“Yes,” I say breathily, irritated with myself. But damn. He is just so gorgeous with those vicious wings and his broad chest. I know gargoyles sometimes rest in stone form, and he looks like a master carver’s finest piece of work. I want to know everything about him. But of course, just to be a good friend. That’s all. Of course.
My body feels strongly otherwise on the wholefriendtopic.
Chapter 6
Romulus
Laini, looking every inch like the Dark Mountain Spirit created her just for me, brings the steaming teapot to the small table near her hearth. Spark is snoring on the pile of quilts, and the fire is snapping. I could stay here for the rest of my life.
If I weren’t a dangerous monster.
The tea gurgles into our two fine porcelain cups. The tea set looks to be the most expensive thing in Laini’s home besides her loom and wool. I smile, enjoying the fact that I’m getting to know what is important to her. She grins back at me, a dimple showing on her full cheek. Warmth travels swiftly to my cock, and I shift on my chair to get comfortable.The soft slopes of her breasts peek above the ruffled edge of her dress, and my fingers ache to curl under that fabric to feel the flushed skin there. A lock of her sunshine-hued hair slips from the knot at the back of her neck and brushes her collarbone. I lick my lips and swallow, forcing myself to lift the teacup and drink.
“Thank you again for agreeing to do all of this with me. The party,” she says. “The clothing. All of it.”
“I hope it helps you get the contract with Rustion. I’m sure you’ll win it.”
She sits and offers me the cream, but I hold up a hand. Pouring some into her tea, she stirs her serving with a tiny bronze spoon. “Why is Rustion so insistent on you attending the party?”
“He wants me to meet people in town in a relaxed atmosphere. Plus, you know how he is.”
“I do. He’s a joiner, and he wants everyone else to be a joiner too.” Her eyes dance as she speaks, her affection for the old guy obvious.
I love that look in her eye. I refuse to bring up why we had to leave the bakery and turn that grin the wrong way, so I drum up ideas on what we can talk about while we finish the tea. I could ask her more about Spark, but Italked about him already, and she might start to think I’m oddly obsessed with her pet. I chew the inside of my cheek, my mind too full of how her lips look on that cup to think of anything good to say.
She lowers her cup, and her bottom lip glistens with the moisture from the tea. “It tastes like honey and licorice. I’m not sure I love it.”
I hadn’t honestly even noticed the taste. “Oh, well, we don’t need to drink it. I can go.” I start to get up, but she reaches for my wrist.
“Please, not yet. I do think it’s calming me down.” Darkness flashes through those pretty eyes, and I know she’s thinking of that jerk, Leo.
Smiling at her, I sit back down and shuffle my wings behind me. They are tingling and sensitive, as if I’m about to do something specifically pleasurable. It’s probably just Laini’s proximity and the fact that I’ve grown to know her so well in the last two days. It’s odd. I feel as though I’ve known her for far longer.
Lifting my cup, I finish my tea and meet her gaze. The darkness in her eyes is gone, replaced by a serious look that seems a lot like… Desire? No, she doesn’t want me. She’s been clear about not wanting a relationship with anyone. She likes her single life and focusing on her work. And that’s the way things should be, between us at least. I’m bad news.
Her cup knocks against the wooden grain of the table as she sets it down. “Rom, I really enjoyed today.” Her focus shifts to my mouth, and I part my lips, my fangs showing as if I’m trying to show her my ability to be lethal in more than one way—this movement is a traditional part of the gargoyle mating ritual, and I can’t seem to stop my body from going along with it. My skin feels sensitive now, too, and heat is pooling low in my body. I’m hard as stone. No way I can stand up and leave now. I have to calm down.
“It was a fun day,” I say, my voice lower than it should be for such a simple statement. “Thanks for the help with the cloak situation at the tailor’s.”
“Of course. But I do wonder if you should consider showing your true self to more people. You’re wonderful.” Her apple cheeks go red, and she stammers. “I, I mean, you are so kind. No one is going to think you’re a danger once they get to know you. It seems wrong to hide your gorgeousness from the world too…” She puts a hand to her mouth. “Oh, I don’t know why I said that. I just… I feel…”
The hot sensation of want crashes through me, and my cock throbs, my gaze focusing on hers. Imust have her. Now. My thoughts are a magical storm of sorts—sparkling, dangerous, inescapable.
She pushes away from the table, her chest heaving, and she stands, her hands fisted at her sides. Before I can stop myself, I’m standing and stepping right up to her. Her body brushes mine, and our breaths mingle. The rose and dew scent of her skin rises and taunts me, and I can’t take a full breath. She tips her chin up and gazes at me, her eyes half-lidded.
“Rom, kiss me. Please, just this once.”
My mind is a whirlwind. My body is on fire. I close the distance between us, slip a hand around the back of her head, and drag the talon on my thumb down the side of her jaw. She takes a stuttering breath, those marvelous breasts rising and begging to be grabbed. I lean down and take her mouth with mine. Desire crashes through every inch of me, and I thrust my forked tongue into her mouth. She pulls away.
“A forked tongue?” Her eyes are glassy and beautiful and happy.
“Aye.”
Her throat moves in a swallow. “I like that.”
Growling lightly with satisfaction, I lower my head to nibble along the soft skin there. Ikiss my way back to her mouth, and she opens up for me. Her little tongue tangles with mine, and her small gasps nearly make me come right here, right now. She tastes like honey, licorice, and her own sweet flavor, and I cannot get enough. I slip a hand down to her lower back and pull her against me.
“Rom, yes. Rom…”
