Page 47 of The Protective Gryphen

“What if we can’t find our way back and we do get lost?” Ian asked.

Gryphen actually stared at him.

“What?”

“Ian, love of my life, I have good news for you. I’m a Marine. You can drop me in a desert, and I can find coordinates. You can put me in a jungle, and I can get us out. I think I can walk down a path behind a castle and make it back unless there’s a dragon down there that needs a snack.”

He snickered.

“I’m sorry. I forgot that I’m with a walking compass who doesn’t get lost.”

He winked at him.

“Don’t worry, Little Red Riding Hoodie. I won’t do anything bad to you in the woods,” he joked, growling and slapping him on the ass again.

Both men felt that sound to their dicks.

Holy shit.

Ian’s whole body reacted, and he moved closer to Gryphen to be in contact with his bigger frame.

And Gryphen wasn’t saying no.

“Come on, sexy Marine. Curiosity killed Little Red, and he needs to explore.”

He almost said ‘or get more slaps on his ass’, but that seemed hella forward.

Together, they walked down the sloped path, enjoying the cold crisp air. The sun was down, and there was some light from the moon lighting up the path.

It gave them some visibility.

Honestly, Gryphen was accustomed to moving around in the dark, so he could navigate this easily, but he wanted to make sure Ian didn’t get hurt.

When they went around a corner, Ian stopped and gasped.

Oh, and Gryphen knew why.

It was a frozen lake.

Well, more like a large pond but that was neither here nor there. It was a big body of water, and it was inviting in the moonlight.

“Oh, look at that,” Ian said, as the moonlight bounced off of it. “It’s so pretty.”

Ian walked toward it, and when he put his foot onto the ice, Gryphen grabbed him and stopped him.

“Are you insane? Ice? Drowning? Death?” he asked. “I don’t really want to go swimming in freezing water to play ‘find the sexy man’. You’re not a mermaid, Ian. Stay on the land.”

Ian shook his head in amusement.

“I was testing it with my foot. I wasn’t going to slide across it and ice skate.”

“If you fall in, and I have to get wet, I’m going to put you over my knee.”

That’s all it took.

He stepped three inches onto the ice, and immediately began jumping up and down, testing his fate.

Gryphen laughed.

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