I smirk and drop to my knees next to the bed. “I’m a demon, Mari. Heat doesn’t really bother me. Let me help.”
She hesitates, then nods. I trace my finger from the inside of her elbow to her wrist. When I reach the edge of the aura, she flinches. I push onward, slipping between the book and her palm. The light sputters out, and the small text drops from her hold. She lets out another nervous chuckle, and I grab her hand before she can pull away.
As I massage her sore muscles, her head hits the headboard and she lets out a moan, making my cock twitch. I focus on my task. The last time we spoke, we weren’t exactly in the best place. I was a dick, throwing around accusations. The last thing she’ll want to do is jump into bed with me again. Even with all the explanations, my cock doesn’t listen and soon my shaft strains against the side of the mattress.
“Why are you wearing a toga?” she murmurs, and I glance up to meet her hooded eyes.
“Karma,” I grunt.
“Easy access, I suppose. And airy, I’ve heard.”
A sharp laugh leaves me unexpectedly, and she grins. After everything we’ve been through, it’s a glorious sight. Even if we’d been through nothing at all, it still would capture me. I don’t know when it happened in our disjointed journey, but I’ve somehow fallen completely under her spell.
“The draftisquite nice.” I clear my throat and drop my gaze to her hand once more. “I found out who cursed me.”
“Is that an apology?”
“No. It’s an explanation, not an excuse. I’m sorry I accused you. I should have…”
“Asked questions instead. That’s usually the best course of action.”
I sigh and my fingers still. “Yeah, that’s what I should have done.”
“Is your name really Dimitrius?”
“Yup. Is yours really Marigold?”
“Seems like a weird thing to make up in the heat of the moment, doesn’t it? Yes, it is. My parents were…not very present. They were always off in their own little world. Only the two of them seemed to exist. Not to say they neglected us, but it was like every time I walked into the room, they suddenly remembered they had kids. Then they had a spell go wrong, and they were gone. When we went to live with our aunt, she made us go by nicknames. She was always disappointed in me on account of my name.”
“Why? Sure, it’s…unique, but it’s notthatbad.What does it mean?” I grimace, hoping she doesn’t bite my head off for basically insulting her name.
She laughs, and I breathe a sigh of relief. “Just superstition stuff and all that. I don’t really want to talk anymore.”
“I can take you back,” I murmur. I don’t know if I actually can or not, but offering for her to stay doesn’t seem like a good idea. If she says no, it’ll hurt. If she says yes, I’ll be hard-pressed not to rip her leggings off and devour her.
“Do you have to?”
My head snaps up, and she presses her lips together. “You can stay here. I mean, you’re more than welcome?—”
She leans toward me, and I freeze. “Am I making you nervous, Dimitrius?”
“What? No.” My voice cracks, because of course it does.
She laughs lightly and rests her forehead against mine. “Are we okay?”
“I don’t know, Marigold. Are we?”
“We will be if we forget this morning ever happened and you kiss me. If you poof out on me while you are, though, we’re going to have more problems.”
The hungry beast inside me roars to life, and I surge forward, covering her mouth with my own. She moans as I wrap my fingers around her neck, then slide them into her hair. I tug on the strands, and she moans again. I wrap the long locks around my fist and force her head back. Her mouth falls open and her eyes flutter shut as I run my teeth along her jaw.
“Missed this,” I mumble into her skin, and she huffs out a laugh.
“Been less than a day.”
“Too fucking long,” I growl and untangle my fingers from her hair.I sit back on my knees, gazing up at her flushed face.
The corner of her mouth tips up. “You look pretty good on your knees, demon.”
