Virgin Bride(13)

I head down the hall and out the front door, shutting it tight. My heart is beating so fast that I feel like I can’t breathe as I hurry away down the street.

He nearly caught me looking through his things, and then he asked me out. And stupid me, in my frazzled surprise, I actually said yes like a moron. I don’t know what I was thinking, actually agreeing to that. I should be staying far away from him.

And yet I’m excited. Really excited. I don’t know why, but I am.

As I head toward the car, I realize something: those letters were all from a woman. A woman named Vicky Marsh. I can’t be sure, but why would he be saving letters from this person? If he wanted to communicate with her, I’m sure he’d just be emailing with her or something.

Those letters are important. I need to read one, but I’m afraid. I’ve already crossed a line that I don’t know if I really want to cross again. And now I’m going out on a date with him.

I’m so freaking confused. I want Griffin, I really like Griffin, but my family is my family. I’ve been wanting their approval my entire life. I don’t know if I can throw away everything for Griffin. I know my father is a hard ass and my brother is an asshole, but all the same, they’re family.

I don’t know what to do. But as I get into the car and it starts to drive me home, I realize that I’m not going to tell my father about the letters. I’m going to keep this secret to myself for now. I want to feel out the situation some more before I tell him.

Maybe that’s the wrong choice, but I can’t help it. Some voice in the back of my head is telling me that saying Vicky Marsh’s name to my father is the wrong move.

And so I’ll wait, and go out on this date with Griffin tomorrow.





7





Griffin





I don’t know what the hell’s wrong with me.

I keep doing this thing. It’s really bizarre. All day long, every time I think about Erin, which is a lot, I keep doing it. I’ve never done it before, never really felt this way before. But I just keep doing it like an idiot.

I keep smiling. I keep fucking grinning like a big dumb fool. I don’t know what the hell’s wrong with me. By the end of the day, I’m seriously considering calling a doctor, and maybe I would if it weren’t for the fact that I have a date with Erin when I get home.

I can barely fucking contain myself, and it’s making me sick.

I never get this excited for a date. Hell, I barely even go on dates anymore. I haven’t really needed to take a woman out to get laid in a very long time, and I still don’t. I could call any number of women right now and have them come over and give me what I want right on the spot. There’s no doubt in my mind that there are literally hundreds of women I could have at a moment’s notice.

But none of them can give me what I really want, and that’s the problem. There’s only one woman that can possibly do it.

When I get home, the babysitter is already there. She’s an older woman who has watched Lacey for me in the past. Her name is Matilda, and although I like her, I wouldn’t want her around all the time. She’s a little… strict, which is good for a night, but not so good for a fulltime nanny.

When I let her in, she instantly goes into babysitter mode. Erin gives me a little quizzical look and I just grin at her.

“You’re off the clock,” I say.

She walks over to me, smiling. “I guess so.”

“Ready?”

She shakes her head. “Actually, I was hoping I could get changed before we went.”

“Perfect,” I admit. “I could probably use some fresh clothes too.”

She gives me a playful look. “That’s definitely true.”

I laugh then point her down the hall. “You can use the spare room. It has a bathroom attached.”

“Don’t be trying to peek,” she says as she grabs a bag and heads toward the room.

I just grin and watch her walk away. When she disappears into the room, I quickly head into my bathroom and freshen up.

It takes me ten minutes to clean up and get a new suit on before I’m back in the kitchen, sipping a little whisky and waiting for her. It takes her another fifteen before she finally emerges from the back.

“How do I look?” she asks.

I gape for a second then grin. “Perfect,” I say.

She’s wearing a tight black dress, her hair spilling down around her shoulders. Her heels make her look a bit taller, although I still tower over her. She smiles as I walk over to her and offer her my arm. “Let’s go,” I say.

We tell Matilda that we’re leaving and then we head out.

I decide to drive, and so we get into my high-end Tesla. “Tasteful,” Erin comments as we pull out.