Free NocC 014 - Elle James - Hot Demon Nights - Harlequin 2012-05 by Nocturne

if you want me to.”
    I tore my gaze away, concentrating on the boots I was attempting to slip my feet into. I slid the zippers up and straightened. “I’m ready.”
    “Really?” He smiled that dangerously sexy smile that made my knees so weak I could have shot myself. Then he handed me the tray with our empty mugs. “If you’ll do the honors of taking this back to the kitchen, I’ll meet you at the door.”
    I took the tray, trying—and failing—to avoid his touch. That electric shock of awareness zipped through my system, jolting me awake better than any caffeine could ever accomplish.
    His eyes widened briefly and he held onto the tray a little longer than he should have before letting go.
    If I wasn’t mistaken, he’d felt that blast of awareness as much as I had. And it had surprised him. Which led me to believe it wasn’t just a demon touching a human that sent that blast. It was him touching me. It was way too early in the morning to be dealing with that, so I turned to walk away, but I swung toward the kitchen faster than I should have, tripping over the comforter that had found its way to the floor during the night. The tray launched from my grip, scattering coffee mugs and bagels across the carpet.
    In a blur of motion, Blaise caught me before I hit the ground, his arm circling my waist, pulling me against his hard, contoured nakedness. He straightened, his grip tightening to keep me from bolting.
    Not that I could. Once in his arms, the rest of the world seemed to fall away. I suddenly felt as though my clothes constricted my ability to breathe.
    He smiled down at me. “Careful, beautiful.” The words rumbled in his chest, vibrating against mine.
    I opened my mouth to tell him to let me go, yet instead I leaned up on my toes and kissed him. What came over me, I don’t know, but I had to taste his lips.
    For a long moment, he let me take the lead, then his hands moved up my body, clasping my cheeks between his palms, holding my face away from him. “Careful.” Then his lips crushed mine.
    My hands settled on his waist, drawing him closer until his hips ground into mine, his cock hard and persistent, nudging against my belly. As if of their own volition, my fingers slid down his back to cup his ass.
    The muscles flexed beneath my touch, sinuous and strong.
    I wanted him now. Forget the investigation, forget the world. I wanted this demon inside me, thrusting deep and hard.
    Blaise broke off the kiss, tugging my hair until I looked up into his eyes. “Much as I’d love to make love to you again, we have to go.” He picked up the tray and mugs, set them in my hands and turned me toward the kitchen with a pat on my ass. “Go, before I change my mind.”
    In a daze, I walked to the kitchen, coming back to earth with each step. With returning brain cells, I wondered what was going on. I’d never responded to a man that way. And from the tension in Blaise’s smile, the clear restraint in his touch, I had the feeling he wasn’t used to responding to women this way, either. What was going on with us? I needed answers and I needed them now.
    I summoned every ounce of anger I could muster and slammed the tray on the counter. The bang and clatter of dishes helped further my grasp on reality. “I’m not in the habit of fucking my partners.”
    “Note taken,” he said from the other room.
    I jerked the dishwasher door open and jammed a mug into the rack. “And I’ve never lost focus on a job before.”
    “Before what?” He grabbed his jacket from the back of a chair and slid his arms into it before striding across the floor and standing in front of me. “Before you met me?”
    I glared up at him. “Yes. I never lost focus before I met you.”
    “I could say the same about you. I was never drawn to a human woman before I met you. The only women I’ve been even remotely attracted to are other demons like me.” His eyes narrowed and he reached for my shoulders, his fingers digging in. “Are you