Page 101 of On The Rocks

Every muscle burned at the position, but I ignored it and rode him hard and fast.

His palm came down on my ass and the light sting unhooked one last brain-frying orgasm. I collapsed against him, my forehead on his shoulder as I melted like hot fudge all around him.

“Fuck.” He dragged in a shaky breath. “Fuck.”

“We did. We did,” I said, on a laugh against his neck. “Oh, we fucking did.”

He laughed and his rough hands turned soft and gentle.

Exactly what I needed as always.

And that scared me so damn much. He was always exactly what I needed.

“You wreck me beyond measure,” he said quietly.

I just held on, unsure what to say. The sex alone should make me run for the hills. And yet, I couldn’t. I didn’t want to.

Finally, we cleaned up and got ourselves situated. I picked up my hobo bag and pulled out a lacy black pair of high-waisted panties and waved them at him. “Now that I’ve killed you.”

He laughed. “Good. It’s bad enough your legs make me insane. Knowing you were bare would have me beating the hell out of too many men.”

“You sound like Kain when he talks to Bells.”

“Well, he’s damn right.” He zipped up his jeans and opened the door. Only then did I notice just how fogged up the windows were. “Call me caveman all you want.”

I wiggled into my panties and pulled the skirt of my dress down, then I slid across the bench seat with him. I grabbed my license and cash, then I stashed my purse behind his seat. He helped me down, shut the door, then he pinned me to the side of his truck with a kiss that blew off the top of my head.

Then he stepped back, laced our fingers together and stared down at me with an unreadable face.

“What was that for?”

“To hold me until I get you home later.”

Unnerved and a little shaky, I was glad I gripped his hand as we headed to the bar. There was a crush of people on the faded porch and still more loitering around the sides of the building. Music poured from the door and the windows. I could feel eyes on me as we climbed the stairs.

Ignoring them, we waited to pay our cover and go inside. Before I could pull out my money, he paid for both of us and handed me two paper bands for our wrists. Once we got inside, he held out his wrist for me. I attached his then mine before we pushed into the packed bar.

There was a super young guy on the stage with his guitar. His hair was shorn tight to his head, telling me it was Bridger. He had more hair than I did, I was pretty sure.

The guy was pretty decent. I caught Griffin taking a video, then he was making some sort of notes on his phone. I noticed he used his voice app quite often. It was always interesting to see him in work mode. There was an extra sharpness to his features, and he often toyed with his toothpick.

We had to wait through two more acts. One was a brother and sister duo, who showed a lot of promise. In a couple years, they’d probably be a force, at least according to the notes Griffin made and I peeked at.

I had to agree.

They were still a little timid, and this wasn’t a huge crowd. The stage at the orchard would probably make them shit their pants.

There was a brief intermission where we grabbed a couple beers before finding a seat with a good vantage point. Seeing how the dive bar operated gave me a few ideas about dealing with busy customers. They used a relay system that seemed to work a bit better for ease of pouring and less chitchat.

When Griffin’s hand landed on my thigh, I dragged my attention back on him. He was still watching the stage, and the hold seemed more possessive than trying to get under my skirt to cop a feel. I wasn’t sure which one was worse.

I was having a hard time concentrating on the activity on the stage.

Even after a few weeks with Griffin, he continued to surprise me with his need to always touch me. Usually, it was my lower back or the back of my neck. The thigh left me restless and tense.

And my body was far too aware of him. When he started stroking the skin just below my skirt, the hum became a buzz. When the strum of an acoustic guitar started, I was ready to kick him off his chair. However, I wasn’t entirely sure he knew how I was reacting.

Seeing him like this was new.

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