Page 138 of The Protective Gryphen

“I mean if you want, you can work out with me,” Gryphen offered. “We can lift some weights, and then, we can have sex after.”

That was an intriguing thought.

“So, heavy on the cardio? Because you know we’ll skip the weights. Neither of us has a whole lot of control.”

Well, he wasn’t lying.

That was for damn sure.

As they walked through the square, people looked at them, but more people didn’t. Even with Gryphen’s hand proprietarily on his ass, not as many people seemed to care that there were two gay men walking among them.

“I like it here,” Ian said. “It’s quaint and peaceful. If we get married, can we come back here for our honeymoon?” he asked. “Do you think Elizabeth would let us use the castle?”

Oh, he had news for him.

“If you asked her nicely, I’m betting she’d let us get married here,” Gryphen said.

He stared at him.

“Would you get married here?”

Gryphen stopped in the snow and stared at him.

“Uh, Ian, if you were to ask me to marry you, I’d do it in a stall in the stable covered in shit. I’m not exactly going to say no.”

He smiled at him.

“So you’d say yes?”

“Wouldn’t you if I asked you to marry me?” he inquired, as they stared into each other’s eyes.

Ian got that thrill at the idea that this man would do something romantic.

“In a heartbeat, Gryph. In a heartbeat.”

And there it was.

In that moment, Gryphen realized that he’d been right. While he told Ian to propose when he was ready, the man would be waiting for him to return the favor.

And he would.

Gryphen would do something romantic and give this man exactly the kind of proposal he deserved.

“I love you, Ian.”

The man smiled, and it was so peaceful and happy that it made Gryphen’s heart ache.

This was love.

This was what he’d always wondered about, and here it was, filling him to the point he overflowed with it. These were the best moments of his life.

“And I love you, Gryphen.”

With a gentle kiss, the bigger man made a silent promise to both of them. They’d both propose, and they’d get married here in their kilts.

Without a doubt.

“We should get to the church. The snow is coming down harder. We don’t want to get trapped in the town.”

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