Chapter 59 Chapter 59
He gave a mock offended frown. “You’re hurting my feelings. I’m a very well-behaved demon.”
“Yes, your manners are exceptional,” she replied sarcastically, but found herself smiling at him, seeing a cocky gleam appear in his eyes.
“That’s what I said, sugar,” he whispered, voice sounding rough and sending shivers down her spine. He shifted around a little until his lips were closer to her ear, and she felt his breath touching her skin.
“I helped you fall asleep, now where is my reward for the hard work?” he drawled, his slightly suggestive tone revealing what he was thinking of. She blushed and became flustered, looking at him with wide eyes.
“What kind of reward?” she asked breathlessly as his hand moved teasingly over her waist.
“I think you already know,” he whispered, breathing a kiss on her neck. He was back to playing his games like she was already used to, but she couldn’t say that she minded. Right now, she was grateful for every little distraction she could get. She wanted to pretend that she was alright, just for a bit longer.
“Fine, you’ll get your reward,” she smiled, suddenly feeling bold. Perhaps she could turn the tables and surprise him for a change.
Valerie pushed herself up and shifted around on the bed, straddling her legs to sit on his toned stomach. He didn’t move and observed her curiously, waiting for what she would do. She buried one hand in his silky white hair while the other followed his silver chain over his cheekbone down to his jawline. She playfully tugged at the chain and saw his eyes darken with lust, but he still didn’t move and let her do whatever she wanted.
She bowed lower and lightly pecked his lips before she deepened the kiss. His touch lit a fire within her that made her thoughts go wild. They revolved solely around him, and she forgot about everything else. She parted her lips, and their tongues connected, prompting him to growl lowly. His hands found their place on her back, pushing her closer to his body.
Valerie was breathless when they ended the kiss, but she wasn’t done yet. Her eyes followed his sharp jawline, and she ended up kissing the side of his neck. “Thank you,” she mumbled softly, not specifying what she meant, but he knew what she was talking about. Sighing quietly, he watched her with an indescribable expression in his eyes. When she moved back a bit, he sat up and tilted his head, biting his lower lip.
“You know… It’s really hard to hold back when you’re acting like this, sugar.”
She blushed. “Then don’t hold back,” she whispered, and his eyes flashed. He drew in a breath, and then she suddenly felt his lips on hers. He kissed her impatiently, taking the lead. She was embraced by his arms, and her body melted, leaning into him. His teeth grazed her lower lip, making her want more. She shivered with desire, hearing him chuckle in amusement.
Eventually, he pushed her on her back and hovered over her, never once breaking the kiss. She was addicted to him and couldn’t get enough, craving his touch.
However, there was a sudden coldness seeping into her body that threatened to snuff the fire in her out. She fought it down, trying her best to focus on Maxwell and nothing else, but her mind didn’t leave her alone. As soon as she felt his hands encase her wrists and his weight pushing her into the mattress, she tensed up and opened her eyes abruptly.
No, this couldn’t happen again. Not again. She did her best to hide her trepidation, but it didn’t take long for him to catch on. He met her gaze and saw raw fear in it. His eyes narrowed, and he ended the kiss, sitting up and letting go of her.
“I don’t think that was a good idea,” he said and frowned. She knew what he was referring to and couldn’t help but hate herself. Why did she have to be like this? Why couldn’t she just ignore her stupid fear? Tears of frustration pricked at her eyes, and she held them back with some difficulty. The last thing she wanted was to start crying in front of him.
“I won’t push you away again. Just go on,” she said too quickly and without thinking.
“There’s no need to force things,” he said calmly, his thumb moving over her cheek in a circular motion as he cupped her cheek with one hand. “It would be easier if you just told me what’s wrong. There has to be a reason why you are reacting this way.”
“Talking about it isn’t easy for me. It never is,” she sighed deeply and avoided looking at him. She pulled the blanket closer and hugged it to her chest. “Remember when I told you about my ex?” she whispered.
His eyes turned bloodred within a second, and she winced. “Yes, I do,” he said in an icy, cold tone, recalling what she and Nicholas Clarke had revealed to him. It hadn’t been much, but enough for him to know that her ex was despicable. “What happened? What did he do to you?”
Valerie’s eyes dropped down to her legs. She felt torn about this, but she knew that it probably wasn’t reasonable to keep this from him. They were stuck together, so she could at least give him some insight.
“I was Uriel’s girlfriend for around half a year. He was very charming at first, and we got along well. I ended up moving in with him much too soon, after only knowing him for about two months. In hindsight, I should have never done that, but I was naïve and thought I had found the love of my life. I had no idea he had another side that he hadn’t shown me yet,” she explained with some difficulty. Her fingers kept fidgeting nervously with the blanket, and she still couldn’t look at him.
Suddenly, he started to be violent with me. He hit me for the most insignificant reasons. One time, he didn’t like the food I made and ended up punching me in the stomach. I had a bruise for a whole week and… and it hurt badly. Another time he… he was in the car with me, and we had a small argument about something really stupid.”