Page 13 of No Going Back
Shit. He was already fucking this up. “I didn’t mean you should step away.” Griffin struggled to find what to say next. “I was just saying that bringing someone in to help can be tough at first but might make your life easier in the end.” He clamped his lips together, determined to keep them that way.
He never knew how to say things right. Especially when it came to women.
So he did the smart thing and learned to keep his mouth shut. Stayed quiet even when they screamed in his face and hurled everything he owned out the windows.
Luckily, Dianna didn’t seem too bothered by his misspoken words. She gave him a sad smile, wiping at a line of water as it trickled down her neck. “It would definitely make things easier to have a second set of hands right now I guess.”
Griffin pressed his lips together, fighting to keep control of the offer trying to spring free.
He couldn’t do it.
Shouldn’t do it.
He was supposed to be focused on Troy. On building their relationship.
Not on spending time getting close with another woman who would undoubtedly hate his guts one day.
But he’d never been able to resist the opportunity to pretend he could be someone’s knight in shining armor.
“I can help.”
FIVE
DIANNA
THIS DAY WAS becoming a nightmare.
She thought it couldn’t get any worse. Thought her sink exploding spontaneously and soaking down everything in a ten-foot radius was the absolute most terrible thing that could happen.
Then Griffin showed up in all his glory to bear witness to the mess she’d created and prove her wrong.
“You don’t have to help.” Dianna shook her head, keeping her arms across her chest so she wouldn’t start shivering uncontrollably as the chill of the air conditioning sank through her drenched shirt and straight into her skin. “I’m sure I can get this under control.”
She’d figure it out somehow. It might take her all night, but this place would be clean and dry when the first customer showed up in the morning.
Griffin seemed unconcerned with her protest as he reached down to lift one of the airtight containers off the floor, holding it up as water dripped from the base. “Man. It looks like everything is soaked.” His blue eyes lifted to where she stood before drifting over her goosebump-covered arms. “Are you cold?”
Her teeth tried to chatter in confirmation so she clenched them tightly together. “I’m fine.”
Griffin set down the tub before grabbing the hem of his T-shirt and yanking it over his head, baring his entire upper half before she had the chance to blink. He held the shirt between them. “Here. Trade me.”
“Um.” Dianna swallowed hard. It seemed as if every word of the English language fell out of her brain the second she was faced with Griffin’s bared chest.
She knew he was attractive. There was absolutely never a question about that.
But part of her secretly hoped he was soft around the middle. Squishy in a way that would make it a little easier for her to cling to the hope that maybe one day Griffin might look at her as more than just the woman who sold him cinnamon rolls and coffee. It was an unlikely scenario, and one she didn’t even really want.
But it was still fun to imagine.
Unfortunately, it didn’t appear her cinnamon rolls were having any sort of effect on Griffin’s figure. Every inch of him was solid and lean. His shoulders were broad and toned and his flat abs made it clear he didn’t spend much time laying around letting calories collect.
Griffin’s lips slowly pulled into a wickedly tempting smile. “Take it. You’ll feel better. I promise.”
Thanks to years of being conditioned not to argue, she automatically reached for the shirt. But then she just stood there. Holding it.
There was no way she was stripping down in front of this man. Not now that she’d seen how fucking perfect he was.
Griffin quickly solved her dilemma. Almost as soon as she took the shirt, he turned, putting his back to her as he continued talking.
