His nose still bled, dripping blood down his lips. He didn’t speak.
“You may not like Austin, and I kind of get it based on how you two met, but he is incredibly effective at protecting this town. He’s done it for years. It is not hard to follow the rules. Do you know what they are?” I paused for a beat. “Don’t be a dick. That’s it. Those are the rules. Don’t start trouble. Well, guess what you did tonight?” I paused again. “That’s right, you broke the single rule of O’Briens. You were a dick to Sasquatch. He’s the worst, but he was right—he didn’t do anything wrong. You can’t just push people around because you’re stronger. That’s a bullshit thing to do, and that’s why Austin is here—to prevent that sort of posturing. His reaction was extreme, I’ll grant you that, but so was your counterreaction. This is on you. I had a nice time, thank you for dinner, but you need to leave for now. We need to cool things down here. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I couldn’t see his eyes in the dark. I had no idea which way the wind blew. After a beat, though, he took a deep breath, his large chest inflating and deflating.
“I’m from a place that does things differently. Please accept my apology. I acted out of turn.”
My eyebrows climbed toward my hairline. In as much as I’d expected anything from this near stranger, I’d thought he’d be stubborn and standoffish—two traits distinctive of gargoyles, or so Niamh had said. This was a nice surprise. I appreciated his apology, more so because I believed it. I felt the sincerity in it.
I nodded.
He pulled a handkerchief from his back pocket and wiped his face, which had already stopped bleeding.
“Your magic is coming along,” he said, cleaning up. “After just one afternoon, you’ve grown in power.”
“Thanks to you for taking my beatings.”
It was the first time I’d seen his smile, and it was a thing of beauty. “It was nothing.” He let out another breath and tucked his handkerchief back into his pocket. “You will dwarf the world with your power. It is my honor to have been summoned, my queen. You will make our species proud.” He took my hand gently and, connecting eyes with me, grazed his lips across my knuckles.
This didn’t feel like the night before, with his over-the-top double entendres. This time, the heat in his eyes sparked a similar heat deep in my core. It burned hot, searing me, making me ache for his touch. It had been a really long time since a man had looked at me like that. Since he’d let his lips linger on my flesh. Since I’d accepted the vulnerability of losing myself to the fire.
“I know you need to go back in there”—he nodded to the bar—“but I will wait up for you.” His other hand blazed a trail along my jaw before hooking around my neck. The pressure was subtle but firm, pulling me in slowly, his eyes hooded and head dipping.
I licked my lips, logic warring with desire. I knew I should take this slow, but part of me wanted to get in the boat, without oars, and let the river current take me where it would. All I could focus on were those lips, a little parted, his breathing speeding up to match mine. And his eyes, filled with desire.
His lips finally brushed mine, and dynamite exploded within me. His hand slid around my back, pulling me in a little tighter, his body now pressed against mine, his desire clearly evident in his hard heat. I rested my hands on his chest and angled my head, letting him take the lead. It felt so good to have his strength and power wrapped around me.
His kiss deepened and his tongue thrust in my mouth, swirling. His other hand left my jaw, and then his fingers splayed across my back, spreading tingles across my skin. He slid it down slowly as his kiss increased in fervency. That hand reached my lower back and still didn’t stop, not until it reached my butt, squeezing.
A moan escaped me, and I pushed my hands up his chest and hooked them around his neck. His hand was on the move again, though, down my side until he hit the bare skin of my thigh, and then back up, pressing, his fingers slipping underneath my hemline, heading for goal.
“Whoa, whoa,” I said, leaning back and pushing his hand away. His labored breathing matched mine, merging as he lingered near my lips. “Let’s… That’s… We’re in public.”
“Let’s go home, then,” he murmured, and kissed me again. “Let me coax those screams out of you.”16My body was on fire, pounding, and desperate to be touched. I wanted to know the feeling of being desired again—not for the sake of a release but because a man wanted to relish in my body. The way Damarion was moving his hands across me, thrusting his tongue into my mouth, it frazzled my mind.