Chapter 5
CHAPTER 5
DOMINIC
T he ring slips off my finger, and Gianna puts it in my palm. It’s heavier than a gold band of that size should be and still warm from my body. I slip it into the pocket of my jacket and straighten my shoulders. The glamour tickles as it lifts from me, so I shake myself, my tail whipping out behind my back. My hooves sink into the carpet as I shuffle my feet. I roll back my shoulders, more comfortable now.
She stares at my clawed hand for a long minute, and the only indication that she’s surprised is a quick intake of her breath. Without looking up at me, she runs her thumbs over my fingers, right down to my claws, then flips my hand so it’s palm-side up and presses those thumbs into the heel of my palm.
I stifle a groan. To have her finally touching me is more than I’d hoped for tonight. I wanted to observe her from afar, see her safely home, then leave her be. But that little asswipe of a witch derailed my plans. My blood still thrums too quickly through my veins—though it’s possible that Gianna is to blame for that. I’m always on edge when she is near, and now more than ever.
“Will you look at me?” I ask when I can’t hold it back any longer.
My voice is deeper now, clearly inhuman. That glamour spell is worth its very hefty price and allows me to move freely through human society, even if some of the people I meet sense that I’m not like them. Gianna must have sensed it, too, but she never ran away from me.
Now, she lifts her chin, her gaze going from my hand to my chest to my chin. Knowing we should get things out of the way, I smile at her, showing my fangs. Her fingers twitch in my grip, tightening, then relaxing again, and her scent follows the same pattern—she’s surprised and intrigued, not scared. I wouldn’t have shown myself to her if I’d scented her fear. The last thing I want to do is terrify her.
Finally, she meets my gaze, her brown eyes wide, taking in every single detail of my face.
“I knew I saw your eyes shine golden,” she whispers.
Slowly, she palms my cheek, as if she wants to convince herself that I’m real. I bow my head, helping her, and she rewards me with a small smile. Then she slides her hand up, right to my left horn. I grit my teeth because I know what will follow—but even so, the sensation of having my horns touched by this beautiful, fearless human almost brings me to my knees.
“Ungh,” I groan, eyes fluttering shut.
“Oh!” Gianna pulls her hand away, dropping me like a hot potato. “I’m so sorry.”
I straighten again, then bite my tongue, hoping the pain will be enough to get my dick to calm down. “I should have warned you,” I admit. “My horns are very sensitive.”
She stares at me, and I see the moment she realizes what’s going on. Her sinfully red lips form a little ‘O’ of surprise. “It didn’t hurt?” she asks, her voice husky.
“Only in the best way,” I assure her.
She takes a step back, smirking. “I’ll keep that in mind.” Then she crosses her arms over her chest and tilts her head to the side. “So…you’re a demon?”
I let out a bark of laughter. “Close, sweetheart. Descended from demons, as the lore goes, but these days, we call ourselves Krampus.”
“Krampus,” she repeats. “Is that German?”
I lean my back on the door and cross my arms, too, both to mimic her position and to keep myself from reaching for her. “It is. My ancestors came to America in the early twentieth century. Lots of sinners here.”
She frowns. “Sinners?”
I bite the inside of my cheek, wondering how much to share with her. “We see people’s sinful thoughts,” I say finally. Better to get the truth out now, before we take this any further. “And before we became…more civilized, we used to punish the worst ones. Every year around the winter solstice, my ancestors would round up those who didn’t deserve another chance and…take care of them.”
I don’t want to go into detail on that. Written accounts of the olden days are rare, but the legends my parents raised me on say that Krampus either tortured, mutilated, killed, or ate their victims. I’m not entirely sure which option I like the least, but I don’t need to burden Gianna with any of them.
She gazes at me thoughtfully. “Like you took care of Brandon?”
I incline my head. “Kind of like that, yes.”
She studies me, eyes narrowed. “What kind of bad thoughts are we talking about?” Motioning with her hand, she adds, “Like, actual murder and stuff?”
She seems calm on the outside, but her heartbeat picks up. I hear the fluttering thump-thump of it and see the pulse in her neck, and I grin, because I know what she’s trying to ask without saying the words out loud.
“I would punish a murderer, yes,” I tell her. “We don’t care so much about sloth or gluttony these days, but greed and wrath always spike my interest.” I push away from the door and take a step toward her. “Still, my favorite has to be lust.”
Gianna swallows, her calm demeanor faltering. “L-lust?”
“Mm-hm.” I circle her slowly, my tail twitching in anticipation. “Can you imagine what kinds of thoughts someone might think if they thought they were private? What kinds of fantasies they might conjure up?”
She tracks me with her gaze. “That’s intrusive, isn’t it?”
I raise one shoulder in a shrug and take another step closer. “I switch the gift off for the most part. I have no wish to know what my colleagues are thinking. But when it comes to you…” I stop and drop my gaze to the floor between us. “When it comes to you, Gianna, I’m powerless to resist.”
Her sharp inhale has me looking up at her again. She’s flushed all the way down to her chest, and I wonder if the redness on her skin extends to her breasts. I think for a moment I’ve finally crossed the line. That she’ll smack me or scream at me—and most importantly, leave.
But Gianna wipes her palms on her dress and clasps her hands together in front of her, a picture of innocence, if it wasn’t for that sinful dress of hers and those golden heels that will feature in my dreams for years to come.
“What did you overhear?” she asks softly.
I can’t stop myself. I close the distance between us and touch her cheek with the backs of my fingers, marveling at the soft texture.
“Every single naughty thought you ever had in my presence,” I admit. “I was greedy and wanted to know it all.”
Her eyelids flutter at my touch. “So you…?”
“I know of the time you made yourself come in your little office,” I murmur, cupping her face when she doesn’t shift away. “Because you thought it would make it easier to resist the pull between us.”
She gasps, and the warmth of her breath sends shivers down my spine. But she leans into my touch then grasps my jacket as if she’s afraid her legs might give out.
So I slip one hand to her waist and anchor her against me, then add, “But it didn’t work, did it?”
She shakes her head. “I wanted to imagine someone else when I did it.” Her brown eyes are wide, almost imploring as she stares up at me. “It didn’t work. You were all I could think of.”
A growl reverberates around the room, and I realize it’s me. “You came into that conference room smelling like a godsdamned dessert. I wanted to throw Webber out the window, spread you out on the table, and eat your pussy until every single person in your office knew who you belonged to.”
The moment the words leave my mouth, I want to take them back. I sound unhinged, almost violent, but Gianna merely slides her hands to my shoulders and clings on while I wrap my arm fully around her waist and press her to me.
She goes on her tiptoes and tugs my head down to whisper in my ear, “I wanted you to do that, too. I imagined it when I was in my office.”
“I know,” I reply.
I’ve been replaying her fantasy over and over again until I didn’t know anymore where her imagination ended and mine began. My cheek is next to hers now, and it would be so easy to finally capture her lips, but I need her to make the first step. I’ve pushed this far enough, and if I abused my power to coerce her into something she’s not ready for, I’d be as bad as those sinners I talked about.
But I should have known Gianna doesn’t back away from what she wants. She turns her head slightly, so her soft lips brush my cheek. Then she draws in a shuddering inhale, as if she’s steeling her nerves—and kisses me full on the mouth.