Jake
If Griffin had any objections, he didn't voice them. He remained silent as Kaden taught Skylar how to set up the booth.
“Okay,” Skylar said, “I think I got the hang of it. You two head inside. I think all the instructions are on the screen in there. Just let me know if it works.”
“Sure,” I called back to them. I entered the booth and Griffin followed, ducking his head beneath the low threshold. It was a bit crowded inside with the both of us there, and Griffin had to hunch over because of his height. When the curtain closed behind us, he looked at me and raised eyebrow.
“So,” he said in a low voice. “I thought you wanted nothing to do with me.”
“I don't,” I replied.
He blinked slowly at me, as if deciding his next move. “Then what's all this all about?”
“I wasn't done talking to you,” I said. “And I don't want you to get away before I can finish my questions.”
He examined my face warily but made no attempt to leave the booth, so I figured he was willing to listen.
“Well?” he asked. “Fire away.”
I didn’t waste any time.
“Why are you here?” I demanded.
“I already answered your question,” Griffin said. “I'm here for coffee.”
“Bullshit,” I said. “I don't think you're the type to come to a place like this just for coffee. Or at all.” In a lower voice I added, “If you were, I wouldn't have picked you up the other night.”
His brows raised. “Pickedmeup?”
Before he could continue that thought, I gestured for him to keep his voice down. I didn't need everyone else in the building hearing about my business - especially Skylar, since he didn't know that Griffin was the man I told him about the previous night. I would very much like that part to stay a secret for now, if I could help it.
“Well?” I prompted. “What's the real reason you're here?”
Griffin blinked then said, “My friend wanted to come. It was his idea. And before you tell me that sounds like an excuse, you can go check for yourself.” He gave me a wry smirk. “He probably ordered every single thing off the menu, so you'll be able to see it on our table.”
I remembered that there was in fact another man with him at the table, and he did seem enthusiastic about being there, unlike Griffin. I decided that this was the truth and that he wasn't lying to me.
“I see,” I said. I paused, watching him, waiting to see if you would add anything else. When he remained silent, I said in a quiet voice, “Then I can hopefully assume that you're not here to follow me around.”
His eyes widened in shock. “What? I would never do that.”
“People say that,” I murmured. “It doesn't always make it the truth.”
With the concerned look on his face, he asked, “Is there somebody following you?”
So now he's going to try to play White Knight with me? That's cute.
“No,” I said. “So put your big alpha instincts down before you hurt yourself.”
I could tell by the look on his face that he might have looked offended if he wasn’t amused. A small smile toyed at his lips.
“Fine,” he said. “I will offer you no protection whatsoever.” With a raised brow and a smug voice, he added, “Except for the plastic type that we shared the other night.”
His statement immediately made me blush. “Don't bring that up.”
“Sorry,” he said. “I didn't know you were the only one allowed to make jokes.”
Despite being annoyed with him, and this whole situation in general, I couldn’t deny that Griffin still definitely exuded the same charm he did at the bar the other night. Unfortunately, that charm was what got me into this whole mess in the first place. Now, here in this dark booth, I was painfully aware of how close we were to each other. I could feel his body heat radiating off of him, and smell his clean aftershave.
