He pressed a kiss against her forehead and said softly, “Aofe?”
“Yeah, Kiz?”
“Did I do it right?”
Aofe pulled her head back, just enough to see his entire face as he dipped his chin to study her features. She smiled, tracing a thumb over his cheekbone underneath the frame of his glasses.
“Yeah, Kiz. More than right.”
He smiled under her touch. “Not to corner you when you can’t go anywhere…” he began, shifting his hips slightly for emphasis. “But after I run a bath for us and we clean up… will you stay with me tonight?”
She tilted up, enough to where he understood her request. The kiss was soft, reassuring, and weightier than either of them probably realized. And then against his lips she whispered, “I think you’re going to have a hard time getting me to leave. I really like the view.”
12
FIRE STARTER
Kizros
One night.
Kizros had promised himself one night to have her, but then he’d gone and blurted that she had an open invitation to his room. Then he’d touched her, seen her bare skin underneath his body, felt her come around his cock, knotted her—it was every fantasy shattered for a new realization.
He wanted Aofe. More than just a fantasy, but a reality.
And wasn’t he just the worst for it? Maybe she wanted more of him too, but did she not understand she’d seen nothing of Heck? Of her other options? At the end of the day, she’d still not left the shop, and he still wanted to keepher to himself.
He’d selfishly clawed for those extra hours, minutes, seconds with her the other night. When his knot had finally slipped free, he’d had to fight every instinct to shove his release back inside her. And to prove he wasn’t some feral monster who wanted to keep her stuffed permanently when she was so clearly tired, he’d run a bath for them and kept his hands off.
Mostly off.
Not off at all, but that was also the fault of those gold piercings through her nipples driving him mad.
She’d then shown him exactly how she liked to touch that exterior pleasure point humans had, and now there were two places in his suite he’d never be able to look at again without thinking of her sounds and how soft her body was when she came on his fingers and cock.
Then he’d slept next to her, felt her curl against his body in sleep as she sought his warmth, and it was somehow better than fucking her. Holding her, watching her chest rise and fall with each breath, knowing she felt safe enough to be vulnerable with him to ask for more pillows? It was a smugness he’d never thought he was capable of.
Kizros had worn that smugness all through the next day, finding every opportunity to watch her as she worked or sneak kisses in between errands. He’d discovered yet another flower bush had bloomed blue, and at this rate, the entire greenhouse would be that color by fall. Damn psychic plants.
Obsessed was probably not a strong enough term for how he felt about Aofe, which was a problem.
Because now what was he doing?
Going to Ragnar’s to get her a fucking pet.
At least this wasn’t entirely for selfish reasons. Demons weren’t unfamiliar with the concept of pets, and after seeing someone walk by the shop yesterday with their leashed aegian—a spindly hairless creature—the idea had struck him. For something like Kizros’s specific request, Ragnar would have gone out to the Dreadmoor with just rope and a determination to help. Thankfully, the demon already had something in mind and was amenable to a visit, especially considering it had been over two weeks since he’d visited his friend, despite the letters they’d exchanged over that time.
After checking the outskirts of the property and around the stables with no luck—and maybe feeding a beast or two—Kizros climbed the steps to Ragnar’s home.
Kiz was so lost in his thoughts he almost didn’t notice the door ajar.
Ragnar was a self-described hermit—heneverleft his door open.
“Uh, hello?” Kizros called, rapping his knuckles against the wood. He pushed it open a little more, belatedly thinking that now might be a good time to have a weapon or some form of defense in case of an intruder—okay, no demon was stupid enough to do that, sowhateverhad made its way inside would be a beast. And if it was strong enough to take out Ragnar, no object Kizros wielded would be effective.
He was proven right the moment he stepped over the threshold, a flash of silvermaking him yelp.
“Fuck!” Kizros froze, every thought scrambling from his brain as he stared down at the atteapir.
