Chapter 85 Chapter 85
“Let me go, demon.” she complained as he walked deeper into the water until it reached his chest, the waves lapping against his body.
“Nope,” he replied cockily. “This is your punishment.” Without warning, he threw her up in the air, and she hit the water, going under. As soon as her entire body was submerged and sank lower, she opened her eyes and was met with a surprisingly beautiful sight.
Sunrays broke through the ocean surface, looking like golden spotlights as they illuminated the blue waters. Far away from her, she spotted a swarm of exotic fish and colorful corals covering the ground.
She stayed below the surface for as long as possible before her air ran out and she swam back to where the sea was shallow enough so her feet touched the ground. Immediately, she cupped her hands and threw a load of water at Maxwell, whose precious hair was soaked in saltwater afterward. Wet strands stuck to his forehead, and he glared at her, seeing it as a challenge.
“That was a bad idea, sugar,” he said huskily and lunged at her. She giggled, evading him by jumping into the deeper water where she had to swim. With quick strokes, she moved away from him.
“Catch me if you can.” she shouted and swam through the waves, farther away from the beach.
“I’ll never let you win.” he yelled after her. “Give up.”
“No.” she chirped and looked back briefly to stick her tongue out at him. “Come on, you slowpoke demon.”
His eyes narrowed, and he smirked, following her much faster than she had expected. She laughed elatedly, swimming as quickly as she could, her eyes set on the horizon that seemed unreachable.
The sky was blue and not a cloud in sight, the view being so gorgeous that she got distracted by it. Valerie had never had the opportunity to go on vacation to such a beautiful place, so this was entirely new to her. She could easily see why Liam liked it here, especially since he was a water demon.
She was swimming fast, and the beach was pretty far away at this point. Nonetheless, Maxwell easily reached her, grabbing her ankle. She swallowed water when she was pulled backward abruptly and coughed. He quickly embraced her and held them both above water while she clung to his shoulders.
“Got you again,” he drawled, raising his chin arrogantly. She sighed in defeat.
“Fine, you win,” she said, smiling at him. She hadn’t had this much fun in a while and truly enjoyed fooling around with him. Judging by his triumphant grin, it was the same for him. The bright sun made the chain on his face glint, and she noted that he hardly ever took it off, not even now when he went swimming.
“Shouldn’t we go back to the others soon? I’m sure they’re waiting for us,” she said after a while, resting her head on his shoulder. Maxwell’s arms hugged her body tightly, so she felt both his warmth and his taut muscles on her naked skin. His shameless clinginess made her blush and caused her heart to beat faster.
“I don’t want to,” he mumbled, sounding pouty. “I’d rather stay here.”
“Please?” she whispered into his ear and felt his body stiffen a little. “Please, Maxwell. I want to spend time with all of you.”
“Am I not enough?”
“Yes, you are, but…”
“But?”
She sighed and looked at him, bopping his nose with her finger. “You’re stubborn, Maxwell.”
“And you’re cute, sugar,” he replied, looking at her with a piercing gaze that made heat pool in her stomach. Her eyes automatically flitted down to his lips, seeing them curl into a haughty smirk. His hands moved over her back to her waist, getting a secure hold on her body before he leaned in for a kiss.
Their lips connected, and a firework exploded in Valerie’s stomach, happiness washing over her like a wave. She hadn’t kissed him since before their argument, and she had missed it. Drunk on her feelings of joy, she deepened the kiss, prompting him to chuckle. His lips were soft, tasting of saltwater as they melded with hers. She forgot everything around them and focused entirely on him, not wanting to be with anyone else. When they separated, she took a deep breath, filling her lungs with air.
She smiled softly, eyes following the line of his silver chain that dangled over his chest. Her gaze got stuck on his milky skin, and she flushed, thinking that he was too attractive to be real. She’d never noticed until now, but he was pretty muscular…
“Like what you see?” he drawled confidently, his smug smirk telling her that he already knew the answer and only asked to fluster her.
Valerie bit her lip, not meeting his gaze. “Maybe,” she stuttered, her eyes drawn to his toned chest where she spotted something she hadn’t seen before.
Right above his heart, he had a black tattoo of a symbol that was very familiar to her. Her lips parted in surprise, and she traced its outline with her finger, never noticing the growing amusement in the demon’s eyes.
“I didn’t know you had this,” she said. It was the very same star she had on her wrist, just slightly bigger.
He raised his eyebrows, a cocky grin showing on his lips. “Every high-class demon has a crest somewhere on their body; it’s not exactly a secret. Shouldn’t you know this? You even used it to summon me.”
“I didn’t know. You could have told me,” she answered, raising her head to meet his gaze.
“Showing you is more fun, though,” he said with a teasing grin.
Before she could answer, they were hit by a strong wave that pushed them back in the direction of the beach. Surprised, Valerie held on to Maxwell, who suddenly looked annoyed and rolled his eyes.
“Damn, Liam, can’t give me a break,” Maxwell growled. “Always has to interfere.”
“Is it just me, or is he a little bossy?” she asked.