I’m no better than everyone else, and I hate it.
“Griffin, wait,” I say, crossing the space between us and grabbing his hand before he can head down the hall. He doesn’t turn to look at me, so I move to stand in front of him. And what I see makes me suck in a sharp breath.
Griffin’s usually sparkling hazel eyes are dull and dark, his lips boast no hint of a smile, and his brow is creased and heavy. He looks so fuckinglost.
Reaching up, I gently smooth the furrow between his eyebrows with the pad of my thumb before running my knuckles across his forehead. It takes a moment, but eventually, Griffin leans into my touch. His eyes flutter but don’t close. They never leave my face.
“You’re not a joke,” I whisper as my heart thuds. My fingers trail down the side of Griffin’s face and drag along the stubble lining his jaw. “You’re not a punchline.”
He still doesn’t speak. Just watches me so intently. Like I possess the secrets of the universe, and he’s waiting for them to tumble off my lips. It’s heavy, the way he’s looking at me. Waiting to see what I’ll do next.
“You’re one of the most supportive, selfless men I know,” I tell him, taking a step closer so our chests almost touch as I look up at him. My fingers still scratch at the stubble of his jaw. “You lift up the people around you effortlessly. You see the best in people, Griffin. Sometimes, I think you see them more clearly than they see themselves.”
Griffin’s Adam’s apple bobs and his breathing speeds up. One of his hands finds my hip and squeezes, which has my breath catching in my throat.
“I mean, you offered to let me move in without a second’s hesitation and never asked anything in return. You figured out what really happened with Isla and Maddox and made sure they worked their shit out. The guys on your team depend on you, and not just on the ice.” My left hand splays over Griffin’s heart while my right cups his jaw. His heart is beating so fast. “I’m sorry Isla’s friends made you feel like a joke, Griffin, but I promise you, that’s not how they actually see you. No one who really knows you could ever think that.”
“My college girlfriend thought that,” he whispers.
I don’t know this story, but I’ll get it out of him one day. And then I’ll look this chick up, find her, and punch her in the tit. “Yeah, well, she sounds like a stupid bitch.”
Griffin’s eyes widen before he barks out a shocked laugh. “Oh, yeah?”
“Mm-hmm.” I nod, my gaze captured by this giant, sweet man’s hazel eyes, which have regained some of their sparkle.
His strong chin dips and his head tilts ever so slightly to the side. “You don’t think I’m a joke, sunshine?” His gravelly voice scrapes along my spine and pebbles my nipples.
I shake my head. “I think you’re amazing, Griffin. And if anyone is sunshine around here, it’s you. I wish you could see yourself more clearly.”
Smoldering hazel eyes hold me captive for a single beat, then Griffin’s lips crash against mine, hungry and desperate. My own lips part with a gasp, and he wastes no time sweeping his tongue inside and absolutely owning me. His hand still grips my hip while the other wraps around my back and drags me firmly against his very broad, very firm chest. And when he lets out a rumbly sound that is reminiscent of a growl, I swear my knees almost buckle.
Griffin walks me backward to the wall and pushes my spine against it, bracketing me with his body. His lips never leave mine, and the hand that was wrapped around my back skims up my side beneath my jersey. When his calloused fingers tug on the cup of my bra and push inside to play with my peaked nipple, I almost buckle.
“Easy there, sunshine,” Griffin murmurs against my swollen lips as his grip on my hip tightens and his knee wedges between my thighs to hold me up. I moan when his muscular thigh presses against my heated core. “I won’t let you fall.”
Without giving it a conscious thought, I reach for the buttons of Griffin’s dress shirt and fumble to undo them as quickly as possible. When the cotton gapes wide enough, I run my palms along his smooth, golden skin.
“Fuck, babe,” Griffin moans against my lips. His fingers leave my breast, and I whine at the loss of them until they tangle in my dark hair so Griffin can tug my head back, angling me to better plunder my mouth.
I hate that he’s been questioning himself. Hate that I ever thought any of those things about him. I want to make Griffin forget his self-doubt and the stupid stories Isla’s friends told at dinner. I want to show Griffin Wright that I don’t see him as a joke or a caricature. I want to make him feel good about himself.
I want to make him feelgood.
With a little shove, I flip our positions so Griffin is the one with his back to the wall. My belly swoops when he looks down at me with lust-clouded eyes. “What are you doing?”
Smirking, I palm his very hard dick through his dress pants and drop to my knees. “Showing you how seriously I take you.” The sounds of his zipper and our heavy breathing fill the apartment.
“Mira, you don’t have to do tha—fuuuck.” Griffin’s head falls back against the wall as I free his cock and suck it down without preamble. I moan as the salty taste of him floods my mouth and take him as deep as I can. I don’t have much of a gag reflex, so I can take him all the way to the back of my throat before my body starts to protest. Still, I ignore my discomfort and hold him there for a few beats before pulling off and sucking in a few deep breaths. When my lungs are once again full of air, I lick along the side of his shaft before taking the thick tip back into my mouth and swirling my tongue around the ridge.
“Goddamn it, sunshine.” Griffin’s hips buck as I suck hard on his cock, my head bobbing up and down his length enthusiastically. And when his fingers tangle in my hair and he presses me to take him deeper, my panties flood.
Making him unravel is one of the sexiest things I’ve ever done. And when his eyes stare at me, so full of awe and affection, my arousal spikes even higher. I may not know how to deal with our marriage, but this? This feels right. Right now, this is exactly what we both need. Connection. Release.
“You’re so beautiful, Mira. God, look at you, taking me so deep.” His hips press forward, making me gag. “Choke on my cock, wifey. I want to see tears streaming down those pretty cheeks of yours.”
God. Damn. I squeeze my thighs together, and I do. I take Griffin so deep my nose bumps against his pelvis. Tears stream down my face as I fight against my gag reflex, and my fingers snake down my belly beneath the waistband of my jeans. I moan around his dick when I swipe two fingers through my dripping folds before playing with my clit.
“Fuck, that’s hot,” Griffin murmurs, his hips bucking more erratically as he gets closer to his release. “Wanna see more of you. That damn jersey is blocking my view.”
