Page 40 of Raising the Sun

It had only taken two weeks for me to figure out that having Ash in my life made everything better, mademebetter, and how could I ever have expected feelings not to grow from there?

I was such an idiot.

Lowering myself until there wasn’t a hairsbreadth of space between our bellies, I braced an arm beside his head and hooked the other under his knee. I pried his leg wider, desperate to reach deeper inside, to fill him completely, but notfor release. I needed it to last, to be seated inside his soft, tight heat as long as my body could bear it.

From the way one of Ash’s wings folded heavily over my back and his heels dug into my arse, both hindering any retreat, I knew he felt the same.

For what could have been minutes or hours, it was a hard yet steady push and pull that had the breath seizing in my lungs. A sense of peace settled over me, blurring out everything except the clench of Ash’s hole around my cock, the pulsing beats of his heart, and his breath fanning over my lips. The coiling pleasure of orgasm was a constant, low thrum down my spine, never rising, just teetering on that edge until I was ready to fall.

Flaming eyes never strayed from mine, and it was so unbearably and uncharacteristically intimate that part of me wanted to turn away, to hide the embarrassing flush that spread over my skin like wildfire, but I couldn’t. Something in his gaze enthralled me, demanded that I keep staring into those fiery-orange depths with every stuttering sway of my hips.

Ash’s sounds grew urgent, his nails biting more insistently into my shoulders, my arms, my back, encouraging me to give him everything. And I did. He came untouched, with my name rolling off his split tongue in a breathless incantation that had every broken piece of me slotting back into place, and I followed closely behind.

There was near silence as I buried my nose in the crook of his neck, inhaling his sweet, smoky scent. Fingers carded through my hair, a simple caress at first, but soon coaxing me to lookup. I surrendered, as I often did, seeing his fond smile as his palm moved to cup my cheek.

I leaned into the gesture, basked in it, craving the grounding presence of Ash’s touch. In that moment, as the feelings in my chest buzzed radiantly with life, it occurred to me that I was genuinely happy. It had been so long that I barely recognised the sensation. But it was there, cocooning me, making me feel weightless and fulfilled.

But it was bittersweet.

Ash would inevitably leave me and go back to his fancy palace whenever we were no longer tied. He wasn’t meant to be mine, no matter how much I’d surely begun wishing for it. Still, there was a choice. I could ruin the progress we’d made, do what I did best and retreat. Or I could cherish it, make the most of our time left, and thrive in his company as long as I could.

The answer felt obvious to me, and it wasn’t the option I’d have probably picked two months ago. I didn’t know how I’d cope with letting him go, but for now, it didn’t really matter.

I had everything I’d ever wanted, and even if it was to be short-lived, that was better than never having had it at all.

We’d moved to the bed for the second part of Ash’s earlier promise. As it turned out, I sucked at taking his cock into my throat—pun only slightly intended—but it didn’t matter. The demon was resourceful and had a mountain of kinks he wanted to introduce me to, so I’d found myself tied to the headboard and edged with my Fleshlight until I sobbed instead.

Despite the intensity of it, the sweetness from the living room had lingered. Ash had whispered praise into my ear as he’d stroked me languidly, instructing me on how to roll my hips into the soft, wet sleeve, drawing it out and milking each sensation for all it was worth. He’d plastered himself to my side, a part of us always touching, and he’d kissed me like he would die if he didn’t. It had made me feel precious, vulnerable, and overwhelmed, all at once. I didn’t want to dwell on it too deeply, didn’t want to hope for something impossible, but as we savoured the afterglow, Ash wrapped himself around me—I swore his legs were endless—and the closeness made it hard not to.

“I had a thought.” Ash broke the comfortable silence.

“Dangerous.”

He ignored my sass. “You haven’t yet chosen your showpiece. Why not do your special from the website?”

“Because it’s simple?” I said as if it were obvious. “And I’d be laughed out the door.”

He lifted his head, setting his chin on his hand as he looked at me. “Everyone will be going to the extreme,so why not do something they won’t expect? Take something you’re exceptional at, revive it, do it well, and stand out. Simple doesn’t have to mean boring.”

I studied his face, waiting for the punchline, but apparently he wasn’t joking. “Yeah, I’ll have to think about that one.”

With a huff, he rested his head on my chest again. “Be sure and do, because I have yet to steer you wrong, and it’s high time you recognised that.”

Feeling cheeky, I replied with a flat, “Yes, Ash.” I fully expected retaliation in the form of a petulant scoff or, even better, one of his tantrums.

Instead, there was a pause, one long enough that I’d forgotten what I was waiting on when he said, “Amadeus.”

I frowned. “Hm?”

“My name,” he said, tipping his head back to peer up at me again. “It’s Amadeus.” He shrugged. “I thought it prudent to make you aware.”

I’d known Ash was a nickname, but never thought to pry for the real one. I was curious, of course, but it had seemed important for him to keep it secret, so I hadn’t crossed that boundary.

Now, though…

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“A name is a powerful thing, and I didn’t feel like giving you access to any more of me than was forced. I couldn’t trust you not to wield it to your advantage or gloat that a demon’s vulnerabilities sat in the palm of your hand.”

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