Page 53 of Not Your Ex's Hexes
He’d shocked her with the truth, and he’d stunned himself by telling her. The only other people who knew why he’d left Hunting were Miguel and Julius. It’s how he preferred it. It’s how he kept things uncomplicated.
“Want to know anything else?” Damian honed his inner jerk. “I’m an Aries. Thirty-four. My favorite color is black. And I’m addicted to anything with mint.”
And his demon’s sparkling personality was why he’d been cursed with his very first hex at the ripe ole age of sixteen…but he wasn’t about to tell her that, too. He’d already told her more than he’d ever planned.
More than was smart.
“Doc.” Rose looked at him with something akin to empathy… almost as if she knew he held back more.
“Don’t look at me like that, little witch,” Damian warned.
“Like what?”
“Like I’m something you need to fix.” Unable to keep his distance, he stalked closer until he had to look down to hold her gaze. “I’m not a failing sanctuary about to go under. I’m a man… or at least partly. There’s nofixingme.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Was that supposed to scare me?”
“Only if I was lucky.”
“You’re not as intimidating as you’d like to think, Damian Adams. Yeah, you may have an inner demon, but we all do in some way.”
“Does yours have the ability to coerce people into doing your bidding, too? Does it have a knack for spilling blood? Drink up the taste of fear as if it were cinnamon French toast? Because mine always lingers below the surface, waiting for his chance to do all those things. If you’re not careful, he’ll take you right along with him. Hell, it wouldn’t be the first time he brought an innocent along for the ride.”
Her gaze dipped to his mouth, her vivid caramel eyes twinkling with flecks of auburn gold. “Shouldn’t that be my decision to make?”
Sexual tension blanketed the room until it was damn near difficult to breathe. Hers. His.
It was suddenly difficult to remember why he didn’t do repeats. All he recalled was how he’d been unable to evict her from his mind since their one and only night together. Hell, it wasn’t even a night. It was barely an hour in the back room of a bar during her sister’s Bonding Announcement Party.
“I should take you home,” Damian said, his voice gruff.
Neither of them moved.
“And if I don’t want to?” Rose’s fingers hooked his belt loops and eased him closer.
That’s all it took for his remaining control to deteriorate. One step at a time, he backed her up until her shoulder blades met the wall. She peered at him through her thick lashes, her rosy mouth lifting into a satisfied smirk.
“Youshouldwant to, little witch,” Damian announced, damn near purring. “If you knew what was good for you, you’d run fast and far, and wouldn’t once look back.”
“Didn’t I mention that I’m on a hiatus from doing things Ishoulddo?” Rose asked, her voice breathless and sexy as hell. “Right now, I’m focusing on things I want to do… and right now, Damian Adams, I want to doyou.”
11
O-Donors
Did those words come out of her mouth? Under normal circumstances—and less than a few weeks ago—Rose never thought she’d hear those words uttered from her lips. Harper’s? Definitely? But the former Prima Apparent who’d been trained to be prim, proper, and polite except when the need called for it?
Nope.
She wasn’t the only one momentarily shocked by the admission. Damian’s mouth dropped slightly before twitching into a crooked half-smirk. The sight of it was so rare it nearly set her panties on fire right there.
Lust lightened his eyes, but with it was a heavy dose of wariness. “Rose, I—”
“Let me spare you the monologue and give one of my own.” She cut him off. “I’m not looking for a relationship. I’d like to stay far away from one as Supernaturally possible, which means whatever happens here would only be no-strings fun.”
His fingers slid around her waist, playing with the band of exposed skin just above her jeans. “Are you making fun of me?”
“No, I’m stating facts.Idon’t want a relationship. Tried that. Failed miserably. And nearly magically shackled myself to a narcissistic psychopath foreternity. I clearly can’t be trusted to choosean appropriate life partner.” Rose sighed. “And as for the no-strings fun? It’s been areallylong time since I’ve had pleasurable sex that didn’t involve rechargeable batteries.”
