Page 15 of Hidden By the Gargoyle

As I said, there was nearly three feet of space between us.

Did the bed seem to shrink now that we were both in it? Maybe, but I was going to pretend that I didn’t notice it.

Instead, I pulled the comforter up over my shoulders, turned my back to Dax, and willed myself to sleep.

ChapterFour

I woke up feeling incredibly cozy. I was warm and, if it was possible, even more comfortable than the night before when I’d fallen asleep the first time.

I cuddled into the pillow I was curled around, pressing my face deeper into it. It was firmer than I was used to, but it smelled delicious, like pine and snow. Just like Dax.

I cracked my eyes open and stared at the grey fabric in front of my face.

Weird. Dax had white sheets and pillowcases on his bed. His comforter was a light beige, not grey.

Then, I realized the pillow was moving beneath my cheek and there was a thumping sound in my ear.

I sucked in a breath, but stopped immediately, not wanting my sharp inhale to wake Dax up.

Especially since I was all but sprawled over his back.

I opened my eyes the rest of the way, holding the rest of my body perfectly still. During the night, I’d migrated across the bed. Dax was basically hugging the edge, but I still managed to all but crawl on top of him. Exactly what I feared I would do.

Embarrassment washed over me. For all my talk about us being able to share the bed and not even know the other was there, I’d managed to touch him with most of my body.

His breathing was slow and steady, which meant he was still sleeping. That was good.

Now, I just had to figure out how to get off his back without waking him up.

His breaths remained even and soft as I slowly inched back. I tried to ignore the way his body felt beneath mine. His skin seemed to sear mine through the thin material of my tank top. I held my breath as my nipples dragged across the hard plane of his back.

Goddess, this was torture.

I inched backward across the bed until my foot met empty space. I winced as the bed shifted beneath me, but Dax never moved.

Finally, I was off the bed and on my feet, and I hadn’t woken Dax.

Moving as quietly as I could, I gathered some fresh clothes and underwear and went into the bathroom to get ready to face the day.

* * *

When I cameout of the bathroom, I found Dax downstairs making breakfast. The scent of coffee and bacon made my mouth water.

Or maybe it was the sight of him in the tight tank top and a pair of loose pants.

With his back to me, I could see a tattoo of what looked like a sword hilt peeking above the neckline of his tank. I wondered if that was where his sword came from yesterday.

If that was the case, the witch who gave him the spelled tattoo must have been incredibly powerful because of his natural resistance to magic.

A spike of jealousy pierced my heart at the idea of another woman putting her hands on his skin, even if it was just to give him a magical tattoo.

Then, I saw the scars on the backs of his shoulders and how they disappeared behind the tank where it covered his mid-back. The jagged, silvery-white lines of the scars made me forget any jealousy I might feel.

Gargoyles weren’t just resistant to magic, they were almost impossible to injure. Even in their pure human form, their skin was thick and healed quickly.

To leave scars like that, he must have been severely wounded, lingering on the edge of death. That was the only way his body wouldn’t have immediately healed the damage.

At least that’s what I understood from the books in Aunt Minnie’s library. Yes, yes, I devoured any and all information I could find about gargoyles. Especially when I developed my crush on Dax.

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