Page 26 of Baring it All (Men in Charge)

I keep my phone in my hand, pull my keys out of my pocket, and head to my car. I’ve got a man and our dog waiting for me at home, and I can’t wait to have Griff’s arms wrapped around me. That’s the one thing that will make this day even better.

30

GRIFFIN

I’m waiting in the kitchen, wondering how Stormy is dealing. Will she come home in tears, pissed at the world, or will she pretend to be alright until she isn’t? One thing I know for sure, we’re going to talk it out, get the hard shit out of the way and focus on the good.

“I hear ya, boy. She’ll be here in in a couple of minutes.” I don’t tell him we’ll be on the beach soon enough. He’d go crazy, bark, wiggle his ass while his grinch-like toes dance on the tile. “You need an appointment with the groomers.” Finn groans, his least favorite part of being a dog. The boy has it made. He doesn’t even leave the house. A van pulls up in the driveway, she grooms him, and within an hour, he’s back to either hitting the beach or sleeping on the couch.

The whir of the garage door is heard in the quiet house. I chose to turn the TV off after her text talking about meeting with Mel. I was half tempted to call Jack. Maybe he could put a damn leash on that daughter of his. I head to the fridge, grab a bottle of beer for myself, open the freezer, and get the bottle of tequila Stormy prefers. Even if she doesn’t need a drink to help decompress, tonight is one to celebrate. A few more ingredients, a flavored seltzer water, a lime, some ice cubes later, and then I get to work on her drink. Stormy doesn’t mind drinking tequila on the rocks. That’s not happening today. She’ll be completely coherent when I tell her how much she means to me.

“Hey, Finn.” I look to the side while squeezing the rest of the lime before dropping it into her glass with the rest of the ingredients. Stormy is on her knees, bag dropped to the side, giving the big lug a hug while she dodges his tongue from licking her face. I’d tell him to relax, but Stormy would counteract my demand and say he’s fine. I let them have their time together. “Were you a good boy today?”

“If you mean coming home to a pile of fur, legs up, dog flat on his back, tail wagging, and in our bed good, then yeah, he had a great day.” Before Stormy, my bedroom door would stay shut during the day to keep him off the bed. When I was gone for those few days, Stormy changed a lot, including my way of thinking. Finn is now king of the house more than ever. She doesn’t seem to care that we now have two vacuums going in the middle of the day to help with the dog hair. She also doesn’t mind that our bed needs to be lint rolled or a blanket put over the comforter and pillows anytime we leave. I told her to shut the bedroom door one time, and she gave me an earful. I laughed and conceded in order not to make a big deal out of something she enjoys.

“Still salty about that, are we?” I take a step back from the counter, the neck of the beer wrapped in my knuckles, and her glass in my hand.

“It creates more work for you, so yeah, I am.” Once I’m in front of her, I offer my free hand to help her up. The sling is as needed these days. The damn thing is a nuisance. One that Stormy made sure I wore non-stop until the doctor cleared me yesterday, a week earlier than I thought he would.

“You help me, so it’s not so bad. Is this for me?” she asks, standing up. My look must say it all. Tequila is not my preference. If I’m drinking liquor, it’s going to be bourbon. Otherwise, I stick to beer. “Hmmm, this is so good.” She takes a sip, her tongue licking around the edge of the class. The Tajin along the rim is her favorite part after the tequila.

“Kiss, baby girl.” My head dips as hers comes up, my tongue gaining entrance immediately. There’s no pretense. Stormy knows what I like, and I give her what she likes right back. My hand guides hers until she’s pressing her palm against my chest, then I’m deepening the kiss. Her tongue chases mine, and a groan rumbles from the back of my throat.

“Griff,” she breathes as my mouth moves from hers, tipping her head back since my hand navigated toward her hair while we were kissing.

“Damn, Stormy, you go to my head faster than a shot of bourbon.” It’s a wonder neither of us spilled our drink on one another.

“The feeling is mutual.” I press a kiss against her one last time.

“Go change. We’ll meet you on the beach. I promised Finn we’d take him to the beach when you got home.” Stormy’s face turns soft, liking that we waited on her when usually, I’d have it done before she’s off work.

“I won’t be but a minute!” She takes another sip of her drink, hands the glass back to me, and runs to the bedroom. Her hands are already at the tight tank top she’s wearing, pulling it over her head and going for the clasp behind her back. Jesus Christ, just like that, I’m rock fucking hard, rethinking meeting her at the beach. I’d do it, too, follow her into the room, pin her to the mattress, and fuck my cock into her sweet pussy while I tell her the words I’m more than ready to say.

“Come on, boy, before you miss out on your evening routine.” I put both of our drinks on the counter, pull my shirt off, and toss it on a barstool. My eyes catch on the built-in bookcase. Stormy asked for help to put her feather collection up on a higher shelf. I was still in a sling, and she wouldn’t let me grab the ladder. Instead, she told me to hold her steady. She climbed on top of it by stepping on the cabinets beneath. My hand creeped up the back of her thigh, grabbed a handful of her ass after she put the red brick with drilled holes in it for each feather. I was more than prepared for her to knock my hand away, and when she needed help down, it was me who stopped her once she was on her ass, thighs spread, and nothing on besides my shirt. A quick pull on the string to my pajama pants had my cock at the ready, and since Stormy was slick with wetness, I took advantage. Her arms wrapped around my shoulders, and I used my good arm to loop the back of her knee over my forearm and fucked her while she stayed exactly as I placed her.

Everywhere I look, there are reminders of Stormy and myself together, and after this evening, there are going to be a fuck of a lot more.

31

STORMY

Iwalk out the back door, my steps hurrying, feeling like I’m missing out on the best time of the day. The sun is slowly setting, and the beach is calm and quiet in the sense that there aren’t a lot of people now. My feet leave the grass after I open the gate and hit the sand, and my eyes lock on Griff. His back is to me, and I watch as he throws the ball for Finn to run off and catch, only to repeat the process again and again until one of us is tired. Most of the time, it’s me. Finn gives me the out, goes to Griff, then is finally worn out. I soak in the moment, but not for too long. If I wait too much longer, a certain man will have no problem cutting it short at the beach in order to bring me down with him.

Griff turns around, giving me a devastating smile, one that he doesn’t give just anybody. He’s got a pair of board shorts on, hitting him a little lower than mid-thigh, and no shirt. I guess I was right to put on my bikini, especially with the way he’s drinking my body up. My pace quickens, ready to be near him. It’s then I notice the small table he brought down. Usually, we only set it up if we’re using the chairs. Today, it holds our drinks, and I love the thoughtfulness in knowing what I’d need before I knew it.

“Hi.” My chest fills with air before I let it out once I’m close enough for him to hear me over the ocean kissing the shoreline. It doesn’t stop, no matter how many times the waves are sent away.

“Hey, baby, you good?” His hand comes out, capturing the loose hair slipping out of my ponytail and tucking it behind my ear.

“I’m good. Great, really. Life is settling down. Melissa gave me some closure I needed even though I probably could have been fine without it. I came home to you for the night, unless you’re going to the bar tonight?” I probably shouldn’t have assumed Griff was staying home tonight. If I had taken the chance to look around the kitchen, I’d have gotten a better idea. I didn’t, but the drinks he made had me thinking differently. Griff doesn’t usually drink on a night he heads to work.

“Good, I’m glad, and you’ve got me for the entire night. Jeremy is back in town. He and Barbie are managing the shifts. We’re going to move Nav up to bartending if he’d like the position. It’s easier to find barbacks than it is a bartender, and the kid deserves a raise.” I roll my eyes. Nav is older than me by a few years. Griff is showing his age with that statement.

“I’m a very lucky woman, then, and does that mean you’ll be home at night more?” I’m pressing for answers, but if things go the way they should, it won’t take me long to get my savings account back to where it was. Griff being Griff refuses to let me help with the household bills. The house is paid off; that leaves the utilities and groceries. Thankfully, since I cook more than he does, I can contribute with food, the one task he hates, shopping of any kind and definitely cooking indoors.

“I fucking hate leaving when you’re coming home. I hate that you’re crawling out of bed when I just got you wrapped around my body. Something’s gotta change, baby girl.” His arm wraps around my shoulder, pulling me into his body when Finn comes running back. A wet and slobbery ball is in his mouth, ready to be thrown. I wrinkle my nose. I’m not wearing shorts to wipe my hands off on. Griff can have fun with that.

“Really?” I can’t manage the excitement in my voice.

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