A cold wave of dread washed over him before he quashed it with denial. He was pretty sure if he’d had some forbidden relationship with Sunshine back when she called herself Shamsiel, she would have mentioned it to him.
Come to think of it…He didn’t know why or when Sunshine had changed her name. Dan had told them she used to be called Shamsiel, but he hadn’t explained it beyond that.
And then there was the angel who’d knocked on the door. His face was obscured in Raum’s mind, and with every minute he was awake, it faded further until he couldn’t recall it at all.
It was the same with the first memory he had after his memories were wiped. He’d woken up with no idea what had happened to him in the last three centuries—except for a vague recollection of an angel telling him he was being punished for a grave transgression.
Whattransgression? It had always bothered him. How terrible could it have been that it warranted wiping his memory?
A chill ran through him.
His mind started to make a leap, but he erected a mental barrier before it could.
The dream wasn’t a memory. It was just a vivid remnant of the venom poisoning, one last fever dream before he worked it out of his system. It wasn’t real. It couldn’t be.
But it could be.
A warm body stirred against him, and the sound of a sleepy mumble had him glancing down.
Sunshine lay against him, using the space between his pec and shoulder as a pillow. Her hands were curled beneath her chin in an oddly adorable way, and one of her legs was draped over his, the tangled sheets uncovering the light-brown skin of her thigh.
The sight of her triggered what memories he retained from the previous night. She had shown up and busted his ass out of the dungeon, and then she’d finger painted a hellgate with demon blood, and—
What about the book? He frowned and tried to remember. She’d said she had it, hadn’t she? She said she’d found it.
Then why was she still here?
If she had it, then she had what she needed from him. But she hadn’t left. She was still here, and she’d kissed him in the shower before crawling into bed with him when she could have slept anywhere else in the world.
The knowledge did something to him. Warmth sparked in his chest, equal parts soothing and uncomfortable. He couldn’t identify the emotion for shit thanks to centuries of being numb as an ice block, but it felt…good.
It made him happy. It made him hungry.
He rolled onto his side, shifting Sunshine’s position because he wanted to get a better look at her. And touch her. And maybe taste her a little.
He’d gone to sleep naked because his clothes were filthy, and he hated wearing clothes to bed anyway. He sure as hell hadn’t expected Sunshine to climb in beside him and cuddle up with his morning wood, not that he was complaining.
She, on the other hand, wore a slinky little nightgown that clung to her curves perfectly. Even better, it had ridden up past her hips in sleep, and he could just glimpse the edges of the black-lace underwear she wore beneath it.
He smiled inwardly. For a pure heavenly angel, those were some pretty sexy pajamas.
He ran his hand up the silky fabric, starting at her hip, dipping into the curve of her waist, and then sliding back to the bare skin of her shoulder blade. In response, her spine arched, and she exhaled a contented purr.
He pet her a few more times, watching her react to his touch. If he was seducing her, she was seducing him twice as much. All that sighing and soft moaning was almost more than he could take.
Finally, her eyes opened, and she tipped her face up to meet his gaze. “Hi.” A lazy smile curved her lips.
He stroked her neck with a light touch and watched her lids flutter, and then he brought his fingers to her chin to tilt her head back. The touch was all he needed to communicate his intent, and he saw her eyes flare slightly with the realization. He waited for her protest.
Instead, her hand lifted. She placed her palm on his pec. He stayed still and watched, letting her lead the show for now, and he was rewarded by her hand sliding up to grasp the muscle between his neck and shoulder. He reminded himself again:She stayed. She’s here because she wants to be.
She squeezed slightly—an invitation. So he leaned down and kissed her.
She kissed him back like she was hungry for more, and he decided he was done holding back. No more playing nice. Sunshine had put on sexy lingerie and crawled into bed with a demon. She could face the consequences.
He tightened the fingers at her chin, pinching slightly to let her know he wanted control. She sagged like she would have melted away if he wasn’t holding her in place.
How did she know to do that? It was the sexiest possible response she could’ve given, like she’d taken the fantasy straight from his head.
