“Don’t make it sound so…unimportant.” I rub my temples trying to think of how to explain this without divulging Claire’s secret. Her trust means everything to me, and I’m not going to break it. “We slept together that night with the mindset that it was just going to be a one night thing to get it out of our systems.”
“Okay.”
“So we had our night. It was,” I pause trying to do it justice.
“No details, please. She’s like my baby sister.”
“You’re engaged to your step-sister.”
“She was mine first. It’s not the same. Continue.”
“Okay,” I take a deep breath, “it was the best night with another person I’ve ever had. It was earth-shattering good. I couldn’t be with anyone else. I tried. I fucking tried everything in my power to wipe Claire from my mind, but it feels like she imprinted on me or something. Like she marked me as hers.”
“I tried fucking Sarah, it didn’t work. I tried fucking Steven, it didn’t work. I even arranged a threesome with them and felt nothing.” I look up at him, grateful that he doesn’t even flinch when I talk about fucking a man. A surge of gratitude fills me for both him and Con. That gratitude turns into a tide of guilt because I’m lying to the two people who would, quite literally, go to war with me shoulder to shoulder.
“Okay, keep going. When did it start back up?”
“Claire came to me right when I moved back here. She needed a favor and knew she could come to me. It’s an on-going thing. I told her I would help her but gave her some conditions which led to us seeing each other for dinner once a week. Which eventually ended up with us in bed together, and now she’s got a key to my apartment and her own space in my closet.”
“What’s the favor? Is she okay?”
“I’m not sharing the favor, but she’s safe. There are things she needs to tell her family, but I’m letting her do it on her time and in her way.”
“So not only are you in a relationship with her, but you’re also helping her with a big secret that Con doesn’t even know?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t know what is going to be worse, you and Claire or her coming to you instead of him.” He bounces his leg up and down, a tell that he’s got something to say but isn’t sure how to say it.
“What are you thinking?”
“I just don’t see how this could end well. Are you doing your weird kinky shit with her?”
“No. She doesn’t know enough. I’m not trying to unethically train her to be a submissive. I’ll answer any questions she has and point her in the direction of resources, but I’m not doing anything intense.”
“Fuck.” He stands up and pours himself a drink, slamming it back in one go. “I’m not going to say anything to anyone, including Ives.” He looks at me with both eyebrows raised. “But I strongly encourage you to tell Con about this sooner rather than later. Especially whatever Claire is holding back from him. He could tell something was up at the hospital, and he’s mentioned that something is up with Claire. You’re both lucky he’s distracted by the twins and taking care of Hoodrat right now.”
I shake my head at the use of his nickname for Lilith. Despite the fact that she’s a millionaire on her own several times over and turned out to be his cousin, he still calls her Hoodrat from when we were in high school. Back when she was Connor’s sworn enemy from the south side of Chicago. We’ll be using walkers, and he’ll still call her that.
“I’ve been gently encouraging Claire to tell her family. She’s like Con though, when things get hard, she gets harder. She uses physicality, either dancing or-”
“Ew. Don’t finish that.”
“Or her sexuality,” I roll my eyes at his immaturity, “to deal with uncomfortable emotions. I swear, those two could actually be twins because they’re so similar.”
“Sounds like a nightmare to me,” he makes an exaggerated shivering motion.
There’s a knock at the door just then, and Gwen pokes her head in.
“Hey, there’s a last minute meeting at four with all the VPs,” she says before doing a double take. “Hey Levi. How are you?”
“I’m good,” he flashes a smile, “how’s my favorite Potter girl?”
“Busy.” She looks back at me. “I’ll see you in a bit. Good seeing you, Levi.”
He gives her a wave before turning back to me. “I need to go anyway. I’ll see you tonight at dinner?”
“Yeah, I’ll be there.” Swimming in a sea of self-loathing and guilt for being a lying piece of shit.
______________________
I’m about to open the door to Con and Lilith’s when Claire’s door opens.
“Griff, come here for a second,” she beckons me over with a whisper.
I step inside her apartment and shut the door. She immediately wraps her arms around me in a happy hug.
“I got it!” she releases me with a cute and very out of character squeal. “I’m going to be principal for the Midsummer Exhibition!” She leaps into my arms and kisses me.
“That’s amazing,” I say as soon as she ends the kiss. “I’m so proud of you, Tsarina.” I spin us so her back is pressed against the wall and kiss her how I want.
My hands knead the firm muscles of her thighs and ass while my lips assault her pretty little mouth. She tastes like guilt and pleasure, an addiction I never want to cure. I swallow every little moan she makes against my lips. She grinds against me when I bite her lush lower lip. When I finally pull back, she looks up at me with the brightest green eyes, hazy with desire.
I set her down and take a step back, willing my dick to calm down. I can’t go over to have dinner with her brother with a raging hard on. I hear Levi and Ivy get off the elevator and watch through the peephole as they walk into the apartment across the hall.
“I’ll go first, you can follow me a minute or two later,” Claire says. “It will be extra cover if I’m there before you. Plus you can calm down.” She looks down at the bulge in my pants pointedly.
She gives me a kiss before darting out the door. I glance at the clock, noting the time when I notice her phone sitting on the counter. Normally I wouldn’t look at it twice, but it lights up with a text message from an unknown number. Luckily for me, her notifications aren’t hidden on her lock screen, so I can read it.
Unknown: You have 24 hours to pull out of the exhibition or I’m going to the media with your secret.
I see red. Literal red. I have never been so angry. I slide her phone into my pocket and take an extra minute to calm down. If I go over there with raging anger, Con will immediately notice, and I’m not putting Claire in that position. I take a few calming breaths, secure in the knowledge that I now have someone to destroy, my favorite fucking pastime.
When I walk across the hall and enter Con’s apartment, I’m back to normal, cool-headed Griff. A smile tugs at my lips when I walk in and see Levi holding both girls like little footballs in his arms. I’ve heard about women getting baby fever, but I’m pretty sure he’s got a serious case of it right now. He keeps giving Ivy lascivious looks as he gently rocks both girls back and forth. For her part, Ivy keeps her eyes firmly on Lilith as they chat on the couch.
“Give me one of those.” I say walking up to Levi.
“No way. These are mine,” he turns away like the baby hoarder he is, “get your own.”
“No, asshole,” Lilith laughs, “they’re mine and let Griff hold one.”
Levi pouts and doesn’t move.
“I’ll revoke uncle privileges.”
“Ugh, fine.” He hands me one of them, and I tuck her against my chest.
I’m not sure who I’m holding until her little fist uncurls and I see a painted middle fingernail. I chuckle knowing I must have Elle. Con mentioned how one of the baby books about twins suggested non-toxic nail polish to differentiate between identical twins if you were worried about mixing them up.
“You have Elle,” Lilith says standing up next to me and patting her little b
ottom. “We decided that if she was going to give us the finger all the time we’d decorate it.”
“I figured.” I use my other arm to pull her in for a hug and kiss her temple. “How are you feeling?”
“I feel good. Tired, but really happy.” She stays tucked against me. “I miss seeing you every day.”
Another tidal wave of guilt crashes over me. I’ve been keeping my distance since I started seeing Claire. It’s so hard to hold back. My skin crawls with the knowledge that every day I don’t open up to them is another cut into our collective friendship.
“Are you two trying to steal my girls?” Con says with a teasing smile as he and Claire come out of his home office. He pulls Lilith away and wraps his arms around her possessively.
“You can keep Hoodrat. I’ll take the babies,” Levi says.
“Oh for fuck’s sake,” Ivy mumbles from the couch. “Give me Nora and go help Con bring dinner up.”
“I’ll go too,” Claire says as she follows both of them out.
“So,” both Lilith and Ivy turn and look at me, “why have you been such a stranger?” Lilith asks.
“Work. I’ve spent a couple of the past few weeks on the west coast or in Tokyo working on our Asian affiliates.” I manage to answer evenly because that statement is entirely true.
After a long look, Lilith nods, “It’s just strange to go from seeing you all the time to only once a week. I miss you.”
Fuck.
So much guilt.
“I’m sorry. I’ll try to do better.” In an effort to lighten the mood, I sit down beside Ivy and hold Elle cradled on my forearm. “Let’s do a side-by-side comparison to see if we can tell them apart yet.”
Ivy and I sit there and study both babies. The only difference I notice is that Nora has bluer eyes, whereas Elle has eyes that are slightly different colors. Both are absolutely stunning little babies. Elle starts chewing her fist, and Lilith takes her from me.
“If I don’t feed her before she starts crying, she won’t stop.” She grabs a pillow and settles back in while Elle nurses.
Ivy fills me in on what’s happening at the bank and how her family is doing. Con, Levi, and Claire come back up with the food. Con ordered from Lilith’s favorite restaurant. At first glance, I feel like there is way too much food for the six of us, but then I watch in amazement as Lilith goes bite for bite with Levi, who has had the biggest appetite of anyone I’ve ever known since we were kids.
Claire sat down next to me at the table, and I make eye contact with Levi. He gives her and me an obvious look, but luckily Con is completely absorbed in the girls. He’s holding Elle while he eats, and Nora snoozes in the baby swing. I give Levi the slightest shake of my head when no one is looking.
When dinner is finished, Claire shares her news about her role. Everyone congratulates her, and I pretend I didn’t know, offering my own. When the twins start fussing, everyone starts trickling out. Levi and Ivy go first while I hang back talking with Con about a few business related things while we do the dishes. Claire gives Lilith a hug and goes back to her apartment.
I say goodnight and let myself into Claire’s apartment. I take a look in her studio and see she’s not in there, so I head to her bedroom. Her phone has been burning a hole my pocket all night. I feel so on edge between the guilt of lying and the anger at seeing evidence of her being blackmailed. I hear her shower running as soon I walk into the bedroom. I start stripping, intent on joining her before we discuss why she’s getting harassing texts and hasn’t shared it with me.
Her back is to me when I step into the shower. My need to dominate her rushes to the surface. I wrap my hands around her hips and squeeze, loving the way her startle reflex causes her to jump.
“Put your hands on the wall and bend at the waist, Tsarina.”
I want to beat my chest in primal pleasure when she obeys without a fight. I drop to my knees and spread her legs apart. I spank her once, being unable to completely hold myself back. Her whimper of pleasure drives me to do it one more time before I lave my tongue along her slit from end to end. I switch to lazy flicks of her clit while I slowly slide my finger inside her, teasing her with touches I know she loves.
I grip her hips as she starts to try to move against my face. She makes a cute little annoyed growl, which has me smiling while I savor her sweet essence. Before she starts to come I lick a path from her clit, around her opening, and back to her puckered hole. I squeeze the globes of her ass while my tongue circles her.
She gasps and looks over her shoulder at me.
“Face forward,” I say with a slap to her ass, “or I’ll be the only one coming tonight.”
Her head whips forward, and I stand. I rub the head of my cock over her lips with frustratingly light pressure. She groans and shifts her hips again causing my control to snap. I flex my hips toward her and am enveloped in the most incredible tight heat I’ve ever felt. It’s with that thought that I realize I’m not wearing a condom.
“Fuck, I’m not wearing a condom,” I mutter as I pull out.
“I can’t get pregnant, remember?” Her hand reaches behind her to hold me still. “Don’t stop.”
I spin her around and lift her up. The first time I fuck her without a condom, I’m going to be looking in her eyes. She hisses at the cool marble against her back when I lean her against it.
I slide back inside her, moaning at how good she feels. I start moving in and out of her slowly, obsessively cataloging every sensation, every time she trembles around me. Her heels dig into the backs of my thighs, and her nails sink into my back. I bite her neck as my speed increases.
“You’re mine, Claire.” Thrust. “Mine.”
“Oh fuck, Griff.” Her head rests against the wall as she pants. “I’m going to come.” Her pussy locks around me, pulsing with her climax. My lips cover hers as I fill her with my cum, marking her as mine.
I hold her there until she drops her legs. She continues to hold onto me, unsteady in the aftermath of another incredible orgasm. I don’t understand how every time we’re together gets better than the last. Unfortunately for us, I’m about to ruin the moment.
“We need to talk.”
11
CLAIRE
Griff doesn’t say anything after telling me we need to talk. We take turns washing each other; even though the mood between us is tense, the way he touches me is tender. I feel worshipped by the caress of his hands and the look in his eyes.
He hands me a towel after turning off the shower. We dry off in silence, and then he disappears into the bedroom. I pull on my pajamas and find him standing by the bed with my phone in his hand. Luckily, I washed the sweatpants and t-shirt I borrowed from him a few weeks ago, so he has those to wear.
“Do you know who’s sending you these messages?” He hands my phone over to me, the lock screen showing a new text from whoever is blackmailing me.
“No,” and I need to change my notifications, so they’re hidden on the lock screen. “I’m working on finding out though.”
“Why didn’t you come to me?” His eyes narrow in irritation, and his tone has my back going up.
“Because you’re not entitled to know every single thing about my life.”
“You came to me for help.”
“The fucking audacity of you to go through my phone and look at text messages.” I step up to him. “Just because we fuck doesn’t mean you get to start acting like you own me, Griffin.”
“Oh? Is that what we’re doing? Just fucking.” He wraps my hair in his fist and slowly pulls my head back, so I’m looking up at him.
“Yes.”
“I have news for you, Tsarina. I haven’t even come close to fucking you yet.”
“Then what have we been doing?”
“Having sex.”
“Newsflash, paperboy, having sex is fucking.”
“Oh, you couldn’t be more wrong.” He chuckles darkly and pulls my hair harder. “If you keep acting like a brat, I’ll show you the differenc
e.”
His dark tone and rough treatment have me clenching my thighs to ease the ache. Why does this turn me on so much? Why do we always end up naked? My desire for him is so strong that I have to actively work to not give in to my urge. This need to please him scares me because it doesn’t make any sense.
I’m a strong woman. I have never been the type to be walked over. I don’t follow orders, I give them, but I know that if he told me to drop to my knees for him I would. My internal debate must show on my face because he backs off.
“What’s going on up there?” he taps my temple.
“I’m just trying to figure out why we always end up naked. Why I’m so driven to obey you all the time. I can’t make sense of it.”
“It’s just us, our chemistry. You pull away, I push forward. I pull away, you push forward. I do want you to know that I don’t want you to do anything you don’t want to do. If I’m pushing you too hard, you can always tell me, and I’ll pump the breaks.”
I nod.
“Can I give you my thoughts on why you’re feeling the way you do? About wanting to,” he swallows, “please or obey me?”
“Yes,” I groan and rest my forehead against his chest, “because it is so out of character.”
“I think you are clinging to control in every area of your life because your diagnosis has rocked you to your core. Many strong people, women and men, find submission in any way, to be freeing. Letting someone else take control eases the weight on your shoulders, even for an hour. It makes a difference. Maybe you have always had this submissive aspect to you, but you buried it because you had to.”
I let his words sink in, wondering if he’s correct. Could there be a woman capable of submission inside me? Is that something I want?
“Will you only want me for the long term if I am submissive?” The question tumbles out of my mouth, surprising me.
“Tsarina,” he uses both hands to cup my face, “I want you whatever way I can get you. Even fighting over allowing me to help you. I’m crazy about you. As far as I’m concerned, you are mine.”
Surrender (The Titans of Founder's Ridge Book 3) Page 8
