Raini gasped as he took her mouth, sweeping his tongue inside. If he hadn’t spent the past fifteen minutes or so touching her, stroking her, setting her nerve-endings on fire, priming her body for him, she might have pushed him away. Might have. But right then, all she wanted was more.
Kissing him back, she slid her hands up his chest and gripped his broad shoulders. His hand splayed on her throat while the other bunched her hair tighter in his fist as he fed on her mouth. That was how it felt. And she let him. More, she reveled in it. On being so wanted. Because for the first time in her life, she could be sure that the person kissing her wasn’t whatsoever compelled to do so. He might like what he saw, but he wasn’t bewitched by it. Wasn’t in the grip of a preternaturally triggered lust. He just plain wanted her.
God, he was so … sure in the way he touched her, in the way he devoured her mouth with such greed and urgency. Sure and bold and dominant, and so out of her fucking league.
A thread of reason moved through her mind, reminding her why this would be a bad idea. She broke the kiss and backed up, only stopping when she hit the window behind her.
He didn’t close in on her. He lifted a taunting brow. “What are you doing all the way over there? Scared, Raini?”
She adjusted her top. “I think it’s better if we keep things platonic, that’s all.”
Glittering with heat and need, his eyes narrowed, studying her intently. “Is that what you really want?”
“Yes.”
The air chilled as his eyes bled to black. Shit. His demon ate up the space between them with two fluid strides. “That was a lie,” it whispered, its voice monotone.
Yep. Totally.
“You can try fighting this if you want, but it will not work.” The demon tucked her hair behind her ear. “Still, by all means, try. He and I have waited this long to have you. We can do so a little longer. I believe it will be worth the wait.” And then the entity withdrew, and Maddox was once more looking down at her. “I’d have to agree with my demon on that.”
She shook her head. “This situation is complex enough. Adding sex into the mix doesn’t seem wise.” It would be insanely fucking satisfying, but not wise.
“That’s not why you’re backtracking,” he softly accused. “You’re afraid. You might not have liked that the men in your past were under the influence of some preternatural allure, but it’s what you know. And it meant they held no power over you. Any dominance they thought they had in your dynamics was nothing other than an illusion. But me? I’m immune to that allure. You like that. And yet, you don’t. It scares you that I might take you over.” He lowered his head, putting his face closer to hers. “More, it scares you that you might like it.”
Raini balled up her hands. She wanted to deny it. All of it. She wanted to firmly state that he hadn’t read her as well as he thought he had thankyouverymuch. But every word of it would have been a damn lie.
He cupped her chin, pinning her with that far-too-intense stare, letting her see the raw need there. “I will have you, Raini. Beneath me. Above me. Any way I want you. Any way my demon wants you. Yes, I suspect it will fuck you often. Very often. It won’t go easy on you. But then … neither will I.”
CHAPTER SIX
An elbow nudged Raini, making her pause in chewing her baguette. She gave Devon a “What the hell?” look.
“Spill,” said the hellcat. “You’ve been distracted all morning. We know something’s wrong. Tell us what’s going on.”
Raini looked at the other two women sat at the table of the tattoo studio’s break room. Like Devon, they were looking at Raini, expectant. Inwardly sighing, she finished chewing her mouthful of baguette.
Her stomach rolled at the mere thought of the upcoming conversation, leaving her unable to properly enjoy the tastes of roast beef, mayo, crunchy lettuce, red peppers, and the fresh bread that was both crusty and soft. Not that the girls had taken her off-guard. They’d spent the morning sliding her sideways looks, so Raini had suspected that they’d grill her for information at the first given opportunity.
It was unlikely that Raini would be able to blow off their questions, but she could try. “I’m just tired.”
Harper softly snorted. “You know we can tell when you’re lying, right? Well, not always,” she quickly amended. “You’re pretty proficient at it. But you feel guilty when you lie to us, so it makes you less convincing.”
“Which is one of the reasons why I totally recommend the guilt-free lifestyle,” said Khloë. “Now come on, what gives?”