Page 55 of Desire

“Judgment? You mean envy.” He gestured to the length of himself. “Do you not see the glory of my body? Women would stand in line for a chance to view this. And you would have seven of us. You will be the envy of every woman in the kingdom.”

I snorted. “Conceited man,” I said without rancor. “And what of the men in the kingdom? Will they look kindly upon a woman who lives with seven men?”

“With your powers, they dare not look at you in any other way.”

“I am not cruel, Daemon. I will not use my powers to subdue or hurt those whom I offend.”

“That is why you have us. I dare any man to object, though I doubt any would for the reasons you think. They will likely see you and be jealous of our good fortune.”

I snorted. “Unlikely.”

He rolled us so I lay beneath him and framed my face with his hands as he supported his weight on his forearms.

“You do not see yourself as we do. You are beautiful, Kellen, and everything we’ve dreamed of finding.”

I studied the sincerity in his gaze then lifted my head to brush my lips against his, needing to know how he truly felt. Hegroaned at my offering and deepened the kiss. The stroke of his tongue against mine reignited the heat that Eadric had coaxed forth the night before.

Wrapping my arms around Daemon’s torso, I let myself sink into the sensation of being kissed—the feel of his lips, the touch of his fingers against my temples and hair, the weight of his hips settling against mine.

I tore my mouth from his, breathing heavily as he kissed his way down my neck. When he reached the ties of my shift, he lifted his head to look at me.

“Eadric is right,” I admitted. “I like being touched. But I would like more time to accept the change my life is about to undertake. Please.”

Daemon groaned and kissed me again. I felt his desire for me. The burning need to kiss me until he ran out of air. To lose himself in me. Then, I felt the truth of his devotion. He was ready to give his life to protect me.

I threaded my fingers in his short hair and kissed him until I ran out of breath. Panting, we broke apart and stared at each other.

“You are beautiful, Lamb.”

“And you are too handsome for your own good, Daemon.”

He gave me a cocky grin and rolled to the side, taking me with him so he could hold me in his arms.

“I’m still afraid,” I admitted.

“I know. We’re a patient bunch, though.”

“Patient?” I laughed. “Liar.”

A throat cleared, and I lifted my head to look at the open door where the other six stood. Heat flooded my cheeks, and I tried to remove my leg, which had crept around Daemon’s waist. He caught my thigh and shook his head.

“You can worry about judgment from other people, but not us. It’s not allowed.”

I arched a brow at his commanding tone, and he shrugged.

“He’s right, Kitten. With us, there is no judgment.”

“We also won’t ever cast you aside,” Liam said.

“We may try to steal you from each other, though,” Darian said. “Playfully, of course.”

Daemon lifted his head to look at his brothers.

“But she has the final say.”

They all nodded and looked at me expectantly.

Not yet ready for the level of hope and encouragement I saw reflected in their gazes, I changed the subject. “Is breakfast ready?”

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