Page 133 of The Protective Gryphen

Gryphen never wanted to let him go.

It didn’t take him long to store their purchases, and then make it back to his side. Now, Gryphen wanted to see what he wanted to do.

“This is your day, so what’s next, Baby?” he asked.

He didn’t have to think about it long.

“Can we get something to eat?” Ian asked. “I’m getting hungry and apparently, cranky, because when I saw the son as I was checking out, I flipped him off. What they say about Americans is true. You can’t take us anywhere. We’re rude as fuck.”

Gryphen laughed even more.

“One finger or two?” he asked.

“Oh, it was a double. Trust me. And I may or may not have mouthed that he was a pussy and to fuck all the way off too. Like I said, I was pissed.”

That amused the hell out of him. So much so, that he leaned over, and kissed him.

When he finished, he stared into Ian’s eyes.

“Thank you for defending me.”

“Forever,” he said. “I love you, Gryph, and I’m proud of your service. You didn’t start the wars. You tried to help people. That’s the bottom line.”

He put on a smile, and then glanced at his watch.

“It’s late for breakfast, but would you be interested in having brunch with me?”

He wasn’t crazy. A lunch date?

Sign.

Him.

Up.

“Absolutely, Mr. Carter. Take me to eat,” he said, handing him his wallet back. “I could eat a horse.”

Gryphen dropped his arm around his shoulders.

“Don’t say that in front of the horses in the stable. They saw some shady shit this morning and already think we’re dirty boys. We don’t need to traumatize them even more.”

“Ehhh, Graham got an eyeful too. He checked out your posterior in action.”

Since he brought it up.

“He hit on me.”

That stopped Ian in his tracks.

“Well, now, I have to bitch slap him too,” he said, turning around to go find him.

Gryphen grabbed the back of his peacoat.

“Hold up there, killer.”

Oh, no, he wasn’t holding up. Ian told him it was okay to look. Hitting on a person was attempting to touch. That was a whole different thing.

“He hit on my man. Now, I have to beat his ass,” he said, as Gryphen was laughing.

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