Page 24 of Holding Out

She wrapped his purchase in a pink gift bag stuffed with pink tissue paper.

“Sorry about the packaging—” she said.

Griff shrugged.“Real men don’t mind pink tissue paper.”

Her laughter followed him out of the store.

His last stop was Ocean Front Market, where he grabbed a large box of condoms.He had some in his room, but—

Well, he felt like she deserved a freshly opened box.No need to make her think about the women who’d come before her.

The truth was, none of the women who’d come before Becca had been noteworthy, with the exception of Marina.And definitely no one since then.He hadn’t wanted anyone to be noteworthy, because—

Well, because it still hurt.Not just the night he had come home to find Marina gone, but the other memories.The good ones.The first night after they’d bought the house, when they’d picnicked on the kitchen floor, sharing a pizza and passing a bottle of wine back and forth, laughing and kissing.Making love right there on the floor, and declaring the new house christened.

He had felt so damnlucky.Like a guy who’d woken up from a childhood dream to find the dream wasreal—he wasn’t just playing house, but living it.He had a place to call his own, a beautiful wife who reached for him at night, fucking bacon and eggs on Sunday mornings.He’d done nothing to deserve any of it, but it was his to keep.

And then it wasn’t.

He realized he was standing stock still in the middle of the grocery aisle, staring at the condom display.And goddammit, why did Marina have the power to do that to him?

He realized his free hand was wrapped in a fist and made himself unclench it.

This thing with Becca hadnothingto do with what had happened with Marina.This was justfun.After all, they’d agreed on the rules so it couldn’t get messy, couldn’t get serious.

He put the big box back on the shelf and took a pack of three instead.

Just in case he needed a reminder.

10

“What do you think?”

Becca stepped out of the dressing room to show Jenina the dress she was trying on.It was cornflower blue with a halter neckline that cut away from her shoulders.It fell barely to mid-thigh in gauzy layers.Becca twirled, then quickly dropped her hands to push the dress back down over her ass.

“Wow,” Jenina said.“That is beautiful.And really hot on you.”She narrowed her eyes.“What are you wearing under it?”

“A bra?And panties?”

“Which bra and panties?”

“Does it matter?He’s a sure thing.”

“Oh, it matters.He’s only a sure thing until he lifts that hem up to reveal your favorite cat-print cotton boy shorts.You need to make sure he wants seconds.”

“He won’t want seconds.We made a deal.Rules.One and done.And shit—the first rule of Operation V-Card is, there is no Operation V-Card, so total cone of silence, Jenina.I shouldn’t have even told you.”

Jenina zipped her lips.Then promptly unzipped them.“Honey.If it’s even remotely decent sex, it’s not going to be one and done.And believe me, even if you don’t want seconds, you want him to want seconds.You want all the power to be in your hands.You want him begging for more.Then you can turn on your stiletto heel and walk out.”

Becca squinted at that.She’d never worn a stiletto heel in her life.“That’s not going to happen.Griff can have any woman he wants, and he doesn’t want Nate to know there’s anything going on between us, so he’s going to stick to the rules.”

“Unless you make it impossible for him.”

“How would I do that?”

The words had spilled out of her mouth without her meaning to say them aloud.She didn’t want to leave him begging for more.

Did she?

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