“It will be handled,” he vows.
I turn in his lap to face him fully. I have no doubt that he will somehow make sure this trauma doesn’t happen to anyone else.
“I would like that. I’d hate for something to happen to another girl there. I hated that place so much.” My eyes start to fill with tears again.
“Vivian.” Griff’s brows furrow together. He wants me to stop crying but doesn’t know how to get me to. “You’re killing me.”
“You’re fixing me.” I smile through the tears. His eyes widen at my response. “No one has ever cared for me the way you or even Mrs. Putnam does. It almost scares me at times.”
“Why would that scare you? I can’t not take care of you, sweetheart. I love you.”
“See! You even say that. What if you stop saying it or change your mind? I can’t go back.”
“I’ve never said those words to anyone else. They easily slip past my lips for you. There’s no going back for me either. I couldn’t imagine a life without you in it.”
“Oh, Griff.” It dawns on me that I don't really know much about his past or his childhood. I have a feeling we have a lot more in common than I ever realized. That we are two people starved for love. “You know that I love you?” I’d been so caught off guard the first time he uttered those words to me. He said it so easily. Like he’d done it a thousand times before.
He closes his eyes like he’s savoring my words. My heart warms, realizing he needs those words as much as I do. Who knew there was this man inside of Griffin Friarlane? I’m guessing Mrs. Putnam might expect it, but I’m the one who really gets to see it. That part of Griff belongs to me.
“I love you,” I say again, pressing my mouth to his. He moves, pinning me back down onto the bed beneath him.
“I want to hear it again but this time while I’m inside you.” He moves my hands above my head to pin them together with one hand while the other goes between us. He jerks at his pants, and within seconds he’s thrusting deep inside me. “Say it,” he demands, pulling almost fully out.
“I love you.”
He thrusts hard back into me.
“Again,” he orders. Over and over I chant the words until we’re both sent over the edge. Any fears I had about my Griff not wanting me one day fade away. Griffin Friarlane is all mine.
19
GRIFFIN
“Are you sure I can’t put that in the back for you?” I glance at Vivian who’s holding on to her mixing bowl for dear life.
“No.” She shakes her head vehemently. “If it spills, the lava cakes will be ruined. I have to keep the batter perfect. I really want to get it right, you know?”
“All right.” I slow down a bit, doing my best not to turn too hard as we drive through the city and head into the country on the other side. “They’re going to be amazing. I have zero doubt.”
“As long as I follow the recipe and do it just like Mrs. Putnam and I practiced, it’ll work fine… I hope. I mean, I know my pancakes weren’t the best, but—”
“I loved them.” I did, despite the many eggshells and a few other mysterious crunchy bits. All she needs is encouragement. Vivian has more potential than anyone I’ve ever known. “Don’t worry.” I squeeze her thigh. “You’re amazing.”
She blushes as I turn off the highway and down a country lane toward Grant’s estate. “So you and Grant are friends?”
“I can’t say I have many, but yes. Grant and I both run different parts of the city and have found ourselves as allies more often than not. We crossed paths a lot. Eventually, we became friends.”
“Grant and Amelia are a cute couple. I can tell they’re different from each other, but it totally works. They seem super nice?”
“Amelia certainly is. She has a big heart for animals, and she puts up with Grant, so she’s practically a saint.”
“Oh, is Grant bad?”
“Not at all. He’s fierce when it comes to the people he loves, though.”
She smiles. “So are you.”
“No truer words, my love.” I squeeze her warm thigh again and slide my hand higher to tease against the edge of her panties.