Page 14 of Secrets at Dawn
“That’s near the park.” A car engine roared to life.
“I’m across the street.”
“There was an assault in the park a few days ago.” Of course, Griffin would know about the assault. His dad was the sheriff. He probably knew a lot of the stuff that happened in Fortune Falls.
“I’m the one who called it in.” Maybe he shouldn’t have told Griffin that, but he didn’t see the harm in it.
Griffin sucked in a breath. “You’re the guy who saved Julia?”
Toby hadn’t known the woman’s name, but he supposed that was who Griffin meant. “I just stopped the worst of the attack. They still hurt her.”
“That’s not how she tells it. She said you put yourself between her and the attacker. You fought them off.”
“Yeah, well, the park should be safe for everyone. Dickwad and his friend made it scary, and for that, they will pay.” Toby just had to figure out how to keep Dickwad from spilling Toby’s secret first.
“You’re right. And if it makes you feel better, my dad increased the patrols around the park.”
It wasn’t enough to keep Dickwad and his friends from harassing Toby, but maybe, eventually, Julia would feel safe during her runs again.
Chapter Seven
He pulled up outside a three-story apartment building. Most people who lived there were students at Dinsmore College, so Griffin had never been inside.
He parked in the lot on the side of the building and walked around to the front door. It took him a second to find the apartment number, but once he did, he pressed the button. And then the door clicked, so Griffin pushed it open and walked through.
He saw the stairs sign, so he took them up. It didn’t take long for Griffin to find Toby’s apartment.
Toby opened the door before Griffin knocked.
Once they were face-to-face, Griffin swallowed the butterflies trying to escape from his stomach. “Hi, again.”
Toby smiled, which went a long way in easing Griffin’s mind. “Hi.”
Toby’s cheeks turned a pretty shade of pink right before he averted his gaze. He still tried to get a peek at Griffin through his eyelashes. His shyness came as a surprise. He’d seemed confident and self-assured when Griffin had first met him. Onthe phone, Toby had seemed hesitant for reasons Griffin wasn’t sure about, but otherwise, the shyness hadn’t come through. But here they were, two feet apart from each other, and neither of them knew what to say or do. There seemed to be a tension that stretched between them. Maybe it was sexual, but it could have been something else causing it. Since Griffin didn’t know, he let Toby lead.
“So… do you want to get some coffee somewhere or go for a walk? We don’t have to go to the park if it’s scary for you or whatever. We can walk around the neighborhood.” Griffin loved the craftsman-style homes in that part of town. He loved that era in history when things were about solid wood and built-in shelves. Taking a walk through the neighborhood would be fun.
Toby shook his head and frowned as if he didn’t like his own answer. And then he bit his bottom lip right before he grabbed hold of Griffin’s jacket and pulled him inside.
Griffin nearly fell forward but caught himself before he landed on Toby.
Toby leaned against the wall and smoothed Griffin’s jacket where he’d wrinkled it. “Sorry. I don’t know why I did that.”
Griffin braced himself with a hand on the wall next to Toby’s head and smiled. “I think you know exactly why you did it.”
Toby reached for the door and pushed it shut. And then Griffin heard the lock click into place. All the while, Toby never took his gaze off Griffin.
When he finished securing the door, he wrapped his arms around Griffin’s shoulders and then stood on his tiptoes, pressing his lips against Griffin’s.
Griffin used to think the term fireworks was ridiculous when describing a first kiss. He’d never had it happen to him before Toby, so he didn’t understand what a great first kiss felt like until kissing Toby.
Every cell in Griffin’s body recognized Toby as his mate. He might not know the finer details, like how Toby took his coffee or whether he liked real maple syrup or the fake stuff, but Griffin knew he was the missing puzzle piece. He knew everything in him wanted to protect Toby in every single way. It didn’t matter that Toby had successfully thwarted two men just a few days ago from attacking one of Griffin’s closest friends. Griffin knew letting Toby go meant he’d be setting his missing piece free again. In no way did he want to do that. Griffin wrapped his arm around Toby’s waist and pulled him closer, so their bodies notched together and deepened the kiss.
He told himself he just wanted one taste. Afterward, they could talk. He’d stay up all night if Toby wanted to. He could sleep when he was dead. In the meantime, he’d let Toby consume him.
Griffin licked at the seam of Toby’s lips until Toby opened for him. When he did, that was when he got his taste. He quickly realized one wouldn’t have been enough, so he did it again, only to be met by Toby’s tongue and his whimper. It was the hottest sound Griffin had ever heard.
Griffin could feel Toby’s hardness against his thigh, so he pressed his leg against it.
