Page 32 of Protected By the Gargoyle
“Will you knock on my door to let me know you’re back? I just want to know you’re safe.”
He nodded. “Of course. I understand that feeling all too well.”
ARTO
After they ate, they moved to a sofa, and Janie leaned against Arto’s shoulder. They stared out the windows at the city below.
She turned to him. “I wish things were different.”
“How?”
She snickered without humor. “Well, that there wasn’t a demon for one. But two…” She sighed. “That I hadn’t been so guarded.”
He smoothed her hair and then kissed the top of her head. “You needed time to heal, Janie. You’re still healing.”
She turned and looked into his eyes. “But I don’t want fear to keep me from living my life.” She touched his cheek and moved it along his jawline.
As she moved her hand down over his chest, her gaze followed. His skin burned at her touch. He yearned for more of her hands on him like this. Everywhere.
As she continued down to his core, she sucked in a breath. He had to touch her. He trailed his fingers from her neck, down her collarbone, and over her bare shoulder. This slow, languid exploration of each other’s bodies electrified him.
When he leaned closer and kissed her, she melted against him. By the moon and stars, he loved how responsive she was to his touch.
As he continued down her body, cupping the full weight of her breast, she moaned. What a delicious sound.
He bent forward and nuzzled her neck. Her skin smelled like roses and vanilla. He kissed and licked while he caressed her breasts. Her breath came quicker. When he thumbed her hardened nipples, the sound she released started as a gasp of breath but ended as a sigh. Her body trembled. He yearned to spend hours exploring each inch of her, discovering what she liked.
Not here. It was too open, and any Sentry could walk through.
He pulled his lips from her sweet flesh. “We can have more privacy in my room. Do you want to go there?”
She stared at him for a few heart-pounding seconds before the word fluttered from her beautiful lips. “Yes.”
Wondrous magic, he never thought he’d hear those words from her. As he led her down to his room, his senses soared with acute awareness.
As he turned the doorknob, a message from Roman broke through.We spotted the demon.
Arto’s muscles turned rigid.Where?
JANIE
The bed in the room she was staying in was more than comfortable with its fluffy bedding, but Janie tossed and turned. She’d close her eyes, and they’d pop open. How would she sleep knowing that Arto was out there searching for a demon? He could be attacked at any moment!
He should be next door sleeping soundly right now. He should be in his bed, not out patrolling in the cool night.
The room didn’t have a TV, so she played a comedy podcast on her phone to distract her from her worries. After that ended, she listened to a playlist shuffling through her favorite songs. Depeche Mode’s cover of “Dirt” came on—such a sexy song. Her thoughts drifted to far more sensual scenarios for Arto. Exhaustion eventually dragged her under its spell, and she drifted off.
At some point later, a knock woke her. “Janie, it’s me. I’m back and going to bed now.” It was Arto.
“Okay,” she muttered in a sleepy voice. She blinked her eyes open, untangling herself from a delicious dream. Not a nightmare of demons for once, but a sensual fantasy of Arto unrolling with exquisite detail—what could have happened if the demon hadn’t stolen more of their time. If they had all the time together to explore each other’s bodies…
They hadnow.
Janie rubbed her eyes. She sat up and plopped her legs over the side of bed. It was still pitch dark out, but she had a nightlight in the room. Arto had taken care of that detail for her; he was so thoughtful. She was so lucky to have this considerate shifter in her life.
She crawled out of bed and padded barefoot out of her room, closing the door behind her. The hallway was dark save for a light on in the distance. She knocked on his door. “It’s me.”
He opened it. “Everything okay?”
