The waitress returned and brought their coffee. Helen quietly took a sip, wondering where Griffin’s next question would lead.
“Tell me about Logan’s father.”
Helen stared back at Griffin in shock. She wasn’t expecting that. “Why would you ask about him?”
“Are you taking another pass already?” If she didn’t know any better, she would swear Griffin was almost hoping for her to do just that. He must have a few more surprise questions up his sleeve.
“I didn’t say that. I was just shocked you wanted to hear about him.”
“I want to know everything there is to know about you.”
“Why?”
“Is that your question?’
“You’re infuriating, you know?”
“Is that your question?”
Helen smiled despite herself. He was very persistent. “Jack was my high school sweetheart. He was a nice kid who wasn’t looking to be a father before he graduated high school.”
“Seventeen years old isn’t a kid.” Griffin actually sounded put out on her behalf. Helen was amused for a split second, and then his comment trigged something inside of her.
“How did you know he was seventeen,” Helen held up her hand to silence him, before he could interrupt. “No, it isn’t my question, but I would like an answer nevertheless.”
“It’s not hard to figure out, Helen. I can do the math. High school sweetheart would put him close to the same age you were when you had Logan.”
“True, but seventeen is too young to be a parent.”
“He was already a parent, too young or not. He should have stuck around and done right by you.”
Helen didn’t comment, choosing to take a sip of her coffee instead. Far be it from her to defend Jack. Griffin was right, but shoulda, coulda, woulda didn’t change things. Jack left, she had Logan, she moved on. Wishing for a different ending wouldn’t change things now. “I answered your question; I believe it’s my turn.”
“Okay.”
“Why did you invite me to come here, really?”
Griffin watched her intently for a few seconds, as if weighing his words carefully. “Is my desire to get to know you really shocking?”
“Is that your question?” Helen tossed his words back at him, refusing to be the only one on the spot any longer.
“I don’t think you’re ready for my answer.” Griffin smiled insincerely, irritating Helen a bit.
If she could share details about Logan’s father, the least he could do is share why they were really there. Bolder than she’d ever been, Helen pressed on. “Try me.”
The laughter in Griffin’s eyes died out slowly, replaced instead by a shocking look of lust. “You have no idea how much I really want to.”
*
For River Bend being such a small town, Helen was doing a remarkable job of staying out of his path. Her behavior would be amusing if Griffin weren’t so pissed off. She’d even found a reason to skip out of Sunday night dinner at Marc and Lily’s, leaving him sitting alone with Lily, who kept hopping up to go throw up, and Marc, who kept sending him evil, “I told you so” looks across the table.
To think, Griffin had considered last Sunday to be good behavior for him. No time during their coffee date did he disappear under the table to bury his head between her legs like he’d wanted to. He had been a gentleman, or at least as close to a gentleman as he could be, but she had to go and hide. Now Griffin was done with being polite.
Pulling up in front of her condo, Griffin tried his best to keep his temper at bay. There was no way in hell he was going to believe she wasn’t avoiding him. Hell, even Lily had mentioned her mother had sounded fine over the phone. The pathetic excuse Helen had given her was that something came up.
Something was going to come up, all right. Like her skirt over her lap when he gave her the spanking of her life.
Griffin quickly made his way across the sidewalk and up to her door, his temper on full blast. Foregoing the bell, he banged his fist on her door, needing to release at least some of his anger before he saw Helen.
“I know you’re in there, Helen. Open the door,” he bellowed, between bangs. If she thought she was going to hide …
“Hold on.”
“Open up!”
“Griffin, is that you?” Helen swung the door open, surprise etched on her pretty face. “Is something wrong?”
“Where were you tonight?” Griffin placed his hand flat on the door, intent on pushing his way in, but was surprisingly stopped by Helen, who reached up and slapped his hand down.
“Excuse you,” she huffed, pulling her body as tall as her five-foot-five frame would allow. “I don’t recall inviting you in.”
Helen’s indignation quickly dashed out his anger. Griffin had been expecting a lot of things from her, but a flash of temper wasn’t one of them.
So she wasn’t a meek little thing after all. How refreshing.
“You’re right, I’m sorry. May I come in?”
“You can come in on one condition. Leave your attitude at the door.” With that statement hanging between them, Helen turned her back to the door and headed into the living room. Griffin was definitely intrigued and followed her inside.
Not one for beating around the bush, he got right to the point. “Why are you staying away from me?”
“I was really hoping to avoid this conversation.” Helen sat on the couch, and Griffin sat beside her, not giving her any room to escape him.
“I thought we had a good time the other night.” God, he sounded like a pathetic high school kid.
“We did; it was nice. But it was a one-time thing. There can’t be anything between us.” Helen leaned away from him, trying to evade his touch.
“Why can’t there be anything between us?”
“Because I don’t do one-night stands, and I don’t want to get into a relationship with anyone. Can’t we just be friends instead?” Helen gazed at him pleadingly, but there was no way he was going to let her get away with this crap.
“No way are you going to play the ‘let’s just be friends’ card. That’s bullshit. I don’t want a one-night stand, either. So why don’t you want to get into a relationship with anyone?” He was not going to let some stupid desire on her part to remain an emotionless widow keep him at arm’s length. He was going to drag her out of her shell, even if it required kicking and screaming.
“I don’t have to explain myself to you or anyone. If you don’t want to be friends, that’s fine, too. But I warned you to leave the attitude at the door. So if you can’t be civil, you can leave.”
“No need to get all feisty…”
“Feisty? Okay, that’s it. Get out. Now.” Helen stood and pointed toward the door in no uncertain terms.
Griffin sat on the couch processing everything for a moment. Knowing Helen’s history, he was glad to see she was standing up for herself. Too bad it had to be against him. Nevertheless, he wasn’t going to back down, but he had to figure out a way to get her to see things his way.
“Helen, please sit down for a moment. I promise to stop being a prick. I just want to talk to you.” Griffin tugged at her hand until she reluctantly sat next to him.
“I’m really not good at this confrontation thing. Can’t you just be a normal guy and say sayonara?”
“Nope, you better get used to it because I’m not a ‘normal’ guy. So, why are you running from a relationship?” Griffin still held her hand, stroking the pale skin of her wrist.
“Come on, Griffin, I’m not an idiot. You work for Marc, so I’m sure you’re well aware of the more … interesting facts of my married life. There is no way I’d ever willingly step back into that role.”
“You can’t seriously be judging all men based on that asshole you were married to. Do you think your sons are like him? Or Marc?” Griffin deliberately left out his own name, not wanting to hear her admit she didn’t trust him.
“Of course not, but … you don’t understand. Women of my genera
tion naturally acquiesced to their husbands. I don’t ever want to feel helpless and out of control again. I won’t do it for any man.”
“So you would willingly give up love and companionship forever?” Griffin didn’t mention the hot sex he was also thinking about. There was no telling how her husband had warped her thoughts on sex.
Helen sat for a moment, head bent, not answering him. Griffin reached forward and, with a finger beneath her chin, tilted her face up. Although she wasn’t crying, he could see the tears shining in her eyes. “I’m afraid to take that step,” she whispered. “I don’t know if I can allow myself to be vulnerable and trust a man to be in control.”
“Then don’t. You be in control.” Griffin had found the hook, now all he had to do was get her to take the bait. He had no problem letting a woman be in control.
He just needed Helen to be that woman.
Helen’s eyes widened a bit. The tears she held back seemed to make her eyes sparkle like a sapphire lake. “Don’t make fun of me.”
“I wouldn’t dare.” Griffin crossed his hand over his heart, trying to look as trustworthy as possible. “Whatever it is you need, I want to provide it. If security is your thing, I’m the man for the job.”
“What are you saying?” Distrust had erased the wary look from her eyes, which suited Griffin just fine. He’d rather Helen mistrust him than fear him. Trust he could earn, he would earn. Griffin just hoped it was sooner rather than later.
“I’m saying I want to prove to you that you can trust me.”
“I’m not sure that’s possible.” Helen stood and moved away from the couch. When she turned back to face him, she was wearing a phony smile that made Griffin want to kill her dead husband all over again. She was going to run.
“Look, Griffin, I know that …”
“Pardon my language, Helen, but you don’t know dick. Not about me, and damn sure not about yourself.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. I know all I need to know about you.”
“Really?” Griffin stood and walked toward her, stopping when he was just a hair’s breadth away from her. “Then tell me what you know.”
“I know you’re used to getting your way.” Helen didn’t back down from him; instead the little spitfire seemed to dig her heels in as she faced him head on. “I also know you’re not above bullying people into getting what you want.”
“I want you.”
“For the life of me, I don’t understand why.”
Griffin couldn’t hold his smile at bay. “Would you like me to give you a list numerically or alphabetically?”
Shaking her head, Helen turned to walk away, but was stopped short by Griffin, who grabbed her hand. “I want you, Helen, and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to prove it to you.”
“Then don’t push me.”
“Fine, I’m not pushing. I told you you’d be the one in control. Why don’t you try it?”
“Try it how?” Griffin suppressed the grin he could feel bubbling inside. Oh, yeah, she was taking the bait.
“Kiss me.”
Helen stood blinking at him for a moment before she burst into laughter. This was not a good sign. “You can’t be serious. I’ve never initiated …” Helen’s hands flew to her cheeks, covering the blush creeping up her face. “I can’t believe I just told you that.”
Griffin pulled her toward him, holding her loosely in his embrace. “I’ll just close my eyes, and you lean close and — what’s the old phrase — ‘put your lips together and blow’?”
Helen gazed back at him before her face lit with a smile of pure seduction. “So close your eyes already.”
Griffin immediately closed his eyes and opened his other senses. He could feel Helen’s body swaying softly in his arms. She stepped closer into his embrace, and the faint hint of her perfume wafted toward him. He didn’t recognize the scent, but forever hereafter it would remind him of this moment.
Helen placed her hands on his shoulders and softly pressed her lips against his. Griffin struggled to remain perfectly still when his body screamed at him to pull her close and deepen the kiss. Licking lightly at the seam of his lips, Helen coaxed him to open his mouth. She kissed him, her tongue gently exploring.
Previously tentatively clutching at his shoulders, her hands suddenly pulled him closer and wrapped around his neck. Tilting her head, Helen deepened the kiss, as if she could read the subtle hints he was sending her way. Although the kiss had his body primed for her, her gentle touches were driving him insane. She stroked the fine hairs at the back of his neck, sending shivers down his spine.
The sudden cessation of the kiss caused Griffin to open his eyes, staring down into Helen’s passion-filled gaze. “Oh, my, that was …” Helen shook her head, looking slightly dazed.
“Intense, empowering, wonderful … I could go on and on with the adjectives all day.”
Helen shakily released her arms from around his neck and stepped back. Her gaze looked everywhere but at him as she gave a light laugh.
It was a sound so lyrical and beautiful, Griffin wanted tease her with kisses again, just so he could hear it. “So shy now, Helen?”
“Now, then, before, after, it’s all the same thing.”
“I don’t want you to be shy with me.” Griffin brushed his hand against the downy softness of her curly blonde hair. “I want you to be free with me.”
“Free to do what?”
“Whatever your little heart desires.”
“Whatever?” The teasing grin that spread across her pretty pink lips had Griffin’s cock rock hard. He’d give his kingdom, or the parts of Marc’s kingdoms he had access to, to know what was going on inside of her head.
“Consider me your personal pleasure genie. Anything you want, I’ll do. No questions asked.”
“Pleasure, huh?”
“You do remember what that is, don’t you?”
Helen’s grin turned into a full-fledged laugh. “If I think back really far, I might see a smidgeon of it in my memory.”
“It doesn’t have to be just a memory.” Helen’s smiled dimmed as if she realized she was the only one laughing. Despite his corny phrasing, Griffin was completely serious. “I want to bring you pleasure.”
“Sexual pleasure.”
“Every pleasure.”
Taking a deep breath, Helen moved past Griffin and back to the couch, where she sat down quickly, as if her legs had given out. “Were you serious about letting me set the pace?”
“Set the pace, control the speed, be the one in complete charge in the bedroom.”
“So if I ask you to undress now…”
Griffin’s hand immediately went to the buttons on his shirt. “Wait,” she called out shakily. “It was a rhetorical question.”
“I’m ready, willing, and able, Helen. You just need to say the word.”
“I just … I mean, you’re so much younger than me. There’s no future for us. I’m going to be a grandmother; I can’t be having an affair.”
Griffin raised his eyebrows at her excuses. She might be trying to convince herself, but as long as she wasn’t saying no, she wasn’t convincing him. “You are still a vibrant woman, Helen. Don’t let society and excuses stop you from enjoying life.”
Kneeling on the couch next to her, Griffin slowly lowered his head until they were only inches apart. “Say yes, Helen. Do something wild and crazy and just for you, if only this one time.”
Helen licked her lips nervously, but she didn’t back away. She closed her eyes for a moment, and Griffin was afraid the next words out of her mouth were going to be a diatribe on just where he could go.
Instead she opened her eyes and whispered, “Yes.”
Chapter Three
Helen felt like a diabetic in a candy store. Everything around her looked extremely good, but still, she knew better than to touch it. Despite Griffin’s encouragement, Helen had no idea what she was going to do, or even how to do it.
How pathetic was that?
&n
bsp; She was fifty years old. The mother of three grown children and a widow, yet she didn’t know the first thing about satisfying herself. If Griffin were anything like Mike, he’d want her to pleasure him orally, then make her assume whatever position he was in the mood for so he could finish himself off.
Mike used her body like an extension of his hand, and truth be told, Helen had never found pleasure in his bed. Unfortunately, she secretly wondered if Griffin would be the same way.
“We don’t have to start tonight, Helen.”
“We don’t?” Helen hated the weak tone of her voice. Clearing her throat, she sat up straighter. This was ridiculous! She was sitting in front of one of the most attractive men she’d ever seen, who for some godforsaken reason wanted to make love to her, and she was too afraid to take the next step. “No, we do. I’m just trying to decide what I want to do first.”
Griffin smiled. “The first thing you have to do is relax.”
Relax. She could do that.
“Remember, I’m here for you.”
To Helen’s surprise, Griffin bent forward and picked up her foot, slipping her sandal off in the process. His strong fingers bore into the tired sole of her foot, and Helen almost came from the pleasure of that alone.
Good Lord!
How long had it been since a man had touched her beneath the waist with gentleness? The first person she’d ever been with had been a sweet but fumbling high school boy, who knew no more about pleasing a woman than he knew about life, and the second, well, Mike didn’t even bear mentioning.
Closing her eyes, Helen leaned back on the couch and surrendered her tense body to his touch. His fingers were like little soldiers of satisfaction, marching over her wary arches, zeroing in on every tense bundle of nerves. “Orgasmic” wasn’t the word; “paradise” was more fitting.
When he moved his fingers from her heels to the back of her calf, Helen tensed. She didn’t pull away, though, so that had to be a step in the right direction. Slowly opening her eyes, she looked down at Griffin, who was still kneeling in front of her.
Redemption 4 - Helen's Release Page 3
