Though Nyte had yet to call Ember by her name, the way he’d said those words sent a thrill through her.
It also made her heart thump harder to discover that he was doing this because it pleased her. He could have easily denied her, berated her for her foolishness, cursed her. But he was going along with this…because it made her happy.
“I’m…glad.” Ember caught her bottom lip with her teeth to keep her smile from widening as her gaze flicked between his eyes. But as she took in his masked face, she couldn’t stop a small laugh from escaping.
His eyebrows fell, scrunching the upper portion of the mask. “Are you laughing at my expense?”
“No, no. Of course not,” she hurried to say as she braced a hand on the cushion and reached past him to retrieve the remote control from the end table. “Why would I laugh at you when I look just as ridiculous?”
Nyte snickered. “I suppose these are as far from flattering as one can get. And yet…”
She felt those otherworldly eyes on her again, blazing a path across the exposed skin of her upper chest and neck, right before she felt something else.
One of his claws hooked the uppermost ribbon of her top and tugged on it gently.
Ember’s breath caught as she slowly sat back on her heels, her wide eyes meeting his.
The corner of his mouth was ever so slightly raised. “Is everything all right?”
Desire flooded Ember. Not even the mask could cool the warmth radiating from her. The way he was looking at her, the way his claw teased at the ribbon on her top, threatening to cut it away…
Her heart quickened, and her pussy clenched. Ember’sgaze dropped to Nyte’s sensual mouth. He could rip that tie apart, could tear every scrap of clothing from her body, could do any depraved thing he wanted, if only he’d kiss her.
Nyte released the ribbon, moving his finger up to curl beneath her chin. The gentlest pressure notched her chin up, forcing her gaze to again meet his. “I asked you a question, witch.”
Ember blinked.
A question? What quest?—
It was only then that she realized how close she was to him. That her body had gravitated toward him, leaning in as though to do exactly what she longed to—kiss him.
Her eyes flared, and she jerked back. “Um… I, uh…” She pointed the remote at the television, switching it to a streaming service before quickly rising to her feet. “I’ll be right back.”
And with that, she made her escape to the kitchen.
It didn’t help that she felt his eyes on her as she departed.
Ember moved her hands toward her flaming cheeks, meaning to cool them, but she caught herself before they could touch the mask. She settled on fanning her face instead.
“Get a hold of yourself, Ember,” she whispered.
He was teasing her on purpose. Playing with her when he had no intention of following through with the wicked promise burning in his eyes.
What if Ember turned his game around on him? What if she teased him in return, made him desire her? Would he give in? Would he cast aside his notion of her being a lesser creature, of her being a silly, fragile mortal, and fuck her like she craved?
She drummed her fingers on the counter in thought before her gaze dropped to her chest. He’d been staring as she’d reached over him. She knew it.
Ember smirked. It would be a start.
Taking out a box of popcorn from the cupboard, shepopped one of the bags into the microwave. As it cooked, she grabbed her phone from the charger and placed an order for pizza delivery. Once the popcorn was done and had been poured into a large bowl, Ember took out a bottle of white wine from the fridge, along with two bottles of water. She grabbed a pair of wine glasses from the cabinet, tucked the bottles in her arm, and snatched up the bowl, carrying it all to the living room.
Nyte’s gaze immediately fixed on her.
“What kind of movie do you want to watch?” Ember asked as she lowered herself onto the blanket beside him, setting the bowl of popcorn between them and handing him a bottle of water.
He accepted the bottle, placing it down next to himself. “I cannot pretend to know enough about movies to answer that.”
Ember opened the wine and poured a glass. “We’ve watched a comedy and an action movie. I think you’re ready for horror.” She offered him the drink. “It’s wine. Would you like to try it?”
