Page 110 of Griffin Undone
“How—” But I was no idiot either.Or maybe I am, because…cell phone.I pulled the device away from my ear to stare at it, dazed, my father’s rants and demands registering vaguely, like flies my mind batted away without conscious thought. Only the tone flowed over me, a trick I’d learned as a young girl—or more of a survival strategy, really. The only way to endure the hours of lectures and discipline that had filled my childhood.
“Get your ass outside right this minute and wait for Charlie to arrive. I won’t have you shaming this family.”
That registered. Or rather, slapped me awake. I was bringing shame to our family? Me? My father expected me to marry for his convenience, for the good of his political career, but I was the shameful one? I squeezed down on the cell, the sound of plastic creaking in protest satisfying something inside me that ached to burst free. Too bad I wasn’t strong enough to pulverize the damn thing.
And yet, a large part of me believed him. Always had. After all, if I wasn’t shameful, he would love me, right?
No. Wrong. You’re not going to let that bastard poison you anymore, Abby.
I wasn’t the Hulk, able to crush a cell phone with a single twitch of my fingers, but I was strong enough to drop it into the trash can full of wet paper towels and walk out of the bathroom without looking back. In the hall, the sight of Levi leaning against the wall, obviously waiting, hands stuffed into his pockets, brought me to an abrupt stop. My mouth went dry. I’d spent my life trying to please a man, and look where that had gotten me.
I was already bringingshameto the Roslyn name; maybe I should embrace the role instead of letting my father’s words cut me to pieces.
I moved closer. One side of Levi’s mouth tilted up, and he wrapped those big hands around my hips the minute I came within reach. A gravelly rumble escaped him, sinking beneath my skin and sending shivers to the deepest part of my being. Heavy-lidded eyes devoured me, shouting a desire I found hard to believe, but it was there nonetheless. Hunger. Pleasure. That look sent a surge of desperation so strong through me that I couldn’t speak if I’d wanted to.
It’s now or never, Abby.
I didn’t stop or slow. I moved into his space until my body was pressed firmly against his, lifted my chin, and met the lips that lowered to mine.
CHAPTER THREE
His fingers bit into my hips, holding me tight, bruising with the force of his desire—and I reveled in it. I’d gladly bear bruises if it proved that, for once, someone wanted me, Abby Roslyn, not the daughter of politician and wealthy businessman Derrick Roslyn. Levi’s grip, the way he opened his mouth and let me in, the urgent push of his erection against my stomach said this was about hunger, not status. I needed that, wanted it with a desperation that probably made me pathetic, but so what? My entire life probably seemed pathetic to most people.
It was time to leave that old Abby behind. And what better way to do it than with an act that would also give me pleasure?
I retreated just enough to meet Levi’s eyes. They burned with the same intensity as his touch, reassuring me, fanning the flames that already consumed me. I swallowed hard. “Would you…”
His fingers speared into my hair, tangling in the thick length, his palm big enough to cup my head. That touch steadied me, secured me. I couldn’t fall with someone that strong holding me. “Would I what, Abby?”
“Would you like to go someplace more…private?”
Silence. I dug my teeth into my bottom lip, that “not acompletefool” prayer echoing in my mind for the umpteenth time. Maybe he expected a quick screw in the bathroom? But I didn’t want quick. If I was going to do this, I wanted it to last.
Levi stroked a rough finger over my mouth, forcing me to let go of my lip. “Are you sure that’s what you want? You don’t really know me.”
I know I want you. I know you want me. I know I don’t want to be locked in a cage with no way out.“I know enough.”
This time he kissed me, forcing me harder against him until my curves melded into the nooks and crannies of his powerful body. I could feel the demand, the hunger in his tight muscles as he bent me to his will. Wise or not, my body softened against him, surrendering control, yielding to the ferocious roar of desire, both from without and within.
When the kiss ended, I could only hang there, a broken reed in his hands, desperate for Levi to put me back together.
“Let’s go.”
My laugh trembled as much as I did. “I’m supposed to walk after that?”
Levi grinned. “Don’t worry. I can carry you if necessary.”
I eyed the broad stretch of his shoulders. “I bet you can.”
We’d just reached the end of the hall when I caught a glimpse of the front doors, situated to our left. One side opened, and in walked Charlie, my dad’s chauffeur. My ride was here.
I jerked Levi to a quick stop. “Maybe we could go out the back?”
His dark brows knotted up. “Your friends will wonder what happened to you, won’t they?”
My heart thumped in my throat as Charlie surveyed the crowd, frowning. He was just as capable as Levi of hauling me out of here, willing or not. He’d never had to do more than threaten before. “I’ll text them.”
Suspicion tinted his gray eyes. He scanned the bar, his hand tightening around mine. Whether he noticed Charlie or not, the tension in him rose, and he turned back to the hall, his arm coming around me. Without a word, without question, he protected me in a way my father never had. Stranger or not, he’d just given me something I’d never had before, and the fear of the unknown, of leaving this building with a man I’d met a mere hour ago, with the intent of making myself as vulnerable as a woman could get with him, disappeared.
