It must be mid-morning. I've been awake for a while, but too comfortable to move away from the safe cocoon of his warm body and a soft blanket. His arms are like steel bands around me, his legs are thrown carelessly but possessively over mine, and his warm breath is fanning the side of my head.
I can feel the moment he wakes up - his breathing changes and his body stiffening. I tighten my arms around him when I feel him shift.
"You're awake," he murmurs before pressing a kiss on my temple. His voice is husky from sleep. "Good morning, sweetheart."
I let my hands slide off his body when he reaches over me to pick up his phone on the bedside table. Then he lets his head fall back down on the same pillow where my head is resting on. He swipes his thumb over the screen and I steal a glance. It's after ten in the morning.
He goes through his messages very quickly, probably checking for anything urgent or important. It's Saturday and he told me last night, and again at dawn this morning that he usually goes to the office until noon on Saturdays.
He sighs and tosses the phone onto the other side of the bed before his warm powerful arm circles my waist and playfully tugs me in even closer. A giggle escapes my mouth but it dies down when his heavy-lidded gaze locked on my lips before moving up to my eyes.
He's so beautiful, it hurts. Every time I set my eyes on him, it struck me. It hits me right in my chest. Even now, just waking up - hair tousled, thickly lashed eyelids heavy from sleep, and the lower half of his face covered by a layer of stubble, he's easily the sexiest man I've ever seen.
I take in the sharp jawline, the high cheekbones, the strong aristocratic nose, and the light green color of his eyes with the golden burst in the center. I don't know how long we lie there, staring at each other.
He brings his hand up to cup the side of my face. His thumb brushes my lower lip. "You are beautiful," he murmurs. "Have you any idea how beautiful you are?"
I smile lazily and his lips quirk up as though he just remembered who he's talking to. Yes, I do know. False modesty is never my thing.
He chuckles and moves his hand away.
"Stay," I whisper, sliding my fingers along his muscled arm, tracing his tattoo there before moving my hand over the broad shoulder, marveling at the power of his muscles, rippling beneath my palm. I'm not ready to let him leave for work yet.
It's been a few days since I went and brought lunch to his office. I didn't get the chance to look around in his office for the Grimoire or anything that I could bring back to Astaroth.
But I wasn't even sorry that I didn't. I wasn't thinking of Astaroth. I was thinking only of him. We spend every evening, talking and every night in bed together. We can't get enough of each other. The more I spend time with him, the more addicted I am to him.
He makes me feel cherished and protected. Mattered. Belonged. I feel connected to him. He makes me happy. And when he's not around, it's almost like physical pain. I crave him.
I know sooner or later, this will end and I'm going to have to face reality. I'll be alone again. But until then, we're living in this happy bubble where there's only he and I exist. He's not a Nephilim royalty and I'm not Astaroth's little soldier, a half-demon bastard.
"It's Saturday, you don't have to go to work," I tell him, bringing my hand up to play with a few locks of his hair that curl around the nape of his neck. It feels silky between my fingers. "You work too hard," I continue. "Do you make your employees work on Saturdays too?"
"No, not normally," he replies. "But once in a while, only when they have a project that needs to be completed on time. They get paid overtime for that."
We're both naked under the cover and the weight of his hard length lays heavy on my upper thigh. I slip my hand down and close my fingers around it and a sexy groan rumbles out from his lips. His eyelids come down and his pelvic buckles forward, thrusting himself into my hand.
"You don't play fair, princess," he groans. His expression looks tortured yet full of ecstasy. I stroke him slowly and he continues huskily, "But you're right, I don't have to go to work...and I wasn't planning to go in this morning."
"What?" I stop my hand movement and he closes his hand around mine, moving it up and down his length. "Is that why Molly isn't here today?"
"I told the guards last night to take today off too."
"Ass," I mutter, letting go of him even though I'm dying to keep going.
"I didn't tell you to stop," he growls in protest.
"You made me think that you were going to work today." He made me work on seducing and convincing him not to go all night and almost all morning when he's already decided that he's not going.
"I never said that I would, I just said that I normally do. Besides, I was enjoying your effort in persuading me to stay."
"Oh, really?"
"Hey!" he yelps chuckling when I pinch his side. "That's not playing fair!"
I can't hold my laugh. I've discovered that he's ticklish on certain parts of his body last night. I've also found out that he loves having his hair played with.
"So it's like that, huh?" he says with a wicked grin before he throws his legs over me and grabs both my hands in his. He pins me to the mattress with his body and presses my hands against the pillows above my head. He is still hard on my lower stomach.
"What are you doing?"
"Revenge, sweetheart," he whispers in my ear before his hand, the one that's not trapping mine above my head starts to tickle me under my arms.
"Noooo!" I howl. I'm ticklish under my arms and he knows that. I'm writhing and squirming underneath him, laughing uncontrollably until I realize that he's stopped.
He's breathing hard but there's a stillness in him. The hungry look in his eyes reminds me of a predator waiting to pounce on its prey.
My heart rate spikes and I'm suddenly very aware of our position. The heat and the electric pull between us. I'm aware of the weight of his body over mine and of his hard manhood throbbing between us.
"Princess," he groans, tilting his head sideways as he leans down to devour my mouth with his. He sucks, licks, and nibbles my bottom lip and I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him closer.
His tongue slips inside to explore my mouth and his hands wander around to explore my body.
"Sacha..." I moan as he moves to kiss me along my jaw. His every touch is electric.
My own hands move to map the hard contours of his body before I rake them through his thick hair.
He's sucking and nibbling my throat. His stubble feels rough against my skin but I love the feel of it.
I'm lost in him until I vaguely hear the echo of footsteps and the sound of a voice downstairs.
We are both breathing hard and my brain is still fuzzy when he slowly raises his head from the curve of my neck, listening intently. We hear the voice again and I stare up at him in disbelief.
"Why is she here?" I ask him.
Jade's voice travels all the way from downstairs, calling his name.
He sighs, rubbing a hand over his face.
"How did she get in?" I ask again. The door is locked and the guards aren't here to let anyone in.
"She has a key," he says. "I let her stay over for a week a long time ago when she had some trouble."
I try to push him off me but he's not budging. "You let her stay over?"
"Look, I was in Singapore for business for two weeks and she needed a place to stay," he says. "What was I supposed to do?"
"Ever heard of a hotel room?" I grip his hair in my fist but he doesn't even wince. "And why does she still have your key?"
I raise an eyebrow and he gives me an unreadable look when we hear her footsteps ascending the stairs.
Unbelievable!
He hops off the bed with a groan, running his fingers through his hair when we hear her voice outside the door.
"Sacha? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine!" he hollers before he disappears into his closet. He dashes out a few seconds later, buttoning up a pair of faded blue jeans. A white t-shirt is draped over one shoulder.
He looks at me with a raised eyebrow and I just flop my head right back onto the pillow. Darn it! I'm pissed and I'm still turned on. And he looks so good with his golden skin, carved muscles rippling with every move. Unhumanly beautiful, that's what he is.
He's still watching me when he slowly opens the door. "What are you doing here, Jade?" he asks, finally turning to look at her.
She wets her lip, watching him with wide eyes.
"Jade?" he asks again before pulling his shirt on.
"I uh...I was worried. You didn't show up at the office and you never not show up unless it's Sunday or if there was an emergency and you weren't answering your phone or your text," she replies. "Your guard Alec wasn't answering his phone either, so I thought I'd checked up on you, see if you're okay."
"Thanks for your concern, but as you can see, I'm fine," he says.
Oh, for goodness sake! This polite conversation is making me sick. My stomach growls- not to mention hungry.
I flip the cover off and stand up. Jade's startled eyes find me for the first time and they widen.
"Good morning, Jade," I say as I bring my hands up above my head, stretching lazily. Like a cat.
Sacha's eyes follow me as I stroll naked to the bathroom. They're dark and amused.
"Coffee, toast, scrambled eggs, and one of your protein shakes. I'll be down in a minute. Thanks, honey," I call out to him.
I close the door behind me and listen to their receding voices and footsteps as I grab the toothpaste from the counter and my toothbrush from the holder.
A few minutes later, I'm refreshed, wearing one of my lacy underwear, and one of Sacha's comfortable shirts. I give my hair a quick brush before tying it up in a ponytail.
"...I mean, what do you know about her? You've just met the girl," I hear Jade is saying before I touch the doorknob of the bedroom.
"I've met her almost two years ago," replies Sacha cooly over the sound of something frying in the pan. His voice is cold, like a warning for Jade to stop asking.
"Almost two years ago?" She is quiet for a few seconds before she says, "She must have still been in school two years ago..."
Everything is silent again except for the sound of cooking since Sacha refuses to answer or offer any more explanation.
Sacha does what Sacha wants. If you push him, he'll put you in your place and you'd still get nowhere. As an old friend, she should have known this about him.
But she's like a dog with a bone. "You never mentioned her once and Olivier seemed concerned."
Still nothing from him.
"She could be a gold digger or..."
"Danica Saint is the daughter of Asta Saint, not that it's any of your concern, but money isn't something that she's after from me," says Sacha.
"Asta Saint?" says Jade. It sounds like she's heard of my father. "A billionaire with a sketchy past and corrupted..."
"I'd appreciate it if you stop, Jade." Sacha's voice is definitely arctic now. "Just stop."
I roll my eyes as I open the door. Oh, Jade, my father is more than just corrupted. Much much more. If only you knew.
***************************************
Hello dear readers!
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My next update is going to be on Friday evening (est). If you want to read three chapters ahead, go to:
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Much love,
Nicole♥