by V. Vaughn
It feels good, and I let out a little sigh. “We still fit.”
Griffin moves his hand up to the bare skin on my lower back. “We do. My god, your skin is still so soft.”
His touch is igniting my desire as we move smoothly together on the dance floor. But this isn’t high school and I’m not about to make out with him on the dance floor like a kid, so I tamp down my wild fantasies and ask, “Remember our spring formal?”
He pulls back to look at me. “I picked you up in my dad’s old car, and it broke down on the way to the school.”
I smile. “My dad had to pick us up and take us the rest of the way.”
“Once we got there though, it was fun.”
“It was fun.”
“We danced the entire time.” Griffin lets go of my waist to spin me, and then he pulls me in again tighter than before. I lean my head on his chest and hear his heartbeat steady and true. His cedarwood-scented aftershave makes me think of him as a panther running through the trees, wild and free, like the soul inside this man. And I remember that spirit is why I fell in love with Griffin. Too bad it’s also the part of him that made him so anxious to run far from Heartland and all that went with it. Like me.
Not that the realization makes my desire fade. He is back, after all, and my wolf can barely contain herself. She’s jumping around, yipping in excitement at being so close to Griffin right now, and I wonder if his panther can feel her enthusiasm. I say, “I have to confess my wolf is very happy to see you again.”
He gazes down at me with those mesmerizing green eyes. “What about you, Mandy? Are you happy to see me again?”
Now that my secret about Daniel is out and we seem to be working toward moving past it, I can honestly say I am. This man used to love me fiercely, the way I loved him. I don’t know if we can get back there again, but I push that fear away. I answer his question by lifting up on my toes and placing my lips on his.
We stop moving, and Griffin lets go of my hand to cradle the back of my head as I place my palm on his chest. The music seems to swirl around us like the other couples on the dancefloor, as if nothing but our connection matters.
When he pulls back, he traces his fingers over my cheek gently before taking my hand again. The green in his eyes has darkened with what I think is desire, and he says softly, “I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you, too.”
His expression darkens, and his lips part to speak. I think he’s going to apologize to me, but I don’t want to hear it. It’s not important. I don’t want this to be a night of expressing regrets and what-if’s; I want it to be a night of now, of the emotions we’re feeling right in this moment.
I shake my head and reach up to kiss him again before he can say anything to ruin the spell and the chance we have to let our love back into our hearts.
Chapter 26
GRIFFIN
This is the stuff song lyrics are written about, and I’m going to hold on to this moment for dear life. I’m utterly consumed with Mandy right now. The dip of her waist under my arm, the way spicy vanilla perfume mixed with her unique scent fills my nose, and the softness of her breasts against my chest are all heavenly sensations. God, how could there have ever been anyone else? And truthfully, there never was. Not this way. Other women were simply pleasant distractions at best. I inhale deeply as if I can pull her into my heart to stay forever. It’s always been Mandy. I was a fool to ever think I could be happy without her in my life.
When we break from another kiss, out of the corner of my eye I can see someone with their phone held up, likely recording us. But I don’t care enough to stop them. Go ahead and show the world that Griffin Talbot is in love with Mandy Waters. I’ll confirm it with giddy schoolboy glee.
The band announces they’re going to take a break, and I whisper in Mandy’s ear, “Do you want that cake now?”
“Yes, please,” she says with a flustered smile. Her eyes are sparkling, and her lipstick is smudged. It’s sexy as hell, and I need to sit down before everyone else in the place knows what I’m thinking. I reach up to wipe the lipstick I’m sure is on my lips with my thumb, and Mandy lets out a little whimper that goes straight to my cock.
She reaches up to her mouth. “How bad is it?”
“Nothing a napkin can’t take care of.” I lead her by the hand to our table and give her my cocktail napkin that’s damp with the condensation from my glass.
She wipes her mouth, and I say, “We need chocolate.”
Mandy raises her eyebrows at me, but the waiter has come over and she says to him, “Bring us the gooiest, most decadent chocolate dessert you have, please.”
It was a good idea, because between bites of chocolate, I get kisses of a different sweetness. When we’re done eating the cake I say, “Now that’s my kind of dessert. We should probably get out of here now.”
She nods, and I see her wolf flash in her eyes. I know what that means, and I can’t get us back to her place fast enough.
“Do you want to come in?” she asks before my truck even stops. “I don’t have any cake, but…”
My cat lets out low rumble that definitely makes her wolf take notice, and she lets out a sexy growl of her own. We don’t need any words as Mandy struts to her door with a swing her hips that says, Come and get me.
We will. Rrrawwrr!
The second we’re inside, I grab her by the arms and kiss her. I back her up against the closed door, and her shoulders thud on it as she lets out a little mewl. I move my kisses to her neck, and she grabs my head to thread her fingers through my hair.
I know what she wants, and I’m more than happy to taste every inch of her. I move my mouth to nip at her breasts through the fabric of her dress. Mandy moans and reaches up behind her head to undo the clasp of her dress.
Her halter top falls, and my breath catches in my throat when I see her creamy white breasts. I cup them and move in to suckle one. I don’t know how it is for humans, but for shifters sex is an intense experience. And with your mate, well, it’s freaking amazing.
Mandy grabs at the back of my shirt to tug it up, and I pull back to tear it open. She giggles when buttons clatter on the kitchen floor, and says, “Am I going to get the famous Griffin Talbot strut?”
I reach down to my waistband and hook my thumbs under it before dropping my head and gazing up at her with the sultriest look I can find. It’s a pose I’ve learned for the cameras, but this time I’m feeling the desire behind my smoldering gaze, and the way Mandy licks her lips makes me think she knows it.
“Damn,” she says in a breathy voice. “I’d put that poster on the ceiling.”
“Up and over you?” I unbutton my jeans and lower the zipper so that my pants are hanging low. I’m the commando type and hope giving her a glimpse of what I’ve got makes her as horny as I am. “Because that’s exactly where I want to be.”
Mandy reaches behind her waist and a zipper hums before her dress falls to the floor in a heap of blue fabric. She’s wearing tiny little panties I bet are just a string in the back and I step forward to grab her round ass. I yank her against me and crush her with a kiss that is not suitable for the public. It involves tongue and moaning as I let my passion pour into her.
Mandy shoves my shirt off my shoulders, and it falls to the floor before she reaches into my jeans to grab my ass too. “Now, this is what I call dessert.”
Chapter 27
MANDY
My brain kicks into gear just before I let Griffin into my bedroom. I’ve been down this path before, letting my desire for his body dull my senses enough to do foolish things. Like sleeping with him in Vegas without using birth control. Shifters can’t get sexually transmitted diseases, but we can get pregnant, even when we don’t think we’re ovulating.
“I need to use the bathroom,” I say.
He nods at me before he goes into my bedroom, and I rush into the bathroom to open the medicine cabinet. I shove toiletries aside to search for the diaphragm I got once Daniel was bo
rn. I pull out the dusty case and stare at it. I don’t think I’ve put it in since the nurse at the doctor’s office showed me how.
Damn it. I blow out a breath and open the case as I recall it wasn’t that complicated, and fortunately I manage to get it in place more easily than I expected.
I let out a sigh of relief and allow my excitement to return. I can’t believe I’m going to have sex with Griffin. He’s still the hottest man I’ve ever seen, and I have no doubt what we’re about to do is going to blow my mind.
I glance in the mirror to see that my lips are lightly stained from my lipstick, which is long gone. The ends of my hair tickle my breasts when I run my fingers through my locks and pull them over my shoulders. I arch my back a little and let my wolf help me strut my stuff as I return to my bedroom.
I find Griffin has taken off his pants and he’s lying on my bed with his arms behind his head. He’s got that sexy grin working and a hard cock that makes me let out a small noise of desire.
For a fleeting second, I consider the fact that sex will complicate things between us, but there’s no way I’m backing out now. I’ve never been able to resist Griffin, and I don’t want to try.
He lifts up on an elbow and grabs his cock. “Jesus, you’re so sexy, Mandy. Take off your panties for me and let me see it all.”
I give him an evil grin as I hook one thumb under the thin strip of fabric on my hip. “I’m not sure I have the right rock star strut for this, but…” I recall how much Griffin likes my butt and I turn around to show it to him. “Maybe I can fake it.” I tug on one side of my underwear as I cock out my hip and then slowly shift my hips to the other side to do the same in an exaggerated wiggle. I most definitely keep my legs straight as I bend over to pull my panties from my feet.
Griffin lets out a low throaty groan that makes my insides begin to tremble. The bedsprings squeak before he grabs my hips and I let out a yelp when he bites my ass lightly. “Mine,” he growls out, and then he tosses me on the bed. He puts his hands on the inside of both of my knees and presses to spread my legs. His gaze lands on my pussy, and he blows air out slowly. “All mine,” he says before his mouth finds its target.
“Ahhh!” I cry out when he sucks on my clit, and he begins to lap at me with such hunger I’m quivering and out of control with the intense pleasure he’s creating. “My god, you’re good at this,” I say as I grab onto his hair to hold on for the erotic ride.
He brings me to my climax quickly, and before I can recover, he lifts and thrusts two fingers into my slick channel. He flicks them against my g-spot quickly, making another orgasm rise up in me.
Griffin gazes down at me. “One more for me, Mandy. I want to see this one.”
I look deep into his eyes and see the lover I remember. The giving, kind man I use to know. One who puts my pleasure first when it comes to sex. This is the man I used to trust, and I let myself go. I let myself trust him as sweet release racks my body.
When I can, I reach for him. Griffin moves up my body to kiss me tenderly. I grab his hard cock to stroke it, and I say, “I want you inside me.”
Griffin climbs off of me and stands. He gazes down at me with an expression I can’t decipher. I wonder if he’s changed his mind, and I ask, “What are you doing?”
He reaches for his jeans and pulls out a condom. “What I should have done in Vegas.”
“But, I—”
“I’m sure you did. But the responsibility belongs to both of us, Mandy.”
I smile. “I hope you brought more than one.”
Griffin lets out a sexy growl as he tears the packet open and puts the condom on. He crawls over me slowly, and I open up to let him in. He moves slowly until he fills me and when he’s finally seated deep, he holds still as he says, “We still fit.”
“God, yes.” I squirm under him. “Fuck me, Griffin. It’s been too long.”
He pumps his hips, and I rock to meet him, to help him lose himself in me. I lose myself in him too, and as my orgasm builds, I dig my fingers into his back as if I can keep him here forever. He groans and begins to move at a frantic pace. The speed and friction push me over the edge, and I cry out as pure ecstasy races through my veins, my limbs, my very being. He’s mine.
He collapses onto me, and I let his weight crush me and envelop me in his presence. When we can move again, I position myself to snuggle into Griffin’s chest. He strokes my back lazily with a finger. He says, “I feel as if no time has passed. It’s like we’ve never stopped doing this.”
I wish it were that simple, because it would be so easy to fall back into the way we were years ago. While emotions of love fill my heart, they’re crowded by fear, and I fight tears as I say, “But time has passed, Griffin. Twelve years is a long time, and we’ve both changed.”
Chapter 28
GRIFFIN
“I know,” I say to Mandy. She sounded sad when she told me that we’ve both changed in the last twelve years. Of course we have, but for me the connection, the love we had twelve years ago is still there. I wonder if she’s regretting having sex with me, and I look into her eyes. “I want us to try again.”
“Griffin.” She sighs.
“I’ve missed you, and I deeply regret cutting you out of my life when I went to LA to pursue my music. I regret the way I acted in Vegas, and I know I can’t change what I did or minimize how much I hurt you. But Mandy, I want a second chance. Please—” My heart clenches with the fear she might say no, and my voice cracks when I add, “Please let us try again.”
She offers me a sad smile. “I want that. I do, but we’ve got some serious trust issues. Both ways.”
“No. No, Mandy. I don’t. I understand why you didn’t tell me about Daniel, and I know I can trust you.”
She lifts up to gaze down at me, and I think I see hope in her eyes when she says, “You do?”
“I really do.” I tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear. “Say you can learn to trust me too.”
Mandy nods as a tear rolls down her cheek, and I pull her into a tight embrace. “I love you.”
She whispers into my chest, “I love you, too.”
A contentment I haven’t felt in years settles over me and I hold my mate a little bit tighter before I close my eyes and fall asleep.
When I wake from a deep sleep the next morning, I have no clue what time it is. I turn my head to see Mandy on her side, her back to me, sleeping soundly. I watch the slight rise and fall of her back for a moment before I sit up and plant a kiss on her shoulder. I move down to kiss her between her shoulder blades before I take a moment to inhale the scent of her.
A small sigh comes from her as she wakes, and I wrap my arm around her waist to press my groin into the luscious swell of her ass. “Good morning,” I say as I cup one of her soft breasts.
“Good morning,” she mumbles with a raspy voice that makes me think she’s as turned on as I am.
When she thrusts her ass hard against me, I’m pretty sure she is. She wiggles it, taunting me and I slide my hand from her breast down her belly to between her legs. I groan when my fingers slide through her slick folds.
The doorbell chimes, startling us both.
“Oh shit!” Mandy is off the bed in flash. “What time is it?”
“I don’t know.”
She rushes to the bureau to tug open drawers and pull out clothes. “It’s Hillary with Daniel.” She glares at me. “Get up and get dressed!”
“Right,” I hop out of the bed as she pulls on a shirt.
“I didn’t mean to let you stay this long. I don’t want to confuse Daniel.”
“Sure. What do you want me to do?” I picture hiding in a closet for hours and it makes me chuckle.
“This isn’t funny!”
“No. No, of course not,” I say as I tug on my jeans.
Hillary’s voice carries to us, and I hear the sarcasm in her tone. She had to have seen my truck outside. “Hello! Anybody home?”
Mandy glances at the door and then back to me wi
th concern. “When you’re dressed meet us in the kitchen. And—” she combs her fingers through her tangled locks which are way beyond that kind of help. “Brush your hair.”
She grabs a hair elastic and rushes out of the bedroom, closing the door behind her.
As I get dressed, I hear Daniel say, “Mommy, you need to brush your hair.”
“Yes, honey.” She chuckles, and I picture the sheepish look she might be giving Hillary. “I do. I couldn’t find my brush.”
“Well, if you put things back where they belong you wouldn’t have this problem, would you?”
Now I laugh softly at Daniel throwing words I’m sure his mother has said to him back at her. It makes me long for the day he does the same to me.
When I slide my arms into the sleeves of my shirt, I realize the buttons are strewn about the kitchen floor. Shit! I can’t go out into the kitchen looking like I was attacked by a groupie, so I pull open drawers in Mandy’s dresser looking for sleepwear. I’m sure she’s got an oversized T-shirt I can borrow.
I riffle through the shirts and lift them up to check the size. I finally find a white one that’s big enough and tug it over my head. And then I groan when I check it out in the mirror. It has a big rainbow on the front with puppies sitting under it. But I’m pretty sure walking out with no shirt on would be worse, so I exit the bedroom prepared to wear the shirt with pride.
When I step into the kitchen, Hillary lets out a snort of laughter she tries to cover up with her hand. Mandy’s eyebrows shoot up as her mouth gapes open, but Daniel doesn’t seem to notice my apparel.
His smile is instant, and he runs at me. “Griffin!” He wraps his little arms around my legs. “Hey buddy.” I ruffle his hair.
“Are you here to babysit me again? Can we go to the park?” He looks up at me with hopeful eyes.
