Page 110 of Stone Seduction
Down on the seafront, after Luke inhaled his cupcake, a monster rolled out from beneath a parked car. A weird orange blob with eight octopus tentacles, one of them carrying eyes, not suckers.
“Behold me, gargoyle! Behold greatness.”
Big words for a blob.
It sprang at me, my sword obliterating it before the statue on top of a post box did.
“Behold death, you knobhead,” I returned.
Luke stretched his arms above his head. “What did it think would happen?”
“Beats me. Fancy a ride?”
His sexy eyes looked me up and down. “Always.”
“Get your mind out of the gutter. I meant a ride to the lighthouse.”
“Did you now?”
“This time, yeah.”
He laughed but the flirt fell flat. “That’d be nice.”
He hates me.
That iron ball in my chest heated, pulsating with guilt.
I scooped him up, activating my wings. Gods, it felt so good to hold him like this.
“Ready, Lukey?”
“I’m ready, lemon slice.”
“You what?”
“Something I’m trying out.” He batted his lashes. Again, it wasn’t as flirty as it could’ve been. Too many clouds over our heads, him in denial over wanting to break a vase over my head.
I took to the air, carrying him home.
TWENTY-EIGHT
Luke
Home sweet home.
At. Last.
The moment we crossed the threshold, I took Asher into my arms.
“This is a safe space,” I said.
With me, he could vent anything he wanted. I wanted to be his rock, his one-man support network if he chose to use me.
“Luke…” His warm breath tickled the top of my head.
“I mean it. I’m here for you.”
Everything felt renewed. Yes, there were so many unanswered questions, a slew of revelations. But we’d been handed a slightly better sense of the situation, and the big Finn secret was bathed in light.
