Page 36 of Hooked on a Demon
“I’m cute?”
“Yeah,” he replies, lacing his hand with hers again. “I wasn’t sure what you’d think about coming here, but clearly, I made the right choice. You are as happy as a kid in a candy store, and we haven’t even made it into theactualcandy store.”
“You made a great choice,” Eliana says, pushing herself onto her tip-toes and kissing his cheek softly. “The movie could be complete shit, and I would still be happy.”
He laughs, throwing his head back. The sound is magical. It’s deep and resonant, like the laughter has to work itself out of a deep cave. She hopes that’s not the case. That his laughter hides so far down that it rarely makes its presence known. His laugh is like a song meant for her, and she’d be immensely sad if she never heard it again.
The walk to the concession building is short, but their hands stay clasped the entire way, and throughout the process of picking out goodies. Her eyes light up when she spots the chocolate drops, and Declan insists she get enough so that she can have some at home, which she happily obliges. Once they’ve collected the veritable mountain of snack food, they make their way back to his truck, where Eliana spreads out their selection of candy, popcorn, chocolates, and nachos along the dash as if it were a mobile charcuterie board.
Looking at their haul, a fleeting moment of embarrassment works its way through her brain. Years of being told what’s appropriate to eat and not to eat as a dancer, has her brain wired to believe that indulging like this means she needs to train harder to keep the weight off. But as fast as the thought is there, she pushes it away, stuffing it back into that judgmental box she tries her best to ignore. She’s spent too long working through these stupid rules to have it ruin this night for her.
“I think you had the right idea with the extra bottles of water,” she says. “But you have to ration. No pee breaks during the movie.”
“Ration liquids. Got it.” The corner of his mouth quirks up a touch, showing he’s amused.
“Same with the snacks. You can’t go so hard on them that there’s nothing left before the end.”
“Don’t stuff my face too fast. Good tip.”
Somehow, she manages to tear her eyes away from his mouth and looks back at the feast before them. “I mean, there’s lots here, but we need to be strategic about it.”
He laughs gently. “I never thought watching a movie could be so… intense.”
“Hey! Snacks are a vital part of the movie-watching experience, and I will not have us run out.”
His eyes dip to her lips and then down her body. “Come here,” he says, putting an arm along the back of the seats, opening himself up for her.
She kicks off her boots, not wanting to dirty the seat, and slides over so she’s got her back resting against his side. He leans forward, picking up the popcorn, chocolate drops, and gummy bears, and places them on the edge of the seat. “Is there a certain ratio we are concerned about, or is it a dump-and-mix situation?”
“Chocolate first, mix, then bears. You want the chocolate to melt enough that it starts to coat some of the popcorn.”
Declan does as instructed and then passes the popcorn container to her, which she places in her lap. She grabs a small handful, ensuring a satisfactory mix of all the pieces, and pops it into her mouth. The saltiness of the popcorn pairs perfectly with the semi-melted chocolate, providing a great creamy hit, and the gummy bears finish it off with their chewy sweetness. “It’s perfect,” she says, grabbing another handful.
His arm reaches around her as he grabs his own, and she can’t help but feel like this, right here, is where she’s meant to be. It feels easy and free, like a home she never knew she needed.
As the previews start, Eliana snuggles into what she feels is the spot on his chest designed specifically for her. His arm wraps around her, pulling her in tighter, before he kisses the top of her head softly, and she sighs contentedly, wishing they could stay here, in this moment, forever.
CHAPTER22
Declan
Hades, save me. Why does she have to smell so good?
Declan’s index finger swirls figure-eights on the small patch of exposed skin on her hip. She’s so soft under his rough hands. Her pale complexion contrasts with the dark ink of the tattoos that run down his forearm and onto his hand, making him itch to see his hand splayed across her naked flesh.
As he gazes down at her curled-up form, her head on his lap, and her breathing deeper as she sleeps, he feels a pull in his chest. It’s a new sensation for him and one he’s not quite willing to explore yet, but he knows there’s something different about her. Well, he’s known that since she walked into his shop. Since he began to question if he was ready to settle down. But whatever this is between them, even so early and new, he doesn’t want it to end. Not anytime soon, anyway.
The credits roll, signaling the end of the second film, and he honestly has no idea what happened, having been too wrapped up in thoughts of Eliana and how he would love to have her head in his lap for other reasons. Imagining how her mouth feels around his currently hard cock.
The engine on the truck next to them roars to life, startling Declan and waking Eliana. She jolts up, pushing her mussed-up hair away from her face, looking around, momentarily confused. “Oh goddess, I fell asleep. On our date. I’m so sorry. I’m the worst date ever,” she fires off, frantically searching for her boots.
Even in the dim light, he can see a flush of embarrassment rush up her neck. His hand lands on her thigh, and he squeezes gently. “Oaks. It’s okay; kind of sweet actually.”
She eyes him skeptically. “Falling asleep on you during a date is sweet?”
“Yeah. You felt comfortable enough to fully relax. I think that’s a good thing.” His hand slides up her thigh, then rests on her lower back, not ready to stop touching her yet.
“You’re only saying that so I don’t feel bad about ruining our date.”
