Luc’s nostrils flared, and he shifted closer, an unmistakable growl vibrating from his chest. “What did the others tell you about feeding on blood? You weren’t talking about blood last night, and youknowI won’t take advantage of you. Why are you pushing me like this?”
It was Dex’s turn to freeze, caught like prey in Luc’s overwhelming presence. “No one told me anything other than demons drink blood.”
Luc shifted even closer. “Then why are you acting like you’re about to offer yours?”
Goddamn, that would be the ultimate surrender. Dex shivered, unable to suppress it, and Luc noticed, his gaze narrowing.
“I want to know who you really are,” Dex said desperately. “I want to know what’s real. You act so sweet, but I know you’vedone bad things. Which is it? How is it all connected? Are you pretending to be what you think I want?”
He needed to figure out if the real Luc matched the real Dex, but couldn’t get a more direct question past his lips, or admit that what everyone seemed to think he wanted didn’t fill his true desires.
Luc leaned in, inches from Dex, heat seeming to pour off his body in waves. “I’m not pretending or manipulating you.”
Sweat prickled along Dex’s forehead. “Okay. But you aren’t telling me what you really want either. You’re acting, at least to an extent. You can’t be this perfect boyfriend and also be the man who almost killed my best friend. You can’t be two separate things, like the other half doesn’t exist.”
Luc huffed, and the scent of smoke filled the air. “You don’t get to tell me who I can and can’t be.”
Dex braced against the headboard. “Then show me who you really are.”
“I am.” Luc pressed forward, planting a hand on either side of Dex. “The real me wants to care for you, destroy your grief, and give youeverything.”
Dex swallowed a whimper. What a thing to say. “Is that all?”
“No.” Luc caught Dex’s chin between two fingers. “I want you to bemine. I want to keep you. You want to know who I really am? The pieces I’ve kept quiet? When I first saw you, I considered using magic to ensnare you andmake you mine. I’m known for taking what I want—it’s become a habit—but I can’t with you. I’m determined to break the cycle I’ve trapped myself in. You have to choose me andletme give you everything. That’s the only way I can possess all of you.”
Fuck. Dex had to remember how to breathe.
“Your pulse is pounding.” Luc’s voice softened, his gaze falling to Dex’s neck. “I can hear it. Am I scaring you?”
Dex wrapped a hand around Luc’s wrist, but didn’t pull him off. If anything, he held Luc in place. “Yes.” The word came out breathy, and his whole body burned.
Luc smiled, sly and befitting the Devil. “And you like being afraid?”
Dex nodded as best he could, heat pooling deep inside him as his cock stiffened.
He wanted nothing more than to bepossessed. By Luc. By fear. His desire to feel owned, to let someone else take charge, came alive under Luc’s grip.
Dex’s life had been out of his control for years, and for once, he wanted helplessness to be on his terms. He was desperate to give in to fear while someone else held the reins, and it wasn’t death or loss terrifying him. Those were his real fears. They ruled him, and he hated it. He wanted to be scared and embrace it. Face the emotion and see what happened.
What if it set him free?
In one swift motion, Luc released Dex and climbed on top of him, straddling his legs and trapping them beneath the covers. “You like seeing this side of me?”
Dex squirmed. “Yes, I do. So much.”
Luc caught his face once more, gripping tight around his chin, and Dex sighed into the contact.
“I can smell your arousal,” Luc purred.
Dex shivered, his eyelids fluttering. Smell him? How humiliating. But at the same time, it wasn’t enough. Dex didn’t want this to stop. “Please.”
“Please, what?”
“Do what you want. Not what you think you should.” If this was the real Luc, then Dex could be his true self with him. He was so close to asking for what he wanted. So close.
Luc ran his thumb along Dex’s jaw. “I’m trying to figure out who I want to be. I have a host of regrets to breakfree from, and I refuse to regret anything to do with you. So I’m being careful. That doesn’t mean it isn’t real, or that I’m only doing what I think is expected of me.”
“I believe you. But please, you won’t regret it. Let loose. Show me. You can take care of me like you said, but I…I want this too.”
