Stone Temptation (Gargoyle Marked Book 1), page 17
“This, Luke. Standing here looking at you. Man…” He licked his lips, sending a series of shudders through me. “You’re so hot, you know that?”
Oh. Dear. God. “Asher… Please…”
“What if I came to you now and took you in my arms?”
“To fly us home?” I tried, sounding like a dog’s squeaky toy.
Not here. Not in a public place. Not ever.
“Asher…” I struggled with words, conflicted when I really shouldn’t be. “Not here.”
“Let’s get out of here, then.”
His voice. His damn voice loaded with wicked temptation.
“We can’t…”
Why couldn’t we? What was holding me back? I’d been happy to let Seth blow me, so why not go the full works with a man I liked?
Liked? Did I like him?
You liked his lips!
I shook my head, my hands, trying to expel the hankering for his caress.
Kiss me again.
Just fucking kiss me again.
Asher inched closer. I moved back, bumping into the sink. We were alone in here. All he had to do was hoist me up, tear off my trunks, and—
Three men entered the changing room, chatting about the weather. Their voices killed the spell.
Asher quickly left the changing room.
Thank. God.
I got under a cold shower, chastising myself for even considering getting it on in a public place. What a terrible idea. A seriously terrible idea.
It took ages for my cock to deflate.
Freshly changed and hair damp, I met Asher outside the changing room. He was snacking on some crisps.
He held the packet out for me. “Want some?”
I shook my head, scared to meet his eyes.
“Sorry,” he muttered. “Dunno what came over me.”
I’d like to cum over you… “It’s okay.” My mood deflated, nothing but a wrinkled balloon. “Let’s get out of here.”
“You alright?”
I shook my head.
“I’m really sorry, Luke.”
A dark pit of despondency waited for me with open arms. It really wanted to mess with my day today. “It’s not you. It’s…everything else. Getting slapped, the ring, all of it. It’s more crap blocking my path to Finn.”
He moved to my left side. “What can I do?”
“You don’t need to do anything.”
“I can apologize again. For being a randy prick.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle. “It’s fine. I was feeling it too.”
Dangerous words, them…
“You were?”
I glanced at him, almost melting under his sunshine smile.
He really made it hard to dwell in the darkness.
“Come on,” I said. “Let’s get out of here.”
Were we going back to mine to cross a line?
“Spoke to Carissa,” he said via the amulet.
“Oh?”
We stepped outside, his wings out. He relayed his exchanges with his boss and Dane to me.
His proactiveness over Finn put a spring in my step.
I nestled into him, ready for flight, for more.
No. Not more. Not now.
Why not?
“It does make sense for me to have the ring,” I said. “Maybe I should be closer to it.”
“What? By moving into the tower?”
The idea hurt my soul. “It might be—”
“I ain’t living in there, and neither are you.”
I gulped under the volume of his rebuttal.
“No pissing way!” he roared, increasing his speed.
Sorry I even suggested it.
Tom and Maren sat at my dining table with a bag of bagels.
“Oh. Hi.” I hung up my keys.
Maren was sniffing a packet of smoked salmon paste. “Hello, darling.”
Tom got to his feet, introducing himself to Asher.
My bodyguard shook his hand, no longer angry over my suggestion. “Nice to meet you.”
My friend turned to me. “Sorry, mate. Couldn’t wait until later. I’ve been going out of my mind with worry.”
I cleared my throat. “What are you doing here?”
“Didn’t you hear me?” Tom countered. “I’m worried. You being gargoyle marked drove me crackers, so I came straight over. Where have you been? Are you okay? Can’t believe Seth hurt you. Actually, I can. He’s a twat.” He cracked his knuckles. “Think I can get away with a few right hooks before he tears me in half? It’ll be worth it.”
The support from these two was always amazing. “He really isn’t worth the trouble. But thanks for the offer.”
Maren rolled her eyes. “You are already the talk of the town.”
“Who is?”
“You both are. Whispers everywhere of the human and his gargoyle protector.”
“Word travels fast,” Asher said.
“You are hardly inconspicuous.” Maren cracked open a tub of cream cheese. “Anyway, come sit and enjoy.”
“Got the purple bagels,” Tom said.
That was all Asher needed to hear, licking his lips.
We gathered around the table, Maren offering her seat to the gargoyle.
“I’ll stand,” Asher tried.
“No, no. These chairs are hideous on my tail. I will be happier on something softer.” She swam over to settle down on the couch with her bagel of smoked salmon and cream cheese—more fish than cheese.
I told the full story to Tom as we sliced the purple breads, leaving out the king part again. He slumped back in his chair at the end of it.
“Think I need a beer.” He pinched the bridge of his nose.
“I might have a couple in the fridge.”
He shook his head, sitting upright. “What happens now?”
Asher spread cream cheese onto his second bagel, avoiding the salmon. “Keep looking for answers.”
“And this burned woman,” Tom said. “That’s weird. Do you think she’s the threat?”
“I’m leaning that way,” I answered.
“A dangerous place to live, beside lava,” Maren chimed in. “Are you sure she isn’t a monster?”
“No idea,” I replied. “I hope not.”
After finishing a bite, Asher spoke. “Whatever she is, I’ll snap her in half before she puts a hand on our boy here.”
Silence. My friends’ eyes on me. One of those stunned pauses.
Maren broke it. “Amen, Mr. Gargoyle. Amen.”
I don’t know why her saying that sent us into fits of giggles, but it worked. The ultimate icebreaker shifting the mood to something better.
Tom sniffed, dabbing his eyes with a tissue. “Okay. I have a serious question to ask you, Asher.”
“Go for it, Bagel Man.”
“Never been called that before.”
“First time getting new names for both of us, eh? Seriously, though. Thanks for these.”
Tom grinned. “Anytime.” He held out a hand, manifesting a chocolate cupcake into his palm. “Dessert?”
“Whoa!” Asher bellowed.
Tom did the same with the other hand, making another with white frosting. “Or would you prefer vanilla with a strawberry jam filling?”
Asher looked at me like a kid in a sweet shop, his eyes full of stars. “Is he for real?”
“Best power in the world,” I said, my mouth smiling so hard my jaw hurt.
Asher agreed with an enthusiastic nod. “Can I have both?”
“Course.” Tom handed them over. “Anyway, back to my question.”
If Asher could dive into those cakes, he would. And, my God, it made me so happy to witness.
“How do you feel about Mario Kart?” Tom asked.
“Love it.”
And a new friendship was born.
After two hours of racing, Tom and Asher battling it out to be king of the game, I saw Maren off.
“You can still stay here,” I said. “You can crash in my room.”
“I would not hinder your privacy.”
Part of me wanted to loosen the leash on Finn’s bedroom, but not enough to allow it to actually happen. Having someone else sleep in there would break me.
“You wouldn’t be hindering anything,” I replied. “Don’t think this has to change things between us.”
“I know.”
I fidgeted, not liking her slight indifference. “I feel like you’re saying goodbye.”
She frowned deeply at me. “Silliness.”
“Is it?”
“Yes. I will not be walking out of your life. You buy the best fish paste.”
My turn to roll my eyes. “That’s all I am to you? Pulverized fish?”
“Spot on.”
“Promise me you’re not leaving me. I can’t have you leave me. You’ve been so awesome.”
She reached up to touch my face with a cool hand. “You worrywart. I think I have gone about this all wrong.”
Don’t start sobbing and begging her not to disappear. “I’ll say.”
“I am giving you space to settle into your new life. I will not be saying goodbye. I have business to attend to. When I return in a few days, we can discuss the sleeping arrangements.”
I had to accept her answer, even if I couldn’t quite believe it. “Okay.”
“I promise.”
“Good.” We hugged.
“Your bodyguard is wonderful.”
I glanced over my shoulder at the two men, Asher as much in his element as Tom.
The warm and fuzzies were a flood inside me, the tips of my toes tingling.
Wow.
“See you soon.” Maren kissed me on the cheek, then swam away into the sunshine.
“You better…” I whispered, closing the door.
I perched myself on the arm of the sofa next to Asher, watching them battle on until Tom was crowned king.
Asher bowed to him. “You smashed it.”
Tom summoned a cupcake with gold frosting and red candies, placing it on his head. “All hail King Tom of Brinecrest, master of Mario Kart.”
“Your Majesty.” Asher went to one knee as Tom bit into his cupcake.
“I’m not knighting you,” my friend said with a full mouth.
Asher stood back up, looming over him. “Then I’ll usurp you. You’ve won the battle, not the war.”
“You’ve been king for less than a minute and you’ve made yourself an enemy,” I said.
Tom swallowed. “Bring it on.”
Tom retained his crown, keeping Asher at bay. Once it hit four o’clock, he left because we had work soon.
The gargoyle cleaned up, insisting I kick back before my shift. I tried arguing, getting shut down. So, I stood with him in the kitchen while he washed the dishes.
He wouldn’t let me dry and put away.
“Your friends are great,” he said.
“Thanks. They seemed to love you.”
“You think?”
“Tom’s smitten.”
“And Maren?”
“Maybe not smitten, but she likes you.”
He blew some suds off his fingers. “Cool. Can’t wait for the next gathering.” He cleaned two cups in super quick succession. “I’ll cook. I’m much more than eggy bread and weird tea. A proper foodie.”
“They’ll be thrilled.”
Thank God they’d been here to keep us clothed and not crossing any lines.
Asher rinsed a plate. “Do you like lasagna?”
“I do.”
“Then I’ll make you my hundred-hour lasagna. Prepare to be amazed. Yeah, I am blowing my own trumpet.”
In that moment, I almost wrapped myself around him.
Instead, I asked, “Do you have family back in your realm?”
It took him two more cups to answer, his body language tense. “Mum. Dad. A sister.” His response was clipped, with no follow up.
I inched a little closer when the silence became too much. “Have I upset you?”
He looked over his shoulder with a weak smile. “No. It’s cool. I just miss them loads.”
A wave of grief, a splash of nausea, and a whole lot of hurt attacked me at once. “When does your current rotation end?”
“Six months. You’ve paled.” Asher turned fully, water dripping from his fingers onto the kitchen floor. “Maybe we shouldn’t talk about family.”
I drove an inner dagger into my sorrow. “No. It’s fine. I want to know about your family. Unless you don’t want to talk about them?”
He turned around, finishing the last of the dishes. “They’re the embodiment of everything good in this world. My anchors.”
Envy poked at my soul. “That’s… That’s great.”
“I couldn’t get through…” He paused, drying his hands with a tea towel.
“Get through what?”
He turned to face me. “Another time. Want something strong to drink?”
“What? No…” I wanted to know more about him, his past.
“How about a hug?”
God, his sweetness was too much. “No. This is about you. A ‘get to know Asher’ moment. You can talk to me.”
“I’d rather move on to something perkier.”
I chuckled, the use of perkier tickling my funny bone—the metaphysical one, not the elbow variety.
He smiled. “Can we save this talk for another day?”
“Okay.” Disappointing, but never mind.
“And the hug is still available.” He spread his arms.
If I went into them, who knew what would happen next. The close call at the pool might have been the spark, this next part the inferno.
I stepped back, averting my gaze. “I’ll start getting ready for work.”
“Cool.”
I trotted to the stairs, glancing back at the gargoyle. He was drying the dishes now, making my core bloom with lovely warmth.
In my kitchen…
He’s in my kitchen, looking as if he belongs there.
Footsteps pounded outside my front door, breaking my dreamy drifting. Asher strode across the floor, ready to fight.
“What—”
Before I could finish, the door crashed open. Two gas mask humans with machetes launched into an attack.
TWENTY-EIGHT
Luke
Asher tackled the first human; both of them appeared to be men.
I charged at the other one, adrenaline lighting my body on fire. The masked bastard made a beeline for me, their rapid breathing like a flustered Darth Vader. He ducked my punch, grabbing me in a headlock. I stamped on his foot, freeing myself.
“Get out of my house!”
He swung the machete at me. I evaded being halved in time, going for another punch while avoiding a stab.
I heard the other human hit the floor, then Asher had my attacker’s hands pinned behind his back. The weapon dropped free.
The man behind the mask grunted, struggling uselessly.
“Who are you?” Asher barked. “Right. You’re tongueless.”
“What can I do?”
“Call Seth.”
“Oh. Seriously?”
“Yeah. Unfortunately.”
It made sense.
The masked human grunted again.
I made the call.
“I’m on my way,” Seth said, then hung up.
Hesitantly, I moved forward to remove the man’s mask. The eyes of the mask were creepy as hell, hiding too much, dragging my nerves across barbed wire.
“Don’t,” Asher warned. “Stay back.”
I obeyed, putting further distance between us.
The other man remained unconscious.
The masked human grunted again, twitching, squirming.
“Something’s wrong,” Asher said. “I can smell—”
The human’s body went limp, head slumping forward.
“Bitter almonds,” Asher finished. “Cyanide compound.”
“Oh, God.”
Asher lowered him onto the floor, pulling off the mask to reveal another bald man with flame tattoos. His mouth hung open, foamy saliva leaking from the left corner, and blue fissures spread across his face.
“He must have bitten down on it,” Asher added.
The other masked man thrashed, kicking his legs, then went still.
Pain pulsed inside my skull, my vision watery, slightly milky again. “Crap…”
“Luke?”
“Give me… Just give me…” I grabbed the banister with one hand, collapsing hard onto the stairs. Their edges played havoc on my lower back.
Cold. Ice. The place of glass and dying snakes manifested around me, trapping me in the hellish prison once again.
“It hurts,” I whimpered, trying my best to stay upright.
Blood spilled from my hands, tears flowing hot and heavy.
Colder, colder, colder. Veins filling with poisonous ice.
“Please…”
No way out.
No way out.
No way out.
“Luke!”
The booming call of a man of stone. Warm stone. The warmest I’d ever felt. The one who turned my head and made me think of the kind of goodness that came from a hearty meal, hugs, and lazy mornings under a duvet while winter rains pattered the windows.
“Asher…” I whispered.
“I’m here, Luke.”
Beyond the ice.
Beyond this.
He called for me. He called for me.
He—
I gasped as I came back, amber eyes so close, those lips inches away.
“Asher…”
He took hold of my face, studying me with a gaze that obliterated every wall inside me. “Are you alright?”
My heartbeat tripled, skin prickling with goosebumps.
“Kiss me,” I said. “Please, kiss me.”
“Luke…”
Hazy desire sent my hands to find his torso. “Please… Please just kiss me.”
He lowered his mouth, pausing at the last moment. “Not right now.”
Frustration roiled in my belly. “I need… I need…”
You! I fucking need you!
He licked his lips, the movement so sensual I thought I might climax.
Breaking. Every part of me breaking. Ready to melt in his arms, give in to him. Even for one more kiss, a fuck, anything. Just one. Just us.
Just take me…
