“It’s not all of a sudden,” he said. “I’ve been curious about you for a while. But you’ve never given me the chance to get to know you better. As soon as we’re done in bed, you run away.” He gestured to the open water. “There’s nowhere for you to run now.”
Indina did her best to ignore the panic that slashed through her. This was fine. There was no need to panic. Sharing a few harmless tidbits about herself didn’t equate to a lifelong commitment. It wasn’t as if Griffin could turn around and hurt her with anything she told him tonight.
Just play along.
“So, is this twenty questions, or what?” Indina asked him.
He shook his head. “Not twenty. I’m good with five.”
She backed up against the railing and mimicked his pose. “What do you want to know?” She held up a finger. “Just so you know, we’re taking turns. You ask a question, and I get to ask one.”
“Fair enough. You want to go first?”
She nodded. “I’ll make this first one easy. How do you like working at Sykes-Wilcox?”
“Why? Are you thinking about joining an actual firm?” he asked jokingly.
“I’m the one asking the questions, remember? And…maybe.”
Indina could tell that she’d shocked him with her answer.
“I thought you enjoyed freelancing.”
“I do, but my last five jobs have been with Sykes-Wilcox.” She shrugged. “Why not jump on board and have them pay for my health insurance?”
“I can’t argue with that. And I know Mark would love to have you on staff.” He hesitated for a moment before he said, “I’m just not sure how much longer I’ll be there.”
It was Indina’s turn to jerk back in surprise. “Really? Are you being lured away by another outfit?”
“Yeah, in a way. I’m thinking of branching out on my own.” He held his hands up. “It won’t happen any time soon. Probably not for another three or so years, but my plan is to save enough money so that I can take a year off, and then after that year, open up my own engineering firm.”
“You’re a talented engineer, Griffin. I think you would do amazingly on your own.”
The gratitude in his smile warmed Indina from the inside out. “Thanks for saying that.”
“What would you do with the time off?” Indina asked. She bumped him with her elbow. “Take a year-long cruise around the world?”
He chuckled. “That’s tempting, but I plan to go back to Ghana.”
“Back to Ghana?” She was lucky she could still stand after being hit with these back-to-back waves of shock.
Griffin nodded. “I’ve been there twice, but only for about a month each time. I volunteer with an organization that helps to set up filtration systems in areas without access to clean drinking water. My last trip was right before you joined the team at Sykes-Wilcox.”
Indina just stared at him for several moments, completely blown away. “That’s amazing, Griffin. I can’t even imagine how rewarding something like that must feel.”
“It’s hard to describe. I’ve never felt more needed—as if my life were necessary—than when I was in Ghana. We take for granted how easy it is to turn on a faucet and have clean water at our fingertips. Even in those villages where we have set up the water systems, people still have to walk to the water station and carry huge jugs back to their homes. It isn’t convenient by any means, but it’s better than drinking water filled with parasites.”
The passion in which he spoke touched something deep within Indina’s soul.
“So, yeah, that’s what I’m hoping to do,” Griffin continued with a shrug, clearly unaware that he’d just elevated himself to superhero status in her eyes. “I want to see at least one project in Ghana through from start to finish. Once I’m done, I come back home and open up my own boutique engineering firm, one where I can control which projects I work on.” He glanced over at her. “I understand that business is business, but I’m not always okay with the projects Sykes-Wilcox chooses to bid on. It’s not easy when faced with working for your conscience and working to keep your job.”
Several moments ticked by as Indina studied his steady features, digesting all that he’d just shared. She’d had no clue that he had this altruistic side, but then again, why would she? She’d purposely placed him in this narrow box. She’d convinced herself over these past eight months that she didn’t need to know anything more about him outside of what he did while on the job or when they were naked in his bed. Anything more personal than that would put her on the slippery slope to an actual relationship. She wasn’t ready for an actual relationship just yet. If ever.
No. Not if ever.
When Timothy broke things off she told herself she would not allow him to turn her into a man-hating, relationship-phobic shrew. But just the thought of investing so much of herself into something that would inevitably fall apart was too much for her to handle at the moment.
What she had going with Griffin was ideal for where she was in her life right now. Complete sexual satisfaction without messy romantic entanglements. It was perfect. Wasn’t it?
“It’s my turn to ask a question,” Griffin said.
Indina sucked in a deep, fortifying breath. “Okay, hit me.” She held her hand up. “Remember to start with an easy one.”
“Okay. What’s your favorite color?”
She rolled her eyes. “Not that easy.”
Griffin chuckled. “But I don’t know what it is.”
“After all this time you don’t know what my favorite color is?”
“You do realize what our relationship consists of, right? Unless your favorite color is sexy brown skin, I wouldn’t have a clue.”
There was no doubt her brown skin now sported a healthy dose of red. Indina had never been one to blush, but there was something about this man that had triggered the reaction way too much today.
“We’ve worked together
