“Because why, Griff?” She moistened her lips.
“You’re killing me, Scarlett,” he admitted quietly.
Scarlett tugged his head down closer to hers. “Kiss me, Griff.”
The words were said so beautifully, so beseechingly, and it was exactly what he wanted to do. Kiss her and never stop. He was too in control of himself to not stop, but just a quick sample of her lips might be enough to satiate him. He leaned closer, and she arched up.
“Oh, excuse me,” a woman’s voice said from behind them.
Griff cradled Scarlett into his chest, hoping the woman hadn’t seen her face. Scarlett buried her face against him, thankfully understanding the danger of someone reporting where they saw her to the world. “My wife isn’t feeling well,” Griff lied easily, but the thought of Scarlett being his wife made his legs weaken.
“Oh, the poor thing,” the lady said.
“Excuse me for just a moment, and I’ll get her in the car and we’ll get out of your way.”
“Of course.” The lady stepped back.
Griff loaded Scarlett into the seat, muttering, “Put your head between your legs.”
She obeyed.
He shut Scarlett’s door and forced a smile at the woman. “Thank you.”
She smiled back. “Such a sweet husband,” she crooned.
It was all Griff could do not to growl something fierce back at her. He’d never been called sweet by anyone, at least not anyone who wanted to live to talk about it, and he would never be a husband. “Thanks,” he muttered, and he hurried around the vehicle and jumped into the driver’s seat.
“Don’t you need to use the bathroom?” Scarlett asked him, tilting her head up from her bent-over position to look at him.
“I’ll be fine.” Living through SEAL training had toughened him in so many ways, and he could go without sleep, food, or bathroom privileges as long as anybody he knew. If only he could go without Scarlett Lily.
She smiled tremulously up at him. He wondered what had her shaken—the woman almost seeing her face, or the near kiss. His money was on the near kiss. He should be praising the lady for interrupting what would’ve been a mistake, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. She’d ruined his chance to kiss Scarlett, and that was worse than calling him sweet.
Chapter Seven
Scarlett seemed fidgety, but she was blessedly quiet through Utah and into Idaho. Griff kept thinking about her “bum on fire” and their near kiss and had to shift his thoughts to something else. He knew she wasn’t trying to be difficult, but she was more than difficult for him. He couldn’t remain focused when she was so cute and appealing.
“The next Wal-Mart I see, I’ll stop and get us food, clothes, toiletries, and shoes for you,” he added, forcing a smile.
She simply nodded.
“You’ve probably never had clothes from a Wal-Mart,” he tried to tease, wondering why he was prolonging a conversation with her. It was so much smarter to remain detached and quiet.
“Not since I was a kid,” she admitted. “As long as they’re warm, I don’t care.”
He glanced over at her. “Are you cold?”
She nodded again, this time in more of a jerk.
“I apologize. I don’t notice change in temperature much.” Another bonus of SEAL training torture. “There’s dual control; you can turn up the heat as much as you like. There are probably also blankets in the back. ”
She messed with the controls, and he could feel heat pouring from her side of the vehicle. He might be sweating in a bit, but he didn’t mind. Why hadn’t she told him she was cold? He’d been trained to be a gentleman and wanted her to be comfortable.
“So you watch my movies?” she asked suddenly.
“What makes you think that?” That was random for her to bring up, but he knew exactly where she was going and had been waiting for it since last night.
“‘You aren’t a human lie detector’?” She had him, and judging by the smug look in her eyes, she knew it.
“I saw the last one,” he admitted. Griff prided himself on his honesty, but there was no way he’d reveal that he watched every movie, sometimes over and over again. Though he tried to anticipate and fast-forward any kissing parts. Thankfully, she mostly did action shows, and he was very impressed, and grateful, that she refused to do love scenes.
“What did you think?” she asked quietly.
Griff had to look at her. She sounded like she needed his approval or something. That was insane. She was Scarlett Lily, famous A-list actress. When her gaze met his, he felt electrified and drawn to her. The vulnerability in her eyes told him she wasn’t full of herself like he’d tried to make himself believe all these years. It had been a way to keep his distance, convincing himself she had men all over her and she’d become an overconfident diva. Being around her, he knew he’d deluded himself, at least about the diva part.
“You’re … very good,” he admitted. She was much more than “very good,” but he didn’t want to come across as gushing. He cleared his throat and focused on the road. “Why don’t you make me a list of what you will need for the next couple of weeks—clothes, your shoe size, food you like, toiletries, stuff like that.”
“Okay.”
“There should be a pen and something to write on in the glove box.”
She rummaged around and found a pen and pad of paper. She started writing the list as he cruised through southern Idaho. She wrote and wrote and wrote. Griff was already sweating from the heat pouring out of her vents, and the length of the list had him sweating more.
“I can’t haul the entire store to Island Park,” he said.
She glanced up at him. “I’m just writing down the basics.”
His eyebrows went up. “I forgot that you’re a princess.” It was said semi-teasingly.
“And I forgot that you’re a jerk.”
Griff smiled and relaxed. It would be much better the next few weeks of being stuck alone with her if she thought he was a jerk. Most people did, and it was an easy role for him to play.
“I should be grateful that lady interrupted back in Nephi and you didn’t kiss me,” she said. “Would you have kissed me, Griff?”
Sweat rolled down his back as he had no clue what to say. Dang straight he would’ve. She’d just called him a jerk. Maybe she’d realized what a huge mistake she’d be making by kissing him. Griff was pretty sure it was divine intervention when he saw a Wal-Mart off the right exit. Maybe praying did help. He darted through two lanes of traffic. Scarlett let out a little squeal as he flew down the exit ramp.
“Sorry,” he muttered. Sorry that he couldn’t talk to her and sorry that he’d scared her, but mostly sorry that he couldn’t kiss her like he wanted to.
“Maybe you’ll kill me with your driving before I can get kidnapped.”
He knew the words were meant to be teasing, but his stomach churned at the very thought of her kidnapper taking her. He’d seen horrors that would make his mama sob and had sadly become hardened to the constant heartache, but imagining Scarlett in some scumball’s grasp made his stomach churn and his palms sweat until he had trouble gripping the steering wheel.
He pulled into the Wal-Mart parking lot and slammed it into park. He held out his hand. “I’ll be quick.”
“You’re going to make me sit here?” She didn’t hand over the paper. “Sore bum and all?”
Griff let himself look at her. She was so appealing to him, he didn’t know if he was strong enough to tell her no to any request she might make. He heard those words bounce around in his head again: Kiss me, Griff. He hoped she wouldn’t make that irresistible plea a second time or he would cave.
He took a more pragmatic approach. “If you waltz into Wal-Mart in Idaho Falls, an hour from our destination, people are going to be taking pictures, posting them on Instagram, and you will be putting yourself in danger.” The vultures that would be pursuing her for the million-dollar paycheck would converge on any place where she’d been sighted, searching under
every rock and backwoods cabin. So far nothing had leaked from their encounter in St. George, but that was seven hours south of here.
She nodded tightly and shifted in her seat.
Griff hated for her to be uncomfortable. He glanced around the Escalade. “If I put the seats down, would you want to stretch out in the back?” That would accomplish a couple purposes: she’d be able to change her position, and he could keep wandering eyes from looking in the front windshield and spotting her like that guy had done last night. The rear windows in the Escalade were not only bulletproof; they were impossible to see through.
“Okay.” She handed over her list. Griff shoved it in his pocket, hurried around to put down the seats, and then waited until she’d crawled into the back and covered up with a blanket before muttering goodbye and locking her in.
He rushed into the store and pulled out her list. It was longer than Scarlett’s long red hair. Clothes, toiletries, food, she’d listed multiple items under each category, most of the time with specific brands. He blew out a breath and headed for the women’s clothing first, suspecting she was laughing to herself in the Escalade. He’d play her game and buy everything on the list, but he was going to get her back, somehow.
Chapter Eight
Scarlett stretched out in the back of the Escalade. The fleece blanket kept her warm enough. She wondered if Griff would just trash the list and buy what he wanted. She wouldn’t put it past him. As long as she got some warm clothes and shoes, she’d deal without the rest of the items on her list.
She needed to use a restroom again, but she understood why Griff didn’t want anyone to see her. Most Americans would recognize her on sight, and the people pursuing her would take notice if she was spotted this close to the place where Griff was taking her to hide. The thought made her stomach tighten with fear. She knew Griff could best any man or woman, but if they came in hordes hoping to make a million dollars, he might be overrun.
She had almost fallen asleep when the back door opened and Griff’s handsome face peeked in. “Stay there,” he whispered, tilting his head to the right. Another customer must be close by, putting their own groceries in the car. She scooted to the side, and he started piling bag after bag into the rear of the Escalade. He’d bought plenty. Maybe he had used her list.
She rummaged in the bag closest to her and found translucent face powder, night cream, tinted moisturizer, eyeliner, and lip stain. She smiled. They were the brands she used to use back in high school and college, not her high-dollar makeup of today. You couldn’t find her current brands at Wal-Mart, and it was really sweet of Griff to follow her list so closely. Luckily she had eyelash extensions, so she didn’t have to mess with mascara. She pulled out a bottle of hair dye—golden blonde. “What is this?”
Griff unloaded another armful of bags and focused on her. His blue eyes glinted and his lips turned up in a smirk. “Thought it might be smart to change your look.”
“Smart … or are we taking a trip down memory lane?” She folded her arms across her chest and narrowed her eyes at him. Did Griff prefer her as a blonde? It was her natural color, but her agent had suggested red when she started acting. The vibrant color stood out from the many blondes and brunettes, securing her roles she didn’t think she would’ve gotten. Red had become a trademark for her.
Griff simply smiled, unloaded the last of the bags, and slammed the rear door shut. Ooh, that man could infuriate her. She scrambled back to the front of the vehicle. He climbed into the driver’s seat. Scarlett climbed over the console, her skirt sliding up, and she heard Griff groan. She froze, wondering what was wrong. Glancing over at him, she saw he was focused on her legs.
His eyes traveled up her legs and body until they rested on her smiling face. He glowered at her. “Do you need help?” he gritted out.
“I would appreciate that, kind sir.”
Griff’s jaw tightened, and then he moved so quickly she had no time to react. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her upper body closer to him; she assumed it was an attempt to straighten her legs out so she could slide into her seat. But he froze when her face came within inches of his. His breath quickened, and when she saw he was staring at her mouth, she was soon panting for air as well.
A horn beeped somewhere in the parking lot. Griff’s eyes opened wider. He released his grip on her waist and muttered gruffly, “We’d better go.”
Scarlett nodded, feeling shell-shocked. She slid into her seat and fastened the seat belt. As they drove out of Idaho Falls, she kept casting glances at him, but he was studiously focused on the road. Scarlett sighed and crossed her legs, which earned her a quick dart of his eyes before he turned forward again. She needed a restroom, but she needed Griff to kiss her even more.
Chapter Nine
They left the freeway and drove through some snow-covered farmland before hitting the forested area of Island Park. The snow got deeper amongst the trees, but thankfully the roads were clear. Even with the heat blowing on high and the fleece blanket from the back, she shivered seeing all of that snow, and because she needed the restroom even more now.
Scarlett endured her discomfort in silence, giving up on Griff talking to her, or even looking at her. Another near kiss and he appeared to have shut down completely. He’d claimed Idaho Falls was only an hour from Island Park, but apparently he had meant the area, not the place where they were actually staying.
Dusk was falling as he finally pulled off the main road and stopped at an imposing gate with a serious fence extending in both directions. The sight of that gate and fence, and the security they intended to provide, helped Scarlett’s worries ease. The tougher-than-anyone Griff Quinn could protect her, but it was nice to know that nobody was getting through that gate without some serious equipment.
Griff punched in a code, and then a screen came up on the gate. He leaned out the window. She could hear him talking to someone on the screen. It was impressive security, but she was honestly going to have an accident on the leather seat if he didn’t hurry.
Finally, the gate swung open and they eased through. They drove along an asphalt driveway for what seemed like many miles, although it was probably only one.
They eased into a clearing in the trees where a massive three-story log cabin dominated the scene, glowing with multiple exterior lights. “Cabin” didn’t quite fit; it was more of a mansion. She wished she could see more of the area around it, but the darkness was encroaching.
“Wow,” she murmured.
“It’s a nice place,” Griff said.
He drove around the side of the house and down a gradual slope to a basement garage entry—an entry with five large doors. She wondered who his friends were. Many of Griff’s family members were ultra-wealthy, so this might be one of their homes, but he’d said this belonged to a friend.
Griff jumped out and typed in a code on the panel. One of the garage doors slid open and automatic lights lit the interior. Griff climbed back in, pulled into the garage, and shut off the vehicle. There were only some four-wheelers, snowmobiles, a side-by-side, and a Jeep in the huge garage space.
Griff glanced over at her as she shifted in her seat. “You okay?”
“I want to get out, but I’m afraid I’ll … pee my pants.”
He shook his head. “Wait, then.” He popped out of his door, hurried around to hers, and swung it open.
Scarlett started to ease her legs out, but Griff slid his warm hands under her legs and upper back and lifted her from the vehicle. Scarlett’s breath rushed out at his nearness, and she almost forgot how badly she needed a restroom.
Griff glanced down at her. “Figured this might help you not ‘pee your pants’.” He actually smiled at her.
Scarlett wrapped her arms around his neck, and now he was the one with the breath rushing out in a pop. “Hmm. You sure it wasn’t because you want me close?”
His grin disappeared and he hurried through the garage, pushing the handle and then the door open into the house. He went
down a hallway softly lit by built-in night lights, past a large room on the left. From what she could see, and from the familiar rubbery smell, the room housed a bunch of fitness equipment.
Griff stopped next to a closed door and released the hand holding her legs. She slid to her feet, but she stayed close to him with his hand lingering on her back and her arms around his neck. The moment slowed down and went sticky between them. Scarlett released her clasp on his neck and slowly trailed her fingers along his broad shoulders. Griff wrapped both hands around her hips and pulled her in tight to his chest.
Scarlett’s breath quickened, and she pushed herself up onto her tiptoes. She was still a few inches from his lips, though. He had to help out, bend down a little bit, act like he wanted to kiss her. Was it really so hard for him to react appropriately?
Griff didn’t move. He stared at her and stared at her. Scarlett loved his blue gaze focused on her, but she could wait no longer.
“Goodness,” she huffed out. “I really have to pee.”
Griff released her, pushed the door open behind her, and stepped back. “Don’t let me keep you.”
“Ugh!” Scarlett hurried into the bathroom, seething with frustration and an ache that only Griff could fill. She used the bathroom, replaying in her mind how many times that man had almost kissed her. What was he waiting for? It was true that not all of the near misses had been his fault, like the lady interrupting them outside the bathroom in Nephi, but she feared that given the choice, Griff wouldn’t kiss her. His prized self-control would never slip. How did she convince him he needed to kiss her? Even more important, how did she convince him he needed her?
She washed her hands and studied herself in the mirror. She looked tired and disheveled. Her eyeliner and lipstick were gone, and she could really use some translucent powder on her nose and forehead. The entire long drive here seemed like a blur now.
There was another question she had to ask herself. Was it smart to keep growing closer to Griff Quinn? He’d broken her heart ten years ago, and he didn’t appear to have any regrets for doing so. Why would she willingly put herself in his arms and let him tear her apart all over again?
Quinn Family Romance Collection Page 45
