Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
GRIFFIN
Violet didn’t stand a chance against sleep.
She fought it, of course. Sat upright for as long as she could, but the cabin was warm, the hum of the engines steady, and she was running on fumes. At some point, she lost the fight and her body slumped, slipping lower in the seat until her head landed on my shoulder.
And I didn’t move.
I should have. Should have shrugged her off, nudged her awake, done something to put distance between us before this turned into a thing.
But I didn’t.
Instead, I sat there, watching the rise and fall of her breaths when exhaustion finally wiped that stubborn tension from her face.
I pulled up a true crime podcast. Some ridiculous conspiracy theory about a missing heiress. I let the voices fill the silence while they both slept.
An hour passed before Violet stirred. Her fingers curled into the sleeve of my hoodie and her breath caught. She stiffened before her lashes fluttered and her eyes opened.
For a second, she didn’t move. I held myself über still, willing her to fall back to sleep. She stared up at me, her brow furrowed.
Close. Too close. Her lips parted, her gaze dipping to mine. Too quick, too fleeting. But I caught it.
And because I’m a fucking idiot, my eyes dropped to hers.
Like I had any choice. Like the second she looked at my mouth, my brain didn’t immediately short-circuit and follow.
I waited for her to pull away, but she didn’t. Instead, her grip on my hoodie tightened and I berated myself for not being stronger.
I leaned in. Just enough. Just to see. I don’t know, maybe I hoped the movement would jolt her out of her sleepy daze and she’d laugh it off.
She didn’t.
Her breath hitched, eyes locked onto mine, pupils blown wide in the dim cabin light. My heart pounded against my ribs as she closed the distance. Hesitant. Like she was waiting for me to be the one to decide.
As if I had the restraint of a saint.
As if I’d ever been the type to turn down a beautiful woman.
Hazel screamed, and we jolted apart like we’d been caught doing something we weren’t supposed to.
I scooped my daughter up from the bassinet before Violet could and rubbed slow circles over her back, murmuring nonsense against her tiny ear.
“Alright, alright. What’s the problem, little one? Bad dreams? Jet lag? Didn’t like the vibe in here?”
Violet made a strangled noise. “Griffin.”
“What? She’s clearly got opinions.” I kept my focus on Hazel, voice soft, coaxing. “C’mon, Hazelnut. What do you need? Not hungry. Not wet. Just feeling left out, yeah?”
She let out another cry, her breath stuttering as she tried to work up to a real tantrum. I pressed my lips to her forehead, swaying slightly.
Violet shifted in her seat, sitting stiff as a board. “Give her to me.”
“No.” I kept my grip firm, adjusting Hazel higher against my chest. “You should sleep.”
She huffed. “You should sleep.”
“We’ve already been over the priorities here, Princess.”
Her jaw tightened, but she didn’t argue.
Didn’t try to take Hazel from me, either.
Progress.
I glanced down at my daughter. “You’re killing me here, sweetheart. I was having a moment.”
Hazel hiccupped through her cries.
Violet snorted. “You were not having a moment.”
“No?” I lifted a brow. “What would you call it, then?”
Her lips pressed together. “A lapse in judgment.”
“See?” I grinned, tapping a finger against Hazel’s back. “This is exactly what I was talking about, little one. Your nanny almost kisses me, then immediately regrets it. Brutal.”
Violet groaned, dragging a hand down her face. “I hate you.”
“Nah,” I murmured, focusing on Hazel, whose cries were already losing steam. “You like me. You just don’t want to admit it.”
Hazel finally settled, her breathing evening out. I stayed on my feet, rocking her, not wanting to risk waking her again.
As much as I teased Violet, what the fuck just happened?
I’d almost crossed a line I had no business even approaching.
Julian Carter’s daughter. My team principal’s daughter. The heir to the man who owned my entire career.
Christ.
If Julian found out—
“We’re not talking about it.”
I raised a brow. “Didn’t say we were.”
Violet rubbed a hand over her face, like maybe if she dragged it down hard enough, she’d erase the last five minutes. “Griffin.”
“But for the record,” I said, unable to stop myself, “you leaned in first.”
Her jaw clenched. “I was half-asleep.”
“So was I. Didn’t stop you from giving me fuck me eyes.”
Her throat bobbed. “I didn’t.”
“Right.” I smirked. “That why you’re sitting there looking like you’d rather jump out of the plane than spend 12 more hours with me?”
She turned toward the window, avoiding my gaze. “You’re exhausting.”
“And you’re lying.”
“No, I’m just done with this conversation.”
“We haven’t even started.”
She shot me a look. “And we’re not going to.”
I shook my head. “Alright, Princess. Have it your way. We’ll pretend it didn’t happen.”
For now.
I bit back a grin as her brows knitted together, suspicion flickering behind her tired eyes. Like she thought I had some grand plan, some calculated move she hadn’t figured out yet. As if this was a game she could beat me at.
It was almost cute, really. Her digging her heels in, convincing herself that ignoring the chemistry between us would make it go away. She could keep pretending. For now.
But if this was nothing, she wouldn’t be gripping her own arms like she needed to physically hold herself back. Wouldn’t be looking at me like I was the problem when we both knew the real issue was that she didn’t trust herself not to want me.
I knew what it felt like to chase something worth having. To feel it in my gut, the certainty of it, the way it pulled me in and refused to let go. Women had come and gone, quick, easy distractions that burned fast and faded faster.
But Violet had gotten under my skin without trying, settled there before I even clocked what was happening. And if racing had taught me anything, it was how to close the gap.
And once I did?
Game over.