Page 66 of Outlaw Ridge: Griff
The rhythm started slow, unhurried, but deep. Each stroke a conversation of its own, saying what words hadn’t been able to. Her hands traced the lines of his back, holding him close, grounding herself in the feel of him. Warm skin, taut muscle, the soft brush of his breath against her neck.
The pressure built slowly, winding tighter with every motion, every kiss, every ragged breath.
And when the rush finally came, fast and full and blinding, they held onto each other like the world outside had fallen away.
For those few perfect seconds, it had.
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Chapter Sixteen
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The smell of fried chicken and cornbread filled the kitchen, the kind of comforting scent Griff hadn’t realized he needed until now.
He slid the cartons across the table toward Lily, handing her a fork as she settled into the seat across from him. They’d both showered, both scrubbed off the day—the gunfire, the chaos, the adrenaline—and now, for a little while at least, they were sitting down like everything wasn’t still on fire around them.
Almost everything.
The heat between them hadn’t cooled. If anything, it hummed hotter now, quiet and steady under the surface, rising with every glance and brush of a hand. She hadn’t pulled away. Hadn’t put up walls or tried to explain it away as a mistake. And Griff wasn’t seeing even a flicker of regret in her eyes.
He didn’t have any either.
But he also wasn’t foolish enough to think they had room to breathe, not with a killer still out there.
They’d come close today. Too close. And someone had sent a gunman into that office with enough firepower to bring down the building. It wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.
Still, as Lily took a bite of her cornbread and let out a low, satisfied sound, he allowed himself to enjoy the moment. The rare calm. Her presence.
“Not bad for diner takeout,” he said, picking up his own fork.
“Not bad at all.” She looked at him, and something flickered in her expression. Warmth, maybe even contentment. “Beats energy bars and murder boards.”
“Barely,” he said with a wry smile.
She smiled back. And despite everything, despite the danger, the questions still swirling, Griff felt something solid settle in his chest.
It wasn’t peace. But maybe it was the start of something close.
Griff was halfway through his chicken when his phone started buzzing on the table. He wiped his fingers on a napkin and reached for it. “Probably Jesse with an update on Everett’s interview,” he muttered to Lily.
But when he looked at the screen, he felt his jaw muscles tighten. “It’s Everett,” he said.
Lily paused mid-bite, eyebrows lifting. “What the heck does he want?”
“No idea.” Griff answered the call and tapped speaker. “Langston?”
Everett’s voice came through, low and anxious. “Someone’s going to kill me,” the man blurted.
Griff leaned back, sharing a glance with Lily. “Aren’t you supposed to be in an interview at the police station right about now?”
“It’s finished. Over and done more than an hour ago. And I said no comment to everything,” Everett snapped. “Didn’t give them anything. And they weren’t thrilled, if that’s what you’re wondering.”
Griff sighed. He could already imagine the frustration on Hallie’s face.
“Why not just tell the truth?” Griff asked. “It’d be easier than letting everyone think you’ve got something to hide.”
“Because the truth doesn’t protect you. It gets twisted. Used against you. Look at Rhett. Look at Margo. It’s all over town they’re going to be arrested. And they probably will be.”
