Worry etches the lines of his blue face, but my smile quickly eases it. “I would love to,” I say quietly before stepping over to him and wrapping him up in a hug. I let myself close my eyes and just breathe him in for an indulgent moment, relishing in the feel of his cool chest against my cheek as his arms wrap around me.
“I want to keep my house though,” I tell him. “It’s my parents’ house, the last thing I have left of them, and I can’t let it go.”
“We would never want you to,” he tells me, drawing me away so he can tip my head up to look at my face. “Which is why we already paid off the first and second mortgages. It’s yours. Free and clear, and no one can ever take it away from you.”
My mouth drops open, and my brain can’t seem to decide if it wants to dive into holy shit mode, feel incredulous, or pretend it doesn’t comprehend what’s going on. I shake my head, propriety demanding that I reject this gesture because it’s too much. I’m not the kind of girl who can let people do something like that for me. But then I realize that I’m not just some kind of girl, I’m a demon, and I’m in love with these Guardians. I’m not going to question the why or how of it, or taint their beautiful gesture by being anything but completely grateful.
Tears immediately fill my eyes, and I stand on the tips of my toes to press my lips against his. My kiss is reverent and filled with pure gratitude and appreciation. I don’t know what I’d do without him...without any of my demons.
His hands come up to cup my cheeks, and his lips just as gently press against mine. The kiss starts out like a soft cool breeze on a warm spring day, but it doesn’t take much for me to want to dive all the way into his cool lips. I thread his long beautiful blue hair through my fingers, gently grazing his horns as I wordlessly ask for more. He responds without hesitation and kisses me deeper, sweeping a cold tongue against mine and making me gasp.
The ache I feel for him blazes into a full blown blizzard of need, and all I can think about right now is how much I want us to explore each other with our mouths and hands. I want to feel his naked cool skin against mine and stare into his deep-ocean eyes as he fucks me. I want to discover which positions we like, what his skin sounds like slapping against mine, and what he looks like as he comes.
I have so many questions that can only be answered by his body being in mine and us finally being together in all the ways that we want, but life...is a prick.
Iceman pulls away and leans his cool forehead against mine. We both pant, and I can’t help but run my palms up his well-muscled torso. He cradles my head and smiles, like he can read my mind, and then places a kiss on my nose before stepping back. “Soon,” he promises, and the dark rumble of his voice makes me have to press my legs together.
“Just a quickie?” I ask, unable to pull away from his too tempting body.
Iceman chuckles. “I want to take my time with you, Maverick. Spend hours learning your body, making you come. I need time to wring the level of pleasure from your body that I want to. I will soon. You can count on it.”
I’m pretty sure if he just keeps talking like that, I’ll come, but I don’t press my luck. We have answers that we need, and who knows how long we can keep Nefta here to get them.
I sigh forlornly and Iceman chuckles at the sound.
I walk back to grab the shirt as I quickly drop the robe. I step into the crop top, pulling it all the way up and over my chest. It fits snugly against my perky girls, showing off my peaked nipples that seem intent on trying to get Iceman to play with them. I try to pep talk my lady bits that if all goes well, we can have Iceman strip us out of these clothes later.
“Ready?” he asks, his voice huskier than normal.
“Yes,” I reply as I turn around to face him, and my hooded eyes let him know that I’m not talking about Nefta.
He smiles again, looking so damn handsome that I know my nipples aren’t going to go down any time soon. “Patience,” he chides teasingly before reaching down and grasping my hand to pull me out of the room and into the hall.
“Whose room was that, by the way?” I ask curiously as I walk beside him.
“Yours, if you want it. But you can pick any of the available rooms. That one is the largest...though I think we’ll need to get a bigger bed.”
I laugh. “Yeah, I think so too.”
I picture four King mattresses pushed together and me, just lifted and rotated to each demon throughout the night for snuggles. It’s a life I’m down for, and I’m excited to start building it with them. I thought maybe I’d feel sadder or more unsure about leaving my parents’ house, but I think I’ve realized that, as much as I treasure that house and have every intention of fixing it up and making it the best house it can possibly be, I’ve been stuck living someone else’s dream.
I’m ready for my own now.
24
I walk into the sitting room hand in hand with Iceman. We walk over to where my other demons are sitting or standing, watching Nefta sip coffee from a delicate china cup while holding the matching saucer.
The sight is somewhat comical, since she’s still slightly
