Well, that was…polite. “Okay. So let’s put the toys away.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m not ready for those yet.”
Fuck. Why had Cooper phrased it like that? Why the fuck would he say “yet”?
But Chaos was nodding sagely. “Of course, puppy. You’re very nervous. And embarrassed. I should go slowly with you.”
“You—” Cooper was stopped short as he shut the toys away. He’d assumed Chaos was oblivious to his emotional roller coasters. The demon definitely hadn’t said anything about them until now. “You know I get embarrassed?”
“Of course.” Chaos cocked his head, widening his eyes in that way he did when he wanted to seem innocent. “Did I forget to tell you? I can feel your emotions through your soul piece. And scent them on you besides. Your embarrassment’s strange but tasty. Kind of sour and tingly on the tongue.”
“You can feel my emotions,” Cooper repeated woodenly.
“Just bits and pieces.” Chaos grinned, flashing his dimple. “Right now, you’re embarrassed again.”
Of course he was. He was a fucking mess, and apparently Chaos knew every bit of it.
Although…Chaos didn’t seem to mind Cooper’s nervousness or his embarrassment. He’d even just said it was…tasty?
Still, Cooperwasembarrassed and also felt sort of…flayed open, in a strange way. He spent so much time worrying about what other people were thinking, worrying about trying to seem normal and less anxious than he really was. And apparently, with this demon, it was a lost cause.
Cooper didn’t have to pretend or worry or fret. Chaos already had his number.
Holy shit.
Chaos was going to turn Cooper’s life upside down, wasn’t he?
Whether Chaos was here for a few days or…longer, Cooper was just now realizing he wasn’t going to come out of this the same as he’d started. It didn’t seem possible to remain unchanged by someone like Chaos.
It was scary but also…intriguing. Cooper’s life had become so small. So contained. Maybe it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to have it blown wide open.
Whatever Chaos was feeling from Cooper’s soul piece now, it made his grin drop and his eyes go heavy-lidded. He scooted to the edge of the bed until his legs hit the ground, widening them invitingly. “Come here, puppy,” he crooned.
Cooper went, standing between Chaos’s knees. It made him taller than Chaos, the demon gazing up at him through dark lashes.
Chaos placed his hands on Cooper’s hips, and the warmth burned through Cooper’s clothes, straight to his skin.
Right. Kissing lessons. Cooper licked dry lips. “You know the basics?” he asked.
Chaos nodded. “We press our mouths together. We stroke our tongues.”
“Yeah.” Cooper pressed his thumb to Chaos’s lower lip, studying the row of sharp fangs that was revealed. “I’m a little worried about your teeth,” he admitted.
“Because I might bite off one of your fingers?” Chaos opened his mouth, capturing Cooper’s thumb and holding it in place between his fangs.
“No, I— Wait, do youwantto bite off one of my fingers?” Carefully—so fucking carefully—Cooper withdrew his thumb from Chaos’s mouth.
Instead of answering that extremely important question, Chaos bared his teeth, which were suddenly of the blunt human variety. “So I don’t accidentally take your tongue,” he said in a way that was maybe supposed to be reassuring.
“Cool. Great.” After a beat, Cooper added, “Thank you.”
The insanity of this moment aside, Cooper was grateful for the training wheels. He’d had some bad kisses in his life, but he’d never lost his tongue for his troubles. That seemed too high a cost for one kiss, even from an adorable demon.
Cooper had kind of expected Chaos to just go for it. To jump on him with the same giddy glee he approached everything else. But instead, Chaos kept sitting there with his unnatural, predatory stillness, his hands steady on Cooper’s hips.
Waiting for Cooper.
