Page 85 of What If I See You

My hand slips from her hip around to her perfect little ass holding her against me as she lifts her chin, her eyes closing in anticipation. Never in a million years will I be the guy who disappoints her, so I lean my head down and excitedly connect my lips to hers.

Her mouth is soft and warm. Her lips sweet, like the fruity martini she’s been sipping. She curls her fingers against my chest, grabbing the material of my shirt like she fucking owns me, and hell…who am I kidding? She fucking owns me.

Her mouth parts and her tongue sneaks out and holy hell this woman can fucking slay me with the way she kisses. Wishing I could show that dumbass motherfucker in the bar who Layken belongs to, I take control of this kiss, pulling her against me as tightly as possible and dipping my tongue into her mouth. I sweep it across her lips and she meets me stroke for stroke. A spark of electricity shoots through my body and I moan against her as if I need her air to breathe. She groans into my mouth in response and suddenly my brain is an onslaught of one dirty thought after another. And then just as fast as I started this kiss, I force myself to pull back and end it.

Do not get a boner in the hotel lobby.

Watching Layken open her eyes though, I internally smile when I see how pink her cheeks are.

And how her chest rises and falls a bit quicker now.

And the fiery look in her enlarged pupils.

Hell yeah.

She’s turned on.

“Well,” she says, touching her swollen lips and gazing up at me, “if there’s any doubt who I belong to now, then someone’s not paying attention.”

I’m not sure if her statement is about the guy who came on to her or if she’s referring to me not picking up on her clues. Either way, it’s fine.

I’m good.

“Do you ever have those times where you feel like nobody sees you? Like no matter what you do or how hard you work nobody notices?”

Layken’s words from her very first night with me float back in my mind as I stare into her enchanting chocolate-colored eyes.

“What if I’m paying attention now, Naughty?” I rub my nose gently against hers. “What if I see you?”

She bites the corner of her bottom lip and glances up at me with a heated, wanting look in her eyes. “I want you to see all of me, Griffin.”

Dear baby Jesus, please tell me that means what I think it means.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

LAYKEN

We walk back into the bar slightly more flushed than when we left, much to the amusement of our friends, and hang out for about an hour. In that time, Griffin has been driving me absolutely batshit crazy with his slight touches.

I’ll call them passive possessive.

Each pass of his fingers against my skin lights my insides on fire more than he realizes.

It’s the brush of his thumb over my bare shoulder when he stands behind me at the bar. Or the feathering of his fingers along the side of my abdomen that nobody can see because I’m seated at the end of the row. It’s the way he plays with my hair, the relaxing feel of him combing his hand through it but feeling claimed when he gives it a playful tug when nobody’s watching.

It’s a damn good thing I’m drinking and can blame my reddening cheeks on the alcohol because every time he touches me I want to turn around and beg him for more. Finally, around eleven-thirty, we say goodnight to our friends and head up to our room, his hand protectively wrapped around mine. He presses the key against the sensor and pushes the door open for me and then follows me inside.

I step over to the balcony doors, catching a glimpse of the snow-covered mountains glistening in the moonlight. With nobody on the slopes this late at night, it’s a serene picture.

Griffin steps up behind me, his chest to my back, and wraps an arm around me, his palm sliding over my bare abdomen.

A crop sweater was the perfect choice tonight.

The warmth of his touch, the way he holds me with such tenderness but also a confident claim, it says all the things he doesn’t say out loud.

He leans down and places three lazy kisses against my bare shoulder. “You couldn’t have looked sexier in this outfit tonight if you tried, Naughty.”

“No?” I ask, allowing my head to fall back against his chest.

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