Page 27 of Seduced By Moonlight

Why did he always have to overthink things and make them more difficult than they were?

He walked down the corridor with Tank, mind made up. If Kayden was interested, they could fuck and then go their separate ways, once he was sure he could trust Kayden. After the job was through, though. Ward didn’t mix business with pleasure.

There. A perfect solution to his little problem.

Opening the door, he saw Kayden, and his perfect solution flew right out the window.

Kayden was already directing his crew, his voice carrying over the clang and clatter of tools and equipment being unloaded. He was every bit the charismatic leader, his gestures sure and decisive.

There was a magnetic quality to him that drew the eye, something raw and vital that made it hard not to watch him. Especially in the moonlight. Ward felt a pang of something—attraction? Lust? Need? He forcefully pushed the thoughts aside, reminding himself of the important task at hand.

He had to concentrate on the preliminary assessments, not on how Kayden’s movements were so fluid and graceful—did he move like that in bed?

No, no, Ward did not need to go there. But try as he might, he couldn’t resist stealing glances at Kayden, his mind consumed with a burning desire that threatened to distract him from his duty. Gods above and below, this had to stop.

“Kayden!”

Kayden turned, a smile breaking across his features. “Hey! Good to see you again, Ward.”

Ward noticed that Kayden’s gaze lingered just a moment too long on his body, and Ward was pretty sure it was not because he was in his true form.

Kayden had already seen him without his human glamor and remained unaffected. Actually, Ward was sure he saw a spark of heat in that gaze.

“Kayden? This is Tank. I introduced him last time,” Ward said.

“I remember. Hey, Tank.”

Tank nodded. “Hello.”

“I see your team is making quick work of setting up,” Ward said, looking around.

CHAPTER EIGHT –KAYDEN

“WE DON’T like to waste time,” Kayden joked. “We’re going to start the preliminary assessments, which will be the structural integrity tests, as I said earlier. Then from there, we’ll work outward to the less critical cosmetic repairs.”

Nods and murmurs of agreement greeted his words from the team gathered around him. A focused and determined atmosphere prevailed, ready to tackle the task at hand.

“Sounds good. Follow us.”

With a grateful smile, Kayden fell into step beside Ward and Tank, his crew following them. He really didn’t want to be traipsing around in the dark in unfamiliar surroundings.

“Thanks for showing us where to go again,” Kayden said. “I don’t think we’re quite ready to venture out around here on our own. I mean, we might need a map.” He wasn’t entirely joking.

Ward snorted. “It won’t take you long to learn your way around. It’s really not as complicated as it appears, but someone will always be here to escort you.”

In other words, Kayden didn’t have to worry about wandering around, lost in the dark, because they were going to have a guard. At least, that’s what he got out of that statement.

As he contemplated the situation, a flurry of thoughts raced through his mind. While he was okay with that, it made him wonder about the sudden addition of a watchful eye. That certainly raised questions.

He couldn’t recall it being mentioned during their last meeting—if it had been, he would’ve remembered. This realization left him feeling confused and slightly uneasy.

Was that why the other gargoyle was there? And good God Almighty. If he thought Ward was big, this one was absolutely massive. His gargoyle form was a deep reddish-brown, with huge brown bat-like wings, a long thin tail the same color as his skin, and short horns that sprouted right at his hair line…if he had hair.

Tank was bald, and all he wore were black leather pants, much like Ward did. Neither wore shoes because of their clawed feet.

Eventually they got to the west wing, and Kayden’s crew quickly set up lights to illuminate their work area, as it was now completely dark outside.

Next, Kayden pulled out his tablet and began coordinating the tasks. The first tool they used was a ground-penetrating radar (GPR), which emitted radio waves to detect voids or anomalies in the wall’s substrate. Team members scanned methodically, their gazes fixed on the data appearing on their handheld devices.

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