Sophie's Gargoyle — Katherine Kingston

*NOTE* This is a rewritten version of a short story included in the Naughty Literati anthologies. It's been revised and expanded to novella length.

Sophie Scranton, owner of a Washington, DC gift shop, escaped an abusive relationship in the past, so when she rescues a woman from the cold rain, she recognizes what the black eye and bruises on the woman's face mean. Sophie has doubts about the strange man who steps in to help her get the woman away to a shelter and protect her from harassment by the woman's husband, but she's also very attracted to him. As he continues to protect her and her shop, she comes to admire him and enjoy his dominating ways. He makes sense when he explains the difference between a bully and a dominant man. But then he also claims to be a gargoyle who can take on human form for only a limited time, and she fears he's delusional. But she's falling in love with him anyway.