So embarrassing, and still not as embarrassing as admitting I’d made myself come. He wasn’t even here and I had to squeeze my eyes shut at the thought. I blamed post-orgasm insanity.
Nothing I’d ever done at night under my covers bore any resemblance to what had happened in that bed with Griffen. Not even close.
When Harvey said it had to be real, when I knew I’d have to have sex with Griffen, I’d been half-terrified. The other half of me had been an unruly combination of aroused and excited and intrigued and giddy. But the overwhelming emotion was terror.
Griffen had been a player when I was a teenager. Calling him experienced didn’t really cover it.
Everything I knew about sex came from romance novels and rom-coms. Comparing that to what Griffen knew—we weren’t even close.
I took a quick shower, ignoring the light rash of beard burn on my breasts and the tenderness between my legs. I didn’t know what I was doing with Griffen, but I knew I wanted more. I found a robe on the back of the bathroom door and slipped into it, needing coffee before I thought about getting dressed.
I was luxuriating in that first hot, bitter sip when a quick rap sounded on the front door and it swung open. I jumped, barely managing to avoid spilling the coffee all over my robe.
A woman poked her head in, her dark hair cut in a short bob, bangs a straight line across her forehead. Alice. She’d walked me back to Griffen’s office when I’d come to tell him about Prentice’s death and the will. Had it only been four days ago? It felt like a lifetime.
Alice entered, shutting the door behind her, a smile spreading across her face as her eyes landed on me. “Hi, Hope. I’m Alice. We met a few days ago, but I don’t know if you remember. Sorry to barge in on you. The boys are all locked up in the conference room going over security plans for your castle. Did Griffen feed you? I know a great breakfast place if you’re hungry.”
Her smile was so genuine I couldn’t help but smile back. “It was a crazy day, but I remember you, Alice. It’s good to see you again. I’d love breakfast if you don’t mind waiting a few minutes. I just have to get dressed.”
“Perfect. I want to see what you brought. Is the shopping really that bad in Sawyers Bend?”
I looked at Alice for a long moment, weighing my answer. Sawyers Bend wasn’t overrun with options for women’s clothing unless you’re looking for a good pair of hiking pants. Outdoor gear we had. Dresses and suits? Not so much. I could just say the shopping was really that bad and leave it at that. It wouldn’t be a lie.
I thought about what Griffen had said. That Alice was loyal and a good friend.
“The shopping isn’t great,” I admitted, “but the real problem is that I’ve been working for my uncle for the last—” I rolled my eyes to the ceiling. “For forever. He has horrible taste in clothes, but he thinks mine is worse. He badgered me into letting him buy my wardrobe. It was easier to give in. But I’m not working for him now, and Griffen said he doesn’t care what I wear as long as I like it.”
Alice’s grin spread wider. “And if he’s paying…” She shot me a wink.
I shrugged and grinned back. “It seems to mean a lot to him, so I figure we might as well let him have his way.”
Alice placed her hands on her hips and scanned me from head to toe. I tried not to squirm under her sharp gaze. Instead, I scanned her back. She was small, the top of her head even with my shoulder, her bones tiny, reminding me of a pixie. Delicate but packed with energy.
I got what Griffen meant when he said she knew how to shop. She must because her sense of style was unique, and it was clear she’d spent time putting it together. She wore a long-sleeve boatneck dress in kelly green with a fitted bodice and full knee-length skirt. I thought I caught sight of a crinoline under the skirt.
The look was modern and 50’s at the same time. Fun and pretty. Her style wasn’t mine. I didn’t want to draw attention the way I was sure Alice did, but I’d love to find something that suited me the way her dress suited her.
Done with her study, Alice gave me a nod and said, “Lay out everything you brought on the bed.”
Tightening the belt of my robe, I did as she asked. Aside from the red dress Griffen had talked me into wearing, I was looking at a sea of boring. Khaki. Black. Beige. Boxy cuts. Bland fabrics. Alice walked around the bed looking at everything, shaking her head in silence. On her second pass, she picked up three items. The red dress, the jeans Griffen had liked, and a gray cashmere sweater with fitted sleeves and a cowl neck. The only things I’d brought that I truly liked.