I smiled in the darkness. “You don’t?”
“No fucking way. You?”
“No, not at all. It’s just that…” I paused, and Griffin swallowed hard. I couldn’t see him, but my other senses were on hyperalert. His breath quickened. His cologne smelled even more delicious than I remembered.
“I’m not sure what it meant,” I admitted.
“It can mean whatever we want it to. I’d like to see you again.”
My heart was beating even faster now. “I don’t think Jude will need?—”
“This isn’t about him. I want to seeyou.”
“Oh, Griffin… I’m honestly still reeling from everything I’ve been through. It’s not fair to pull you into all of this.” I’d said all of this quickly, rambling nervously. I paused, taking a deep breath, before whispering, “I’m not ready.”
“I understand.”
“You do?”
“Of course.”
“We could still be friends.”
“I can’t just be your friend, Phoebe. Not after I’ve tasted you. Not after I’ve had you. I could never do it. Not in a million years.”
A pang of disappointment sliced through me.
“So, where does that leave us?” I asked. “After today, we won’t see each other anymore?”
I realized that I couldn’t bear the thought.
For a few seconds, neither of us spoke.
My God, that cologne was giving me wild ideas. What if I jumped him again, right here in this shed?
You can’t do that, Phoebe. Behave.
“We’ll see,” Griffin said. And then I felt his arm by my side. For a fraction of a second, I thought he was going to pull me into a kiss. My entire body vibrated. I parted my lips, even rose on my toes to meet him halfway.
Oh, he just pushed the door open. Light filtered in, blinding me momentarily.
I lowered myself back to my heels, trying not to show how disappointed I was.
He stepped out first and gestured for me to walk in front of him. “For now, let’s go upstairs and pack.”
CHAPTER 17
GRIFFIN
“Stella,we need to hit the ground running on this,” I told my right hand and VP of business development on Monday.
She nodded. “I still can’t believe you got that cantankerous old man to change his mind.”
“It was just luck,” I said.
“Uh-huh,” Stella said, frowning. “You’re never self-deprecating.”
It was all Phoebe. She’d charmed both of them. If I was honest, she’d charmed me too. She’d been constantly on my mind since I dropped her off at her home last night.
