Page 12 of Claiming a Demon

That was an understatement, but he stalled out because he was concerned, so I only needed to ease his worries. I didn’t need to tell him I was quickly becoming obsessed with his gentle caresses. His hands started moving again, and I did my best to keep my noises to myself so I wouldn’t worry him.

It was when he started massaging my thighs that I realized I made a mistake having him massage my legs. He wasn’t being sexual at all, his hands never straying towards any hot spots, but it didn’t stop my erection. As his hands kneaded too close to my inner thighs, my body throbbed with arousal. I swallowed hard, counting in my head to distract myself, but I wasn’t doing much good. I was hard as nails and when Zach asked me to turn over onto my back, I panicked.

CHAPTER EIGHT

ZACHARIAH

I was halfway done with Mal’s massage when I felt him tense up. I thought maybe he was hiding the fact that he was in pain, so I moved on, asking him to turn over. His eyes flew open and the look of panic that crossed his face was surprising.

“I, uh…”

My brows furrowed as I studied him in the dim lighting. He wasn’t uncomfortable during our last session, but for some reason, he was uncomfortable today.

“Is something wrong? Was there somewhere you wanted me to go over again?”

“No…” His voice was tight and when I shot him a questioning look, he grimaced. “I, uh… I can’t.”

“Can’t? You could last time. Is something–”

It was the embarrassed look on his face that tipped me off. A flush worked its way through my body, making my cheeks burn. This wasn’t the first client I’d had get aroused during a massage. But it was the first time I was attracted to the client who reacted that way. I cleared my throat, trying to keep the professional mask up.

“Oh. That’s completely normal. When your body relaxes like that, it’s natural for blood to flow freely to your… extremities.”

I almost wanted to turn tail and run. I’d never been embarrassed having this conversation in the past. A few times, I had a creepy customer who would ask that I handle the issue since I caused it. Those disgusting pricks were promptly escorted out. That was rare, though. Usually, the client either ignored it or asked that I avoid certain areas that caused that reaction.

Shoring up my resolve, I put more reassurance in my voice. “You’ve got nothing to be embarrassed about. If you want, I can avoid the area that caused the reaction in the future, or we can just pretend it didn’t happen. I hope it doesn’t change your mind about getting your massage.”

Mal looked a little uncertain and a lot uncomfortable. I chewed on my bottom lip, worried he was going to cancel his repeat sessions. I felt the knots in his shoulders, the strain on the muscles in his legs. He needed this. And even if he was the most attractive person on the planet, I could be professional.

Slowly, he shifted to his elbows, glancing over his shoulder at me. “You’re sure?”

I nodded. “Yep. Happens a lot more than you’d think. It’s nothing to worry about. I would never point it out or say anything about it. Did, uh… Did you want to continue or would you prefer to stop for today?”

I held my breath, watching his face as he thought it over. I’d understand if he wanted to stop, but I’d be disappointed. I was looking forward to seeing him and helping him like before. I didn’t want him to leave, still stressed and in pain just because he was embarrassed.

When he moved to turn over, it took work to keep my professional mask on. I hurried to help him, lifting the sheet to make it easier on him, and settled it back into place once he was comfortable. Since he was comfortable with it last time, I started again on his shoulders, moving down his arms and into his hands. His fingers were tipped with sharp claws, which were fascinating. It distracted me enough that I went to his legs without really thinking about it. I remembered why I was avoiding it a few minutes later when I massaged his thigh.

Holy crap. I was suddenly eternally grateful that demons weren’t mind readers. Hopefully. I glanced up at him, calling his name in my head a few times, just to be sure. When he didn’t react, I let my gaze drag back down. I shouldn’t, it was inappropriate, but I challenge anyone to be inches from the anaconda in Mal’s pants and not take a peek. It wasn’t like it was out in the open. It was still covered in a sheet and he was wearing his boxer briefs. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, it didn’t do much to hide his erection. And damn, that thing was big.

My own body flushed in response, my uniform pants suddenly feeling way too tight. I moved around the table to Mal’s other leg, hiding my reaction with the table in front of me, in case Mal looked in my direction. His reaction was normal. Mine was entirely inappropriate.

The tension in the room racked up a good deal, and for the first time since I started, I was glad that a session was over when I finished. The temptation was too much for me to bear. The universe was so cruel to stick me in a room with a sexy demon who got turned on by my hands on him when I couldn’t do a single thing about it. Not only was he a client, but Mal showed no interest in me that way. I stepped out of the room to get him some tea while he changed, taking a few minutes to splash cold water on my face and bring myself back under control.

When I returned, Mal was sitting on the edge of the massage table, rubbing the back of his neck. It was a nervous gesture, given the look on his face, but I felt compelled to ask anyway.

“Did I miss a spot?”

His head whipped up, surprised, before the mask fell back into place. “Uh, no. Just… embarrassed, I guess. I’m sorry about–”

“You’ve got nothing to apologize for,” I reassured him, handing him his tea. Leaning against the table next to him, I swallowed down the intense attraction I felt just being near him. He needed comfort and reassurance, not me drooling over the way his shirt stretched tightly over his muscles.

“It happened to me during a massage a friend gave me when we were still in school. I wasn’t even attracted to him. I just liked the touch and my body reacted. At least I’m polite enough not to bring it up. He teased me for like a week until it happened to him with another male masseur in our class. He’s straight as an arrow and it freaked him out that he was getting turned on by another dude’s hands.”

I still teased him about that sometimes. It was only fair. He made me want to hide in my room for a week before he got his comeuppance. I’d never been so embarrassed in my life. From then on, I refused to make anyone feel that way about a simple bodily reaction.

Mal was quiet next to me, which wasn’t unusual, but it made me nervous. It took everything I had to keep my mouth shut, waiting for him to finish his tea and speak his mind. When he handed me the cup and still didn’t say anything, I couldn’t take it anymore.

“Okay, I have to know what you’re thinking. Are you upset? Did you want a different massage therapist? Are you going to cancel your appointment? I–”

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