Page 44 of Hooked on a Demon
She’d have to be oblivious not to notice the rather sizeable bulge now poking at her core. A part of her is curious about what exactly he’s packing in those pants of his, but also this—making out like they are teenagers—is hot as fuck. It’s been so long since she’s had a good session of fooling around. There’s no pressure here. No concern about what it all means. It’s all exploration and learning each other.
Eliana wouldn’t consider herself a prude by any means, but after years in a relationship with a person who worked so hard to diminish her, she’s not in a rush to leap into that more intimate stage again, at least not until she feels she can trust whoever she’s with. But this, his fingertips digging into her ass, the hunger to devour her bubbling at the surface as he kisses down her neck and onto her chest, the deep inhale he takes when he pauses with his face nestled between her breasts—it feels nice. Safe even.
Her hands wrap behind his head, as one of his hands comes up, pulling the top of her shirt aside to give him better access to the top of her breast. His other hand continues to massage her ass cheek as she grinds into him, feeling the pressure build between her legs. She may not be ready to sleep with him yet, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t ready for a fully clothed orgasm or two. Before it gets to that point, though, she knows she needs to make sure they are on the same page.
Placing her hands on his shoulder, she pushes back, putting a tiny bit of distance between them. Gazing up at her, his eyes flash demon gold before returning to their normal blue, but they remain heated. “I want to make sure that you’re okay with it not going further than this right now?”
A growl rumbles in his chest. “Are you serious?”
She pushes herself a little further away, afraid that she’s said something she shouldn’t have or that she misread him. He was so protective and worried about her that she thought for sure he’d be okay with waiting. But then again… he is friends with Everest, and she knows how her brother is. Plus, add in the rumors about Declan and his escapades, and it’s not hard to believe he’d be upset if he’s not getting laid. “I’m sorry. Maybe this isn’t a good idea. We should stop.” She tries to push away again so that she can climb off his lap, but his hold on her is too strong.
He swallows, holding his eyes shut tight briefly as if trying to collect himself. “No. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for that to come out as it did. My demon is… eager… shall we say, and I’m trying my best to keep him at bay.”
“Oh,” Eliana replies, keeping her hands on his chest and leaning back, prepared to get up.
Placing a hand lightly on her chin, he angles her face down so their eyes connect. “I need you to understand that I willneverforce you to do anything that you aren’t ready for. We can go as fast or as slow as you want.Youare in control here, andyoudictate the speed at which we move forward.”
He didn’t say anything tantalizing, and yet, she feels a heat rush up her neck. “Oh. Okay.” Her eyes dip to his lips before going back to those crystal blue pools of wonder. “I… I need to be sure. I can’t do the fling thing.”
“That’s okay. I don’t want to do the fling thing with you, either.” His voice deepens, and the rumble in his chest that she feels under her hands lights up her insides. “But know this, Eliana. When you’re ready, I plan to make you come as many times as I can so that you never forget how perfect you are.” She swallows. “Until then, I’m happy to do this, or snuggle, or even sit on opposite ends of the couch like we are teenagers being supervised.”
“Thank you.”
“You don’t need to thank me for being a decent person,” he says, lightly stroking her arm with the tips of his fingers.
“No. But I appreciate it nonetheless.”
His other hand slides up to the back of her neck, pulling her face to his. Their lips meet softly this time. Naturally. As if she’s coming home after a long day. It fills the little hole in her chest a little more, reassuring her that whatever this is between them could be something worthwhile.
“If that’s all, shall we make dinner?” he asks.
“That sounds like a wonderful idea,” she says as her stomach grumbles loudly in agreement, causing them both to laugh.
“Alright. Let’s go feed the beast!”
He kisses her again before she climbs off his lap. His fingers interlace with his as they walk into the kitchen to make dinner together, Buckley following close behind, as if it’s something they do every night.
CHAPTER27
Declan
Her eyes sparkle in the light. The flecks of green in the hazel base call his attention, drawing him in. He could fall into them on a whim and die a lucky man.
“So what are we making?” she asks, leaning against the counter, crossing her arms over her chest, causing his eyes to dip to her pushed-up and plump breasts. When his gaze flicks back up to her face, she’s smirking back at him.
“Well,” he says, stepping into her space, caging her in, and casually reaching behind her with one arm to pick up the cloth-covered basket with dough. “I thought we could make pizza,” he says, his voice low, into her ear. As he draws back, he doesn’t miss the fact that her smirk has been replaced with a heated expression. Her eyes watch him with desire as her cheeks take on a flushed hue.
He steps back again, placing the basket on the counter behind him before taking the flour out of a bottom cupboard nearby. Pushing his sleeves up, he catches her throat bob as she swallows. He may have agreed to move at whatever pace she’s comfortable with, but that doesn’t mean he can’t taunt her in subtle ways. He’s seen how she watches him when they’ve been at the theater. Or how her eyes traveled his body before they went to the drive-in. Declan may need to be patient, as agonizing as it may be, to hold off touching her in ways he only dreams about, but if she expects him to hold back on the flirting… well, they will both be in for some trouble.
Declan senses her eyes following his every move, and it seems to take her a moment to regain some sense of composure before asking what she can do. “If you could chop up some veggies, that’d be great. There are mushrooms, peppers, onions, and olives in the fridge. Take out whatever you like.”
She nods in response and starts digging through the fridge. “Do you have any basil?”
“I do. Bottom drawer,” he says, sprinkling flour on the clean counter. “It should be in a little clear package.”
“Yep, got it. And where would I find a cutting board?”
“In the little cupboard next to the stove.” He listens as she opens the door and pulls out what she needs before getting to work. They fall into a comfortable silence as he stretches out and shapes the dough, and she washes and slices the toppings. When the dough is ready, he takes the sauce he made earlier out of the fridge and begins building the pizzas.
