“Arrogant. Controlling.” She took another step back, but I didn’t let her get far. Oh no, I was all up in her face, sharing the same air. “And you’re…you’re a jerk.”

“Oh, I’m sure you can do better than that, Kitten.” And I knew she could. Kat had a mouth on her. Speaking of which, my gaze dropped. Her lips parted. Dammit. “Because I seriously doubt you’re not attracted to me.”

She laughed—the sound low and husky. Sexy. “I’m totally not attracted to you.”

I took one more step, and her back was against the wall. Staring down at her, I think I may’ve forgotten to force my lungs to inhale and I definitely forgot the whole point of coming over here. There was only one thing I was thinking about. “You’re lying.”

“And you’re overconfident.” She wetted her lips, and heat pounded through my body. “You know, the whole arrogant thing I mentioned. Not attractive.”

Man, she was so full of it. She’d say anything to keep arguing. Placing my hands on each side of her head, I leaned down, my mouth so close to hers I could almost taste her. I doubted her lips would be sweet. More like one of those red-hot Fireball candies.

I really, really liked that candy.

“Every time you lie, your cheeks turn red,” I told her.

“Nuh-uh,” she said.

I slid my hands down the wall, stopping beside her hips. “I bet you think about me all the time. Nonstop.” As much as I thought about her, which was…nonstop, so it only seemed fair and right that she did the same.

“You’re insane.” She pressed back against the wall, her chest rising and falling sharply.

“You probably even dream about me.” My gaze dropped to her mouth again. Fireball… “I bet you even write my name in your notebooks, over and over again, with a little heart drawn around it.”

She laughed this breathless sound. “In your dreams, Daemon. You’re the last person I think—”

Tired of arguing, I kissed her…just to shut her up. And yeah, I’d keep telling myself that. Just keep right on with that train of thought. That’s why I was kissing her. No other reason.

But the moment our lips met, a shudder rolled through my body and I half growled, half moaned. Because I was right—her mouth was like a hot-as-hell Fireball.

Kat wasn’t arguing anymore.

No, she was shivering.

Kissing really wasn’t necessary anymore and I should stop, needed to stop, but then she pushed off the wall, fitting her body against mine. Her fingers sank in my hair and she moaned against my mouth.

This was so not about shutting her up.

Something came unhinged in me. Like a lock that had been turned. Or a dam that burst. Or, hell, it was like being struck by lightning, run over by a truck, and then shocked back to life. I was moving and doing without really thinking.

My hands gripped her hips, and I lifted her up. Her legs went around my waist and she was kissing me right back with a passion that almost startled me, and I was hoping she didn’t notice that my hands were trembling. Hell, my entire body was shaking. There was a fire under my skin, and I was out of control. Seconds away from going full Luxen on her and what good would that do?

Aw hell, it didn’t matter. Not when I pressed into her and she made this beautifully feminine sound that really had my blood pounding. And I could feel it building in me. Pure power—and it had nowhere to go but out. This had been building for months. Maybe always leading to this.

I never wanted someone as much as I wanted Kat.

Then we were moving along the wall. A lamp toppled over. Kat didn’t seem to mind, thank God, because I was beyond the point of caring about anything other than who was in my arms.

Kat.

Vaguely, I was aware of the TV switching on and off. I tried to rein it all back in, but her hands went to my collar and then she was wiggling down, pulling at the buttons. I could only obey her silent command. I moved back and let her take off my shirt.

I’d pretty much let her do anything at this point. Kind of scary…and all kinds of hot.

I captured her cheeks, pulling her back to my hungry mouth. Man, I couldn’t get enough of her taste, of how she gave it right back to me on all fronts. Her hands went to the button on my jeans.

There was a cracking sound in the house. Most likely something had just gone up in flames. But we were moving toward the couch and then we were on it, our hands everywhere, tugging on clothes, on each other. Our hips were molded together like our lips.

Kat whispered my name, and I was crushing her against me one second and then the next, I was giving up space to explore—for me to explore. Sliding over her arm, down the front of her shirt and lower, and her shirt was off. I don’t even know how, but it was.

“So beautiful,” I said, because she was beautiful. Damn, she was, and that flush I’d seen yesterday did spread everywhere. It took me a long time to lift my gaze, but when I did, I kissed her again. Kissed her until I knew she needed air, claiming her mouth as long as I could.

My body took over completely, rolling against hers, but something else clicked inside me. Another hidden door was opening. I slowed down, taking my time. Where everything had been so frantic and crazed, it was now more tender and controlled. I was still shaking, though, on the verge of…

Of not being able to stop—not wanting to, of needing her more than I should.

You don’t want to be the reason she disappears or is killed.

I stilled and forced my lungs to work like hers. Inhaling ragged breaths that weren’t enough, I lifted my head and opened my eyes. I knew they were glowing, speaking a thousand things I couldn’t say and she’d never understand. Probably not want to hear, either.

Our gazes locked. The look in her eyes, the way her body melted into mine, I knew she’d let me do…anything. But if I didn’t stop now, I wouldn’t stop ever. And even though I was prone to moments of “great dickdom,” as Kat would say, it wasn’t right. Not under these conditions. Not on a freaking couch.

Not when her life was in my hands.

And I kept messing up with her. I was the one who traced her and led an Arum to her at the library. I was the one who pissed her off and all but chased her into a street. I was the one who exposed our kind. I was the one who was repeatedly putting her in danger.

So I said the only thing that came to mind. The only thing I knew that would snap both of us back into a cold, harsh reality.

I forced my lips into the half smile I knew always got under her skin and said, “You’re barely glowing now.”

Chapter 23

After all this time, I’d finally succeeded in keeping Kat away from Dee. Instead of feeling satisfied about that, I felt like shit.

I was such…such an asshole.

Since Sunday afternoon, Kat kept to herself. I made the mistake of poking her with my pen in class Monday and the look she gave me shriveled up very important body parts. All she had said to me was that I blew up her laptop, and then she didn’t speak to me. She didn’t come over to the house to spend time with Dee and by Wednesday, my sister was super suspicious of what had happened.

Not like everyone wasn’t already suspicious over how quickly Kat’s trace had faded. No one asked. Except Andrew. He’d asked if I had sex with Kat.

I’d punched him Monday after school, hard enough to break his nose.

Andrew had laughed, and of course his nose had healed immediately.

You’re barely glowing now?

As if that had been the sole reason why I’d kissed her, why I got my hands on her or got her on that couch, under me and topless. Use any means necessary, Matthew had said, but I doubted he’d meant that. And I was real with myself. I’d gone over there Sunday to work the trace off her. I was prepared to make her go running in the rain or up and down the staircase inside. I hadn’t planned on kissing her.