Page 23 of Raising the Sun

I had no way of knowing if he was telling the truth, but I doubted he’d have been forthcoming if there was even a chance that I had more power over him. Not that it mattered, either way. His being here was an accident, and I had absolutely no interest in having a thrall. “I have no desire or intention of controlling you, Ash,” I said, hoping to be reassuring. “Just to be clear.”

“You can’t,” he said with an air of superiority. “Your chivalry is moot.”

Well, that conversation was well and truly pied.

I blew out a slow breath, trying to relax, but for some reason, my insides felt twitchy, and I wasn’t in the mood for silence. “Not planning a nighttime haunt, then? Now that you’re a little freer.”

He sent me a sidelong glance. “Is that your idea of a hint?”

“No? But since you’re no longer trapped here like you have been for the past week, are you not chomping at the bit to go out and stretch your legs?”

“I’m not a dog.”

I frowned. “Never said you were.”

He closed his eyes, breathed out, then faced me with a smile. “From now on, pet, let us assume I never do anything that I do not wish to be doing.” His tone was firm, leaving no room for argument. “If I haven’t moved from this spot, it’s because I am content. If I wish to go elsewhere, believe me, I will.”

“Noted,” I said, and began gnawing at my lip again. Ash clocked it, his eyes dropping there for a moment before flicking up, understanding in his expression.

He sighed through his nose and set his book on the coffee table.

“You are in a very chatty mood this evening—not a complaint,” he added pointedly, cutting off my impending apology. “It makes a change from thegood morningandgood nightthat you’ve been subjecting me to of late.”

I scrubbed a hand over my face. “Yeah, sorry about that. It wasn’t intentional. I’m just tired and not used to company.”

“I see. So, it has nothing to do with our fleeting tryst?”

Of course he’d see right through my bullshit excuse—which wasn’t evenentirelybullshit, just half bullshit. Still, I tried to keep up pretences. “Er, no?”

He gave me a look that said he didn’t believe me.

No surprise there.

“Okay, fine. It was partly to do with our… withthat.”

“Anything specific?”

“I was embarrassed, and I needed time to process,” I admitted, honestly, staring at my hands and seeing no more point in lying. “I am sorry. Both for running off like thatandavoiding you afterwards.”

“Apologies are unnecessary,” Ash said with a flippant hand gesture. “It was my intention to take you out of your comfort zone, maybe even test the limits of your boundaries—I am a demon, after all—but there was never a goal to make you feel uncomfortable.”

“You didn’t, I just…” I trailed off, my shoulders sagging on an exhale. Talking about shit on a personal level always had me wanting to clam up. It made me feel weak and helpless, but I’d come this far.

May as well lay the rest of my cards on the table.

“When I start to lose control, I get lost in my own head. I’m not used to accepting help—I feel like a failure for it. Plus, I’ve never done this before, and I don’t…”

“You don’t?”

I sighed. “I didn’t want to be a disappointment.”

Ash’s eyes drilled into me like lasers. I prayed for the ground to open up and swallow me whole. “Pet—”

A self-deprecating laugh burst out of my throat before he could even attempt to console or pity me. “I mean, you barely put your mouth on my dick and I was on ahair’s trigger. It’s mortifying. Especially with someone as hot as you. It’s a lot of pressure. And I know how stupid that sounds, I do, but I just… I have a lot going on.”

“I know you are a virgin,” he said, unbothered, making me feel, once again, too transparent. “I knew that before propositioning you.”

I wanted to ask if it was really that obvious, but recalling my fumble was all the answer I needed. “And you don’t mind?”

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