The Griffin's Mate (Hideaway Cove 1)

Lainie ran her hands over Harrison’s abs, and he drew his breath in with a hiss. He let her go long enough to pull his shirt over his head and throw it to the side, then pulled her to him again.

Lainie batted his hands away. He looked at her, momentarily confused, but his face cleared as she stripped off her blouse. She stood in front of him, chest heaving, in nothing but her pants and bra.

“God, you’re so beautiful,” he breathed. His eyes swept up and down her body, as though he couldn’t get enough of looking at her. She took the opportunity to return the compliment.

Harrison was toned all over. Hard pecs, six-pack—and that tantalizing V. He wore his jeans low on his hips. Back in the restaurant, Lainie had admired how his ass looked in them. Now she was looking forward to seeing them on the floor.

The air between them seemed to hum with electricity. Lainie reached out, half expecting to see sparks flash from her fingertips to Harrison’s chest. She threw herself into his arms, pulling him down into a long kiss that left her dizzy.

Harrison’s skin was hot against hers. Pressed against him, she could feel his erection pushing against the crotch of his pants. Pressing against her. Her desire throbbed inside her in response. She was ready for him.

Harrison buried his face in her hair, his hands exploring up from her waist to her hips. She moaned as he moved up to her breasts, squeezing them gently.

“You don’t want to see the rest of the house?” he murmured wickedly in her ear.

She growled, but she couldn’t let him get away with teasing her. “Maybe your workshop? I’m assuming it doubles as the bedroom—rollaway bed under the workbench, is it?”

“How did you guess?”

“I bet you built it yourself, too.” Lainie gasped as Harrison nibbled on her neck. “Um. Show me now?”

“If you insist…”

Lainie squealed as Harrison put his arms around her waist and slung her over his shoulder. He strode down the hallway, careful to duck through doorways so Lainie didn’t hit her head. She was too busy giggling to keep out of their way herself. She got a glimpse of other rooms as Harrison carried her through to the back of the house: a front room with a few sofas and a coffee table stacked with papers; a home office, with a desk also stacked with papers; and finally, his workshop.

“Really?” Lainie blurted out. The workshop was scrupulously tidy, unlike all the other rooms she’d seen, but—still! Besides, there was no sign of a bed, roll-away or otherwise. “I was sort of joking…”

“Is that so?” Harrison kissed her, pushing her backward until she bumped up against a workbench. The bench was high, tailored for Harrison’s tall frame. When he picked her up and sat her on it, Lainie’s feet dangled in the air.

Harrison ran his hands up her thighs, stopping with his fingertips just short of her crotch. He ran one thumb between her legs, brushing her clit through her pants. Lainie groaned.

“Damn it,” she muttered, and wriggled so she could pull her pants down. Harrison helped, sort of, but seemed mainly distracted by the effect all that wriggling had on her cleavage.

“Like what you see?” she said brazenly. The look of amazement in his eyes made her glow inside.

There are some benefits to being curvy, she thought smugly.

“I like all of you,” Harrison said. He grabbed her hand and kissed the palm, then her wrist, moving up her arm to her neck. “Every—part—of—you,” he murmured, the words punctuated by kisses.

Lainie caught her breath as he nuzzled her neck, his hands reaching behind her to unlatch her bra. He pulled it off her slowly, stroking the sensitive skin of her breasts as he uncovered them. Lainie arched her back.

“Yes—” she gasped as he brushed one nipple with his thumb. “Oh, yes.”

He teased her nipples until they were both hard, and Lainie was almost crazy with desire. She grabbed his belt-buckle and pulled him closer, looking up at him from under her eyelashes.

Harrison’s pupils were so wide with desire, his eyes looked black, not hazel. There was only the slightest ring of green-gold around the outside. He let her pull him in, moving his hands to her hips.

Harrison’s fingers tightened on her hips as she wrestled with his belt buckle. Once she’d undone it she moved on to his fly. For the first time she got a good look at the bulge between his legs.

She bit her lip. Damn.

Harrison must have misinterpreted her hesitation. “We can stop. If you think we’re going too fast—”

“No, it’s not that.” Lainie gave him a shy smile. “It’s just… it’s been a while.” And you look bigger than any guy I’ve ever been with before.

Harrison cupped her face in his hands. “I’ll be gentle.”

He kissed her as she slowly undid his pants, pushing them and his boxers down over his toned ass. With her eyes closed, still caught up in the kiss, Lainie didn’t see his cock—but she could feel it.