12. Griffin

Cora walks down the stairs the following evening, looking like something out of a wet dream. Her hair falls in long waves down her back, and her black silk dress hugs every curve of her body to perfection.

I tuck my hand in my pocket, trying to adjust the bulge without her noticing.

Cora smirks as she reaches the bottom step, her gaze dropping to the front of my slacks.

Busted.

She looks up at me with amusement shining in her eyes, the corner of her mouth still twisted upward. "You haven"t told me where we were going yet."

"And I'm still not going to." I loop my arm around her waist and lead her out to the car. "I thought it would be nice to surprise you and take over the planning for once."

Cora's smile makes my pulse race. "Is this something I'm going to like?"

"I sure hope so." I open the car door for her. She slides in with ease, a high slit climbing up her thigh.

I have no clue how I'm going to get through the evening without touching her, but I'm going to do my best.

This date needs to be the best one Cora has ever had. She deserves everything I have to give her.

I want to make a good impression; otherwise, she might think I'm just toying with her. She could walk back into my office on Monday morning and demand that I sign the divorce papers.

There"s no way I'm doing that.

I'm going out with Jake's younger sister, who also happens to be my employee.

If anything goes wrong, I could lose my best friend and my reputation.

The moment my father finds out that I'm dating an employee, he will do everything in his power to regain control of Blake and Associates.

He'll say I'm an embarrassment to the family name—though that is nothing new.

It's worth it, though. Cora is worth all the trouble and drama.

I sigh and rake a hand through my hair, trying to get control of my thoughts. I need to be confident on this date instead of a tangled ball of anxiety.

I get in the car, and Cora looks over at me. I wonder what's going through her head.

Is going out with her wrong?

Was she right about the divorce?

"Everything okay?" Her eyebrows pull together, and a thin line appears between them. "If you're having second thoughts about this, we don't have to go out. We could go back inside and order something for dinner. Pretend that we never wanted to do this in the first place."

I take her hand, lacing her fingers with mine. "I want to do this. I just don't want this to end poorly."

The frown gives way to a smile. "Good. I still want to go out with you. I don't know how things are going to play out either, and I have to admit that it scares the hell out of me. It's been so long since I went on a first date."

"That seems hard to believe." The engine roars to life, and we leave the comfort of the house behind us, quickly heading toward the unknown. "You're one of the calmest and collected people I've ever met on a first date."

"Only because I'm freaking out internally all the time." She laughs and settles back against the seat.

She's so gorgeous.

It's only a short drive down the road to the marina. I pull inside the gates and head to the pier where the yacht I chartered for the evening is waiting.

Cora's mouth drops open as she looks between me and the boat. "Griff, this is a lot," she says.

"I know."

I park the car and get out, going around to her side to open the door. She puts her hand in mine before stepping out, her eyes still wide as she looks up.

The salt air ruffles her hair as it blows across the ocean. Cora beams with a smile as we head toward the yacht and get on.

She takes off her heels, setting them in the small basket on deck. I toss my own in the same basket before leading her to the top deck.

Cora sits on one of the cushions at the stern, stretching her legs out in front of her. "So, is this yours?"

"Nope." I sit beside her and lean against the cushions as the crew works to get the boat off the dock. "Just something I wanted to do for you for the night. I can't imagine owning a boat right now. It seems like a lot of upkeep that I don't have time for."

She nods and tilts her head back, looking up at the pink and orange streaks radiating from the setting sun. "You really didn't have to do this. It's a lot."

"I wanted to." I lean over and take a bottle of champagne from the bucket on the side table. I pour two glasses before handing one to her. "So, tell me what's been going on in your life over the last years. It's been a long time since I was really involved in it."

She sips the champagne and shrugs. "Not a lot. I graduated from university with a degree in business and thought about opening a media agency with the man I was with. I thought we would get married and run a business together."

"Obviously, that didn't go as planned."

She barks out a short laugh. "No, it didn't."

"Does he have anything to do with all the trouble you're in?"

I don't know this man she was engaged to, but I fucking hate him to the core. If he was stupid enough to let Cora go, he clearly didn't realize her actual value.

Cora takes a large gulp of her drink. "Yeah. We were engaged for a long time. Most of our engagement was during our time in college at the university. My name went on all his student loans and my own. Then we got a house and started a business; my name was all over those, too."

A pit opens in the bottom of my stomach. Though I don't know the whole story yet, I get an awful sense of understanding of where this is going.

She sighs and squeezes her eyes shut before glancing at me with a crooked smile. "One day, I caught him cheating on me with his colleague who was married at his other work. He needed that job because our business was still new and not making anything. Obviously, he didn't care if he got fired for dating a married woman. So, I left him, and he started defaulting on all the debt payments. Because my name was on them, it became my responsibility to deal with them."

I shake my head, my free hand balling into a fist. "Cora, we could take this guy to court. You shouldn't be saddled with everything."

Cora crosses one leg over the other. "I haven't told you the best part. Now, he's living with the woman he cheated on me with while I attempt to clean up the remnants of the life we once shared."

I take a moment to gather my thoughts. I don't want to say the wrong thing and make her think I'm judging her for this mess.

She was young, and she didn't know better. She got involved with a man she thought she would marry, only for him to deceive her.

He used her good intentions to improve his own life before throwing her to the wolves.

If I ever meet him, I'm going to wring his neck.

I put my glass to the side and take her hand, lacing our fingers together. Her hand fits in mine like it was made for me to hold. "Cora, how much money are we talking about?"

"Tens of thousands of dollars left." She sighs and leans her head on my shoulder. It's alright, though. With what I'm making working for you, I should have them paid off in a couple of years, and then I can move on with my life."

Cora certainly wouldn't be the first woman to try and use me for my money if she did…

But why would she agree to go on a date with me?

She wouldn"t have agreed to a date if this was all about getting money from me. It'd be easier to push for a divorce, try to claim alimony or something.

That's not who Cora is, though. She's not the kind of person who would use someone else to get what she wants. She's too good for that.

Hell, she came to work for me just to handle the debt.

"Jake offered to handle everything, of course." Cora's voice is soft as she looks up at me. "He said he"d make all of it go away, and I'd be free to start over."

"Why didn't you take him up on that? He can more than afford to pay off the debt for you."

She nods, biting her bottom lip. I put my thumb on her lip, pulling it out between her teeth. Cora looks out at the water as we head further from the marina.

"Jake is used to using money to solve his problems, but there's always a price to pay when you never actually have to deal with anything. I decided that a couple of years of hard work would be better than taking the easy way out. It was my fault for trusting the man to begin with."

It's painful to watch her blame herself for a mess that wasn't her fault.

I squeeze her hand. "It wouldn't be taking the easy way out. You shouldn't be the only one dealing with the bills."

"Getting money from Victor is as hard as milking a rock. He isn't going to give me any money to deal with any of it because he got the life he wanted. Not that he has any money to give me. I really doubt that he does."

"You deserve better than that."

She nods and finishes off her champagne. "I know. I wish I had realized that before he ruined my life. It is what it is, though. I'll get out of this one way or another."

I kiss her forehead. "If you didn't have to deal with all the debt, what would you be doing right now?"

"I'd have my own media company. I'd be working with people all over the world and getting to travel. I want to own a vacation home in another country to escape whenever life here feels boring."

She moves away from me and gets up to look over the railing. The wind ruffles her hair, sending strands streaming behind her back.

I get up and join her, wrapping one arm around her waist. We lean against the railing together, watching the waves break against the boat.

Cora turns and faces me. "If you weren't a lawyer, what would you be doing with your life?"

"I never really gave much thought to that, honestly. My father made it clear from when I was young that I would go to law school and become a lawyer."

"Your father sounds awful." Cora blushes as the words slip out. Her nervous little laugh has me wrapping my arm tighter around her and pulling her until she is pressed between me and the railing.

"He is awful. I wouldn't recommend him as a father." I trail my fingers up and down her spine, enjoying the low cut of the back of her dress. "It's why I spent so much time at your house as a child. He was a hard man to be around, and my mother was worse."

Cora's hands slip up my chest and over my shoulders. Her fingers sink into the hair at the nape of my neck. "Well, for what it's worth, my parents think the sun rises and sets with you. You should've heard how excited they were when I told them I would be working with you."

"I would be pretty excited to work with me, too," I grin as she rolls her eyes, "You should be nicer to the man who gave you a job. If I were you, I would worship me."

Cora smirks, that familiar shine of mischief in her eyes again as her hands slide back down my body. She pulls my shirt out of my slacks, releasing the bottom button.

Her fingers climb higher, flicking open one button and then another. My heart races as she gets higher.

I'm sure that she can feel my pulse as she gets to the top button and opens it.

The shirt flies open, and she glances down at my bare chest.

Before I know what's happening, she pinches my nipples before ducking beneath my arm and taking off running across the deck.

Peels of laughter come from her as I hurry to button my shirt before chasing after her. She laughs and dodges me, diving to the ground and crawling beneath a table before popping up on the other side.

I lunge around the side of the table, laughing louder than I've laughed in a long time as I reach for her.

She hurries out of my reach, her smile wide. "Catch me if you can, Griff."

Cora takes off, flying down the stairs while I take my socks off. I have no hope of catching her if I keep sliding around the polished decks.

And I do want to catch her.

I race down the stairs after her, only to find an empty deck waiting for me. The door to the lounge is open, and throw pillows have been moved from the couch to the ground.

Did she leave me a trail to follow?

I follow the direction of the pillows to the bedroom at the back of the yacht. Cora is leaning back on her forearms in the middle of the bed, one arm crossed over the other.

She grins up at me as I approach the foot of the bed. "You found me."

"And now, what am I supposed to do with you?" I grab her heel and drag her to the end of the bed.

She sits up, her hands back beneath my shirt, and crawls up my torso.

I grab her hands and pull them out, pinning her back against the bed. "You better not think I"ll fall for that again."

Cora wriggles beneath me, the loud growl of her stomach echoing between us. "One of these days, you'll fall for it again, but right now, I need something to eat."

I grin and straighten up, pulling her to her feet. "Well, lucky for you, I might have arranged for a chef to be on board as well."

Cora follows me out of the room and back up to the top deck, where dinner is served.

If someone had told me a few months ago that I would be on a yacht with a wife, I would have called them crazy.

Now, life before Cora feels like a faded picture, lacking the vibrant colors she brings.

We get home late at night when the stars are high in the sky and the moon shines bright.

Cora's heels dangle from her fingers as we walk inside, her hair a tangled mess from the wind. She's never looked more beautiful.

I climb the stairs to her room behind her, my hands in my pockets.

Tonight has been one unforgettable night of my life, and I hope she feels the same.

Spending an evening with her has only cemented the fact that the last thing I want is a divorce.

Cora stops in front of her closed bedroom door and turns to me. "I had a great time tonight. Thank you."

I move close to her, the heat from our bodies radiating between us. "I had a great night too. Apart from the nipple pinching. That was a dirty move, and I will get you back for that."

"Promises, promises." She smirks before a yawn catches her off guard. "It's been a long week, and I need to crawl into bed and sleep for a thousand years."

Laughing, I cup her cheek and brush my thumb over her cheekbone. "Have a good night, Cora."

I lean in and kiss her, our mouths molding together like we were made for each other. She sighs, relaxing into the kiss as I trace her bottom lip with my tongue.

My hands move up her back, feeling the warmth of her skin through the thin fabric of her dress. I slide my hands down to cup her ass, pulling our bodies closer together.

"Mm, Griff…" She moans into my mouth, her hands moving up to tangle in my hair.

I deepen the kiss, my tongue exploring her mouth as she sucks on it.

I can feel her breath quicken as she pulls me closer, her body pressed tightly against mine. I pull away from the kiss, my eyes locked on hers.

"Take off your dress," I command, my voice low and husky with desire.

She nods, and I watch as she unzips the back of her dress and lets it fall to the floor, revealing a lacy black bra and matching panties.

"Undress me," I say, my voice hoarse with need.

She complies again, her hands shaking slightly with excitement as she unbuttons my shirt and pulls it off my shoulders.

She moves on to unbuckle my belt and unzip my pants. My cock swings in front of her as soon as she pulls my boxers down.

"I… I want to suck it," Cora whispers in my ear, stroking me in her hand slowly.

"Get on your knees," I tell her. She drops to her knees without hesitation.

I watch as she takes me in her mouth, her tongue swirling around the head of my cock. I groan, my hands fisting in her hair as she sucks me deeper into her mouth.

I can feel her throat working as she takes me in, her tongue flicking against the underside of my cock. She moans around my cock, the vibrations sending shivers down my spine.

She continues to take me in and out of her mouth, her hands cupping my balls.

"Fuck, Cora," I groan, my hips bucking forward. She moans again, her eyes looking up at me as she sucks me harder.

I can feel my orgasm building, my balls tightening. "I'm going to come," I warn her. She doesn't stop, her mouth working harder as she takes me in deeper.

"Fuck," I say again, my breath coming in short gasps.

I groan as I explode into her mouth. She swallows every drop, her tongue licking me clean.

She smiles up at me as she stands up, picking up her dress from the floor.

As I plant a kiss on her cheek, she nips at me before pulling away and yawning again.

"Good night, Griff."

She turns and disappears into her room, shutting the door behind her and leaving me alone in the hallway, trying to figure out how to get her to call me Griff for the rest of our lives.