Page 79 of The Demon Court

Finally, he sighed and shook his head. “Let me help.”

Help? How was he going to...

He dipped low and captured her lips. He took his time with this kiss, languid, slow and sweet. There was no heat, no intent on making her lose her mind with desire.

This kiss was a good morning. And how are you doing and I hope you’re well, and if you aren’t, let me make it better for you.

She sighed into him, her hand lifting to cup his jaw and hold him against her. He had no idea what he did to her. Surely he didn’t, because if he knew then he would have rolled on top of her and had his way with her.

He chuckled into her lips, pressing once, twice, a third time for good measure before he pulled away. “As much as I would love to spend the day in bed with you, I have to entertain my brother.”

“He’s still here?” She blinked owlishly up at him. “I thought he’d left.”

“Why would you think that?”

“Well, I just...”

“You don’t like him.” He grinned down at her, dimples appearing on his cheeks. “I thought I’d save you the suffering of entertaining him alone. He never says how long he’s going to stay, though I would like him to see you a little more now.”

That sounded a little ominous. “Why now?”

He danced the backs of his fingers down her cheek, curving around to her neck, which he followed with the barest hint of a touch. “Because he’ll know you’re really mine.”

As if his brother would be able to tell what they’d done. She snorted and then rolled her eyes for good measure. “No one can read me that well. Unless you intend on telling him yourself.”

“Oh, it would take a blind man to not see how enamored you are with me.” He pressed one last fierce kiss to her lips before he rolled out of bed. “You watch me with a hunger in your eyes, now, sorceress. One might think you actually like me.”

She had the perfect retort ready on her tongue, but then lost all sense as she stared at his perfect ass. He stood from the bed, the silk sheets falling away from his hips as though even they didn’t want to stop touching him. He stretched his arms up over his head, the muscles in his back flexing with every movement. Long lines curved up his form, the golden texture of his skin appearing even more like polished metal in the morning sunlight. The breeze from his open balcony played across him, leaving goosebumps to rise in its wake.

And she wanted to touch him again. Just like that. Her fingers actually itched to do so.

He chuckled and glanced at her over his shoulder. “Oh, come on now. We have a busy day.”

“You have a busy day. I have no expectations here.” She sat up, clutching the sheets to her chest as she watched him walk to his closet. Even his thighs flexed in a way that made her eyes almost cross.

She had to admit he was lovely. Every part of him was so attractive it made her body clench with need. And she supposed it was freeing now that she no longer had to hide her reaction.

“I think I’d like to change that,” he said, throwing open the doors to the closet and pausing for her to take one last look at his naked form.

She licked her lips. “Change what?”

His grin widened even further. “Pay attention, Selene. I’d like you to get more involved with the kingdom. You’ve been here long enough to at least try.”

And before she could argue, he turned toward her fully, letting her eyes widen at the sight of his erect cock before he disappeared into the closet.

He knew what he was doing, she decided. He knew she was tempted by him and that the sight of him like that would make her entirely miserable while she sat here trying to figure out what had happened last night.

And without him in the room as a distraction, she worried about everything that had happened. She feared she’d changed something between them, and not in the way she’d hoped. He was no more under her thumb than he’d been before all of this had happened, but she was completely and utterly in love with him.

No.

She clenched the sheets a little harder to her chest and shook her head in denial. She was not in love with him. Lust was only a demon she had to betray for the sake of the kingdom. He was not a kind man who had cared about her last night, and even this morning.

He was the person who had taken her as a sacrifice. That was all. He’d seen what she offered, and he took it because he was selfish enough to do so.

Except... He hadn’t. He hadn’t even fully had sex with her. Almost as though he could see into her head and knew that she was second guessing whether this was what she wanted or what her mother wanted. He’d known and instead, he’d given her orgasm after orgasm and still used her own wetness to bring himself to completion, but he hadn’t...

He hadn’t had sex with her. Even though she’d agreed to it.

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