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CHAPTER 5
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2024-10-29 19:42:56This wasn’t the Gloriana he wished to see, Griffin thought quite irritated. She wasn’t nothing like the woman he used to dream about every night, after closing his eyes… When she was part of his dreams, she wasn’t yelling at him or acting like an untamed, spitfire shrew… No, she was usually naked, her lithe body spread out over his bed, and her soft mouth was begging him to take her.
But this was no dream, and right now, having passionate, hot sex with her couldn’t be further from his mind. Kissing that insolent curl from her luscious mouth… well… that was closer. But completely giving in to the insane desire that still uncomfortably rode his back... ABSOLUTELY no. Not in this lifetime.
Not that he was at all surprised to find himself still attracted to Gloriana. Hell, she looked even better now than she
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Her voice was barely above a whisper.“I really don’t know who put it there… I really don’t. But what I know is, as sure as I’m standing here, in front of you, I’m not going with you until I know what happens next.” Griffin glanced at the ceiling, hoping some divine force would penetrate it and put him out of his misery. When he looked back at her, Griffin saw her pinching the bridge of her nose. He knew she had a headache. He’d known the minute he’d seen her. And now she was giving him one.“Come on! You’ve got to be kidding me…” Griffin groaned.“No, I’m not. I mean it, Griffin! I won’t let you push me around like you did six years ago. Back then…”“Oh, cut the theatrics, Glow! There’s no camera to turn it on for here
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Gloriana collapsed back against the luxuriant leather car seat and closed her eyes. Her head hurt and she felt shivery all over. She didn’t know if it was remembering her previous attraction to Griffin that had brought it screaming to the fore, or the man himself… But she was unable to deny the sweet feeling of desire that had pooled low in her pelvis when he’d held her in his arms and looked at her as if he wanted to kiss her. Actually, now that she thought about it, her physical response was probably caused to emotional tiredness and stress making her super sensitive to her surroundings and having nothing to do with Griffin at all. How could it be when he immediately assumed that she was guilty? That she was lower than dirt? His cold arrogance fired her blood and made her want to fall b
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So hot… Gloriana was hot. Too hot… And something was tugging on her. Pulling her down.“Gray…” she whispered then blinked and tried to focus. ‘Where am I? Whose room is this?’“Missing your boyfriend already, little Glow?” An aggravated male voice she instantly recognized, drawled from far away.“Oh… I wasn’t dreaming…” Gloriana tentatively raised herself up on her elbow to find Griffin seated behind a large desk strewn with leatherbound books and reams of paper. For a moment she just stared at him in a daze, unconsciously registering his dark frown. Then the events of the morning s
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Griffin regarded Gloriana coolly as she walked back into his office. She’d put her hair up, which made her look shabbier than when she’d first woken up… and incredibly cute. A fact he found hard to believe when he usually preferred women well-mannered, well-bred, and well-groomed. Griffin was still smarting from having lowered himself to question her about her lovers before, like some petty boyfriend, and wouldn’t have minded if she’d spent the rest of the afternoon in the bathroom. All the better for him to get some actual work done. But Gloriana hadn’t, and now her eyes stopped on the refreshments his PA had just placed on his desk. Griffin knew she must be hungry because he doubted the customs officers had made it a priority to feed her earlier today.&nb
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Gloriana’s mouth gaped, and she tried to calm down, before telling him what she thought about his rude comments and hurtful attitude.“You really think you’ve got me all sussed out, don’t you, Griffin?” Her voice was husky with raw emotion.“In your opinion, I’m just some worthless, dumb celebrity who takes drugs and uses the casting couch to get her roles.”“Well, not if you’re screwing the dolly boy… I can’t imagine he can win you too many roles.” He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms behind his head. ‘You, arrogant jerk!’ Gloriana narrowed her eyes and s
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Griffin sat opposite his sister at one of London’s most exclusive restaurants and tried not to brood over Gloriana’s earlier comment. Because Emeline was right, damn it! He was one of the good guys, and he didn’t know why he was letting the two-bit actress beside him, laughing over Kostas’s unfunny jokes, make him question that. Maybe because he’d kissed her the way a man kissed a woman he planned to sleep with and then blamed her for it. As if this maddening desire he felt for her was a deliberate spell she had cast over him…Which, come to think of it, was a much better explanation than the alternative… that he just couldn’t keep his hands off her. But that wasn’t the case at all. What had happened in his office earlier was the result of extreme stress boiling over. Nothi
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Gloriana had wanted to put Griffin in his place, but instead, he threw his head back and laughed… the most delightfully masculine sound she’s ever heard. She could see Emeline and Kostas looking perplexed, and then Griffin smiled at her.“That’s just who I am,” Griffin said, picking up his wine glass and holding her gaze as he stroked his thumb over the stem.“I take it that was an in-joke?” Emeline offered, jolting Gloriana’s attention away from Griffin.“I don’t know…” Gloriana sniffed. “I didn’t find it funny at all.”“Well, are you seeing someone or not, Glory?”“No,” she sighed, and then, feeling observed by Griffin’s skeptical gaze, added, “no one important, anyway.” ‘Let him make of that what he would!&rs
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The ride to Griffin’s house was tense, to say the least. Gloriana was still fuming over the humiliation of nearly embarrassing herself before, when she had almost reached up and pulled Griffin’s taunting mouth to hers. Again… Something she hadn’t even been aware she was about to do until he’d pulled back. She swallowed a whine of distress and watched one neon sign become another as Griffin steered his silver Mercedes through the streets from Park Lane to Hampstead Heath, one of London’s most prestigious addresses. How dared he tell her that he wasn’t interested in her? As if she would care! How about the fact that she wasn’t interested in him? And he’d certainly been a little more than intere
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“Parents often don’t see the impact they have on their children when they aren’t happy within themselves,” Gloriana offered softly.“No,” Griffin said shaking his head. “And it certainly put me off wanting to risk my heart with another person, but…” He looked down at Gloriana’s small hand enfolded in his, not even having realized that he had reached out to her.“The other night I accused you of using your past as a shield, Gloriana, and I’ve only just come to realize that I do the same thing. I’ve put up barriers to my emotions my whole life because my mother’s love was so unpredictable and my parents’ relationship was so unstable and I don’t want to do that anymore. Actually, that’s not completely true.” Griffin looked up sheepishly.
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Her feelings for Griffin were too real and too raw for her to even attempt friendship with another man at this point. Clearly, Griffin’s ego was still affected, if the way he was studying her was any indication.“Phillip? Fine, I expect,” Gloriana answered. Griffin scowled and brought her hand in tightly against his chest. His other hand was spread wide against that sensitive spot in the small of her back. He was holding her so closely now Gloriana could hear the brush of her tulle skirt against his trousers. Gloriana swallowed and concentrated on holding in the quiver that zipped up her spine, completely forgetting what number she was up to. ‘Damn it! One, two, three…’“Are you counting?”
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Trouble with a capital T, Griffin reminded himself the following morning as he stood beside Kostas in morning suit and top hat at the entrance to the Gothic cathedral, making small talk with yet another expensively dressed wedding guest. It was a splendid day, except the sun had come out to grace Emeline’s big day and brought half the paparazzi in the Western world along with it. No doubt the combined news of Gloriana’s near arrest and subsequent release and the many royal attendants at Emeline’s wedding was causing them to swarm like cockroaches. The local law enforcement was also out in force, to keep intruders at bay, as well as a top London security firm that looked as if it employed some of the men from Gloriana’s premiere. And if Griffin
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‘What the hell was she talking about?’ Griffin asked himself frowning. ‘As if I give a damn about Isabelle’s lineage… or her, for that matter.’“Forget Isabelle Pearson. She’s irrelevant right now.”“She’d no doubt be upset to hear you say that.” Griffin frowned again. This conversation wasn’t going at all as he’d planned. He declined a glass of champagne as a passing waiter stopped, and determinedly turned his back on an Italian count he’d befriended at Harvard.“You know… Since we have this moment alone, I’d like to thank you for your help in solving my case. The detective told me everything you did,” Gloriana said politely.“It was nothing… Don’t mention it,” Griffin replied and wa
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‘Where the hell is she?’ Griffin scowled as he leaned against one of the sideboards in the main drawing room, sipping from a glace of Scotch and talking with one of Kostas’s cousins while awaiting the remaining guests for the rehearsal dinner. A waiter discreetly circulated amongst those already present, and Griffin glanced through the open double doors to where a lavish dining setting, resplendent with antique crystalware, awaited twenty-four of Emeline and Kostas’s close friends and family for the rehearsal dinner. Griffin knew he should’ve been in a better mood, given that his kid sister was marrying one of his oldest friends the following day, but he wasn’t. After his run-in with Emeline this morni
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He’d never woken up having held a woman all night before. In fact, he usually tried to find a plausible excuse not to wake up with one at all, and Griffin didn’t mind admitting that having Glow snuggled against him like a warm, sleepy kitten had scared the hell out of him. If he’d thought the first experience with her had been mind-blowing, then last night had been indescribable. She’d been completely abandoned in his arms and he… Suffice it to say it had been the most complete, the most intimate experience he’d ever had with a woman, even more unsettling than making love to her five nights ago. Griffin had tried to sneak out of bed, but she’d woken when he was halfway into his jeans. He’d turned when he heard the bedcovers rustling to find her leaning up on one elbow, the linen
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“I’ll be right back, baby,” he murmured against her mouth, and Gloriana flopped back against her pillows as Griffin quietly closed the bedroom door behind him. She’d almost felt sick earlier when she’d woken in the early morning light to find Griffin trying to slip out of her bed without waking her. He’d pulled on his jeans, a frown marring his perfect features, and then he’d noticed her watching him. He’d looked remote, but then, his eyes had devoured her and he’d walked over and let his lips show Gloriana just how much he wanted her.“‘I’m going to make you a cup of tea’,” Griffin had whispered, and she’d smiled and trailed her hand down his naked chest. She didn’t really want tea, just h
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Gloriana stared at Griffin and willed the ground to open up and devour one of them. She’d been having such a nice time and now he’d gone and ruined it.“You… don’t know what you’re talking about,” she whispered, trying to ignore the lump in her throat to subside. She stared at the fire and realized she was about to cry. She never cried, and she wasn’t about to start in Griffin’s presence.“Gloriana…’ Gloriana quickly scrambled to her feet, holding her hands out in front of her as Griffin made to do the same.“I’m…” The words wouldn’t come and she turned to flee, but Griffin caught her.“I can’t let you l
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She smiled and the almost shy look she cast from under her lashes caught him in the solar plexus.“That’s nice to know.”“That’s only because I’m not here all that often,” Griffin teased.“I don’t believe you. And you’re spoiling it again,” Gloriana scolded, picking up on the falseness behind his words.“Come over here… Come by the fire,” he murmured, mentally rolling his eyes at the stupidity of that suggestion. But she did, and he poked at the fire while she found a comfortable position on the rug.“What was it like growing up in your world, Griff?” she asked, watching him carefully as he sat down opposite her, his drink dangled over one knee. Griffin didn’t like talkin
