I blew out a shaky breath once the door closed behind him but watched him walk all the way to the end of the block. The light kiss on my forehead spoke volumes, but I was focused on his ass as he strolled down the block. Damn, he was beyond sexy. Griffin was the antithesis of the straight-laced, professional types I went for in the past. Success was a turn on for me, or it was until Richard went from successful and professional to drug dealing and strung out. After Rich, I had no type. My type was to stay the fuck away from men. Then Griffin walked in, and it took a whole day for him to turn me into a drooling idiot. He had the dominant, edgy, badass thing down to an art. I was getting sucked into it, but the sweet peck on my forehead melted me. I had even gotten to work early to focus on anything but Griffin Steele and my new obsession with him. The fantasizing thing, it totally happened.

“If I wasn’t deliriously happy with Briggs, I would power-walk after his fine ass.” Harriet’s voice made me jump. She had perfected the hippie look. Billowing skirt, tie-dyed top, and leather sandals. The four of us made quite the cross section of American women. Harriet was the Bohemian goddess, Erica was country girl chic, I had the punk rock look down, and Jovie was the sweet girl next door.

“Seriously, have you seen my tattoo artist? I know you’re celibate, but Griffin Steele is eye candy if there ever was.” I felt my face heat up as Harriet breezed behind the counter with our coffees. Then she smirked at me accusingly, “You watched Griff run by, didn’t you? I was beginning to think you were a lesbian.”

“If I were gay, I would have put the moves on you already. I’m having dinner with Griffin tonight.” Yeah, I was bragging a little, and why the hell not? He was gorgeous, and my life left me little to brag about other than Axel. My skin still tingled where he had grabbed my arm and kissed my forehead. His masculine scent still lingered in my nose. The man was gone, but I was still feeling his presence. I was losing my mind.

Harriet’s eyes lit up. “You’re joking!” I shook my head. “You two are the perfect couple. I mean it. I can’t wait to hear those details.” Then she narrowed her eyes. “How is Alpha female going to handle Alpha male? I know him pretty well, and I know you very well. Two dominant people can create quite the heat.” She vanished into the back while I thought about it. I thought about it all day. I was a little domineering, but I had to be. Richard wasn’t. Well, until he started getting high on his own product, then I had to take care of our business. Harriet was certainly right about Griffin. He threw his weight and size around like a champ. Every time he was near me, I felt combustible.

My work day went by in a frenzy. We were slammed. Jovie was gone, leaving Erica and me to run the front, groom dogs, and take calls. By the time we finished our dogs, we were both beat. We had snapped at each other all day, she fought with Josh, her husband, on the phone at least twice, and we were ready to murder each other. Erica and I decided we desperately needed a third groomer and that Jovie should have hired one before going on vacation going into the busy season.

At five, we both pulled out of the lot like our lives depended on it. I was finally able to focus on being a nervous wreck. Mom had picked up Ax from school, so I could put all my energy into getting ready. Right as I walked into my adorable two-bedroom brick house, the phone chimed. I knew who it was before I even looked. It was less than an hour until he picked me up, but I hadn’t sent him an address yet. My keys landed on the table near the door and I dug the phone out of my bag.

Griffin: Standing me up?

Cori: Shit. Sorry. Busy day. 702 Mayes Dr.

Griffin: See ya in 45

I only had forty-five minutes, so I ran through the living room, stripping as I went, and jumped in the shower. I really didn’t want to spend the night smelling like wet dog. I rinsed my hair while trying to figure out what to wear, lathering myself in citrus body wash. The last date I had been on was a year ago. It ended with me being called a tease. My vibrator took care of all my needs from then on, but the prospect of Griffin helping me out was exciting. So exciting that I slid my hand down between my legs. Why not, right? The house was empty, so I didn’t bother being quiet about it, shouting out a loud moan when I slumped back onto the cool tile. I called it stress relief and moved on, knowing I would be the only one touching my lady bits … probably ever. As bad as I wanted Griffin, mentally I was in no shape for sex or intimacy. Dinner and conversation I could handle; sex I could not.

I was shaved, showered, and primped by six. I went with a slightly conservative black skirt, a silver top, and silver flats. My nails were already black, and I pinned the top half of my hair in a bun before slapping on some eyeliner. The doorbell rang at six on the dot. I rushed out of the bathroom, stopping at the hall mirror to check my red lips, and grabbed my black studded purse.

Griffin was clean shaven wearing tight black Henley with biker boots. Damn he was gorgeous. After an epic stare down emitting all kinds of heat and lust, he wordlessly gestured out the door. I locked up and followed him down the front steps where his car was parked on the curb. Griffin opened the passenger door, closing it behind me, and climbed into his side.

“You look sexy as hell.” I took the compliment as the Griffin version of “you look nice”. I laughed. At least he was consistent, and the compliment gave me a surge of confidence. Sitting next to such a gorgeous man was intimidating, but the compliment helped.

“You clean up nicely yourself.” I dragged my eyes over him, not even caring that he was watching me. He could easily throw me around and do whatever he wanted to me with his giant arms. It was another exciting prospect, or it would have been if I could be intimate without a panic attack. He started the car, shifted into drive, and reached across to rest his hand on my thigh. Griffin didn’t gauge my reaction, didn’t seem to care if the gesture made me uncomfortable. His confidence alone was hot as hell. Surprisingly, I wasn’t entirely unnerved by the gesture, it was calming, like he was there to steady me.

We drove into downtown with the windows down and silence surrounding us. It wasn’t awkward, it was nice to stare at him while he drove. Griffin was calm, in control. I took the time to study the intricate tattoos on his arms, appreciating every line, each design.

We parked near the river and climbed out of his Jeep, still in silence. Griffin seemed to only speak in gestures as he put a hand on my waist, tugging me possessively into him. Harriet was right, too much Alpha. The hostess had to lick the drool off her lip after eye-fucking my date and led us out to a patio. I kind of wanted to stab her with my blunt knife by the time she finished touching him.

A certain amount of quiet after a hectic day was nice, but his silence was getting old so I took in my surroundings. He insisted on dinner but decided to not have conversation—totally normal. Or not. We were seated on a dock extending from the back of the restaurant at the very end over the water. Big, bulky, and tatted picked an upscale place to eat, even if he was suddenly too good to talk to me. The waves from boats lapped at the wooden pillars of the dock and ducks bobbed near the shore. Pink reflections danced on the water, glinting in the lowering sun, as a few jet skis went by. It was beautiful, but I really wanted some conversation like the day before. When I couldn’t take it anymore, I broke the silence.

“So?”

“Tell me about Axel’s father.” His demand was simple, quick, and slightly rude. I didn’t talk about Richard, but Griffin showed me he wasn’t backing down as he rested his forearms on the table, staring me down and waiting.

“Pick something else.” I could be rude too. Richard was the last thing I wanted to think about while I was across from Griffin. Or ever if I could help it. My ex was certainly not a first date topic.

“You can tell me now, or you can save it for dessert.” Griffin cocked one eyebrow, waiting for me to answer his demand with an arrogant smirk.

I shifted, calming my angry pulse. “Richard was a professor at the university my freshman year. We got married once I was out of his class when I was nineteen and had Ax the same year. Long story short, he started selling pills to the students on campus, then moved to heroin, coke, and who knows what else. Pretty soon, the idiot was using more than he sold. He was in deep with some dealer. He dropped out of rehab a few times, like he didn’t even want to recover, and, finally, it caught up to him, well us. One night they came looking for him, but I was there alone with Axel. Ax slept the whole time, although I don’t know how. Richard was gone but they essentially beat the shit out of me, raped me, and left me as a warning to my husband.” I paused, gathering my thoughts and avoiding the gaze I knew was aimed at me. I hadn’t taken a single breath. “Anyway, Richard was so strung out when he got home that he didn’t even notice his wife in a pool of her own blood. When I came to, he had coke sitting on the dresser next to where he was passed out in bed. So, I packed a bag for each of us, took Axel, called the police, left the door wide open, and drove straight to the ER. The day Richard finally got sentenced to prison, I filed for divorce.” I kept my face blank while Griffin gaped at me. I must not have breathed through the entire explanation because dizziness hit me, and I sucked in a breath.

“Fuck, Cori. I just wanted to know I didn’t have some asshole to compete with.” Griffin shook his head. “I’m sorry.”

I shrugged. “It was three and a half years ago. Richard’s in prison and can’t come near us when he gets out.” Griffin only stared at me with an awful look of sympathy on his face. I went back to the menu, quickly crumbling under the heavy gaze he was giving me. I had never told anyone the whole story other than the doctors who treated me and the police. It was yet another reason I had avoided dates. The idea of someone seeing all the scars was nauseating, but the sympathetic look was worse. At least I got it out of the way; that way I couldn’t be mocked for it later. Griffin could take me home and drop me off with no doubt as to why he wasn’t calling the next day. Hopefully, the man would leave me with some dignity and not go around talking about me.

“I have no memory at all of Celia’s mother. I’ve seen pictures, had a DNA test, and have heard her name, but I don’t remember her.” I met his eyes over the menu before folding it and setting it on the table to listen. It was not what I expected him to say as a follow up to my story.

“I feel awful for it, especially since I have Celia now. But I have no idea where I met her, or when, or how. I assume it was at a tattoo convention, since Celia moved here from Ohio, but I don’t remember.” The waitress took our order, lusting over Griffin in the process, then left us alone for him to finish his story. “It took us nearly a week to get Celia to talk at all. I don’t know the things she’s seen; I don’t want to know. But Celia likes Axel and you. I’ve never seen her talk to anyone so fast.”

“Axel forces people into liking her. Anytime you want to get them together is fine.” I relaxed a little after we moved on to more pleasant conversation. “Axel’s party is in a couple of weeks; you should bring Celia.” Griffin agreed as our food was delivered and conversation turned more normal, since all the shitty stuff was out of the way. He talked about stupid tattoos he had done, I talked about crazy clients, and he paid our check, leaving a nice tip before we headed back out. Being in the tipping industry meant I paid attention to those things, and the guy impressed me.

Before we got to the car, Griffin snatched my hand to pull me further down the sidewalk. “I’m not done with you yet.” His devilish smile took over as he laced his hand with mine and led us down toward the river bank. The man truly wanted to spend more time with my crazy ass or was looking for more ammunition when he cut contact. “You’re brave as hell, you know that, right?” His words made me freeze, bringing him to a halt next to me.

“No, I did what I had to for Ax. It doesn’t make me brave. If I had been brave, I would have stopped all of it before we were put in such a terrible position.” Anger rose up my throat, threatening to make me cry in front of my date. “I don’t know why I told you all that. I shouldn’t have, I barely know you.” Griffin ignored my words, gripping my hand tighter. He pulled me closer to the river. We ambled slowly along the path without talking and he led me down the rock face toward the water. Griffin found a boulder and gestured for me to sit. I did, and he sat down next to me.

His arm slid around my waist, pulling me into him, grasping my hip tight. The action made my skin tingle and my heart race. No fear, no panic, only excitement. The promise of possibilities swelled in me from the one gesture. I momentarily forgot about my inability to handle closeness. He had touched me plenty of times, and none of them sent me into a panic, so maybe there was hope.

A light breeze came off the water as the sun continued setting and silence consumed us. My head fell on his shoulder. “I have no fucking idea what I’m doing.” It was his casual use of the word fuck as much as the thought in general that made me laugh. “I mean it. I don’t do this shit. I’m not supposed to be a parent, especially to a girl. I don’t know how to raise or treat a woman. I don’t have relationships.” He ran his hand through his dark hair. “I’m not a good guy, never have been. I mean, I’m not a murderer but I’ve always treated women like shit. They have had one purpose and it was making my dick happy. Then I get the hell out. They always get their own in the process, but I don’t do dinner and I certainly don’t go back for seconds. Here I am, expected to raise a girl. I’m completely surrounded by them. It’s like women are everywhere. Then there’s you.” His confession sounded identical to mine. It was raw, real. The words had become too much, and someone had to hear them before I burst. Griffin felt the same way about our date and about his daughter.

“You’ll figure it out. Celia will figure it out.” I shrugged, moving to study his profile in the dim light. Damn the man was sexy. “Four months isn’t long, Griffin. I’m lost most of the time and I’ve been at the parenting game since the beginning.” I wasn’t going to address the statements about women he had been with. The whole topic kind of pissed me off. I was already acting all possessive and we were halfway into one crappy date. Hell, I was jealous of Karen Tolley for just talking to him thirty minutes after we met.

“Half the time I know I’m not cut out for this, and the other half I can’t imagine her being anywhere else. I can’t tell anyone this because I’m still on this probation period and if they knew I didn’t feel competent …,” Griffin trailed off, still staring at the water.

I put my arm around his waist, letting my head fall back on his shoulder as we slipped back into silence. The level of comfort I felt with him was obviously mirrored. He leaned into me slightly, letting us support each other’s weight. As it got darker, things shifted. His hand moved up the curve of my waist and back down, stroking my side. It had been a tense as hell date. Two people with baggage of our caliber had no business being together, but in one movement he slid his hand under my ass and threw me into his lap like I weighed nothing. I squealed and my hands landed on his shoulders. I straddled him, skirt shoved up too far to be appropriate, with his hand still firmly planted on my ass. Griffin donned his cocky half-smile at my shock. I waited for the wave of panic, but it never came. Instead it felt safe to be so close to him.

Having nothing else to do with my hands, I moved them down to his chest, taking in the solid muscle underneath his shirt and running my hands up his shoulders to his neck. Griffin’s free hand grabbed the back of my neck gently and he attacked my mouth. I gasped, parting my lips enough for his tongue to stroke mine. His grip on my ass tightened when I returned the gesture. I had no control over anything my body was doing, but there was no denying I enjoyed every bit of it. I was the puppet and Griffin Steele was my master. My mind froze and my mouth took over, giving him back all he had to offer. I hadn’t kissed a man in years, but I could kiss Griffin for the rest of eternity. His smell, his taste, the feel of him took me over, lulling me into a stupor that didn’t leave room for fear. My breathing and pulse went in a million directions. I didn’t bother trying to stop it. Feeling him hardening against me just intensified my lust, and I gripped his hair, kissing him like my life depended on it.

We were mostly hidden from sight and it was dark, so I wasn’t worried about being seen, but being heard was a different matter. The hand on my ass moved around to my thigh, sliding up under my skirt and making me whimper. The man was everywhere at once, his hands roaming me, coaxing more from me. No one had touched me since Richard, or Richard’s dealer, rather. Anyone who tried sent me into a panic attack and left in a hurry, but Griffin was nothing like Richard. His hand inched forward like he was expecting me to stop him, but there was no way in hell. With his giant erection pressed into me and his mouth assaulting mine, I needed every bit of it. It didn’t matter how he said he treated women, or what kind of breakdown I had coming later. Axel was safe with Mom, I was a grown ass woman, and it had been far too long. Griffin was exactly what I needed.

I moaned against his mouth when he skimmed up my thigh and brushed my panties out of the way to touch me. “So fucking beautiful,” he muttered against my neck as he moved his mouth down, biting me gently.

My brain went from “Oh, shit!” to “Why the hell not?” in a matter of seconds. I moved to free him from the jeans he was ready to burst out of. Before I could even start my task, he grabbed my hand, removing his from between my legs.

“Not here.”

His shoulders were heaving, and he looked pissed at his own words. There was no doubt I would lose my nerve by the time we got anywhere else, but hey, his loss. My pulse started slowing and, within a matter of seconds, I was starting to think straight. I literally nearly had sex with a man I barely knew, outside in a public place after years of celibacy. It was like Griffin put me in a lust-induced trance. When I looked up at his face, his expression mirrored mine and I giggled, resting my forehead on his. Griffin fixed my skirt, wrapped his arms around my waist, and planted a very chaste kiss on my lips. Surprisingly, of all the things I was feeling, panic wasn’t one of them. Griffin nuzzled into my neck, inhaling.

“Only like I breathe.” I shimmied out of his grip, off his lap, dropping back down next to him. Without another word, he tugged me up by my hand, kissing me possessively on the mouth before we made our ascent back to the sidewalk. Griffin opened my car door and we drove silently with his hand on my thigh to the coffee shop near our houses. The look on Mitchell’s face when we walked in with Griffin’s arm around my waist was priceless. I took it to mean Griffin had done the tattoos on Mitch’s arms.

Mitch’s dog, Bruce, got groomed by me every six weeks and Harriet picked up our coffee from him every morning. For living in a big city, we had a tight community in our area, especially the small businesses. We bartered and hung out on weekends. It was a like having a huge family. I zoned out while Griffin bullshitted with Mitchell, thinking about how he was parading me around like he owned me. I kind of liked it. I was bracing myself for the erratic breathing, the heart rate that wouldn’t slow down, and the paralyzing fear to take me down, but nothing happened.

“Cori?” I jerked to attention when Mitch said my name. “The usual?”

“Uh, yeah, but iced.”

“How long has this been a thing? I’ve known you both for a while. I have to admit, I like it.” Mitch slid my drink to me waiting for an answer. “You’re both good people—a little rough, but good.” He nodded as he spoke, approving his own words. I tossed Mitch a twenty before Griffin could get his wallet out and we exited, not answering Mitch’s question. There was no thing and probably wouldn’t be. I was a mess, and Griffin didn’t date. It was all just a little fun.

As soon as we were outside, Griffin turned me into him, controlling my movements by the firm grip on my waist. “Don’t do that again.” He smiled when he said it, but there was bite in his words. We stared each other down for a moment, waiting to see how long it would take for the other one to give in. After a good thirty seconds, I broke our gazes, shrugging off his demand.

“Who are you to set back women’s rights fifty years? You know I vote too, right?” He was still staring but laughed, tugging me closer. “Speechless?”

“I invited you, I pay.” He then indicated I was allowed to move my feet again and we settled on a bench, watching the traffic go by, sipping our drinks. “Do you have a curfew I’m supposed to have you home by?”

“No, Ax is with Mom tonight. She’ll take her to school tomorrow. Why?” Griffin only shrugged at my question. His strong silent thing was definitely different, I relented to his silence, letting him drape his arm over my shoulders and leaning into him. Griffin was so damn comfortable, not just physically, but in general. I felt a sense of calm being next to him, one I hadn’t enjoyed in years. A group of college girls in skanky dresses eyed Griffin as if he was a steak as they stumbled by giggling. He drank his coffee like he didn’t notice, but he had to, it happened everywhere. It was either turned up noses or complete lust in every person who laid eyes on him.

I tossed my empty cup into the trash next to me, moving closer to him, and rested my hand on his leg. I noticed him shift but didn’t move. If he could act all possessive, I could too. The date had overall been a bit of a disaster, but I didn’t give a shit. Griffin glanced down at me a few times, like he was reassuring himself that I was still there, but otherwise kept quiet and sipped his coffee. If I only got the one date with him, I was going to enjoy feeling safe.

Again, he wordlessly stood, stretching his arms over his head before pulling me off the bench and into him. Instead of going to the car, we ambled the two blocks to my place, without a word, my hand in his. At my door, Griffin leaned against my door frame, blocking me from unlocking it. “Since we got all the awkward baggage out of the way, when are you free again?” He wants to see me again? The man is crazier than I am.

I shook my head. “I don’t know, Griffin. I haven’t done this in years, and I want our girls to be friends without any worries about us tearing them apart. Maybe we should leave things alone.” Griffin lifted my chin, making me look at him. He kissed my forehead softly . I blew out a slow breath through pursed lips, closed my eyes, and tried to formulate my next response. It was like every touch wiped my brain clean, leaving me without a single comeback.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” Mr. Sexy-As-Hell moved from in front of my door, down the brick stairs, and to the sidewalk without another word. I wanted to chase him down to make me kiss him again, or come inside, or talk to me about what the hell was happening. Instead, I watched, rather shamefully, as he strode confidently toward the end of the block. Being so big did not make him less graceful. Griffin walked like a man who knew his place, with no questions as to who he was. I let myself into my empty house, locked the door behind me, and stripped my way to the bathroom to take off my makeup. No Axel meant I could sleep naked but after at least an hour of tossing and turning I started flipping through Facebook, stalking my date on social media.