Her eyes widened slightly and then, much to his chagrin, filled with tears.
“Jesus, Charlie,” he said, loosening his hold on her. “I’m sorry if that’s too much.”
She immediately tightened her arms around him, holding him close. “No, no, it’s not too much. Or, maybe it is, but I feel the same way.”
He paused, searching her eyes. “You’re getting attached too?”
She smiled. “You really can’t tell?”
“It’s been a while. I’m pretty good at keeping people at arm’s length.”
“Except my family. And me,” she said with a grin.
“You people have no respect for emotional boundaries,” he said. “Thank God,” he added with a smile.
“Yeah, I don’t think I’m going to apologize for that.”
“Good.” He lowered his head and took her mouth in a kiss that started soft and sweet.
But she unlinked her fingers from behind his back and slipped her hands under the bottom edge of his shirt. Her hands on his bare skin made heat arrow through him. Just that simple touch, and he wanted to devour her.
The kiss turned hot and dirty quickly, and before he knew it, he had her backed up against the otter enclosure door. Her hands came around the front, running up over his abs to his chest. He slipped his hands under her shirt as well. Her skin was hot and silky, and he stroked it greedily, loving the way her stomach muscles tensed under his touch, and goosebumps broke out as he stroked his fingertips up her sides to cup her breasts.
They made out against the door for several delicious minutes but were soon noticed by the otters.
The furry family came scampering over to meet the new girl and ask Griffin if this was the one he’d been pining for over the past couple of months whenever he came to the enclosure to talk.
They really needed to stop making out where there were animals around.
He pulled back from Charlie, chuckling as the otters surrounded them, slipping between their feet and going up on hindlegs on Charlie’s calf, welcoming her to their home.
She looked down, her eyes wide. “Well, hello there.”
“Charlie, this is Gus and Gertie and their kids. Snickers, Skittles, Rolo, Hershey, and Baby Ruth.” He named them off, pointing to each in turn. He didn’t even feel like an idiot telling her they were named after candy. “Everyone, this is Charlie.”
“Nice to meet ya’ll,” Charlie said, grinning widely at their names and playing along with the introduction.
“They’ve heard all about you,” Griffin told her.
“Yeah, Mitch said that you and the otters have regular conversations,” she teased, running her hands up and down his sides again.
Even with a family of otters looking on, his desire for her hadn’t cooled a bit.
“You can’t believe everything Mitch tells you.”
“Actually, I think I can. Mitch is one of my nicer cousins. And, frankly, you talking to otters is really not that hard to believe. I’m sorry if that ruins your tough-guy image.”
Griffin’s hands were resting on her hips now, and he slid a hand to her ass and gave her a little pinch. “Good thing me being an animal nut is such a turn-on for you.”
“It really is,” she said sincerely.
“And you think that you can still be into me if we go back to my house instead of having sex in a barn?”
She laughed. “I think it’s worth a try.”
Griffin wanted nothing more than to spread this woman out on his bed, lick her from head to toe, make her come at least three times in a row, and then keep her there all night.
That would seal his fate, he knew. Having Charlie in his bed would make it so that he would never want another woman there.
And still, he knew that was exactly how this night was going to go.
“Let’s get out of here,” he said.
“But—” she said, actually looking disappointed.
“But?”
She looked at the otters. “I’ve done yoga with them, but I haven’t really had a chance to pet them and feed them… Or have a deep, meaningful conversation with them.”
“You want to stay and hang out with the otters for a little while?”
She shrugged. “I mean, we’re already here. It would be rude for me to leave after just meeting them officially for the first time.”
Griffin looked down at the otters and back to her. He narrowed his eyes. “Okay, fine. We’ll stay for a little while. But if you think you’re going to make them like you more than they like me…” He blew out a breath. “It’s very possible that could happen.”
She gave him a bright grin. “You really think so?”
He pushed back from her, catching her hand and linking their fingers. He shook his head. “I really think so. You are, after all, quite delightful.”
Baby goats in pajamas were probably the cutest thing Charlie had ever seen.
She’d hung out with the sloth and lemurs for the past five days, learning about them and how to handle and feed them from Griffin. And they were awesome for sure. But the cute award definitely went to the tiny goats that were now prancing around the barnyard. In pajamas.
She’d stumbled across a video of goats in pajamas when she’d been researching the animals. She’d immediately come up with the idea for the party and had thrown it together in just two days. But it was going very well. Ticket sales had been higher than they’d expected, and everyone involved seemed to be having a good time.
Well, the visitors seem to be having a good time. The staff looked a little harried, and the animals looked a little confused.
That was fair. Charlie was feeling a little harried and confused herself.
Why wasn’t she enjoying this more?
The pajama party was going off exactly as she’d envisioned it.
Families had been invited to come to the petting zoo, also in pajamas, to watch a kids’ movie and enjoy some snacks with the goats.
The kids were thrilled, the parents were all grinning, and the money from the event was going to be at least double what Charlie had spent on supplies.
The movie was being projected on the side of the goat barn, and the guests were sitting around the pen on hay bales or blankets spread out on the ground. The kids were eating raisins, strawberries, carrots, and celery, all of which they were able to share with the goats. All, of course, were Griffin-approved.
Charlie found him across the goat yard. He was roaming, keeping a close eye on the activities within the pen. For the most part, things had gone smoothly, but she could tell he was on edge.
Maybe that was why she was on edge.
Maybe spending the last five nights having the best sex of her life with him—in an actual bed—had made her even more in tune with him.
“Hey.” Fletcher moved in next to her, leaning onto the fence, mimicking her stance.
“Hey.”
“You okay?” he asked.
She shrugged. “Yeah. Why?”
“Because you’re scowling at a bunch of little kids watching a cartoon movie and a herd of goats in pajamas. Which are probably some of the cutest things ever. If that is making you frown, something is up.”
She definitely shouldn’t be scowling. Because she should like this. But also because it would look bad to any of the parents who noticed.