I mean, the island was home, right?
Still, it would've been nice to be asked.
Griff's voice was quiet in the darkness. "Hey…"
My voice was quiet, too. "Hey what?"
"You should meet her sometime."
Now, Ireallysmiled. "You mean your mom?"
"Yeah."
At something in his voice, my heart went warm and gooey. "I'd love that." Then softly, I added, "Just say when."
62
Fifteen Hours of Perfection
Maisie
It was possible – just possible – that we were behaving unprofessionally.
Griff had me pinned between the wall and the counter, and we were very muchnotthinking about tires, receipts, or anything remotely bike-related.
"You know…" I murmured as his mouth trailed toward my collarbone, "this is supposed to be a workplace."
"Is it?" he said, his lips grazing my skin. "Because it feels more like heaven."
Amen to that. Barely fifteen hours had passed since I'd caught him sneaking into the back room, and they'd been some of the most blissful hours of my life – even if most of them were spent in a tent.
But hey, I wasn't complaining.
Sure, I'd gotten nearly no sleep and had woken at the crack of dawn with a kink in my neck and my right arm all tingly from sleeping on it wrong. But I'd woken in the arms of the most incredible guy I'd ever met – a guy who had rubbed my arm until it stopped tingling and massaged my neck until the kink went away.
Griff reallywasamazing.
Afterward, we'd gone our separate ways for barely two hours to shower and get dressed for the workday.
He could've showered at my place. Ihadoffered. But he'd declined, telling me he'd rather wait until I talked with Tessa before making himself at home.
It was so sweet and thoughtful – and beyond sexy, because here at the shop, he'd made up for the lost time by sneaking kisses between customers.And yeah, I was sneaking my share, too.
With a silly grin, I wrapped my arms around his neck. "If you thinkthisis heaven, just wait 'til I find the key to the storage closet."
He gave my neck a playful nip. "You don'thavea storage closet."
I giggled. "We could always put one in."
"We…" he said against my skin. "I'm liking the sounds ofthat."
I was, too.Already in my mind, I could see it – him and me running the shop like my grandparents did all those years ago. They'd seemed incredibly happy – working together, playing together, living together.
It was true that my own parents hadn't found nearly as much bliss, but hey, I was an optimist at heart. With a smile, I whispered, "If you likethat, you're gonna love the next employee perk."
"Which is…?"
With a boldness that surprised even me, I reached between us and stroked him through his jeans. He made a quiet sound, something between a growl and a moan. Whatever it was, it had me wishing I could close up shop and make good on the promisenow.
