When A Gargoyle Flies (Gargoyles Book 3) by E A Price Read Free Book Online Page B

twice not to pick at it.  He left Bob the dog to look after her.  Something that delighted Annis and for a second he felt a twinge of jealousy at how fond she was of the unruly beast.
    With dinner ruined, Kylie called down to the diner for some food.  Chris imagined that their chili cheese fries would be quite an eye opener for Annis.  Kylie sent down a bulk order, nearly ordering everything off the menu, but he imagined that Edward the owner would be more than happy to accommodate.  He’d always had a soft spot for Kylie’s aunt, Bea.
    Luc had declared that Kylie was not permitted to go out in the dark on her own.  Given that she barely even bothered to argue with him, Chris gathered this was a common argument for them.  Considering the frustration on Luc’s face, he doubted the gargoyle often won it.
    But, given Chris’ low tolerance for listening to couples arguing, he agreed that he would go to the diner with Kylie – a compromise that appeased everyone.  He left Bob guarding Annis, or possibly trying to smother her as he tried to lie on top of her, and drove Kylie down.
    She prattled aimlessly about their research into the gargoyles, and Chris listened intermittently.  In reality, his attention was elsewhere.
    It was just a scald.  Annis would be okay.  But he could not forget the moment he heard her shriek.  His blood ran cold, and he ran to her like his life depended on it.  She was fine.  She would be okay.  It probably would not even show a mark.  Thank god.  Her health and safety came first, naturally, but he would not want anything to happen to her long, flawless legs.
    He had touched Annis before – not willingly, though.  He was an intruder in their house, and she had tied him to a chair.  He got himself free and pounced on her, pinning her to the floor.  Given that situation, he had not taken the time to appreciate the softness of her skin. It was not like human skin, but more like buttery leather.  Every inch of her leg was hairless and smooth, with supple flesh and…  Chris shook his head.  He had to stop this.  It wasn’t appropriate.  Although, he wondered how old she was.  She certainly seemed young, but too young for his thirty-six years?
    Damnit!  He needed to stop this.  He was not interested in a damn gargoyle!  He was still in mourning for his wife.  Or at least, wasn’t he supposed to be mourning for his wife?  Wasn’t that the appropriate thing?
    Their dating life had been a whirlwind of kisses, dares, and sex.  It shouldn’t have been a shock when she turned up at his house, with tear-stained cheeks to tell him she was pregnant.  While having their fun they were hardly careful and looking back, Chris knew he should have seen that Mara was hardly the type to be sensible and plan ahead when it came to birth control.  Usually, he did, but not with Mara.  She had wailed and cried and told him she loved him, told him her parents would never forgive her for having a baby and no husband.  Next thing he knew, they were flying down to Las Vegas.  They were married by Elvis, lost half his savings gambling and spent the night in a honeymoon suite with more ruffles than a nineteenth-century dandy’s shirt and a mirror over the bed the size of the Titanic.
    It was possibly the wildest thing he ever did.  He wasn’t sure if he loved or lamented the memory of it.
    Chris withheld a chuckle as he imagined what the gargoyles would make of Las Vegas.  Annis’ nose would probably scrunch up like whenever she was confused, and her tail would curl around his leg and…
    “We’re here,” he said gruffly, abruptly pulling into a spot opposite the diner.
    “No kidding,” chuckled Kylie.  “You okay?  You zoned out for a while there.  I was afraid to do anything in case you were sleeping with your eyes open.”
    “But I was driving!”
    Kylie shrugged and shouldered her purse.  “Eh, you seemed to know where you were going.  C’mon, there’s a double bacon