Candy Hearts, Vol. 2

Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

TEN

The next morning, I magicked up some breakfast for Matthew—blueberry pancakes and hot coffee, his favorites—without ever leaving the bed since he was clinging to me so hard.

The scent of the warm breakfast seemed to rouse him, and he stirred as I placed everything on the side table, dark brown eyes peering up at me as a smile lit his face.

"Good morning," Matthew said, and I was glad to see his eyes sparkle. I was worried last night would still be haunting him, but he seemed to have accepted that he wasn't the one to be blamed.

"Morning, sweetheart."

Matthew's nose twitched, and his eyes searched the room, looking for the source of the delicious scents. "Is there breakfast?"

"Yep."

Matthew fought with the blankets to sit upright, and I grabbed the tray, placing it on the mattress between us.

"My favorite! Thank you!" Pressing a kiss to my shoulder, he dived into his breakfast, and I watched happily as I sipped my coffee. I wasn't a breakfast person, but I was going to enjoy cooking some for Matthew every day.

"We should get a dog. Or a cat," I said, and Matthew glanced up at me, eyes wide.

"You want to get a pet with me?"

"Yes. Unless you don't like animals?"

Matthew snorted. "What kind of monster doesn't?"

"True. So, dog or cat?"

Matthew pursed his lips, his eyes getting a faraway look as he thought it over. "Dog. A big one, I think."

A big dog, huh? My thoughts flashed to the perfect option, and I gave a low whistle that was practically inaudible to humans.

"How about Hella?"

Matthew gave me a confused look, then jerked upright as Hella appeared at the edge of the bed, her tail already starting to wag.

"Are those flames?" Matthew's expression was stuck somewhere between shock and worry, and I smiled as I patted the bed.

"It's okay—it's not hurting her. This is Hella. She's a demon-hound and used to live with us in the demon realm. Now she rotates between all the demons here in the human world."

Matthew blinked a few times, watching as Hella hopped onto the bed and curled up beside me. She was a big, black dog with flames burning at the tips of her ears and her tail, and red eyes that would be scary if I didn't know what a softie she was.

"There are dogs in the demon realm?" Matthew finally asked, and I smiled as I ran my fingers through Hella's fur.

"Nah, she's the only one. She ended up there because of some glitch, and then decided it was her new home," I explained with a shrug, making him smile.

Hesitantly, he reached out and offered his hand for Hella to sniff, and she started licking his palm, making him laugh.

"She's friendly," he exclaimed, sounding surprised, and I smiled.

"She is. When she likes someone, she is all in."

Within minutes, Hella had won Matthew over completely, and when the two of them curled up on the bed with Hella in my spot, I started wondering if maybe it hadn't been the best idea to introduce those two.

Later, Matthew had to rush off to work, but he reminded me that he had the next two days off, and he'd be all mine then.

While he was gone, I cleaned my apartment—with magic, of course—and rearranged some things to make more space for Matthew. I also restocked the pantry and planned some meals for the next week.

While I enjoyed food as much as any demon who hadn't had a chance to eat for centuries would, I enjoyed feeding Matthew even more. He needed to eat more, since he spent all day working, and I was going to make sure he was well fed, even if I had to cook some boring meals with too many greens.

I debated over going to his workplace for lunch time to make sure he'd eat, but instead settled on magic-dropping a lunch box that only he would be able to see until he got his hands on it. Hopefully, that would make him eat.

By the time Matthew returned that evening, I'd realized I needed something to do during the day other than waiting on Matthew to get home, or I was going to drive myself crazy.

I knew Matthew liked his job at the hospital, and I'd never want him to leave it for me, so I needed to find a passion of my own. But how?

"Damn, this is delicious. You should be a chef," Matthew moaned as he ate the potato gnocchi I'd made from a recipe I'd found online. I enjoyed trying out new dishes from different cuisines, and more often than not, they came out well.

"Thanks," I said as I took a bite as well, humming at the taste. Perfect blend of spicy gravy and smooth dumplings.

"No, I'm serious. I know you don't need a job or anything, and that you made up the food blog thing, but you might like it."

"You think so? I've never thought about it, but I do enjoy cooking." And I don't know what to do with myself when you're not around , I added mentally.

"Yeah! I bet you'd be great at it. You should check out some of those fancy restaurants that make up new dishes, because I don't think you'd enjoy cooking only one type of cuisine."

Why did I find it strange that Matthew knew me well enough to make that claim without a hint of doubt in his voice?

We'd only known each other for a short while, but we'd been through a lot in that time. We'd had experiences and made memories, good and bad. We'd gotten to know each other in a way I didn't know anyone else. It might be fast and reckless, but that didn't make it any less real.

"I'll look into it."

Matthew smiled at my determined tone, then continued eating, making happy sounds with each bite. Fuck, I loved this human, didn't I?

Matthew

The next morning, I woke up on top of Ten, my arms crossed on his chest with my head resting on them, and my legs on either side of his waist. He was awake under me, but he hadn't tried to move me off of him.

Raising my head, I met his blue eyes, loving the way the sunlight sneaking in through the blinds made them sparkle. "Hey."

"Hey." Ten smiled up at me, and my eyes flicked to his lips. Leaning down, I brushed mine to his, and he gave a happy rumble in his chest before pulling me into a deeper kiss.

I tried to pull back since I had yet to brush my teeth, but Ten wouldn't allow it, and as I realized he had no problem kissing me like this, I gave in, because his tongue was doing things to me and I could only resist for so long.

Pulling back to catch my breath, I rested my forehead against his. "If you want to go any further, I'm gonna need to brush my teeth. And shower. Oh, and a cup of coffee."

"As you wish, Your Highness," Ten teased, and I wrapped myself around him as he sat up and then got to his feet, a hand under my ass keeping me from sliding off.

Ten carried me to the bathroom, then sat me on the edge of the counter. I hopped off before he could grab my toothbrush, hip-checking him out of the way and taking it myself.

"I can brush my teeth, you ass," I grumbled, though I was sure I didn't quite hide the fondness I felt for him.

In a few short weeks, Ten had changed my world completely. I was happier than I'd ever been, I knew magic was real, I was in a good, happy, healthy relationship, and my boyfriend had a sexy-as-fuck demon form. What more could I possibly need?

"Okay, how about I make you some coffee and breakfast while you freshen up?"

Ten started to turn around, and I grabbed his wrist, making him look at me again. "Coffee only. I want to have some fun with you, and I don't want to wait."

Ten's eyes widened, and then he grinned. Leaning forward, he pressed a kiss to my lips before rushing off.

After I'd brushed my teeth and showered thoroughly—I wasn't sure how far we'd go, but it was best to be prepared—I put on the fluffy robe hanging in the bathroom and made my way to the kitchen. The robe was in Ten's size and swallowed me whole, but it smelled like him, so I loved it.

The scent of coffee sent away the last of my sleepiness, and I smiled when Ten held a steaming mug out to me. We drank our coffees like very patient gentlemen, but the moment I placed my mug in the sink—Ten was already done with his—he was on me.

Grabbing me around the waist, Ten picked me up and plopped me onto the counter before slamming his lips against mine. I kissed him back with equal fervor, feeling like I couldn't get close enough to him.

Ten's hand worked on the sash of my robe as his tongue slid into my mouth, and I shivered when he groaned loudly, his hand splaying across my bare stomach. He slid his hand lower, and muttered a quiet "fuck" into my mouth when he discovered I wasn't wearing anything under the robe. What was the point when I was planning to get naked anyway?

"Do you want to shift?" I asked when I pulled back to catch my breath, and Ten gave me a conflicted look.

"Would you mind if I did?"

"Haven't I proved it to you enough that I think you're sexy in both forms?"

Ten sighed, and I knew this was more about his own insecurity than any judgment on me, but I really wished I knew how to show him that I found his demon form irresistible, maybe even more than this human form.

"If you walked around the house in your true form, I wouldn't be able to keep my hands off of you," I admitted, and I meant every word.

Ten gazed at me for another moment, then shifted, and my cock twitched as his scaly, huge form solidified, his dick already out and leaking for me.

"Fuck, Ten," I groaned, palming myself as Ten stepped forward. He grabbed my hand, pulling it away from my dick as he pulled me up with his other hand. He could pick me up with one hand, and that turned me on even more while simultaneously making me feel safer than I ever had.

I wrapped my arms around his neck, my legs around his torso, and then kissed him again, groaning when his thick, long tongue slid into my mouth. I bobbed over it like I would his dick, licking and sucking and filling myself with the taste of him. I wanted to be surrounded by him, marked by him, owned by him.

I'd never felt like this about anyone before, and if I didn't trust Ten, I'd think he'd used some kind of demon mojo on me to make me like him so much, to feel so intensely for him.

Pulling back with a gasp, I dragged in a few deep breaths as Ten watched me, the tip of his tail running up and down my back. Shivers raced through me at every touch, and I clung to him, wanting to kiss him again but needing oxygen more. Being a human could be so inconvenient sometimes.

"I want you. Inside me," I said when I could breathe again, and the black pupils in his eyes flared wide, taking over the blue as they roamed over me. The robe still hung off my shoulders, but my front was bare to him...and my spine because he'd somehow ripped the back of the robe with his tail.

Ten squeezed my asscheeks, then placed me on the floor. Pulling the robe off—and ripping it further in the process—he placed it on the counter before picking me up and laying me on my stomach on top of it. Even turned on, he was so careful with me.

Ten grabbed the backs of my thighs, and I leaned up on my elbows, craning my neck to watch as he spread my legs...then went on his knees between them. With me on the counter, his face lined up perfectly with my ass. Holy fuck.