Page 105 of Stone Temptation

“Don’t declare war, dear gargoyle.”

His booming laughter almost shook the lighthouse.

After a Chinese takeaway, we settled down to watch Titanic together on the sofa. The rain still fell in heavy sheets, showing no signs of letting up.

Rain made everything cozier. I snuggled under a blanket beside Asher, carrying a food baby. Fed and watered and content.

Flickering candles and the soft light of my lamps contributed to the mood, the lavender scent offering me dreamy clouds.

Take me away…

I yawned, eyelids super heavy, trying to focus on the film.

Some people believed motes sank the ship, that they were playing tricks in the Atlantic Ocean, the iceberg a scapegoat. I called that a conspiracy theory, as did Finn.

When we got to the part where Jack went to dinner with the rich people, I found myself losing my battle with sleep. The drama of the weekend caught up to me, my energy levels low.

I should have called it a night, climb into my own bed and let Asher have his new sleeping spot. But I listed to the side, wrapping an arm around him, my head finding comfort on his shoulder.

Solid, a lifeboat, everything I could possibly want in a man. If I were looking for a man. If I actually wanted?—

I yawned, stopping my little spiral. Asher was my bodyguard, a friend. Nothing more than a handsome prince who kissed me awake from a horrible vision.

Kiss me again…

Please.

TWENTY-FOUR

Asher

Luke slept silently against me. I pulled his blanket to his chest, refraining from stroking his hair. I watched him for a while, the lamps and candles panting a lovely glow across his features.

Man, I wanted to kiss him again, to…

…to what? To take things further than that? Crazy. We’d just met.

But so what? What if this was the start of something beyond our connection? What if we’d found each other not only because of my duty, but because we were meant to? Didn’t love work in funny ways? Couldn’t attraction be instant? Weren’t there stories of people finding their soulmates in one weekend?

Nah. This wasn’t that. I was just confused.

And so fucking horny.

Luke shuffled against me, his scent intoxicating. My dick responded to his human heat, his softness. My heart beat out a code, telling me to always look out for him. To always be here like this, offering myself as a place for him to sleep.

Jack and Rose getting it on in the back of a steamy car wasn’t helping.

Luke moved again, head slipping off my shoulder. He opened his eyes for a moment, still asleep, adjusting his position to get more comfortable.

Now his head rested in my lap, deadly close to my stiffy.

It’s the marking.

It’s the marking.

It’s the marking.

I kept up my mantra until the ship hit the iceberg, my dick showing no signs of being squidgy.

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