He’d been just as dedicated to his own career, and there were couples like that who made it work. But we hadn’t shared an urgency for one another.
I hadn’t even realized what we’d lacked until I’d met Griffin. I hadn’t understood what it was like to crave a person. To long for their voice, their scent, their taste.
Eight years with Skyler. One month with Griffin.
I’d choose Griffin every time.
“There’s a reason you cheated,” I told Skyler. “Because we wouldn’t have made it.”
“Winnie.” He stepped closer, his hand moving from my elbow to my shoulder.
“If you want to keep that hand attached to your body, you’ll take it off of her right now.” The deep rumbling voice behind Skyler sent a shiver racing down my spine. The thud of boots echoed before Griffin stepped onto the porch and came to my side.
The glare he aimed Skyler’s way brought a smile to my lips.
Jealousy on Griffin Eden looked incredibly sexy.
“I don’t know who you are or what you’re doing, but I’m having a conversation with Winnie,” Skyler said, standing taller.
“And I’m here to give her an orgasm before dinner. Let’s find out which one of us she’d rather have stick around.”
My jaw dropped.
Emily’s gasp was loud enough for us all to hear.
“Go home, Emily,” Griffin barked over Skyler’s shoulder.
She tensed but didn’t move.
“There’s nothing for you here,” Griff told her. “Not a story. Not me. Go home.”
She swallowed hard, her pride visibly dinged. That might cost us later, but the sight of her scurrying down the sidewalk after he’d chosen me was reward enough.
“You too,” I told Skyler. “Go home.”
He shook his head. “I get it. You wanted to screw this guy for a while and balance the scales. Fine. I can look past him if you can look past—”
“You lost her.” Griffin’s voice had an edge unlike anything I’d heard before. An edge that made me glad I was standing on his side, not the opposing. “You fucked up and lost her. She’s mine. And I won’t fuck it up.”
Mine. My heart melted into a puddle.
No man had ever claimed me before. Skyler, dressed in his signature black suit, had taken eight years and he’d never once said she’s mine.
My ex looked at me and I ignored him, too busy holding myself back from hugging the angry cowboy. “Griff . . .”
“Unlock the door, Winn.”
I fought a smile. And followed orders, but before I went inside, I gave Skyler one last glance. “Sell the house. Let it go. Let me go. Please.”
He swallowed hard. Then nodded.
“Thank you.” I took Griffin’s hand, tugging him into the house.
He slammed the door shut, dragging a hand through his hair. “I really want to punch him.”
“Don’t punch him.”
Skyler didn’t wait around this time. As quickly as Emily had vanished, so did he. For good, I suspected.
“So that was, um . . .” Awkward? Incredible? Enlightening? All of the above.
“Yeah.” Griff stalked my way, closing the distance between us in a single stride. Then his mouth was on mine, sending a flutter to my heart and a trembling to my knees.
He claimed me. One sweep of his tongue and those words he’d told Skyler raced through my body.
She’s mine.
He was mine too.
It was dark outside by the time we emerged from the bedroom. As promised, Griffin had delivered on his orgasm before dinner. Three, actually.
“Are we calling in for food?” I opened my fridge. “Or do you want cheese and crackers?”
“Pizza.” He wrapped an arm around my shoulders, his bare chest hot against my back. Then he closed the fridge. “Definitely pizza.”
I sagged against him. “Are we going to talk about earlier?”
“Probably should,” he murmured against my hair.
“We’re not really casual, are we?”
He shifted, loosening his arm so he could turn me to face him. Those piercing blue eyes seared into mine. “No. We are not.”
“Okay.” That word seemed too small for this. I’d say okay to a latte. To a glass of champagne. Not to Griffin proposing, well . . . whatever it was he was proposing. Nothing at the moment. But the promise of a future needed more than a simple okay.
“You good with that?”
“Yes.” Another word, too small. Or maybe it was the perfect word.
The two of us had started with a yes, whispered into his ear as we’d come together in the back of his truck.
“I want to take you to dinner,” he declared. “On a date.”
“All right.” My head was spinning. “Tonight?”
“No.” He grinned and dug his phone from his jeans pocket. After tapping the screen a few times, he pressed it to his ear.
My phone rang in the living room, so I brushed past Griffin as he ordered pizza and hurried to the floor where I’d dropped my purse earlier. I found my personal phone first, but it had been dead for days. I kept digging until I had my work phone in hand. The station’s number flashed.
Shit.
“Hello,” I answered.
“Hi, Chief,” Mitch said, his voice tight. There was no smile.
“What’s going on?”
“Got a call from Frank Nigel.”
My heart galloped. Frank would only call if there was an emergency. He’d probably tried my personal phone, and when I hadn’t answered, he’d called the station. “What happened?”
“It’s Covie. He’s at the hospital.”
Chapter Sixteen
Winslow
“I’m going to move in with you,” I told Pops, his hand sandwiched between mine.
He scoffed. “No, you’re not.”
“I don’t like that you were alone.”
“I wasn’t alone. I had Frank.”
I shook my head. “It’s not the same.”
Because had Frank not needed to borrow a wrench, this entire situation might have turned out differently.
“I’m fine.”
“You had a heart attack.”
“A mild heart attack.” He tried to pry his hand free, but I wasn’t letting go. Not yet.
I frowned. “Semantics.”
Pops sighed. “I love you, Winnie.”
“I love you too.” My chin began to quiver. It had been a long night of sitting in this chair and my emotions were frazzled.
“Don’t cry.”
I nodded and swallowed the lump in my throat. There would be crying. Lots and lots of crying. But I’d save it for when I was home alone.
Pops was the only family I had left. Dad had been an only child. Mom had been too and her parents had passed away years ago. There weren’t aunts and uncles and cousins who’d take me in for the holidays. Who’d tell me they loved me.
Pops was it. And this heart attack was a brutal reminder that he wouldn’t always be here.
I’d spent most of last night watching him sleep. He looked so small in this hospital bed. The grayish-blue gown and the beige walls bleached the color from his face. The florescent lights brought out every line, every wrinkle.