Page 21 of Dormeo

ROSE

M arching into the living room, cursing this stupid sleepiness, I’m feeling bold. I need to know what’s going on if Ash and I are to continue with whatever the hell this is.

“What did your sister mean when she said this time ?”

I can’t meet Ash’s eyes. Flashbacks of my dreams make me blush, and I fidget with the tie on my dressing gown as I shuffle into the room.

His tongue against mine, his hands on my breasts, his claw pressing white liquid to my lips.

Ash rises from the couch where he’s lounging, naked to the waist, in a pair of loose black trousers that almost blend perfectly against his sculpted torso. His movements are predatory as he stalks toward me, and I freeze, caught drinking in his gorgeous form with my hungry eyes.

I shouldn’t look. A proper lady would turn her back or shield her eyes, but I can’t. Every inch of him is exquisite, and my heartbeat picks up once more as I stare at his taut abs.

“That’s what you want to talk about?” He seems amused by my discomfort as I edge along the wall, trying to avoid his intense stare.

This man, this demon, has been inside my brain, and maybe more. The first time, I thought it was just my overactive imagination, but now, with the actual ache in my muscles and the slick between my thighs, I know that I had an orgasm.

And I’m pretty certain he was there to witness it.

Keeping my eyes fixed on the floor, I clear my throat and try to hide my pink cheeks, but Ash catches my chin and forces me to look at him.

“You aren’t always so shy.”

I’m stunned into silence. I can’t disagree with him. And I don’t really want to. I can remember every second in vivid detail.

I heat up again as his tail sticks out to one side, and my eyes land on the tip, the tip that massaged my clit, the only part of my body that feels sensitive this morning.

“How are you feeling? Hot?” he asks, leaning in close.

My mind conjures up memories of him lying over me, his big body radiating heat as he pounded into me, over and over.

Shaking my head, I gasp at the strength of the desire I have for him when his scent reaches my nose. It’s overwhelming. Uncontrollable.

His hand cups my elbow as I wobble on my feet and gaze up at him.

Has anyone asked me that before and really cared about the answer?

Suddenly, I’m struck by the ridiculous notion that he really wants to know how I am.

He waits patiently, his crimson gaze burning into mine.

“I… I’m confused about what was real and what was in my mind.”

Ash’s fingers slide from my elbow, along my arm to my wrist, before tangling our fingers together and tugging me closer to him.

“You came. That wasn’t your imagination. But it was on my fingers and my tail, not my cock.” He pauses, brow furrowed. “And I didn’t break anything . You’re still… intact … for when you marry.”

The last part he spits out, eyes narrowing, and the muscles in his shoulders bunch as he lifts his other hand to my lips and presses a claw to them.

I remember how he did that before, whether it was in my dreams or in reality doesn’t really matter, because it’s as clear as day to me. So is how he tasted.

Neither of us blinks as I curl my lips around his finger and squeeze my thighs together, the strength of that memory almost enough to cause my knees to buckle.

“You might be a bit tender, a bit weak, but I promise, I was gentle with you.”

I blink up at him, trying to imagine what rough would look like if that was him going easy on me.

“What did Lily mean by this time?” I repeat.

Ash’s playful, heated expression evaporates, replaced by a dark scowl.

“Were they not the first rescuers?”

He shrugs and stands straight, taking his warmth and intoxicatingly powerful presence with it. “I gave them all the same chance to leave like last night. It’s not my fault they’re too stupid or greedy to take it.”

Folding his arms across his chest, showing off his bulging pecs to distract me, he’s sullen. Like a bold child who knows he’s about to get in trouble. He’s been keeping secrets from me. If he truly didn’t care what he was doing, he would have just told me. Instead, he’s hidden this from me.

To protect me? To protect himself? I’m not sure.

“How many?” I ask, now growing deeply concerned about what else has gone on while I’ve been locked away.

He looks toward the balcony, guilt written all over his stubbornly hard-set features.

“Ash, what did you do?”

Lips pressed together, he narrows his eyes at me.

“I’ve heard their dreams. Seen what their depraved imaginations want to do to you once they’ve purchased you from your father.” His voice is laced with anger, and his eyes glow, rage burning like molten lava in their depths.

“How many?” I repeat, frustration building inside me at being left in the dark.

While Ash seems more caring than my father, and I’ve certainly enjoyed myself, in reality, I’ve only swapped one gilded cage for another slightly less shiny, privileged one.

“Five.”

The brooding seven-foot demon has the nerve to grunt when I look at him in horror.

“Are you telling me that you’ve murdered six prospective rescuers, and god knows how many of their men?”

He nods, looking less certain that he’s not the bad guy.

“It’s your father’s fault for sending them to get you. He’s trying to get out of his deal on a technicality. If the devil loses his daughter, then he no longer has to fulfil his end of the bargain. Clever really, devious and ballsy. It will probably cost him his life, but it was smart.”

He’s right. I have no doubt my father is trying to wriggle his way out of whatever promise he’s made. And he’s sending these wannabe heroes to their deaths to up my perceived value.

“They deserve it though, Rose. They don’t care about you. They want to own you, possess you, and take from you until there’s nothing left.” He steps into my personal space and looms over me. “They will hurt you. Lock you up. Dull you spirit. Use your power for their own gain.”

With a humourless laugh, I gesture to my dark, opulent surroundings and then at my red, satin nightdress. “And you don’t?”

Ash’s eyes flare.

“Yes, I want to own you and possess you. I want to keep you here and have you all to myself. But only if you are willing. There is no pleasure in you giving yourself to me if it comes from fear or a desire to merely survive. It has to be an urge so strong you cannot resist.” His gaze lands on my lips.

“I want you to crave me as I crave you. But the difference between me and them is I won’t ruin your life to get what I desire. ”