“Griffin.”
Her moan was so low I almost didn’t hear it, but the sound of my name from her lips sent a bolt of lust straight to my dick. It never occurred to me to have her call me Cross, but now that I’d heard my real name in the throes of passion…I was gonna make sure she screamed it every chance I got.
My fingers moved hungrily, sliding upward to caress the soft weight of her tits, cupping them through her dress. She whimpered into my mouth, arching instinctively toward my touch. Unable to resist, I traced a fingertip along the low neckline of her dress, slipping it beneath the fabric to graze it over the stiff peak of her nipple.
Hannah moaned louder, her hips involuntarily shifting against me in a way that nearly broke my tenuous control. But reason battled fiercely with raw desire.
It was late, and the last thing I wanted was to scare her or push her too fast, no matter how badly I craved sinking deep inside her and claiming her completely. I needed to be sure she’d stay before I took everything she had to offer.
Reluctantly, I forced myself to ease back, breaking the kiss even though every nerve in my body protested the separation. Hannah’s eyes were wide and dazed, her lips parted softly as she tried to catch her breath, and her body trembled slightly beneath my hands.
Taking advantage of her stunned silence, I gently guided her away from the wall, steering her down the hall toward my room, where I’d already dropped her bag earlier. She followed without argument, still caught up in the sensual haze of the kiss.
“Get ready for bed.” My voice was rough with lingering arousal. “Got some work to finish up.”
She blinked up at me, clarity slowly returning, and shook her head. “I’m not taking your bed, Cross. You’ve done enough. Just point me to a guest room.”
I leaned against the doorframe, crossing my arms over my chest, and raised an eyebrow. “No other beds, sweetheart.”
Hannah narrowed her eyes, suspicion creeping into her gaze. “This house has five bedrooms. How could there possibly be no other beds?”
I shrugged casually, fighting the smirk that tugged at the corner of my mouth. “Haven’t needed any until now.”
Before she could argue, I turned and walked down the hall. Every step away from her was a battle. My cock throbbed with unspent need, urging me to turn around and take what was mine. I forced myself to keep moving, gritting my teeth against the savage instinct demanding I claim her fully. Now.
Tonight wasn’t the right time. But fuck, walking away from her was one of the hardest things I’d ever done.
I stepped out onto the back deck, shutting the door softly behind me, and pulled out my phone. The crisp, cool evening air brushed gently over my heated skin, helping clear my head a bit. I needed the calm after being so close to Hannah. My self-control was dangerously close to snapping.
With a sharp exhale, I dialed Wizard, the club’s tech genius, and leaned against the deck railing as I waited for him to pick up. It only rang once before his dry, irritated voice greeted me.
“This better be fucking urgent, Cross. I just got Skye down, and she’s finally starting to sleep through the damn night.”
I chuckled softly, hearing the edge of exhaustion in Wizard’s voice beneath his gruff attitude. “Not an emergency. Just checking in to see if you’ve made any headway on my brother.”
Wizard let out a quiet sigh, clearly relaxing once he realized nothing was on fire. “Yeah. I have programs combing through every damn inch of the internet looking for anything tied to Gavin—footage, receipts, bank activity, anything that’ll build us a solid timeline. That bastard so much as bought a fucking soda in the past few months, we’ll know.”
“Good. Let me know the second you’ve got something solid.” I scrubbed a hand down my face. “Need to get ahead of this shit before it blows back on us.”
“You’ll be my first call, man,” Wizard assured me gruffly. “Now, I’m putting out the do not fucking disturb sign. Anyone else interrupts my night with my wife when our kid is finally giving us some alone time…they better be fucking dying.”
I smiled faintly, hearing the underlying affection in his tone even through the blunt delivery. “Got it, brother. Enjoy your night.”
After hanging up, I shoved the phone back into my pocket and turned my gaze to the darkness stretching out over the quiet backyard. The night was silent, but my mind was anything but still.
I rubbed my hands roughly over my face, the reality of the day finally hitting me hard.Fuck. How the hell had so much changed in less than twenty-four hours?
I’d gone from a man who barely had a life beyond the club to being a father responsible for a tiny, helpless human. And fighting a relentless urge to claim Hannah in every possible way. It was enough to knock any man off his axis.
The image of Hannah flashed through my mind, her eyes wide and dark with longing, her lips parted in breathless anticipation. I groaned softly, my cock twitching at the memory. Sleeping in the same damn bed without touching her tonight would be fucking torture.
Eventually, I pushed away from the railing and made my way back inside, my steps quiet as I moved down the hallway. When I entered the dimly lit bedroom, my breath caught sharply. Hannah was sprawled in the center of the king-sized bed, one arm thrown across the pillow, the other resting softly against her stomach. The gentle rise and fall of her chest was hypnotic, the soft glow from the bedside lamp illuminating the beautiful linesof her face and the tempting curves of her body. A faint smile lifted the corners of my lips despite myself. Damn, she wasn’t just sexy as hell—she was fucking adorable.
I stripped down to boxers and slid into bed, careful not to disturb her. Then I settled onto my back and stared up at the shadowed ceiling as my muscles started to relax, exhaustion finally creeping in.
Not even five minutes later, Hannah let out a soft sigh and rolled toward me. Her lush body pressed flush against mine, her leg draping across my thigh, and her head resting lightly on my chest. Her warmth immediately seeped through my skin, shooting sparks of awareness straight through my veins and setting me right back on edge.
I swallowed hard, my cock swelling almost painfully. Closing my eyes, I drew a slow, calming breath, even as every nerve in my body screamed for me to roll her beneath me and fuck her until she couldn’t even whisper my name.
