Conflict

by M. S. Willis

  David’s face lit up as I asked about Matt. His smile widened as he told me all about their romance. “Paige, he’s amazing. That man has been by my side this entire time. He doesn’t even care that my face is misshaped. He’s been playing nurse to my patient and I couldn’t have asked for better care. I especially like the sponge baths.” He wriggled his brows.

  My jaw dropped at that mental image. David has never understood the concept of ‘too much information’ and I needed to change the subject before Daemon got an earful.

  “That’s great David! You’ll have to give me the PG version some other time. Have they told you when you can expect to get out of here?” I glanced over to Daemon and noticed that he had made his selections and was attentively listening to David and my conversation.

  “They keep saying I should be out in the next couple of days, but I’m not sure how they are going to perform my makeover in that amount of time. It must be an outpatient procedure. Oh! Maybe I’ll get to relax at one of those cosmetic spa centers while I undergo my magnificent transformation!”

  “You don’t need cosmetic surgery, David.”

  “Way to rain on a man’s dreams there, Paige. Of course I do. I can look like anybody I want now. Although, I may just have to go with Daemon’s choices. Turning into the man of his dreams can’t be all that bad.” David winked at Daemon, who chuckled in response before making his way to where we were sitting.

  Daemon stood behind me, once again crowding my personal space while not actually making physical contact. The heat immediately returned between us and I could feel my skin prickling almost instantly.

  “Holy crap! Did you two feel that? I think a floating orgasm just breezed past me. How are the two of you not making whoopee on the floor as we speak?! The sexual tension between you two is fierce.”

  I could sense Daemon silently laughing behind me and I rolled my eyes. His hands came up to rub up and down the bumps on my arms and a tremor ran through me at the contact.

  “Unfortunately, David, Paige and I are only roommates by her own demand. I would love nothing more than to throw her down and make whoopee on the floor, but that type of behavior would be inappropriate. Don’t you agree, Damsel?”

  I’m not sure if he could feel them but I was shooting eye daggers out of the back of my head. David laughed when he noticed the expression on my face and then an eyebrow arched when he thought about what Daemon had said.

  “Roommates? Why on Earth would you demand something like that, Paige? Have you not seen the incredible specimen of ultimate manhood that is standing behind you? I for one would never let something like that go to waste. I can assure you Daemon, that if I was in Paige’s position, you wouldn’t be leaving the bedroom for weeks.” David paused and then pointed a finger to Daemon as he continued. “In fact, I would offer that now if I wasn’t currently off the market.”

  My face met my palm on that last part. I shook my head at David’s candor and was rendered speechless.

  “Speaking of roomies…I wanted to know if I could stay with you and Daemon after they finally release me. Matt’s lease is up soon and he’s getting his own place, so I could start staying with him then. But in the meantime, I’m homeless and I refuse to go back to that apartment while Chris is still running around. That man is psycho on a stick and I don’t need another encounter with him.”

  I looked up to Daemon before answering. Technically, the place was his and I didn’t feel comfortable giving David permission to stay there as well.

  Daemon nodded in response to David’s question. “Of course. I’d be happy for you to stay with us. There is another bedroom you could use that has its own bathroom, so I’m sure you would be very comfortable.”

  David smiled a wide tooth grin and clapped his hands. “This is so exciting! Matt will be so jealous to see what I get to wake up to every morning. Daemon, by all means, please feel free to be your normal self while I’m there. I don’t want my presence to make you feel uncomfortable to walk around shirtless, or pantless, for that matter.”

  Daemon laughed at David’s comment. “Your flattery is appreciated, but if you don’t mind, Paige and I need to be getting back. It’s late and I want to make sure she is good and tucked in when I get her there.”

  His innuendo was not lost on me. The sonofabitch knew what he was doing and although he had actually managed to conduct himself appropriately while visiting David, I knew I was in for it when we got back to the apartment.

  “I don’t believe tucking people into bed is appropriate roommate behavior, Daemon.” I glared up at him to emphasize my point.

  “Oh, Damsel. It most certainly is proper roommate behavior. What do you say David? Would you feel odd if Paige tucked you in; maybe read you a little bedtime story before you fell asleep.”

  David smiled a wicked grin before responding. “Not at all! We wouldn’t feel like true roomies if we couldn’t do that for one another.” He patted my on the head. “I’ve even been known to help her out when she showers.”

  “No you have not!” I paused, “Well, ok, there was that one time, but you picked the lock on my bedroom door. I never agreed to let you in, so it doesn’t count!”

  Daemon gently pulled me up by my arms and held his chest to my back. My knees slightly gave at the sensation of his hard muscles pressed against me and his arms wrapped around me to hold up my weight.

  “You heard the man, Damsel. It looks like I’ll be lathering you up tonight.” His expression instantly became mischievous. “I would hate to be an inconsiderate roommate.”

  There was no getting around this. Daemon was just heating up when it came to his incessant teasing. My frustration with this game was only made worse by the fact that I enjoyed it at the same time. Daemon was nothing if not charm incarnate. He oozed sexuality and brute strength out of every pore. His self-control and calm demeanor only added to his lethal persona. I’ve been witness to the rare occasion that Daemon is angry, and even though he can be absolutely fucking terrifying when he’s mad, he does so in an almost carnal and sensual manner.

  Defeated, I shrugged my shoulders in surrender and gave David a quick hug goodbye. “Call me when you need me to come get your ass and I’ll send my personal errand boy here up to fetch ya.”

  “Errand boy?” Daemon gasped in indignation behind me.

  I turned to him and gave him my best triumphant smirk while I crossed my arms over my chest. “Yes. Errand boy. Considering you have to watch me and all, due to safety concerns, I realize that whatever I need, you have to drive me. Unless, of course, I would be allowed to drive myself…”

  “No.”

  I arched an eyebrow, “So than I must be correct. I say fetch, you go. Correct?”

  His blue eyes shone out at me. A mixture of heat and amusement played across his features and I couldn’t help but grin back at him. My heart was performing a little tap dance inside my chest and I became anxious waiting for his response.

  Daemon smiled and moved up so close to me so that our chests were barely brushing against each other. He bent down so that his mouth was just on top of mine and I froze. He held that position, motionless, while I lost track of time and everything else around me.

  BeepBeepBeepBeepBeepBeepBeepBeepBeepBeepBeepBeep………

  David’s heart rate monitor suddenly sped up. Daemon and I turned in unison to look at him and David stared back at us with an innocent expression on his face. His hand brushed away our silent question as he said, “Sorry, but it’s like I said earlier; floating orgasm. Seriously, you two are in a hospital. That stuff could be deadly around sick people. You should go.”

  Daemon softly laughed and reached down to take my hand to lead me out of the room. “You heard the man, Paige. We need to leave before we put any of the patients here at risk.”

  I turned back to David as Daemon was leading me away and mouthed the word ‘traitor’ as I was pulled from the room. David wiggled his fingers at me and smiled.

  ~

  We entered D
aemon’s apartment and I stood in the foyer as he crossed the room to turn on some lighting. He skipped the pendant lights this evening and only flipped on the flame sconces on the walls. His house was instantly bathed in dancing shadows and I let out a huff of air when I realized his slow, suffocating seduction was not coming to an end. This man was determined to be the death of me and I gave myself a little pep talk as I made my way across the room. Without looking in Daemon’s direction, I struck out in the direction of my room, hoping to go to sleep and avoid whatever plans he had for me. I could see Daemon smirking as I passed him and I refused to acknowledge his presence as I walked by.

  Just keep walking, lock your door, and go to bed.

  I’d almost made it to my room and my hand was just touching the small lever to open the door, when a hand clamped down on my shoulder and I stopped in my tracks. Damn! I turned my head slightly to find Daemon standing behind me with a huge grin plastered across his face.

  “Where are you going, Damsel?”

  I looked up at him and faked a loud, dramatic yawn. “I’m really tired. I think I’m just going to lie down and call it a night.”

  Daemon’s large arm came around my body to open the door for me. His bicep softly brushed against my shoulder and I stood stiff and still refusing to react to his close proximity. I cringed when he brought his lips to my ear and whispered, “Guess it’s time for that bedtime story. I need to make sure you are tucked in good and tight.”

  His low timbre voice wrapped itself around me as his lips tickled the outside of my ear. A fine sheen of perspiration developed on my skin and my chest rose and fell with my labored breath. Something had to give between Daemon and I. It was insane how he could render me a quivering mess with nothing more than a few supposedly innocent words. He was a master at double meanings and unfortunately, I was observant enough to pick up on it. I mused over the fact that it was unfortunate that the head injury I suffered hadn’t knocked my IQ somewhere deep into the dull range. Ignorance would be preferable at this time and I could simply walk into my room excited to have a book read to me and a teddy bear handed over for me to snuggle. Somehow, I didn’t think that was Daemon’s intention at the moment.

  The door swung open in front of me and I continued to stand in place. Daemon’s body softly vibrated from silent laughter and he nudged me to guide me into the room. I took a few steps in, allowing him to enter the room just behind me and my breath caught when I heard the soft click of the latch as the door closed. My full length mirror stood directly in front of us and I could just make out Daemon’s large form behind me in the moonlight that came in through the windows. He hovered over me at 6’5” and his shoulder width had to have been twice the width of mine. Once again, he moved up so close to me that I could feel his body heat roll down my back.

  His head leaned down and he brushed his face across my hair. This was way too intense for me to handle, so I quickly turned so that I was looking at Daemon. His eyes were beaming into mine and I took one step back to put some distance between us.

  I put up my hands to keep him from coming closer and said, “I’m perfectly capable of tucking myself into bed. Thanks for the concern, but really, I’m fine.” I smiled brightly and turned to walk towards the bathroom. Daemon reached out and grabbed my upper arm.

  “Where do you think you’re going?”

  It should be made illegal for a person’s voice to sound as seductive as Daemon’s did when he spoke. The feeling of prey came over me and I had to actively remind myself to maintain my composure. War had been declared between my mind and my body and I had to give it my all to keep from throwing myself at Daemon at that moment.

  “I’m getting a shower and then I’m going to bed. You can leave now.” I glared over my shoulder in challenge and a wicked grin spread across Daemon’s face. I looked back in front of me and started to step forward. My foot never reached the ground before I was thrown up over Daemon’s shoulder. I cried out in astonishment and he chuckled while he carried me out of my room.

  He took long, purposeful strides across the living room and turned sharply down the hallway leading to his bedroom. The double doors leading to his room slammed open and he walked us into his bathroom. He placed me down on my feet and then turned to shut the door behind us.

  My jaw was dragging the ground by the time he turned back around and I moved away from him. “What in the hell do you think you are doing?!” I crossed my arms over my chest and glowered up at him in outrage.

  Damn if that little sideways grin didn’t break out on his face. That particular expression gave him such a boyish charm that it was hard to ignore him, much less resist him.

  “David got to help you in a shower, so I think it’s only fair that I get to as well. As, roommates, of course.” He slowly stalked toward me as he spoke and for every step he took forward I took one back. We kept up our little dance until my back hit the glass enclosure of the shower.

  Once I was effectively trapped, Daemon’s expression changed from playful to seductive. I was motionless as he continued his approach. When he was within inches of touching me his arm reached around me to open the shower door. He placed his hands on my shoulders and gently pushed me back. I must have resembled a cat getting shoved in a box at that moment, because my arms and legs spread out to hold on the walls of the enclosure.

  Daemon laughed. “What’s wrong, Paige? Don’t think you can handle a friendly shower with a friend?”

  I was reaching a breaking point and I quickly realized avoiding Daemon was not going to work. He wanted to play a game with me and up until now, I had refused. But, screw that! I was just going to up my resolve and play this game to win. If Daemon was able to tease me relentlessly, then I would just have to return the favor.

  I dropped my arms with such force, my hands slapped against my thighs and I stepped back into the shower. My eyes never left Daemon’s and his expression quickly displayed his confusion. Giving him a slight grin, I reached behind me to turn on the water. My hair and clothes clung to me from the moisture and I looked up at him through my spiked lashes. His expression heated and I reached out, grabbed him by the shirt, and pulled him in the shower with me.

  We both stood under the spray and let the water wash over us. Drops of water slid down to fall off his jaw and I quickly discovered my error in judgment. Dry Daemon was a work of art; but wet Daemon was godlike. His shirt clung to his sculpted chest and abdomen and I couldn’t drag my eyes away from him. I looked up into his blazing blue eyes, which were framed by spiky, thick lashes and my breath caught. We were in a standoff and, fortunately, it was obvious Daemon was as equally affected by me as I was by him.

  This silence was thick and I needed to say something to break up this intensity.

  “See, I can handle a shower with a friend.” I held up my hands to indicate our presence in the shower together.

  Daemon’s eyes traveled to my lips and I became anxious when he didn’t immediately respond. I felt smug for a moment when I thought I had won this battle. Daemon’s eyes looked back into mine and the corners of his mouth quirked up in response to some private thought. My muscles froze at the look on his face. He stood still for another second before he took a step forward and his mouth claimed mine.

  My knees buckled. I reached out to grasp onto anything to keep from sliding down and Daemon’s hand reached around to hold me up by my lower back. This was not the reaction I was expecting and I inwardly gloated at having caused him to go against the no touching policy in this game.

  Daemon continued our kiss as his hands made their way up my body. When he reached my shoulders, he slipped a finger underneath each thin strap of my dress. Slowly, he pulled the straps down my arms and my dress started to fall off me from the weight of the water soaking it.

  He broke the kiss and his eyes traveled down to watch my body as it was being unveiled to him. My first reaction was to freeze in place, but I had to remind myself that we were in the middle of a game and I was playing to win.
<
br />   My dress hit the floor with a wet slap and lay pooled around my feet. Daemon’s eyes heated as he took in my exposed skin. My hands slightly shook as I reached up to grasp the bottom hem of his shirt. I started to lift the material; but when he didn’t move his arms for me to remove the shirt, my eyes looked up at him in question.

  Drops of water traveled down Daemon’s face and slid over the crease of his mouth, now held in a wicked grin. I tugged some more on the bottom of his shirt and he reached over his head to take it off that way. The biceps in his arm flexed from the movement and I couldn’t help but reach up to run my hand over the taut skin of his arm. When Daemon finished pulling the shirt over his head, he reached behind to toss it out onto the bathroom floor.

  Due to our height differences, my eyes were met with the sculpted outline of his pectoral muscles. I sucked my bottom lip between my teeth as I gingerly reached up to run my hands across his waterlogged skin. After three weeks of having not been allowed to touch him, I didn’t want to move too fast for fear he would stop me. It was almost as if I was reaching out to touch a wild animal. His eyes burned into me as I ran my hands up and over his shoulders. Grasping behind his neck, I looked up at him and pulled his mouth down to mine.

  The combination of my feelings of triumph for having ended the game and the desire building between us was overly euphoric. My heart pounded against my chest and I went up on tip toes attempting to deepen the kiss. Daemon’s hands came up to caress my breasts and he pinched the tips taut between his fingers. I pressed my breasts into his hand begging for more. I wanted him to grab me harder, pinch me harder, to awaken and set aflame that splendid nerve that ran from my breasts down to my center.

  Daemon abruptly pulled away from me and when I groaned in protest, he spun me around and pressed me up against the shower wall. With one large hand, he grabbed both of my wrists and held them against the wall above my head. Daemon’s front pressed into my back and I could feel his chest expand and contract with labored breathing.