Page 34 of A Highland Gargoyle's Lucky Star
He coughs to cover what sounds suspiciously like a laugh. “Ah, I see now. No, I’m just a regular gargoyle warrior protecting my clan.”
I want to tell him there is nothing ordinary about him but decide to keep that to myself. “What kind of foe could you possibly have to deal with around here?” I let out a nervous chuckle. “The Loch Ness Monster?”
His eyes glint with evident amusement. “Hardly. In fact, Nessie’s a good friend of ours.”
“Shut the front door,” I gasp. “Nessie’s real?”
A full-fledged smirk materializes on his face, and I fucking love it.
Makes him look even sexier, dammit.
“Aye, Nessie’s real, but maybe not quite what you might be expecting.”
Well, that stumps me.
“What do you mean?”
“I cannae tell you all the details.” He strokes his scruffy—yum—chin in thought. “It’d probably be better to show you.”
I inhale sharply. “You’re gonna introduce me to Nessie!” My excited squeal echoes throughout the cavernous Great Hall, and I try to tamp it down a little.
“If you’d like,” he says, a tantalizing purr in his voice that sends a zing of awareness right to my motherfucking balls.
Trying to repress a burgeoning hard-on—time and place, libido!—I clutch Elryk’s arm almost desperately. “Promise. I totally want to meet Nessie. Promise you’ll take me.” I add my best pleading look that always works on Mom.
He gazes quietly into my eyes for a long moment before glancing down at my hands, so much smaller than his, trying to wrap around his thick, sinewy forearm but failing completely.
I bet he could toss a few cabers, no problem.
That thought inevitably leads to the idea of him tossing me in all kinds of delightful ways.
I have to bite my lip and focus on willing my semi to go down.
“Aye, 'tis a promise.”
The rumble in his voice that seems to roll up from deep within his chest is something I’m going to get myself off to later, that’s for sure.
It’s like he isn’t even trying but he still manages to ooze sex appeal with the finesse of a motherfucking pro.
My body moves on its own, as if propelled by some kind of magical force, and I reach up to gently yank his head down to my level so I can plant a big, fat kiss on his cheek.
“Thank you, Elryk!”
For once, the serious mask he usually seems to wear falls away and he looks oddly vulnerable and bewildered for a moment. Then the mask returns and he takes a cautious step back, so I let go of him.
Fucking hell. Leave it to me to ruin the moment.
Right about now, I kind of want to punch myself in the head for being such an idiot.
I wince. “So sorry about that. One hundred percent my bad. I got a little carried away and misread the mood. That totally wasn’t cool of me. Consent is where it’s at, and I wholeheartedly believe in that.” I focus my gaze on him and don’t look away. “I promise I won’t kiss you without your permission or direct invitation from now on. That was a real asshole move on my part. I hope you can forgive me.”
He shifts awkwardly and gives me a curt nod. “It’s fine. I dinnae mind, I was just… surprised.” He gestures toward the doorway. “Come, let me take you outside and show you some of the grounds. By the time we get back, you’ll have a little while to unwind before dinner and then our meeting with my clan leader, Kelwyn.”
I follow him outside, considerably more subdued than earlier, and still kicking myself for being such an inconsiderate jerk.
Elryk’s a good guy, though, and he doesn’t seem to hold my behavior against me. But I also notice that he doesn’t take my arm this time, and I’m strangely sad about it but I only have myself to blame.
You barely know this guy. Why are you so hung up on him so fast?
