Oblivion

Then she moved.

Reaching up, she clasped my cheeks and started to guide my head down. My heart freaking stopped when she kissed me. It was quick and over well before I wanted it to be, but it hit me hard. Man, dug right into me.

“Thank you,” she said, her voice breathy. “I really mean it. Thank you.”

It took every ounce of control not to bring that mouth back to mine, but somehow I managed. I smoothed away the last of her tears. “Don’t let anyone know about my sweet side. I have a reputation to keep up.”

Kat laughed. “All right, let’s do this.”

Putting up Christmas decorations with Kat was nothing like I’d ever experienced. She was animated, lovely as she touched every bulb and strand of lights. Sometimes she laughed. Sometimes she would look away quickly, thinking I didn’t notice how her eyes would suddenly go unfocused and shiny. I didn’t point it out, not wanting to overwhelm her, and she’d always recover quickly.

When she picked up a bright green bulb, she looked at me, looked at the bulb, and then smiled in a way that made me want to know what was going on in that head of hers. Once the tree was finished, I was tired, but the night was worth it. She stared at the end result with the biggest, most beautiful smile I’d ever seen.

“I love it,” she declared.

The tree was lopsided, but if she loved it, then I was down with it. “Yeah, it’s pretty good. Dee put up the tree this morning. She has to have everything the same color, but I think our tree looks better. It’s like a disco ball.”

Her smile got even bigger.

I bumped her shoulder with mine. “You know, I had fun doing this.”

“I did, too.”

I lowered my gaze. “It’s late.”

“I know.” She paused, her expression tense. “You want to stay?”

Either I was hallucinating or she seriously just asked me that.

“I don’t mean that,” she added immediately.

“Not that I’d complain if you did.” My gaze dropped. “Not at all.”

She rolled her eyes, but her face was such a pretty shade of red, and my pulse…my pulse was out of control. Outwardly, I was calm, but my mind was racing a mile a minute.

“I’m going to get changed,” she said.

“Need help?”

“Wow. You’re so chivalrous, Daemon.”

I smiled, unable to help myself. “Well, the experience would be mutually beneficial. I promise.”

The flush deepened.

“Stay.”

I stayed in place for a whole minute, if that. And I knew I should’ve stayed there, but I’d always had a problem with impulse control. Actually, I only had a problem with impulse control when it came to Kat.

Stealing quietly up the stairs, I went straight for her bedroom. I could hear her moving around in the bathroom as I drifted to the window. When she stepped out, she froze, and I immediately questioned the intelligence behind my decision to come up here, because I really liked how thin her shirt was.

And I really loved those freaking little shorts.

“I got bored.”

She shook her head. “I wasn’t even gone five minutes.”

“I have a short attention span.” My gaze dipped. “Nice shorts.”

Her lips twitched into a grin. “What are you doing up here?”

Good question. Guess “I was a glutton for torture” wasn’t the right answer. “You said I could stay.” I glanced at the bed. “I didn’t think you meant staying on the couch.”

Uncertainty flickered across her face as her gaze followed mine. I didn’t want that. I didn’t want her to change her mind and kick me out. Not tonight.

Not ever.

Walking toward her slowly, I stopped in front of her. “I’m not going to bite.”

“That’s good.”

“Unless you want me to.”

“Nice,” she muttered, stepping around me.

Since she hadn’t told me to get my ass out of there, I decided it was a go. I kicked off my shoes and then tugged my shirt off, going for my jeans before she changed her mind.

“What—what are you doing?” she asked, stuttering.

I looked down at myself and then at her. “Getting ready for bed.”

“But you’re getting naked!”

I arched a brow. “I do have boxers on. What? Do you expect me to sleep in my jeans?”

“You did last time.”

A laugh burst out of me. “Actually, I had pajama bottoms on.”

Kat opened her mouth like she was about to say something and then changed her mind. Turning away from me, she walked over to a book on her desk. I watched her for a moment, and then I took it there. I climbed into the bed, folding my arms behind my head so that I didn’t grab her the minute she decided to get her butt to the bed.

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 di

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 gri

“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.