AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He pulled away after a moment, tossed his mask to the ground, then dragged me back into his arms and kissed me again, even more passionately. I gripped his suitcoat, holding on for dear life as the cheers continued until he finally broke the kiss again.
The devilish twinkle in his red eyes was fierce when he finally pulled away.
“What now?” I asked him, as the cheers finally began to fade. The party started to resume, with many more couples taking to the dance floor and the music growing louder again. I’d gotten the idea that demon parties could last all night, and I was too damn tired for that.
“Now, I take you back to our hotel room and make sweet, sweet love to you.” He plopped a kiss on my lips, and a laugh sputtered out of me.
I knew from the playfulness in his voice that he was joking, though the gleam in his eyes told me he definitely wouldn’t protest if I was willing to go along with his plan.
“We should bring food with us.”
“Knowing my mother, room service will arrive almost as soon as we do. We go now.” He kissed my lips again, then winked at me.
More cheers erupted around us as he tossed me over his shoulder, and people hooted and hollered behind us as he carried me up the stairs and out of the ballroom.
Despite everything, I was grinning so broadly it almost hurt. The happiness in my chest was so thick, I could almost taste it.
I hadn’t planned on anything that had happened with Rafael… but it had still changed my life.
And I could no longer deny those changes had been for the better.
My eyes lingeredon Rafael’s ass and tail as he moved, both his hands on the backs of my thighs, even though I doubted he could feel them through the heavy layers of my dress.
He didn’t set me down until we reached our room. Getting inside was quick, and then he put me on my feet with a flourish.
“So, what did you think?” He stepped around to my back and started undoing the laces on my corset. His fingers stumbled enough to make me think he hadn’t done it many times before.
“It was kind of surreal at first,” I admitted. “But the excitement faded, and then it just felt long. And sweaty.”
He chuckled, slowly working his way through the laces. I could breathe deeper with every ribbon he loosened, so I felt better and better by the minute.
“What did you think? How many women did you dance with?”
“I didn’t dance with anyone but you.” His lips brushed my shoulder, lightly. “And truthfully, it took every shred of my control not to rip you away from every man who touched you. The urge to slit their throats was breathtakingly strong.”
His lips brushed the back of my neck, and I shivered.
“Well, I’m glad you managed not to kill anyone.”
He made a noncommittal noise. “Would’ve made the night move faster if I had. Your mom and Alena cornered me a few different times, and my mother had to make up excuses to untangle me from their grasps.”
I laughed.
Maybe it made me a terrible person, but I was happy that he didn’t fall all over them the way most people had throughout my life. My brother and Alena had been together since their freshmen year of high school.
“Your mother mentioned they’ve never seenCoffee & Toffee,” Rafael said, his fingers moving back to the top of the corset and opening it much wider.
My body sagged, finally relaxing without the tight pressure of the dress. “They haven’t. If they decide to come now, it’ll be in an attempt to sway you to invest in something with them.”
“I could destroy them, if you wanted me to.” He slid the dress down to my waist, and I finally took a full breath in. “I’ve never had much of an interest in business, but Bash is good with it. We’re involved in more markets than I care to think about; we could ruin them for you.”
My lips curved sadly. He was being thoughtful—but that wasn’t what I wanted. “I love them, in my own way. I don’t want to see them hurt like that, or deal with the backlash of their anger. The best revenge for me is to succeed on my own, and to enjoy living my life. They’ve never really been happy.”
“They don’t deserve you.” Rafael’s lips brushed the side of my throat, and he slid the dress the rest of the way to the floor.
When I stepped out of it, his hands found my hips, and he stepped with me.
“They really don’t,” I agreed.
