Page 97 of The Protective Gryphen

Yeah, weren’t they all?

“With Saint, no one gets past that wall, and he likes dipping his quill in the ladies, and I’m not a lass,” he said, pointing at himself.

Oh, well, this was interesting. Someone didn’t know that Saint had switched teams.

And when he switched, he switched big-time. He was with the manliest Marine they all knew. Raphael just screamed alpha male.

Ian clued him in.

“Well, now, he’s married. He has been for about a year,” he offered.

He looked surprised.

“Jaysus. Someone lassoed him in, finally. Good for her,” he said. “How did she do it? Was she pregnant and he had to settle down?”

Yeah, there was a disconnect here.

Ian kept talking, trying to figure out what was going on. This man clearly didn’t know the man was gay, and Ian had only known him as gay.

“Nope. No one was pregnant,” he admitted. “I will say that he might have told Gryphen that you were good in bed, so that’s why we assumed you went a few rounds.”

He snorted.

Oh, and he knew why Saint would say that.

“I lied a lot about the sex with the ladies. As a soldier, it was expected, and honestly, I don’t come out of that closet much. Between us, since you’re also gay, I’d much rather be in bed with your Marine than a lass any day of the week. I had to lie a lot.”

That was all he had to hear.

He pointed at Graham and scolded him.

“No. Bad Black Watch man. Bad. You are not getting my Marine.”

He found that amusing, as he raised his hands in surrender.

“No worries, I saw how he was kissing you. I’m well aware that boat has sailed. I won’t try to get into your man’s cargo pants.”

Honestly, Ian wasn’t worried.

He trusted Gryphen with his life.

They were beginning their journey, and he wanted to marry him. Now, he had to hope he felt the same about him when he proposed.

Time would tell.

“Well, then, that’s good to know. You can admire him from afar. He’s like a painting, pretty to look at.”

Graham clinked his coffee mug off of Ian’s.

“Amen.”

Together, they continued having coffee, and Graham was honest with him.

“I do miss seeing Saint. He was a complicated man. He was sleeping with every woman he could get. You didn’t mention who, but what lady bagged him?”

Ian had news for him.

“A Marine named Raphael. He’s married to a man,” he stated, dropping that little bomb.

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