And who was I to deny?
Demon.
I was a demon, and not only that, I was one ofthedemons who tortured a man she loved and admired. How sick am I that I can even look her in the face, let alone consider touching her with what I had done? The fact it was my nature, and Murphy had what was coming to him after a lifetime of crime and dark decisions, did not ease my guilt, although I felt that it should.
The reason it didn’t, I suspected, was bending over in front of me.
Who keeps their beer on the bottom shelf of the refrigeratorlike that? Did she keep everything in her house on a low level? If I lived here, would I be perpetually faced with seeing her bend over constantly, taunting me with the lines of her body and ass?
It didn’t seem so bad, but right now, I was fighting an internal battle.
A battle between a conscience I didn’t know I had and a demon who was determined to fuck.
And I no doubt who would win.
I wasn’t really fighting it becausefuck,she was gorgeous.
Nikki returned with the beers, and I took mine without taking my eyes off hers.
“Any luck?” she asked.
“Not yet,” I replied. My voice was gravelly as the battle for control raged within me, and it took me a moment to realize she was asking if I had found the handcuffs, not if I had gotten lucky.
Taking a long swig of her beer, Nikki licked the moisture from her lips. When I returned my gaze to hers, she cleared her throat. “Cade,” she whispered.
“Uh,” was all I managed to get out. My throat was dry, my hand clamped so tight around the bottle that if I didn’t get it under control, the glass would shatter in my hand.
Say something smooth, you fucking idiot. You’re a demon, for fuck’s sake.
My sexual prowess and ability to seduce I’d waved about with such arrogance the other night seemed to have vanished because things had now changed. Somehow I wanted her more than ever, but rather than being only a physical release, there was more to it. The stakes were higher and much more fucking complicated.
But the logical part of my mind that erred toward human nature, the part of me that made me almost an outcast in Hell, was being overridden by my demon. As Nikki stood in front of me, her tongue gliding across her lips reminding me of the way she’d mimicked that movement over my cock and the scent ofher arousal thick in the air between us, I was losing what little hold I had on myself.
“It’s probably obvious, but I didn’t invite you over just to look for the handcuffs.” Her gaze swept the mess on the living room floor before returning to my eyes. “Although we can resume that. Later.” She lifted a hand to place a palm on my chest. “I think you and I have unfinished business, and I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t been thinking about it.”
On instinct, I swiped out, grasping her wrist the second she made contact with the fabric of my T-shirt. Her eyes widened, and where I expected to see fear at the speed with which I had moved, I saw lust flare there, burning desire screaming out to be taken.
By me.
My shoulders tensed as my muscles rippled, my demon stirring at the scent of her arousal and skin. I bet she’d taste so fucking sweet on my tongue.
“I’m gonna need you to say it, Cade,” she whispered, throwing the words back at me that I had used on her the night we met. “Then later, you canbegme.”
She was strong, and I was used to women who fell at my feet responding to my presence or the hints of my demon I let peek through the surface that had human men and women alike craving release or simply because they wanted to be dominated and ravished. But Nikki, she had handcuffed me to her fucking bed the first chance she got.
I needed to show her who was the boss.
Putting my drink down, I then used the same speed to grab her other wrist and guided her until she released her drink and set it on the coffee table. A shudder ran down her spine, and she trembled in my touch as I held her arms behind her back, maneuvered until I could comfortably hold both her hands in mine, and then dragged a finger down her cheek, tracing overher lips that trembled slightly, and down her neck. My heart pounded in my chest, and I could almost see the blood pulsing through her veins.
Drink her. Drain her.
No. I can’t.
I couldn’t help lowering my face to her neck, dragging in a deep breath, and running my teeth along her throat’s delicate tendons and lines. Nikki shuddered again, and I felt the vibrations of her moan across my lips as I kissed her collarbone.
“Yes,” I whispered against her skin. “I’ll claim you.”
“That’s not what I meant—”
