Page 122 of Stone Temptation

Wow.

“See you soon.” Maren kissed me on the cheek, then swam away into the sunshine.

“You better…” I whispered, closing the door.

I perched myself on the arm of the sofa next to Asher, watching them battle on until Tom was crowned king.

Asher bowed to him. “You smashed it.”

Tom summoned a cupcake with gold frosting and red candies, placing it on his head. “All hail King Tom of Brinecrest, master of Mario Kart.”

“Your Majesty.” Asher went to one knee as Tom bit into his cupcake.

“I’m not knighting you,” my friend said with a full mouth.

Asher stood back up, looming over him. “Then I’ll usurp you. You’ve won the battle, not the war.”

“You’ve been king for less than a minute and you’ve made yourself an enemy,” I said.

Tom swallowed. “Bring it on.”

Tom retained his crown, keeping Asher at bay. Once it hit four o’clock, he left because we had work soon.

The gargoyle cleaned up, insisting I kick back before my shift. I tried arguing, getting shut down. So, I stood with him in the kitchen while he washed the dishes.

He wouldn’t let me dry and put away.

“Your friends are great,” he said.

“Thanks. They seemed to love you.”

“You think?”

“Tom’s smitten.”

“And Maren?”

“Maybe not smitten, but she likes you.”

He blew some suds off his fingers. “Cool. Can’t wait for the next gathering.” He cleaned two cups in super quick succession. “I’ll cook. I’m much more than eggy bread and weird tea. A proper foodie.”

“They’ll be thrilled.”

Thank God they’d been here to keep us clothed and not crossing any lines.

Asher rinsed a plate. “Do you like lasagna?”

“I do.”

“Then I’ll make you my hundred-hour lasagna. Prepare to be amazed. Yeah, I am blowing my own trumpet.”

In that moment, I almost wrapped myself around him.

Instead, I asked, “Do you have family back in your realm?”

It took him two more cups to answer, his body language tense. “Mum. Dad. A sister.” His response was clipped, with no follow up.

I inched a little closer when the silence became too much. “Have I upset you?”

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