He’s thirty-two.
“You and me both.” I pat him on the bicep. “I have a girlfriend.”
“The art teacher?”
I turn back to look at my desk. “Piper. Her name is Piper.”
“I want to meet her.”
I pick up a file folder that I forgot t
o take with me to my office this morning. “We just started going steady last night so give it a day or two.”
He laughs. “Cute, Griffin. So you’re off the market? First Julian and now you?”
Julian Bishop, our mutual friend since high school, got engaged to the love of his life, Maya, mere months ago. I made a bet with Sebastian that night that I’d be the last of the three of us to fall in love. I’m headed toward losing that wager.
I pivot to face him again. “I’m not getting hitched, Sebastian. We’re hanging out and having fun.”
“It’s more than that. You’ve been different since you met her.“
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Fine. I’m falling in love with this woman. I want her but I’m scared shitless that I’ll mess it up.”
“Why? You think your demons are going to tear the two of you apart?” He inches forward. “You’ve got to trust in what she feels for you. If you can’t do that, you two won’t make it.”
“I trust her. I told her about my family,” I say, leaving out the details of what I shared with Piper.
“Good.” He pats me on the shoulder. “I’m glad to hear you’re opening up.”
I close my eyes. “How is it fair for me to feel this good? I don’t deserve it.”
“You’re allowed to be happy, Griffin. Don’t fuck yourself over by thinking you don’t deserve a good life.”
I don’t want to go over the reasons why I’ve never felt worthy of happiness. Not now. I’m about to go to the gallery to see Piper so I change the subject. “You deserve a good life as much as I do. Have you met Maya’s sister yet? Wasn’t Julian supposed to set you two up?”
“I haven’t met her.” He huffs out a laugh. “Maya told her I was NYPD. Apparently, Matilda draws a hard line at dating a cop.”
“You’ll charm the panties off of her at their wedding.” I brush past him. “You know Julian’s going to pick me to be the best man, so get ready for that.”
“Fuck you,” he calls after me. “I’m the best man you know.”
He is. He’s the one who pulled me back from the brink of despair years ago. I’ll never be able to repay him for that.
***
“We have to stop meeting like this.” I press up against her from behind. “Feel that? That’s what happens the second I see you.”
Piper wiggles her ass against my erection. Thank God we’re the only two people in the gallery. “I take it that means you’re happy to see me?”
“Happy?” I echo her tone. “I’m hard as hell here, Piper. I’d call that happy.”
She turns to face me, her brilliant green eyes lock on my mouth. “Kiss me, Griffin.”
I’ll never deny her a request, so I slide my lips over hers for a sweet, soft kiss. “You look beautiful. You smell fucking incredible and you kiss almost as good as you fuck.”
She laughs. “Thank you, I think?”
I arch a brow. “Show me what you’ve got, baby. I need to be in court in thirty minutes, so this visit has to be quick.”