I saw the moment he snapped. Saw the moment his carefully constructed control gave way, and he let himself go. His hand curled around my waist and he yanked me to him, his eyes wild, his breathing erratic. He dragged me up against his body, and rasped, “Because I don’t want to hurt you, and make no mistake about it, I will hurt you. I won’t be able to give you what you need.”

His tone both frightened and excited me, and my heart began beating faster. Being this close to him while he was on edge like this was a huge turn on to me, and it only made me want him more. I pressed my body into his, enjoying the hiss that escaped his lips, and said, “You won’t hurt me, Griff. I trust you.”

His eyes flared – widened in an emotion I couldn’t quite put my finger on. “Don’t say that, Sophia. You should not trust me. I will fuck that up, and all you’ll be left with is hate. And I don’t want that for you.” His chest thudded with every harsh breath he took, but the thing I noticed was that although he was telling me no, he wasn’t letting me go. He still held me close.

His pain bled from him. I had no idea what it was, but I wanted to drag it from him and tell him this would be okay. I placed my hand on his cheek, and before he could pull away, I slid it around the back of his head and pulled his face to mine. Our lips met and it was like an explosion of chemistry. I’d expected him to yank his lips off mine, but he didn’t. Instead, he growled into my mouth, slid his hands around my body and onto my ass, and gripped me hard there while his tongue desperately searched for mine.

Oh, God.

Yes.

He deepened the kiss and it gradually got rougher and harder, and at the same time, he lifted me. I wrapped my legs around him, and he walked me until we were up against the wall. While his body held me in place against the wall, his hands moved to the bottom of my tank and he ripped it off over my head. He then grabbed hold of my bra straps and yanked them down to free my breasts. Without a word, his head dipped to take one of my nipples into his mouth, and he sucked and licked me. And then he bit me lightly, and holy mother of God that felt good. The pain intersected with the pleasure, and caused my body to jerk as I let out a loud moan.

His head snapped up and he stared at me through his lust. “Did that feel good?” he demanded to know.

“Yes.”

Holding my gaze, he took hold of my breast and kneaded it before squeezing my nipple. My back arched as the pain and pleasure shot through me. He narrowed his eyes on me, and suddenly let me go. His movements were swift, and a moment later, he had me on my feet with my back to him, face to the wall. He grasped my hands and placed them up against the wall. With a quick flick, he had my bra off, and then he reached around and undid my shorts and yanked them down. It all happened so fast, I struggled to keep up, but I loved every second of it.

“Have you ever fucked a man who likes control?” he asked as he ran his hand over my ass.

Excitement pulsed through me. “No.”

“Fuck,” he growled. “Does this turn you on?”

“Yes,” I panted, wanting him to keep going, needing him to never stop. Whatever Griff had to give, I wanted to take.

He pressed his mouth against my ear as his arm circled my body and took hold of me. “You need to be careful what you beg for, Sophia,” he ordered, and the dominance in his voice pushed me closer to the edge.

“I want you, Griff. Show me who you really are,” I whispered.

He took a long breath, and I wasn’t sure if it was to keep himself calm or to ready himself to do what I’d begged.

And then he stopped holding back.

He took a step back and I felt his hands on my ass as his fingers slid under the edge of my panties. And then he tore them off me. My pussy clenched at the sound of them ripping. And my body trembled, waiting for what was next. Hoping like hell he wouldn’t stop anytime soon.

His finger trailed down my back, from the base of my neck to my ass. And then his hand ran lightly over my ass. “You sure you want to know who I am, Sophia?” His voice was all kinds of dark, dangerous and hot.

I nodded. “I’m sure.”

Slap.

The sting of his palm against my ass caused my body to jolt. I dropped my head back and closed my eyes while my back arched my ass into his hand.

I need more.

“Fuck, you want me to do that again?”

“Yes.”

I expected his palm on my ass again, but it never came. Instead, he spun me around and pulled me to him. His eyes bore into mine, and I saw the war he waged. “You don’t know what you’re asking,” he ground out. His breaths were coming hard and fast now, and his features twisted in his own pain as his eyes begged me to say no, to push him away. But I couldn’t. I wanted him too much to do that.

I took hold of his face with both hands. “Let me be who you need,” I pleaded.

He stared at me for a long moment before briefly closing his eyes. When he opened them again, I saw the change in his stare. His resolve gone, he nodded once.

And then I met the real Griff.

16

Griff

Let me be who you need.

Those words out of Sophia’s mouth were everything I wanted to hear in this moment, and everything I wanted her to take back and pretend like she’d never said. And, yet, here we were with them hanging in the air between us. They would either be our downfall or the beginning of something between us, because I sure as fuck knew that if she loved this and begged me to fuck her again, I’d never be able to say no.