Page 11 of Bound to the Griffin (Hillcrest Hollow Shifters #3)

“Okay, care to tell me why, Jackson? I mean, I’m glad you want to help, but it’s not exactly roofing season, is it?

You’d fall to your death if you tried.” There was a hint of laughter in her tone, and when I looked at her over my shoulder, that was not my imagination.

She was laughing, mirth dancing in her eyes, her cheeks glowing.

I wasn’t quite sure why she thought it was funny, but that was better than angry, I supposed.

I shrugged again and dared to rise so I could sit down on the couch next to her.

She wriggled her feet under the blankets, then casually nudged her toes against my thigh.

I shifted just a tad closer so she could more comfortably reach and felt heat unfurl inside my chest. She still wanted me close; I hadn’t scared her away.

Probably nothing truly could. That was a good sign.

She’d need that kind of grit to handle the craziness of this town, and she had been handling it far better than anyone expected she would.

Thinking of the burglar who had threatened to break that spirit, I balled my fists, fury rising—sharp and fast. The nudge of her toes against my leg jarred me out of that, and, with rigid self-discipline, I brought it all back under control.

Forcing a smile became easier when I contemplated a fall off the roof like she’d mentioned.

“Oh, I always land on my feet,” I said to her.

“Besides, I’ve fixed a roof or two in my life.

You can’t fix the inside of that place if it’s about to fall down on your head, can you? ”

The glare she shot me could wither a man on the spot, and I was so glad to see it.

Even with a bandage wrapped around her head, she managed to look like a fierce little kitten.

Then she yawned, and, with regret, I knew this had to be the extent of our evening conversation.

“Come, let me tuck you into bed so you’ll be ready to face a new day.

” She protested, but I picked her up anyway and carried her into my small bedroom.

The bed took up nearly all the space, forcing me to shuffle around the edge.

That was well worth the price. I didn’t need much from this room except for it to hold my bed, which it did perfectly.

Gwen bounced gently as I laid her down, protesting that she could sleep on the couch.

Her hands fluttered out of the cocoon of blankets she was still partially wrapped in and waved at me in what were possibly gestures meant to halt me in my tracks.

They didn’t, and then her hands disappeared as I pulled my thick, down-filled duvet over her.

“Sleep. We’ll fix this tomorrow.” She blinked at me, long lashes curling against her cheeks.

Her mouth opened, then shut, while heat rose along her cheekbones, pink and sweet.

Thinking better of what she wanted to say, she sighed and then nodded, nestling against my pillow.

I didn’t expect her quick surrender to sleep, but she succumbed to dreams before I’d even made it out of the room.

Slipping back into my sweltering living room, I closed the door silently and pressed my back to it.

There was a huge stack of packages waiting for me, at least two of those were boxes of tea, but the rest were tools and supplies for the B this week, it had been me, and now it was no doubt the burglar that had dared to infiltrate her territory.

“Don’t worry about it, Drew. I’ll take care of it.

” He hung up, obviously relieved and eager to resume his guard job.

As a gargoyle, he was uniquely suited to the task and would take it very seriously.

I stared into space as I contemplated the burglar yet again, and I still could draw only a single conclusion: They were after something they hoped Halver had left behind.

But what? And how much danger would Gwen be in when she returned to the place?

I knew I could not convince her to stay at my home, even if it was just around the corner.

I lay down on the couch later that evening, my thoughts still in turmoil.

I didn’t think I would sleep a wink, but I had to give it a shot anyway.

The quiet and the lack of distractions made my thoughts turn to my mate, now asleep in my bed.

My chest rumbled with a satisfied purr at the thought, and instincts urged me to get up and slide under the blankets with her.

Not yet, but soon. So I remained on the couch, eyes staring at the ceiling, thoughts of my mate and all the obstacles she faced running on a loop through my brain.