Page 16 of Knox
Was that a hint of Knox’s incubus charm working on him?
Or was it because of all those fantasies Adrian had entertained himself with during his loneliest hours?
"I hope you’re right," Knox said softly. He reached out, his hand hovering just above the blanket, as if he wanted to touch Adrian but was hesitant.
"I hope so too," Adrian replied, holding his breath as he watched Knox’s hand slowly withdraw.
The air crackled between them, charged with a tension that was both electric and unsettling. It was the kind of tension that Adrian usually only encountered in the pages of a book—the kind that promised both danger and a thrilling, forbidden kind of pleasure.
And for the first time since Knox had crashed into his life, Adrian wasn’t sure if he wanted to run away or move closer.
Knox cursed himself silently. He shouldn’t have reached out.
The desire to touch Adrian, to taste that vulnerability, to lose himself in the intoxicating chaos of Adrian’s emotions, was a constant hum beneath his skin.
He wanted to trace the line of Adrian’s jaw, to feel the pulse of his fear beneath his fingertips. He wanted to whisper promises of pleasure, to weave illusions of comfort, to drown them both in a sea of sensation where nothing else mattered.
But Adrian was scared of him.
Adrian, who had welcomed him into his home, offered him tea, and even attempted to explain the workings of this baffling, magicless world.
Knox would not take advantage of him.
And, in any case, perhaps this sudden surge of desire was just a reaction to being displaced, a desperate attempt to reclaim a sense of control in a world that felt alien and unsettling. Maybe he was reverting to what was familiar, to what had always been his source of strength, even if it meant exploiting this human.
No.
Knox would not give in to baser instincts.
"Adrian," Knox said, "I realize this is all… overwhelming. But I won’t harm you. And I certainly won’t force you to share a bed with me." He gestured to the sofa bed where he’d been trying (and failing) to find rest. "But your room is… well, it seems to have suffered some structural damage. If you choose to rest here next to me, I give you my word, I won’t touch you." Even as Knox spoke the words, he knew this night would test him—and his will to be better than the creature he’d been born as.
Adrian’s expression shifted from apprehension to something akin to cautious curiosity. Knox watched him intently. The room was dark, but darkness didn’t impede Knox’s vision.
The silence stretched between them, thick with unspoken tension, and for a moment, Knox allowed himself to imagine what it would be like to bridge that gap, to feel Adrian’s warmth against him, to taste his desire for him.
He pushed those thoughts away, focusing instead on the faint, steady beat of Adrian’s heart. He sensed the struggle within the other man.
"I promise nothing will happen between us," he tried.
"You made the same promise to Lysandra," Adrian pointed out, reminding Knox of an incident he hadn’t thought ofin years.
It was the strangest thing that this human knew so much about his life while Knox knew nothing about Adrian. It gave the man an unfair advantage, and frankly, it annoyed Knox a little.
"Nothing that happened between me and Lysandra happened without her consent."
"Can one really consent to an incubus? You are the literal embodiment of temptation. How is any human supposed to resist you?"
"Lysandra is not human."
"I am!" Adrian’s voice rose a little.
Knox shifted on the sofa, moving away from Adrian. He was starting to understand what Adrian was worried about. Not that Knox would touch him unbidden, but that he himself would end up asking for it in spite of his better judgment.
It was a reasonable fear to have around an incubus, Knox had to give him that.
"In that case," Knox said, "I promise not to touch you even if you ask me to."
Somehow, Adrian didn’t seem as happy with that idea as he should have. After a moment, though, he nodded. "Okay," he said. "Let me just get ready."
