Saving the Beast, page 13
He stretches his hand out, and we do our handshake before I walk away, forcing myself not to run out of the building in a hurry to get home. I’m just going to do some homework and maybe take a nap. That’s it. I don’t even care if Blair is there or not. My chest constricts immediately at the thought.
Fucking hell, I can’t even lie to myself anymore when it comes to her.
The house is completely silent when I get home. No Mrs. Potts, Chip, or Blair to be found. I know that Mrs. Potts and Chip were going on a homeschool field trip today to the zoo, but I really thought that Blair would be here, and I can’t help but feel the disappointment weighing me down more and more with each empty room I find.
Eventually, I give up and decide to shower quickly because I feel gross and sweaty from practice. Walking into my en suite bathroom, I strip out of my clothes and start the water, finding the perfect temp before hopping in.
God, there is almost no greater feeling than a long, hot shower, and by the time I’m done with my routine, the bathroom is full of steam. I wrap a towel around my hips and open my bathroom door; cool air chills the water beading down my chest.
Shit. I forgot to grab clothes from my closet.
A shiver runs down my spine. There’s a rather small closet in my bedroom that I only use to store my hockey gear. I keep my clothes in one of the bedrooms, which I converted into one big closet.
As I open the door and step into the hallway, I smack straight into Blair, holding a hand up like she was about to knock. She reaches out, grabbing on to my torso to get balance. My eyes slam shut as I bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself from doing something I might regret. Like tugging her into my room, grabbing her face, and kiss—
“Sorry, I was just …” She trails off as her eyes fall to the towel hanging low on my hips.
The heaviness in her gaze is not helping me stay under control.
Her lips part as she studies every inch of my bare skin. Her scorching gaze warms me to the core. My cock twitches, and as the towel lifts, her eyes widen, and her cheeks flush the prettiest shade of pink.
Fucking hell, I need to get out of here before I drop the towel altogether.
Her breathing is shallow as I do something I definitely shouldn’t do. Reaching out, I gently tuck her hair behind her ear, exposing that intense blush even more. Her tongue wets her bottom lip, and I bite the inside of my cheek again, hard enough to stop me from pushing her against the wall and finding out how sweet her mouth tastes.
My entire body is on fire, every inch sparking with desire. Shutting my eyes, I hear our breathing fill the silence, heavy, needy, and panting. It’s not just me. She’s right there with me, waiting to see if one of us makes a move.
And I do the hardest thing I’ve ever done.
Stepping aside, I walk the four steps down the hallway to my closet and shut myself inside. I’m hard as hell from the almost kiss we had and the thought of finally giving in to whatever is growing between us.
Dropping my towel, I pump my dick from tip to base as the image of her heated cheeks and lust-blown pupils flashes in my mind. Rolling my head back, I imagine her hand wrapped around me.
“Fuck!” I whisper and release my dick.
I can’t imagine what it will be like when I part those pretty lips with my tongue and show her exactly how I feel. But until it’s her bringing me over the edge, I’m not doing it. It’s not a matter of if, but when. Because sooner or later, neither one of us will be strong enough to stay away. As out of control she feels in life, she has the reins when it comes to me.
My emotions have always been a beast of their own to conquer, and plenty of times, they still get the best of me. But I don’t want them to control me when it comes to Blair. I won’t let them.
When I’m dressed and ready to emerge from my hiding spot in the closet, I tiptoe into the hallway and quickly dart back into my bedroom. I crash onto my bed and type rapidly into my phone, pressing Call on one of my dad’s old friend’s contacts.
David answers on the second ring. “Hello? Griffin, is this really you?”
“Yeah. Is now a bad time?” I ask, my nerves twisting and knotting together with unease.
I haven’t spoken to David since my family left, and that was years ago. I don’t know if David hates me for what I did, but I’m hoping after all this time, maybe he’s forgiven me.
“No, not at all.” His voice is kind, and my shoulders relax. “What’s up? How have you been?”
“I’m doing fine. Thank you. How are you and your family?” I ask in return.
“Doing really well. Thanks for asking. You guys have been doing great this season. You’ve turned into quite the player over the years,” he praises me, and my chest warms with his compliment.
I can’t believe he’s been watching me play. He has no idea how much that means to me. The crowd might be packed with Legends fans at every game, but it can still feel pretty empty when I don’t know a single face.
“Thank you, seriously.” I pause, “I’m calling because I have a big favor to ask of you.”
Two hours into the party, I know I’ve accepted too many shots and drinks. I’m fucked up right now. The party itself is pretty laid-back, especially for it being hosted by the baseball team. They are notorious for their parties.
I’ve been sitting on the couch next to Malik for a little while. A cute blonde sits down beside me with a shy smile.
“Hi,” she says softly. “Is this seat taken?”
Her hand slides onto my thigh, and I tense up. I scoot closer to Malik, and the room spins a bit as I settle into the cushion.
“Yes, it is,” I respond, my words a slurry mess.
Her hand is still on my thigh, and with each second that passes, it’s pissing me off more and more.
“Are you here with anyone?” she asks, batting her eyelashes at me and clearly not taking any hints that I’m not interested.
Malik stretches his arm around my shoulders and leans forward, saying, “Yeah, he’s here with me.”
She squints her eyes and purses her lips. “Sure. Whatever.”
She finally gets it and stomps away, and I’m instantly relieved.
“Thank you,” I murmur to Malik as my head rolls back onto the top of the cushion behind me and I stare up at the ceiling before closing my eyes. “Wake me up in five. I need to rest my eyes for a minute.”
He laughs, but it sounds so far away as I become one with the couch. “Let’s get you home, buddy.”
“Holy shit, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him this drunk,” someone who sounds an awful lot like my teammate Asher says.
I’m too busy watching the light show behind my eyelids to respond, so Mal does it for me. “Yeah, I know. I’m going to get him home.”
“Are you good to drive?”
“Yeah. I had one earlier, but once this guy started chugging like his life depended on it, I stopped so I could get him home.” Malik chuckles. “It’s kind of fun, being on the other side of this and watching all of the drunk people for once.”
I start laughing at Malik because that guy is so goddamn funny, and he should know that. Laughter continues to bubble out of me as someone helps me stand up, and my legs are like wobbly noodles as I try to step forward.
As if I can time-travel, I’m suddenly in Malik’s car.
I blink again, and we’re in my driveway.
Is time moving that fast, or am I developing superpowers?
He parks and helps me out of the car, practically dragging me up the stairs to my front door.
“Where are your keys?” Malik asks.
I dig in my pocket, somehow helpful enough to find them.
“Here you go.” I smile as I drop the keys right as he’s about to grab them. “Shit. Sorry.”
“Jesus, Griff, you’re obliterated right now.” He makes a weird noise between a sigh and a giggle as he picks them up and unlocks the door. “Let’s get you inside.”
“Whatever you say, buddy,” I sing to him.
He throws my arm around his shoulders, and we waddle inside.
“I should go to bed. I’m so tired,” I groan as he kicks the door shut behind us.
Without a word, he helps me to the couch, and I crash onto it, never happier to be lying down in my life.
“Fuck. This is the comfiest couch. It’s like it’s made out of clouds or shit.”
He bursts out laughing. “You’re hilarious right now. I’m really hoping it’s clouds though. I’ve sat on that couch before, and I’ll be pissed off if it’s made of shit. I totally should’ve recorded you.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah …” I grin, sinking deeper into the cushions.
“I’m going to leave your phone and keys on the table next to you, all right?” he asks. I hear the clang of my keys hitting the table beside me. “Let’s sit your head up in case you get nauseous. Lift.”
It takes all my power to lift my head as he slides two throw pillows under it, propping me up.
“Thanks, Mal. Love you, man.”
He chuckles. “You too, buddy. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I hear the front door click shut, and just as I’m about to fall asleep, I hear someone walking across the foyer.
Sitting up, I force myself to my feet and mindlessly wander toward the noise. “Malik? Did you forget something?”
I follow the footsteps into the kitchen, and someone who is definitely not Malik answers me.
“Griffin?”
Blair.
My heart jumps in my throat, and blood pounds in my ears, pulsing like the beat of a song that only plays for her. I never want it to stop. She’s frozen with a cup in her hand that’s half full of ice.
She rocks back and forth on her feet, and a shiver runs through me. I love making her nervous.
“Fuck.” My voice is gruff and dry.
The delicate pink silk tank top does nothing to hide the peaks of her nipples pushing against it. I wonder what kind of sound she would make if I took one of them into my mouth. Don’t get me started on the matching shorts. They are clinging to her hips, wrapped tightly around her, as desperately as I wish to be.
Her long hair is falling over her shoulders. This is the first time I’ve seen her hair not tied half up with a black bow. It looks good. It would look even better wrapped around my hand though.
Her lips part, and she studies me. Part of me worries that I said any of that out loud and not just in my mind. Her eyes are hooded, and she’s looking at me with a hunger that wasn’t there before. Or maybe that’s just my stare reflecting back at me.
When I take a small step toward her, she grins and bites down on the inside of her cheek. As I step toward her again, she sets the glass of ice down on the island and backs against it.
She’s only a few feet from me, and I’m more intoxicated by the thought of finally kissing her than I am from any of the alcohol I had tonight.
She sucks her bottom lip between her teeth, and my body twitches. With every step I take, I watch her chest rise and fall faster and faster. By the time I reach her and cage her in with my arms, I can hear her panting, and I would be a liar if I said that it wasn’t driving me crazy.
Every day since I met her, I swear she gets more and more stunning. I don’t know if it’s because she’s opening up little by little, and I’m falling for who she is as a person, and it’s reflected in how I see her. If I’m finally noticing the little things about her—like the freckles that softly paint the bridge of her nose and her cheeks, the gold flecks around the pupils in her eyes, the way her face scrunches up when she laughs, the way she tries to walks through campus without attracting attention even though it’s impossible to not stop in your tracks and notice her. Or the cute way she tucks her tongue between her bottom teeth and cheek when she’s intensely focused. Or perhaps it’s all of the above.
The words slip past my lips without thought. “You’re so beautiful, Blair.”
Without thinking, I reach out and gently cup her jaw. She inhales sharply and settles into my touch. Painstakingly slow, I run my thumb along her bottom lip, memorizing how velvety it feels and how badly I want to do this repeatedly.
Ever so slightly, I lean down and freeze the second I feel her warm breath caressing my lips. I want nothing more in the world than to keep going, especially when she’s looking at me like this—like it’s all she wants too.
I rest my forehead against hers, and even that tiny contact makes my legs feel weak.
Her voice is a breathy whisper. “You’re drunk, Griffin.”
Tilting her head up with my hand, I stare down into her hooded, lust-filled eyes as I brush my nose against hers, and fight the unbearable urge to steal a kiss. “That doesn’t change the fact that you are so goddamn perfect.”
She murmurs my name with such desperation that my shoulders quiver. “Griffin.”
Wetting my lips, I want nothing more than to lift her onto this counter and kiss her into oblivion. She pushes against me, her breasts grazing my chest, and my dick throbs against my zipper. Fuck, I want her so goddamn bad.
But I don’t want her to question my intentions when I first claim her lips with mine. There will be no room for doubt in her mind that I mean business, and there will be no going back. Because once I get a taste of her, there’s no way I’m letting her go.
Swiping my thumb once more across her bottom lip, I pull away before pressing my lips against her forehead. “Good night, Blair.”
Pushing off of the counter, I spin around and head upstairs to crawl into bed.
After I slide between the sheets, I touch my tingling lips and fall asleep, thinking of what it will be like when she’s mine.
My dad called me last night and told me that he’s being transferred to a private hospital to be personally treated by one of the best doctors in the country, Dr. David Cole. I don’t know what strings Griffin had to pull to make that happen, but I am forever grateful.
My father means the world to me. I know he’s across the country in Georgia, getting treatment, but he feels worlds away. I miss him so much. But I wouldn’t really change a thing because at least now, he’s getting the treatment he deserves. All because of Griffin.
Please tell me how I’m supposed to sit across the table from him this afternoon without thinking about our near kiss in the kitchen two nights ago. This will be the first time we’ve seen each other since then, and my stomach is churning at the thought.
Will he bring it up? Will he pretend it didn’t happen? He was pretty drunk that night. Will he remember it at all?
Part of me is considering texting him and telling him I don’t feel well, but unfortunately, I don’t think that’d go over well since I’m a terrible liar—there’s also the fact that he could literally walk into my bedroom and check on me and I’m indeed not sick.
The vibration of my phone gives me a second of reprieve, and I read Lumi’s message.
Lumi: Do not under any circumstances make plans for tonight.
Oh God, what does he have up his sleeve?
Why?
Lumi: It’s a surprise. Just be ready to leave by seven—hair, makeup, etc. Everything aside from your outfit.
This is bizarre, but it’s hard to worry when it comes to Lumi. He always has everyone’s best interests at heart.
Okay … I will. But again, I will ask you, why???
Lumi: To get you out of the house and have some fun. Don’t you have a tutoring session you should be in right now?
Lumi, I will stay home if you don’t tell me what you’re planning.
Lumi: You are no fun! There’s a costume party at the baseball house tonight, and I’m bringing you as my plus-one.
Your plus-one? Who invited you?
Lumi: A baseball player from my Econ class.
Is he cute? Did he like invite you, invite you? Or was it more like, swing by if you’re bored?
Lumi: A mix of both? I’m not sure. He’s, like, a seven, but I’m hoping this is my in to meet a ten.
Wait, did you say costume party??
Lumi: Yes. Why? I can put together some cute outfits for us since I know you have a date with Griffin today.
It’s not a date. It’s a study session. And don’t worry about putting something together for me. I can handle my own. I’ve got a ton of clothes from working at the club that can easily pass as a slutty costume.
Lumi: Okay, I can’t wait to see what you come up with!
What are you dressing up as?
Lumi: A Ken doll.
Okay, but, like, that’s actually perfect. You’d better send me pictures of yours! Do you already have your clothes picked out?
Lumi: Going shopping now.
Okay, I can’t wait to see it!
Lumi: Me too, LOL.
As much as I love the idea of staying in bed and doing nothing but reading tonight, I wouldn’t mind a night out to clear my head because being in the room across the hall from Griffin has my mind cloudy with thoughts, including flashbacks of him in nothing but a towel. Knowing he’s feet away from me is aggravating because finishing what we started the other night would be so easy. But I can’t. Dear God, I cannot do that. What if he fires me? After all, he got rid of his old tutor because she was hitting on him.
What if the other night was a test? What if he was seeing if I would let him touch me?
Whatever his intentions were, I would have, without a doubt, failed. I don’t know when something changed between us, but I know that it’s becoming impossible to ignore.
Griffin and I are meeting downstairs in our usual spot at the dining table in two hours, which means I will get to stay up here in my pretty little cage for a while longer.
