Griff reached up to cup her jaw in his palm and stroked his thumb over her lower lip. “God, you have an amazing mouth.” He moved his thumb to caress her cheek while staring into her eyes. “I’m going to kiss you, Queenie, so if you’re not okay with that, tell me now.”

Not okay? What a silly, silly man, Lou Ellen thought, as she placed her shaking hands on his chest and slid them up his hot, wet skin to his broad shoulders. His eyes held hers and all she could do was stare into them as his head gravitated toward hers.

His hand slid into her hair and he pulled her closer. His minty breath wafted over her tastebuds before he sealed his mouth to hers. A moan rumbled up her throat and escaped into his mouth, as he skimmed his mouth over hers.

Slow and methodical in his assault, he nipped, licked and sucked her mouth until Lou Ellen’s toes curled in her shoes. Hot flames of desire licked at her insides and she leaned into him, needing more. She opened her mouth in invitation, and his tongue slipped inside her mouth to find hers. His groan rumbled against her sternum as his free arm wrapped around her waist to pull her body flush to his. The most erotic kiss of her life went on and on for what seemed like forever.

They didn’t have forever right now, though. With a final delicious taste of him and a sigh, she rocked back on her heels and stepped back. His heartbeat pounded under her palm at the center of his chest as rapidly as hers beat against her ribs.

She smiled up at his frowning face. “The team will be waiting for us in the conference room, so let’s pause this for now, but I definitely want to hit play later. Logan gets pissy when he has to wait and I don’t want to have to kill him tonight.” She reached up to smooth her fingers over her throbbing lips then winked at him. “Definitely, rewind and replay later.”

He finally smiled. “For a minute there, I thought I’d lost my touch. It has been a long time,” he said and pain filled his eyes.

Lou Ellen stepped close again and put her hand on his cheek. “Honey, you haven’t lost a damned thing.” She tiptoed to give him a lingering kiss. “I can’t wait to see the rest of what you think you’ve forgotten.” His body tensed and his arms tightened around her. Lou Ellen leaned back in his arms to meet his eyes.

“Really?” he asked, his eyes narrowing.

“Yes, really. But I have no idea why you’re wasting your time with an old woman like me. Looking like this, you could have any woman you want.”

Lou Ellen was very willing to be his leg up back into the saddle of life. She could do younger and temporary, but she didn’t want to let herself fall in love with him and be hurt if that was the arrangement. They needed to talk about it.

“The woman I want is you,” he growled and his hand shot out to grab hers. He forced her hand between them, uncurled her fingers and held it against his erection. “Does that feel like I’m wasting my time or playing?” Heat surged up her body to set her scalp on fire and she knew her face was flaming too.

“You haven’t had sex in a long time, so you’re just horny,” she said with a laugh. “I’m good with that. I need to know where this is going when you’re not.”

“I don’t walk around with a perpetual erection, Lou Ellen. You made me this way,” he shot back, his voice fierce. “You’re a gorgeous woman and I want to fuck you like there’s no tomorrow. My dick doesn’t care that you’re older than me.” That nerve ticked beside his eye when his jaw clenched. “But I can’t promise you more than today, because that’s how I live.”

A gush of warmth flooded through her body to settle between her legs. “Well, then,” she replied, her lips spreading into a smile. “Let’s hope tomorrow never comes.”

His blue eyes sparked as he grabbed the back of her skull again and slammed his mouth into hers. There was nothing gentle about his kiss this time and he didn’t stop kissing her senseless until she moaned and her fingers squeezed around his cock. Until that moment, she didn’t realize she’d still been holding him. A tremor rocked him and with a groan, he dragged his mouth from hers and pushed her away.

“We have to find Layla. You go meet with your team and I’ll be in there in a second,” he said, his breathing ragged.

Lou Ellen nodded and walked to the door of the suite. She reached for the knob, but felt Griff behind her. He grabbed her shoulders, turned her around and pinned her to the door. He tipped up her chin with his forefinger.

“This is not because I’m horny or desperate. It’s not even because I’m grateful. It’s because I want you, Queenie.”

It was a damned good thing she was leaning on the door, because her knees went weak. Those words, which were reinforced by his eyes and expression, were more than a woman could take. “I heard you the first time,” she replied.

“But I can tell you don’t believe me,” he fired back. “Tell me you believe me, or I’m not letting you out of here.”

“I believe, but I—” He put his finger over her lips and smiled.

He was right. Lou Ellen was in disbelief over everything that had happened since she met this man on Thanksgiving. Anyone would be. But it was Christmastime, and miracles did happen.

She hoped another one would fall out of the sky and they found that girl before it was too late. If something happened to her, she was afraid this man would fall back into the dark hole he’d crawled out of and would never come out again.