Written in Ink (Montgomery Ink #4)(55)

“So pretty and pink,” he whispered. “You’re wet for me, Fall. I can’t wait to lap up all this cream and taste you on my tongue.”

“Then you’d better get to it before I play with my clit and get myself off without you.”

He could have fallen on the floor right then in relief. This was his Autumn. Sexual, confident, and his. He’d do all in his power to keep her that way.

When he licked between her thighs, his beard brushing along her soft skin, she shivered. Then she pressed him closer, and he grinned before humming along her clit.

“Greedy.”

“Get licking, writer boy,” she panted.

“As you wish, Fall.” He licked her, then nibbled on her lower lips before biting down on her clit. He lapped her up, slowly and methodically until she was coming on his face, her body shaking and her voice hoarse from screaming his name.

“Griffin.” He wiped his beard on the back of his hand then stood straight, his gaze on hers. She reached out, tracing her fingers on his chest. There was a moment, a connection he couldn’t quite place. This woman…it scared him how much he wanted her. That internal click that didn’t make sense. He buried it for now, knowing he needed to be inside her, and then protect her before he thought about things too hard.

He didn’t want to love again.

He couldn’t afford to.

He could be with her in the here and now, and then once she was safe, ignore the future.

It was all he could do.

She licked her lips then helped him undo his pants.

“Condom,” he muttered.

She reached into her skirt pocket rolled up on her hips and handed one to him. The woman had a plan. He had to admire her for it.

He rolled it on his length and kept his gaze on hers as he slid inside her, one hand on her hip, the other on the back of her neck. They both moaned when he was fully seated. Soon she had her hands on his back, her nails raking his body, as he pumped in and out of her.

Just sex.

No strings.

He cared for her.

But this wasn’t love.

Love left. Love hurt. Love had left his brother in pain, in rehab. Love had left one sister broken after one man. Love had left him in agony after death.

He would be with Autumn in the here and now, and then let her go when it was time. They came together as he thought about how it would feel to watch her walk away. She met his gaze, and he knew she’d seen something he hadn’t wanted her to see.

Whether it was that click he would ignore, or the fact that he would watch her go, he didn’t know.

He was naked and sweaty, his cock balls-deep inside the woman in front of him, and yet he did his best to keep his soul intact, to keep his barriers up. Because if he fell fully, he’d break.

And Montgomerys didn’t break.

He’d protect her life, then he’d leave her alone to live it.

It was the only way.





Chapter Sixteen


Something was wrong. Something beyond the fact that the cops may have believed her but couldn’t do anything at the moment.

Autumn could feel the wrongness on her skin, in her soul.

Only she couldn’t quite place it.

She sighed and leaned against Griffin’s kitchen counter, folding her arms over her chest. Griffin was in the office doing some revisions on his book so he could get ready to write the very last part. She loved the way the book was coming together, but she hadn’t told him that. He didn’t look like he wanted to hear that, only wanted to get it done so he could make sure he was happy with it. Maybe then she’d tell him it was the best book he’d ever written in her opinion.

The fact that she could tell he didn’t want to hear it spoke volumes.

She saw more of him, saw more about him than she thought possible. Wasn’t this supposed to be a no strings, no complications relationship? In fact, it wasn’t even supposed to have the word relationship attached to it. Instead, she was living at his house, sleeping in his bed, and acting like a full-on girlfriend, or even, hell, a wife.

And yet…

And yet he hadn’t looked at her.

It had been a week since she’d run from her home and into Griffin’s arms. After their bout of very spicy sex on the kitchen countertop, she’d noticed that something was different. There was something in his eyes that told her he was closing himself off, protecting himself.

Or maybe trying to protect her in some weird way.

He would help her find the man following her, be by her side as she spoke to the police and dealt with the legalities of her name and running, but he wouldn’t be there.

She shivered and tried to hold herself tighter.

When they’d gone to the police and Griffin’s contacts, she’d told them everything. She’d blurted it out like some insane person, but they hadn’t treated her as if she were truly insane. While they hadn’t been happy that she hadn’t come to them earlier, they did say they would try to help.

And Griffin had been there the whole time, holding her hand and standing strong.

He hadn’t smiled at her, though. Not that it had been appropriate to smile at the time, but he hadn’t winked or grinned or shown her anything other than that cool look he’d had when she’d first shown up at his place to clean.

So now she was living with him, her home cleaned up thanks to the Montgomerys after the police had been there and agreed she could take away what things were salvageable. Maya had held her close then punched her in the shoulder once Autumn had told her about her past. The Montgomerys had gathered around her just like Griffin had told her they would.