“On the contrary, I’m going to be in a country full of hot guys with sexy accents. I’d imagine that a few of them might find me attractive. So, you’d better bring out your romantic side, Griffin.”
“You want romance, I’ll bury you in romance, sweetheart. Now that my workload has gone down, I’m also going to start designing our house. I will be your date for that ball, so put me down as your plus one now. If I hear that there’s some other guy you’d rather take, I swear I’ll be on a jet to London faster than you can warn him to leave the country.”
She smiles at me. “I’ll put you down as my date, Mr. Alpha. I promise to take you even if there does end up being someone else.” I clench my jaw to stop from saying something that will piss her off as she continues. “I have to admit that I’m a little excited for you to work on our house. Now, you should get back to your family, and I should head to your apartment to get my stuff.”
“I want to warn you, Chloe. For the month that you’re still here in the States, I’m not going to fight fair. I plan to win you back so we can still call, Skype, and write to each other, but you’ll be mine again already by the time you leave.”
“A big part of me hopes that you succeed.”
“I plan to.” Failure is not an option.
Chapter 23
Chloe
It’s been two weeks since we came back from Chicago. Ryan has kept his word. Every day I’m showered with notes, flowers, and small gifts and gestures meant to show me how much he loves me. He’s also worn jeans and t-shirts to the office a few times, knowing how hot I think he is in them. He’s definitely not fighting fair, and I’m loving every minute of it. I haven’t given him any notes back yet, though. I don’t want to give him any false hope when I’m not sure. Oh hell, I know that I’m sure, but I’m not quite ready to let him know that yet.
I’m glad that I’ve taken this time to be apart from him romantically, but still see him almost every day. It’s really hard not to kiss him or jump him. But I think it’s proving to me that we really are meant to be together. That it’s not just lust. Although I’m definitely in lust with him almost as much as I’m in love with him.
I have just finished eating a sandwich at my desk when Maggie comes into the office.
“Hi Chloe. I was hoping that we could talk.”
“Sure, please have a seat.”
“Actually, I was hoping that we could go into one of the conference rooms. I wanted to have some privacy.”
“Oh, umm, sure. Let me see which one is available and transfer the phone calls.” I check the schedule on my computer and then lead her down the hall. We go inside and sit down.
“Chloe, I need to thank you again for what you did for me and my family. It was truly selfless, and I’m so sorry for the three years that it cost you. As well as all of the pain.”
“You’re welcome, Maggie. I love all of you, and I’d do it again.”
“I know. Your love for my family and Ryan, in particular, is what I wanted to talk to you about.”
“I do love Ryan, Maggie. I’m just not sure if that’s enough.”
“It’s not enough by itself, Chloe. You two have more than love, though. My son respects you and your talent. He truly likes you and thinks of you as a friend.”
“But he doesn’t trust me. And I’m not sure that I can trust him while I’m gone. I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable, but three months is a long time for a guy like Ryan.”
“While I don’t particularly like to talk about my sons’ sex lives, I’m not blind. I saw the many women that Ryan used to try and forget about you. I also know that it never worked for him. It’s painful to see your child hurting and making the wrong choices to try to fix that hurt. Gary and I know that the boys need to make their own mistakes and learn from them, so we try not to interfere.
“As for trust, Ryan does trust you, Chloe. The problem is that when you left him so suddenly, he began to doubt his own self- worth. All of those women were throwing themselves at him, but the woman he wanted didn’t want him anymore. His heart knows that you’re his and only his, but his brain had some trouble processing it. Even if we hadn’t seen that video, he knew he was wrong about you and Adam. He told me he realized almost immediately after accusing you of being with him that he was wrong.
“Your trust in him is not something that I can decide for you, Chloe. I just want to remind you that while he had sex with those other women, that is all that he did with them. None of them slept over at his condo, and he didn’t actually sleep at their places, either. He may have taken them to dinner and a show, but we were never introduced to anyone. They were merely a substitute for the woman who owned his heart. You, Chloe. There’s never been anyone for my son except for you. I think if you look deep inside your own heart, you’ll know that what I’m telling you is true. You can be gone for three months and know that my son will never cheat on you or cause you to mistrust him.”
I started crying somewhere in the middle of what she was telling me. I know that she’s right. “Wow. Ryan told me that he wouldn’t fight fair. And Owen told me that you were all going to help him, but I didn’t expect you to come to me like this.”
“I’m sorry if I’ve upset you, dear, but I love you both so much. I want you to spend the next two weeks that you still have here with my son. Making some more happy memories before you go to London.”
“I want that too, Maggie. You haven’t upset me. You’ve made what I knew already more clear to me. Now, I need to clean myself up and find Ryan.”
We hug and walk out of the conference room. Before I can make it to the private bathroom in the office, Ryan spots us.
“Chloe, are you okay?”
“Hi Ry. Yeah, I am. I just need to go and wash my face. Then I’d like to talk to you if you have time before your meeting.”
“I always have time for you.”
“I’ll be back in a minute. Thanks again, Maggie.”
“You’re very welcome my dear.” I hug her again and walk into the bathroom
“What was she thanking you for, Mom?” I hear Ryan ask as I close the door.
“You’ll see.” Is all she tells him.
* * *
Ryan
I don’t know what just happened with my mom and Chloe, but I’m kind of freaking out. While it’s only a couple of minutes before Chloe comes into my office, it seems like hours. She looks a little shy as she stands there, biting her bottom lip.
“You need to stop biting your lip, Chlo. I’ve been doing a good job of reining in my insatiable lust for you these past two weeks, but my self-control does have limits.”
“Oh, sorry. You’ve done a great job with everything these last two weeks. I just had a good talk with your mom.”
“A good talk? You were crying.”
“Yeah. She reinforced some things for me that I’d come to realize already on my own.”
“Like?”
“That we have more than just love between us. There’s friendship and respect, too. Also, I realize that we do trust each other. That part took me the longest to understand, but I do now.”
“What are you saying, Chloe?”
“I’d like to spend these two weeks before I leave for London with you.”
“With me how?”
“Well, I’d like to be your girlfriend again and hang out with you.”
“Hang out?”
“You know. Dinner and movies and stuff.”
“Stuff?”
“Are you going to make me spell it out?”
“Yes, I think that I am.” I’m smirking on the outside and freaking out on the inside. I did it. I won her back.
She walks over to my desk to grab paper and a pen. She writes for a few seconds and then hands it to me. My cock’s at full attention as she leans over. She licks her lips as she meets my eyes. This is the first note that she’s given to me since we got back from Chicago.
Reason #75 that you are AWESOME and I LOVE YOU: Your insatiable lust
for me is the hottest thing ever. I want your beautiful cock inside of me all day and night.
Holy fucking shit. I’ve won a ton of negotiations before, but victory had never been this sweet. Or this hot. “We still have to work, and I think my family will want to see you some more before you go, but my cock is yours whenever we can manage it. And definitely every night.”
“So, I can play with you later?”
“Play with me? Is my cock a toy now?”
“Mm-hmm. My favorite one.”
She kisses me hard and then turns to walk out the door. I follow her a couple of minutes later as I head to the meeting. I had to calm down enough to walk straight. I’m going to show her how much I love and want her over these next three months. If one of those British guys touches her, I’ll kill him. I may defer to her when I know she needs me to, or because I like her being in control sometimes, but I’m an alpha to my core. And she’s mine.
* * *
Chloe
Tomorrow, I leave for London. These past two weeks have been amazing. Last night, Gary and Maggie threw me a going away party at their house. The family was all there, as well as my dad, Yasmin, Erika, Sean, Sam, Danny, and Candi. Many of my co-workers also attended. I love my job, but I’m excited for the new hotel that I’m working on to be built. I’ll miss everyone, but they all promised to keep in touch.
Tonight, Ryan and I are finally using the tickets for Love. I’m wearing a black dress with sleeves that look like stained glass windows. I feel like it has a little bit of a 60’s vibe. My hair is down and flowing over my back. I got ready at the guesthouse because Ry wants to pick me up. He rings the bell, and I grab the box I want to give him tonight. We are on our reasons #100 and I wanted something special to go along with my note.
I struggle a little as I open the door with the box in my hands.
“Whoa, Chloe. Let me help you with that. What is this anyway?”
“It’s your 100th reason gift.”
“100th reason gift?”
“Yeah. Umm, since you let me catch up after I started writing to you again, we’re at our 100th love notes. It’s fine if you didn’t get me something. It’s stupid. Give me back the box.”
“It’s not stupid, sweetheart. And I was kidding about not knowing. I have something for you, too.”
“You do?”
“Yep. I’ll give it to you when we go back to my place later.”
“I thought I was going to get that anyway.”
“Mind out of the gutter, woman. I have a real present for you. After you open it, you can play with your favorite toy.”
“All night?”
“Of course. But don’t you need sleep for the plane?”
“I can sleep on the plane. I want to ravish you all night.”
“I’m totally on board with that. Now, let’s go see this show.”
We get to the Mirage and go through the backstage tour, which is really cool. The show is beyond words. Ryan and I both love it. We go hang out in the Revolution Lounge for a little while and then raid the gift shop. It’s the perfect night so far.
We’re both a little quiet as Ryan drives us down the street to his condo. He carries the box inside, and I ask him to set it on his bed. He raises his eyebrows but complies. He grabs his present off the coffee table and brings it into the bedroom. I’m sitting cross legged on the bed and he sits next to me, stretching out his long legs.
I grab the box. “You go first.”
He smiles and leans over to pull the rolled paper off the top and then unroll it.
Reason #100 that you are AWESOME and I LOVE YOU: You didn’t give up on me.
“Never,” he says as he leans over again to take the bow off the box and open it. His eyes widen when he sees the contents. “Chlo, are these what I think they are?”
“If you think they’re all of my first drafts from when we were apart, then yes. I saved them all for you.”
“Oh, sweetheart.” He grabs my face and holds it as he kisses me tenderly, before pulling back and smiling at me. “Your turn.”
I open the envelope and butterfly confetti falls all over me. “I love it already.” I lean over and give Ryan a quick peck on the lips before unfolding the paper.
Reason #100 that you are AWESOME and I LOVE YOU: You didn’t give up on me.
“Our reasons are the same. Oh, Ry.” Tears start to form in my eyes. Ryan pulls me close.
“Of course they’re the same. We’re two parts of one whole, Chloe. Now, this is a no tears zone. I want to make you laugh and scream tonight, but not cry. Please open your gift.”
“Stop saying things like that if you don’t want me to cry.”
“Hey, you’re the one who asked for the romance. I’m just being honest in a romantic way.”
I laugh then and reach for the present. I recognize it. “This is the box from the glassworks in Seattle, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is. I wanted to save it for a special time.”
I open the box and pull out something wrapped in layers of bubble wrap. I unwrap it to find a glass piece depicting a griffin with a butterfly sitting on its nose. “Ryan, it’s beautiful. You had this made?”
“Yeah. I wanted something that represented both of us.”
“I love it. I’m going to put it in my flat in London and look at it every day when I’m missing you.”
“Let me give you something else to remember me by,” Ryan says as he slides down lower on the bed and pulls my dress up.
We really don’t get any sleep and only stop in the morning because I have to go back to the guesthouse to get my luggage. Ryan drives me to the airport. Owen and I are flying out on a Griffin jet. He won’t be there the entire three months, but he has to go meet with the owners and architect about his art. It’s hard to let Ryan go, but I eventually pull back and climb the stairs to the plane.
“I’ll see you at the ball, Chlo. I love you.”
“I love you too, Ry.”
* * *
Ryan
Chloe has been in London for a month now. It’s been rough, but we talk every night. Well, it’s morning for her and night for me. Either way, it helps to hear her voice every day. I’ve gone out to some clubs with Luke, but as I told Chloe before she left, no one else interests me. It’s not like women haven’t tried. But my cock agrees with my heart and mind. It doesn’t so much as stir for the scantily clad women who approach me. It would rather have my hand and thoughts of my woman than be inside of someone else. My hand’s definitely getting a workout every morning, as well as most nights.
Owen has made a couple of trips back and forth, and we send gifts and notes through him. I’ve given her a few different butterfly figurines and pieces of jewelry, and she sent me her first drafts of the different parts of the hotel. I sent something special with Owen yesterday, and so we’re having our first Skype at 11 tonight my time, so I can see her face when she opens it.
The day drags on, and I’m glad that I can go to the gym for a couple of hours to kill some time before the Skype. As I’m heading back to my condo, my new neighbor comes out of her door. She’s a leggy blonde with fake tits, and a year ago, I probably would have had her in my bed. But now, she doesn’t do it for me at all.
“Hi. I just moved in, and I was hoping to borrow some spices from one of the neighbors.”
“Spices?”
“Yeah, you know, what you add to your meal to make it well, spicier.” She looks me over as she says this, and it makes me a little uncomfortable.
“Umm, yeah. I know what they are.”
“So, can I borrow some from you?”
“I guess so. Sure.”
I unlock my door and lead her to the kitchen. I log on to my laptop while she grabs what she needs. My Skype starts ringing, and I answer it immediately. Seeing Chloe smiling back at me from the screen, wearing one of my shirts, is incredible. Before I can greet her, my neighbor comes behind me and starts kissing my neck.
“What the fuck are you doing?�
�� I jump out of the chair and turn on her.
“Just repaying you for the great time.”
“Great time? I’m letting you borrow some spices from my kitchen. How is that a great time?”
She looks over at the computer as she grabs my arm. “We could have a good time once you’re done with your business meeting.”
“Lady, this is not a business meeting. I’m Skyping with my girlfriend, and with any luck, clothes will be coming off soon. So, you should be going.” I walk her to the door and practically throw her out of it, engaging all of the locks.
When I turn back to my laptop, Chloe is laughing hard. “That was amazing. I mean, I know I told you to let me know if you wanted to move on with someone else or have random sex, but I didn’t expect it during our Skype,” she teases.
“That was not amazing. It was a nightmare. How do you go from borrowing spices to hitting on someone while they’re Skyping with someone else?”
“You didn’t really think she wanted to borrow spices from you, did you?”
“I was trying to give her the benefit of the doubt. I’m glad that you’re not mad and that you stayed on.”
“You should have seen your face when she kissed your neck. I knew immediately that you weren’t doing anything with her. I would’ve only logged off if you had started kissing her or something. We promised to be honest with each other, and I trust you to tell me if something is going on.”
“Thanks. I’d tell you, but nothing’s ever going to go on with another woman. I told you that I’ve gone out with Luke a few times like you asked, but no one interests me.”
“I can’t say that I’m upset about that. I wasn’t trying to push you to someone else. I just wanted you to see if anyone would interest you if you went out. That way, you would know if you were sure about waiting for me.”
“I don’t want anyone else, Chloe. I’m positive about that. And if you could wait three years, then I can sure as hell wait three months. What about you, has some sexy accented British guy sparked your interest yet?”
“There are some pretty hot guys here, and the accents make them even hotter.”
Building Our Love (Griffin Brothers #2) Page 19
