Page 7 of Demon Shy

As I hurried to do as she asked, words I knew I shouldn’t say tumbled from me.

“I am nervous. I fear you are saying yes to something you do not truly want. I fear seeing more sadness in your gaze. My hands tremble with my need to touch you even as my mind tells me I cannot.”

She looked at me and frowned.

“Why can’t you touch me?”

“Because there is no need to exchange anything for your safety. I will keep you safe, May, without a single touch. I will feed you, protect you, and care for you in every way for nothing in return.” Unable to hold her gaze any longer, I looked down at my hands helplessly. “I am not like the human men who used you, May. I want you to be happy again.”

CHAPTER FIVE

MAY

Hejun’s shynesshad caught my attention, but the way he was treating me now was winning me over.

“Thank you for being you, Hejun. I know you’re nothing like the men who used me. That’s why I asked you to be my partner.

“What if I told you I really wanted to try this? That I want to touch you to see if I like it?”

The tips of his ears darkened, and he swallowed hard. Both were promising reactions until his gaze shifted between the door and the kitchen like he was looking for somewhere to run.

“If you don’t want me to touch you, I won’t,” I said quickly. “I understand what it’s like to be touched when you don’t actually want to be, and I won’t ever do that to you.”

His gaze locked on my face. The raw hunger I saw there stole my breath.

“I have dreamed of your touch since the time you asked me if I ever smiled,” he said.

He remembered that?I thought back to the second time I’d noticed him, just after the food kitchen had started up in Tenacity. I’d gone out of my way to say hello to him, and it had been the first time he’d done that head-bow thing.

He’d been cute then, but my view of him had changed with each meeting. The cuteness remained, but a sexiness had grown too. Something I’d thought I would never see in another man again. But I did with Hejun. He tempted me to want more. To try again.

“Does that mean I can touch you then?” I asked.

He looked truly torn.

“If either of us doesn’t like it, we can stop, right?” I asked.

Slowly, he nodded.

“Good. Then let’s start with something simple. Can I hold your hand again while you show me around your house?”

Surprise flashed across his face. A second later, he took my hand and started leading me through his house.

I liked the feel of his big hand gently cradling mine. His warmth against my cooler palm comforted me. So did the way his fingers absently stroked over mine, like he couldn’t believe what he was holding, as he showed me the three bedrooms, the laundry, the bathroom, and finally back to the kitchen.

Unlike where I lived, he didn’t share his home with anyone. It had nice furnishings and, more importantly, heaps of food in the cupboards he was opening.

“All of this is yours,” he said. “You do not need to touch me to eat it. You can take whatever you want whenever you are hungry. If you want, I can cook for you too. Emily and Julie have been giving us lessons, so we know how.”

I looked up at the grey giant, seeing more of that inner gentleness I’d glimpsed with the head bow.

“I’d like it a lot if you cooked for me,” I said. “No man’s ever done that before.”

“I will cook every meal for you,” he said, releasing my hand. “Tell me what foods you like.”

“Oh, I’m a savory girl. Meat and potatoes. Chips. Stuff like that. I could never eat a dessert again and be just fine.”

He started rummaging through his refrigerator.

---