A Mate for Griffin by Charlene Hartnady Page A

until Lance catches a fucking clue.”
    “And the other thing? Lance seemed to think that it also makes a difference.” She looked truly worried about him. Sarah was so sweet.
    He shrugged. “Vampire males need to rut at least once a day if they want to maintain optimum strength but it’s not a big deal. I can manage on less than optimum. I swear.” Maybe a bit of a break was in order. Training had been a nightmare.
    “It is a big deal.” She stared at him like he had grown pink horns or something. “If you need to…you know…then you should do it. Please don’t let me stand in your way.” Her eyes darted around them. “It’s not like we’re really together.”
    “I know that you wouldn’t stop me. It’s just that it would look bad if I rutted others while I’m supposed to be with you. Rumors spread quickly. It would reflect badly on you and I won’t have that.”
    She chewed on her lower lip. “That’s really sweet. I appreciate it. Sorry to cramp your style.”
    “Nah. It’s not like that. I don’t mind at all. I can take care of myself.” He flexed his hand and bobbed his eyebrows.
    Sarah burst out laughing and it was like freaking music to his ears. A louder burst of laughter erupted from the group drawing her attention and Sarah immediately looked at her hands clasped in her lap.
    Sapphire was draped all over Lance. Her head was flung backwards, in an all out laugh. Griffin knew that the two of them sometimes shared a bed. It was evident just by watching them together.
    “I think that we need to get his attention back on you.” Griffin turned all of his focus on her.
    Her blue eyes flashed to his. “How do we do that?”
    Griffin shrugged. “Lance suffers from FOMO. I recently learned that acronym. It means fear of missing out.” He grinned at her and she smiled back.
    “What should we do?” She looked up at him from under her lashes. Sheesh, this female had no idea how stunning she was.
    Griffin shrugged. “Let’s kiss. We need to practice doing it since we are going to be in public often over the next week anyways and we need to make Lance jealous.”
    “Okay. Nothing over the top though.” She gave her head a small shake.
    He shook his head. “Just a quick kiss or two. I’m sure he’ll come running once he sees that we’re having more fun than him. We need to make it look authentic though. Climb onto my lap.” He patted his thighs.
    “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” She glanced down at his denim clad thighs.
    “It’s a fantastic idea. Just sit on my lap, buddy. It won’t mean anything. We will keep it simple.” He gave his thighs a rub.
    “No tongues.” She raised her brows.
    It was his turn to roll his eyes. “We already agreed to no tongues but I want you on my lap, otherwise it won’t be much of a kiss.”
    She slid onto his lap, her little hands circled around his neck. She felt surprisingly good against him. Her scent was candied apples. The really sweet kind. He wondered if she tasted as good as she scented, but he quickly dismissed the thought.
    He bracketed her waist with his hands, feeling her tense. “I won’t touch anywhere I’m not supposed to but we need to make this look real. Close your eyes.”
    “Why?”
    “It will look more real if you do. Also, moan loudly a few times to draw his attention. I might slide my hand up your back, so don’t be startled. Are you ready?” He looked down at her enticing lips. At least this wouldn’t be a hardship. Not at all . It made him feel guilty.
    “I’m ready.” Her eyes were also glued to his lips. Her hands were tightly clasped at the back of his neck. Her whole body radiated tension.
    “Just relax. Close your eyes and don’t forget to moan.” He whispered the last against her lips.
    She did as he said, her eyes fluttering closed. Her embrace tightened but he reminded himself that it was nerves and not anticipation.
    He felt like an asshole for noticing how damned enticing she was. This was