Welcoming the Bad Boy: A Hero's Welcome Novel

by Annie Rains

  She pulled back again. “I was just thinking out loud. We can’t, I can’t…” She shook her head.

  “It’s happening, Val. Just say yes.” His hand lowered to her ass and gave a firm squeeze that sent a thrill through her body.

  “Don’t they teach the kids to just say no?” Her mind was whirling. She wanted to get inspired, not step inside a porn movie.

  “Do you trust me?” He reached for her hands and held them.

  She met his gaze, dark and sexy, haunted. And even though her instinct was to answer no, she trusted the man in front of her one hundred percent. “Okay. Let’s do this.”

  “Your wish is my command.” He pointed a playful finger at Sweet Cheeks. “Hold the fort down, dog. We’ll be home soon.”

  A little sigh caught in her throat. She really was living in a fantasy right now because hearing the word “home” on Griffin’s lips did funny things to her heart. He placed a helmet on her head and tucked her arms around his waist as they straddled the motorcycle. The vibration of the bike shot through her. Who’d have thought she’d enjoy the back of a motorcycle so much?

  “Hold on to me,” he commanded, glancing back over his shoulder. He meant just for the ride, but her ever-wild imagination got carried away again. Maybe she could hold on to him for just a little while longer. Maybe finishing her book and the summer didn’t mean saying goodbye. Because she wasn’t ready to let go of Griffin Black just yet.

  Chapter 18

  Despite the summer heat earlier in the day, the air was cool as they zipped around the winding back roads of Seaside. Val rested her cheek against Griffin’s back and closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of flying on the open roads. The feel of freedom. When she was with Griffin, she felt unleashed and free from the judgment of others who thought she needed to look and act a certain way. She’d always talked too much, spoken her mind first, and then apologized. There were no apologies when she was with Griffin, though.

  Opening her eyes, she tried to determine where they were exactly. One road in Seaside led to the water. Another led to the military base nearby. This road, however, seemed to be taking them out of town. Paradise Point was nearby. It was a quaint waterfront town with cutesy stores in the downtown area. Not a good place for exhibition.

  Val blinked, reading the sign that was lit up by spotlights for night travelers.

  WELCOME TO PARADISE.

  Suddenly her mind was racing with the possibilities. Sex in the gardens. Sex by the river, in the woods, in one of the outdoor exhibits. Paradise Point had a winery. It was romantic, with gardens, parks, and outdoor exhibits. Every year a festival was held in Paradise Point and most of the town of Seaside attended. People from out of state even attended to sample the wine, eat the food, and maybe take a hot-air balloon ride over the scenic town. It truly was a paradise in its own right.

  Heaven help me. I’m going to get arrested tonight.

  “You okay back there?” Griffin asked, glancing over his shoulder as they stopped at a stop sign.

  “Yes. But I didn’t realize we were leaving town.”

  “I thought it might be better, considering Seaside is your hometown. I thought you might feel…more comfortable.”

  A car passed and he turned, speeding up again. Ten minutes later, he slowed and drove the motorcycle onto a dirt road marked with NO TRESPASSING signs. As the road grew bumpier, she tightened her viselike hold on him. The woods cleared at the mouth of a riverbank. There was no evidence of people nearby.

  The loud roar of the motorcycle’s engine cut. Griffin pulled off his helmet, then got off the bike and helped her remove her helmet, too.

  “My friend Troy owns this land by default. He inherited it. Claims this is the best fishing spot in the Carolinas.” Griffin smoothed her flyaway hairs from wearing the helmet. “This is private property. We’ll have all the privacy we want to, uh, fish.”

  She tilted her head. “Did you bring a pole?” As soon as the words left her, she slapped a hand across her mouth and started laughing. “I totally didn’t mean the way that sounded.”

  He chuckled and helped her off the back of the bike. She was suddenly nervous, but not from the idea of taking her clothing off outdoors—well, that, too. But the way Griffin was staring at her had her fidgeting and adjusting her clothing.

  He reached out a hand. “Let’s take a walk. I want to show you something.”

  Slipping her hand in his, she walked at his side. “You’ve been here before?” she asked.

  “Oh, yeah. Troy and I are good friends. We really do fish here. And, yeah, I usually bring my pole.” He winked at her and those nervous flutters stormed her belly. “Watch your step,” he said, pointing at a root bumping up out of the ground.

  “Would you catch me if I fell?” she asked, flirting with him.

  “You’d have to fall first.” He squeezed her hand.

  She wondered if he was talking about something other than the root on the ground. Did he want her to fall for him? Surely, he didn’t. He was the love-’em-and-leave-’em type. At least that’s what she’d pegged him to be. Griffin didn’t fit the bill of the guys who stuck around, offered a ring and a promise of happily-ever-after.

  “It’s over here.” He tugged her toward a small pier on the water. It wasn’t more than six feet long. Jagged rocks of different sizes lined the banks here. There were smaller, more polished rocks, too. “See there.” He pointed.

  Val squinted. “All I see are rocks.”

  “Look closer.” He steadied her as she leaned forward to get a closer look at the rocky bank.

  She blinked, then she saw movement on the ground. At first she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her, but then she realized some of the rocks weren’t actually rocks. “Hermit crabs,” she said, breaking into a smile.

  “That’s right. There are hundreds of them out here. Trooper loves to yap and snap at ’em.”

  Val laughed. “And hopefully not get pinched.”

  “My dog? No. He’s survived wars. A few little hermit crabs have nothing on Trooper. My other dog, on the other hand, maybe so.”

  “Still not measuring up?” she asked, feeling calmer now. This was Griffin. There was no reason to be raw nerves around him.

  “He can barely get through a simple training without disregarding a command. He’s like a child who won’t listen.” He chuckled to himself. “He’s like me in junior high and high school.”

  “And you turned out okay.” She bumped her body against his shoulder. Enjoying the feel of his body on hers, wanting to feel more of it.

  “Just okay?” He looked at her, his eyes suddenly heating. “We came here with a purpose in mind. I believe you have a fantasy to fulfill.” He pulled her flush against him.

  Reflexively, she braced her hands against his chest, feeling his heart thud against her palm. She also felt his desire, hard against her lower stomach. “You said we were going to do, um, it, on your motorcycle.”

  “I changed my mind. My bike can’t hold us. At least not unless we go slow and easy. And I don’t want to go slow and easy.” He kissed her mouth, pushing his tongue gently past her lips. “Can’t lay on the rocks. Too rough,” he said between brushes of his lips on hers.

  “And the crabs,” she added. “Maybe we’re not meant—”

  “Oh, we’re meant to,” he said. He grabbed her hand and pulled her with him. They walked to his motorcycle, where she realized he’d packed supplies for their excursion. Pulling out a thick blanket, he tucked it under his arm and pulled her in the direction of the riverbank. “Over here.” He walked her over to a soft patch of grass. Then he let go of her hand and laid out the blanket. “The only other alternative is the water, and it might be cold riding back on the motorcycle if we get wet.”

  She glanced at the river. The thought of sex in the blue water was enticing, but…“Cold. Right.” She looked at the blanket on the ground. “This looks perfect.”

  “You’re perfect,” he said. Then his hands were on her, cupping
the back of her neck. And he was kissing her, turning her on like she’d never been turned on before.

  She moaned and released herself to the moment. Griffin unbuttoned her jeans and slowly tugged on the zipper.

  She wiggled her hips out, revealing the white lace underneath as Griffin watched. When the jeans were past her knees, he pulled them off and discarded them at the end of the blanket. Then he pulled her up and lifted her shirt over her head.

  “Everything comes off,” he whispered, running a hand behind her neck. He kissed the wild pulse there along the side, then moved his hands to unclasp her bra, leaving her naked a moment later.

  “Your turn.” Val worked to take his shirt and jeans off, loving how his gaze studied her body. She felt beautiful in his presence; he couldn’t take his eyes off her.

  Then they were naked under the stars, surrounded by nature, ready to do animalistic things to each other’s bodies.

  “Lay back,” Griffin said, tracing a finger from one shoulder down her arm. She did as he asked, watching him now. Starting at her toes, he kissed and rubbed the unshaven edge of his jaw against her sensitive places, working his way higher. Her breaths grew shallow as he climbed her body, loved her body, aroused her body until she was calling Griffin’s name, over and over and over again. His tongue slid between her legs, making her writhe in his firm grasp, stroking against her until she shut her eyes tightly and shuddered.

  “Oh, Griffin!”

  He didn’t let go. Instead, he held her tighter, continuing with his tongue, unrelenting as she came. “So fucking gorgeous,” he said, his voice deep and raspy.

  She was boneless as he sat up and grabbed a condom from his jeans pocket. Then he entered her and the aftershocks of what he’d just done rumbled through her again. She clutched his back and pulled him deeper inside her. This was where he belonged. With her. Right here. Right now.

  —

  Counting the stars was pointless. There were too many, and as much as Griffin wanted to fall asleep here, he had to work tomorrow. He nudged Val. “You awake?”

  She stirred, moaning and burrowing more snugly into the crook of his arm. “Who knew I liked the outdoors so much?”

  He laughed. “We better get you back home. I have to be at work at zero eight hundred.”

  She groaned. “Why don’t police officers get the summers off, too? That’s not fair.”

  He watched her sit up. Her bare back cast in the glow of the moonlight was maybe the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. He leaned forward and kissed the ridge of her spine, making her straighten. She looked over her shoulder at him, her dark hair spilling around her face sexily, and smiled.

  And if he didn’t get up now, they’d be making love again.

  He reached for his clothes and pulled them on, watching her do the same, memorizing every curve of her body in case he never got to see it again. He didn’t usually stay in relationships for too long. After learning about his adoption, he felt like he was always waiting for the veil to lift, to realize that everything he thought was real was fake. There was nothing fake about Val, though. She was the most honest person he’d ever known. And he admired the hell out of her.

  They walked back to his bike and he secured her arms around his waist. “Maybe next time we’ll try the water out.” Revving the engine, he turned and headed out of Paradise Point. He knew Troy didn’t think so, but he was lucky to be part owner of such a place. It really was paradise here.

  Half an hour later, he kissed Val and left her at her doorstep. He lay in bed and tried to sleep, but the night was too fresh in his mind. He just wanted to keep replaying it, over and over. He had to give himself props; tonight had been romantic. Maybe those romance novels he’d ordered online had been influencing him in all the right ways. He could see why the ladies at Seaside Harbor, including his mother, liked them.

  He closed his eyes and waited for the image of Val’s naked body bathed in moonlight to disappear, doubting it ever would. That image would likely stay with him for the rest of his life. No need to get a tattoo to remind him; it was etched in his mind forever.

  Griffin sucked in a breath, held it for a long beat, and exhaled, counting down from one hundred until he fell asleep with Val still on his mind.

  —

  Val walked to the coffeemaker to pour yet another cup of coffee. She blinked as one drop came from the pot. After Griffin had dropped her off last night, she’d started a pot of coffee, and she’d drank one cup after another in order to keep on writing. And it’d worked. The book was done.

  Finished.

  Finite.

  She tipped her head back and closed her eyes, a smile pulling on her lips. After six months of writer’s block, she’d written the end of a story. She did a little dance in the kitchen, wearing an oversized T-shirt and cotton pajama shorts. She might be a zombie all day, but it was worth it. Now all she had to do was polish the book until it shone and send it to her publisher.

  She opened the cabinets and reached for the ground coffee, then remembered that she’d used the last of it at two A.M. Crap.

  Val chewed the inside of her cheek as she contemplated how badly she needed that next cup. As she stood there, her doorbell rang, and Sweet Cheeks darted toward the living room. Val glanced down at what she was wearing. Satisfied that all her parts were sufficiently covered, she headed to answer the door. Her hair hadn’t been slept on and thus probably still looked okay, although windblown from the motorcycle ride last night.

  Val opened her door and smiled. “Speak of the devil. I was just thinking about you,” she said, trying not to breathe in Griffin’s direction. She hadn’t brushed her teeth yet this morning and probably had the coffee breath from hell.

  Griffin handed her a cup of coffee from the Seaside Grind.

  “And you,” she told the hot cup, sighing dreamily. One more cup would definitely serve her well this morning.

  He lifted a cup of his own to his mouth, his eyes heating as he looked at her. “If you had a night anywhere near the one I had, I figured you’d need a cup of this this morning.”

  “Seems to me we were together last night,” she said, smiling up at him over the rim of her Styrofoam cup.

  “I remember.”

  She stepped back and gestured into her living room. “Want to come inside?”

  He shook his head. “Can’t. I have to get to work. Just wanted to drop this by and maybe steal another kiss.”

  She went up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to Griffin’s, keeping her mouth closed and the kiss short.

  His brow furrowed when she pulled away quickly.

  “I, uh, haven’t brushed my teeth yet this morning,” she said truthfully.

  “Gotcha. Listen, I also wanted to let you know that I’m taking Trooper to the nursing home tonight. To see Mom and do some animal therapy.”

  “Oh.” She took another sip of her coffee. “That’s great.”

  “We’ve seen each other a lot lately. Every night, actually,” he said, looking uncomfortable suddenly.

  “You don’t have to explain yourself. We’re not…” She didn’t finish her sentence. She couldn’t. They weren’t what?

  His brow lowered as he seemed to be thinking the exact same thing. What weren’t they? And what exactly were they?

  “It’s fine, Griffin. You should go see your mom tonight. I’m seeing her for lunch today. We’re having chicken breast and vegetables.” Val had set the breasts to baking as she’d written her final scene this morning.

  “You’re an angel, you know? Bringing you coffee is far from sufficient. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you for spending time with my mother. It means everything to me.”

  Val’s heart swelled inside her chest. As a preacher’s daughter, she’d been doing volunteer work all her life. No one had ever thanked her the way Griffin just had, though. And the fact was, eating lunch with Helen wasn’t work. It was her being a friend to someone she liked a lot, even if Helen couldn’t remember who Val was half th
e time. “You don’t have to thank me,” Val said. “But I should thank you. The coffee is just what I needed.”

  Griffin leaned forward and kissed her again, settling for her cheek as she turned her mouth away. He smiled. “You are just what I needed. And I can’t wait to kiss you in the morning before you brush your teeth one day…I’ll call you later.”

  Val nodded and watched him go, as her insides melted together into a gooey mess. She closed her front door behind her and walked across the room to her couch. Plopping down, she searched her contact list for Nikki’s name and pressed the call button.

  “Hey, you!” Nikki said immediately. “You were on my call list today.”

  “No need to hound me,” Val said, running her hand absently over Sweet Cheeks’s back. “The first draft is done. Finished. The end.” Val laughed out loud. It felt so damn good to say those words. To be honest, she hadn’t been sure if this day would ever get here. “Now all I have left to do is edit.”

  “Perfect! Go, you!” Nikki said. Her tone was lighter this morning. She was no doubt as relieved as Val was. Or almost.

  “So do you want Mr. Blow-Up Man back? To inspire someone else out of writer’s block?”

  “Ha! You keep him,” Nikki said. “Sounds like he provided the necessary inspiration. Or was it that guy you’ve been seeing?”

  Val grinned to herself. “It definitely wasn’t the blow-up man.” Val squirmed against the back of the couch. She didn’t want to talk about Griffin right now. She preferred not to analyze that relationship with anyone at the moment. Things were too fresh, and they were just temporary, she reminded herself.

  “Well, I can’t wait to read your new book,” Nikki said. “It’s going to feel good to have another Sophie Evans romance in my hands.”

  “Thank you for always believing in me,” Val said, sipping from her coffee cup.