That Second Chance (Getting Lucky #1)(88)

I turn to face him, shock mixing with humor. “No you didn’t.”

He nods slowly. “Sadly, I did. But it worked out in the end.”

“Oh, you sneaky, sneaky man.”

He pulls me into a hug and presses a kiss against my forehead. “Hell, I would have done the same thing if you’d shown an ounce of interest in any other guy in town. I would have found an unsuspecting tourist and hooked them up. When I know what I want, I make sure no one else can have it.”

And that warms me to my very core.



“Your home is beautiful, Griffin.” I take in the subtle neutral tones throughout the house, the cozy gray-toned wooden furniture. The house is a simple oasis; you step inside and instantly feel comfortable.

“Thank you.” He comes up behind me and slowly pulls down the zipper of my dress, pressing light kisses across the side of my neck.

When he asked me if I wanted to go back to his place when we were in his truck, I hesitated at first, nervous that I would be stepping into his wife’s territory, but he told me he renovated a few months ago, needing a change, the reminder of her too consuming. He didn’t get rid of everything, but he did get a new bed, and that made me feel a whole hell of a lot better.

I don’t want to take his wife’s place. I want to be respectful of what they had, but after an awkward conversation in his truck outside of his house, Griffin let me know I was okay, that I wouldn’t be intruding on her territory.

And I know I should have felt weird about that, but I didn’t. It actually made me feel better, the idea that maybe with some crazy cosmic force she brought us together. And who knows? Maybe she was the one who poked the moose in the butt to get him out on the road at just the right time.

My dress fully unzipped, Griffin pushes it down over my shoulders and to the ground, where it pools at my heels, exposing my matching set of red lace lingerie.

His hum of approval fills me with need as I turn around and find the buttons on his shirt, quickly undoing them and exposing his rock-hard chest. Gripping me by the ass, he hoists me into the air, and I circle my legs around his waist. He walks us up the stairs to his bedroom, his mouth desperate on mine.

“Your parents’ visit really fucked up the plans I had for us.”

“We missed three nights together.” I giggle as he tosses me on the bed, my hair fanning out next to me.

“Still too fucking long.” He strips down to his boxer briefs, his bulge already prominent, and leans down on the bed, raking his eyes over my body. Growing serious, he props himself over me, his elbows resting on the bed, his face inches from mine. “What made you wait?”

“Wait for you?” I ask, brushing my fingers through his soft hair.

“Yes. After we almost kissed in the street, what made you give me another chance?”

“Honestly? Stupid hope that maybe, just maybe, you would open your heart and give me a chance too. That you would give us a chance.”

“And all those times we were together, were you hoping then?”

I bite my bottom lip. This is the perfect moment, but I’m scared out of my mind to confess how much I feel for him.

“Tell me.” He nudges me with a light kiss to my nose. “Were you hoping?”

I shake my head, and a crease forms in his brow. “No, all the time we spent together, I was falling harder for you every minute.”

I hold his gaze, fighting the urge to bury my head in his pillows. He needs to know this is serious for me, that I want nothing more than for our relationship to morph into forever.

He’s silent for a long moment, my stomach churning with nerves until he smiles. “I think I was doing the same exact thing.”





CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO





GRIFFIN


“Word on the street is you took Ren to the Lighthouse Restaurant the other night. And before you deny it—” Jen sets the local gossip newspaper on the counter in front of me. It showcases a picture of Ren and me having dinner together and holding hands beneath the headline:

GRIFFIN KNIGHTLY BREAKS HIS CURSE!

You would think I’d be shocked, that I’d have some choice words about invasion of privacy.

But it’s Port Snow.

It’s not the first time I’ve been in the headlines, and I’m sure it won’t be the last.

Rolling my eyes, I count the change in the cash register, the start of the school year finally giving us a little bit of reprieve from the busy tourist season. Between now and Christmas we’ll just have a steady flow of customers, no rush like in the summer.

Thank God.

“Glad to see the tradition of gossip and snooping still holds strong in this town. What else did you hear?”

“Do you really want to know?”

“Hit me with the stories.” This should at least be entertaining.

Jen wraps up the leftover scones—she came in to help with closing—and counts off on her fingers. “Let’s see. The obvious, that you were on a date. That you were whispering about a possible unexpected pregnancy.” I snort. “That you were actually just getting a tutoring session because you’re taking online classes to earn your degree in firefighting.”

“Okay, whoever came up with that one needs the tutoring.”

Jen chuckles. “That one was my favorite. Oh, and the one where you two went at it like rabbits on the beach.”