Finally, after about ten years, she turned around and whispered, “This was a bad idea.”
“It was probably the smartest idea you’ve ever had.”
Her hands moved along her hips, drawing my attention. “It’s going to take a lot more than Thanksgiving dinner and a Christmas tree to get laid.”
Sometimes I wondered what in the hell she thought of me. “Damn. There goes my whole plan.”
Her eyes narrowed, and then she finally moved. Stomping—yes, stomping—over to the other side of the bed, she yanked the covers back and all but threw herself into the bed.
I grinned.
“Can you turn off the light?” she asked.
Without moving, I turned it off. Darkness enveloped us.
“That’s a handy ability,” she muttered.
“It is.”
“Maybe one day I can be just as lazy as you and turn off lights without moving.”
“That’s something to aspire to.”
“God, you’re so modest,” she said, and I could hear the smile in her voice.
“Modesty is for saints and losers. I’m neither.”
“Wow, Daemon, just wow.”
Rolling onto my side, facing her, I simply stared at her back for a moment. “I can’t believe you haven’t kicked me out yet.”
“Same here,” she murmured.
I shifted closer, stopping when my legs brushed against hers. The skin-on-skin contact was hard to ignore, but this needed to be said. “I really didn’t mean to make you cry earlier.”
She moved onto her back and stared up at me as I rose up on one elbow. “I know,” she said. “The whole thing you did, it was sort of amazing.”
“I just didn’t like the idea of you being alone,” I admitted quietly.
Kat sucked in a sharp breath, and her gaze met mine. I couldn’t look away. Only she had that kind of power over me. How in the hell could she not see that?
I reached out, catching a strand of her hair and brushing it back. An electric charge traveled up my hand. Her gaze dropped to my mouth, and I knew—dammit, I knew she was feeling exactly what I was feeling.
“We should go to sleep,” she said, voice lower, thicker.
“We should.” I palmed her cheek.
She didn’t look away as she lifted her hand, brushing her fingers over my lips. The touch sent a jolt of lust straight through me. I shifted my hand closer, giving her more room to play as I slid my hand down to her neck. Her heart sped up, beating in tandem with mine. I dipped my head, pressing a quick kiss atop her nose.
And then I kissed her.
I took my time. It was slow and deep. It burned right through me, and I wanted more, so much more. I wanted her. I wanted her in any and every way I could have her.
But she wasn’t mine.
Reining it all in, calling on all the self-control I had, I lifted my head and shifted onto my back. I kept my arm around her. “Good night, Kitten.”
She sighed loudly. “That’s all?”
Damn. I laughed. “That’s all…for now.”
Her heart hadn’t slowed. Neither had mine. After a couple of moments, she sighed again and then squirmed closer, quietly nudging me until I snaked my arm under her head, and rested her cheek there. I turned my head to her. Our eyes met. Her scent enveloped me, and even though I closed my eyes, I knew I wouldn’t be sleeping for a long, long time.
And I also know that although she wasn’t mine now, she would be one day.
Chapter 17
I was slow to wake up, and it had everything to do with the girl in my arms, curled against me. The warmth of Kat’s body seeped into mine, and as I blinked my eyes open, I didn’t want to leave this bed.
I knew I had to. Soon. Faint light from the window cut across the bed. Her mom would be home soon, and I seriously doubted she would be thrilled to find me in her daughter’s bedroom despite the fact that nothing, other than a kiss, had gone down between us.
My chin dipped and I swallowed a groan.
Damn, I wanted more than a kiss right now. A lot more.
My hips were cradling her body. She was tucked into me, and man, if she woke up right now, things would get real awkward.
It didn’t help that in her sleep, she had kicked off most of the covers, and the curve of her thighs looked incredibly soft. Her shirt had ridden up, and my forearm was resting against the bare skin of her stomach.
Seriously, it didn’t take much to turn me on when it came to Kat. She could just look at me. Talk to me. Insult me. I was pretty much in a constant state of being turned on, but this was pure torture. To have her this close, to be holding her, and not do a damn thing about it.
I lifted my head slightly and stared down at her. Her lips were parted, and thick lashes fanned the rise of her cheeks. Her hair was half on me, half on the pillow. It was everywhere.
Kat had definitely wanted more last night, but I wasn’t going there, not then and not now, until Douche Bag was completely out of the picture. I had a feeling he would be. He had to be. I saw it—everything—shift in Kat’s eyes last night.
She’d seen only me, and there was no room for anyone else.