Page 36 of Hooked on a Demon (Leeside Witches #3)

Eliana

H e releases her and she steps back to pick up her bag. When she stands, the beautiful bouquet he was holding earlier greets her. “These are for you. They reminded me of you.”

He got her flowers. Not any flowers. But her favorite ones. Without even knowing. “They are beautiful,” she replies, her voice thick with an emotion she doesn’t want to identify.

“Like you,” he replies, kissing her cheek, causing heat to rise to the surface of her skin at the exact location he made contact. “They are bright and pretty, but not too in your face. They remind me of sunshine and warmth. How it feels when I’m around you.”

Well, Hades, come and take me now.

She swallows and blinks, trying to keep the emotion at bay. “Thank you. Gerberas also happen to be my favorites.” Her eyes catch the look of pride that flashes across his features, also not missing the extra little puff in his chest. “They are perfect.”

He steps forward, placing his finger under her chin and kissing her softly on the lips.

It’s a brush of the lips, really, but it sets her stomach aflutter, and she lets out a quiet moan of contentment upon contact.

When he pulls away and she opens her eyes, his face still lingers right in front of hers.

Desire burns in those eyes. A desire likely mirrored in her own as the flutter in her stomach turns to more of a burning flame licking heat to her core.

“Shall we go?” he asks, his voice almost growling at her.

“Ye… Yes. Where did you have in mind?” she asks. He puts the flowers in his little saddlebag thing on his bike and holds his hand out. When she doesn’t give him anything, he gently takes the strap of her bag off her shoulder and secures the bag to the bike as well.

“I thought we could pick up some ice cream? Or an actual meal if you want something more substantial? And then head back to my place and watch a movie or something?”

She smiles at him, finding his uncertainty endearing.

Well, not so much uncertainty, as more of a concern for what she wants.

She sees how he wants her to be comfortable.

That the ultimate decision lies up to her.

But he’s also thought ahead enough to have a base of a plan in place.

It tells her that he’s considered her and her feelings and also isn’t afraid to relinquish that control.

That’s something Sam never would have done.

Frankly, he never would have picked her up in the first place, let alone had a plan to spend a casual evening together.

Ugh. Sam.

She’s still contemplating whether she wants a full meal or an ice cream dinner, but thoughts of Sam and his stupid text from earlier pop back in her mind.

Work kept her busy enough that she hadn’t been able to think too much about him and now here he is, ruining a gentle moment with Declan.

Realization also dawns on her that she will have to tell Declan about Sam trying to contact her. Just not right now.

“Well, what do you say, Miss Oaks?” he asks, bringing her back to the present moment.

“Ice cream sounds great.”

“Perfect. I know the place.” He turns and swings a leg over the bike, seating himself.

He slides his helmet on as she settles behind him and puts her own on.

She’s only been on the back of his bike the one time, but it already feels familiar.

Like being with him. It’s comfort and safety.

Something she hasn’t felt in far too long.

Her hands slide around his side and up his chest. He shivers under her touch. As they take off, she wonders if he’s thinking the same thing she is as the vibrations flow toward a spot on her body that begins to ache in the most delicious of ways.

They stop not too far from Declan’s home to pick up their ice cream.

Declan opts for a pistachio base with almonds and Eliana chooses a sweet buttery base with salted caramel and chocolate-covered pretzels.

The sample she tries in the store is so good that she audibly moans her satisfaction.

She doesn’t miss the slight adjustment Declan had to make afterward.

With the sweet treats stowed alongside her flowers, they climb back on his bike and head to Declan’s place.

“Hello, Mr. Bucklesworth,” Declan coos as they enter the front door. He steps to the side, allowing Eliana to enter, and then bends over to ruffle the large dog’s fur with one hand, eliciting excited huffs and toe taps in response.

“Mr. Bucklesworth?” she giggles.

He stands again, turning to face her. His tone is light and playful. “Yes, he is a refined gentleman who needed a proper title.”

“Yes. Obviously,” she jokes. Buckley pads over to her, his fluffy tail wagging happily back and forth. “Hi, Buckley,” she says, patting the top of his head. “You are such a cutie, I see where your daddy gets his good looks.”

His eyes flick to hers as she smirks. The searing heat in his gaze warms her. “Careful, Oaks,” he warns.

Stepping around Buckley, she places her bag off to the side and moves toward him. “Or what?”

She doesn’t know why she’s suddenly feeling so brazen.

She’s never been this way and honestly has no idea where it’s coming from.

The last time she was here, she told him she wasn’t ready for the next step, but right now, her brain isn’t the one in the lead.

The longer she’s around him, the more her body responds.

Fireworks under her skin. The desire to touch and be touched.

The heat between her legs. It’s all so much, yet not enough.

She’s still not sure she’s ready, but she does know that Sam—fuck, she hates to think of him, and wonders if she’ll ever stop—never created this kind of response in her. If she had challenged him as such, it would have led down a very different path. But Declan is not Sam, she reminds herself.

The demon before her allows his eyes to roam her body as she approaches him. She places a single finger on his broad chest, tilting her head up to see him. His gaze takes on a golden hue, ever so briefly. His inner demon.

“Or. What?” she challenges again.

Wisps of smoke soar around her, taking the ice cream and flowers out of his hands and whisking them away. At the same time, his hands land softly on either side of her face. Before she has a second to breathe, his lips are crashing onto hers, bringing her life.

She meets his passion with her own. Her hands wrap around his back.

They find the hem of his shirt and slide underneath, where she’s met with the most comforting warmth.

His tongue dances along her lips, asking for permission to enter, and she grants it easily.

When their tongues meet, it’s as if fireworks have been set off inside her.

There’s no other way to describe it. Pops, sizzles, and fizzes dance beneath her skin like the most spectacular display meant just for her.

It sets her soul on fire in ways she never imagined, and she never wants this feeling to stop.

As her hands glide up his back, reveling in the strength beneath her fingers, a low growl rumbles in his chest. It’s a sound of restrained hunger. But she doesn’t want to be restrained. In fact, that’s the last thing she wants.

Breathlessly, she breaks the kiss, putting the smallest bit of distance between them. His head falls forward, allowing him to rest his forehead on hers.

“You make me come undone, Oaks,” he says, his voice rough and his breath short. “Best of all, you don’t even realize you’re doing it.”

“What do you mean?”

“It takes an obscene amount of control when I am near you. I have to actively stop myself from doing this,” he says, capturing her in another scorching kiss, before finishing his thought, “whenever you’re around.”

“Maybe it’s time you let go of that control,” she replies, having apparently lost all sense of decorum. Who needs decorum anyway? her brain challenges, evidently siding with the horny vixen below, who seems to be guiding this interaction.

His heated gaze bores into her, stoking the flames within.

His expression a silent question. Seeking permission and reassurance.

She nods slightly, giving him the acknowledgment he needs.

His hands slide under the hem of her shirt and land on her side, lifting her into the air.

Her legs naturally wrap around his waist as if she’s done this a thousand times.

As he did before, he walks down the hall with her wrapped around him like she’s a koala on the hottest fucking demon tree in existence.

His hands are fire on her skin, surely leaving imprints, as they roam on her back, finding the back of her bra and unclasping it while his mouth kisses and sucks on any piece of flesh he can find.

Lips. Chin. Clavicle. It doesn’t matter. It all feels like heaven.

Buckley gruffs from behind them, eliciting a grunting noise from Declan as he continues to try to consume her. It must be a command as she hears Buckley click off somewhere else in the house.

Eliana has no idea how they manage to find their way to the kitchen without hitting anything, but they do.

Her thighs hit the top of the counter, and despite wearing leggings, she can feel the coldness of the surface.

The sudden coolness along her heated skin sends a shiver up her spine, creating goosebumps on her arms and pebbling her nipples.

His hands slide down her back and grasp the hem of her top.

“Arms,” he grunts at her, as if he’s lost the ability to form full sentences.

She obliges, raising her arms above her head, allowing him to remove her T-shirt.

With her bra already undone, she slides the straps over her arms and slowly holds it out in front of her, keeping her eyes connected with his, then drops it onto the floor.

The brazen being within takes further control as she leans back, placing her palms on the countertop, creating the perfect position to arch her back, drop her head back, and push her breasts out.