Slow Burn(76)

    “I was not. I’m smaller than you are.”

    He whipped around, laughing. He pinned me up against the wall, water gushing over both our bodies. His mouth found mine. He tasted wet and warm, and his hands moved over me, slippery against my breasts, between my legs.

    I moaned, surrendering to him, letting his expert caresses pull me into rapturous pleasure.

    His lips moved over me, nibbling and tasting. The hot water made everything seem hazy and languid.

    I ran my fingers over the stubble on his head, over his neck and broad shoulders, down his back.

    He sighed into my skin, seeking out one of my nipples, suckling me.

    I gasped, electric thrills shooting through me. I touched his stomach. It was flat and defined. He was slick with the water from the shower.

    His fingers flicked me, teased me, rubbed me. It was bliss. Elation. I let my touch move lower on his body, searching with one hand...

    Until I grasped him. Wrapped my fingers around the rigid girth of him.

    He let out a strangled noise.

    My eyes had been closed, but they flew open.

    He was staring back at me. His jaw was clenched tight, and he looked like he was concentrating.

    “It’s okay,” I murmured. “It’s only me.”

    But I was losing him. He was softening, deflating in my grip.

    I let go.

    He turned into the stream of water.

    “It’s okay.” I kissed his neck. “It’s a step. It was more than you’d done before.”

    He moved away from me. “Please don’t do that again, Leigh.”

    “What?”

    “Don’t touch me there.”

    “I’m sorry. I thought—”

    “Did you?” He turned to me, his gaze fierce. “Because I don’t think you did. After what I told you, I can’t believe that you would do that. Weren’t you listening to me at all?”

    I was taken aback. “I thought that I could help you. I thought you wanted—”

    “No,” he said. “I don’t want you to do that. Ever. Okay?”

    “I’m sorry.”

    He shoved aside the shower curtain and vaulted outside.

    “Griffin, wait.”

    He wrapped himself in a towel. “No. I need to be alone for a minute. Stay there.” He yanked the curtain closed on me.

    I heard the door to the bathroom open and slam.

    Damn it.

    I hadn’t meant to hurt him. I never wanted to do that. But now I realized that what I’d done had been cruel. He’d trusted me, allowed himself to be completely vulnerable with me in a way that he’d never been before. And I’d betrayed his trust by going too fast.

    “Stupid, stupid, stupid,” I whispered.

    I wanted to make him feel good. That was the only reason I’d put my hands on him. I wanted to bring him pleasure. But all I had done was make him frightened and angry. I felt horrible. I felt ashamed. I wanted to apologize to him, but I didn’t want to bother him.

    He’d told me he needed to be alone.

    Still, I couldn’t let him think that I’d meant to hurt him.

    I turned off the shower.

    I stepped out, wrapped a towel around my head and one around my torso, and left the bathroom.

    He wasn’t in the living room.

    He wasn’t in the kitchen.

    He wasn’t in the den or in the dining room.

    He wasn’t downstairs.

    I went up the steps and opened the door to the bedroom.

    He was sitting on the bed, still wearing the towel.

    “Griffin, I didn’t mean—”

    “Alone, Leigh,” he said. “Do you know what that means?”

    Great. He was still mad.

    I retreated from the bedroom. But now I was standing out here wrapped in towels, and all my clothes were in my duffel in the bedroom. I was going to have to get in there eventually, but I guessed—

    My thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of a phone.

    Griffin had made me ditch my phone. But he’d picked up one. But no one called Griffin. Who even had that number? He’d barely had it for a few days.