Haley stepped out, looking around at the shelves lining the walls, fully stocked with countless tools and car parts, and even a car lift on the other side of the glossy Camaro. She was amazed he knew how to use all of those things.
He brought her into the house through an interior doorway and down a wide hall.
“Night, Hales.” Ginger walked by, holding up a half-asleep Noah. “See you guys in the morning.”
“OK.” Haley smiled, slowing to take in the kitchen as they went past. It was warmly inviting with rich wooden cabinets and dark marble countertops, a stark contrast to the stainless steel appliances.
She followed Damian to a massive open room with white columns reaching all the way to the top of the second floor ceiling. The living room area was to the side of the front entryway, full of luxurious white furniture and tables made of light, natural wood. Thick, cream-colored area rugs covered the white marble floors, and a gargantuan TV screen hung on the wall. The place seemed to exude comfort with a simple elegance. At the other side of the room, Ginger and Noah climbed a wide, curving staircase, lined with cream carpet that led to the second floor.
Haley eyed the grand surroundings with wonder, awed even by the front entrance as they went by, a heavy door made of light-colored wood, surrounded by frosted windows. Black symbols were etched into every square inch of the glass, and Haley noted they were identical to his tattoos, concluding they could be spells of some kind.
She went after him up the stairs, heading down a long hallway to a set of large wooden doors, and he pulled one open by the iron handle.
His bedroom was huge, bathed in soft light from sconces along the walls. The dark wooden furniture matched the headboard of his enormous bed, and a wide sliding glass door leading out to a balcony gave view to the picturesque night sky. He took off his watch, setting it on the dresser, and started to unbutton his shirt.
Damian held her gaze as he pulled it off, his arms flexing slightly as it dropped to the floor. Staring at her, he moved his hands to his belt and started unbuckling it.
Biting her bottom lip at the stir of desire between her legs, she turned her face away from him and tried desperately to calm her senses. “I don’t have anything to wear to bed.”
“Just take off your skirt.”
Fumbling with the side of her skirt, she lowered the zipper with shaking hands, and it slid into a pool of white fabric around her ankles.
He pushed back the white comforter on his bed and got under it, relaxing into the sheets. When she slipped in on the other side, Damian slid his arm around her waist, and she moved to nestle into him, suddenly craving his closeness.
Haley abruptly realized she could feel him, hard as stone, pressing into her, and instinctively flattened herself against him until she felt the massive bulk cradled between her hips, at the front of her tingling sex. She wanted to wrap her legs around him, but held herself still as a million thoughts raced through her head. She imagined what his dick looked like, what it would feel like inside of her…
“Damian?”
His entire body felt tense in her arms. “Mmm.” He practically growled at her, giving her a jolt of adrenaline at his rough reply.
“In the fantasy you had, you were using your mouth on me, and I was wondering…why you would want that. Wouldn’t that be something I would fantasize about?”
He gripped her waist, urgently pushing her away until she was at arm’s length. “I’m sorry, Haley. I’m struggling right now.” He sounded miserable and breathless.
She nodded, wanting to stroke him where he was hurting and fondle his need for her. Closing her eyes, she turned her face into her pillow, striving to diminish her erotic feelings toward him.
“To answer your question, I want to know what you taste like.”
Haley opened her eyes abruptly at his remark. “You do?”
“You’re surprised?” He moved closer so his mouth was inches from hers.
“Yes.” She had a touch of awe in her voice. “Well, I mean. I’ve never had anyone… ever…”
“What?”
“Nobody has ever… done that to me before.”
“You’ve never been given oral sex?” Damian narrowed his eyes at her. “I don’t think I can believe that.”
“My only boyfriend was… not very adventurous…”
He rolled his eyes to the ceiling, stifling a groan. “You have no idea what you’re doing to me.”
Haley found herself admiring his lips, overcome with the urge to lean forward and suck on the bottom one. He caught her lustfully gazing at his mouth, and leaned in close as she moved onto her back.
“Let me taste you.”
She bit her lip at the carnal need coursing through her, knowing they were moving in a dangerous direction. “I can’t.” She gave him a pleading look of hunger.
Damian reached for her hand, guiding it down her stomach, slipping her fingers underneath the lace trim of her panties. “Touch yourself.”
Haley obeyed his gruff command, staring at his face while he watched her slide them further until she reached her own wet, tender skin.
He kept a lingering hold at her wrist as she stroked herself under the silky fabric. Taking soft, pleasured breaths, she went deeper between her legs, dipping two fingers inside. With a ragged groan, Damian gently pulled her hand away, and she watched in astonishment as he brought her fingers into his mouth. He slid his tongue between them, and the sensation traveled straight to her aching clit.
After sucking her fingers clean, Damian buried his face against her neck, laying heavily on top of her. “I shouldn’t have done that.” His words were muffled against her skin.
Haley could barely speak, dizzy from the arousal peaking within her. “Why?”
“You taste so good, Haley, I just want more.”
Holding him close, she felt a rollercoaster of emotions, and he tightened his grip around her waist.
“Have you really only had one lover?” He attempted to relax his rigid shoulders.
“Yes.” She almost giggled, having never considered Neil her lover before. Their mechanical lovemaking was not half as erotic as what she’d just done with Damian. “What about you?” Her body tightened suddenly as she realized she didn’t care to know the answer.
He was silent for a while before replying in a rough voice. “Marybelle called herself my girlfriend, but… I didn’t really know what a relationship was… Still don’t, I guess.”
Her throat hitched shut at the sound of the witch’s name, consuming her with a weird kind of jealousy, and she hated the strangely possessive feeling.
“Goodnight, Haley.” His voice was rough with frustration.
She closed her eyes, plagued with a haze of dark, cloudy emotions. “Goodnight.”
Damian woke up in pain, rock-hard and suffering from a swollen anguish in his testicles, and found Haley underneath him, her silky bare thighs tangled around him. Her face looked angelic in the morning light, surrounded by soft, tangled curls of vibrant ginger-colored hair, and he couldn’t resist the desperate urge to run his lips over her neck as she slept. Her skin tasted enticing through his kiss, and he let his tongue linger along her throat, slowly dragging upward. She stirred slightly, and Damian took his mouth away, hovering his lips over her skin, moving down her body until he found her breasts, evenly rising and falling beneath his close breath. Her top had shifted lower during the night, and he looked at them with torturous desire, exposed practically down to her nipples.
Unable to withstand anymore, he slowly slid off her, and she went with him, turning onto her side in her sleep. Damian groaned aloud as her breast fell with her movement, exposing her pink nipple over the low neckline. He stood up, seized with an agonizing pain in his groin, and walked into the attached bathroom to take a shower.
It was not a new sensation to him, Marybelle had delighted in bringing him to the edge of arousal and leaving him peaked for hours and days, denying ejaculation until he was in sickening pain, begging her f
or release. This felt completely different, and somehow exactly the same. He was tormented by a psychological need for Haley as he stood in the shower, gripping his painfully swollen cock until he came in his hand, experiencing a moment of physical relief, but he knew it would never be enough.
Drying off, he pulled on a new pair of boxers before joining her in bed again, easing over her to rest his face against her chest. His facial hair against her bare skin woke her, and she slowly opened her eyes. Noticing her nipple was showing, she promptly pulled her shirt up, moving to sit upright, and Damian shifted away from her to lie on his back.
Haley slid her hand into her hair, glancing around the room with a look of deep anxiety. She turned toward her shoulder to look down at him. “Good morning.”
Damian could almost hear the regret in her voice. Running his hands over his head, he held them at the pillow behind him.
“Morning.” He stared upward, solemnly waiting for what was coming next.
She spoke in a quiet voice. “I don’t think we should do this anymore.”
Though he knew the words were coming, they still brought a crushing weight to his chest, and he watched the ceiling with unseeing eyes. Haley pulled her knees closer to her chest, lost in her own thoughts. Sensing her discomfort, Damian took a staggered breath and sat up on his elbows next to her.
“That makes sense.” He used a casual tone, hoping to put her at ease. “We can leave for the castle whenever you’re ready.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Startled awake in her dark bedroom, Haley clutched her neck. The clock read 3:32 AM. Her first night without Damian, and she had twisted in her sheets for hours before finally falling asleep, only to be tormented by a recurring nightmare she hadn’t dreamed in a while. Her wrists were bound, surrounded by the disfigured faces of Raden’s demons, whipping her naked skin and touching her all over with their lecherous, scaly claws. It was always the same, resulting in her waking in a panic, desperately grasping her throat.
Only this time, Haley awoke with Damian’s name on her lips, longing for the warmth and security of his powerful arms. She fell back against the pillow, feeling cold and empty in the darkness, and tried to close her eyes, but found herself jumping at every sound. She got out of bed, rustling through her drawers until she found a pair of Juicy pants she’d worn in college, and replaced her lacy camisole with a light blue cotton tank top.
She tiptoed up a staircase through the dark, quiet castle and down the hall, still jittery and daunted by her nightmare, toward the brightly lit living room.
The sight of Damian, sitting in an armchair, studying a stack of books with a somber expression, gave her a shock of pleasure.
“When did you guys get back?” He had left for Hell with Adam that morning after she’d handed over the starfleightte.
“A few hours ago.” He kept his focus on the book. “You’d already gone to bed.”
“How did it go?” Haley reluctantly sat down on the couch, tucking her legs beneath her.
He shook his head with a deep breath. “The starfleightte didn’t give us any answers.”
“Oh.”
He shifted his glance toward her. “Is everything all right?”
Haley lowered her gaze, suddenly shameful. “I had a nightmare.”
He closed the book, adding it to a stack on the coffee table, silent for a few moments. “Do you feel safe here?”
She nodded. “I just haven’t had one in a while. It caught me by surprise.” Haley reached for the book he’d been reading and flipped through the pages. “I like being back in Seattle.”
“You think you’ll stay?”
“It’s possible. I could do my job from the Hawthorne offices here.” The idea sparked a bit of hope, but her hand quickly fell to her stomach at the sharp stab of fear when she imagined walking alone to her car. The level of security at Hawthorne Tower was very impressive, and she doubted the Seattle branch gave such attention to security detail. “I’m concerned it will happen all over again.” She stared at the book in her hand. “Maybe he’s just been waiting all this time for me to begin to feel comfortable before he strikes. And if I’m not careful… and overly cautious…” Her voice lowered to a tiny whisper. “I could wake up in chains again.”
Damian carefully pondered her words. “How did you escape?”
“Luck, mostly.” Her eyes rolled to the side at the fortunate circumstances that had led to her stumbling, naked and bloody, into Adversus headquarters five years earlier. The female Healers had taken care of her there, and thankfully, they’d kept the gory details private, so her brothers were never privy to the extent of her injuries.
“And repeated attempts.” He leaned forward in contemplation, looking down at his folded hands. “Tenacious girl.”
Haley chewed on her lip, heat searing her cheeks, and Damian kept his gaze lowered. “Did he know your name?”
She gave a brief, mournful nod. “I was his personal slave.”
Wincing at that information, he remained still for a few moments, deep in thought. “Do you want me to kill him?”
“What?”
Damian looked back at her with a darkly grave expression, and Haley paused for a moment. “Wouldn’t that cause some trouble between you and your family?”
He let out a sardonic laugh. “That ship has sailed, Haley.”
Warm gratitude spread through her at the magnitude of what he was offering. “No. You don’t need to do that. I’m sure everything will be fine, I was just a little rattled from my nightmare.”
“It’s a valid fear. Raden doesn’t particularly like witches for some reason. He’s the one that forced Marybelle to release me.”
Haley shifted on the couch, crossing her legs at the casual mention of her name—his first “girlfriend,” Marybelle.
“It was less for my benefit, and more about the fact he didn’t want his nephew being controlled by a witch.”
“I know about his distaste for witches.” She recalled the hateful things Raden did to her in his chambers, taking off her enchanted collar just long enough to punish her for using her powers.
Damian caught her gaze. “I would find you if he ever captured you again.”
Haley blinked slowly, stung by the tears welling up in her eyes. “Thank you.” She placed the book back on the table. “You’re doing research?”
He eyed the stack and frowned. “I haven’t had any success.”
“Are you looking for something in particular?”
He nodded, grasping another book. “Anything that will help us find the djinn.”
“Do you think I could help you?”
He shook his head, rolling his tensed shoulders, his arm muscles perfectly displayed in his gray T-shirt. “You might get bored with it.”
“I like to read about new things.”
Damian stared at her silently with a sorrowful glint in his eye. “All right.”
“What are these symbols?” She pointed to the page in his hand.
“It’s a spell written in Trinnian.”
Haley looked at him in recognition. “That’s the language the demons speak.”
“That’s right.”
“Are your tattoos in Trinnian?”
“Yeah.” Damian watched as she examined the symbols along his skin, looking soft and shapely in her tight cream-colored pants and low-cut top.
“What do they say?”
“They’re for protection. Mostly against seeker spells, so witches aren’t able to find me.”
Haley swept her gaze over his arms before looking into his eyes. “How long were you with her?” Damian took a tremulous breath and caught the dread in her expression.
“Uh… She was friends with my older brother, Roman, and one day she caught me alone in the palace, and we both found out I was defenseless to her powers, so she… exploited it.” He shrugged, pushing aside the harsh memories. “I was seventeen.”
Haley stared at him with big, pitying eyes. “And when were you released?�
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He clenched his jaw tightly in embarrassment. “My uncle came to get me when I was twenty.”
Her eyes flashed with horror. “Three years?” She breathed the words.
“I barely even remember them,” he lied, looking away, ready to change the subject. “It’s not as bad as it sounds.”
Damian caught her doleful gaze, giving her a lighthearted smile. “Don’t do that.”
“What?”
“You look like you’re about to cry.”
“I’m sorry.” She relaxed a little, brushing her hair behind her ear.
“Don’t be sorry.” Damian went to reach for her hand, but remembered with a hollow ache in his chest that he needed to keep his distance. “I just don’t want you to see me that way.” He worked to set aside his misery as he studied another page.
Her fingers went to her hair, smoothing through the soft strands hanging by her shoulder. “You can speak Trinnian?” She surveyed the symbols.
“Yes.”
Resting her head against the arm of the couch, she looked at him with exhaustion in her enchanting blue eyes. “That’s a scary language.”
Damian continued to review the pages. “Yeah, it is.”
“I can understand a little…”
He looked up, eyeing her briefly.
“I was there for three months, so I picked up quite a bit. Actually, it turned out to be instrumental in my escape, listening to the service demons when they thought they were speaking privately.”
“Really?” He stared at her in awe.
“Hales, I didn’t know you were awake.” Adam ambled into the room, slumping down into a chair. “I’ve been up in the library all night. Damian tell you the bad news?”
“The starfleightte didn’t work?” She gave him an apologetic look.
“Wouldn’t give us anything without its ‘commander,’ loyal little sparkly son of a bitch. It won’t respond unless the owner drops it on the map, and we’re sure as fuck not asking you to go to Hell with us, so we’re shit outta luck for now.”
Paramour for the Devil Page 9
