Page 22 of Narrow Margins
“I know, maybe we should get some sleep, it’s all so intense.” Griff takes my hand and looks at me nervously. “Will you stay here, with me? We don’t have to do anything, I would just like you in my bed.”
“Yes.” I surprise myself as much as I do Griff. “Let me go and get a few things from my room.” I’m going to need sleep shorts if I’m lying next to him.
“I’m going to grab a shower.” Griff pecks my lips and releases me.
Rushing back to my room, I pick up my shorts and snatch up some condoms and a bottle of lube. I know I shouldn’t, but I’m not trusting my self-control. My mind is currently on Griff’s wet, soapy body and how I want to caress him.
Getting back in his room, I hear the shower running. Stripping, I step into the bathroom, Griff has his back to me and I see the huge dragon tattoo covering his back. The tip of its brightly colored tail ends right above the crease of his ass.
Reaching out, I trace the outline of the tattoo. Griff stiffens and straightens his back as I caress the rippling muscles. Slowly turning to face me, his eyes dark with desire, his jaw clenches tight as the muscles flicker in his cheek. Cupping his cheeks, I kiss him slowly, desperately pouring every emotion into this kiss. Griff draws me in and, under the pounding, hot water, his hands roam my shoulders and chest. His fingers circle the outline of my nipple and he smiles as the nub hardens under his fingers.
“God, Corrigan, look at you. I can’t believe you want me, I don’t deserve someone as perfect as you.”
This makes me snort, “You’ve got to be kidding me, Griff. Sweetheart, I’m far from perfect. For a start, I’m missing a leg, I have scars and battle wounds that run further than skin deep. It’s me who should be thankful for you.”
I wait for him to comment again but he stays silent as he looks over my body, to the torn, damaged skin over my hip and waist. Then, kneeling, Griff kisses every mark and scar. I reach for his hair and softly comb my fingers through the dark strands. As his touch sends thousands of electric shocks through my body, my dick reacts to his nearness and swells, stiffening mere inches from his face. Holding my breath as he gets closer and closer to my groin, I wait; I want his mouth on me but it was me who made the decision to abstain while we got to know each other. What the fuck was I thinking?
Griff’s nose skims over the short, neatly trimmed pubic hair above my cock but he doesn’t get closer to my dick. His heated breath touches my skin as he travels to the other side of my abs. Then his tongue touches me as Griff’s mouth skims over my defined oblique muscle. Long, open mouthed kisses cover my hip and then move to my chest as Griff stands up again.
“The things I want to do to you, Corrie, have my head spinning. I don’t know what to do with all these new emotions. All I know is that I want you. Above everything else in my life, I want you. Everything else will fall into place.”
“Let’s get out of here.” I murmur, keeping him close to me. Reaching across, I turn off the shower and step out.
“Wait there, let me get a towel for you. I don’t want you slipping again.” Griff steps past me and grabs one of the huge, fluffy, soft towels on the shelf.
Griff seems to know me so well, he can read me and preempt my needs, this is surreal. I towel my body with my eyes glued to Griff as he scrubs his hair, oblivious to my perusal. He really has no idea how stunning he is. Then his eyes catch mine and he smiles, and it hits me: I could love this man.
I dry my body quickly and follow his lead. Depositing our damp towels in the laundry hamper, we go back to his room. Then I realize I have walked through naked and quickly move to grab my shorts. Griff turns as I tug them off the bed and the condoms and lube fall to the floor. Shit! Can this get any more embarrassing?
“Taking things slowly? Are you sure about that?” Griff grins as I pull my shorts up, blushing bright red.
“I was a boy scout, always prepared.” I laugh, relieved at the ease. “Do you want to get into bed?”
“I do now!” Griff laughs and walks to the door of the balcony, “Shall I close this?”
I shake my head and wait for him to get back to me. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, I unstrap my leg and prop it against the wall by my side of the bed. “You sure about this?”
“I have never been surer, you even picked the right side.” Sliding in next to me, lying on his side with his head supported by his hand, Griff looks at me. “You bring something out in me that I’ve never felt before. I grew up very differently than you did, but I think your upbringing was unusual and different to most people’s. My parents are dreadful people: my father is a drunk and my mother is a whore who kept him happy by bringing men and women home, depending on her mood. I haven’t seen them since I graduated, they didn’t show up for it, but Tanner did. I was thirteen when I met Tanner, the man who changed my world. He showed me how to work on a motorcycle and then how to ride them: he gave me a purpose. He took me away from the horrors and the beatings of the trailer I lived in. I had to work hard at school to earn the right to ride, he fed me and taught me how to build up my strength, to be strong enough to cope with the speed and power of the bikes. For six years, he managed me and got me the team ride for the MotoGP. I was lucky that he got to see me win a championship.”
“What happened to him?” My eyes are wide, surprised at how quickly he tells me about himself. I thought I was going to have to coax every word from him.
“He just died, his heart gave up one day. One day I had the man who’d become a father to me, and the next I was alone. He had never married and had no children and he left everything to me. His garage, his outreach program, the one that helped me as a young, vulnerable child, still runs. I help where I can but it’s run by some amazing guys, helping kids out gives them a focus. I’d like to set up another program, we still take in the kids going through a hard life but now we work with the authorities and the local drop-in centers to help with the runaways. Last year, we had forty kids join us, they still get to learn all the basics but we work on cars now, too. They still have to work hard at school to earn the privilege to ride but we haven’t had a failure yet. Many have gone on to have careers in mechanics and a couple have made it to college, studying mechanical engineering. If they don’t make a full scholarship, we can fund them too.”
“That’s awesome, I’d love to see that.” I breathe in deeply and take a huge risk, pulling him to me and letting his head rest on my extended arm. His eyes widen in surprise but he doesn’t move away, he simply gives me a sweet smile.
“I saw the trial of your father, I so wanted to reach out to you but I feared you dismissing me. I thought you looked so strong and brave, standing there.” Griff admits.
“My life may have had the money to make it privileged but I was anything but happy. My father is a violent and dangerous man and deserves to be incarcerated for the rest of his life. I lost my brother because of something stupid I said when I was twelve. My father beat him so hard, I don’t know how he walked away.” My mind drifts back to that fateful night. “I didn’t see him or hear from him again until after your trial, when I turned up to be part of a veterans’ calendar photo shoot. It was Raff doing the photography, it was one his first with De’ath of You.”
“Was it hard for you to reconnect?” Griff smiles, his eyes shining brightly.
“Ha, it was at the start but we got together and talked for hours, mainly me apologizing. But Raff is amazing and has never held it against me. It was that day, though, that my father tried to kill Troy, and that is why he is now in jail.”
“How was your life after Raff left?” Griff looks troubled at the thought of any hurt I may have experienced.
“It was tough, but I got nothing more than I deserved: he had lost his whipping boy and I took his place. It got so much worse as my own sexuality emerged. I knew he wouldn’t tolerate me and I kept out of his way. Unfortunately, I couldn’t hide it and, yeah, I took a few thrashings. But, at eighteen, I walked out the door and joined the army, I didn’t see him again until his trial.”
I reach out and run my hand down Griff’s face, smoothing away his worry lines. My heart beats faster when he turns his face and kisses my palm.