Now that I’ve experienced what openness feels like with him, the silence weighs heavier. My warped, sunshine fantasies screech to a halt as he sneers at me. “I could leave you to do this yourself.”
“Do it, then. That’s fine by me.” It’s a bluff and he knows it, because without him, I’m stuck right here. Certain demons are gifted with the power to create portals, but not me. Drekoth remains stubbornly silent on my petition for a personal portalist during these months. His tantrum over having to train a new hair stylist is clearly overriding my actual needs, and I’m not about to beg him.
“Great. I’ll drop you off and you can find your own way back to Hell.”
“Fantastic,” I counter with a sarcastic smile, but it falters as he takes a step closer and crowds me. “What are you doing?” His brow lifts as he hooks my waist and tugs me against him. I barely suppress my gasp at the spark that passes between us, and I certainly don’t revel at the feel of his muscular thigh pressing between my legs.
“In case you’ve forgotten, we must be touching to teleport.”
“First, I’m not even dressed yet.” My chin tilts up, my eyes narrowed as my body presses against his, and the smile he flashes me is victorious. “And second, you could’ve just taken my hand.”
“Hold your hand?” he asks, full of condescension. “How terribly common.”
The pit of my stomach drops at the way he’s speaking to me, and I push against his chest as I fight to get away from his hold. “What the hell? Fuck you, Micah.”
My heart pounds as he leans closer, chuckling as he puts his lips against my ear. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
“Stop posturing,” I growl, shoving at his body again, and when I can’t force any space between us, I snatch his chin. My fingernails dig into his skin as I hold him there, both our eyes blazing. “You and I both know your place, don’t we? On your back underneath me…” He licks his lips, his pupils blown as my fingers flex tighter. “Or would you rather be on your knees? This alphahole bullshit isn’t convincing either one of us.”
He grabs my wrists and spins me, and I grunt as he shoves the front of my body against the wall. With a roar that shakes the ground, I struggle against Micah’s grip, but despite my insistence otherwise, his power is undeniable. His strength is a force of nature, and I can’t budge him. Warm breath blows across the back of my neck as he pins me with his weight.
“You think you have all the answers, don’t you?” he murmurs, nipping at my ear. “It’s a shame you can’t behave for your superiors.”
Blinding fury makes my pulse flash in the corners of my vision. “Oh, Iknowyou aren’t talking about yourself. Get off me.” My elbow catches him in the gut, and he grunts as I free myself from his grip. A furious lightning storm rages in his eyes as he whirls, a palpable static charge lifting the hair on my arms.
Micah lunges forward, a violent blast of power slamming into me, and despite my instincts screaming at me to retreat, I stand my ground as his face stops inches from mine. His breaths are hot against my skin as his purple lightning flashes in warning. “Watch yourself,” he hisses through his teeth.
“I could bring you to the floor right now if I wanted to… make you submit,” I taunt, and his nostrils flare as the vein in his neck throbs in a rapid beat. “One word from me, and you’ll be down, bruising those pretty knees.”
“You think so highly of yourself, but you arenothing.”
“Nothing, am I? If I’m nothing, why are you always crawling back? Why do you keep begging me to give you what you need?”
“Need,” he snarls. “Don’t flatter yourself by thinking I need you. I can get that anywhere.Easily.” His gasp hitches in a strangled sound as my fingers wrap around his neck, fueled by rage.
“Have you been with someone else?” The words come out in a low growl, and his pupils dilate until they swallow the color in his eyes. They’re wild as I squeeze tighter, his breath struggling in his throat as fury scorches through my veins. My inner demon emerges, a faint red glow reflecting off his pale skin as my voice deepens. “Answer my question, Micah. Have you allowed someone else to touch you?”
“No,” he grunts before he shoves me back. I crash against the table, my hands slamming onto the surface to prevent me from falling to the ground.
“Do not forget your place,” he sneers, the raw power emanating from him pressing on me, constricting my breath and pinning me in place. “This is business, and you have a job to do. Get dressed so we can do it.”
“You’re just fucking scared,” I say, a condescending laugh rattling in my chest. He bares his teeth, and his power buckles my knees until I can barely remain standing. “Terrified little angel, afraid to be honest with himself. Too frightened to admit that something is happening here.”
A flicker of uncertainty crosses his expression as his hold on me loosens. “Fuck you, Xalreth. We spend one civil evening together and you presume to have me figured out? You knownothingabout me.”
I storm over, weaving my fingers through his hair and steering his face to mine. My tongue slips between my lips and his eyes drop to track the movement. I inch closer until it would take only the tiniest nudge to close the distance. He wants it as much as I do. His instincts are screaming at him so loudly I can almost hear their cries, telling him to stop being stubborn and take what he wants.
What we both want.
But all of Heaven and Hell couldn’t find two souls more stubborn than ours.
Neither of us moves as we share the same air. Anticipation grows thicker until it’s a tangible thing, crawling over my skin and urging me totake.
But he needs to be the first to break.
I force myself to wait, as we both draw in this charged air. After what feels like an eternity, his lips separate and move to catch mine.
I dodge his kiss at the last second, and his eyes are furious as they snap to mine. “I know plenty. And this denial? This big man, alpha energy you’re projecting right now? It’s a fucking lie, and that’s on you.” I tear myself away from him, waving my finger between us. “All of this is onyou.I put myself out there and you turned me down. Remember that the next time you want to wallow in self-pity. You were the one who rejected me, not the other way around.” His eyes are full of fire as I spin and storm towards the door.
