Page 68 of Hidden By the Gargoyle

When I opened my eyes, it felt like only five minutes had passed, but based on the light streaming in through the blinds, it had to be mid-morning or even closing in on noon.

Goddess, I was exhausted.

I glanced over my shoulder but knew that I’d find the bed empty. The blankets weren’t askew, so I knew Dax had come back to bed sometime after I slept. Or at least he’d taken a few moments to smooth them out.

I sat up in the bed and listened, wondering if Dax had left me alone in the house. He said that he wouldn’t, not after the spell Sommerton managed to cast over me, but after last night, I was a little afraid he’d changed his mind.

Then, I heard the water come on in the bathroom and realized he was about to take a shower.

I leaned over and tapped my phone screen so that it lit up. It was nearly ten in the morning. I’d managed to sleep over six hours after the excitement last night. I wasn’t sure if it was the adrenaline dump or the power burst that did it, but I was still so tired that I could have gone right back to sleep.

But I couldn’t. Dax said yesterday there was a contingent of cat shifters coming to the resort today for a meeting with the local cat clan. Apparently, they could be difficult to deal with and he didn’t want to leave Poppy to deal with them.

I tossed the blankets to the side and headed into the bathroom. As soon as I opened the door, Dax turned to face me. The shower walls were glass but lightly misted from the rising steam. I could still see him clearly.

At the sight of the water running in rivulets over his naked body, my hesitance and residual irritation with him became something else. Something hot and insistent.

Without taking my eyes from his, I shoved the sweatpants I wore down my legs and stepped out of them. As I took another step, I tugged my tank top over my head and dropped it on the floor as well.

When I stopped in front of the shower stall, I hooked my thumbs into the waistband of my panties and skimmed them down my legs, leaving them on the bathmat.

Then, I opened the shower door, letting out a plume of damp steam.

Dax hadn’t torn his eyes from me since I opened the bathroom door, but he wasn’t watching me with heat in his eyes. He seemed just as hesitant as I’d felt moments ago.

He backed up when I stepped into the shower and shut the door behind me, closing us inside. He kept moving until his back hit the tile and my body was against his.

“Ally,” he murmured. His hands came to my hips to hold me still.

I pressed my hands to his chest, sliding them up until I reached his neck. He didn’t resist when I pulled his head down toward mine, but he did try to speak.

“Ally,” he repeated. “I’m not sure we should?—”

I used my lips to tell him to shut up, but without actual words. I kissed him, slipping my tongue into his mouth. He froze for a split second until I lowered one of my hands from his neck to the space between us. His cock was already half-hard when I wrapped my fingers around him and stroked.

Dax groaned against my mouth as I let my fingers trail down his length to cup his balls and squeeze.

His hands moved to my ass, lifting me off my feet. I yelped against his lips and released his cock to grab his shoulders with both hands. My legs wrapped around his hips so I could lock my ankles behind him. He spun around so that my back was against the tile. The smooth surface was still chilled. I gasped, my back arching, and he took the opportunity to lift me higher, bringing my breasts even with his mouth.

My head fell back when he ran his tongue over my nipple before sucking it deep into his mouth. With each pull, sounds escaped from my lips. My hands went from his shoulders to the back of his head, holding him close.

When his teeth closed over the tip of my breast, I cried out, arching even harder against his lips. The pleasure held a razor’s edge, bordering on pain.

He released my nipple before moving to the next, his mouth becoming rougher. I writhed in his arms until he used his weight to pin me against the wall of the shower.

“Dax!”

My voice echoed in the bathroom and seemed to snap something within him. He carried me to the bench that ran along the back corner of the shower and sat down. Once he sat down, he lifted me off his lap, set me on my feet, and turned me to face away before bringing me back down to sit on his thighs.

His ankles came between mine and shoved my feet apart. Only his hands on my hips kept me from jumping off his lap. His hands moved to my inner thighs and down to my knees, shoving them wider apart until I was completely exposed, and my only choice was to lean back against his chest.

His knees trapped mine, forcing me to keep my legs spread. I could feel the hard length of his cock against my ass, and I writhed against it, but his hands clamped down on my hips again, holding me still.

“Don’t. Move,” he commanded.

There was something in his tone, an edge I hadn’t heard before. Instinctively, I stopped wiggling and sat stock still, perched precariously on his thighs.

His hands smoothed up my sides, his fingers barely brushing the outside of my breasts until he reached my shoulders. Then, his palms glided down my arms to my wrists and he grasped them, lifting them over my head and around his neck.

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