I slid my fingers into her messy hair and tugged her toward me, kissing her slowly. She tried to take over the kiss, but I pulled away. “No, you’re perfect.”
Rolling out of bed, I slipped on a pair of silk sleeping pants and headed for the kitchen. Lexi was unintentionally throwing me out of my comfort zone. As she’d said yesterday, I didn’t date. I also didn’t let people inside my house, sleep overnight with anyone, and very rarely over the years saw the Sophiee person more than once—definitely not in this form. So what exactly was I expecting from her?
What was she expecting from me?
She insisted last night wasn’t a date because she knew my reputation, and I’d insisted on going anyway for several reasons. After the first night, when my craving for her only intensified, I’d hoped the second time would get it out of my system. Unfortunately, it had the Sophiee effect. If things continued like this, I wouldn’t want to let her out of my sight, and that would be problematic for both of us.
But damn, had I enjoyed the fight for dominance. I’d willingly submitted the first time because I was curious to see what the innocent-looking girl whose soul I couldn’t read would do. Last night, at least for the first part, she’d fought her own instincts to let me have control, and it became a dance after that.
We were both roaring fires trying to consume one another.
I shuddered as my cock hardened again. Nine Hells, I couldn’t get enough of this girl. Her soft footsteps padded down the hall and I was ready to throw her on the counter and take her, but she opened the door to my library and went in. I snorted in amusement as I started laying ingredients out for breakfast. She was as obsessed with my collection as I had been when I first started it.
Once everything was set out, I snapped my fingers. The smell of omelets, sugar-cured ham, bacon, toast, fresh orange juice, and coffee filled the air instantly. I usually enjoyed mundane activities when my mind needed time to process things, but I’d slept last night. We were already halfway through the morning, so I took a shortcut.
“You hungry?” I called down the hall.
Lexi’s jogging footsteps preceded her. She was wearing one of my uniform t-shirts that just barely covered her underwear. “Starving. You made all of this in a minute?”
I wiggled my eyebrows at her. “Almost like magic.”
She filled a plate and sat on a bar stool on the opposite side of the island. “If it’s so easy, why don’t you just ‘magic’ up your pastries? Or is that using too much?”
“Oh, my place would be destroyed if I used it enough to keep up with our customers.” Abaddon would have half his army of fallen on the bakery before lunch. “Besides, you're putting enough magic in them for both of us."
Lexi paused with a bite of ham raised to her mouth. “What do you mean?”
I slid onto a stool beside her with my own plate. “Best I can tell is the self-stirring utensils you use are leaving residual traces of magic in the food. I could be way off base here, but it doesn’t look like it’s causing any harm. In fact, I think it’s the reason business has picked up.”
“Hmm.” She swallowed her bite down. “Why didn’t you say anything about it before?”
“It was such a tiny amount, I didn’t even detect it at first.” I sipped at my coffee, wondering how much to say. “A random comment your roommate made yesterday had me curious, so I looked into it.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Just yesterday?”
“Just yesterday. I’d planned to talk to you about it at dinner, but never got around to it.”
“Yeah, sexy Italian people throwing their phone numbers at you must’ve been a huge distraction.”
I opened my mouth to respond, then noticed the smile at the corner of her mouth she was fighting back. “You know, it’s been my experience that possessiveness has never been a quality I liked nor desired.” I brushed her hair behind her ear and ran my finger along her jaw. “So it’s strange how I like it from you.”
“Would you feel possessive if another man came for me?” she asked, tilting her chin down to look at me through her lashes.
She’d meant a mortal man—another suitor, a boyfriend or whatever. My first thought, however, was of Abaddon, and my jaw clenched hard. How would I react if he took her from me? If I knew she was in danger? How far was I willing to go for her?
When I’d first hired her, I told myself I wouldn’t risk my own freedom to save her. Was that still true? It deserved more thought, that was for sure, and I couldn’t think straight sitting next to her. All I felt was a flicker of Hellfire and a burning desire to say yes to her.
“I pity the fool who crosses me on a good day,” I told her. “I suffer no fools on a bad day.”
Lexi grinned. “So, very possessive?”
“Very,” I growled, leaning in.
Her eyes sparkled in the morning light. “Good.”
Just before our lips met, she shoveled a bite of omelet into her mouth and sat back, moaning. My temptress was playing games with me. We would see who had the last laugh.
After breakfast, Lexi slipped back into her dress and headed down to the lower levels again. I followed, not because I was paranoid, but to answer the thousands of questions she might’ve had. She explored more of the second floor, making her way to the Viking section. Masks, rune stones, another full bookshelf, and a spear and sword in separate display cases made her face light up until she was practically trembling with joy.
