Page 42 of Never Been Gargoyled
Relief washed over his features. “You're sure?”
“Are you kidding me? Look at this.” I gestured to the carefully arranged plants. “You picked moonflowers and jasmine. A bunch of other nightbloomers. They'll open just as the sun sets, won't they?”
He nodded. “I thought you might enjoy being out here in the evenings. We can set up a park bench and you can sit, close your eyes, and breathe in the perfume.”
Tears stung my eyes. Nobody had ever paid attention to my habits well enough to create something so perfectly suited to me. The fact that he'd noticed I liked to sit outside after dinner, that he'd thought about what would make those moments more beautiful…
“Thank you,” I whispered.
His wings shifted against his back. “You're crying. I wanted to bring you joy but instead, I’ve made you sad.”
“These are happy tears.” I wiped my cheeks with the back of my hand. “I can't believe you did this for me.”
“I wanted to give you something as lovely as you.”
My throat went dry, and I worried I was going to sob. “You did.” I stepped closer to him, my heart doing those fluttery things it seemed to do whenever he was near.
I crooked my finger, beckoning him down to my level. He was so tall that even when he leaned down, I had to stand on my tiptoes to reach.
I intended to give him a simple thank-you kiss on the cheek, but as I moved toward him, he turned his head. Our lips met instead.
The contact sent electricity shooting through my body. For a moment, we both froze. Then his hands came up to frame my face, and he kissed me properly.
This wasn't like the quick kiss we'd shared before. This was deep and thorough, and it made my kneeswobble. I clutched his jacket, trying to hold myself together as the world spun around me.
When he finally pulled back, we were both breathing hard.
“That was…” I didn’t exactly know what to call it.
“Better than I imagined,” he finished.
Before I could ask what he meant by that, he swept me up into his arms. My stomach dropped as we left the ground, his wings beating powerfully as he carried me up to the roof.
“What are you doing?” I yelped, though I wasn't complaining. Being held by him was definitely not a hardship.
“Showing you the view,” he said, landing gently on the peak of the roof. “Call it a second present.”
He settled us both down, keeping me cradled in his lap as we sat overlooking the entire town of Harmony Glen spread out below. From this height, everything looked peaceful.
“It's gorgeous up here,” I breathed.
“See there?” He pointed toward the glittering water in the distance. “That's the lake. And you can see the bridge that crosses Harmony River just before the water reaches the lake.”
I followed his gaze, picking out the landmarks he mentioned. “The bridge is so pretty from up here. And Main Street looks like something from a postcard.”
“Those are the expensive houses.” He gestured toward a cluster of large homes dotting the right side of the lake. “But this estate is much nicer.”
I snorted. “Are you serious? Have you seen the state of this place? Half the shutters are hanging crooked, there's ivy trying to eat one of the exterior walls, and I'm pretty sure something lives in the attic that's not supposed to be there.”
“Character,” he said solemnly. “Those houses are all the same. Pristine mansions with no soul. This place has history. Personality.”
“Personality is certainly one way to put it.” I leaned back against his chest, marveling at how solid and warm he felt. “Though I prefer to call it a charming fixer-upper with potential myself.”
“Exactly. The bones are good. Everything else can be restored.”
I tilted my head to look at him. “You really think so?”
“I know so. I've seen this place in its glory days. It was magnificent.”
