Page 22 of Griz's Edge

Marley’s lips part in a gasp, but she doesn’t say anything, just stares into my eyes. “There’s nothing to talk about, Griz.”

“Graham,” I correct her.

I don’t know what it is, but I don’t want her calling me Griz. When she said my name outside by her car, I liked it. Even if she was using it to scold me.

“What?” She blinks, brows furrowing.

“You don’t call me Griz. To you, I’m Graham.”

Before I showed up at her place earlier, I made a decision and I was sticking to it. Marley was going to . . . no, not going to . . . she is mine. She just didn’t know it yet.

“Are you serious right now?” she snaps, pressing her hands into my chest, doing her best to shove me away.

Her shoving was completely pointless since I wasn’t gonna let her get away from me. I like her right where she is.

“Oh, I’m definitely serious. More serious than you know.”

“More like you’re a nutso.”

Grinning down at her, I claim her lips for a hard, quick kiss and let her go. “Let’s get this stuff cleaned up. Then we’ll talk.”

CHAPTER NINE

MARLEY

This can’t be happening. Griz being here. Him seeing my house in disarray. Seeing that someone had come in and violated my home. Sure, they didn’t do more than toss things around, flip things over, and knock stuff off tables. Oh, and I can’t forget the message they wrote in freaking permanent marker on my damn mirror.

But none of that is what I can’t believe is happening right now. It’s the fact that Griz is telling me what’s going to happen.

I swear the man is a total nutso.

I could easily have cleaned up my living room without his help, but I have to admit it’s nice to have him here. Knowing someone was in my home that hadn’t been invited doesn’t sit well with me. I have a security system, and I remember setting the dang thing before leaving the house.

Or at least, I’m ninety percent sure I did. Griz had been at my door when I was leaving, so I could have been distracted. I’m pretty sure, though, that I did set it.

What also got to me was the fact Griz was under the assumption the two of us were going to do the dirty. After heblew me off three weeks ago, I wasnotgoing to just give in and let him between my legs like that. No way. No how. Nope. Nada.

To make things worse, I ended my date early because I couldn’t enjoy my meal with Griz being at the diner. He’d been so close to me, and after that kiss he’d given me, I’d been unable to think of anything else.

David Riggs hadn’t noticed this. He was more about talking about himself and work that when I found the chance to end the date, I did by faking a phone call. It was easy, telling him that I had to go. Something had come up, and he took it all in stride. Even asked me to dinner again, to which I had to tell him I’d have to check my plans for the upcoming week.

What I didn’t tell him was that I had no intention of going on another date with him.

This doesn’t mean I was going to jump right back into things with Griz, either. He freaking ghosted me for weeks. He stood me up and then showed up out of the blue.

Why won’t he just leave?

Right, because he sayswe’re going to get shit cleaned up, talk, then he plans to fuck me. Oh, and he said tomorrow we’re gonna talk some more. What’s there to talk about?

Sighing, I shake the thoughts out of my head and take a breath, readying myself to face off with Griz. It didn’t take long for us to get my living room cleaned back up, thankfully. Whoever did this probably wanted to freak me out, but all it did was annoy the hell out of me. I mean, it’s immature bullshit, in my opinion. Trying to scare me off isn’t going to do anything else but tick me off.

I actually like where I live, and I don’t plan on moving. They’ll have to come up with something else to scare me away.

“Well, that’s done now,” I mutter, wiping my hands on my jeans and facing Griz. “You can tell me what it is you want to talkto me about so you can leave.” I don’t mention him screwing me because I can still remember the feel of his mouth on my breasts.

Griz grins and stalks across the room, coming right at me. His arms come around my waist, and he shifts us, twisting. He sits down on my couch and brings me down on his lap, my legs straddling either side of his hips. “Now that we’ve got the room cleaned up, it’s time we talk.”

“There’s nothing to talk about.” I huff, crossing my arms in front of me, knowing just what my arms crossed does to my breasts. Griz doesn’t even hide his interest in the fact my breasts are pushed upward. Or that my shirt is showing an ample amount of cleavage.

---