Chapter 42: Griffin

42

GRIFFIN

W rapped around Kali, I'm back in Sutton and the relative safety of the town, and I feel like I can finally breathe. Sleep evades me, as I fit the pieces of the last week back together in my mind, from meeting Kali out by the lake, to finding her in that cabin and realising it was me who prolonged her ordeal.

Guilt gnaws away at me.

Brushing her tangled mess of blonde hair away from her neck, the sight of my bite on her shoulder fills me with both relief and anxiety.

But am I the mate she deserves? I haven't exactly had a stellar start.

As the hours pass, I stare at her, lying peacefully in my arms, and I thank the heavens I'm going to get a second chance to make things right.

I'm going to show her what a good life we can have. I'll prove to the town that I'm the right man for the ranger job. And by making Jed pay for what he did to Kali, and making sure nobody else ever hurts her, I'll show Evan I can be trusted with her safety. And finally, by helping Ben find John, or at the very least, figure out what the message behind leaving that map was, I'll show him that John was right to have faith in me.

With a roadmap toward redemption slowly forming in my mind, I bury my noise in Kali's hair and breathe, letting a chink of joy penetrate the worry that's been weighing heavily on my mind. It's all going to be okay.

I leave Kali to rest and slip from the bed. I move to the bathroom, running a hot bath and dumping every nice smelling thing I can find into the water. Leaving the taps on, I go in hunt of some clean towels and bed linens. Maisy has everything cleaned and put away, new towels replacing those that couldn't be salvaged, in the press.

I'm not surprised to see Kali awake when I return to the bedroom. When she smiles at me, I feel a tightness in my chest akin to panic. Pushing that feeling aside, I bend down and give her a tender kiss, loving how she hums happily as my lips touch hers.

"Obviously, I think you're sexy no matter what, but I think we both could do with a wash."

Her grin grows wider, and she loops her arms around my neck, pulling me closer to her, deepening the kiss. "Sounds wonderful."

I scoop her up and carry her to the bathroom, internally cursing at how light she feels. I need to feed her to get her strength back up. Setting her down gently beside the tub, I groan when she starts a little strip tease, right there in the middle of the floor.

"I was going to give you some privacy…" Stepping back, my ass hits the counter, and I lose my train of thought, mesmerised by how beautiful she is.

Kali gives me a saucy wink, lifting one leg to step into the water, and then the other.

"Why would I need that after spending so much time on my own this week?" She's teasing, but the joke hits home, and almost feels like a kick to the gut. "Join me."

Covering my shame with a predatory grin, I stalk closer and tip her chin down, brushing my thumb over her plump bottom lip. "Ladies first. I'm going to make us some breakfast. I heard Maisy drop a bag of groceries on the doorstep this morning."

I pretend I don't see Kali's disappointment, giving her a quick peck and ducking out of the room as fast as I can, instead of sinking into the warm water with her, like I long to.

Maisy has come through, leaving the basics outside, so we don't have to leave any time today, and she even included some treats, like all the fixings for a cooked breakfast. So, I hide away in the kitchen, ignoring the tempting sounds of splashing coming from the bathroom, and my beast, who's bombarding me with pictures from his depraved imagination of Kali, all wet and slippery, and skin rosy from the hot water.

"Dammit." The knife nicks my finger, and red blood spills onto the chopping board.

Kali's out of the bath and by my side in an instant.

"What happened?" Her eyes are wild, freaking out at the scent of blood, pushing her beast to the surface, ready to protect her from danger.

"Look at me, I'm fine. It's just a tiny cut." I hold my finger up so she can see the tiny line I've sliced in my finger.

Reassured, she laughs awkwardly and rests her forehead on my chest while her racing heart calms. "I'm a mess."

Pulling back, I dip my head so she can see the truth in my eyes. "You're not a mess. You're just not a robot. It's going to take a while for you to process what's happened. Nobody expects you to be okay after what you went through."

Lifting her in a bridal carry and trying to pretend her wet and glistening naked body isn't making me hard, I bring her back to the bath.

"Relax. Take your time."

As she settles into the water, the damn bubbles cover her up far too much for my beast's liking.

I scrub a hand down my face, feeling like a deviant wanting to do the things I want to do, while she's still recovering. I can blame the beast for being selfish out in the woods, but this is all me.

"Griffin, are you alright?" Kali tilts her head and looks at me with concern.

"I will be once you're fed and clean." With another pathetic kiss to her luscious mouth, I pull back before I end up dragging her out of the water and fucking her right here on the bathroom floor.

Smiling like I'm not a fucking animal, I disappear back into the hallway, shutting the door and leaning back against it with my eyes closed.

I can't be rough until she's fully healed, and if I can't trust myself to be gentle, I'm just going to have to wait until she's better. Even if it nearly kills me.