Page 65 of The Protective Gryphen

He snorted.

“Play your cards right, and we can do that later. Until then, if you feel better, can we keep exploring?” he asked, desperate to do just that.

Kinky shower sex for a walk through what was likely a haunted old castle full of spiders?

Sign him up.

Gryphen was down with anything Ian wanted to do, and he really meant ANYTHING. If his man wanted to play Nancy Drew in a drafty castle, he wasn’t saying no.

“Yeah, come on, Baby. Let’s see what this castle has going for it before its completely redone.”

As they walked hand-in-hand down the hallway, their shoes echoed on the stone pavers that were the floor.

The further they went, the colder it was getting, and that meant they were going deeper into the mountain.

They were likely underground now since there was a slight downward slope. It wasn’t that noticeable, but Gryphen could feel the decline.

Together, they moved deeper into the lower levels of the castle. It was clear that the remodeling hadn’t started down there. Callen and Chris were likely starting with the more important rooms.

The dungeon wasn’t on the list, apparently.

Ian looked around with a smile and wonder in his eyes.

“When you touch the walls, you can feel the history,” he admitted. “I love reading about things long ago. I wonder what it was like living back then?”

“Well, since the life expectancy was thirty-seven, I’m going to say germy and pandemic-y. Thus, the Black Death.”

Ian snorted.

“It’s not like you’re wrong,” he said. “It might have something to do with only bathing in the warm months.”

That horrified Gryphen.

He sweat.

A lot.

No one needed to smell that for months at a time. Yeah, he was glad he didn’t live back then.

“I’m so damn curious,” Ian said, as his voice echoed off the stone walls. “So much went on during this time in Europe,” he stated, and then shared everything he knew.

It was one hell of a knowledge dump, and Gryphen was there for it.

What Gryphen did know, as he held Ian’s hand, was that he knew what he really enjoyed.

An intelligent man.

Ian loved documentaries, learning things, and history. He was smart, and that was always a sexy thing for Gryphen. If he asked Ian a question, he knew the answer or he found it out.

With all of the other men he tried to start something with, they were very similar.

Only, Ian was definitely the most intelligent. It looked as if he got his prize.

And he was never letting it go.

Bet.

On.

---