Page 42 of The Devil and His Goddess

A chunk of the wall I was trying to keep up between us crumbled under the weight of his admission. His words, paired with the look of longing in his eyes, made me feel like what he always called me.

A goddess.

A fierce and beautiful deity that he craved to worship.

Need swelled to life in my chest. I licked my dry lips, and he took a step closer as his attention zeroed in on my mouth. I sucked in a quick breath and looked at his own lips.

“I want more of you, Harper,” he confessed. His hand reached up to brush softly over the column of my throat and onto the side of my jaw. “I want to see more of your dancing. I want you pressed against me. I want to hear what you sound like when you cum with my name on your lips. I wantyou. Fully. Completely.”

The desire swirling around my insides turned into a full-blown tornado, and I pressed my palms into his torso. His head drew closer, and my body practically buzzed with a surge of lust. But that rise in heat wasn’t just lust anymore. Something else was growing there in the center of my chest, and the air in my throat constricted as I realized what it was.

He wanted more of me? He wanted me fully and completely?

The feeling was mutual, and that … that couldn’t happen.

His lips were inches away from mine, but before they could connect, I raised my hand and pressed my fingertips to his mouth. He looked down his nose at my hand then back up to my gaze.

Smirking and forcing lighthearted teasing back into my voice, I whispered, “You haven’t earned it, yet, Peasant.”

His lips lifted behind my fingers, and the easygoing twinkle filled his eyes once more. I dropped my hand as he stood back to his full height.

“Such a demanding goddess.” He crossed his arms and shrugged. “No problem. I’ll just have to try harder.”

That’s what I’m afraid of.

Chapter 16

Perseus

EVERY FIBER OF MY BEING ached for Harper. I’d been tense and hungry ever since I’d appeared in her bedroom while she was with that human fucker. Had I been planning on kissing her then? No. But fuck—when she begged, I couldn’t resist. I went to her, needing to claim and ravage her right then. But that damn human had been in the way, so I’d somehow managed to restrain myself.

Only to get roped right back in while alone with her in the dance studio.

That had been torture of the greatest kind. Being so close to her, feeling her body against mine,kissingher only to have the moment ripped away. I’d never been this wound up and restless in my entire life. And it wasn’t just for sex.

Something had changed. Deep inside of me, in a place I didn’t even have a name for, something burned with a passion unfamiliar to me. It made my chest tight and achy, and I rubbed at that place, trying to get the feeling to go away. It wasn’t pleasant, but it wasn’tunpleasant, either. It was … intense. While I didn’t understand what the stuffiness was, I knew one thing.

I wantedmoreof her.

I just didn’t know what that “more” was or what this crazed need meant.

The party was still alive and underway for a decent amount of people when we reemerged from the dance studio. New fans who hadn’t had a chance to meet me or get a photo spotted me as I rejoined the throng of people. Like earlier, I was surrounded by a sea of screaming men and women looking to meet one of their idols. Harper was nowhere to be seen after slipping away, but that hardly mattered.

This sort of hungry pursuit was part of the fun.

I wasn’t sure how long the party continued. When the crowd began to thin, I found the rest of the guys from the band and the girls. They were all about to head out, some of them even with a new fuck-buddy. Xander had some girl he’d met tonight tucked under an arm, and Dante was with none other than Elijah from Silverlight. Zagan and Coldin were heading home alone since Eden, Addie, and Iyla were having a sleepover at Addie’s place.

I had my own agenda, which meant staying here. I slipped into an empty, dark room in the house and disappeared into the shadows. A second later, I materialized in Harper’s room. When I spotted the ropes still on the bed from her earlier escapade with that motherfucker, I had to clench my teeth to force my acrimony back. I could’ve ripped his throat out for threatening her. The only thing that had stopped me was the fact that we were in a house full of humans, and damage control would’ve been a pain in the ass.

Shaking away the anger trying to resurface, I snapped my fingers. The gift I’d prepared earlier that day appeared on the center of Harper’s bed in a poof of black shadows. With a satisfied nod, I leaned against the wall and waited in my hidden, shadowy world.

An hour or so later, the house fell quiet, and not long after that, Harper’s small form trudged tiredly into her room. Just seeing her outline in the darkness was enough to make my heart start racing, and again, I rubbed mindlessly at my chest, unaccustomed to the pace at which the organ ran.

She turned on her bedside lamp, illuminating her in soft light. I swallowed hard as I watched her sleepy eyes land on the wrapped box I’d placed on her bed. The exhaustion in her blue eyes cleared as they widened before her brow slammed down in confusion. She slowly reached for the note on top of the box and opened the folded card. Every part of my being honed in on her sharp inhale of breath as she read what I’d written.

Next time I ask you what’s wrong, be honest.

I held my breath as she opened the gift. Like a moth to a flame, I drew closer, wanting to see every minute flare of emotion on her pretty face.

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