She nods. “Casual.”
After a few moments of silence, she curls her neck against his shoulder. “Well, that didn’t last long.”
Griff snorts. “What? Brian’s career?”
“No. Keeping our—whatever this is—under wraps.”
“I’m sorry—”
“Don’t be.” She gives him a stern look. “I kissed you, Griff. It’s out. And now ... now let’s see where all these bad decisions go.” She tries for a cavalier shrug. “No strings attached.”
“What if I want those strings?” Griff asks.
She drops her eyes.
She’s torn. She knows he wants more from her, but there’s still a piece of her that’s fearful. She can’t give herself over completely until she has an answer about why he left Clover. She knows she should just ask him, stop the hints, stop dancing around the issue, but she’s stubborn. And she’s still hurting. She won’t beg for it. She wants him to give it up. Willingly.
But that doesn’t mean she won’t do this, only that she isn’t all in.
It can’t be love.
It just can’t.
“Let’s just ... play it by ear, okay?” She presses a kiss to his lips before they can turn into a scowl. “What you did tonight ... it meant so much, Griff.”
He brushes a gentle thumb across her cheek, a look of primal protection flickering in his eyes. “I’m your man, Alabama. Ain’t no one talkin’ to you like that. Ever.”
Your man.
Alabama shivers at the words, hating herself for how much she wants them to be true.
The whine of the bus brakes chases away her cobweb of thoughts. Her gaze on the window, on the neon glow of the hotel sign, she says, “We’re here.”
But Griff doesn’t move. “I’m tired of sleepin’ alone, sweetheart.” He holds her gaze, his expression shameless. “Stay with me tonight.”
Her lips part to say no, but she can’t. She can’t refuse him anymore. “Yes,” she says, a rush of heat blooming across her face, in her heart. “Yes.”