Almost Married

by Kylie Gilmore

  His hand released her, and she nearly cried from the loss, but then he shifted, moving down her body, and his mouth closed over her center. She cried out, and he stopped.

  “Please, don’t stop,” she gasped out.

  “Mine,” he said, blowing over the sensitive nub.

  She trembled. “Yours.”

  He lapped at her, making her writhe underneath him. Then he suckled, and she arched against his mouth. Her nails dug into his shoulders as the pressure built, spiraling quickly out of control.

  He lifted his head, using his fingers to stroke her in slow, lazy circles. His voice sounded distant as she was consumed, all of her senses focused on his fingers. “Say my name when you come,” he commanded.

  She whimpered.

  “Mine,” he growled before he took her fully in his mouth, his tongue hard against her most sensitive spot.

  “Dave,” she cried out as she broke in a rush, thrashing wildly as she rode every last wave against his demanding mouth.

  She lay there, panting, when he finally released her. She felt his heat, his weight, as he settled over her.

  “Very good.” His voice rumbled near her ear. “You get an A plus.”

  She smiled and then gasped as he drove deep. She arched her hips, wrapping her legs around him, and he sank deeper. They both groaned.

  “You’re mine,” she said.

  His forehead rested against hers, and he kissed her tenderly. “Yours.”

  He moved in a slow and steady rhythm that had her eyes rolling back in her head. The pressure built again, and she felt herself hurtling toward another climax as he thrust harder and faster.

  “Open your eyes,” he said.

  Her eyes fluttered open to find his blue eyes, dark with desire, gazing down at her fiercely. The effect was intense, the intimacy of that moment. She cried out his name as she went over the edge, and he followed after with a groan.

  A few moments later, he propped up his weight on his arms and kissed her gently. “Are you really going without me tomorrow?”

  “Dave,” she said quietly. She didn’t want to fight. Not now. She just wanted to enjoy this moment.

  He smiled mischievously before he leaned down to suck on her neck. Hard.

  “Dave!”

  He released her and looked down at her neck. He grinned. “Looks like you’re mine.”

  She smacked his arm. “I can’t believe you gave me a hickey!”

  He stared at it with satisfaction. “Looks like you’ve been thoroughly worked over. Where else can I mark you?”

  “Don’t you dare!”

  He rolled off her, chuckling. Then he pulled her close so her head was resting on his chest and pulled the covers over them. She sighed, feeling relaxed and satisfied.

  His hand cupped her ass. “You shouldn’t dare me, you know. That feels like a challenge I can’t back down from.” He gave her ass a squeeze. “I could mark you here.”

  Her voice came out shaky. “Don’t you dare.”

  “I told you not to dare me,” he said in a voice laced with dark intent.

  She felt the moment he was going to move out from under her, but before he could, she looped her arms around his neck and sucked his neck hard. She pulled back and looked at him with satisfaction. “Now we’re even.”

  “Ouch,” he said, holding his hand against the side of his neck. It was a good one too. Nice and big. “You sucked a lot harder than I did.”

  She laughed.

  He shook his head, a small smile playing over his lips. “I love you, Steph.”

  She beamed. “I love you too.”

  He propped up on one elbow, facing her, and pushed a lock of hair over her ear. “I want a future with you.”

  “Aww, I want that too.”

  He rubbed her hair between his fingers. “You know before I found out you were married, I’d planned on proposing. I was even researching diamond rings.”

  “Oh, Dave," she said over the lump in her throat. "I would’ve said yes if I could have.”

  He frowned and looked down before finally saying, “This whole thing with Griffin is really hard for me. I hate it. I really do.”

  She stroked his arm. “I know. I wish I’d met you five years ago instead.”

  He met her eyes. "If you do marry me some day, I will never, ever leave you. I will always be faithful. You can count on that. I'll spend every day making sure you know just how special you are to me.”

  She blinked back tears. "See? If I met you five years ago, it would've saved me years of heartbreak. My life would’ve been so much better with you."

  He cursed under his breath. Then he pulled her on top of him and smiled wickedly. “I’m gonna make sure you’re walking funny when you see Griffin tomorrow.”

  “I dare you,” she returned.

  Famous last words.

  Chapter Eight

  Steph heard the buzzer the next morning and hit the button to let Griff up. Dave stopped her halfway to the front door with a hand on her arm. “I’ll get it, honey.”

  She shot him a look. “No fighting.”

  “You should wear your hair up.” He lifted her hair and ran a finger down the side of her neck where he’d marked her.

  “No need. Yours is like a flashing neon sign.”

  He self-consciously put a hand to his neck. She laughed. He grabbed her, nipping her bottom lip and sucking it into his mouth. She merely pressed herself against him. He had a possessive, jealous streak that brought out the animal in him. She loved it.

  Griff knocked. Dave didn’t release her. Instead he slanted his mouth over hers in a hard kiss that had her moaning in his mouth.

  Griff knocked again. Dave’s hand slid down her ass and rocked her into him. His tongue was doing a perfect imitation of the hard thrusting he’d treated her to multiple times last night and this morning.

  “Steph?” Griff called.

  She tore her mouth from Dave’s and went to answer the door. Dave picked her up by the waist and set her down behind him. He pulled open the door. “Hey, Griffin.”

  Griff took in Dave’s wet hair, fresh from the shower, his wrinkled T-shirt, jeans, and bare feet. “Ready to go, Steph?” he asked, leaning to look past Dave to Steph.

  “Sure, let me just grab my purse.” She stopped in the kitchen where she’d dropped it on the counter and heard Dave in full peacock mode.

  “She might be walking a little funny after last night. Right, babe?”

  She restrained herself from the eye roll she longed to do. Jealous and possessive was fun in bed, especially the multiple ways Dave wanted to claim her and remind her she was his, but in front of Griff, it was a little embarrassing. She returned to the two men to find Griff, nostrils flaring, in a staring contest with Dave.

  “All ready,” she said, holding up her purse.

  “Call me when you get home,” Dave said. “We’ll have dinner.” Then he bent her over his arm to kiss her long and deep. She heard Griff mutter a curse, but Dave wasn’t done reminding her she was his. Finally, he let her back up, his eyes burning into hers.

  Griff had stepped out into the hallway, his back to them.

  She smoothed her hair, a little breathless. “I’ll call you.”

  He grunted his approval. She turned, and he smacked her ass on the way out. She yelped.

  “Mine,” he growled.

  Her cheeks flushed over the testosterone-fueled posturing, even as she felt herself go damp.

  “Yours,” she muttered over her shoulder before heading out the door with her husband.

  ~ ~ ~

  The silence stretched awkwardly between Steph and Griff on the limo ride to Horizon Village. She knew Dave hadn’t helped matters, but at least he and Griff hadn’t gotten physical. Steph sat on the far edge of the long wraparound bench seat from Griff. He stretched out his long legs, leaned his head back, and put his aviator shades on. She studied him for a few minutes as his breathing deepened. He was still clean-shaven. He reminded her a little of Dave
now with his squeaky clean good looks.

  Griff appeared to be sleeping. She was tired too. Dave woke her up twice last night with a rumbled “mine” in her ear as his hands and mouth staked his claim. Not that she minded, but she was tired, and it was a two-hour drive. She curled up on her side on the long bench seat and fell asleep.

  She woke to the feel of someone stroking her hair, and she snuggled into the warm lap her head was now resting on. Her mother always used to stroke her hair to wake her. Slowly she opened her eyes to find Griff gazing down at her.

  “Hey, sleepyhead,” he said.

  She scrambled to sit upright. “What happened? How long was I sleeping? Where are we?”

  “Chill. You slept for an hour and a half. We’re almost there.”

  She shifted a little further away from him and smoothed her hair. “How did I get my head in your lap?”

  He chuckled. “I just let you rest your head on my leg as a pillow. You’re the one that shifted into more interesting parts.”

  “Griff!” she snapped, but that was as far as she got before he kissed her. It was a tender kiss that her body remembered even as her mind rebelled. She pushed on his chest, and he leaned back on the seat. “Don’t.”

  “Did you feel something?” he asked.

  She shook her head quickly to deny it. “No.”

  “I did.” He studied her a moment. “You’re lying. I know you, Steph. We’ve always had chemistry.”

  “I’ve got that plus more with Dave,” she said. Dave offered stability, faithfulness, and, one day she hoped, a family they’d raise together. He’d make a wonderful father. Griff could never match that.

  He took her hand and held it warmly between his. She tried to pull it back, but he wasn’t letting go.

  “When we first met,” he said, “I had nothing. Just a tiny apartment I shared with Henry and Jake.”

  She remembered. That closeness between him and his bandmates probably contributed to their great work together musically.

  He squeezed her hand and spoke in earnest. “I can give you so much more now. Whatever you want. I have a beach house in Laguna Beach, a house in Aspen, we could get one in Clover Park. You could join me on tour in the summer when you’re off from work. We could have kids like you always wanted.”

  Her heart ached hearing those words from him now. Kids. One of the things they'd fought about just before his band hit big. Her wanting them, him not wanting them.

  “And the kids would see you when?” she asked. More of a rhetorical question than anything else. She wouldn’t be having Griff’s children.

  He held out his palms, releasing his hold on her hand. “Whenever they liked. We could get a nanny and a tutor, total freedom. You wouldn't have to work another day in your life.”

  An offer some women would jump at. Just not her. “That's not what I want. I love teaching. I want to raise my kids in a small town like Clover Park with a dad that's there for them day in and day out for tying shoelaces and packing lunches and bedtime stories—everything. Someone to teach them and love them.”

  His mouth curled in disgust. “Like Dave? What's he gonna teach them, how to get beat up in gym class?”

  A cold fury ran through her. “We’re done, Griff. It’s time you accepted that.”

  Griff’s lips formed a flat line. Steph turned away.

  “Joey’s tuition is expensive,” Griff said.

  She turned back. “What are you trying to say?”

  He turned and stared out the window. Steph worried her lower lip. Was Griff trying to say that he’d stop paying the tuition if she divorced him? She had to find a way to keep things steady for Joey no matter what happened. Her brother did not deal well with changes in his routine. He’d thrown tantrums for a month when they’d first moved him to Horizon Village. He’d almost been kicked out. And a grown man, even a short one, could be strong and destructive when throwing a tantrum. She’d need someone to watch him during the day if he had to move in with her. Or she’d have to take a lot of time off work. Her stomach twisted. She couldn’t afford any of those options.

  ~ ~ ~

  Griff stared out the window of the limo. He was at a crossroads. Mandy was driving the limo so she could get pictures of him and Steph with Joey. Steph’s weakness was her brother. Would offering to pay his tuition win him Steph, or would threatening not to pay the tuition keep her married to him? A grateful Steph would be easier to live with. As they got closer to Horizon Village, he could tell she was worried. He’d let her stew so she’d be even more grateful in the end. He’d always pay Joey’s tuition as long as he could afford it. He loved Joey like a brother. That didn’t mean he would make it easy for Steph to walk away from him.

  He knew she’d fucked Dave. He didn’t like it, but he was willing to forgive it in light of his string of women. He’d go cold turkey on the women if he could just get Steph back. He’d never been more inspired musically than when he was with her.

  ~ ~ ~

  Steph knocked on the door of her brother’s group home. She’d called ahead so he’d be expecting her. She could hear some excited voices, and then the door swung open.

  Joey beamed a smile at her. “Stephanie!”

  “Hi, Joey,” she said, reaching down to hug her much shorter brother. “I missed you.”

  He stood back and smiled, ear to ear. He looked at Griff and held up his hand for a high five. “Big brother!”

  “Joey, my man,” Griff said with an enthusiastic high five.

  Steph’s heart squeezed as Griff and Joey smiled at each other. Her brother’s dark brown hair was combed neatly to the side. His eyes were hazel like hers, but rounder, and he wore thick glasses. Some of Joey’s housemates came to the door.

  “Who’s this?” one young man asked.

  “Stephanie and Griff,” Joey said proudly. “My family.”

  Griff’s hand settled on her shoulder and squeezed. Steph smiled tightly. After they’d met and been introduced to Joey’s three housemates (who Steph had met before on several occasions, but Joey wanted to introduce them again), they went for a walk on the grounds. It reminded Steph a little of a college campus with manicured lawns and lots of trees.

  “How’s rock and roll?” Joey asked.

  “It’s awesome, buddy,” Griff replied. “I even wrote a new song a few days ago, inspired by your sister.”

  Steph jolted. He was still writing songs for her?

  “Play it,” Joey said.

  Griff shook his head. “I didn’t bring my guitar, but you know what?”

  “What?” Joey asked with a big smile.

  “You’ll hear it on the radio soon.”

  “Awesome!” Joey exclaimed, raising his hand for another high five. Griff gave him five. “With Twisted Star?”

  “Yes, with Twisted Star. Hey, how’s that keyboard I got you?”

  “Awesome!” Joey exclaimed, high-fiving Griff.

  Steph listened as Joey and Griff talked, slowly realizing that Griff had not only sent gifts, but also visited frequently and called. Maybe that was Griff’s intention, to let her know how much he’d done for her brother. Even so, she couldn’t help but love him for it. Not everyone understood how special Joey was. Griff seemed to genuinely care about him.

  She cocked her head to the side, catching a glimpse of someone in a hoodie standing across the lawn, half hidden by a tree. She swore it was the same hoodie person she’d seen at her house and outside of Garner’s that night when both Dave and Griff had performed. She grabbed Joey’s hand.

  “Show me that keyboard, Joey,” she urged, pulling him back toward the house. “I can’t wait to hear you play it.”

  “I play with drums sound,” he said.

  “You do? That’s awesome.” She hurried him along, her eye on the person in the hoodie, who seemed to be following them. “What songs do you know?”

  “Yes,” Joey said. Sometimes if Joey didn’t know how to answer a question, he just said yes.

  “What’s wrong?” G
riff asked.

  Steph jerked her head toward the person following them.

  Griff shook his head. “I don’t know how they find me.”

  “What’s wrong?” Joey echoed. He stopped and looked up at Steph with wide eyes. “Everything okay?”

  “Yes, everything’s okay,” Steph said, pulling him along again. She wasn’t so sure it was a coincidence that the hoodie person had found Griff here. Maybe Griff wanted pictures of the three of them together for some reason.

  They went back to the house, where Griff and Joey played on the keyboard together, singing some of Twisted Star’s songs. Joey knew a lot of the words, which meant he must’ve listened to them a lot. She hadn’t realized what an important part of Joey’s life Griff was. She should introduce Joey to Dave soon. Dave was her future.

  After their visit, which Steph enjoyed more than she’d ever thought she could with Griff along for the ride, she slipped back into the limo with Griff.

  “That was fun,” Griff said as the limo pulled away. He stretched his arms out along the bench seat, his fingers brushing her hair. He rubbed a lock between his thumb and forefinger. “Like old times, huh, Steph?”

  “I appreciate how good you are to him,” she said. “He’s—”

  “Special,” Griff finished for her.

  Tears stung her eyes. “He is.”

  “I know. I love him too.”

  Her heart squeezed. She nodded, unable to speak over the lump in her throat.

  “Steph, about Joey…”

  Her heart sped up. “What about him?”

  “As long as I can afford it, divorce or not, I’ll pay his tuition. I’ll try to keep the celebrity charity events going too. That’s the easiest way for me to get the cash to Horizon Village.”

  Relief rushed through her. “Oh, Griff, you know how much this means to me. And to him.” She took a shaky breath and for the first time in a long time looked at him with something other than anger or aggravation. “Thank you.”

  He settled his hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “You’re welcome.” He let go of her shoulder and leaned toward the minibar. “You want a drink?”

  “No, thanks.”