Chapter 5
We settled into a surprisingly comfortable routine over the next few days.
I worked from his dining room table during the day while Malphas either did house projects or disappeared on what he vaguely referred to as “infernal business.” Evenings were spent sharing meals (he was an excellent cook) and watching TV (he had strong opinions about home renovation shows).
On the fourth night, disaster struck.
I was taking a shower in the guest bathroom when the water suddenly went ice cold. With a yelp, I jumped back, slipped on the wet tile, and crashed into the glass shower door. It didn’t break, thankfully, but I heard an ominous crack.
“Sam?” Malphas’s voice came through the door, concerned. “Are you okay?”
“Y-yeah,” I called back, teeth chattering as I shut off the freezing water. “The water went cold suddenly.”
“Damn,” he muttered. “The water heater must have gone out. I’ve been meaning to replace it.”
I wrapped a towel around my waist, still shivering. “It’s okay, I’m fine.”
“Let me take a look at that shower door before you use it again,” he said. “I heard something crack.”
“Um, I’m not exactly dressed,” I pointed out.
There was a pause. “I can wait until you’re dressed.”
I tried to open the shower door to reach my clothes, but it was stuck. The frame had bent slightly from my impact.
“Actually,” I called, “the door’s jammed. I can’t get out.”
Another pause. “Do you want me to come in?”
No, I don’t want an insanely attractive demon to see me naked and wet. That’s the last thing I need right now. “Yes, please,” I said instead. “I’m decent. Well, towel-decent.”
The bathroom door opened, and Malphas ducked to enter the steam-filled room. His eyes widened slightly at the sight of me, wet and clutching a towel around my waist. I suddenly felt very aware of my lean frame compared to his massive physique.
“Let me see,” he said, his voice deeper than usual as he approached the shower.
He examined the door, his large hands carefully testing the frame. “It’s bent,” he confirmed. “I need to pull it back into alignment.”
Before I could respond, he gripped the metal frame and effortlessly bent it back into place with a strength that made my mouth go dry. The casual display of power sent an unexpected thrill through me.
“Try it now,” he said.
I pushed the door, and it slid open smoothly. “Thanks,” I said, stepping out onto the bathmat, still clutching my towel.
We were standing very close now, in the small bathroom. Water droplets ran down my chest, and I watched Malphas’s eyes follow their trail to where the towel sat low on my hips.
“I should, um, let you get dressed,” he said, but didn’t move.
I don’t know who moved first. Maybe him, maybe me, maybe both of us. But suddenly his mouth was on mine, hot and demanding, and my back was against the cool tile wall. His hands, those massive, capable hands, gripped my waist, nearly spanning it entirely.
Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit, my brain helpfully supplied as Malphas kissed me like he was trying to devour me. He tasted like cinnamon and something darker, something not-quite-human that made my head spin.
The towel was barely hanging on as his body pressed against mine, all heat and hard muscle. I could feel the inhuman warmth of him through his clothes, and my hands clutched at his shoulders, trying to pull him closer.
When we finally broke apart, I was gasping for air. His eyes were glowing red, all traces of hazel gone.
“I’ve wanted to do that since you laughed at my Rice Krispie treats,” he growled, his voice pure demon now, no trace of Gary’s Midwestern influence.
“Why didn’t you?” I asked, breathless.
His laugh was dark and sent shivers down my spine. “I didn’t think you’d be interested in a demon with a lawn care obsession.”
“Well,” I said, letting my towel drop to the floor, “I am very, very interested.”
Malphas’s eyes flared brighter as they took in my naked form. “Are you sure about this?” he asked, a trace of humanity returning to his voice. “I’m not exactly… normal.”
“Malphas,” I said, reaching for the hem of his t-shirt, “nothing about my life has been normal since a poltergeist used my body as a timeshare. I’m very sure.”
That was all the permission he needed. With a growl that rumbled through his chest, he lifted me effortlessly, my legs wrapping around his waist as he carried me to my bedroom. He laid me on the bed with surprising gentleness, then stood back to pull his shirt over his head.
Oh my god. His torso was a marvel—broad chest covered in the same deep red skin, defined muscles shifting under his smooth hide. A dusting of what looked like black hair trailed down his absurdly cut abs, disappearing into his jeans.
“You’re staring,” he noted, a smirk playing on his lips.
“Can you blame me?” I retorted, propping myself up on my elbows. “You look like the hottest personal trainer in hell.”
He laughed, then reached for his belt buckle. “Your turn to stare some more, then.”
As he undid his jeans, I realized I had no idea what to expect. How human was a demon below the waist? I got my answer as he pushed the denim down his powerful thighs.
Very human, I thought, eyes widening, just… more so.
Malphas was impressively endowed, his cock standing proud against his abdomen, the same deep red as the rest of him but with a darker head. The sight made my mouth water.
“See something you like?” he teased, kicking his jeans aside and stalking toward the bed like the predator he was.
“Everything,” I admitted, reaching for him. “Get down here.”
He complied, covering my body with his much larger one, careful to keep some of his weight off me. The feel of his hot skin against mine drew a moan from my lips. His mouth found mine again, hungrier this time, as his hands explored my body.
“You’re beautiful,” he murmured against my neck, trailing kisses down to my collarbone. “So fucking beautiful.”
His praise made me arch against him, seeking friction. One of his large hands wrapped around both our cocks, stroking slowly, and I gasped at the sensation.
“Tell me what you want, Sam,” he commanded, his voice a deep rumble that I could feel in my chest.
“You,” I said simply. “All of you.”
He groaned, his forehead pressing against mine, horns carefully angled away. “You don’t know what you’re asking for.”
I reached between us, wrapping my hand around his impressive length. “I think I have a pretty good idea.”
Malphas’s eyes blazed, and he kissed me again, harder this time. “Wait here,” he said, then disappeared into the bathroom. He returned moments later with a bottle of lube from my toiletry bag.
“Presumptuous,” I teased.
“Prepared,” he corrected with a wicked grin, rejoining me on the bed. “Turn over.”
I complied eagerly, settling on my stomach. I felt the bed dip as he knelt between my spread legs. His hands caressed my back, my shoulders, down to my ass, kneading the flesh appreciatively.
“So perfect,” he murmured, and I heard the snap of the lube cap.
The first touch of his slick finger against my entrance made me gasp. Despite the size of his hands, his touch was gentle, careful as he worked me open. One finger became two, stretching me with torturous patience.
“Malphas,” I groaned into the pillow, pushing back against his hand. “I won’t break.”
He leaned over me, his chest against my back, his voice in my ear: “No, but I want to make this good for you. I want to make you fall apart.”
By the time he had three fingers inside me, I was a writhing mess, begging incoherently for more. His other hand reached around to stroke my cock, drawing desperate sounds from my throat.
“Please,” I finally managed. “I need you inside me.”
He withdrew his fingers slowly, and I whimpered at the loss. I heard the lube cap again, then felt the blunt head of his cock pressing against me.
“Breathe,” he instructed, and I did, relaxing as he pushed forward slowly, inexorably.
Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck, I thought as he filled me, stretching me beyond what his fingers had prepared me for. It burned, but in the most delicious way, making me gasp and clutch at the sheets.
“Okay?” he asked, his voice strained with the effort of holding still.
“More than okay,” I assured him, pushing back to take him deeper. “Don’t hold back.”
A growl rumbled through him, vibrating against my back. “Careful what you ask for.”
Then he began to move, and coherent thought fled. His thrusts started slow and deep, letting me adjust to his size, but soon picked up pace as my body welcomed him. One of his hands gripped my hip, the other braced beside my head, his powerful body covering mine completely.
The feeling was indescribable—being so thoroughly possessed by him, filled and surrounded and claimed. Each thrust hit something inside me that sent sparks through my veins, making me cry out his name.
“That’s it,” he growled in my ear. “Let me hear you.”
I was beyond shame, beyond restraint, moaning and begging as he drove into me. The headboard slammed against the wall with the force of his thrusts, and distantly I worried about structural damage to his perfectly maintained home.
His rhythm faltered slightly, and he groaned. “I’m close, Sam.”
“Me too,” I gasped. “Touch me, please.”
His hand snaked beneath me, wrapping around my aching cock, stroking in time with his thrusts. It was too much—the dual sensation pushed me over the edge, and I came with a shout, spilling over his fingers and the sheets.
My body tightened around him, and with a roar that literally shook the lampshade, Malphas followed, driving deep one final time as he found his release. I felt the heat of it inside me, impossibly warm, like his essence.
For a long moment, we stayed locked together, both panting. Then carefully, so carefully, he withdrew and rolled to the side, gathering me against his chest. His heartbeat thundered beneath my ear, gradually slowing to a more normal pace.
“Well,” I said when I finally found my voice, “that was worth getting a flooded apartment for.”
He laughed, the sound vibrating through his chest. “Glad to hear my plumbing skills are appreciated.”
I propped myself up to look at him. His eyes had returned to that intriguing mix of red and hazel, and his expression was softer than I’d ever seen it.
“So,” I said, tracing patterns on his chest, “was that Malphas or Gary?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Do you think Gary would fuck you hard enough to make the pictures fall off the walls?”
I glanced over to see that, indeed, a framed landscape print was now hanging crookedly. “Good point. Though I bet Gary is very attentive to his partners’ needs.”
“We both are,” Malphas said, suddenly serious. “Whatever this is—this Gary situation—it’s changing me. But some things are still purely Malphas.” His hand cupped my face. “The way I want you? That’s all demon.”
I turned to kiss his palm. “Good. Because I kind of have a thing for the demon side.” I paused, then added with a grin, “Though I also appreciate a man who can fix a leaky faucet.”
He laughed again, pulling me closer. “Lucky you. You’ve got both.”
As I settled against him, pleasantly sore and thoroughly satisfied, I couldn’t help thinking that yes—I was very lucky indeed. My life had taken the strangest possible turn, and somehow landed me in bed with a demon prince who could rock my world and then make me breakfast in the morning.
“I should check on your bathroom tomorrow,” he murmured sleepily. “I think the shower door needs to be replaced entirely.”