. “What’s wrong? Is it not something you’d like to do?”
Quite honestly, I don’t know how to answer because I don’t have any answers.
My life wasn’t supposed to make this turn.
I didn’t plan on it and now I’m scrambling to survive the proverbial winter without any supplies.
However, I can’t bring myself to give Julie some bullshit excuse I would everyone else, so I opt for the only truth that sounds sane.
“I don’t know,” I admit with a sigh. And fucking hell, if it’s not the motto of my life.
“Hmm,” she hums pensively as if my three-word answer is some kind of code she wants to crack.
“Hmm?” I arch an eyebrow, waiting for her to elaborate.
“Well, I don’t know is a complicated answer. It’s not a no. It’s not a yes. So that means there’s something holding you from leaning in either direction. What’s holding you back, Griff?”
I gape at her. How did she just manage to see so deep? I thought no one could see me in the night. But I didn’t consider Julie owning night vision glasses and see right through me. Through my every flaw and secret. And I find myself wanting to give her all the answers.
“Fear,” I croak out, stealing a small glance her way. My raspy voice barely audible but I know she heard me.
“Griffin Owling is actually afraid of something?” Julie jokes, and I appreciate that more than she knows.
Or maybe she knows exactly how hard that admission was for me without knowing she is part of the “fear package.”
“I might be the biggest coward you’ve ever met, little J,” I admit, looking straight into her mossy-green eyes that look so soft and comforting, I could lay down my weapons and never get up again.
“Fear doesn’t make you a coward, it makes you human. It’s also normal to fear the unknown. What isn’t though, is letting it stop you. If there’s no way for you to conquer it, find a way around it,” Julie states so plainly as if it’s the most natural thing.
“That…” I falter. “When did you get so smart?”
A small hint of a smile pulls at the corner of her lips but it’s not just a smile. It’s one holding a secret. “I know no one thought I was that bright growing up—”