Paramour for the Devil

by Savannah Hill

  “No.” Haley got to her knees, casting her arms around his neck. He’d put on a pair of sweatpants with a clean white cotton T-shirt, and she grazed her nose along his throat, lost in his intoxicating scent. “How are you feeling?”

  “I’m all right.” He let his hands glide down the hugging lace at her sides.

  She pulled back to look into his eyes. It was impossible to know if he was actually in pain, he covered it up so well. It was better to play it safe. “Can we stay in bed all day?”

  “I was gonna work on your car after breakfast.”

  “But… You’re supposed to be resting.” Tightening her brows together in concern, she gently lifted his T-shirt to inspect his torso. The wounds were still a shockingly brutal sight, bruised purple and visibly tender. Haley trembled at the memory of the miserable venom, searing through her entire body when she’d secretly spied on his mind. “No.”

  “No?” Damian pushed up an eyebrow.

  Pursing her lips together, Haley tried a different approach. “You’re free to do whatever you like. I just thought I was going to be your naughty nurse today.” She bit down on her lower lip to keep from smiling at her own cheap tactic.

  Damian shook his head, nodding toward the tray of food. “Come on, breakfast is getting cold.” She gave him a look of displeasure, turning toward the nightstand, and he smacked her ass, making her jump with a gasp.

  His slap aroused a sudden ache between her legs, and she found herself yearning to pounce on him as she moved the tray between them on the bed. “I want to help you feel better.”

  “I know, angel.” He cut into the stack of pancakes on his plate. “Working on a car feels like I’m accomplishing something. I hate just fucking waiting for this pain to go away.”

  Haley nodded. “I can see how laying around in bed could drive you crazy, and I don’t really know how an immortal body works… I can’t help it, though. You’re hurt. I just want to force you to relax so I can take care of you.”

  Damian stared at her affectionate gaze for a moment before rolling his eyes. “Fine. I’ll let you win.”

  * * *

  “I’ve never seen a thunderstorm last this long.” Haley sat at the end of the bed, rubbing the arch of his foot. Though she had never cared for feet in general, she found his to be very attractive and liked touching them.

  Damian grasped her ankle at the side of his leg, dragging her closer to him. “I think I might be causing it.”

  Her fingers went limp at his strong hands, expertly working the nerve-endings in her sole. A question sat on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn’t recall what it was as he took her calf into his kneading grip. “W-wait. You’re causing the storm, what does that mean?”

  “During particularly harsh sessions with Marybelle, I heard a lot of thunderstorms in Hell. I wasn’t purposely causing them, I couldn’t use my powers with her, but sometimes they act on their own.”

  Haley’s lips parted in recognition, vaguely remembering their conversation about his abilities. “You said you can manipulate the elements.”

  “I don’t really fuck with it, though. It can be hard to control during a fight. I just rely on other strengths.”

  She peered out the window at a clear patch of sky beyond the black clouds overhead, amazed he was creating a massive storm without even trying. “I can’t believe that.” She turned to him with a realization. “And it’s because you’re in so much pain from the venom?”

  “It’ll be over soon.” He shook his head. “Why don’t we watch a movie?”

  Still troubled, she crawled forward to sit beside him, making an effort to brighten her mood. “We could watch the Hobbit. That’s a trilogy too.”

  “Really? I didn’t see it on the shelves downstairs, do we have it?”

  “Actually, you have a smart TV, so we have access to pretty much everything.”

  He nodded, settling against the lush pillows in exhaustion.

  Haley gave him a sweet smile, happy to see him actually relaxing. “Where is your remote?”

  “Top drawer.”

  She twisted toward the nightstand and opened the drawer.

  “Condoms. Do you actually use these?”

  “Yes.” A smile broke over his lips. “Although I obviously haven’t touched them since I’ve been with you. I overheard you say you’re on birth control.”

  “I am.” She nodded at his tired gaze. “It doesn’t protect from STDs…”

  “Well, I’m immortal so I can’t carry STDs. You’re the first girl I didn’t use a condom with. It feels fucking incredible.”

  “I agree.” Haley caught a sudden flash of her golden powers from the corner of her eye and swiveled toward the nightstand, scanning it. “There’s a lock on the bottom drawer.”

  Damian sat in silence, and she turned to him, his breath had sped up considerably. She blinked a few times as he stared at her, dumbfounded as to what could be in the drawer and why her powers had inexplicably led her to it.

  “Is it private?” What am I saying, of course it’s private. But his comfort level had already been on shaky ground, she didn’t want to push him. “I don’t need to know what’s in the drawer.” Haley shoved her curiosity aside, focusing instead on the remote in her hand.

  “Look, it’s not really important, but I don’t want to keep anything from you.” He lowered his gaze, rubbing his forehead. “You can look inside if you want.”

  Her inquisitive urge became impossible to ignore. “Is it locked?” The silver lock twisted.

  Scarcely breathing, Damian cleared his throat before he spoke. “It’s open.”

  Hesitating only briefly, she leaned over the side of the bed, her heartbeat quickening as she went to pull it open. Her mouth fell slack at what lurked inside. Wanting to get a better look, she slid her legs off the side of the bed, kneeling in front of the drawer. A coil of smooth rope, a whip with nine leather tails, handcuffs, a leather riding crop… What the… She took out a nylon-covered bar with four cuffs attached to it. “What is this?” Her voice was quiet and distant as she inspected the strange device.

  He didn’t answer, twisting his neck with a tormented expression as she explored his collection.

  Haley finally spoke, practically in a whisper. “You’ve used these things on the women you hooked up with?”

  Damian straightened his shoulders. “In the past, yes.”

  Haley studied the bondage plaything in her hands. “And this thing? What is it?”

  “Spreader bar.” His tone was thin with tension.

  “Four cuffs, so… wrists and ankles?” That is quite a precarious position. Bent over, legs spread… She fingered the nylon straps, wondering how many women he’d bound with them. Setting that thought aside, she put the bar back in the drawer, sliding it closed, and crawled back onto the bed. He looked pale, as if he was nauseous, and strained with worry.

  “Haley, I would never want to use those things on you. I planned on getting rid of them. I just hadn’t gotten around to it.”

  Resting on her knees with her hands at her thighs, she let her gaze wander to the side. “Why wouldn’t you use them on me?”

  His head jerked back as he gave her a questioning stare. “Because…of what you’ve been through.”

  “And…what about what you’ve been through? Is that why you like it?”

  Damian looked away. “No, I was into that stuff before Marybelle.” He added in a low, ragged voice, “I prefer to be the Master.”

  The Master, holy Jesus. Why is that so hot? It became clear to her why he always bound her wrists during sex and played the role of her boss. “Do you…like to…hurt women, then? Punish them?” She just couldn’t imagine a scenario in which her knight in shining armor was wielding a whip like his evil uncle. The memory sent a tremor through her, and Damian made a frustrated sound.

  “No, Haley, of course not.” He grabbed her hand, squeezing it. “It’s nothing like what you’ve experienced. The women I’ve done this with were particularly
interested in being dominated. It’s why they were with me.”

  “Not ‘with you,’ right? You did these things with one night stands?”

  “Some were casual hookups that happened more than once.” He had a terrified look of guilt in his eyes, turning away from her.

  “You like…” Haley swallowed, fighting her own anxieties. “To use the whip?”

  “Baby, the way I use it doesn’t leave any marks, let alone scars. But it’s still not something I would ever want to do to you, Haley, I promise.”

  Deep in thought, she held tightly to his hand as she shook off the dark memories. “Maybe not the whip… I might like the other things.”

  “Never.”

  “You’ve tied me up with vines before.” She grew excited at the prospect of being bound by the spreader bar while he teased her helplessly exposed clit.

  “I was out of my goddamn mind. Your pussy had me practically blackout drunk.”

  “Why do those other bitches get to use toys with you, and I don’t?” Though it had seemed like a perfectly logical thing to say at first, the statement sounded ridiculously childish to her after the fact.

  “You could have a flashback, Haley. I’m not gonna risk losing you.”

  “You’re never going to lose me.” She giggled softly. “I trust you.” He looked worn-out and sickly pale, and she knew the conversation had taken a heavy toll on him. “We don’t need to keep talking about this.” Haley glided forward, sensuously pressing her lace covered breasts together as she brought her lips to his and kissed him deeply. “Please don’t get rid of any of it.”

  Her whispered request was low and sultry, and Damian seemed to relax a bit. Grasping her face, he took her mouth again, amorously kissing her.

  “Promise?” She breathed into his mouth.

  “Promise what?” His voice sounded affected. “Ugh, the fucking drawer. Yes. I promise we’ll discuss it again.”

  A smile crept over her mouth. Surprised by the streaking thrill that shot through her lower belly, she gasped a little. “OK.”

  Damian shook his head and pointed to the remote. “Can we watch the movie?”

  “Definitely.” Haley flipped on the expansive TV screen across the room. “Are you sure about the Hobbit? There is a prominent dragon in the story.”

  “I’m sure I’ll be asleep before we get to that part.” He lowered his head to her lap, tightening his arms around her hips.

  As she waited for the movie to finish downloading, her mind continued to settle on the naughty drawer. He was just gonna get rid of it all without even telling me about it. It made sense he’d want to avoid adding whips and riding crops to their sex life, but she wasn’t fearful about them. He had chained her heart, not in a claustrophobic way, more in a manner that filled her with a sense of security. Based on his prowess in the bedroom, she had no doubt he could chain her properly there too, and she wanted it…badly. Haley knew it was perhaps an immature response, but she felt, in some strange way, almost left out by the fact he’d shared deviant sexual experiences with several random girls and refused to try them with her.

  “Did you do anything exciting while I was gone?” Damian interrupted her thoughts, turning his face toward her thighs, nuzzling into them, and her toes curled at the tickle of his scratchy facial hair.

  “Nothing exciting.” She softly dragged her polished nails over his shoulders as she thought about her lonely Saturday without him. “I went with Ginger and Aimee to the Hawthorne building downtown, there’s an accountant taking maternity leave in three weeks, so I’ll be using her office.”

  “What did you think of it?”

  “I liked it. The building is a lot bigger than I imagined, Aimee showed me around while Ginger got some work done.”

  “Oh, did she take you to the mailroom? I hear there are a lot of hot guys in there.”

  “We stayed out of the mailroom.” Haley giggled. “Apparently they have shirtless arm wrestling competitions. It’s all a little homoerotic.”

  “That’ll be your new favorite lunch hangout.”

  She heard the edge to his tone as he brought himself upright. “No. I’m a taken woman.”

  “Good to hear.” Damian smiled, leaning his head back against the headboard. “How is the security there, do they have any?”

  “None.” Her gaze lowered to her lap at the unsettling reminder of her situation.

  “Well, that’s easily taken care of. I’ll have it set up by the time you start working.”

  Haley met his gaze. “You don’t need to do that. I mean, I can talk to my uncle about hiring a security company—”

  He shook his head. “No. I need to know you’re actually safe when you’re there, especially if I’m not in town. I’ll handle it.”

  Relieved and overwhelmed with gratitude, she moved closer to hide her face against his neck. “Thank you.”

  “I’m always gonna keep you safe, Haley.”

  Emotional tears sprang to her eyes. “I wish you didn’t have to. I feel so weak… I hate it.”

  “You aren’t weak.” He soothingly ran his fingers through her hair. “You’re the witch with the golden powers.”

  She pondered his odd choice of words. “Does that mean something?”

  “You tell me. Why are your powers stronger than Marybelle’s? Why are they gold?”

  Haley shrugged. “I always just thought I was different.”

  “There’s gotta be a reason for it.” Damian pulled her tighter to him. “I don’t think it’s a bad idea to practice using your magic. You’d feel more secure if I taught you some basic defense techniques.”

  Her dismal features faded into a smile. She’d never considered training in self-defense before. Raden’s army of demons seemed insurmountable for a small witch like her. Her escape had been the result of pure luck, and that wasn’t likely to happen twice. “OK.”

  Her voice carried an air of doubt, and Damian tilted his head to look at her. “You took down a Drak, baby. Trust me, with a little training, you’ll be fucking deadly.”

  Deadly. What a marvelous term. She could be deadly for her enemies. Using her time to train for an attack was so much better than fearfully waiting for Raden to strike.

  “I got you something.”

  “You did?” Haley perked up, sitting back against the pillows.

  “It’s not really a gift.” He reached into the top drawer of the nightstand at his side.

  When he pulled out a small, white rectangular box, Haley’s thoughts jumped to an assumption of its contents. Necklace.

  Her guess floated into his head, and he pulled his hand back. “Jewelry. That’s what I’m supposed to get you, right? This isn’t… I’ll get you something else.” Shaking his head, Damian went to put the box away.

  “What? No!” She grabbed for his hand and missed, swiping at the air. “I can’t believe you got me something.” Her heart dissolved at his vulnerable expression. “I’m gonna love it.” Chills ran across her skin as she said the word aloud to him.

  He reluctantly stretched the box toward her, avoiding her loving gaze. “We’ll see.”

  Playfully rolling her eyes, Haley lifted the top from the white box and stared in surprise for a second. It looked to be a folded silver knife. The handle fit nicely in her palm, and she awkwardly opened the shiny blade, finding tiny markings etched into the silver.

  “So, it’s not romantic or anything.” Damian cleared his throat a little. “But that thing will kill practically any creature. Especially a demon. It’s enchanted with Trinnian spells, that’s what the carvings are.”

  “Wow.” Haley stared at the cold blade in her palm before looking up to meet his eyes. “I love it.”

  “You don’t have to say that. I should have gotten you a necklace.”

  “No.” She folded it closed again, feeling more comfortable handling the weapon. I’m going to be fucking deadly. “It’s perfect.”

  “I’ll teach you how to use it.”

  “OK.” Haley n
odded, studying the knife again. “I can’t wait for training. This is actually a really romantic gift.”

  “It’s not. You don’t need to say that for my benefit.” He took the knife and slipped it back into the box, thinking for a moment. “If I get you jewelry, I’ll probably end up putting a tracking device in it.”

  A short giggle burst from her mouth until she realized he was being serious.

  “Is that all right?”

  “Y-you would put a…”

  “Not so that I could stalk you or anything.” Damian shook his head. “In case something happened, it would make it easier for me to get to you.”

  “Oh.” Her gaze drifted as she thought it over. “I like that idea.”

  He took a drawn out breath. “Good.”

  “But you don’t have to get me anything.” Haley smiled down at the box. “This was such a sweet gesture.” She caught his eyes. “I haven’t gotten you anything.”

  Setting the knife onto the nightstand, he dragged her onto his lap, and the tight, lacy fabric rode up around her bare hips. “I have everything I want.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  “Haley, girl, that dress is fabulous.” Ginger wagged her finger at Haley’s platinum strapless dress that stopped a few inches above her knees.

  “It’s a paper bag compared to that thing.” She waved to Ginger’s jeweled bodice, sparkling like diamonds on the white, mermaid-cut gown. “You’re reflecting on the water like a million beams of sunshine.” Haley pointed at the dozens of reflections, dancing around the light green water of the enormous swimming pool behind Damian’s house.

  They’d grabbed a bottle of champagne and stolen away from the merry engagement party inside. As a groomsman, Stephen had taken the guest list into his own hands, and the house roared with rambunctious energy as a result.

  It had been almost a week since Damian had come home to her practically in pieces, and he’d made a full recovery within a day. Then her defense training had begun. Her entire body felt sore from their tough sessions on the mats in his gym, though it was tempered by several glasses of champagne, but she could already hold her chin a bit higher with the simple fighting knowledge he’d taught her so far.