Page 217 of The Protective Gryphen

Ian would have to do some research.

Only, since he’d been down there too long, Ian knew he had to get moving.

“I have to go. Gryphen will come looking for me,” he admitted.

It made Graham curious.

“Do I make you nervous being closed in with me?”

Yes, yes, he did.

Just not for the reason he thought. He was a victim of sexual assault. Honestly, the ONLY man he felt safe with was Gryphen.

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry that you feel this way.”

He shrugged.

“I’m working through it. It’s not you, Graham. It’s my past, and sometimes, that’s hard to overcome.”

Oh, he was aware.

He stepped aside, and Ian left. What he wanted was to be back in bed with his sexy man.

As he hauled ass through the kitchen and up the stairs, Gryphen was just opening the door to come find him when he reached the Master’s Suite.

“Oh, there you are,” Gryphen said. “I thought the ghost absconded you.”

He smiled.

“Not quite. I ran into Graham, and he was asking if you might be free tomorrow morning to work on some of the chores here.”

Gryphen didn’t mind.

It was the least he could do since they were being allowed to stay here. He liked to earn his keep.

“If I’m cutting wood, want to watch?” he asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

Now came laying the groundwork for his plan.

“Well, normally, I’d say yes, but I was kinda hoping to sleep in.”

Gryphen stared at him, as Ian got undressed in the Master’s suite.

Now, he was concerned.

“Are you feeling okay?”

He reassured him.

“Uh, Gryph, I’m on vacation. I want to sleep in a bit to be ready for spending the day with you. Why do you think something’s wrong?”

He calmed down.

He forgot this was a vacation, and not everyone slept as little as he did. Even back home, Ian liked to sleep on the weekends to catch up. Plus, they had been up in the middle of the night the last two evenings.

Someone had a point.

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