It was almost two in the morning by the time they grabbed their jackets and Griff’s birthday gifts and headed for the car waiting for them at the sidewalk. Breck, Caitie, and Jackson climbed in with them, Autumn having offered them a ride home since they lived near Griff’s apartment. The driver pulled smoothly away, making a U-turn to join the road out of town.
“God, my feet ache,” Caitie said, taking off her high-heeled silver sandals and wiggling her bare toes. “Babe, can you give me a massage?”
Breck sighed and took her feet into his hands, rubbing his thumb over the soles.
Jackson grinned at the two of them, then turned to look at Griff. “Babe, maybe you can massage my feet, too.”
“Get out of here.” Griff shook his head.
“It’s kind of your fault my feet hurt,” Jackson pointed out. “I was dancing at your birthday party.”
“I’ll buy you a foot spa,” Griff muttered, then rolled his eyes at Autumn. “Let’s drop him off first, okay?”
They pulled up outside Jackson’s sprawling house half an hour later. Griff had to climb out first to avoid his friend clambering over him. He didn’t want another request for a foot rub.
“Hope you had a good birthday, man,” Jackson said, giving Griff a hug.
Griff hugged him back. “It was good. Thanks for coming.”
“Autumn’s the one to thank. She arranged everything. Called us all up and told us when to get to the club. She’s great.”
Griff’s voice was rough. “Yeah, she is.”
“So are you two an item now?” Jackson asked, glancing over Griff’s shoulder at the car. Autumn and Caitie were laughing about something, and Breck was checking his phone, while the driver waited patiently for Griff to climb back in.
“We’re just friends.”
“A little more than that. I saw that kiss.”
“Yeah, well it’s casual. The way she wants it.”
“And you? What do you want?”
Griff’s smile was tight. “I want whatever she does.” He slapped Jackson on the back. “Now go inside, drink a glass of water, and get some sleep.”
“G’night, man.”
They dropped Breck and Caitie off next, and as the car pulled out of the lot, the driver turned around to ask, “Where next?”
Griff gave the man his address and leaned back, stretching his arm across the leather seat. Autumn nestled into him, her head fitting perfectly into the crook of his arm.
He could see his face faintly reflected in the passenger window. Who was that guy looking so contentedly back at him? His skin felt hot, his chest full of emotions he couldn’t quantify. Then Autumn caught his eye and smiled, and he realized what a lucky bastard he was.
She was beautiful and funny and everything a woman should be.
Even better, she wanted him.
“You okay?” she breathed, snuggling even closer to him. She lifted his hand and pressed her lips to his palm, sending a shiver straight through him.
“Yeah.” His voice was thick. “I’m good.”
For so long he’d thought relationships were like cages. Bars that confined his parents until they snapped and spat at each other like wild animals, yet could never part. They just ignored everything – and everyone – around them.
Including him.
But being with Autumn didn’t feel like that at all. It wasn’t a cage, but a soft cocoon instead. Something he wanted to run to rather than avoid. He’d spent so long being afraid of intimacy that it was a shock to realize how pleasurable it could be.
She turned in his arms, her eyes bright as she smiled up at him. God, he wanted her. He wanted her kisses, her gazes, her soft words… everything. He craved them like a fix. He didn’t care what he had to do to get it.
“Are you sure you’re okay with me coming back to yours?” she asked him.
“Yep. I want to wake up with you in my bed.” He gave her a crooked grin. “It’s my birthday.”
“The day after, technically.”
He pressed his lips to her brow. “Whatever. You’re coming home with me.”
Autumn blew out a mouthful of air, her head falling back on the pillow, her skin covered in a sheen of perspiration. They’d barely made it through the doors of his apartment before they were tearing off each other’s clothes, the sexual tension from the club spilling into his living room.
Griff rolled onto his side and smiled down at her. “You want anything? A glass of water, some juice.” He traced the line of her upper lip with the tip of his finger. “A sandwich?”
“A sandwich?” She lifted an eyebrow.
“Sex is hungry work. Plus I haven’t eaten since seven. I could eat a sandwich.”
Her stomach gurgled as though it was listening. “A sandwich sounds pretty good,” she confessed. “Even if it’s going to kill my body clock.”
“Tomorrow’s Sunday. Or today is. You can sleep in.”
“Okay. Give me your shirt.” She scrambled to her knees.
“Why?”
“Because I didn’t bring pajamas and I’m not making a sandwich naked.”
Heat flashed in his eyes. “That’s a shame. And for what it’s worth, I’m making the sandwiches. You can watch.”
“You don’t think I can make a sandwich?” She cocked her head to the left.
“Babe, my ninety-year old grandma can make a sandwich. I just want to make one for you. I’m not the kind of guy who expects to be fed by his woman. I’d rather feed her.”
She grinned. “Okay, let me go freshen up and I’ll see you in the kitchen.”
Pulling her arms through his oversized sleeves, she wrapped his shirt around her and padded into his bathroom. It was sleek, with bright white ceramic wear and shiny grey wall tiles. She leaned on the basin and looked into the mirror, barely recognizing the woman staring back at her.
It was Autumn… but different. Younger, less careworn. As though the distance between Manhattan and Angel Sands had worn off the roughness and made her new.
She felt different, too. Less afraid of failing, of letting people down… of earning her dad’s disapproval.
For so long she’d thought that being herself wasn’t enough. She’d twisted herself into knots to please people. To be the perfect daughter, wife, real estate manager.
And in it all, she’d forgotten who she really was.
Buying the pier was the first thing she’d done to please herself and nobody else. The second was falling for Griff.
And it felt so, so good to be this Autumn. The one who felt strong in the office and a little bit slutty in the bedroom. But always safe in his arms.
For the first time in her life, she could see an alternate ending to the one her dad had always planned on. Was she strong enough to take it?
The early-morning half-light was spilling into Griff’s open plan living area as she walked to the kitchen and sat on a stool at his breakfast bar. He grabbed two glasses and filled them with orange juice, passing one to her and chugging the other back. Then he pulled out a loaf of sourdough bread, along with some deli meats, pickles, and salad, toasting the bread on one side before loading it up into a tall sandwich Scooby Doo would be proud of.
“You don’t do things halfway,” Autumn said, smiling at the way he carefully cut each sandwich, before sliding them onto a plate and garnishing them with chips.
“I like food. The first taste is always with the eyes.”
“Did Deenie teach you that, too?”
He grinned. “That one I learned for myself. Now eat.” He sat down next to her, refilling their glasses with juice. “You’ll need the energy for tomorrow.”
“What’s happening tomorrow?” she asked, lifting the sandwich to her lips. She had no idea how she was going to fit it in her mouth.
“After the morning sex?”
She laughed. “Just the morning?”
“Yep. We’re going to the beach after that. I figure you need another surf lesson.”
“Getting touched all over by a hot instructor? Count me in.” She bit into the sandwich, a pickle escaping from the end and falling onto her plate. A sensation of flavors exploded on her tongue. Spicy pastrami mixed with sweet, juicy tomatoes and creamy mayonnaise, making her sigh out loud as she swallowed it down. “God, that’s good.”
“Thanks.” He picked up the stray pickle and lifted it to her mouth, feeding it to her. “I’m hoping you’ll make a lot of mistakes. I kind of like touching you myself.”
“People will talk,” she said, finishing off the first half of her sandwich. Her stomach growled with appreciation.
“Does that worry you?” he asked, his eyes soft as they caught hers.
She ran a tongue along her lip, considering his question. “I guess it doesn’t, or I wouldn’t have danced with you tonight. Or kissed you.” She bit down a smile. “All your friends are so kind and non-judgmental. They genuinely care about your happiness, and I guess they care about mine, too.”
“They do. And they like you a lot. They think we’re crazy for making this a casual thing.”
“Oh.” She blinked. “And what do you think?”
He wiped his hands on a napkin and reached out to cup her cheek. “I think you’re the best thing that’s happened to me in a long while. And I’ll take whatever you want to give.”
Her chest tightened. “What if I want more?” she asked, her voice low, remembering her thoughts as she stared at herself in the bathroom mirror.
“Then I’ll grab it with greedy hands. I know it’s still early between us, and you’ve been through a lot.” He leaned forward to brush his lips against hers. “But I’d like to take you out for dinner without worrying about people talking. I’d like to kiss you in your office when I’ve come back from a long day on the water. I want people to look at you and know that you’re taken. By me. And I know that makes me sound like a caveman, so I’m gonna shut up.” He shook his head, grinning.
His words made her skin tingle like crazy. “You want me to tattoo your name on my ass?”
He laughed. “I don’t want anybody looking at your ass except me.”
She traced her finger around the rim of her glass. “And when I go back to New York? What happens then?”
“We’ll worry about that later.”
He made it sound so easy. And maybe it was. Maybe she was anticipating problems where there weren’t any to be seen. Yeah, people – well, Carla – might talk, but within a few days they’d be old news.
Could she push down her worries? Just let the tide take her where it wanted, and then swim home afterward?
Maybe she could. At the very least, she wanted to try.
“Okay. Let’s go surfing tomorrow.” She smiled. “Well, today.”
“And if I want to kiss you because you look all cute spluttering up water?”
She grinned and shook her head. “Then have at it. Saltwater and all.”
He winked. “That sounds good to me. Now let’s get back to bed and get some sleep. We’re gonna need all the rest we can get.”
“I really need to sleep at my place tonight,” Autumn told him as they carried their surf boards back up the beach. “I have laundry to do and I want to take a long, hot shower to get the sand out of my hair.” She wrinkled her nose at the tightness of her skin. That’s what spending more time submerged in the ocean than surfing on top of it gave you. Her hair felt like straw on a hot summer’s day, all stiff and sticking everywhere.
“You could always do laundry at my place.” Griff took the board from her and rinsed it beneath the beach shower, then placed his own head under, sending spray all over his tanned skin. Droplets clung to his hair like they were planning to make a home there, making him sparkle in the sunlight.
“Yeah, and I also need sleep.” She stretched her arms over her head to work out the kinks in her muscles. “I don’t get a whole lot of that at your place.”
“Blame my hormones.” He grinned at her. “Parts of me wake up at six a.m. sharp every day.”
“And those parts seem to really like waking up my parts,” she said, smiling back at him. His good mood was infectious. He’d kept her laughing all day.
“Okay. Stay home if you insist. But if you hear someone knocking on your window just before dawn you’ll know it’s me getting lonely.” He ran his hand through his hair, slicking it back from his face.
“You don’t strike me as the type of guy who gets lonely.”
“I didn’t think I was the sort of guy who could get used to waking up next to the same woman every day. But it turns out I am.”
She put her palm on his warm, damp chest, splaying out her fingers. “And I’m glad you are,” she said, her voice low. His heart beat strong against her hand, making her breath catch in her throat. When she looked up, he was staring down at her with those dark, needy eyes. It sent a thrill straight through her.
“You know what we said about public displays of affection?” he asked her.
“They’re okay, right?” She brushed her thumb against his tight nipple, making him gasp.
“I think I feel one coming on now.” He leaned down to brush his lips against hers, his hand cupping the back of her head. She flicked his nipple again and he groaned. “You need to stop doing that,” he murmured against her mouth. “Or I’ll take you home and tie you to my bed so you can’t leave.”
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep.” She kissed him back, rolling onto the balls of her feet and looping her arms around his neck.
“It was a threat, not a promise.”
“Tomayto-tomahto.” She smiled against his lips.
A sharp trill came from a phone. She pulled away from him with a sigh. “Saved by the bell.”
“You or me?”
“I’m not sure yet.” She reached down to pull her phone from her purse, her brows pinching together when she saw it was her father calling. “It’s my dad. I need to take this.”
“Sure. I’ll put the boards in the truck.”
She flashed him a grateful look then swiped her finger across the screen, steeling herself for the conversation ahead. “Dad, hi.”
“Autumn.” His voice was clipped. “How is California?”
“Hot.” She looked over at Griff who was lifting the boards into the flatbed. He hadn’t put a shirt on yet, and she could see every muscle in his back rippling. “And busy. I haven’t had a moment to myself.”
“When are you putting the pier back on the market?”
He didn’t waste any time, did he? Autumn sighed, tracing circles in the sand with her pointed toes.
“I’m not putting it on the market. I’m going to do some upgrades and make it profitable first.”
“I looked at the financials. It’s going to take a long time to make that monstrosity profitable,” her dad said gruffly. “You’d make more money by selling it at a loss and reinvesting.”
She frowned. “How did you see the financials?”
“I know people, Autumn.”
She felt like a child again, being chided for telling untruths. “Well I don’t want to sell it. I have plans.”
“So Lydia tells me. Something about a charity day and weddings.” Her dad sighed. “Aren’t you bored of being in California? Don’t you want to come home where you belong?”
No, she really didn’t. The thought of it made her stomach twist. “I’ll come home when I’m ready.” She sat on the wall that separated the beach from the boardwalk, and looked out at the ocean. It was a perfect blue, dotted with heads bobbing up and down, and the white of surfboards as they caught the waves. The beach itself was just as busy, full of families and teenagers. At the water’s edge, somebody had set up a volleyball net, and there was a ferocious game taking place, the ball whizzing over the net at a fast speed.
“Lydia mentioned something about a man you’d made friends with.” Her father cleared his throat. “Who is he?”
Thanks, sis. Autumn sighed. She knew it wasn’t Lydia’s fault. Her sister couldn’t keep a secret to save her life. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she lied. There was no way she was going to tell her father about Griff. He’d be calling a private investigator in a heartbeat, and running a full background check before the sun went down.
“You don’t?”
“No. There is no guy here. I’m just working hard on the pier, that’s all.” She glanced over at the truck. There was no sign of Griff. “Speaking of guys, why have you been talking to Josh?”
“I haven’t.”
“Yes you have. Lydia said she saw him in your office.”
Her dad chuckled. “Well we both know Lydia has her head in the clouds.”
That was it! The laugh. The one that he always did when he lied. Ugh, it was aggravating.
“Well that’s good, because I see no reason for you to be talking to my ex-husband.”
“I have a call on my other line,” her dad said abruptly. “I’ll speak to you next week. Maybe you could send through the details of the charity day to Annabelle for me. I’d like to make a donation.”
“That’s very kind of you.”
“Oh and Autumn?”
“Yes?”
“Think about what I said. You need to come home to where you belong.”
“Bye, Daddy.” She ended the call and shoved her phone back in her bag, grabbing her t-shirt and shorts to pull on over her swimsuit. When she turned around, Griff was standing right next to her, twirling his truck keys around his finger.
“You shocked me.” She put her hand to her chest.
“Sorry.” He grinned sheepishly. “You want to grab some ice cream before I take you home? I’ll need the sugar to get through the night without you.”
“Ice cream sounds great.” She slid her arm through his. “And I’m pretty sure you’ll be fine tonight.”