Page 14

A fter the game, Aldaine and I retreated to our room, both of us still buzzing from the day's events. I could feel the tension between us, a palpable energy that seemed to crackle in the air. As soon as the door closed behind us, I turned to face him, my heart pounding in my chest.

"Aldaine," my voice barely above a whisper. "I want you."

He looked at me, surprise flickering in his dark eyes. "Rosie," his voice low and husky. "Are you sure?"

I nodded, taking a step towards him. "I want you," I repeated, my hands reaching for the buttons on his shirt. "All of you."

He hesitated for a moment, his gaze searching mine. Then, with a slow nod, he began to undress, his movements deliberate and controlled. I watched as he revealed his true form, my breath catching in my throat at the sight of his beautiful, magenta-colored skin.

I reached out, my fingers tracing the lines of his chest and abs, marveling at the feel of his smooth, hard muscles beneath my touch. He shuddered at my touch, his eyes closing briefly as he let out a low growl.

"Rosie," he murmured, his voice thick with desire. "You don't know what you're doing to me."

I smiled, my fingers continuing their exploration as I slowly helped undress him. When he was finally naked, I knelt in front of him, my eyes never leaving his. I could see the desire in his gaze, the hunger that matched my own.

I took his cock in my mouth, my tongue swirling around the head as I sucked gently. He let out a low moan, his hands tangling in my hair as I worked him with my mouth. I could feel him growing harder, his cock swelling in my mouth as I teased and tormented him.

When I felt him nearing the edge, I pulled back, my eyes meeting his. He looked at me, his gaze filled with lust and frustration.

"Rosie," his voice low and dangerous. "You're playing with fire."

I smiled, my hands reaching up to cup his face as I stood. "I know, but I want that burn."

With that, he grabbed me, lifting me with startling ease before tossing me onto the bed.

The mattress dipped beneath his weight as he climbed over me, his magenta skin gleaming in the dim light.

His tail smooth and powerful, snaked around my waist in a possessive grip, holding me exactly where he wanted me.

I glimpsed the raw hunger in his dark eyes just before he entered me with one swift, powerful thrust.

I cried out his name, my fingers digging into his shoulders as my body arched beneath him.

Every nerve ending sparked to life as he began to move.

He was gloriously relentless, his strong hands gripping my hips, lifting me to meet each powerful drive.

His tail tightened around me, the tip finding my most sensitive spot with unerring precision, circling and teasing until I couldn't tell where one sensation ended and another began.

I could feel myself spiraling higher with each passing moment, tension coiling tighter within me as my vision blurred at the edges.

The building pressure was exquisite torture, each thrust bringing me closer to shattering completely.

When I finally came, it was with a scream that tore from the depths of my soul, reverberating through the room like thunder.

My entire body convulsed, muscles clenching and unclenching as wave after wave of pleasure crashed over me, leaving me gasping and trembling in their wake.

I clung to Aldaine, my nails leaving crescent moons across his vibrant skin.

"Aldaine," I sobbed his name, overwhelmed by the intensity of my release. "Oh god, Aldaine."

His rhythm faltered as he watched me come undone beneath him.

His dark eyes, black with desire, locked with mine as his movements grew erratic.

Then with a deep, primal growl that seemed to vibrate through every cell in my body, he followed me over the edge.

His powerful form shuddered violently against mine, his tail constricting around my waist as he surrendered completely to his release inside me.

The sensation of his warmth filling me triggered another cascade of aftershocks that left me whimpering his name.

We lay there for a moment, our bodies entwined as we caught our breath. Then, with a low growl, Aldaine rolled us over, his tail still wrapped around my waist as he began to move again.

This time, he was slower, more deliberate in his movements.

Each touch felt like a declaration, his fingers tracing patterns across my skin as if memorizing every curve and hollow.

I arched into his touch, my body responding with a sensitivity that surprised even me.

His mouth followed where his hands led, leaving a trail of warmth that lingered after he moved on.

"I want to remember every part of you," he murmured against the hollow of my throat, his voice vibrating through me like distant thunder.

I tangled my fingers in his hair as he continued his unhurried exploration.

The weight of him above me was grounding, comforting, even as my mind threatened to float away on waves of sensation.

The contrast between this tender attentiveness and our earlier frenzied passion made my heart swell with emotion I couldn't name.

My breath hitched as he found a particularly sensitive spot.

"Aldaine," my voice barely audible even to my own ears.

I could feel myself building toward another peak, a different kind of tension gathering deep within me, less urgent but somehow more profound.

My limbs trembled with anticipation, tiny tremors I couldn't control radiating outward from my core as he continued his measured, deliberate rhythm.

The promise of release hovered just beyond reach, tantalizing and inevitable.

When it finally hit, it was like a tidal wave, crashing over me and sweeping me away. I cried out, my nails digging into Aldaine's back as I clung to him, my body shaking with the force of my release.

We lay there for hours, our bodies tangled together as we explored each other. It was like nothing I had ever experienced before, a connection that went beyond the physical. I could feel our souls intertwining, our energies merging as we became one.

I awoke to early morning light filtering through the curtains, momentarily disoriented by the unfamiliar weight of an arm draped over my midsection.

My body ached pleasantly, every muscle bearing the sweet soreness of the previous night's activities.

Memories flooded back in vivid detail with Aldaine's hands on my skin, his mouth against mine, our bodies moving together in perfect rhythm.

I'd never experienced that kind of connection before. It had been more than physical.

Carefully, I turned to face him, my breath catching at the sight of him in the light.

In sleep, Aldaine's demon form had a soft vulnerability to it.

His magenta skin glowed softly in the dim light, the color deeper and richer than any human shade could ever be.

The sharp angles of his face were relaxed, his expression peaceful.

His chest rose and fell with steady breaths, each one stirring something tender and dangerous in my chest.

I reached out hesitantly, my fingertips hovering just above his skin before making contact.

I traced the sharp line of his jaw, feeling the subtle texture differences between human and demon.

His skin was warm, almost fever-hot beneath my touch, and impossibly smooth.

I followed the elegant curve of his cheekbone, the straight line of his nose, the fullness of his bottom lip.

Was I falling in love with him? The question slipped unbidden into my mind, making my heart stutter in my chest. How ridiculous could that be?

Falling in love with a demon who owned my soul.

What kind of cosmic joke was that? I barely knew him, yet there was an undeniable connection between us, something that transcended our arrangement, something that felt terrifyingly like fate.

My fingers stilled against his skin as panic began to bloom in my chest. What was I doing?

This was a business transaction, nothing more.

I'd summoned him out of desperation, offering my soul in exchange for his help.

He was fulfilling his end of the bargain, playing the part of my doting boyfriend to perfection, helping me save face in front of Stephany and Roger.

The sex had been, well, earth-shattering, but that was probably just a perk of sleeping with a supernatural being who'd had centuries to perfect his technique.

He couldn't possibly have genuine feelings for me. Why would he? He was an ancient, powerful demon, and I was just me. Unemployed, broke, desperate enough to trade my eternal soul for a weekend of petty revenge and a job with a good salary.

God, I was an idiot. Setting myself up for heartbreak with a being who probably viewed human emotions as quaint curiosities. When this weekend was over, he'd go back to wherever demons went when they weren't tormenting desperate humans, and I'd be left with nothing but memories and a soul-debt.

That was what I'd asked for, wasn't it? I'd wanted a fake boyfriend to show up my stepsister, and I was getting exactly that.

It wasn't Aldaine's fault that I was developing inconvenient feelings.

I couldn't get hurt if I remembered the parameters of our arrangement.

We'd just met, for crying out loud. People didn't fall in love in a matter of days, that was fairy tale nonsense.

And this was most definitely not a fairy tale.