Page 65 of Counterfeit Connection

“I see you were a big fan of boy bands,” I say in a chuckle, pointing to her Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC posters.

“Don’t make fun. They both had some incredibly good music, and look at their faces. What teenage girl wasn’t in love?”

“You could have at least had some Take That in there.”

“Take That?” she questions like I have three heads.

“Come on. Seriously? They’ve been around for ages. Better in my opinion than BBMak.” I pull out my phone to scroll through my Spotify playlists. “I dare you to tell me otherwise after you give them a go.” I pass the phone to her. “Press play anytime.”

I quickly turn my attention to my suitcase, which has a very sassy cat lying in the middle of it. After lightly shooing her aside, I take my toiletry bag to the small en suite bathroom. When I return, I find no music playing and a petite blonde staring straight through me. “What?” I ask.

“You have a whole playlist with boy bands.”

“I do. And? They have some catchy tunes for taking the piss out of a treadmill when the mood strikes.” Kaitlyn falls back to her bed in a fit of laughter. “What’s so funny?” I ask as I take hold of the sides of her knees.

“You. You’re what’s hilarious and a total conundrum. The great and powerful Griffin Shaw, who has a boy band playlist on his phone, is also now known as a cat dad but will still punch out a complete stranger if the mood strikes. Conundrum.”

I pull her to the edge of the bed by her knees until her thighs rest at my hips. “You say conundrum, I say cultured and willing to try new and unique things.”

She reaches up and hooks her fingers into the waistband of my pants, holding me in place. “Thank you for taking the leadduring dinner. I knew lying to my dad would be hard, but I didn’t realize how hard.”

“I told you; I’d always make sure you were safe and protected, even from your own overthinking.”

Kaitlyn

This isn’t a real relationship, Kaitlyn.

This is a contracted engagement so you can pay off your student loans and help a good man get what he’s owed.

I repeat this mantra to myself, and my heart, as I watch him ready himself for bed. He removes his watch, placing it on my dresser, and his wallet follows suit. There’s something so intimate about watching a man strip his day away until he’s dressed only in linen sleep pants.

“You’re staring, Pixie.”

I instantly pull the sheet over my head. “Are you going to call me that now too?”

I feel the bed take a dip beside me as the heat from his body waves toward me. His fingers pick at the top of the fabric until he pulls it down far enough to find my eyes. “Only to gain your undivided attention. What were you truly thinking just then?”

“Honestly, I was thinking this is the most clothes I’ve seen you sleep in with me.”

Griffin chuckles softly from deep within his chest. “Barriers to prevent the inevitable when I’m around you. However, if you’re in need of a cuddle, I won’t protest.” He slowly falls to his back, waiting for me with open arms. “I’m sensing your need for one.”

He’s right. I do need it.

I shimmy over into his arms as we settle together in the middle of my queen-size bed. Marilyn has taken over the window seat overlooking the rolling hills around the house. She will have birds to her delight to torment in the morning. “How did you know?” I ask.

“You are sometimes hard to read. However, when you’re apprehensive or even a little sad, you have this tendency to bite the inside of your cheek. Most wouldn’t notice, but I have.”

He wraps me tighter in his arms, my front to his back, resting his chin on top of my head. “I do not.”I totally do.

“You’re doing it now.”

Damn it.I release the inside of my cheek from my teeth. “Since when do you know everything?” I nudge back against him playfully.

“I don’t know everything, but I’m starting to learn more and more about you.”

“Griffin?”

“Yeah?”

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