Page 78 of The Demon Prince

He wanted to see more of that pattern. He wanted to see more of her. And a flush of heat seared through him, turning his voice into a deep, guttural snarl as he said, “Don’t move.”

She knew what he was looking at. She had to know that he wanted to see all of it, all of her, and she should have run. But she stood there, patiently waiting as he rolled out of bed and prowled toward her.

If the hand clutching the top of her towel shook just slightly, he didn’t mind. She had good reason to be frightened of him, but he would never, ever hurt her. He’d rather flay his own skin off than lift a hand to her in anger or rage.

Circling his pet, Gluttony used his own body to move her into the center of the room, where he could really look. Really see everything that he wanted to see.

And he saw the gooseflesh pebble on her skin as he stepped closer. Did she feel it too? This strange heat that passed between the two of them until he could hardly breathe at all?

“Gluttony,” she whispered. “What do you want?”

You, he wanted to say. I want you more than I have ever wanted anything in my life.

But he swallowed the words and instead said, “I want to see.”

Because he did. He wanted to know what had happened to her. He wanted her to bare her soul to him just as he had her, because right now he felt a little raw. She knew everything about him now. Every dark and twisted secret that he had hidden from the rest of the world.

Sure, there were more. Thousands of years of misdeeds and horrible decisions, but he didn’t hide those. Any book or historian could tell her all the terrible choices he had made in his life. And he had owned up to all of them.

But he had never killed anyone in cold blood. At least, anyone other than Larissa. And now she knew his darkest secret, and she hadn’t even flinched.

She stood before him in nothing but a towel and seemingly was fine with him looking at her. Seeing her. Touching her.

And oh, it made his cock hard. The trust she gave him, it was more than anyone else had ever done before. Not Larissa. Not the countless lovers he had in the past.

She was the only one who had ever made him feel like a man.

Katherine’s hands shook again and then... she dropped the towel. The pale white fabric fluttered to the floor and revealed miles upon miles of pale, soft flesh.

He was so glad he stood behind her because he had to bite his knuckle to stop the groan at what she revealed. Soft, rounded hips that gave way to what was likely the most perfect ass he’d ever seen. More than a handful in each globe, and those tiny indents just above. He wanted to bite her. He wanted to leave his mark on her and then do it again and again until no one would ever question that she was his.

Her hair was long and covered most of her back from his sight. But those long, lean legs were an ode to a god’s divine work. Yes, there were scars on her right leg. Burn marks that were both silvery and dark, showing where the fire had maimed her more than in other areas. And he could see how stiff the limb was, but it didn’t matter to him in the slightest.

A throb started between his legs, his cock jumping at the sight of her, but he refused to stop looking. Not now. Not when he had her right in front of him.

He couldn’t touch her, though. Not like this. He kept his hands in his pockets and slowly walked to her front.

Her breasts were so lovely, pink tipped and faintly tinged with a blush that spread down from her cheeks. A thin patch of hair between her legs hid what he most wanted to see, but he indulged himself in watching her stomach flex as she allowed him to look his fill.

And, oh, if it wasn’t painful to look and not touch.

“You are beautiful,” he said, his voice ragged with emotion. “Lovely, Kat.”

“But my scars—”

“I do not see them,” he muttered, still staring at her like he wanted to devour her whole. “I see only a stunning woman who I would like nothing more than to pleasure. To touch my fill until you cannot think or stand or utter another word. I want to ruin you, Katherine.”

Her breath puffed out her lips before she whispered, “Then do it.”

He almost groaned. “You don’t know what you ask of me, Kat.”

“No, I don’t. But I want to know and I think I want to find out all of it with you.” Katherine’s eyes had widened, and she’d turned a darker shade of red. “Touch me, Gluttony. I want to know what it feels like.”

She didn’t know...

Oh, he did groan then. He wasn’t responsible enough to show her what actual passion felt like! Gluttony hadn’t been with a woman in ages. He didn’t... couldn’t...

Her body was bathed in a flash of bright red and he knew it was emitting from his eyes. She deserved so much better than him, but he was absolutely going to take this opportunity.

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