Page 42 of Deviant Princess (Knight's Ridge Empire 5)

“Go for it, we’ll christen your couch,” Stella helpfully adds, shattering whatever daze Theo was in, and he rips his eyes away from mine.

“You two can keep your fucking bodily fluids to yourself in my flat, Doukas.”

“Jeez, is he always this uptight when he’s horny, Em?” she asks lightly.

“He’s always this uptight full stop.”

Theo shakes his head at me, his fingers flexing against my thighs as if he’s holding himself back from doing anything.

“You okay to hang out with them for a bit?” he asks. It might sound like an innocent enough question, but I can easily read between the lines.

Are you going to say or do something to fuck all of this up?

“What’s wrong, Cirillo? Don’t you trust me?”

He moves quicker than I’m expecting, his fingers wrapping around my throat in a firm grip before he drags me so close that our noses brush.

“I do,” he says sincerely. “I do trust you. But I also won’t fucking lose you because you say something you shouldn’t.”

Smiling sweetly at him, I tilt my head to the side before saying, “How would you lose me? I can’t get out of the fucking apartment.”

His eyes bounce between mine for a few seconds too long, and it makes my stomach knot. It’s as if he knows something. Something he shouldn’t.

“Maybe not. But we both know that at some point that’s going to have to change.”

“Oh, so now you’re admitting that you can’t keep me locked up in here forever?”

“I know I can’t. But I will for as long as I can.”

“Why?” I try again.

“So I can have you all to myself.”

“Jesus, are you two bickering again?” Stella asks. “You’re like an old married couple or some shit.”

I jolt at her words.

“No one knows, Em. Just me, you, and the dickheads who put us in this position.”

“And Daemon? Problem is, something tells me that you’re not exactly hating it.”

“Guilty.” Releasing my throat, he brushes his thumb over my bottom lip. The temptation to suck it into my mouth and really drive him crazy almost gets the better of me, but I just about manage to refrain. “Why would I not be? Have you seen you?”

“Compliments will get you nowhere, Theodore Cirillo.”

“We’ll see.”

He takes a huge step back, removing all touch from me. It leaves me cold instantly.

“Come on, let’s sweeten you up with a doughnut.”

“Prick.”

“Ah, glad to see that knocking uglies didn’t change your love for each other.”

I grunt at Stella’s comment as I hop down from the counter, Theo’s eyes burning a path into my skin with every move I make.

“So, you’re coming to the New Year’s party, right?” Stella asks me the second I’m on the sofa opposite her with a salted caramel doughnut in hand.