“Okay, don't judge me for that.” He groans. “You're just so sexy.” Gideon crushes my naked chest to his, letting out a tremendous sigh. “I swear I'll last longer next time.” I chuckle then, realizing why he's embarrassed.
“I can't make the same promise,” I tease, relaxing into the cuddle.
The air conditioning kicks on with a distant hum. Cool air blows across my back and a shiver rattles down my spine. I feel a little self-conscious about my topless state, but before I can get too embarrassed, Callum drops Gideon's massive shirt over my head. When I swivel my head to thank him, my mouth drops open instead.
He's so hopelessly beautiful I can't even understand what I'm seeing.
The dark circles under his eyes are gone, and his skin is... glowing? Some of his sharper edges seem smoother somehow. Callum looks like the glossy cover of an airbrushed magazine come to life.
“It's not fair, is it? Fucking incubus demon,” Gideon mutters good-naturedly, like he's used to staring at perfection. “I was going to ask if you got what you needed, Cal, but it’s obvious you're all charged up.”
Callum smiles at Gideon's statement, a light blush staining his olive skin. He doesn't look away from me, though. A tiny furrow pops up between his eyebrows as I catalogue all the subtle changes to his appearance.
After a moment, he clears his throat and breaks our eye contact.
“I didn't mention it earlier because there's a lot of suspicion about my kind,” he admits. “Like Gideon said, I’m an incubus demon. I consume lust and sexual energy to survive, and you both just fed me a three-course meal.”
He delivers that explanation like he’s gearing up for a confrontation. His gaze locks on me again, except now it’s devoid of the earlier softness. Callum is clearly waiting for me to freak out or something, but—besides surprise over his appearance—I'm not overly concerned.
I am, however, curious about what he can do and why he expects a fight. “Your abilities,” I begin. “I assume they can be more predatory, too?”
Gideon tenses against me, but Callum seems both relieved and angered by my question.
“I can burn someone alive with desire. I can make them so desperate to please me they’d walk off a cliff without question,” Callum scoffs. The sound is as bitter as it is beautiful. It shows me more clearly than any words could how much he hates this part of himself. He can’t hide his self-loathing from me, not when its echo has haunted me for years. When I simply nod in response, he blinks slowly and tilts his head.
“Aren't you going to ask me if I did that to you?” He points at me. “Accuse me of making you so horny you humped my friend’s cock until you creamed your jeans?”
I flush at his crude characterization and cut him off with my hand.
“I’m going to stop you there. If I thought you would try something like that, Callum, I would be out the door already.”
He narrows his eyes at me. I roll my own. His attitude is ruining my post orgasm buzz, so I give him what he obviously wants.
“Fine. Since you’re obviously desperate for me to question your character, I will. Callum, would you ever use your power to influence or control my body?”
“I would never do that to either of you without your consent,” Callum insists, his voice earnest, all the anger gone and replaced with a kind of sad resignation. He doesn’t think I’ll believe him.
I gently climb out of Gideon's lap, compassion for the incubus demon welling up in my chest. He may look like a stereotypical sexy villain, but it’s becoming clear that I’m not the only person in this house with baggage. Standing up on my tiptoes, I press a soft kiss to the corner of his perfect lips.
“Then there’s no problem,” I assure him. He says nothing, his face frozen in a blank mask of confusion.
He’s not the only one.
CALLUM
Holy fuck.Holyfuck. I slam my bedroom door, tripping over my own feet as I stumble to the mirror.
I look like a god and feel like a monster.
Power buzzes beneath my skin. I think I could legitimately move a mountain or compel an auditorium full of people to get themselves off in public if I tried. Still, even if I did that, I can't imagine the lust rush could top what I just experienced. I barely touched Sheena, and I feel stronger than I have in years.
Fuck, this is bad.If I can’t resist her, can’t stop myself from going back for more... I clench my trembling hands, hating how the tremors damn me as nothing more than an addict, desperate for his next fix.
I don’t like feeding my demon, can’t even remember the last time I bothered, but this reaction seems extreme.Other.
Like ice melting on my skin or nails raking down my back, it’s a godsdamn fucking rush. My cock goes rock hard as I think about what could have happened if we'd taken it further. For a stupid, indulgent moment, I let myself marinate in an alternate ending.
My hands around her waist. Driving her down until I bottom out inside of her again and again. Pushing her to the edge of madness until she’s so mindless with pleasure that she doesn’t know if she wants to beg me for more or beg me to stop.
