Page 11 of Exorcise Me
“The water’s getting cold,” he murmured against my temple, pressing a kiss there.
I was boneless, sated in a way I’d never experienced before. “I don’t care.”
His chuckle vibrated against my skin. “You will in a minute. Come on.”
He reached behind me to turn off the shower, then helped me step out onto the bathmat. With surprising tenderness, he wrapped me in one of the fluffy new towels, rubbing gentle circles to dry my skin.
I watched him, this creature who defied everything I’d been taught to believe, as he cared for me with a gentleness I hadn’t known existed. His soaked pants hung low on his hips, revealing a tantalizing V of muscle that disappeared beneath the waistband. Evidence of his own desire was clearly visible through the wet fabric.
“What about you?” I asked, reaching for him.
He caught my hand, bringing it to his lips for a kiss. “We have time.” His eyes held mine. “Unless you’re having second thoughts?”
I considered the question honestly. I should be. By any standard of my training, what we’d done—what I’d allowed him to do—was unforgivable. I’d not only consorting with a demon, I’d given myself to one.
And yet… I felt no shame. No regret. Only a strange, peaceful clarity.
“No second thoughts,” I said, surprising us both with my certainty. “But maybe we could move this to the bedroom? With fewer wet clothes involved?”
Lucien’s smile was slow and beautiful. “I’ve created a monster.”
“No,” I corrected, feeling brave enough to step into his space, pressing my body against his. “You’ve just helped me find parts of myself I didn’t know were there.”
He kissed me then, soft and sweet, a stark contrast to our earlier desperation. When he pulled away, his eyes were serious.
“Noah,” he said quietly. “You should know… this changes things. For both of us.”
I knew he was right. There would be consequences—to my faith, my career, possibly my soul. But standing there, wrapped in a towel and Lucien’s arms, I couldn’t bring myself to care.
“I know,” I said simply. “I’m choosing it anyway.”
The joy that bloomed across his face was worth any price I might have to pay.
Chapter 6
I woke to the unfamiliar sensation of another body pressed against mine. For a moment, disorientation clouded my mind—then memories of the previous night flooded back in vivid detail. Lucien’s mouth on mine. His hands mapping my body like territory he’d been dying to explore. The way he’d taken me apart and put me back together with his touch.
And later, in my bed, how he’d shown me pleasures I hadn’t known existed, teaching me ways to please him in return until we both collapsed, sweaty and sated, tangled in sheets that would never be the same.
I slept with a demon,I thought, the reality of it settling over me like a weight.I brought a demon to my bed.
I should have felt horror. Shame. Regret. Instead, I felt Lucien’s arm draped possessively across my waist, his body warm against my back, his breath tickling my neck, and all I could think was:I want to do it again.
“Your thinking is very loud,” Lucien murmured against my skin, pressing a sleepy kiss to my shoulder. “It’s disturbing my rest.”
I turned in his arms to face him. Morning light filtered through my blinds, casting golden stripes across his face. He looked different in this light—softer somehow, more vulnerable. His hair was a magnificent disaster, his eyes heavy-lidded withlingering sleep. Without the usual sharpness of his expressions, he looked almost… human.
Almost, but not quite. There was still something otherworldly about him, a subtle glow to his skin, a depth to his amber eyes that hinted at centuries of existence.
“Having second thoughts in the harsh light of day?” he asked, his tone light but his eyes watchful.
I considered the question honestly. “No,” I said finally. “Just… processing.”
His fingers traced idle patterns on my bare chest. “Process aloud, then. I find human moral crises fascinating.”
I caught his wandering hand, holding it still against my heart. “Is that what this is to you? Fascinating entertainment?”
Something flickered in his eyes—hurt, perhaps, though he covered it quickly. “No, Noah. That’s not what this is.”
