Page 29 of Fated to be Enemies

Her fingers curled into me, hugging me closer as she grumbled about getting more sleep. The touch, the vibration of her throat, the fact that I’d just woken up . . . it was too much sensory detail at once. My erection throbbed, begging for attention. My body accepted the skin-to-skin contact, and it craved more.

She was beautiful; there was no doubt about it. Another pulse between my legs sent a deeper ache through me, and I inhaled sharply.

Bad move.

The scent of orange and peppermint filled my nostrils, and everything about it was delicious. The desire danced on my tongue, urging me to lick her. Taste her. Bite her. Drink from her. Devour her.

Blood pumped into my cock, demanding a release. Demanding I take her.

I mentally cursed the situation. This was not the arrangement. I groaned, trying to maneuver from under her hold. She stirred, pulling me closer again before her hand splayed out, feeling my stomach, patting it in quick, panicked movements as she realized where she was. Her breath hitched and her eyes shot open.

“Morning, sunshine,” I said, my throat scratchy.

She pushed herself away from me in a sudden rush, looking down at her clothed body, then back to my prone form. Her cheeks flushed and her mouth opened, then closed, making little popping sounds, but no words came out. Reaching up, she wiped the edges of her mouth, finding drool around her lips. She wiped it away with the back of her hand, her eyes going wide again as she looked at the wet spot on my chest.

“Nothing happened,” I told her, trying to calm her nerves. The sound of her heart rate accelerating called to the predator in me, doing dangerous things when my body was already so hyper focused on her every movement.

She turned on the bed, scrambling off the side, and Nova only bobbed her head, watching the exchange. “I didn’t mean to.” Dannika put her face in her hands. “Oh my god.”

“Didn’t mean to take over my bed and trap me into holding you all night?” I crossed my arms under my head, resting my head in my palms, giving her a smirk.

She dropped her hands, placing them on her hips, and a crease developed between her brows. “I did not take over your bed,” she argued, but there was no conviction behind it. The embarrassment leaked from her voice.

I gave her a deadpan look. “Please. You sleep like a starfish.”

She scoffed, dropping her arms to her side. “No, I don’t.” I looked at the empty part of the bed with skepticism, then returned my gaze to her and twisted my lips. She sighed, the insulted expression leaving her face. “Okay, fine. You’re not wrong. But don’t knock it till you try it. You don’t know what you’re missing out on.”

“I think what you meant to say was: ‘You’re right,’” I said, uncrossing my arms and moving to sit up.

“No, I said exactly what I meant to say.” She tried not to smile, but a bit of a grin snuck through.

I chuckled. Her snark came off playful, and it was ridiculously cute. She stood proudly, defending her position—even if that position was in the shape of a starfish. This had nothing to do with vanity, and everything to do with sleeping next to me. She hadn’t checked her appearance, apparently completely unashamed of what she looked like when she woke up. It wasn’t a concern to her. No rushing off to make herself presentable. No embarrassment of morning breath. Her silvery hair was disheveled and tangled, and her clothes wrinkled. It didn’t detract from her beauty at all. In fact, the authenticity of it made her even more attractive.

A fact that didn’t go unnoticed by my libido.

Another pulse made my erection twitch, bringing my attention back to the fact that I couldn’t stand up without it being seen. Well. If we were going to sleep together every night, she’d better get used to what that looks like.

“As much fun as it is to tease you about your sleeping habits, I have a busy day laying the groundwork for our big announcement.” I tossed the covers off, standing up and stretching my arms above my head, feeling the muscles loosen up.

She groaned, but then her gaze dropped to my crotch, and her eyes widened before she quickly looked at the ceiling. “You, um . . .”

“Believe me, I’m aware of it.” I pointed to a door near a bookshelf. “There is a side room through that door. It’s my private study. More like a reading room than anything else, but it has an additional bathroom. I assumed you’d like to get ready on your own. I’ve taken the liberty of having an assortment of clothes brought up since I’m guessing you packed light. Choose whatever suits you. I’m going to”—I gestured to myself and then toward the door to the main bath—“go take care of things.”

“Jesus,” she muttered, pinching the bridge between her nose and squeezing her eyes shut. “In one day, I go from no relationship straight to practically being married and having to see your hard-on every morning.”

Turning on her heel, she walked toward the side room, and I got a view of what she looked like from behind. She glanced over her shoulder as she exited, then shut the door.

I shook my head.

I knew next to nothing about this woman. I needed to keep my distance. Our arrangement had a purpose. As much as I might have liked to jest, sex wasn’t part of that arrangement, and I’d made that clear.

I was a man of my word.

But that didn’t stop me from thinking about her while I showered. Hot water poured down my back as I gripped my cock, heavy and aching. I pictured her pale-pink lips wrapped around it. Those mischievous icy-blue eyes staring straight into my soul as she sucked me off and swallowed it down.

The disappointment that gripped me as my release washed down the drain should have told me what some part of me knew already.

It was only the first day, and I was already in too deep. There was no way out now.

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