Slow Burn(97)
He squared his shoulders. “No, not lame. Not really.” He tried a smile.
I smiled back. “You don’t think so?” He shook his head. “It was kind of inventive.”
Griffin and Knox halted at the elevator. Griffin was watching the guard with an annoyed expression on his face. Knox hauled him into the elevator.
Good. They were safe. They were in. We’d done it.
“You want to go out for coffee or something sometime?”
“Huh?” I said. “Oh! Yeah, definitely. Let me give you my number.” He got out his cell phone, and I rattled off a totally fake number.
“That doesn’t sound local,” he said.
“Oh,” I said. “Well, um, I just moved here. And I haven’t changed the number yet.”
“What’s that area code?” he said.
“Florida?”
“What part of Florida?”
God, why was he harping on this? “Um, Miami.”
“No, my grandma lives in Miami, and the area code there is—”
“Well, I’m going to be late for work,” I said, scurrying away.
“Wait,” he called after me. “You didn’t tell me your name.”
“Muffy,” I called back, throwing out the first thing that came to my brain. I waved. And then I practically ran to the agreed-upon meeting spot.
* * *
“Jim Bradford, employee of Dewhurst-McFarland, was killed in an isolated incident this morning,” droned the television in our hotel room. “He was shot through the head by an unknown gunman who managed to do so from a building across the street from Bradford’s place of work. The weapons used were found abandoned, but there were no clues as to who might have perpetrated the crime. Police—”
Griffin muted the TV. We were sprawled on the bed together. “I still don’t like that you flirted with that guy to get us in.”
I rolled onto my back. “When are you going to let this go?”
He caressed my cheek. “It’s not like that. I just keep thinking about it.”
“Is this because of the stripping thing?”
He rubbed his face. “Sort of.”
I sighed. “You don’t trust me.” And maybe he had good reason not to. Maybe because of my past, because of everything I’d done, it was tough to believe I would be faithful.
He drew back, offended. “I trust you.”
“Maybe I don’t deserve your trust.”
“Doll, come here.” He tugged me into his arms.
I lay my head on his chest. “I did things in the past that were trashy.”
“So, that’s the past. I’m sorry I ever said anything about that. I was out of line.”
“You weren’t. I’m ashamed of myself.”
“Listen, you are important. And if I make you feel that way, then good. I should never have mocked your feelings. I trust you more than I’ve ever trusted anyone else.” He ran his fingertips over my back. “You know more about me than anyone on earth. I trust you with all my secrets.”
That was true. “So then, if you’re okay with my past, then why does flirting with the guard bother you? I only did it to help you and Knox.”
He stroked my hair. “I guess I worry. You say you’re okay with things the way they are between us, but how long will that last? How long before you want more than I can give you, and I see you looking at another man like that for real?”
“I would never do that.”
“I wouldn’t blame you if you did. You’d be well within your rights. We don’t have sex. That’s got to be frustrating for you.”
Oh. He was talking about that again. I slid one leg over him, writhing close. “Griffin, you are very good at pleasing me.”
He raised an eyebrow, one hand coming up to caress the thigh I’d draped on his body. “And that’s enough?”
I shifted, straddling him. “Who says you’re never going to be able to do it anyway?”
He shut his eyes. “What if I can’t?”