26. Griffin

Sophie shoots daggers at me as I assist Cora in boxing up her belongings at her place. The moment Cora steps away to gather her toiletries, Sophie steps in front of me, her finger wagging in my face.

"You put her through the wringer when we were younger," she hisses, checking over her shoulder to ensure Cora is out of earshot. "Then you break her heart, and now you"re back for a third round? If you hurt her again, nobody will ever find your body."

"I"ll help with that," Kaleigh chimes in, entering the room with Jake trailing behind her. "The truck"s loaded up from the storage unit."

Sophie prods me in the chest before backing off. "You"re skating on thin ice, Griffin Blake. But she loves you, and I can see how much you love her. Only a man completely devoted to my best friend would dare set foot in this apartment after serving her divorce papers just weeks ago."

Kaleigh nods enthusiastically and heads to the fridge, yanking it open to retrieve a bottle of champagne. "When Cora called and said you were on your way to grab her things, I got this for the two of you. I thought getting back together sounded like a reason to celebrate."

I accept the bottle with a smile, carefully tucking it into one of the boxes. "Well, that makes one person who"s happy for us."

Jake shrugs, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "You"re lucky my sister"s so forgiving."

Cora re-enters the room, rolling her eyes. "The three of you are going to behave. I"m a grown woman, and I can make my own decisions. Be happy for us, and stop giving Griffin a hard time."

Kaleigh grins mischievously. "Of course, we"ll behave... mostly. But I can"t promise there won"t be some celebratory mischief later."

Cora laughs, shaking her head. "You"re such a troublemaker, Kaleigh."

She turns to me, her expression softening. "Thank you for coming back for me, Griffin. I"m ready to start over… with you."

I wrap my arms around her, holding her close. "I"m ready too, Cora. I love you."

Jake claps me on the back, a smile playing on his lips. "Well, it"s about time. Welcome back to the family, Griffin," Jake taps his hand on my shoulder. "I'm happy for you. Now, get your ass moving."

Cora finishes packing her toiletries into a box, and Jake swoops in to grab it, heading for the front door.

"Shall we?" I ask, following Jake out.

Cora waves us off. "You go ahead. I need a minute with Sophie."

I quickly kiss her cheek and head to the car. "I'll see you in the car," I say.

As I start the car and turn on the music, I can't help but feel a surge of excitement. We're finally moving back in together.

A few minutes later, Cora slides into her seat. She looks a bit emotional, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

I reach for her hand and give it a gentle squeeze. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, I just wanted to say goodbye to Sophie and thank her for letting me stay with her and for doing everything she could to help me out when I went through all the rough patches. Without her support, I wouldn't have made it through the last few years."

I bring her hand to my lips and kiss the back of it. "You're not going to be too far, Cora. Sophie is welcome over any time."

I keep my hand on her thigh as we drive home, grateful for this moment.

Our house.

I never thought I'd share a house with anyone, and now I live with my wife, Cora.

Life has a funny way of working out.

I glance over at her as we come to a red light. "Remember now—the house is yours too. You can invite friends over whenever you want," I remind her as we near our home.

Cora nods and smiles as she leans back, looking content. "I'm looking forward to living with you again."

"Well, you better. And hey, we never did get to fuck on the porch like you wanted; maybe we should take the champagne and celebrate properly."

Cora laughs, a blush creeping down her cheeks. "You were the one who threatened it first," she says.

"You were definitely into it. Couldn't keep your hands off me," I tease.

Cora rolls her eyes playfully. "Sure, keep dreaming."

"We've got an hour before everyone arrives for the barbecue." I park the car in the driveway and hop out, leaning back toward the open door to look at her. "You coming to celebrate with me?"

"I'm coming." Cora nods eagerly, hurrying inside.

I follow her, kicking off my shoes as the door closes behind us. She turns around to face me, kicking off her shoes and pulling her shirt over her head.

My cock springs to life as she hooks her fingers in the sides of her shorts, pulling them down her toned legs.

She stands in a lilac lingerie set, intricate lace showing off her rosy nipples.

Her hand lands on her hip as she cocks it to the side. "Like what you see?"

"Fuck yes." I shed my jeans, leaving me in my boxers.

Cora's gaze roams up and down my body, her tongue flicking out to lick her bottom lip. "We only have an hour. We need to hurry up."

I stride over to her, sinking my hand in her hair and pulling her head back to look at me. "We don't have time for your smart mouth right now either, but don't worry. Once everyone is gone tonight, I'll have all the time in the world to deal with it."

Cora smirks, but her thighs are pressed together.

I give her hair another tug before letting her go and spinning her around, forcing her to head to the bedroom.

"Bed. Now. I want you on the sheets with your legs spread by the time I get in there."

Cora looks over her shoulder at me, her eyes bright. "Yes, sir."

She strides to the bedroom, her hips swaying as I lean against the wall and watch her go.

I wait for a minute before following her, entering the bedroom to find her naked on the bed, her fingers swirling around her clit.

Groaning, I drop to my knees at the foot of the bed and grab her ankles, pulling her closer to me.

She gasps as I slide my tongue up her wet pussy, savoring the taste of her arousal.

My cock aches as I circle my tongue around her clit.

Cora gasps, fisting the sheets as her back arches off the bed.

I suck on her clit, two fingers pressing into her soaking wet pussy. She tastes incredible, just the way I remembered.

She moans and rolls her hips in time with the thrusts.

"Fuck, yes, don't stop." Her voice is breathy as her pussy clamps down around me.

My fingers plunge into her faster, massaging her inner walls until she is pulsing around me.

Just before she comes, I pull my fingers out and yank my boxers down, my cock bobbing against my lower stomach.

Cora props herself up on her forearms and moves up the bed, giving me enough space to kneel between her legs.

She reaches down, her hands wrapping around the base of my cock as she rubs it through her slick folds.

I groan, grinding into her with each pass. She runs her hand up my cock, brushing her thumb against the head.

"Fuck, Cora. I need you now."

"Take me, Griff." She hooks her leg around my waist, pushing against me until I roll onto my back.

Cora straddles me, circling her pussy against the head of my cock before sinking down on it. Her lips part as she takes me as deep as she can.

Her legs spread wider as she plants her hands on my chest. Her nails dig into my skin as she looks down at me with warmth shining in her eyes.

"I love you, Griff." She slowly starts to move her hips, rocking back and forth, taking me deeper each time.

"I love you too, Cora. Now, make yourself come for me."

A pretty smirk crosses her face as she rolls her hips and takes me deeper than before.

Her pussy feels incredibly tight as she rides me, her arousal coating my cock.

I grab her hips, fingers digging into her hips so hard I'm sure there will be bruises in the morning.

I want my mark all over her.

Her ring glitters beneath the setting sun, streaming in the window as her soft moans fill the room.

"Good girl, Cora, come for me."

I lift my hips off the bed, plunging deeper into her. My cock stiffens as I come, my release filling her as she takes as much of my cock as she can.

"Griff."

My name falls from her lips as she comes. Her pussy clenches around me as she keeps rocking, making her orgasm last until her body is completely spent.

She slumps down onto my chest, burying her face in my neck. "We better get cleaned up before everyone gets here."

I trail my fingers up and down her spine, enjoying her shiver as I trace patterns on her skin.

"Remind me why you wanted to host a barbecue on the first night I have you back?"

Cora laughs and gets out of bed, stretching before heading toward the bathroom.

"Well, you did keep me waiting for two weeks. I think waiting one more night is fair."

I roll out of bed and catch up to her, looping an arm around her waist and pulling her back into me. She laughs as I pick her up and toss her onto the bed.

"Griff, we're going to be late to our own party, and they're going to know what we're doing up here."

"Fine by me." I crawl onto the bed, hovering over her. "Make sure you scream nice and loud for the audience. If you're lucky, the old guy across the street will enjoy the show, too."

She swats at my shoulder but reaches for me as I lean in to kiss her.

As her tongue tangles with mine and her hands roam my body, I settle into the feeling of home.

Home is wherever Cora is.