Dex’s stomach twisted. “No, I suppose there’s isn’t when you live forever.”
13
DEX
Dex groaned as he woke, not bothering to open his eyes. A dull ache pounded behind his temple, and he pulled the blanket over him, blocking out the light.
Why had he drunk so much? He had to get his shit together. No more solo pity parties.
Letting out one more miserable sigh, Dex promised to take better care of himself.
An unfamiliar scent filled his nose. Something faintly smoky. Dex froze. He wasn’t inhisbed.
The rest of the night came rushing back. Texting Luc. Seeing him. Clinging to him.Oh god. Going home with him.
Slowly, Dex peeked out from beneath the covers. The other side of the bed was empty. No surprise there, since Luc had refused to play along with his advances.
While Dex was relieved Luc wasn’t the type to take advantage, his own behavior was humiliating to remember. Had he rubbed himself against Luc’s chest like a cat? Multiple times. Why?
Sitting up, he wiped the sleep from his eyes. Sun streamed in from a row of high windows, illuminating the bed and otherwiseempty mezzanine floor. Beyond the metal railing lay nothing but shadow and empty space.
Luc was nowhere to be seen.
Dex couldn’t remember going to sleep. Apparently, he’d decided to wear nothing but his boxer briefs and Luc’s gray sweater. He’d even taken off his T-shirt and put the sweater back on.
Had he said something about being wrapped in Luc’s scent?Ugh.
Where was Luc? Had he spent the night next to Dex and snuck off before he woke? Did Luc wear anything to sleep, maybe a pair of underwear and nothing else?
Dex groaned even more pitifully than before, hating himself for going there almost as much as he hated that he might have missed seeing Luc undressed.
Ollie’s encouragement wasn’t some sort of free pass. Drunk Dex had an excuse for forgetting Luc was a bad person; sober Dex didn’t. He shouldn’t be attracted to a violent man, no matter how much Luc offered to help with his moving-related trauma.
If Dex were smart, he’d see Luc’s caring side as the other half of a red flag. The Devil had two completely different personalities, and there was nothing to say he wouldn’t flip his switch and become the man who’d had Ollie trembling.
A door banged open and shut, echoing through the cavernous space. Dex stiffened, his heart jolting as his pulse picked up.
Footsteps sounded on the stairs, even and unhurried. Dex’s heart leapt. For a second, he had the urge to run.
Maybe Luc’s sweetness was an act to lure him here—a lie, like Ollie had first said—and a far more sinister man was stalking up the stairs, coming to do whatever he wanted to Dex. And he wouldn’t be able to stop him.
Heat flooded Dex from head to toe. Would Luc chase him if he ran? What would he do when he caught him? What did Dex want him to do?
Dex had fantasies of being overpowered. The desire had blossomed along with his awareness of sex. When he was young, watching wrestling or physical fight scenes in movies excited him, and as he’d gotten older, he couldn’t deny that the idea of being dominated aroused him more than simple thoughts of kissing or touching another man. Dex wanted to let go completely and be at someone else’s mercy.
Part of Dex was desperate for Luc’s sweetness to be obscuring something darker. Not as dark as what happened to Ollie, but something more in line with his needs.
Would Luc give Dex what he’d longed for? Could he even admit his desires outside of his private thoughts? Doubt weighed Dex down, as strong as ever.
He shouldn’t want to be overpowered, held down, and taken roughly by Luc. Not given everything else the Devil had done. Wondering if Luc would play along because he’d proven himself violent was all kinds of fucked up. Dex knew that, but it didn’t dampen his desire.
If Luc took control, Dex wouldn’t have to worry if what he wanted was right or wrong, and that was the most tempting thing of all.
Dex just wanted to let go. Get out of his head.
“I’ve got coffee,” Luc announced as he appeared at the top of the creaking metal stairs, looking completely harmless, carrying a coffee tray and a pastry box. “I need a dining table. Eating in bed is awkward.”
He set the pastry box on an upturned crate and held out the coffees for Dex. “The one on the right is black, the other is a latte. I’ve got sugar in my pocket.”
