Demons Undone: The Sons of Gulielmus Series by Holley Trent Page A

days. That would grate on anyone.
    She sat up and pulled the covers back.
    Hitch stirred.
    She froze.
    “What are you doin’? Didn’t hear the alarm.”
    “I was going down to the gym. Get a run in.”
    He rolled onto his back and stretched his arms over his head, yawning. “Are you some kind of fanatic, Ariel?”
    “No, I feel guilty if I don’t try to make up for my bad food decisions.”
    “If you’re desperate to exercise, I can help you out.”
    “How so? Gonna take off in my car and make me chase you?”
    “Ha ha. No driver’s license, remember? Come here.” He wrapped his arms around her waist and dragged her toward the bed’s center. “I hear kissing burns calories.”
    “You really want to kiss me after watching me eat half a junk pizza last night?”
    “Why wouldn’t I want to?”
    “I … ”
    “What?”
    Her shoulders sagged. “Look, Hitch, the last guy I was involved with wasn’t great with the intimacy stuff. So maybe I’m not good at feeling sexy.”
    “Are you kidding me?” He sat up and rested his chin atop her shoulder, tightening his hold on her waist.
    Her body felt as if it were unfolding to the sun like a flower — his energy transferring to her, waking her up, tearing down her walls. She didn’t understand it, but she liked it. She closed her eyes and pulled in a deep breath.
    “You’re incredibly sexy. You’re sexy without having to try. And smart, too. I like that a lot.” He gave her ponytail a playful little yank.
    “And yet you haven’t once tried to get into my shorts this evening.”
    His hold on her tensed momentarily, then relaxed. “I didn’t want you to feel taken advantage of.”
    “Why would I feel that way?”
    “Because I’m a bummy hitchhiker who owns just enough stuff to pack into one knapsack.”
    “I’m pretty sure I could have evicted you from this little adventure a lot of miles ago if I were ready to get rid of you.”
    “So, what are you saying?”
    “I want to make love, but I wanted you to initiate it. I don’t want to feel like I’ve corrupted you by taking your virginity.”
    He tensed again, but before she could question him on it, he let go of her and crawled around so he was facing her front.
    “You corrupting
me
?”
    “It’s true. You were probably going to save yourself for marriage.”
    “In the world I came from, for me? There wasn’t going to be any marriage, so where would that have put me? Eternal virginity?”
    “That’d be a damned shame.” She hadn’t meant to say that out loud, but it was just as well.
    “So why not you, Ariel? You’re not going to break me.”
    “You sure about that?”
    “Why don’t you try and see?”
    There was a bit of challenge in his voice, and it was one she was more than willing to answer. She pulled her legs under her body and sat back on her heels. Her eyes had adjusted a bit in the dim light so she could see his shadowed face, his gaze locked on hers watching and waiting.
    “I think it’d be easier for me if … you were the aggressor here.”
    “Are we playing submission games, Ariel?”
    “What would you know about submission, Hitch?”
    “Enough to know that if I took over this ride, you’d completely zone out. I don’t want you to zone out. I want you present.”
    “I will be.”
    “Easy to promise.”
    She sucked in a breath as his thumbs found her nipples and flicked at them through her thin shirt.
    “Why don’t you turn on the light?”
    She didn’t want to turn on the light. She wanted to hide out in the dark and make ugly faces while working up to her Big O. Still, it was his first roll in the hay, so it was the least she could do. She tapped on the light.
    When she’d crawled back to the center of the bed, Hitch was peeling his undershirt off. She watched him expose the sinewy planes of his belly, his firm chest, and broad shoulders, and more as he tossed his shirt over the bed’s edge.
    She couldn’t wait. She pressed her hands against his chest and