Page 19 of Controller's Obsession

Peni made a small sound that sounded like a cough and a bleat.

His goat’s happy. You did it.

Were you in doubt?

“I like sitting on your lap… just so you know, only I wouldn’t want to do that all the time.” Peni gave them a shy look from under his eyelashes, inching a little closer. “But before I do that again, could you put some pants on?”

One thought resolved that issue. “Do you want to sit on my lap now? Cuddle me? I was a little worried earlier we’d lose you, so a cuddle would be lovely.”

Lovely? What…

There was the tiniest hesitation before Peni’s fingers clung to Merihem’s demon’s hand, and he allowed them to guide him down onto their thighs. His little arms tried to reach up around their neck to give them a hug. He huffed in pure frustration and wriggled, making Merihem curse and his demon side moan, their body heating.

“You’re huge,” Peni panted and then shifted his legs so that they were now facing each other, him straddling their lap.

Oh, to the Demon King.

His hands slide around their rib cage, and Peni nestled right in, shuffling his ass to remove the gap between them. He snuffled and bleated before he murmured, “Is this okay?”

“Y-Yep.”

Is that all you’ve got?

He’s hugging us. He’s touching us.

Like I can miss that.

Roughened palms ran up their skin, not far, as his arms were too short, but it was amazing. It wasn’t all about the tingles of desire that came with the touch, no it was the act. The gentle way Peni held him offered something Merihem had never asked for in his long life: affection. The simplicity of it captured his heart as it beat that much harder.

Peni’s head tilted back to glance up. “Your heart’s racing. Are you okay?” His brows pinched.

“I am overwhelmed.” They answered honestly, his demon had never been a game player.

His plump lips parted, and for the longest moment, they stared at each other. Emotions swirled in the depths of Peni’s eyes. His demon lowered his head until their lips were nearly touching.Soft breaths caressed their skin as they held still, waiting for Peni to decide what he wanted.

Then everything faded away. The gentle touch of skin on skin was all there was. The merest of touches that made Merihem’s world shrink to the most important thing in the universe—Peni.

Chapter Ten

Peni

It was Monday morning. The demon, Merihem, was back at work, and Peni was cleaning, headphones on, music blaring in his ears. Merihem’s demon hadn’t wanted to go, but Peni wasquietly persuasive. “I need time to think about our next steps,” he said firmly, buoyed by the weekend’s events.

The hole in the wall of the basement had been fixed. Apparently, demons could just think things, and they happened, which Peni thought was rather cool.

The rest of Saturday and all of Sunday, the demon followed Peni around the house, zapping up food when Peni mentioned he was hungry and doing more listening than talking, which went a long way to helping Peni feel a little less crowded, even if physically he was. He still got the idea the demon was hiding something from him, but then he reasoned if he had trust issues, it was only fair to allow the demon his as well.

Their one point of contention was when Peni went to sleep downstairs on Saturday night. The demon absolutely did not want him in the basement, and they made grumbled threats of creating another hole in the wall. To keep the structural integrity of Dakata’s house intact, Peni agreed to sleep on the couch in the living room.

It was no surprise that the demon was half-wedged in the same space when he woke up. The demon’s skin was surprisingly warm. Sunday night he got the demon to lie down first, and then he snuggled in beside him. It was the best sleep he’d ever had. Those huge arms and wide chest were amazing. Better than any pillow, although he’d never say that aloud.

Merihem himself emerged on Monday morning, looking a bit sheepish and also very smart and confident in his suit. “Youshould let me stay with you. I’m not trying to force you to do something you don’t want to do, but what if something happens while I’m away?”

“I’ve been cleaning the house for four months, and no one has ever come here during the day except you. Now off you go,” Peni felt like a housewife, shooing his mate out the door.

“I’ll be back at lunchtime.” Merihem was dragging his feet. “I’ll take you out somewhere nice for lunch.”

“Thank you, dear.” Peni smiled up at him and accepted the kiss offered, although he could feel how badly both man and demon wanted more. “Have a nice day.”

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