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“Lucas.”
It sounds like a prayer from her mouth, and I struggle to maintain control. I ignore her soft bare skin, shut out the shape of her, block out her glorious hair, delectable scent, and the need in her voice. Then I meet her eyes with as much steel as I can muster.
“If I kiss you now, I won’t stop. I’m not used to holding back. I take what I want, because I’m not a good man. And I want you.” My voice drops to a whisper with the effort of controlling the urge to throw her on the bed. “I’m barely holding on. If you kiss me now, it will all be over. My last shred of self-control will slip away on your lips.”
Sophia doesn’t move, doesn’t speak as her pulse hammers away in the curve of her throat. There’s conflict in her eyes, and although I see desire raging there, nearly as hot and wild as my own, I can still see doubt and fear in their depths too. And although I meant it when I told her I’m not a good man, I have no interest in taking Sophia by force. The only thing I’m interested in is hearing her scream my name.
Brutally crushing the impulse to make up her mind for her, I snatch my own new clothes and turn away from her, stalking to the bathroom.
Every cell of my body burns for her. Every impulse is telling me to turn around and give her what she so clearly wants, to take what I’ve wanted since I first laid eyes on her. Gritting my teeth, I shut and lock the bathroom door firmly behind me and turn the shower on hot.
But as I step under the spray, I have to admit to myself that locking the bathroom door was futile. She followed me in here anyway—not in person, but in my head. Those eyes and all their encrypted messages, that voice with all its layers, that body. So soft, so sweet, so close to being mine. That strong, flexible mind, that effortless sensuality.
That damned humanity.
Letting out a heavy breath as my cock throbs angrily, I press my forehead against the cool tiles and watch my blood spiral down the drain.
Chapter17
Sophia
I don’t movefrom the spot where I’m rooted to the floor until I hear the shower come on. I blow out a breath, my whole body melting into a trembling, limp mess. I sit down on the edge of the bed so hard that the movement makes my towel come undone. I toss it aside and start pulling the clothes on automatically, my mind lost in thoughts of what just happened.
He wants me.
I knew that before. He hasn’t exactly hidden it from me. The image of him stroking himself flashes through my mind, and my body reacts instantly. Okay, so Ialwaysknew he wanted me, but I had no idea the depth of his desire until now.
His eyes burned, his entire body was tense, and his voice was a deep rasp… all for me. I shiver at the thought.
Am I scared? I should be scared. I was terrified of him before, when I thought he was just another man. More powerful than the average slob, sure, but a human man, and he frightened me even when that’s all I saw him as.
But now, in the space of a single evening, I’ve watched him shape-shift, fight a demon dragon, then watched his body heal supernaturally fast. He’s a demon. A fuckingdemon, and yet… I’m not afraid of him.
Why?
“Probably because he keeps saving your life, dummy,” I mutter to myself, scowling as I tug the pants on.
As I tug the zipper up, my stomach explains to me, insistently and audibly, that burning that much adrenaline and then walking several miles on nothing but a light brunch and mimosas is unacceptable. With my thoughts still a tangled mess, I head out to the kitchen to see what our mysterious hosts have left for us, if anything.
Lucas said he isn’t a good man, but that shouldn’t really surprise me. How could a demon be a good man, anyway? Does he even qualify as aman?Let’s say, for simplicity’s sake, that he does. If so, I can take that to mean that he isn’t morally good. I believe that, too. I’ve met a lot of wealthy people, a lot of cutthroat businessmen, and I can’t think of one who qualifies as particularly moral.
The sight of a fully stocked kitchen makes relief rush through me. This is all intensely shocking, strange, and unexpected, but at least we won’t starve. And I deal with the unexpected a whole lot better on a full stomach. Naamah must’ve had a hand in stocking the kitchen as well as the bedroom, because the fridge is full of fresh produce, meat, and poultry.
Some fresh salmon catches my eye, and I pull out some other ingredients I’ll use to build a meal around it, grabbing a skillet and putting it on the burner. As I start to chop up some vegetables, more questions about Lucas tumble around inside my head.
Okay, I can accept that he isn’tgood. Haven’t I already made my peace with that? But what kind of man is he?Badisn’t specific enough. That drug dealer, Reese, is a bad man, but he couldn’t be less like Lucas if he tried. I could see that guy stabbing his own mother in the back to make a deal. Lucas takes exceptionally good care of his people. Even setting aside the special attention he’s been giving me, his average care and keeping of his employees is stellar… despite the fact that some are nervous around him.
I can’t see him throwing Naamah under the bus to save a deal, and he knew the name of the employee who operated the plane. A flash of pain clutches my chest as I think of the unfortunate man, and I shake away the memory of his bloody demise.
How does Lucas feel about losing the man, anyway? We were a little busy after the plane went down, so I never saw him react to the man’s death, but when would he have had the time?
Maybe he’s a bad man the same way a mob boss is a bad man. That strong sense of family, the fierce protectiveness, the acceptance of collateral damage, and the propensity for evil outside of his personal sphere. Now that I think about it, there are a lot of similarities between him and a mafia kingpin.
I wonder if—
Lucas steps into the kitchen, and the thought flies unfinished from my head. He’s shirtless, his hair still damp from the shower, his unmarred skin glistening under the bright kitchen lights. He’s wearing sweatpants, the waistband riding low on his hips, drawing my attention irresistibly downward.
Fuck. It just got really hot in here. I could swear I cansmellthe heat.
