Page 130 of Dark Knight (Knight's Ridge Empire 10)

The scent of clean, sexy boy gets stronger, and despite my better judgement, my stomach clenches and my thighs rub together.

Sliding back, I hold the duvet up as an invitation.

For a second, I don’t think he’s going to accept. His eyes just stare at the space as a frown forms on his brow.

But then, he takes a step forward and lies down in front of me.

He keeps a little bit of space between us and rests his head on the other end of the pillow.

His eyes bounce between mine as if he’s seeing me for the first time, and he sucks his bottom lip into his mouth, deep in thought.

“What is it?” I whisper, unable to stop myself.

He releases his lip and sucks in a breath, whatever he really wants to say dancing on his tongue.

“Please, Daemon. It’s just me,” I breathe, sliding my hand across the space between us and brushing my fingers against his.

He sucks in a shaky breath, and his eyes shoot over my shoulder at Alex.

“A, you awake, Bro?”

As if on cue, Alex lets out a more-than-authentic snore.

“Arsehole fucking sleeps like the dead. Pretty sure he got my share of that shit,” Daemon mutters sadly.

“It’s just me and you and some fairy lights,” I say softly, my eyes urging him to talk, to open up, to… fuck, I don’t know, do something.

“I don’t sleep, Angel,” he confesses.

“We don’t have to. We can just… lie here.”

“You want me to just lie in a bed with you?” he asks with a smirk that makes my stomach twist.

I shrug the shoulder I’m not lying on.

“I don’t do this, Calli. I don’t talk about feelings or open myself up. It’s just too—”

“Terrifying?” I finish for him.

He remains silent for so long that I don’t think he’s going to agree, despite it being the truth.

“Don’t you think that scares us all?” I ask.

He doesn’t respond. Instead, he slides closer, until his nose brushes mine.

“Daemon,” I whisper so quietly that I’m not even sure he’d have heard it.

“Shh, Angel,” he breathes against my lips. “I know what I should and shouldn’t be doing right now, and I just don’t fucking care.”

His kiss is so soft it makes that lump of emotion I’d swallowed not so long ago rise up once more.

I expect him to just throw caution to the wind and be as rough as he usually is. But there’s something very different about the way he kisses me, touches me, and I utterly melt for him.

His hand moves, wrapping around my hip and dragging me closer as his tongue pushes past my lips, searching for mine.

I gasp when he pulls me so close that I have no choice but to feel just how much my kiss affects him.

“It’s always been you, Angel,” he whispers into my mouth as his hand grips my arse, pinning us as close as possible.