"You always have a choice where I'm concerned."

I tried to hide the shock on my face at his words, but I couldn't hide the way my heart was racing. Looking away from him, I rubbed my hands against my jeans and swallowed a breath. "I should go to bed."

"Goodnight, Queen."

A shiver ran down my spine at the way my name sounded on his tongue and I mouthed, 'oh my god' as I stood up. How he managed to be so sexy without trying was terrifying. Terrifying and terrible. For me. How the hell was I supposed to focus on my job when he was actively destroying my image of him?

Everything that happened today; how gentle he was with James, and the way he comforted me without so much as a word made me question every single thing I had ever heard about him. And I hated it. Ugh! Why couldn't he just stay the asshole that he was when we first met?

I glanced back at him to see him unbuttoning his stained shirt and my feet sprung into action as I hurried to the room I was staying in. I shut the door behind me and leaned against it and closed my eyes. Images of him flashed repeatedly in my mind and I slapped my forehead. Fuck.

"Fucking shit! Agghh." I fought the air in front of me, angry at myself for allowing my mind to get away from me. From the kiss in the closet to this...the clear boundary I set between my work and whatever the hell was going on with us was disappearing.

Taking off my jeans, I dragged my feet to the bed, falling face first and groaning. When Xyla texted me what was happening I freaked out. I was terrified to go but I didn't want her to get hurt. Almost two years ago my parents set me up with Justin and I was supposed to marry him.

He was going to be giving my family tons of money for their kingdom and their sake I agreed to the arranged marriage. Justin was nice at first but the more time we spent together, the more he felt that I should give him something in return.

I didn't like him romantically so I didn't feel like giving him anything in that way, so he took it.

For months I had been living in fear of the moment I would be married to him. But today when I saw him on the verge of death all I felt was a relief. I felt incredibly guilty for feeling that way, but I couldn't help it.

I lay on my back and stared up at the ceiling and thought about Syn. I didn't know his reasons for doing what he did, but what other reason would there be if it wasn't for me?

I was the only connection that Syn had to the man. But why would he do that? Was he so desperate to have me indebted to him forever?

I still needed to go to Hell with him, I owed him a favor he still hadn't claimed from our library game, and now there was this which I assumed he'd want something in return. A man like him never did anything for free.

I turned over in the bed, glancing at the teddy bear James had given me and sighing. Xyla had explained to me the situation with his parents and how Syn intervened. Regardless of how brutal he was with them, the tenderness he displayed with James warmed my heart.

I didn't know how to feel about Syn anymore after today and it was giving me a headache. I shook my head and tried to rid my thoughts of him. No matter how I saw him, I couldn't let myself get close to him. My mind drowned in my sea of thoughts until I tired myself out, and fell asleep.

꧁꧂

I woke up a few hours later with a headache and winced as I swung my feet off the bed. Seeing as water was the only thing that would help at the moment, I got up. I held the shirt to my thighs to cover myself in case anyone was up, and I walked out, tip-toeing down the long corridor like a spy on a mission.

The living room was dark and I tried my best to squint my eyes and make out the kitchen. I walked at a snail's pace trying my hardest to touch the things around me and gauge my surrounding, but it was all for nothing as I tripped over something on the floor and landed against a hard body.

"Fuck," a deep voice groaned in pain. My eyes widened as I realized who it was and I froze, hoping that he somehow didn't wake up from the colossal whale that just landed on him. But I should have known it would be too good to be true.

I felt him move under me and I heard the click of a lamp turn on, dimly lighting the room with an orange hue.

I looked up at him and he lifted his head from the couch and squinted at me. "What are you doing, Queen?" This was the softest I had ever heard his voice sound, but I dismissed it to the fact that he was exhausted.

"I needed water. I'm so sorry." I said quietly. I glanced around the room and realized he was lying on the couch. Why was he here when he had a room?

He didn't reply to me and lifted his arm to turn the light off. I put my hand on his chest to lift myself off, but he wrapped my hand around my waist, keeping me in place.

"Stay," he said. My heart beat wildly out of my chest as I felt him shift under me. He raised his knee and it was now between my legs and I bit my lip. I wanted to run away from him as soon as possible but at the same time, I wanted him to touch me. Once.

One time wouldn't do anything, right?

I shifted in his hold and brought my legs onto the couch, straddling him. I was now positioned directly over him and I heard a groan erupt from within him.

I laid my head on his chest and let one of my hands roam over his large chest, my fingers gliding over scarred skin, making me frown. I wondered what pain could've been inflicted on a man as powerful as him, but I realized...I didn't want to know. I was already horrible for being this close to him, I didn't need to know his every secret unless it was for work.

He cleared his throat and trailed his hand soft on my back, his cool rings making me tremble on top of him. His touch was doing something to me that I didn't recognize, but I didn't want it to stop.

"Comfortable?" He asked.

"I'd be more comfortable in a bed."

"You want me to take you to a bed?"

Yes. "No. That's not what I said."

He scoffed, and I closed my eyes, feeling the slight rise and fall of his chest. Not hearing the sound of a heartbeat was strange to me, but it only reminded me that he wasn't human.

My mind thought back to our kiss at the church, and I licked my lips, recalling the feel of his lips against mine. I ran away the first time from just the shock of the moment, but the days following it were filled with me regretting that decision. What would've happened if I kissed him back? Would he have been the one to push me away?

Lord knows I was attracted to Syn and wanted nothing more than to kiss him and have him kiss me everywhere, but my obligations were in the back of my mind. Just tonight, I thought to myself, to get it out of my system. The thought seemed tempting as resisting him was becoming painful. I could use a break from trying so hard to avoid him. Just for tonight.

I made up my mind and decided I would kiss him and forget about it. I just needed to do it once and I would be satisfied to never do it again.

I lifted myself on my forearms and faced him in the dark. His eyes were closed and his breathing was soft, taking away from his intimidation for a quick second. The moonlight peeked through the curtain in the living room, illuminating his handsome features. His long lashes rested on his cheeks, and the scar on his eyebrow that usually warded people away only added to his appeal tonight. What the hell is going on with me?

I took a quiet and deep breath, looking down at his full lips, and slowly closed the distance between us. I pulled away from his lips after the quick peck and smiled to myself, moving to lie back down on his chest. As I did, he sat up with me still in his lap, wrapped one arm around my waist, and buried his hand in my hair.

His lips crashed down onto mine, greedily taking my mouth and I let him, surprising myself with my actions for the second time tonight. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he deepened the kiss, parting my lips with his tongue. I found myself kissing him back, my hands getting lost in his wavy hair and my body grinding against him.

He took his lips off of mine and feverishly trailed kissed down my cheek to my neck. He tugged my hair, making me follow the movement and his lips went to my neck, kissing and sucking on the sensitive skin and sending waves of butterflies throughout my body.

His hands ran along my thighs to the hem of my shirt, lifting it, and I raised my arms, permitting him to do so. He brought his lips back to mine and his hands explored my body as if this was the last time he would ever touch me.

With a swoop motion, he unclipped my bra with one hand and I let it fall down my arms. With my breast now fully exposed he brought his mouth down to them and began sucking. I stifled a moan, heat swelling between my legs from the feel of his bulge under me.

I smiled to myself as I realized I had the same effect on him as he had on me. Being with Syn at the moment felt like the best type of wrong. I felt like I was drinking poison yet taking the only antidote. The combination had me on an intoxicating high that I knew was horrible for me, yet I didn't want to come down from.

Syn flipped our bodies with a speed that made my head spin, my back lading on the couch and him looming over me. Before I could steady myself his lips were back on mine as he devoured me completely.

A moment later Syn pulled away from me and left me panting on the couch. I didn't know what he was doing until I saw the room flood with light. With the new light that came in, my insecurities rushed in and I covered myself with my hands. I wasn't an insecure person, but the way Syn looked at me would probably make me one.

He looked down at me, seeing that I was hiding myself, and shook his head. "Don't do that." He said. I looked away from him in embarrassment and he moved a strand of my hair behind my ear. "Would you like me to turn the light back off?"

A small smile spread across my lips at the offer and I brought my eyes back to his. "Yes."

"No."

"But-" He kissed me once, pulling away and looking down at me, making me frown. "You-" He stopped me with a kiss again, pulling away and raising a brow at me in challenge. "Syn-" He did it again, and I lost it, placing my palm over his mouth. "You can't kiss me to stop me from talking."

He took my wrist, removing it from his mouth. "You were just going to ask me to turn the light off and that's not happening." His lips moved back to my breast, making me arch my back and dig my nails into his shoulder blades. "Do you think I haven't fantasized about every inch of your body already?"

My eyes widened in surprise at his words and my stomach fluttered when I felt his tongue on my nipple. He slapped the back of my thigh making me yelp. "Ouch."

"I want an answer when I'm speaking to you," he said in a serious tone.

I rolled my eyes, thankful he couldn't see me. "Yes, sir," I mocked.

He scoffed and kissed a trail down my abdomen. "Move your hands, Queen." When I didn't move he stopped kissing me and looked up at me. "I can only be nice for so long." At his words, I slowly uncovered myself and he gave me a peck on my lips. "I want to see you, all of you."

I smiled at him and brought my lips onto his again. I would've expected the son of the devil to taste like death and ashes, but he had a whiskey vanilla taste on his tongue that I couldn't get enough of.

His tongue and lips glided down my body until his head disappeared between my legs, making my breath hitch. I looked down at him curiously, and his eyes moved to mine.

He hooked his fingers into the sides of my panties and slid them down my legs. I could feel his warm breath on my core and I held my breath in anticipation, waiting for his next move.

I positioned myself so that I could see him and when he saw me looking at him his head dipped between my legs. I felt his tongue glide along my folds and a moan escaped my mouth at the foreign feeling.

In a slow and sensual pace, his tongue explored me and sent waves of ecstasy through my body. His pace quickened and I tried to steady my breathing, but I couldn't. I began squirming and moving away from him, but his strong hands were gripping my thighs, holding me in place.

What felt like a mountain of pleasure built up inside of me and I tried hard to hold back but ultimately failed as I came, my body jerking as I gripped the cushion. I took heavy breaths as I collapsed onto the couch and stared up at the ceiling. "Shit," I whispered in a shaky voice.

Syn raised himself from between my legs and brought his lips back to mine. I could taste myself on his tongue and the mixture of his taste and mine made my core throb. After a few moments of gentle kissing, Syn positioned himself under me and I laid my head on his chest. As I closed my eyes, tiredness began to overtake me. I felt a blanket being spread over my body and I snuggled against Syn, feeling satisfied and satiated.

꧁꧂

The shine of a bright light burned my closed eyes and I squinted in the bright room, sitting up and rubbing my eyes. My eyes glanced around the bedroom and I frowned, knowing good and well that I fell asleep in the living room with Syn.

I looked down to see my shirt back on along with my undergarments and I racked my mind in deep confusion. "What the hell..." I whispered, moving the covers off of me and lowering my feet to the cool wood floor. How did I get here? Did anything from last night truly happen?

Maybe it was a dream.

But how? It all felt so real.

As I thought about it longer, the possibility of it being from my imagination began to make sense. There was no way that I had done that with Syn, knowing who he was, and all the evidence showed me that it didn't happen. I sighed, walking to the restroom and rubbing my forehead. Get it together, Queen.

I flipped on the bathroom light, walking toward the mirror, yawning as I stretched my arms. When I caught my reflection, I froze. My eyes widened as I saw large purple hickeys on my neck creating a sharp disparity with my bronze skin.

I lifted my shirt over my head, throwing it to the side and seeing more of them marking my breasts. I looked down and my eyes caught faint handprints on my thighs and my mouth dropped.

None of it was a dream. I trembled as I realized what happened between Syn and me was extremely real, and all the evidence was left on my body like I was some canvas. Guilt began to eat at me as I thought about what happened yet as bad as I felt...

I wanted it to happen again.