Taming McGruff(29)

She shivered again.

“Cold?”

“A little,” she admitted.

“Here, let’s get you in the house.” He wrapped his arm around her as they crossed the driveway. “Better?”

She snuggled into his side, and then nodded.

His heart tumbled in his chest. Danger!

Less than twenty minutes later, he had a small fire going in the fireplace. “I’ll be right back.” He tugged the blanket around her shoulders as she sat in front of the hearth.

Griffin whistled as he made coffee for himself and boiled some hot water for her. He pulled out the sampler box of tea he’d bought for her and choose one, hoping she’d like it. Once everything was done, he carried a tray into his study.

Her head was on a pillow and she was sleeping. He put the tray down and sat on the stone hearth, facing her. Undetected, he stared at her from her strawberry blonde hair to her porcelain skin, over her delicate features, settling on her lips, and down along her curves under the blanket and back up again. Heat coiled low and deep. He sucked in a long, shuddering breath.

It must have woken her; she stirred. Her eyes blinked open. “Griff?” Her sleepy voice seeped into him, tugging at the taut strings of desire. “Do I smell apples?”

He smiled. “Apple cider.”

Slowly, she stretched. Another sharp tug shot through him. “All that fresh air must have got the best of me.” In the firelight, he watched her sit up and scoot closer. “I’ve never had this kind before. Oh, you got this for me, a yellow smiley face mug?” She giggled.

The sound sent another blast of warmth through the crevices of his cold heart. He nodded. When he spotted it in the store, it reminded him of her—sunshine. How could he have passed that up? “Tell me what you think.”

Cupping the mug in both her hands, she took a sip. “Hmmm… this is good. Have you tried some?” She held it out to him. He sipped. “Spicy, right?”

Cinnamon danced on his tongue. “Just like you.”

“Funny,” she said, and then sipped some more. “Oh, the cake.” She put down the mug and picked up the plate. “Only one fork? Share.” She sunk the fork into the cake and lifted a piece for him. Her gaze stayed on his lips.

He let her feed him. Rich chocolate icing and the chocolate cake, soft and gooey, melted in his mouth, going down easy. When she pulled away, he reached out and stopped her. “Your turn.” Instead of getting more cake, he leaned forward, capturing her lips. Her gasp shot through him. “Like it?”

She nodded. “Delish.”

Griffin chuckled. He eased back and away from his very sexy pixie.

Her hand trembled, but she went back to the cake. She chewed, slow and erotic, driving him crazy. How could eating be so sensual? How could everything about her be so damn hot?

The fire crackled and her soft moan wrapped around him. Griff forced himself to take in a long breath, let it out, take another, and release. Focus, he berated himself. “Priscilla,” he said gently, not wanting to break this intimacy with her, but knowing he had no other choice. “We have to talk.”

She replaced the fork on the plate with the half-eaten cake on it. Licking her lips, she settled in front of him. “Gosh, I nearly forgot about my questions.” She shook her head. “I left them at home. But, I remember most of them and if you have a pen and paper, I can jot your answers down.”

“Questions? Answers?”

“Yes.” She waved her hands to encompass the room. “You know —King’s, your remodel.”

“This room is off-limits,” he bit out.

The harshness had her drawing back. “Ah, McGruff is back. Too close, uh?”

The way she read him, sensed things about him, unnerved Griff. He’d never let a woman get under his skin before. He sure the hell wasn’t going to let this pixie do it. “I’ve changed my thoughts on the remodel.”

Even in the firelight, he watched the color drain from her face. “You said it was a brilliant idea.” Her confusion sent a jab of guilt straight to his gut.

“It is.”

“So, why?” She held up her hands. “You’re not backing out entirely, are you?”

How could he say it? How could he persuade her? Getting up, he went to his desk. He opened the top drawer, dug out a file, and then retrieved the copies of the newspaper articles there. Coming back to her, he noticed she hugged her knees to her chest now.

“What’s this?” she asked when he handed her the papers.

Griffin settled back down, watching her swiftly read the headlines, and then yank her gaze to his.

“Gossip columns?” She tossed them aside without reading the rest. “I’ve seen these already.” Her hurt tone said more than her words did. “What do they have to do with redecorating your house?”