“Danica?”
“Uh, sorry, daydreaming.”
“You look a little sick,” his brow creased with concern. “No dessert then?”
My inner child wrestled with the grown-ass woman who had eaten far too much. “Maybe later?”
He studied my face, then got to his feet and held out his hand. “Let’s take our drinks out to the balcony.”
I could still see the first time I’d fought with Samael out on this balcony. I’d attempted to shove him, and the tips of my fingers had met soft, plush feathers for a fraction of a second. He’d warned me not to touch what wasn’t yet mine.
“What are you thinking?” Samael nuzzled my ear and I sighed, arching to give him more access.
“I was thinking about the first time I stood on this balcony with you. I told you that you’d never have my loyalty.”
He smiled against my neck, brushing gentle kisses along the spot that made me shiver. “And now?”
“I guess you proved I was full of shit.” I frowned and he gently spun me.
“Attempting to convince you to trust me has been one of the greatest challenges of my life.”
“Oh yeah?”
He brushed his mouth against mine. “Yes,” he murmured against my lips, then slowly drew back. “You want me to change. I’m trying.”
I blinked. Where did that come from?
“That’s not what I want.”
“You want me to be less like a demon and more like a human male.”
Was that what I’d been doing?
You couldn’t change people. Not really. And trying to change the person you were with was a good way to ruin any chance of happiness for you both.
“I don’t want to change who you are. I know you’re always going to be a bossy, domineering, control freak.”
He nodded his head in agreement and I couldn’t help but laugh.
“But… you don’t have to be those things with me. At least not all the time. I’m not looking for someone to run my life. If you want to be with me, you have to accept that I’m going to do things sometimes that won’t always please you. I’ll occasionally be in dangerous situations. And I’ll make decisions you won’t always agree with. But I promise, when I need help, I’ll come to you. It’s called compromise.”
He ran his tongue around his teeth. “Compromise,” he said as if tasting the word for the first time. “I compromise with you, and you’ll stay with me?”
I sighed. I was kidding myself if I thought I could walk away from him at this point.
“One day, I’m going to ask you to remove the mark on my arm, and you’re going to do it.”
His wings flared, the expression on his face dark, mouth twisting in instant denial.
We stared at each other in silence for a fraught moment. Finally, I sighed.
“I’m in love with you,” I blurted out.
Samael’s expression shuttered and he drew back. “You would play with me even now?”
I frowned at him. “I didn’t expect it to happen. God knows I didn’t want it to. You infuriate me, challenge me, annoy the shit out of me. You’re bossy and controlling, and dealing with your ego is no fucking picnic, let me tell you.”
He raised one eyebrow and I threw up my hands, turning away to pace.
