next to her neck and breathed in deeply. "Thank you. So are you ready to go?"
She raised her head so she could look into his crystal blue eyes, so full of desire and said with more courage than she felt, "Yes. I just need to tell my friends." She looked around and met their gaze. She jerked her head to beckon them to her until their eyes widened and they ran over.
"So, I don't need a ride home," she whispered to them.
"Oh, gotcha," Aubrey smirked at her, then quickly turning toward Griffen with narrowed eyes she asked, "Is our girl safe with you? You aren't a serial killer, are you? Don't lie to me, I can sniff out a liar."
"No. She's completely safe with me."
"Hmm, that is what a serial killer would say, but you seem honest. Here, let me take your picture. If anything happens to her — you're toast," Aubrey snapped a shot, looked at it and said, "hmm, can't see your butt in this one. I'm gonna need you to stand up and turn around."
"Aubrey!" Althea interrupted. "I think that picture is more than enough. Behave ."
"All right, you know how to reach us," Jenna added. They kissed her cheeks and Jenna whispered in her ear so only she could hear, "You got this girl. We're proud of you and we're just a call away if you change your mind."
After they walked away, Althea turned and stared at Griffen, making no move toward her purse. He leaned closer to her and whispered, "Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm really ready now." Althea looked at his out-stretched hand and slid her long fingers across his palm and resting her hand in his. She licked her dry lips and looked up at him, thrusting up her chin in a dramatic show of confidence she only half felt. "Let's go."
As they walked out of the bar into the warm night air, Griffen placed a light hand to the small of her back and it awakened a world of nerve endings in her that had for too long been forgotten.
CHAPTER THREE
Griffen closed the door behind them and Althea gasped at his suite's panoramic view of the city. She walked slowly toward the back expanse of windows and looked out over its breathtaking view of the city and all three rivers.
Dumbstruck by his palatial accommodations, she turned to him with a smirk on her face, "Some digs, stud. Professors must be doing better for themselves than back when I was in school."
He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "Uh, yeah. You've got to treat yourself once in a while, right?"
"This is quite a treat. Don't worry, I won't ask. I figure you robbed a bank or something so I probably don't want to know," she said with a wink. If she was going to indulge herself and pretend to be someone else for the night, she couldn't worry herself with interrogating him. She looked back out the window, marveling at the spectacular view of the city and the calming rivers from his suite.
"This is one helluva view." She turned and smiled at him shyly and she could see him swallow in response.
Damn, even his Adam's apple is sexy.
He stalked toward her, his blue eyes trained on her hazel ones, and she actually shivered. He just stood there in front of her and she could barely breathe. Underneath all his playfulness there was the hint of someone intense and only barely contained, and the combination was driving her deliciously crazy.
Finally, he placed his hands on her shoulders and she released a little gasp. He gently slid them down the bare skin of her arms and she leaned her head back revealing her neck more fully to him as her hair fell away from her. Griffen nuzzled his face in her neck so that his masculine scent surrounded her, while his strong, warm hands rubbed purposely up and down her arms causing her insides to ignite like a wildfire. He gently kissed her neck, then teasingly bit her shoulder, and it was as though an electric shock shot straight to her core and she could feel herself becoming wet already.
"Althea, you're incredible, you know that?" he asked as he moved his hands to her waist and pushed more fully
She raised her head so she could look into his crystal blue eyes, so full of desire and said with more courage than she felt, "Yes. I just need to tell my friends." She looked around and met their gaze. She jerked her head to beckon them to her until their eyes widened and they ran over.
"So, I don't need a ride home," she whispered to them.
"Oh, gotcha," Aubrey smirked at her, then quickly turning toward Griffen with narrowed eyes she asked, "Is our girl safe with you? You aren't a serial killer, are you? Don't lie to me, I can sniff out a liar."
"No. She's completely safe with me."
"Hmm, that is what a serial killer would say, but you seem honest. Here, let me take your picture. If anything happens to her — you're toast," Aubrey snapped a shot, looked at it and said, "hmm, can't see your butt in this one. I'm gonna need you to stand up and turn around."
"Aubrey!" Althea interrupted. "I think that picture is more than enough. Behave ."
"All right, you know how to reach us," Jenna added. They kissed her cheeks and Jenna whispered in her ear so only she could hear, "You got this girl. We're proud of you and we're just a call away if you change your mind."
After they walked away, Althea turned and stared at Griffen, making no move toward her purse. He leaned closer to her and whispered, "Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm really ready now." Althea looked at his out-stretched hand and slid her long fingers across his palm and resting her hand in his. She licked her dry lips and looked up at him, thrusting up her chin in a dramatic show of confidence she only half felt. "Let's go."
As they walked out of the bar into the warm night air, Griffen placed a light hand to the small of her back and it awakened a world of nerve endings in her that had for too long been forgotten.
CHAPTER THREE
Griffen closed the door behind them and Althea gasped at his suite's panoramic view of the city. She walked slowly toward the back expanse of windows and looked out over its breathtaking view of the city and all three rivers.
Dumbstruck by his palatial accommodations, she turned to him with a smirk on her face, "Some digs, stud. Professors must be doing better for themselves than back when I was in school."
He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "Uh, yeah. You've got to treat yourself once in a while, right?"
"This is quite a treat. Don't worry, I won't ask. I figure you robbed a bank or something so I probably don't want to know," she said with a wink. If she was going to indulge herself and pretend to be someone else for the night, she couldn't worry herself with interrogating him. She looked back out the window, marveling at the spectacular view of the city and the calming rivers from his suite.
"This is one helluva view." She turned and smiled at him shyly and she could see him swallow in response.
Damn, even his Adam's apple is sexy.
He stalked toward her, his blue eyes trained on her hazel ones, and she actually shivered. He just stood there in front of her and she could barely breathe. Underneath all his playfulness there was the hint of someone intense and only barely contained, and the combination was driving her deliciously crazy.
Finally, he placed his hands on her shoulders and she released a little gasp. He gently slid them down the bare skin of her arms and she leaned her head back revealing her neck more fully to him as her hair fell away from her. Griffen nuzzled his face in her neck so that his masculine scent surrounded her, while his strong, warm hands rubbed purposely up and down her arms causing her insides to ignite like a wildfire. He gently kissed her neck, then teasingly bit her shoulder, and it was as though an electric shock shot straight to her core and she could feel herself becoming wet already.
"Althea, you're incredible, you know that?" he asked as he moved his hands to her waist and pushed more fully
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