Page 39 of Bull Riders Don't Swoon

Griff pulls his arm away from his face and raises an eyebrow. “We’re on to pet names already?”

My cheeks burn as I realize it just sort of slipped out, just like the affection I have for him. Both catch me off guard, but not in an uncomfortable way.

“Well, I brought you coffee, so if you don’t like thename, I get a pass on that.”

Carrying the cups over to the bed, Griff pushes himself up and leans back to accept the mug. I place mine on the bedside table before making myself comfortable next to him.

He takes a sip and hums. “It’s good coffee. I’ll allow it.”

“Would it be crossing lines if I kissed you good morning?”

Griff holds my gaze, and I watch all the emotions flash through his eyes. Hope, tenderness, lust and finally fear. It feels like an eternity before he finally answers.

“Not at all. I’d actually like it. A lot.”

Taking his mug, I set it next to mine on the nightstand before turning to him and cupping the back of his head before leaning in.

“You know I’m competitive and I won’t turn down a challenge,” I whisper across his lips before kissing him again. But it’s no quick peck. Licking past his lips, Griff opens for me and kisses me back. I love the way his lips feel and how his hand rests on my chest.

He’s both soft and hard, open and guarded, but most of all, he’s giving it back to me with a vulnerability I can practically taste. While my skin tingles with all the possibilities of what we could do together, I know neither of us is ready to go there yet. But this? Making out with Griff fills a crack in my being that I’ve ignored.

Finally pulling away, we stare at each other. With swollen lips and wide eyes, Griff looks like nothing I’ve ever seen before.

“Was that better than nice?” I rasp.

His finger runs along my bottom lip. “You know you have a habit of chewing your lip. I’ve always wished I could reach out and save it from your teeth when you do that.” He leans forward quickly and kisses my cheek. “Much better than nice. It was perfect.”

Griff, my best friend who protects people from bulls in the ring and has had his fair share of bangs and bruises from bulls, blushes. The pink spreads to his neck, and I’m awestruck that after all these years of knowing him, I’ve only just begun learning about him.

“What do you want to do today?” I ask as I pass him his cooling coffee mug.

Griff grins. “I saw a sign at the waterfront yesterday that said we could take a boat tour to a beach. I’d love to do that.”

“I’m game.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Why not? We don’t get to do much beach stuff, so that could be fun. There’s like a million lakes here, so we should enjoy one.”

Griff reaches for his phone and pulls up the photo of the sign he took with all the details, then calls to book us a spot. When he ends the call, he’s beaming.

“I got us a spot on the early afternoon tour. They take us to the beach, and we even get one of those sun shelter things.”

“A cabana?”

“Yeah, something like that. She said the towels are provided and there’s a roaming bar, like on a golf cart, but we’re free to bring any food or drink. It sounds like it’s an island resort, but just for day trips.”

Griff is giddy about it until his gaze falls on his cast.

“Oh. I forgot about this.” He raises his arm with a sad smile. “Should we still go?”

“We’ll pack bags and tape, and we can wade up to our waists to cool off. It’s still a day in the sun and relaxing. You wantto go, so we’ll go.”

“It won’t be as fun to not swim.”

Griff stares at his cast, and I suspect he thinks the situation will somehow dull my enjoyment of it.

“I’ll have a great time without swimming, and so will you. Why don’t we pack what we need, get some breakfast, and then stroll around that boardwalk we saw in town?”

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