Page 7 of Snowed In With the Grump
His eyes darkened, and for a second, I thought he might actually do it. But then he stepped back, running a hand through his dark hair.
"You’re impossible,” he said.
"So I’ve been told." I reached up and patted his cheek, feeling the scratch of his beard against my palm. "Goodnight, grumpy."
I felt his eyes on me all the way back to the bedroom.
Once inside, I slipped between his sheets, surrounded by his scent. The bed was comfortable, but it felt too big. Too empty. Even when I spread my arms and legs wide, I felt like a toddler in an adult’s bed.
I was almost asleep when a floorboard creaked in the hallway.
I opened my eyes to find Griffin standing in the doorway, his silhouette massive against the dim light.
"Everything okay?" I asked softly.
"Just... checking the heat. Making sure you’re warm enough."
"I’m warm." I propped myself up on an elbow, letting the shirt slip off one shoulder. "But there’s always room for more heat... if you’re offering."
He gripped the doorframe so hard I heard the wood creak. "You need to stop," he said.
"Stop what?"
"You know what."
I sat up fully, the covers pooling around my waist. "Maybe I don’t. Maybe you should come over here and explain it to me."
The silence between us stretched. Electric. Dangerous.
Then he took one step forward.
And another.
Until he was standing beside the bed, looking down at me with an intensity that made my breath catch.
"Lucy," he rasped. "You’re playing with fire."
I reached for him, fingers brushing the hem of his shirt.
"Maybe I want to get burned."
4
Griffin
Her fingers on my shirt sent electricity through my whole body. I caught her wrist...meaning to push her away...but somehow ended up holding it instead, my thumb brushing over the rapid beat of her pulse.
"You don't know what you're asking for," I warned.
She rose to her knees on the bed, bringing us eye-level. "I'm not asking. I'm offering."
My free hand moved of its own accord to her exposed shoulder. Her skin was soft under my callused palm.
"I'm not a nice man."
"I don't want nice." She leaned into my touch. "I want you."
"Damn it, Lucy." I pulled back, but she followed, pressing herself against my chest.
