Sorceress Rising (A Gargoyle and Sorceress Tale Book 2) by Lisa Blackwood

then
with a bit more boldness. His eyes drifted closed as she ventured farther
afield, her delicate touch gliding lower. Belatedly, he realized his private
wish had made his control slip and she’d picked up the thread of his thoughts,
but he didn’t feel guilty about it, especially not when she dropped the sponge
and brought her other hand into play. A deep, rumbling purr escaped him. He
wanted to return the caresses, but he held himself passive. It was more important
for his other half to learn him and the limits of her courage.

C hapter Twelve
     
    A soft,
persistent knocking registered on Lillian’s senses. She tried to ignore it and
burrowed deeper under the covers—wanting to escape the noise and the bright
light flooding in the windows that declared it was morning. Gregory seemed to
have a similar idea and attempted to bury his muzzle underneath her hair. She
was draped over his chest, with one leg sprawled over his powerful thighs. One
part of her mind said this was probably inappropriate, but another part liked
it rather too much to move.
    Besides, she
didn’t feel like moving. Gregory didn’t seem inclined to either—well other than
one part. His tail was flicking lazy caresses up and down her side. The
knocking at the door had finally stopped. Lillian smiled.
    “What if I’d
been a team of commandoes?”
    Gran’s voice
jolted through Lillian’s sleepy mind. She jerked awake, but Gregory replied
first.
    “I’d have spread
their ashes across the three Realms.” His chuckle shook Lillian’s entire body.
“You’re lucky I’m fond of you. Besides, you feed me.”
    Her face
burning, Lillian rolled off him and buried herself under the blankets. Gregory
had no such concerns, or modesty. She peeked out in time to see him throw off
the blankets and stretch, before leaning toward the plates Gran held out to
him.
    “My goodness,”
Gran gave an approving purr. “Now, I know why dryads have a preference for
gargoyles.”
    “Gran!” Lillian
bolted upright, but kept hold of the blankets not wanting to flash the room.
    “Don’t be a
prude, darling. I’m old, not dead. I still have hormones enough to appreciate a
fine-looking specimen when one is laid out before me.” Gran then turned her
attention back to Gregory and bestowed a smile on him. “I brought breakfast for
the both of you.”
    Lillian tried
another angle. “You could have just called through the door. What if we
had…we’d been…”
    Gran started to
chuckle again, a full belly laugh this time. “If you had, the whole house would
have heard. Gregory has a tendency to roar. Besides, I didn’t hear any
headboard cracking last night. And the house is still standing—no stray flares
of creative Avatar magic.”
    Lillian
collapsed onto her pillow and tossed the sheets back over her head.
    “No time to
hide.” Gran tugged on the blankets. “You need to eat and then get dressed. The
Fae council arrived in the night. We need to discuss what to do about the
military problem. And Gregory, dear, you need to pretend to be human. No more
dragging your feet about it.”
    He grunted
around a mouthful of food, but nodded his head.
    “Good. When you
are both presentable, come down to the kitchen. We have work to do.” Gran
patted Lillian’s blanket-covered leg and placed a plate of food in her hand.
    Lillian eyed the
plate of bacon and eggs. Not exactly a romantic breakfast in bed, but she was
hungry, and it would be a waste of perfectly good food if she didn’t eat it.
Picking up a fork, she started to work her way through breakfast.
     
    ****
     
    Gregory stood
before her and gave her his best annoyed gargoyle scowl. Strange how well the
look transferred to his now fully human form. Another minor feat she wouldn’t
mind mastering was his ability to look equally noble and stern in nothing but a
pair of silky black boxer shorts. Perhaps it had something to do with him being
comfortable in nothing but his own skin.
    Lillian admitted
it was a