Destructively Alluring by N. Isabelle Blanco

to learn that no part of her was really shy by nature. She’d admitted to me, cheeks pink, that it was her attraction to me that had made her feel awkward near me. I assured her that there was no reason to feel awkward. Obviously, I was just as attracted to her as she was to me.
    Perhaps even more so.
    It took everything I had to stay on the other end of the couch and not attack her. More than once, I’d seen her shift and wince and I knew that she had to be sore.
    As sexy as she looked wearing a pair of my sleeping pants and a t-shirt that she’d borrowed, I knew that I had to let her rest before taking her again. Even knowing this, the rest of the night had been difficult. The more I learned about her, the more I wanted her. The way that she smiled or laughed at something I said made my body burn all over again.
    As soon as we were done eating, I’d lifted Demi into my arms and carried her straight to the bedroom. She’d seemed surprised but didn’t say anything as I laid us down and turned off the lights. Laying there in the dark with her, our bodies touching, had been more excruciating than anything thus far.
    I’d tasted her. I knew what being inside her body was like, so I knew what I was missing.
    Determined to be considerate, I’d hugged her to me, careful to keep my erection away from her. It took a while but eventually I was dragged into a deep sleep.
    When I woke up, it was because I felt movement next to me and it jarred me out of my sleep. I squinted against the light, coming to just in time to see Demi moving towards the edge of the bed.
    She could’ve just been going to the bathroom, for all I knew, yet something told me to reach out for her.
    Demi gasped sharply when she felt my arm wrap around her waist. I pulled her back onto the bed, spooning her from behind so I could nuzzle her neck. “Where were you off to?” I asked, nipping her skin playfully.
    The little sound she made set my blood on fire but before I could think on it too much, her continued silence registered and set me on edge. “Demi,” I said carefully. “Where were you going?”
    Demi inhaled shakily and wouldn’t turn to look at me.
    “ Demi, ” I repeated, emphasizing her name.
    “I thought you would want me to leave,” she whispered out of nowhere.
    My brow slammed down hard at that. I turned her over and looked into her eyes. “And why would I want that?” I asked, truly confused.
    “I don’t know. I just thought…” Demi trailed off, pressing her red face into the pillow next to my shoulder.
    I moved her hair away from her face and cupped her cheek. “You thought I just wanted to fuck you and now that I did, I was done with you,” I stated calmly.
    Demi didn’t respond. She didn’t need to. I sighed, annoyed that she’d jumped to that conclusion but knowing that it was logical in some way. Men are men. I was one of them. Had she been anyone other than herself, I might very well be done with her.
    “I don’t want you to leave,” I finally said. “This wasn’t just about sleeping with you. That’s not what I want.”
    “ What do you want then?” Demi asked, finally looking at me.
    You.
    But I didn’t say that. Things weren’t going to be that simple between us and I knew it.
    “I want more time with you,” I answered honestly. “I want more time to get to know you more. I want to explore this. Most of all…” I sighed, falling on the pillow and staring at the ceiling. “I need more time to figure out what I’m going to tell your father.”
    Demi was silent next to me after that. After a few moments, I felt her move. She leaned towards me and pressed a kiss to the corner of my mouth. Forget morning wood. I was one the level of morning steel and I had to clench my jaw to stop myself from attacking her.
    “I want that, too,” Demi breathed.
    I hadn’t even realized that I was tense from waiting for her to answer until my body nearly melted from the relief.
    “Well, except the whole ‘tell my