muttered sarcastically.
"Let me guess. You're not used to this?"
"Is it that obvious?"
"A little. But it's sweet. Adorable."
"Yup. Every girl's dream. Meet a handsome stranger and he thinks she acts like a newborn deer wobbling all over the place."
"I didn't know newborn deer were sexy as hell. Because trust me, Althea, you are."
"Oh. Thanks," she managed to breathe out.
Griffen laughed despite himself and his seemingly never-ending supply of lustful thoughts. The sound was almost foreign to his own ears. He hadn't had much reason to laugh for a long time.
"And trust me, you couldn't do anything to make me not want to rip your clothes off."
"What?" she shrieked.
"Don't get me wrong, you're funny, brilliant and completely charming. Add on that you're beautiful and sexy as hell and I'm pretty much at your mercy right now," he smirked. "I'm wondering if I should be worried about the power you have over me."
"Really? Ah, no, I'm a sweetheart."
"I'll hold you to that, Althea. In fact," he said, placing a hand at her lower back until she gasped, "I would like to hold you to a lot of things."
"Ooh, that's a good line."
"A line?" he asked, his hand leaving her back to rest on his chest, his brow furrowing in a perfect image of false hurt. "You wound me, gorgeous."
"I'm sure your ego will recover."
"I'm not sure, I may need a bit of special attention, just to be sure." She rolled her eyes at him again and he simply smirked right back at her.
"All right, another question. Favorite movie?" he asked.
"Chinatown."
"Come on, actual favorite movie, not what you tell people to sound deep."
She giggled. "Legally Blonde."
"And the truth shall set her free," he teased. "Favorite song?"
" In Your Eyes , but only in Say Anything ." He raised an eyebrow and she whispered, "I've always had an unhealthy crush on John Cusack."
"Hmm, now where am I going to find an enormous boom box in this century? Will it get you to come back to my hotel with me if I hold my iPhone over my head and play that song?" He started fiddling theatrically with the music controls on his iPhone.
She choked on her manhattan and almost spilled it down her front. "Go back with you?"
"Ooh, and I thought I slipped that in sneakily enough."
"I thought slipping it in was why you were trying to get me to go back with you," she blurted without thinking. "Oh my God, I just said that out loud. Can we go back to talking about tank tops please?"
"We can, but don't you think this is more interesting? I want you to leave with me tonight, Althea." He wasn't touching her but his nearness was driving her crazy. His lips were right next to her ear when he whispered, "Do you want to leave with me?"
"Oh. Well, um." She knew her eyes belied her growing terror and nervousness.
"Althea, I could give you a bunch of bogus reasons. Offer to show you the great view. To make you a signature cocktail or some other bullshit. But the truth is this bar is closing and I don't want to go to another one. I want to be alone with you. I'm just not ready to let you go. So will you come with me?"
He was leaning close to her ear, his breath spreading across her cheek and the warm air sent a rush of heat through her that had her body flushing and her heart racing. She wasn't ready to let him go, either.
The idea of being with him tonight suddenly seemed more than tempting — it was necessary .
No one had ever had this effect on her other than Jack. She knew she may never feel this way about someone again.
Can't I just let myself have this? Just one night with no strings. Let myself pretend to be someone else. Someone bold? Someone free?
Can I have just one night without fear and guilt, without crushing loneliness?
Before she knew what she was doing, Althea turned her head slightly so their cheeks touched, sending another rush of electricity straight to her core. The wait seemed to go on for an eternity but her mouth finally said, ever so softly, "Okay."
Griffen lowered his head
"Let me guess. You're not used to this?"
"Is it that obvious?"
"A little. But it's sweet. Adorable."
"Yup. Every girl's dream. Meet a handsome stranger and he thinks she acts like a newborn deer wobbling all over the place."
"I didn't know newborn deer were sexy as hell. Because trust me, Althea, you are."
"Oh. Thanks," she managed to breathe out.
Griffen laughed despite himself and his seemingly never-ending supply of lustful thoughts. The sound was almost foreign to his own ears. He hadn't had much reason to laugh for a long time.
"And trust me, you couldn't do anything to make me not want to rip your clothes off."
"What?" she shrieked.
"Don't get me wrong, you're funny, brilliant and completely charming. Add on that you're beautiful and sexy as hell and I'm pretty much at your mercy right now," he smirked. "I'm wondering if I should be worried about the power you have over me."
"Really? Ah, no, I'm a sweetheart."
"I'll hold you to that, Althea. In fact," he said, placing a hand at her lower back until she gasped, "I would like to hold you to a lot of things."
"Ooh, that's a good line."
"A line?" he asked, his hand leaving her back to rest on his chest, his brow furrowing in a perfect image of false hurt. "You wound me, gorgeous."
"I'm sure your ego will recover."
"I'm not sure, I may need a bit of special attention, just to be sure." She rolled her eyes at him again and he simply smirked right back at her.
"All right, another question. Favorite movie?" he asked.
"Chinatown."
"Come on, actual favorite movie, not what you tell people to sound deep."
She giggled. "Legally Blonde."
"And the truth shall set her free," he teased. "Favorite song?"
" In Your Eyes , but only in Say Anything ." He raised an eyebrow and she whispered, "I've always had an unhealthy crush on John Cusack."
"Hmm, now where am I going to find an enormous boom box in this century? Will it get you to come back to my hotel with me if I hold my iPhone over my head and play that song?" He started fiddling theatrically with the music controls on his iPhone.
She choked on her manhattan and almost spilled it down her front. "Go back with you?"
"Ooh, and I thought I slipped that in sneakily enough."
"I thought slipping it in was why you were trying to get me to go back with you," she blurted without thinking. "Oh my God, I just said that out loud. Can we go back to talking about tank tops please?"
"We can, but don't you think this is more interesting? I want you to leave with me tonight, Althea." He wasn't touching her but his nearness was driving her crazy. His lips were right next to her ear when he whispered, "Do you want to leave with me?"
"Oh. Well, um." She knew her eyes belied her growing terror and nervousness.
"Althea, I could give you a bunch of bogus reasons. Offer to show you the great view. To make you a signature cocktail or some other bullshit. But the truth is this bar is closing and I don't want to go to another one. I want to be alone with you. I'm just not ready to let you go. So will you come with me?"
He was leaning close to her ear, his breath spreading across her cheek and the warm air sent a rush of heat through her that had her body flushing and her heart racing. She wasn't ready to let him go, either.
The idea of being with him tonight suddenly seemed more than tempting — it was necessary .
No one had ever had this effect on her other than Jack. She knew she may never feel this way about someone again.
Can't I just let myself have this? Just one night with no strings. Let myself pretend to be someone else. Someone bold? Someone free?
Can I have just one night without fear and guilt, without crushing loneliness?
Before she knew what she was doing, Althea turned her head slightly so their cheeks touched, sending another rush of electricity straight to her core. The wait seemed to go on for an eternity but her mouth finally said, ever so softly, "Okay."
Griffen lowered his head
Similar Books
