Page 95 of The Demon Court

Selene had gone to him when he reached for her. She’d allowed him to undress her, his hands gentle as he ran his hands down her sides and soothed any knotted muscles. But, just when she thought he’d want to take things to the next level—and hopefully actually finish the job this time—he hadn’t. He’d braided her hair and then pulled her toward the bed.

He’d cuddled with her. Lust. The demon king she’d been raised to fear more than anyone else in any of the seven kingdoms had wrapped her in his arms and cradled her until she fell asleep.

And she’d liked it.

She thought about all this as she stared up at the ceiling, knowing he wasn’t yet awake. She was in too deep. Her family had sent her here for a reason and warned her against all the things that she’d done. They told her he’d try to get into her head. They’d warned her that he would resort to trickery.

Selene knew all this and more. She’d researched him her entire life and now she knew more about him than any other person, and yet, she had still fallen for this. He’d lulled her into a false sense of security.

If she didn’t get herself back, then she feared what would happen.

Lust shifted with a sigh on his lips as he turned toward her. Even in groggy sleep, he was careful with his horns, so they didn’t catch her face when he moved. His muscular arm wrapped around her waist, tugging her closer into him until he was wrapped around her side.

Was he still asleep? Did he seek her out even while he was dreaming?

Her heart squeezed in her chest. She couldn’t handle this. She couldn’t betray him when she was already so wild for him. What would she do if she had to disappoint him the way her mother wanted her to? Selene’s entire being rebelled against harming him. She couldn’t take away what he loved and cherished.

She couldn’t. And if she continued on this path, she would bend to whatever whims he whispered into her ear.

“Good morning,” he said, his voice rough with sleep. “You’re up early.”

“Couldn’t sleep.”

“Mm,” he tightened his hold on her. “Perhaps I can help with that.”

But as his hand slid down over her belly, fingers leaving goosebumps in their wake, she grabbed onto his wrist. Every muscle in her body screamed, why? If he wanted to explore, if he wanted to take care of this persistent problem that made her head spin, then let him. He was good at it. Lust could make her come within minutes of his fingers being where she desperately wanted him, so why would she try to stop him?

She knew why. Her mind knew that if she let him do this, then she would only fall deeper into his web and the longer she stayed in it, the harder it would be to get out.

“You don’t need to,” she whispered, still holding him still.

“I’d like to.”

“You must have a very busy day.”

He nuzzled her neck, his tongue flicking out to touch her skin. “Ah, but my day would start so much better if I had the sound of your moans ringing in my ears.”

No, she couldn’t do this. She couldn’t keep encouraging this sweet man or otherwise she’d spend the entire day in bed with him and then how would she ever leave?

Selene bolted. She wasn’t proud of how she flung his hand off and how she rolled out of bed like it was on fire.

He watched her with an amused expression. “What are you doing?”

She couldn’t breathe, therefore, she needed space between them. She stood at the foot of the bed and paced back and forth. Selene fanned her face, trying to make it feel less hot, but she couldn’t get that figured out. She couldn’t stop the heat from burning through her cheeks or the feeling that the air itself was pulling out of her lungs. She couldn’t... do this. Not this. Not now. And not with him.

Shaking her head, she pointed at him. “I don’t know what all of this is, but I don’t want to deal with it anymore.”

“What are you referring to?”

Selene gestured wildly between them. “Whatever scheme you have going on, with this, with us, it has to stop. Now. I won’t let this go any further than it already has.”

“Isn’t that the exact opposite of what you’ve been telling me since you got here?” He sat up and the sheets fell away to reveal that beautiful chest. “You’ve been arguing until you were blue that you wanted me to trust you. To develop something real between us. Why the sudden change?”

By the look in his eyes and the curious smile on his face, Selene saw he knew what was going on in her head. He knew she was running because she was frightened by her own feelings for him.

Shit.

Shit, shit, shit.

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