She slapped one hand onto the lip of the hot tub and held tight as Griffin moved on her. He withdrew and then plunged even deeper than before and she groaned even as her hips lifted to meet his. Again and again, he pistoned against her, his hands firmly gripping her thighs, holding her in place while his body claimed hers.
The orgasm he’d given her earlier was nothing compared to what was coming. She felt tension clawing at her. Felt her release hovering just out of reach. She worked for it. Sliding her free hand over his chest and around to his broad, slick back. The feel of him under her hands was nearly as sexy as the feel of his body sliding deep.
Her breath shortened, her heartbeat thundered and the friction within sizzled.
“Griffin!”
“Go,” he urged, his voice a rasp of urgency. “Let go, Nicole.”
“With you,” she said, just as desperately, feeling her climax begin to crash down on her. “Both of us.”
He laughed harshly. “Stubborn woman.”
“Oh, yeah,” she agreed, then clutched his behind and pulled him tightly to her just as they exploded together and rode that flash of heat as it consumed them.
* * *
A few minutes later, they were sprawled in the hot tub, grinning at each other, and Griffin realized he’d never enjoyed himself with a woman as much as he just had. Fling or not, there was more of a connection with Nicole than he’d ever had before, too.
They’d been friends first, he thought and maybe that was the difference. The question was, now that they’d had each other, would they still be friends?
“That was...” Nicole said, floating lazily in the water.
“Yeah, it really was,” Griffin told her, reaching out to stroke one hand along the length of her body.
She shivered. And turned her head to look at him. “Oh, now you’re just teasing me.”
“Just keeping you in the mood.”
“No worries there,” she said on a sigh, “the way I feel right now...”
“Now who’s teasing?” he asked and grabbed her ankle to pull her closer.
She wrapped one arm around his neck and slid her free hand down across his chest. “I can see why you like this hot tub so much. It’s great,” she said.
“It is now,” he told her and caught her hand in his. Her fingers were long, slender. Her eyes were swimming with the glaze of spent passion and banked fires.
He could hardly believe what had just happened. He’d known Nicole for more than a year, and yet now, it was all different. Of course...
He chuckled. “Y’know, if Katie ever hears about this, she’ll kill me.”
“Oh,” Nicole said lightly, “Katie won’t find out from me. I don’t want anyone to know.”
He just looked at her. Griffin didn’t know if he was excited by a secret affair or insulted that she was so determined to keep him hidden.
“I mean, really,” Nicole continued, leaning into him, “I’m in no hurry to tell people that I blackmailed a man into a night of sex, which I completely did—because you so owed me for the kitchen.”
That was something, he supposed. Not that she was trying to hide him so much as she was trying to avoid mention of blackmail. Then he asked, “So have I paid my debt?”
“It’s a good down payment,” she told him with a smile.
“Yeah?” He grinned at her. “Well, it was a hell of a fire.”
“Exactly. Might take a little while to settle up.”
“I’m a man who pays my debts,” he told her.
“Glad to hear it.”
He sensed that she was ready for more, and God knew he was. He couldn’t remember any other time when he’d been this hungry for a woman. When just the brush of her hand against his skin was damn near molten.
No, there’d never been another like Nicole. And when he was capable of rational thought again, he’d have to spend some time considering what that might mean. But for now...
“Come here,” he whispered and met her halfway. His mouth was just a breath away from hers when it happened.
“Mommmmmmyyyyy...”
A warbling voice erupted from the baby monitor and they both turned to look at it. Just like that, the spell between them shattered. Hearing Connor’s voice was like a cold shower for Griffin, and he guessed the same was true for Nicole. She pulled back and reached for the monitor, turning down the volume. Connor’s cries were muffled now, but no less insistent.