Three Rivers (30 page)

"Oh, I don't know, I think I'm okay with staying in for now. What do you think?"

He sat next to her, running his hand through her hair and down the length of her body. "I think staying in sounds wonderful. Is this my surprise?"

"One of them. Do you like it?"

"One of them? Damn woman, I love it, though I can't even begin to dream of what the others are if this one is any indication."

"Oh, they're good. Trust me."

"Well, I should give you the surprise I have for you first then."

"You got me something?"

"I did." Griffen reached in his jacket and pulled out a light blue box.

"I do love that color. Is it…?"

"Tiffany's? Yes."

"Griffen, this is so thoughtful of you, but it's too much. You already brought me here, took me to a lovely dinner."

"It's not nearly enough Althea. I've had such an amazing time with you and couldn't wait to give this to you."

"Well, in that case, I guess I can't refuse." Althea pulled the white ribbon, grinning from ear to ear. She hadn't received jewelry since her engagement and wedding rings. Jack had been loving and generous, but money had been tight with him working at a university and her in school. She wouldn't let him waste money on extravagances like that, but honestly, what woman could deny loving a little blue box?

She opened the box and gasped at the sight. It was a gold chain with a large pendant of tree branches, each with a perfect creamy white pearl at the end.

"Griffen, it's so stunning, I love it." She looked at him and curled her lips into a suggestive grin. "Though, after what we did last night, I'm not sure what to think of you buying me a 'pearl necklace.'"

He barked a laugh and kissed her. "Damn, so my good girl is turning bad. What a dirty mouth I've given you."

"I like everything you do to my mouth, dirty or otherwise."

He groaned and kissed her again. "I ordered it before we got here, I swear. I saw it online, but it didn't have the pearls. I requested they be added on a rush, because it's your birthstone. That it turned out to be a reminder of how good you made me feel last night is just a bonus," he added with a dirty smirk. "Here, let me put it on you." She pulled her hair away and he fastened it around her neck, slowly caressing her skin as he pulled his hands away. He kissed her and licked the skin around the spot where the pendant hung deeply in her cleavage.

"I didn't know Tiffany's would do things like that!"

"For enough money you can get people to do just about anything."

She blushed, "Griffen, you don't have to spend all this money on me."

"I've missed a lot of your birthdays. And I've made a lot of money over the years. I never wanted to spend it on anyone except for my mom before you, so humor me, please."

"Well, then, I can't say no. Besides, it will remind me of our fun time together when you're back up here being all Bond villain again," she said with a kiss but fell back against the cushions when she saw the sadness and frustration on Griffen's face, quickly replaced by resolve.

"About that. I was thinking — considering how much you like the neighborhood here, maybe you could come up here and visit me sometimes? You know, help me scope out fluffy white cats for my secret lair and all..."

She looked away and choked out, "Griffen, it's hard for me to get away from Pittsburgh."

"Then I can visit you."

"I think Johnny would like that," she answered, wincing at the words.

"Johnny? What about you? What are you really saying?"

"I just don't think it's a good idea to extend this."

"Come on, you're being kind of ridiculous here."

"Excuse me if I'm
ridiculous
," she huffed out. "That's how I feel."

Her heart raced and she suddenly felt panicked. So much of her wanted to say yes, but guilt and fear met each hopeful thought, quelling her desires. As much as a selfish part of her wanted to see him again — felt ill at the thought of him leaving for good — it was too quiet a voice next to the screams of loss and regret that had occupied her life for years.

She looked him in the eye and tried to feign courage when she said, "Point is I think it will be really hard to keep our boundaries if we do that. Besides, I know you live like a playboy when you're up here — I don't exactly fit into that."

"What are you talking about? A playboy? Do people even still use that word?"

"If the smoking jacket fits...I was greeted by a lovely note under your door from 'Vicky' when I got back today. She said she watered your plants and would be around for you to thank her in your 'special way.'"

"What? I haven't spoken to Vicky in weeks. I had no idea she'd do that."

"It doesn't matter. When all this started you told me you didn't have relationships. That you just do sex. That's your lifestyle."

"My lifestyle? Seriously, Althea..." he said through clenched teeth.

She softened, "Look, I know you think I'm being crazy, but please, don't be mad. I wasn't even going to mention the note, but it did make me even more sure that sticking to the plan makes sense. It's just too much for me to think about to be more than that. I'm really sorry, but going back to our own lives is going to be for the best." Tears started to sprout in her eyes and she could see his anger fade.

He hugged her close and whispered in her hair. "Please don't cry, gorgeous. I didn't want to upset you."

"Thank you so much, Griffen. For the necklace, for everything." Her voice broke on the words. "It all makes me feel very special."

She could see he wanted to say something, but he cleared away a frown and said, "You
are
very special. I want you to remember that every day." He touched the pendant gently, then lowered his head to inhale her neck deeply. "Mmm. I had to buy you something, I couldn't help myself. I thought it looked like tributaries on a stream, it reminded me of how much you like watching the rivers."

"What a poetic gift from my favorite writer," she said with a smile. "I love it. It really is beautiful, it's perfect for me."

He cleared his throat and she could see he was forcing a smile.

"Now, I think it's time for you to surprise me, right?" he said kissing his way up her neck, rubbing his fingers into her hair. She could tell he wanted to lighten the mood and she let him.

"Oh yeah," she said, as he began running his hands over her breasts until she felt the familiar tightening and twitching in her core.

"Let me show you what I got before you make me too stupid to think again."

"I like making you stupid," he groaned, sliding his hand down her body then pressing the heel of his palm against her mound and licking little circles against her neck.

Althea giggled, "I like you making me stupid, too. That's why I bought what I did." His head jerked up, and she felt his dick follow suit against her leg. "Now I have your attention, stud. Give me a minute."

"You got it," he said, eagerly dropping his hands.

"And Griffen."

"Yeah?"

"I think we should order dinner in."

He smacked her ass, making her squeal. "Hot damn, gorgeous, you'd better get in there and get my presents before I burst with excitement...
literally
," he added with a wink, looking down at the significant bulge in his pants.

Althea giggled and ran into the spare bedroom where she'd hidden her purchases.
This is going to be fun
, she thought with a grin.

She smiled as she laid out the vibrator, silk scarves and lace blindfold. She called Griffen in and laughed as he stroked each of them lightly and smiled. "Holy shit, Althea, are you trying to kill me?"

"You like?"

"I
love
."

"And I know boys love toys, so I got one of these, too." She held up a ring with a vibrating bullet on the top and bottom of it.

"Well, that's certainly new to me. How does a sweet little thing like you even know about this stuff?"

"Well, I may be a good girl that has only had sex with four guys in her whole life..."

Griffen grimaced, "Can we not talk about your prior sex? Please."

"Oh, right. Okay, well my point is I have had to, er, entertain myself for the last almost six years, I've learned a lot about this kind of, you know, stuff."

"I'm looking forward to enjoying this with you, that's for sure. Where'd you get it?"

"A few different places near here, Lower East Side, Soho. Did I mention I love the location of your apartment?"

"You did once or twice, and I'm starting to love it even more. You'll be happy to know, I didn't even know this was around here."

"Sure you didn't," she teased.

"You better get into that bedroom and teach me what I've been missing all this time."

He swatted her bottom till she grabbed her goodies and ran into his bedroom. After their intense discussion, she was eager to get back to enjoying each other and teaching this sexy man a thing or two.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Althea laughed and it warmed Griffen's entire body. They'd taken an early flight back to Pittsburgh that morning and were grabbing a coffee and pastry downtown before Althea needed to go to work. He noticed a crumb at the corner of her mouth and reached across to move it gently between her lips. They curled into a smile while she trapped his eyes with her powerful gaze.

"Why thank you, sir," she teased, the word reminding him of all the naughty games they'd played the night before in his apartment. God, just the thought of seeing how sexy she was when he'd walked in the night before was enough to make him hard, but add in the toys and her complete openness to him and he felt completely undone. He'd used the vibrator on her in the bedroom. The ring on himself in the shower. Then they'd both had a round of the blindfold and ties in his study.

It was a miracle he could walk today, much less make the flight. But it wasn't just the erotic fun they shared that stuck with him, it was the warmth of her in his arms in his bed, the way her smile made his apartment finally feel like a home, instead of a cold place he simply used as an outpost.

Griffen couldn't stop smiling and suddenly felt something so powerful working its way through his limbs, his throat, his heart, and his head. It was as though an electric shock had started in his center and moved out to his fingertips and toes, up into his mouth — forcing him to tell her how deeply he cared for her. He fought it down, fixating on the bitter memory of how soundly she'd rejected even the simple proposal of them visiting each other. She didn't want more from him and he needed to accept that.

She would never let herself love him and that made Griffen want to punch a wall.

Althea's phone buzzed and she looked at it with a scowl.

"What is it?"

"A text from Curt."

"Curt? The doctor from Johnny's party?" Griffen's hands clenched around his coffee.

"Yeah, he's asking me to go to dinner with him tonight. It's so awkward since he's friends with Jenna."

The thought of her with anyone else made his chest hurt and his blood boil. She'd made it clear she wanted him to stick to the plan, the whole point of which was to help her be able to move on...probably with a guy like Curt. He wanted to do the right thing even if it felt like chewing on glass.

"Maybe you should go."

"What? I thought we would spend tonight...I mean..."

"Your plan was that I leave soon, right? And you get back out there, ready to take a risk without guilt, right?" Griffen said through clenched teeth, hoping she wouldn't see the fists at his side and the grimace on his face, "now's as good a time as any, right?" He swallowed through bile and what felt like sawdust in his throat.

Maybe I'm getting the flu
, he idly thought in a lame attempt to fool himself.
Yeah, you've come down with a case of acute dumbass. You fell for her and she doesn't want you
.

"Baby steps, right?" Griffen added as lightly as he could through the acid rising in his throat.

"You think I should say yes to dinner
tonight
?"

"Is there a reason to wait?"

Please say there is. Please
.

"Uh, I guess not," she said softly.

Fuck
.

"So, okay, that's great then."

Why can't I just shut up?

"Yeah, great," she said, and her downturned eyes and quiet voice stabbed straight into his heart. He wanted to kill anyone who put that look on her face, but he was the one doing it. "I guess I better call him and see if he can still do it. I, uh," she looked up and Griffen thought he saw her eyes water but she quickly blinked them away. When she looked back at him she was beaming with a huge smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Thanks for breakfast and the advice. I think it is a great idea!" She stood up, grabbed her bag and rushed out of the café, almost knocking over a chair in her haste.

Griffen followed her with his eyes and saw his reflection in the glass — miserable, angry and definitely alone. He slammed his fist down on the table, gathering the attention of multiple other patrons. "Sorry, I just can't get over last night's
Pirates
game. I really thought we had that one." His lame statement was grudgingly accepted and a couple folks muttered their agreement. Griffen gathered his trash and started to leave thinking that the most disappointing loss was the one to which he'd just surrendered.